《My System Academy》
Chapter 1 Welcome To Heavenly Magic Academy
Eluard Kai scrutinized the person in front of him.
Dressed like a butler from a prestigious family of modern times, the old man''s grayish hair slithered to his face as he bowed deeply with grace to Eluard.
"I have been waiting for your arrival, Academy Master."
''A-academy Master?'', Eluard was shocked.
When did he be an academy master?
He was just some nobody on Earth, not until some truck driver thought it was entertaining to drive over him on an alleyway.
It was the most ridiculous ident that happened in history. The truck seemed hellbent on Eluard to be dead as it chased him from the highway to the lower streets.
The old man continued speaking, dragging him out of his imagination.
"I have been tasked to safeguard this ce until the Academy Master arrives. Now that you are here, my time is over."
Eluard panicked.
This guy was spouting nonsense out of nowhere. As such, he tried to block the man''s path when it vanished to nothingness.
''He- he vanished like that?!''
Hell no! He didn''t want to take responsibility for something he was unclear about.
That was simr to a pregnant woman charging through his apartment, dering that he was the man of the child she bore.
"Hey, damn old man. Stop ying tricks with me! Come out!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs.
Despite his incessant cursing, he had no choice but to go inside the academy for now. There was nowhere else to go.
The road behind felt dangerous, while the academy could be used as a shelter until he knew what was going on here.
Moreover, the old man said he was the academy master now. Maybe it wasn''t a lie?
Regardless, it was worth the trouble.
Eluard walked closer. When he looked at therge school in front of him, it was pretty much deserted.
Closed windows, closed doors. The song of loneliness rang in his ears.
''Damn, howe arge academy like this is deserted?''
The scale wasparable to universities like Harvard back on Earth.
He arrived in front of arge wooden door. It was the only entrance that led to the academy.
Atop the walls were inscribed, "Heavenly Magic Academy".
''How domineering.''
Amidst his daze, therge doors opened by themselves. Then, something he has been longing for ringing in his ears.
[ Wee to the Heavenly Magic Academy. ]
[ I am your system and I will be assisting you in your endeavors, dear host. ]
"Yessss!!!", Eluard knelt with tears of joy flowing in his eyes.
He thought he was a goner, not until the system arrived.
''System, tell me something I don''t know!''
[ You are currently in a magical world, dear host. Gifting System Opening Rewards. ]
''A gift?''
[ System Opening Rewards: Special Skill: Magical Deterrence, Magical Analysis. Items: Mask of the Magus, Robe of the Magus. ]
[ Magical Deterrence: No being, even a god, can measure out your might. ]
[ Eye of Fidelity: The eye of a supreme archmage cannot be deceived by anyone. ]
[ Mask of the Magus: The long-lost mask of a renowned wizard. ]
[ Robe of the Magus: The long-lost robe of a renowned wizard. ]
Eluard was rather confused about the particr effects of the two special skills. Moreover, the items he received were confusing too.
`Can''t it be more descriptive than that?!`, he was frustrated. The system might as well not tell him anything.
However, the system coldly interrupted his annoyance before he couldin.
[ Administering Tasks. ]
''Tasks? Already?''
[ Main Task: Recruit 5 mage students in the Heavenly Magic Academy. ]
[ The Heavenly Magic Academy was once titled as the most supreme academy of magic. Its glorious name has been forgotten for long. Now, it is time for it to rise back again. ]
[ Specific Requirements: Students must have the following attributes. ]
[ Magic Root: At least profound magic root. ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 7 or higher. ]
[ Magic Affinity: None. ]
[ Reward: Magic Root (Mythical-Trait or Higher). Magic Aptitude (10 or higher). Magic Affinity (Universal) ]
Eluard gaped his mouth at how bountiful the rewards were just for a rookie task.
"System, aren''t they a bit too bountiful?"
[ As the Academy Master, you are expected to be the top existence in magical cultivation in Heavenly Magic Academy. ], the system corrected.
Eluard concluded that it was logical. There was no way a student would enroll in an academy with a trash master.
Moreover, he had to reign supreme over the rest. If a student could overpower him, what was the point of being the academy master in the first ce?
Of course, he had to understand how powerful they were for a reference.
"System, what are these words in my panel?"
[ Magic Root: The base of a wizard in controlling the mana and casting spells. Rare magic roots include effects varying from increased magic cultivation speed, affinity to other elements, etc. ]
[ Divided into categories: Ordinary, Elite, Profound, Legendary, Mythical, Divine ]
[ Magic Aptitude: Magicalprehension measured in numbers. The higher the number, the faster a person will learn magic, particrly the more advanced andplex magic. ]
[ Magic Affinity: Affinity of a wizard to magic elements. ]
"I see. Since the magic root reward is at least mythical, I wonder what its special effects would be."
"Also, it said that my magic affinity would then be universal. Does this mean that I would be able to harness all sorts of elements after this?"
Eluard was excited. However, the next task baffled him.
[ Special Task 1: Adaptation ]
[ You have recently transmigrated in a world you are ignorant of. Go to the library and read some history books ]
[ Reward: Academy Invitation x10. Item: Randomly invite 1 student to the academy. The attributes of the invited student are random. Single-use ]
Eluard felt like the system was mocking him.
"All right, all right. I''ll go read some books now, okay?!"
On the way to the library, with the help of the system''s map navigation, Eluard found that there were other sections of the system panel as well.
General, Tasks, Host Profile, Students, Staff, Items, Store, Pets.
Out of them all, only the General, Tasks, Host Profile, Students, and Items were open.
''I guess it''s the conventional way, system?''
He didn''t get a response. When he looked at his profile, he was utterly humiliated.
[ Host Name: Eluard Kai ]
[ Age: 22 Years Old ]
[ Magic Power: N/A. ]
[ Magic Rank: N/A. ]
[ Magic Root: None. ]
[ Magic Aptitude: None. ]
[ Magic Affinity: None. ]
[ Magic Spells: None. ]
[ Special Skill: Magical Deterrence, Magical Analysis (Eye of Fidelity) ]
[ Achievements: None. ]
[ Remarks: Disappointing host. ]
It was just a long line of none, none, and another none.
The remark section felt like he was being mocked by the system again.
''Damn it, just you wait system! I''ll prove to you how good of a host I am!''
...
1 weekter.
Eluard slumped on a wooden table as he finished reading the book he was holding.
He wore a grandiose mage robe gifted to him by the system. Its back cor went as high as his head, curving smoothly to the sides.
Its outside was colored navy blue, while the inner was white.
His aura was befitting of an academy master now.
''Damn it, I feel bored reading them.''
The world he was in now was called Aludia. Its inhabitants practice what would one say in Earth as fictitious stuff.
Existence of gods, demi-humans, demons, magic.
Eluard felt like he was dreaming. Based on the scale of the map Eluard saw, Aludia might be 4-5 times bigger than Earth. Maybe even more than that.
There were 9 continents in total, with many more inds and archipgos littering around the world map.
There were thirteen forces that superseded the rest of Aludia''s inhabitants, but the most prominent ones were the Creed of the Morning Star, Vaha''s Dominion, League of Wizardry, and Knights of Aludia.
The first one was a religious cult founded under the star rotating over Aludia which many termed as the Morning Star.
They had a deep faith that the Morning Star blesses Aludia and its citizens. It was a deity that preceded the other gods. Those who speak of otherwise were treated as renegades.
They have reached multiple cities and continents, and no empire nor kingdom dared to stop their missionaries in spreading their faith.
Vaha''s Dominion was a demonic tribe that resided in the southern continent, the Wastes. They were extremely violent and hostile.
Their demonic lord, named Vaha, once ruled thend though defeated by Aludia''s valiant heroes which soon founded the League of Wizardry and the Knights of Aludia.
Although other upations existed in thend, knights and wizards were the primary options considered by most people.
Bing a knight was easier than its counterpart. Forming a knight''s chivalric core was all needed, which could be artificially induced or naturally formed.
Meanwhile, wizards required an innate magic root. Once a person was born without any of that, there was no way they would be a wizard for all their life.
Though there were rumors sparking that a legendary wizard of ages ago once found a mythical spell that allowed him to remodify one''s magic roots, even create it from scratch.
Of course, rumors were just rumors and Eluard left it at that.
`Now this should be sufficient, right?`, he wondered, and his prayers were answered.
[ Special Task 1: Adaptation Completed. ]
[ Rewards: Academy Invitation x10. ]
[ Please use them wisely, dear host. ]
"Academy Invitation? It said that I can use this to invite students to this academy."
As if reading what was the next thoughts in his mind, the system proactively informed Eluard of its information.
[ Item: Academy Invitation ]
[ Invite a student to the Heavenly Magic Academy. Distance is irrelevant. Invited students will receive an envelope, inscribed with teleportation magic should they imbue their mana into it. ]
[ Teleportation target is the entrance of the Heavenly Magic Academy. ]
''Oh, that convenient?''
In this case, he wouldn''t have to wait for months for an invited student that resides on the other side of the world.
Eluard felt that he couldn''t wait that long. Who knows? Maybe the transportation system in this world wasparable or better than Earth, or maybe worse.
He also factored that the students may not know where the Heavenly Magic Academy resided. He was just transmigrated here out of ce.
The books didn''t even mention the Heavenly Magic Academy in the list of prosperous academies in Aludia.
"Alright, enough about all this contemtion. Let''s use one of them and see how it goes! System, use one academy invitation, please."
[ Acknowledged. ]
[ Processing request. ]
[ Invitation sessfully sent out. ]
Chapter 2 The Students System Panel
Eluard paced back and forth on the 2nd floor of the lobby. He was hesitant now that a recruit was about to arrive. Or maybe no student would arrive?
''No, it''s said that Heavenly Magic Academy was once a renowned magical institution of old times. Maybe some people should still remember of it, or be obsessed once they realize that it truly exists, right?''
In order to relieve himself of the stress, he tried talking to his system.
"Say, system, since I am the academy master, what responsibilities do I have in this ce?"
[ As an academy master, you are tasked to maintain the Heavenly Magic Academy. ], the system replied.
"Forget it, you''re unreliable.", Eluard rolled his eyes.
''I obviously know I have to overlook this academy but what about the specifics?''
That detestable old man just dragged him into a heap of responsibilities he never expected to take over.
"Then what about me teaching the students? Are there any other advantages I have against the other academies?"
He was worried about this matter. If this was just any other magic academy out there, bolstering the same ''We can help you in your magic cultivation'' crap, then he was out of here.
[ A student enrolled in the academy is gifted with their system panel. ]
The system''s reply dumbfounded Eluard.
"Uh, what?!"
They were gifted a system panel? Then wasn''t this just like a VR game where the students were the yers and he was the game master?
[ As the academy master, it is you who is tasked to gift them a system panel. ]
[ You have full authority on implementing or removing the system panel from a student as you like. ]
[ You can also issue tasks on your own. Rewards are limited based on the Heavenly Academy''s Resources. ]
Before he knew it, another tab appeared in his system panel. It was named "Resources". Eluard disregarded it for the meantime and listened in on the system.
[ Each student''s system panel is the same but it is limited in functions, however. ]
Eluard breathed a sigh of relief.
At this rate, it was easy for students of the academy to cultivate.
Their biggest advantage lies in the existence of their system panels. He could simply con them in him giving them tasks and avoid teaching magic to the students. That way, he would have an easy life as an academy master.
[ As an academy master, you must hold a public lesson at least once a week. ]
This prompt darkened Eluard''s expression, ''You damn system! Can''t you give me a break?!'', snorting in disdain and asked something else instead.
"Can everyone else outside the academy know about the system panels?"
[ Impossible. Any student banished from the academy is wiped off of their memories. ]
[ Memory repairing spells or the relevant will not retrieve them. ]
This eased off any worries Eluard had with the students and their system panels.
[ Attention: A recruit has arrived at the Heavenly Magic Academy. ]
Eluard widened his eyes, ''That fast?''
[ Host, please equip the Mask of the Magus at once. ]
[ It is of great importance to hide your real identity from the rest of the world. ]
[ Due to inexperiencedmunication with the natives, the host must strictly follow the script disyed on your system panel. ]
The sessive prompts ted Eluard, ''It looks like my system isn''t that bad at all.'' He took a nce at the mask and felt a mysterious aura wash over him. It was as if there was a spirit that resides within the mask.
''Here goes nothing.''
¡
Outside the Heavenly Magic Academy stood a man adorned with royal garments around his body.
His blue eyes stared widely at the name of the academy engraved on top of the entrance gate.
On his left was an envelope he found on his desk. It was the invitation Eluard sent out earlier.
"So it is real! The Heavenly Magic Academy is real!"
A hint of nervousness and amazement rang in his voice. His hands were shaking in surprise as he couldn''t contain the excitement deep in his heart. In some historical books back at the Imperial Library, only the chosen ones with excellent talents were invited to this fabled magic academy.
The tale of the Heavenly Magic Academy faded through the years. He never expected to hit the jackpot and be invited.
Therge wooden door in front of him opened.
''It''s here. Let''s be calm now, Lucan. We can''t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity.''
He rubbed his hands and hoped to the Morning Star deity that he would be epted into this magic academy. Cold air drifted out of the lobby. Lucan could feel the chilling aura.
He slowly took his steps and once inside, the door closed on its own. The lobby was faintly illuminated. There was a chandelier on the top, providing light down below. A navy-blue carpet rolled from the entrance towards the two staircases in the distance.
Stepping on it felt like he had just stepped on fresh natural grass. It was a refreshment on the mind. Even the carpets in the Imperial Pce couldn''t bepared to this.
"Hello?", Lucan called out.
Little did he notice Eluard on the 2nd floor. He lightly tapped on the smooth wooden railing.
After equipping the mask of the magus, Eluard''s mind was as clear as day. His thoughts were more organized, logical, and an inexplicable sense of confidence rose within his heart. The usual things that would make him nervous were now worth nothing to him.
"Oh, a guest.", his deep mysterious voice startled out Lucan.
"Ah! Who are you?!"
Lucan scrutinized the robed figure in front of him.
He was wearing a mask with diagonally inclined slithered eyes curved like the de of a scimitar. The smile on its face stretched out from cheek to cheek. Lucan couldn''t make out the facial expressions of the robed figure.
The robe wasrge and seemed to be ''floating'' in the air. Lucan could tell that the figure must be smaller than the robe they were wearing.
''He emanates a mysterious aura! And this pressure! Academy Master Emilia couldn''t bepared to this!''
He was unable to utilize his mana at all when facing the robed figure. He tried to use magical analysis but it failed.
''Even that doesn''t work?! Are the people in this academy that powerful?''
On the other hand, Eluard also scrutinized the young man in front of him.
[ Name: Lucan Hermes ]
[ Age: 14 years old ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Status: Eldest Prince of the Morning Star Empire ]
[ Affiliation: Morning Star Empire ]
[ Magic Power: Apprentice Mage (Median Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Sequential Magic Root (Legendary) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 9.0/10 (Apprentice Mage) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Fire, Lava, Earth ]
''A legendary magic root at the start? System, may I know the further details of his magic root?''
[ Sequential Magic Root (Legendary) ]
[ User can consecutively cast spells with increased mana consumption in favor of greater power. Reset timer set at 5 seconds. ]
[ Additional effects: Multiple Simultaneous Spell Casting ]
[ User can simultaneously cast spells of different magical elements, removing the usual restriction observed in other mages or wizards. ]
Eluard''s luck shot off the roof.
''An excellent student! I must bring him over to me!''
This Lucan could cast spells consecutively with each spell being stronger than thest one. It''s just that he had to cast them within 5 seconds between thest spell.
There wasn''t a restriction to the type of spells cast consecutively. If he casts a shield spell followed by an offensive one, the offensive spell is amplified in all sorts of cases.
''Does this mean that if he had huge mana reserves, hisst few spells could be utterly devastating?''
Hiding the shock in his voice, Eluard continued.
"I am the academy master of the Heavenly Magic Academy. You can address me as the academy master. I have been expecting you, Prince Lucan Hermes of the Morning Star Empire."
Lucan wondered how the academy master managed to identify him at a single nce. Moreover, his arrival was ''expected'' ording to this academy master.
Driven by the fanatic thoughts running through his mind, he thought, ''Is he¡ omniscient?!''
"Honorable academy master, it is my great honor to be in front of you today. I am hoping that you would ept this young one''s foolish request in enrolling to your prestigious magical institution.", he bowed in respect to the figure in front of him.
Eluard wanted to immediately ept this guy but he knew that he has to test Lucan. Otherwise, Lucan might think that being epted to the Heavenly Magic Academy only takes a legendary magic root to boot and a noble background.
The young man might perceive it otherwise.
"What makes you think you are capable and worthy, Prince Lucan of the Morning Star Empire?"
The two slithered eyes glowed in red, striking fear to Lucan who was staring straight into Eluard''s eyes.
"I¡ am the prince of the¡"
Eluard cut him off.
"Nonsense. Do you think I care about the Morning Star Empire?!", he extended his hand and pointed his left index finger downward, forcing Lucan to kneel on all fours.
Lucan regretted his choice of words. He knew he had messed up his answer just now.
''Damn it! I should''ve known that they are indifferent to our backgrounds the moment we step in here!''
He had been arrogant for far too long that it has been ingrained in his brain to use his status as the eldest prince whenever he was met with an adversary. Lucan knocked his head to the floor and shouted with deep regrets.
"I am sorry, honorable academy master. This humble one seeks of your forgiveness!"
The pressure from before vanished. Lucan could feel the weight on his shoulders easing.
Weng!
He looked up and saw the academy master standing in front of him. ''Te-teleportation?!'', unable to contain the shock on his face.
"You still have a lot to prove, Prince Lucan. Come back to me once you are done reflecting on yourself."
Lucan found himself flying out of the academy. Once hended, a teleportation magic circle emerged below his feet. He started to panic and tried to get away but he couldn''t.
"What? No. You can''t do this to me! I''m-!"
"Ah!"
He fell on his royal bed back at the Imperial Pce.
The door to his room was abruptly opened and a middle-aged man with an agitated expression ran to Lucan, "Prince Lucan, it''s bad! The emperor has revoked your title as the crown prince!"
Chapter 3 Another Invitation
Lucan angrily marched to the throne room.
"Father! What is the meaning of this?!"
On the other side sat a middle-aged man exuding a pressure tantamount to facing a demon from the Wastes.
However, for Lucan, it was no different to air just passing by. The academy master''s aura was iparable to this child-like intimidation that the man adorned with crowns disyed.
He was Emperor Philip Hermes, the 13th Emperor of the Morning Star empire.
Lucan''s steady posture interested him, "Lucan, my child. What brings you here?", feigning ignorance.
"My title as a crown prince! Why was it removed from me?!"
To Lucan, the crown prince title meant his entire life. He was appraised to have a legendary magic root unseen for decades, and his magic aptitude was amazing as well.
For his father to take off the crown prince title from him, something must be going on.
"It was removed from you because you''re an ipetent prince, dear brother.", a soothing voice insulted Lucan.
"Dexter, how dare you talk to your elder brother like that?!", Lucan reprimanded.
"How dare you talk to the crown prince like that?!", Emperor Philip interjected.
Lucan''s countenance fell, "Father, you¡ passed the title to him?"
Emperor Philipshed at him.
"What else do you want me to do? You damn son of a bitch keeps on making trouble for me now and then. Guess who cleans up your mess every time? Me! And now, the chancellors are protesting on my door each night, forcing me to renew the title of the crown prince because of how troublesome you are!"
Lucan slowly backed away, "Father¡ why?"
Emperor Philip dismissed him, "Enough. Go back to your room."
On his way out, Lucan received the contempt of the many. He thought that these people had always supported him. To think that familial blood ties were non-existent in the royal family.
''How dare you talk like I''m some trash!''
He swore that he would get his revenge and stomp these people with his domineering power. However, now wasn''t the time. He lost all the support he had before and everyone turned against him.
Continuing to live in the Morning Star Empire would just prove difficult to him. He had made enemies from everywhere. They were bound to deal with him now that he lost his title as the crowned prince.
Lucan nned to leave as soon as possible.
As if knowing what was on Lucan''s mind, the steward prepared his luggage alongside some other important things. He was about to go when he caught a glimpse of the envelope that teleported him to the Heavenly Magic Academy.
''That''s right, there''s still this thing. If I go back there with more respect to the academy master the second time, he might just change his mind.''
Lucan packed up and quietly went out of the Imperial Pce with the help of his steward. He now knew why the academy master sent him back.
''This is a test, Lucan. A little bit of patience wouldn''t hurt you now, right?'', although his ego was hurt in the process, Lucan understood that if he didn''t fix this arrogant behavior of his, the academy master might just bar him from entering ever again.
At that, hisst bit of hope would be gone alongside his life.
As for going into the other magic academies? Lucan had his fair share of ridicule. Many thought that his legendary magic root was a joke, using him of bribing the academy master and the wizards of the Morning Star Academy.
When he was tested on his mastery in spell casting, Lucan couldn''tst for 10 minutes. The wizards remarked on his inefficient handling of mana since every time he casts a spell, his mana consumption increased as well.
The result was that he failed. This disappointed the academy master of the Morning Stary Academy, Emilia Kayle, who expected him to pass with a breeze. It also worsened the previous rumor Lucan had.
¡
In a dpidated house.
3 ck-clothed men gathered on one side. Their cold eyes exuded an aura of dread. They were an assassin group known as the Sucarii, infamous in the Morning Star Empire.
Their leader sat on one end of a table, smirking at the person adjacent to him. His long hair fell on his face, almost covering the thin long scar that harrowed his beauty.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Prince Dexter?", he said in a mischievous tone.
Prince Dexter, who was the person on the other side, slid arge pouch to the man. Thetter rummaged through it and inspected its contents.
"2 magic crystals. 3 body cultivation Pills. 1 core condensation pill", the leader retrieved one of the crystals and yed with it, "I didn''t know Prince Dexter was that kind of person."
Magic crystals were used by mages and wizards to cultivate, while the pills were used by the knights. Although the payment wasn''t very high, the leader knew that he couldn''t negotiate with someone like Prince Dexter.
Lucan already lost his title as a crown prince and made enemies before. He was just a rat running for his life. Killing him was less of a difficulty than killing the other members of the imperial family.
In fact, the leader was rather nervous deep inside, ''Prince Dexter''s intelligence and ruthlessness are rather unusualpared to others of his age. He''s bound to take the throne sooner orter. Hell, I wouldn''t be surprised if he starts plotting against his father right now.''
"I want the body.", Prince Dexter implied.
The leader shrugged, "I can''t promise anything, my prince. We''re just humans, we''re bound to make mistakes."
Prince Dexter snorted and abruptly left. He didn''t bother to argue with them because he would be on the losing side if he insisted. The leader raised his eyebrows and signaled one of his henchmen toe over, "Make ready. A prince is about to die today."
¡
Back at the Heavenly Magic Academy, Eluard sat at a high chair inside the headmaster room.
"System, I am confused.", he voiced out his opinion, "You said that I have to recruit 5 students. How am I supposed to recruit anyone if I''m going to reject them at the first meeting? Don''t you know of the saying ''First impressionsts''?"
[ Dear host, students of the Heavenly Magic Academy are talented people. ]
[ The academy tests students not of their talents, but their personalities. ]
Eluard contemted the system''s reply.
''Now that you think about it, there''s really no point testing their strength because they''re already powerful, right?''
Just the requirement to apply to this academy discouraged many aspiring wizards and mages. What genius? A student with a profound magic root could be regarded as a treasure in Aludia but that was just the bottom of the rung in the Heavenly Magic Academy.
[ Heavenly Magic Academy inspires students to pursue the mastery of magic without any devious intent against the inhabitants of Aludia. ]
[ Vitors are permanently banished from the academy. ]
In the system''s defense, there was no point mentoring a talented student if they only wanted the world to burn in the end. Heavenly Magic Academy wasn''t a righteous institution, but it wouldn''t lead their students astray as well.
"Are you saying that that Prince Lucan has his problems?"
His question remained unanswered but Eluard understood a gist of it. Nevertheless, since the system scripted it that way, he would just go with the flow and see how it would turn out.
''Should I¡ invite another one again?'', he hesitated, ''Ah, whatever. Let''s do it.''
¡
Volcanic Grassy in.
3 thousand kilometers east of the Morning Star continent.
A girl in red traditional clothes sat on the corner of the cave, shivering in the cold as the rain poured outside. Her cat-ears were down, and her soft tail coiled around the ground as if it was afraid of something.
Her honey-colored hair was drenched, despair present in her crystal-clear ck eyes.
"Big sis Emi¡ why would you sacrifice for me like that¡", her voice cracked as she cried.
Three days ago, some ''human poachers'' invaded their hometown and kidnapped the demi-humans in there. The little girl, Emi, alongside her big sister, Akane, struggled to escape from the evil grasp of the human poachers.
Although they escaped, her big sis was injured on the way. They found themselves trapped on a cliff. Akane pushed Emi off the cliff before the human poachers could get to the two of them. Akane remained as her injuries were too grave for her to make the jump.
Emi, now in tatters, sobbed as much as she liked because she knew what was going to happen to her big sister once the human poachers grabbed a hold of her.
"It''s my fault¡ It''s my fault¡"
Her crying was interrupted when an envelope fell to her feet.
"Wh-what''s this? I-is this a trap?", she was wary. Emi developed trust issues after what happened.
She grabbed the envelope and the previous depressive atmosphere vanished. Something seemed to have cleansed her emotions just now.
"Heavenly Magic Academy? Channel your mana to the envelope to be teleported?", she doubted the words, not until she heard shouts resounding nearby.
"Where is that damn demi-human? She was pretty as hell like her sister! We could sell her for a lot to those royalties back at the capital!", followed by a devilish cackle from a group of men.
''Oh no! They''re here!'', Emi started to shiver again. If the human poachers found her, she would be sold as a ve to the human nobles. She didn''t dare to imagine what would happen after that.
''The envelope! The envelope! I could probably make it out of here!'', herst hopes were put into that small white envelope in her hands. She channeled her mana into it and prayed to the Morning Star deity that it was real.
''Please be real! Please be real-! Ah!''
She was teleported to the entrance of the Heavenly Magic Academy and fell to the ground face-first.
Chapter 4 Another Legendary Magic Root
[ Attention: A recruit has arrived at the Heavenly Magic Academy. ]
''I wonder who is it this time.'', Eluard put on the Mask of the Magus and teleported to the 2nd floor in the lobby.
ording to the system, as the academy master, he had the right to be anywhere anytime inside the academy premises. With the map navigation, he could oversee who was in the rooms in real-time.
Since the academy was still deserted, he could only see himself for now.
¡
Emi peeked inside the lobby with her curious eyes, "Scary¡", wagging her tail behind.
She had seen the spectacr sight from the entrance and she was instantly awed, piquing her interest to investigate further.
"He-hello¡", she cowered while speaking to the air.
"Ah, another guest.", Eluard started his usual greeting.
"Who are you? Are you the one that teleported me here?", Emi stuttered. The robe was mystifying, amplified by the mask''s peculiar appearance and Eluard''s disposition. Emi was unsure of whether he was a friend or foe.
"And what if I am?", Eluard replied while receiving the information about Emi.
[ Name: Emi Moon ]
[ Age: 13 Years Old (32.5 in human years) ]
[ Race: Demi-human (Humanoid felines) ]
[ Status: Isted ]
[ Affiliation: None ]
[ Magic Power: N/A ]
[ Magic Root: Natural Restorative Magic Root (Legendary) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 8.2/10 (Apprentice Mage) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Nature (Earth + Wood + Water) ]
''Another legendary magic root?'', Eluard squinted his eyes. This luck was definitely off the charts.
[ Natural Restorative Magic Root (Legendary) ]
[ As long as one strand of the magic root remains in the user, it will restore itself over time. ]
[ Additional Effect: Improves effectiveness of healing spells by 400%. ]
[ Additional Effect: Earth, Water, or Wood-based magic spells increased effectiveness by 200%. ]
[ Additional Effect: Adversal Remedy ]
[ The user can heal the wounds of another''s magic root at the cost of their magical cultivation ]
Based on the prompts shown to him, Eluard concluded that this little girl''s magic root was almost on par with Lucan. However, she would still be on the losing end should Lucan''s tempo remain uninterrupted.
But her specialty did not rely on offense but was more on healing herself and the others. Her adversal remedy could help a lot of people whose magic roots were damaged.
Eluard was about to ask the system regarding Emi''s age when thetter kowtowed and begged to him, "Senior, please help me and my sister. I-I know that it sounds preposterous from me but she-¡ she is everything I only have! I-I wouldn''t have lived in this world without her care¡"
Her pitiful voice softened Eluard''s heart. However, just as much as he wanted to help, he wasn''t in any condition to lend a hand either. Looking at how desperate the young girl with cat ears begged to him, he was irritated deep inside.
[ Special Task 2: A Little Girl''s Request (Timed Task) ]
[ One of your recruits has asked for your help. In order to admit the recruit to the academy, their wishes must first be fulfilled. Time duration: 30 minutes. Failure to finish within the designated timer will incur losses. ]
''Fulfilled? System, are you joking with me right now?''
Forget about bandits, maybe even a grown-ass man could mess him up many times over. Now, he was administered with an almost impossible task.
[ Due to the host''s neglectable cultivation, the system will gift the host with temporary power in order to aplish the special task ]
[ Temporary Power: Adept Wizard (Full Ring) has been applied ]
[ Universal magical affinity temporarily applied ]
[ Various magical spells temporarily imbued inside host''s memory. ]
[ Rewards: 2 students enrolled in the Heavenly Magic Academy, Temporary Power Scroll (Random) x 2 ]
[ Failure: No new student enrolled in the Heavenly Magic Academy. Negative reputation. ]
[ Note: All temporary powers applied will be removed after finishing the special task. ]
Eluard could feel his head lightening as arge amount of data flowed into his brain. Offensive spells, summoning spells, and all other spells were imnted into it.
''System, isn''t this an overkill?'', he thought that the system was a little bit cautious.
[ All preparatory cautions must be exercised, dear host. ]
Eluard nodded at this, ''Ah system, you''re the best system ever!'', ttering it nonstop with his sugar-coated words. He stared back at Emi who was still kowtowing down below.
''But why 2? Is it her sister you''re going to include too?'', Eluard pondered. Furthermore, the task gave him limited to prepare. He had to move fast.
"Little girl, I may be able to help you in your affairs, but you should know that my assistance is¡"
Emi cut him off and proactively approached, "Senior, I will be forever grateful for your help! Senior is running an academy, right? I-I can help senior tidy things up here seeing how deserted it is¡"
Eluard waved her off. His actions worried Emi, thinking that she wasn''t enough for the said task.
"I don''t want you working here, little girl. I want you as a student."
Emi was shocked, "Student? But senior, I do not even know if I have a magic root inside me¡"
"Step inside that room on your left and the truth will be shown upon you.", Eluard gestured. The door on the left opened revealing what was inside.
ording to the system, it was called the Pool of Revtions.
It was a highly regarded magic artifact of the Heavenly Magic Academy because whoever enters the pool will be sent off to their dreams. The pool had only one use, to reveal the talents of a person who bathed in it.
To prove the pool''s validity, their details, even the most obscured ones, would be presented in front of their eyes. Nothing could persuade the mind unless you show to them their deepest thoughts that none could ever hope to know.
Of course, Eluard wouldn''t be able to know what was shown inside. The pool was an artifact he never owned in the first ce, and even if he did, he wasn''t a busybody to meddle in the secret affairs of others.
Magic stones flooded the bottom of the pool, glistening in sky-blue color. Its gleam didn''t hurt the eyes of those who stared upon it. Above the pool was a hole wide enough to let in the light and cover its entirety.
Eluard thought that this was a perfect situation in showcasing the usability of the Pool of Revtions. Sooner orter, recruits would pour in the academy''s doorstep and those with doubts would be awakened in reality once they bathed in the pool.
Emi slowly entered the room and curiously looked at the pool in front of her. She was instantly awestruck by how beautiful the pool was and the ambiance it brought.
Eluard waved his hand and removed all the dirt and mud Emi umted during the past days. Emi was grateful and bowed to him.
The pool exuded a refreshing aura that eased the worries in Emi''s heart. She took her first steps in the pool and noticed that the water didn''t drench her clothes or skin. Stepping on the stones wasn''t as painful as she thought it would be.
Rather, it was just like her stepping over the soft carpet in the lobby barefooted.
As she treaded deeper, the stones below increased in luminosity until a bright light shed in her eyes and knocked her out.
Emi woke up and found herself standing in a closed room with three pedestals in front of her with a book on the top of each one. A pir of light shone upon them, making them look like holy scriptures of religious faith.
There was a board behind the pedestals and Emi could see everything about her in detail.
Her real name, her age, affiliation, dark secrets, etc.
This persuaded her that the senior before was honest to her. After all, not many knew what her real name was, and some other intriguing information on the board.
ncing through the pedestals, an excitement surged in Emi''s heart.
She approached the first one and she was shocked to know that she actually had a legendary magic root. The hands holding the book trembled in joy.
"I-I can''t believe it¡ That senior didn''t lie to me¡", tears welled up in her eyes. She closed the book and went ahead to read the remaining two.
One described her magical aptitude and the other, her magic affinity. Once finished, a sh of light blinded her and she returned back to reality.
Eluard stared at the unconscious Emi floating in the pool with her face up. The closed eyes abruptly opened.
Emi looked around and found the senior floating in the air in front of her. She greeted him with more respect now, "Senior, can I really enroll here as a student of the academy?"
"Why not? But before that¡", Eluard created two teleportation magic circles for him and Emi, "We should save your sister first."
¡
Volcanic Grassy in.
"Crap, that little girl escaped! What do we tell our boss now?", one of the poachers worried.
Their boss wasn''t one to tolerate mistakes like this, particrly if their gains were that massive should they have been able to capture a demi-human like Emi.
"Forget it, we''ll just have to do with what we have. Let''s go back to the caravan. Our catch is still big this time.", said another burly man.
When they left the area, Eluard, on his robe and mask form, together with Emi, blurred into vision and followed the tail of the poachers.
"Senior, the-they are the ones who harmed my sister! I think they are called human poachers! They kidnap people like us and then sell us to bad people!", Emi clutched and Eluard''s robes.
''Human poachers?'', Eluard was dumbfounded. To think that even in this other world, poaching was also practiced. Furthermore, they seemed to have increased their scale by involving demi-humans like the little cat girl beside him.
The slithered eyes in his mask glowed in red, releasing a murderous aura in his surroundings. Emi shivered in ce but followed Eluard despite her fear.
"I see, follow me.", they blurred out of vision. Eluard always despised these kinds of people who couldn''t manage to mind their own business.
Now that he was given a chance to mess with them, he was going to return the favor in ce of the other beings that were implicated by them.
After a few minutes of walking, the poachers got out of the forest and ran to a nearby road. There were a few metal cages dragged by horses and a few carriages on the front and back.
They were greeted by a muscr and stern-looking bald man that had a scar on his left eye.
"Where''s the girl? Why did youe back here without it?", his rough voice reprimanded the three of them.
"Boss, she escaped and we didn''t know where she went.", one of them replied with a downcast look on his face.
"Useless! Do you know how priceless that little girl was? Look at her sister, she''s gorgeous and that one was mighty gorgeous than her! You dimwits can''t even capture a little girl! What purpose do you serve here then?!"
Chapter 5 First Battle, Absolute Domination
The bald man angrily dismissed them. He turned around and urged the rest of the crew to move.
"Make haste! The damn Norvas'' are almost upon us. It looks like they really want their ice princess back.", he eyed a woman located in the center of the caravan.
Her disheveled silver-white hair covered her sullen face. Her tall and slender body weakly slumped inside the metal cage. In her mind, she couldn''t believe that she ended up as a prisoner to these human poachers.
A few days ago, she and her hunting party traveled to the volcanic grassy ins in order to experience life on ''the other side'' of the northern cial continent.
Never did she expect that one of the members of the party worked with these poachers and trap her in a corner. Unable to fight back, she was poisoned and fell unconscious.
''Mother, father¡ I''m sorry.''
"Hey, hey princess. Stop acting so down now. Don''t worry, you''ll soon feel what heaven is like.", the bald man grinned. He wouldn''t dare to touch such a precious good. Those nobles were picky, after all.
The woman wanted to punch him so badly but she couldn''t gather any strength. The poison was too potent for her to do anything.
The bald man went around the caravan and approached a luxurious carriage, knocking on its door, "Master Brandon, should we set off?", he asked nervously.
The person inside was an adept wizard,parable to an instructor of the magic academies in the Morning Star Empire. It was just that he was a warlock, a renegade wizard termed by the League of Wizardry.
If anything, the bald man didn''t want to earn the wrath of the person inside. That old man once offered the lives of his students in a demonic ritual just so that his magic cultivation would improve.
Now, he moved into the poaching industry and would assist these groups of human poachers in kidnapping demi-humans at the cost that some of their catch would be sacrificed as his offerings.
"Set out now, I sense a faintly strong aura nearby. It must be the Norvas.", a pale old voice responded from inside.
The caravan was about to set off when the horses neighed in disarray.
"Hey calm down! Calm down!", the bald man patted the horses but he was suddenly kicked in the torso.
Although he wasn''t flung away, he slid on the ground with gritted teeth.
''What in the hell was that for?'', these horses were obedient the past few days. For them to start acting insane confused him.
"Sister!", a young girly voice called outing from the forest.
Everyone watched over and saw Emi running with tears in her eyes. The bald man was shocked but retained hisposure, "Get her! Look at how dumb this little girl is! Running towards us like easy prey! Hahaha!"
Hisughter was cut short when he saw his henchmen falling to the ground with bloodshot eyes. Blood poured out of their mouths and noses.
''Is this a magical spell? But how? I didn''t see someone casting any spells just now!''
The strength he wielded wasparable to a 2nd tier knight and sensing the mana fluctuations in the surroundings was as easy as breathing to him.
"Move!", the wizard inside the carriage pushed him to the sides. He was dragged like a helpless fly.
Cleng! Cleng!
The metal cages exploded in fury and hit the other poachers who were nearby. Some of them had their eyes pierced while others simply died because of the explosive force.
It was simr to a row of potholes exploding on a street. This caused some of the horses to run away in fear of death.
"May this young one know of senior''s name?", Master Brandon bowed in fear. He was just as confused as the bald man from before.
He didn''t know when were those magic spells casted because he couldn''t trace the magic circles nor the mana fluctuation in the surroundings. If one was to cast magic spells, most mages would have to conjure a magic circle before activating them.
''Are they¡ adept wizards like me too?''
Once a mage turns into a wizard, lower spells no longer require them to draw magic circles before they are casted. Higher than that and even extremelyplicated spells would require no magic circles as well.
Eluard blurred into vision, floating above Master Brandon.
"Are you the leader of these men?", his cold mysterious voice resounded.
[ Name: Brandon Korvic ]
[ Age: 67 years old ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Status: Warlock, Wanted by the League of Wizardry ]
[ Affiliation: None ]
[ Magic Power: Adept Wizard (Median Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Elite Magic Root ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 5.5/10 (Adept Wizard) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Darkness ]
''Only an elite magic root?''
After seeing two legendary magic roots in a row, the sight of an elite magic root dumbstruck him.
Meanwhile, Master Brandon was frightened about the masked man in front of him.
''I-I can''t measure out his power! Don''t tell me he''s already a grandmaster magus? No wait, maybe he isn''t part of the League. As far as I could remember, there wasn''t any magus with an appearance like this.''
He scrutinized the robe and mask that Eluard wore. The robe''s outer navy-blue color and the inner white color mystified Master Brandon.
Eluard felt irritated that the old man didn''t answer his question, "I ask you again.", the slithered eyes glowed in red, capturing Master Brandon''s attention, "Are you the leader of these men?"
Master Brandon didn''t like the way how Eluard asked him, "I am, now what are you going to do with me? Deal with me like how those righteous wizards have done before?"
"A measly elite magic root dares to arrogantly bark, I see. It''s time to teach you a lesson about what death is like.", five magic circles immediately conjured in front of Eluard.
They were dark in color and gloomed the atmosphere. Even Emi stopped running and backed away from him.
"Nether Grasp!"
The five magic circles dissolved into pure dark air that soon formed into arge dark hand to which only Eluard could see. Master Brandon was about to make a move when he felt that someone grabbed him and lifted his body mid-air.
He then tried to gather his mana but found out that it was locked in tight within, further fueling the fear in his fragile heart.
"An almost instantaneous casting of a form 5 magic spell!", the bald man crawled farther away like a coward. Only a grandmaster magus could do something extraordinary.
''Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! We messed up big time today! I didn''t know that that girl has such powerful backing!''
He didn''t know that Eluard received help from his system that''s why he was able to instantaneously cast the said magic spell.
"You! Who are you?! Howe you can cast such powerful spell this easily !", his muffled voice resounded as he struggled for dear life.
"I am your demise."
Those were thest words Master Brandon heard as Eluard tightened his fists that grabbed ahold of the old man, squishing him to a pulp.
Blood rained down below, sshing towards the face of the bald man as he stared widely at the nightmarish scene unfolding in his eyes.
Eluard noticed him and thetter jolted in fear, wetting his pants in the process.
"Didn''t you say that these people were worth money to sell to the nobilities?", Eluard inquired.
The bald man thought that he was here to rece Master Brandon. As such, the previous hint of fear vanished and was reced with tion instead.
"Yes, yes senior! They are worth a mountain of gold if we sell them. We could negotiate and share the profit, 80:20, no, 90:10!"
Then, he realized something was off and asked Eluard, "May I know why did senior ask me such a question?"
"To measure out how detestable of a human you are. It seems like you have given me a satisfactory answer, indeed."
"Grounded Puncture!"
Eluard waved his hands and roots sprang below the bald man, skewering him to the air without giving him a chance to react. All of his orifices weren''t spared as each one of them was brutally pierced.
Fresh blood watered the withering root. As if it was given vitality, the brownish texture slowly became green. Then, everyone noticed the rapid decaying of the bald man''s body. The root absorbed his vitality like a leech until only the bones were left.
nk!
His skeletal frame, or what remained of it, ttered to the ground and broke into pieces. Such harrowing sight traumatized many of the people nearby, including the demi-humans who were glued to their metal cages, afraid that the masked man was another viin who was here to take them instead.
The surviving poachers fled to the distance. They knew that they didn''t stand a chance against someone stronger than Master Brandon, and a monstrous wizard at that.
Eluard didn''t chase them as he conjured another five dark magic circles.
''Call of the Undying''
The magic circles dissolved into pure dark air, gliding to the air and seeped inside the dead bodies thaty on the ground. The still bodies started to move. They were reanimated and let out low harrowing growls.
Eluard mused at the sight, thinking that these people were like zombies depicted in movies back on Earth. Their hunger for life became a necessity. Eluard then ordered them to chase the runaways until they were all dead.
Little did he know what sort of catastrophe he had erupted on the surroundingnds in theing days.
Chapter 6 Emis Reunion, Akanes Tears Of Joy
Emi stared at the figure of Eluard as he descended to the ground.
[ Special Task 2: A Little Girl''s Request Completed ]
[ Rewards: Temporary Power Scroll (Grandmaster Magus) x 2 ]
[ Temporary Power Scroll (Grandmaster Magus) ]
[ Temporarily increases your magical cultivation power into grandmaster magus level. Lasts for 60 minutes. Simr power scrolls can be stacked up to 3 times ]
[ Relinquishing all temporary powers from host ]
Eluard''s mind lightened as the memories of magic spells and his magical cultivation were deleted by the system. Once it passed, he narrowed his eyes, thinking that the system had forgotten another reward.
[ The other recruit is located in the middle of the caravan ], the system prompted as if it knew what he was thinking.
''So it''s not Emi''s elder sister?'', Eluard pondered, staring at Emi who stared back at him with fear.
"Are you afraid of me now, little girl?", he asked.
To his surprise, Emi shook her head, "N-n-no, senior. I-It''s my first time seeing¡ dead people. I didn''t know senior would kill people¡ like that."
She thought that Eluard would have a difficult time against these human poachers. The results showed her that her worries were unfounded.
"Hmm. Is that so?", Eluard nced at the dead bodies that weren''t reanimated, particrly Master Brandon''s meat paste and the skeletal remains of the bald man.
"Their deaths were deserving. There are some people in this world whose existence shouldn''t have happened.", he narrated like a philosopher, enlightening Emi at the same time.
The girl nodded in contemtion as her mind wandered around.
Eluard''s eyes then fell upon a girl at the center of the caravan. Her breathing was unstable and he saw her weakened bluish-white eyes staring at him. He could hear her call for help as her pale red lips moved around.
''I remember the system saying something about her earlier. She is the one you want me to recruit, huh?'', Eluard pondered and slowly approached her.
Emi shook her head and pulled out of her confused state. Seeing that Eluard went over the other way, she approached her big sister instead.
The other demi-humans grouped and hugged one another, thankful that someone came over and saved them from the human poachers.
"Big sis!"
"Emi!", a tall brte girl withrger cat ears and longer tail walked over to her. Bruises could be seen on her arms and face. There were scratch marks that soiled her beautiful autumn dress.
"Emi, thank the deities that you are okay.", Akane, Emi''s big sister, hugged the little girl tightly. She thought that she would no longer see her little sister after being captured by the humans.
,m "Big sister, I''m here. I-it''s my fault that you were captured in the first ce. That''s why I asked for that senior''s help.", Emi honestly replied. It was in her nature to be truthful to everyone, even to a stranger, just as what her big sister had taught her when Emi was younger.
"Emi, don''t me yourself for it, okay? It''s all okay now.", Akane caressed Emi''s head. The other demi-humans who overheard their conversation went over and thanked her as well.
"Emi, that person over there, you said that they''re the senior that helped us. Do you know who that person is?", Akane asked. She was worried about Emi''s naivety, and that the ''senior'' himself had ulterior motives for helping Emi out.
"He''s the senior from the Heavenly Magic Academy!", Emi excitedly replied.
"Senior?"
"From the Heavenly Magic Academy?"
The crowd discussed the authenticity of Emi''s words while Akane''s worries intensified, ''Was she duped by this robed man?''
She couldn''t be med, after all. The fabled magic academy was thought to be a fairy tale that people passed down over time, used to encourage those who were easily manipted by such stories.
The League of Wizardry didn''t dare to confirm nor deny the existence of the said academy. Thus, whether the fabled academy was real or not remained a debate until present times.
"Emi, stop lying to your big sister. Who is that robed person and why did he help you?", Akane red at Emi.
The little girl faltered, "Bu-but sister! It''s really the truth. Senior said he wanted me to be his student!", as if realizing something important, "Look, this envelope! He gave it to me so that I could escape from the human poachers earlier!"
They scrutinized the envelope in Emi''s hands and they saw a seal at the bottom left.
There was a dragon figure at the center with its wings wide open, about to breathe fire from its wide-open mouth. It was the emblem of the Heavenly Magic Academy. The resemnce from the books that illustrated it before was far too simr to each other.
It was nothing short of urate and legitimate itself.
Before they could say anything else, Emi continued.
"Then I was teleported to a strange ce! There was a huge school in the distance, bigger than the Imperial Pce in the Morning Star Empire, and more beautiful than the Sanctuary of the elven empire!"
"The senior greeted me warmly, then he proceeded to take me into the Pool of Revtions. Big sister, the water was crystal clear and I felt refreshed when I stepped upon the water! Then, I was transported to another dimension and I saw that I have a legendary magic root!"
Her incessant recollection of events stupefied the crowd. There was no way Emi could imagine them all over her head, especially when it was too vivid and contained a lot of information.
"Emi, did you say that you have a legendary magic root?", Akane stuttered.
"Yes!", Emi jumped out of excitement, "Even I couldn''t believe it, big sister!"
The crowd was confused and looked at one another. It was known that people like them, humanoid felines, or cat-humans asmonly termed, weren''t versed in the arts of magic.
They were simr to the inhabitants from the Northern cial continent whose history of people born with magic roots was as nk as a te of paper. Only in recent times did some of their descendants manage to form a magic root after birth, though the ounts on how it happened were rather based on being ''adulterous''.
"Wait! Wait!", a male demi-human approached Emi with a book in his hands, "If it''s true and she does have a magic root, then if you follow what is stated here, something should happen!", he frantically said while pointing at the bottom section of the page.
He had found the book while rummaging inside the luxurious carriage of Master Brandon.
It was titled "Wizardry: The Basics" and the contents of it were how to determine if one had a magic root or not. It was different from the process of determining the rarity of the magic root and their magic affinity.
Emi first looked at her big sister who nodded in approval. The little girl then closed her eyes and followed what was written on the page.
''I-I should gather my consciousness towards the edge of my mind, right?''
The edge of the mind was an abstract term that wizards alike coined in order to express in verbal terms how to reach a concentrated state when cultivating magic. Nobody knew what it exactly meant and the League of Wizardry never bothered to expand their knowledge upon this subject either.
Back on Emi, she drifted her mind and soon felt that she was hovering around like a soul that escaped its physical body. In that special state, Emi saw bluish-white orbs floating around like fireflies. They were the mana orbs present in the air.
The scenery was simr to the one in the Pool of Revtions back at the Heavenly Magic Academy.
"I-I can see it! I can see them!", she gleefully responded to the crowd eyes closed. They gasped in shock.
Akane covered her mouth to prevent expressing her emotions as this was a crucial moment for Emi.
"Then, Emi, try to gather them to your body!", the man added. A hint of excitement was mixed in his voice.
Emi focused and drew the mana orbs towards her. Everyone then witnessed a faint golden-white aura covering her entire body.
Akane couldn''t help but cry her tears of joy after verifying that Emi had the potential to be a mage, and possibly, a wizard.
Reminiscing her past, she found Emi abandoned near a river during a stormy day. Luckily, for her, the raging waves didn''t manage to grab Emi and drown the baby to death.
Akane used all of her time to take care of Emi and taught her many things. She had be both Emi''s mother and big sister after all the years. That was why she was worried when Emi started talking about the robed senior who imed to be someone from the Heavenly Magic Academy.
She didn''t want Emi to meet an unfortunate ident, or be taken away from her from those of evil intentions.
Now that they verified that Emi does have a magic root, her heart was at peace.
"Emi, you can open your eyes now.", someone from the crowd reminded her.
Emi turned around, "Sister, why are you crying in front of me?", she rarely saw Akane expressing herself like this.
Akane went over and hugged her tighter than before, "Emi¡ I''m¡ I''m thankful¡ for all these years¡ that I was able to meet you and save you during that day."
"Now, the deities have answered my prayers and gifted to you that magic root.", Akane wiped off the tears on her face.
"Listen, Emi, no matter what happens, I will still be your big sister, okay? Don''t ever forget that."
Her words startled Emi, thinking that something bad was about to happen.
"Big sister, what are you talking about? Stop making me nervous. Please tell me what is going on?"
Akane caressed Emi''s head, "Nothing. It''s just that your big sister is happy for you.", she kissed Emi''s forehead then shed a bright smile to her little sister.
Akane then stood up and grabbed Emi''s hand, "Come, let''s go over and meet that senior of yours over there."
Chapter 7 Olivia Winterice, Glacial Thunder Magic Root
Eluard arrived in front of the girl who slumped inside the broken metal cage as her hand reached out to him. It felt like she was asking to take her with him.
[ Name: Olivia Winterice ]
[ Age: 15 years old ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Status: Princess of the Royal Family, Separated, Poisoned (Mild) ]
[ Affiliation: Norva Assili, Royal Family ]
[ Magic Power: Apprentice Mage (Quarter Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: cial Thunder Magic Root (Legendary) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 9.7/10 (Apprentice Mage) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Lightning, Ice, Water ]
Eluard''s eyes twitched after reading the summary of Olivia''s attributes, ''Isn''t she a tad bit too strong?''. He wasn''tining out of jealousy, but because of the shock factor that her affinity and magic power presented.
Furthermore, he saw that she was poisoned, "No wonder her breathing is low and weak. The poachers must have captured her, and her being poisoned was to prevent her from fleeing.", he muttered under his breath.
[ cial Thunder Magic Root (Legendary) ]
[ Additional Effect: Prized cial-Thunder Magical Interference ]
[ Ice magic spells casted have a random lightning elemental effect added. Lightning magic spells casted also have a random ice elemental effect added ]
[ Additional Effect: All lightning magic spells have increased effectiveness by 200% ]
[ Additional Effect: All ice/water magic spells have increased effectiveness by 350% ]
Olivia''s magic root was leagues ahead of Lucan and Emi. Even if they were all at the legendary rarity, Olivia''s offensive power could sweep over the others of the same level.
Maybe even those who were a tier higher might not be her match at all.
On the other hand, Olivia was grateful that this robed man hade over to kill her captors that ambushed her a few days ago. Now, a chance presented itself for her to escape from the clutches of the Norva Assili empire, particrly from her family and the despicable people over there.
"Senior¡ save me¡", she softly spoke before losing consciousness.
Save her? Save her from what, who, and why?
Eluard was confused. He did want Olivia to be recruited, but he needed to know the specifics as to what was currently happening first. Jumping onto a trail of problems without proper information would end up badly for him.
Emi and the rest went over, disturbing his thoughts. When Eluard faced them, they slightly backed away as his magical deterrence pressured them.
Gathering her courage, Akane stepped ahead and bowed to him, "Senior, thank you for helping us. We are grateful and are indebted to you."
Eluard waved his hands, "It''s nothing particrly extraordinary. Does anyone know how did this woman end up here?"
Many of them shook their heads, showing theirck of understanding of Olivia''s situation. That was when another demi-human approached him and narrated how Olivia came upon their caravan.
He was cowering in fear because of Eluard''s pressure but he managed to tell his story, "We-we saw her being dragged to the caravan a-a week ago. She had other people with her but most of them were killed."
Eluard now understood a part of what happened, "Did someone from her groupe over to that bald man and conversed with him briefly?"
"Ye-yes. Se-senior, how did you know?", the demi-human was shocked. Was this senior watching them all along or was it the senior''s omniscience that gave him the answer?
In Eluard''s mind, it was far too obvious after recalling Olivia''s identity.
Princess of the Royal Family.
Norva Assili, the confederation of northern tribesmen on the Northern cial continent.
Then, this woman ended up in the volcanic grassy in, south of her origin.
''She must''ve run away from home because she was sick of the royalty and other noble stuff. Then, one of those in power used this incident to deal with her and the standing of the royal family.'', Eluard thought.
Olivia wouldn''t go here in the first ce if she didn''t have something in mind. And that something in her mind was to stay away from the power struggle back at her home.
As expected of royal descendants, their rebellious stage was far more intense than those who came from the lower ranks of life. Thetter wanted to rise and prove their power to the world like the fools they were, while people like Olivia wanted to step down and have a break about such nonsense.
The mask''s slithered eyes glowed in a golden hue as Eluard faintly understood what happened to Olivia, "I see. Emi, have you decided?", he turned to the little girl and Akane.
Emi tightened her grip on Akane''s hand, hoping that her big sister would approve of her enrolling in the academy. Akane noticed this and couldn''t help but let out a sigh, "Senior, truth be told, I am happy that you have chosen my little sister as your student. I-I would just like to request something of you."
Eluard gazed at her. Akane, noticing his piercing gaze, immediately kowtowed to him.
"Pl-please take care of my little sister. She''s a bit too na?ve and if she causes trouble to you, I hope you wouldn''t take it to heart."
Eluard let out a hum, showing his approval to Akane''s request, "If you have nothing else, I will be taking Emi and this girl now."
The crowd didn''t object. Akane had already given her approval about Emi and nobody knew who Olivia was. Moreover, this senior was powerful and didn''t harbor any malicious intentions.
He was suited to taking care of an unwell girl.
Akane stood up and backed away, urging Emi to go over the senior''s side.
Three teleportation magic circles appeared below the three figures, widening the eyes of the crowd again.
"Te-teleportation!"
"He should be a magus, no, an archmage!"
They didn''t see Eluard move his hands or incantate before the teleportation magic circles appeared. Such skill wasparable to powerful personalities at the top of the League of Wizardry.
"Big sister! I will be seeing you again! At that time, I will be stronger and I will protect everyone here from the human poachers!", Emi bade her farewell to them.
Akane smiled at her little sister, wondering when did Emi had the ambition to be a powerful wizard in the future. She turned around and faced the crowd with a serious expression.
"Alright, everyone. Let''s clean this mess up and return to the vige as soon as possible."
¡
Heavenly Magic Academy.
Whoosh!
Eluard, alongside Emi and the unconscious Olivia, returned to the lobby.
"Oh, I''m back now!", Emi jumped in excitement, "Senior, senior! I''m excited to go to school. I heard that¡"
Her babbling made Eluard feel exhausted after a long day.
"Emi, you will have to stay at the guest room alongside this girl for now. Once she wakes up, I wille over and proceed to your enrollment process to this academy.", he waved his hands and bade goodbye.
"But senior, where are our rooms?", Emi asked before she found herself in front of a bed and an open window beside it.
Emi was startled and looked around.
The room wasrge, at least 30 square meters in area. There was a desk, a cabrge enough to store many sorts of clothes, afort room, and a bathroom, it was aplete set.
She sat on thefy bed and swung her furry legs, "Did senior teleport me to my room? Wow, so powerful! I wonder if I could do it in the future!", pondering over how powerful Eluard was.
¡
"Achoo!", Eluard sneezed.
He took off the mask and a wave of fear and euphoria washed over him. The poor guy started huffing and puffing, holding his chest as if he was having a heart attack.
"Ah, damn it. I couldn''t believe I killed someone today!"
He remembered how unperturbed he was when he squashed Master Brandon to death and skewered the bald man like a barbeque. Now that the mask of the magus wasn''t on his body, all sorts of feelings assaulted him.
Eluard shook his head, wanting to remedy himself of such thoughts, "Ah, damn it, I should go to sleep. Maybe it''ll be gone after I wake up tomorrow."
? ¡
In the border between the volcanic grassy in and Morning Star Empire.
It was already deep in the night and most of the people were now asleep, particrly those who were in the rural areas.
Flocks stood outside a farmhouse when they noticed a messed-up corpse walking in their direction with steady steps. Its nightmarish figure terrified the group of sheep and started screaming out loud.
"Damn it, what are these animals screaming out for?!", the herder who tended to these animalsined in annoyance. He was having a good night''s sleep and his flock had the guts to disturb him.
He was about to burst out of the door when someone jumped in through the window and grabbed his neck, pushing him to the ground.
"Wh-wha-who are you?! Please don''t kill me!", he was scared out of his wits thinking that a robber infiltrated his house. When he saw the disgusting flesh that protruded out of the figure''s face, he screamed so loud that it reached the ears of his snoring neighbors.
"What the freak! Why is Pete screaming like a damn child when he dreams of nightmares?!"
Pete''s voice vanished after a while, with only the flock crying out loud in the dark mysterious night. This confused his neighbors who then went out of their houses and knocked at his door.
"Pete, did something happen?!"
Something broke through the door from the inside and pounced on the leading man.
"Pete, what the-?!"
The man tried to push Pete away but he noticed how Pete looked different as he opened his mouth and bit the man''s right shoulder.
"Huh?! No!"
Chapter 8 A World-Class Difficulty Task Paired By Heavenly Defying Rewards
The next day.
Varoha Vige, Volcanic Grassy in.
A group of burly men wearing thick winter coats rode on the backs of the ferocious-looking pr war bears. The demonic beasts had big bodies like their riders, wearingrge saddles on their sturdy backs.
The pr war bear''s sharp ws and big paws intimidated the demi-humans, further worsening their fear as the menacing eyes of the pr war bears eyed them with great interest. Their mouths let out low growls, baring their teeth which saliva dripped from within.
At the center of the formation was a veryrge pr war bear. Atop it sat a dignified northerner carrying a great axe with his left hand. One of his aplices approached him.
"Derko, did these demi-humans spot our royal princess?", one could hear the hint of arrogance and confidence behind the man''s voice.
Derko, the man''s confidant, bowed in fear and reported, "Sir Erik, they did notice a group of bandits passing a few days ago. Princess Olivia was being carried by them on a metal cage."
Erik let out a smirk, "Is that so? Men! Kill these wretched beings! How dare they collude with the bandits to capture our dear Princess Olivia! Burn their houses and let them know who they are dealing with!"
The demi-humans cried out, begging Erik to not kill them or burn their houses. They had families, children, and livestock.
Going back earlier, these northerners just tantly entered their vige and mauled the vige chief. They then sacked each house and carried the people outside.
Among the demi-humans was Akane, Emi''s big sister, "You can''t do this to us! We have never colluded with any bandits! How dare you use of something despicable; you damn northerner brute!"
Erik and the others heard it and theyughed at Akane''s brave front of a woman. They always ridiculed women like this who thought they were strong to contend against burly men like them.
"I like this demi-human. Keep her and bring her to me. I''d like to see how far your stubbornness willst!"
Three northerner warriors went over and pushed Akane to the ground. Erik hopped off his pr war bear and approached Akane, holding her head, and stared at her, "When we go back at home, I''m going to brand you as my ve, demi-human. You should''ve been better off dead, but it looks like you have chosen the hard path."
He pped her and turned around, "Make haste! We still have our princess to save. These demi-humans aren''t worth our time."
As the main group left off, the rest remained and massacred the entire vige.
"Sir Erik, was it necessary to kill the vigers as well?", Derko asked.
Erik was the captain of their Norvas Corps 2nd Squad. He set off from the Norva Assili a few days ago after hearing that Princess Olivia had met with an ident.
He was a determined and merciless person, going all to the ends of Aludia just to save Princess Olivia and get her back. After all, everyone in the Norva Assili empire knew how infatuated this guy was to the royal princess, disgusting many people as he proimed his love on an underage girl.
The high king, Garron, punished him severely that day that he went to the hospital and required 5 months to recover. Ever since then, Erik became subversive and more desperate to get Olivia.
Truth be told, Derko was unsettled when he was assigned to the same squad as Erik. However, he had to put up with Erik''s air for him to live another day.
"Do you have any objections to my decision as squad leader, Derko?", Erik threatened him.
"No, sir. I''m¡ just curious.", Derko went away quickly, ''Erik Siegfried, you''ve messed up good this time. The first squad is trailing behind us. Let''s see how you deal with the high king''s rage when Bordon reports your atrociousness back at the empire.''
Derko, like the rest of the people in Norva Assili, has long awaited to have Erik be done in and punished to death. This guy was only living because he had three uncles in the elder seat protecting him at all cost.
The Siegfried n has been eyeing the high seat for years and Erik was their best chance at it. Although his morality was questionable, his ambition for power and the strength to back it was more than enough to assist them in their goals.
Otherwise, with his behavior and personality, Erik would''ve been long buried in the cold snow of the Northern cial continent, regardless of whether he was from the Siegfried n or not.
On the other hand, Erik snorted and ignored his confidant, staring at the distance as their group made way to the east, ''No one can stop me for I am destined to be the high king of Norva Assili! Just you wait Olivia, how dare you run away from home like that. I''m going to teach her a lesson soon.''
¡
Heavenly Magic Academy.
Eluard had a good night''s sleep. He dreamt of finally recruiting the first 5 students to his academy, ''Ah, today''s going to be a good day.''
He got up and looked at his system panel.
"I think I should use two academy invitations today. That Lucan might be on his way back, or not. Regardless, I''ll wait for one more day. If he doesn''te back during that time, I''ll make use of another academy invitation."
He had to quickly finish the first main task and receive his magical talent to start cultivating. Power was the way in this world.
After setting himself up, he equipped the mask and the robe then went out of the headmaster''s room. His private room was directly connected to the headmaster''s office, making it convenient for Eluard to switch between them.
Near his office was the public library. The books on the first floor were mostly about historical literature and other stuff. The rest then revolved around magic.
Eluard ignored it for now and strode towards the main hallway. There were some holes above that allowed the natural golden light to pass through. It felt refreshing for the skin and the atmosphere in thisrge area.
Eluard was currently staring at the resources tab in his system panel.
[ Academy Resources ]
[ Resources are physically stored in the academy warehouse on the northwestern side, right beside your office. ]
[
477 Blue Magic Crystals (consumes 10 per day, projected to increase to 30)
5 Student Uniforms
]
''Only these?'', Eluard was at a loss for words. He thought that there would be at least some ''lost artifact'' hanging around the Heavenly Magic Academy''s warehouse. Or maybe some hidden cultivation manuals just like what the other characters would find from the novels he read back on Earth.
[ Books (Public Library) ]
[ Books are resources that could be temporarily borrowed by students and must be returned at a specific time. Failure to do so will incur punishment to the vitors. ]
[ Some books are only avable based on a student''s rank, year, and position in the academy ]
[ These rules are exempted should the academy master personally allow the students to borrow the restricted books ]
He then saw a long list of books that made his head ache just by reading their titles, "System, are you suggesting that I should read these books during my leisure time?"
[ Host, as the academy master, your knowledge should be vast and your wisdom should be extraordinary, unmatched in the entirety of Aludia ]
[ Issuing new Special Task ]
[ Special Task 3: Ignorance is not bliss ]
[ In this world full of mysteries you have never experienced before, you should be knowledgeable not only in magic but in other fields and arts as well. Danger lurks around the corner and not knowing the possible enemy or friends you could make will put you on edge at all times. Continue gathering knowledge in the public library and other ces of Aludia ]
[ Reward: Maniption of Space and Time ]
[ Note: This special task is split into multiple subtasks. Each subtask can bepleted in any order and does not have a time limit. Once all the subtasks are finished, you will then be bountifully rewarded for your efforts ]
[ Subtask 1: The Heavenly Magic Academy''s Public Library ]
[ Read all the books in the academy''s public library from the first floor to the sixth floor. Once ready, an assessment will be conducted by answering a test designed by the system ]
[ Reward: None ]
[ ¡ ]
Rows of sessive prompts filled Eluard''s eyes that almost overwhelmed him and lose consciousness.
''Damn, more than 10 subtasks all in all.''
He was rather shocked by the reward introduced by the system; but knowing how difficult this special task was, Eluard thought it was deserving as well. As for the nk rewards by fulfilling each subtask?
Eluard wasn''t a fool and a narrow-minded person. Reading each book, or any other form of record allows him to understand more of the culture, hierarchy, knighthood, magic, politics, and the nature of the inhabitants here in Aludia.
In addition, the Heavenly Magic Academy''srge assortment of magical books could help him in his magical cultivation journey. Their contents varied from magic spells, spellcasting, incantating, array formations, pill concoction, and many more.
Just that alone was a self-reward on his efforts of reading them and understanding each content with great perseverance. If he had to ask more from the system, that would be in greediness and stupidity.
Lastly, his identity as the academy master of the fabled Heavenly Magic Academy forces him to be an all-knowing being just as what the legendary stories have described.
Also, sooner orter, he would be conversing with the high-ranking personalities in Aludia, negotiating with factions and empires, or waging war to the demons in the Wastes.
''The third special task''s title suits it well. Ignorance is not bliss in this case, really.'', shaking his head and sighed in defeat.
He could feel the burden on his shoulders increasing but for some reason, Eluard found it fulfilling as well. As someone who was just a nobody from Earth, with this second life of his, he might as well change his nature and try to achieve something glorious this time.
''There are things in my past life I am not proud to have achieved, and others I regret not achieving.''
He looked at his hands that were trembling in both fear and excitement, clenching them tightly, and swore in his heart.
''In this life, may the previous me be gone, for I desire to change for the better and not waste this chance given to me by whoever did this.''
Chapter 9 The Altar Of Rites
Eluard took a deep breath and re-organized his thoughts. The mask of the magus was of great assistance during times like these.
He closed his system panel and noticed two figures standing on his right, "What are you doing?"
Emi and Olivia bowed in unison, "Good morning, senior."
Thetter stepped forward and continued, "We saw you here earlier and chose not to disturb you in your thoughts."
Her long silvery-white hair fell graciously. The girl''s countenance seemed to have improved today. Her bluish-white eyes were now filled with energy but Eluard could see that she was holding the pain within.
"Also, senior, thank you for fulfilling my wish. This one is-"
Eluard knew what she was about to say and interjected, "You should know what this ce is and now that you asked me to save you, I might remind you that some things require a price to pay."
Olivia could feel herself being pressured by Eluard. She immediately knelt in respect and said out loud, "Academy master, please allow me to enroll in your academy on behalf of myckluster talent. I wouldn''t mind anything else you require of me to do but please, I would rather be here than back in Aludia."
She changed her way of addressing Eluard to academy master, knowing fully well his identity in the Heavenly Magic Academy.
Eluard nodded in satisfaction. He wouldn''t dare to ask more of Olivia than for her to beg him that she could be enrolled in the academy.
As for Olivia knowing what this ce was? Emi might''ve told her where they were. The littless was fond of talking to strangers she finds amiable which worried Eluard a bit. However, that was something to think aboutter so he rested the case at the back of his mind.
Also, given Olivia''s identity, hearing a thing or two about the fabled magic academy was normal.
He turned around and gestured at them to follow him. It was almost breakfast time and they should be hungry, particrly Olivia who still had some poison lingering inside her body.
Eluard was exhausted after the battle yesterday so he was unable to tend to Olivia when they returned to the academy. He also didn''t expect that his mind would be ''assaulted'' by a range of emotions, increasing his need to sleep early.
''System, is there anything I could do to alleviate that poison from Olivia?''
[ Recollecting data ]
[ Olivia Winterice ingested the dark lunar pill. As a result, her body''s temperature considerably decreased and it is making her muscles react slower and feel heavier from the inside. Due to her origin as a northerner and affinity to the ice element, her innate resistance to cold temperature has reduced the effect of the dark lunar pill to mild. ]
[ usible Remedies: Eating the med red-headed buffalo meat avable in the cafeteria to thaw the ice that had spread inside her body. ]
[ Other remedies (unattainable):
1. Concocting the golden me pill. This is the best counter to the dark lunar pill. Requires several ingredients, fire affinity, and pill concoction skills. (Additional information omitted)
2. Internal me massage. Gently set her inner body ame with your fire magic. Requires fire affinity, the magical power of an adept wizard, and the internal massage skill.
3. ¡
]
The usible remedies only showed the solutions that Eluard could currently apply given the resources avable both in the academy and from himself. The rest that followed are something Eluard is unable to carry out due to theck of resources, skills, or magic power.
Meanwhile, Emi and Olivia curiously looked around their surroundings. The glistening tiles, clean smooth walls, tall andrge round columns that supported the structure of the academy, and the beautiful sight of the sky above.
"This is¡ paradise.", Olivia softly spoke. Emi heard her and asked, "Sister Olivia, what do you mean this is paradise? Is the climate at the northern cial continent that bad?"
Olivia smiled, reminiscing her memories.
Back at the northern cial continent, they spent most of the time suffering from the biting cold winter storm, crumbling ice peaks,rge-scale avnches, and many other life-threatening cmities.
It was a wonder to the other people in Aludia how the northerners managed to survive and even form a confederation in a ce where hell has frozen all over.
The serene atmosphere in the Heavenly Magic Academy made Olivia feel at peace.
"Yes, Emi, it''s bad. So don''t ever go there if you don''t bring sister with you, okay?", she was fond of Emi and her innocence.
"How bad is it, sister Olivia?", Emi''s curiosity was picked up.
Olivia suddenly knelt and pinched Emi''s cheeks, "It''s very bad for little girls like you."
Emi could only surrender as her face was stretched like rubber. Eluard noticed the interaction between the two recruits and was ted inside, "The two of you should be hungry."
Olivia and Emi immediately turned around and faced Eluard. "This is the cafeteria. It''s not open at all times unless I permit it to do so."
The cafeteria was arge hall with over 500 chairs that could amodate the same number of students. It was incredibly spacious despite the number of upants that would expectedly use it.
Eluard led them to the counter. Behind it were boards above their heads, disying the meals avable just like how fast-food restaurants worked back on Earth.
"Olivia Winterice, since the dark lunar pill still lingers inside your body, I suggest you should take this instead."
He pointed his hands to the med red-headed buffalo meat meal, "Once the two of you are finished, meet me at the lobby. We will proceed to your enrollment process."
Eluard left after saying his piece. The two girls bowed in his direction, "Thank you, academy master."
Olivia wasn''t shocked that Eluard knew of her poisoning or her name. This was the fabled magic academy and if her guess was right, that senior should be the academy master here.
Various legends depicted this academy, such as an all-knowing academy master, a veryrge school domain, or an academy that existed in another dimension.
Olivia persuaded her heart to abandon all sorts of logic when being inside the academy. Doing so would allow her to keep a straight face regardless of how shocking the situation may turn out to be, though her inner thoughts say otherwise.
"Say, sister Olivia, who would cook our meals here anyway? I didn''t see anyone here that would cook for us.", Emi noticed a strange thing.
Olivia was startled for a moment but recovered, "Emi, there''s a thing called a spiritual magic formation."
Emi leaned her head to the sides, "Spiritual magic formation?"
"Yes. It''s a magic formation that stores the spirit of a conscient being and it would then follow instructions based on the behavior set by the wizard who creates them. In this case, the spirit of a chef must''ve been put here so regardless of what we need, it should be able to cook our meals."
It was just a guess on her part but if Eluard was here, he would verify that Olivia''s answer was correct.
"Ah, so magical!", Emi pped her hands in excitement. She hasn''t seen such things in her life so knowing about them amazed her in many ways.
"Alright, the academy master is waiting for us so we should hurry, Emi.", Olivia reminded.
¡
Eluard calmly gazed at the entrance of the lobby with great expectations. His private room had its spiritual magic formation that would serve him food whenever he needed it. He had already eaten earlier so he wasn''t hungry for the moment.
''Are they going to be a legendary magic root again? I truly hope so.''
Luck was a part of life. If he was unlucky today, he would take what was given to him.
His thoughts were interrupted as footsteps resounded behind him.
"Academy master, we are ready.", Emi and Olivia paid their respects.
Eluard didn''t look at them, keeping up with his status as an aloof academy master, "Know fully well what this decision means for once you havemitted, there will be no going back."
The two didn''t answer but determination could be seen in their eyes.
He nced at them then walked down the stairs, towards the door opposite of where the Pool of Revtion was. The two girls followed, wondering what mysteries lied behind the door in front of them.
"Behind this door is the Altar of Rites. This is where your journey as a student of the Heavenly Magic Academy starts."
The two huge wooden doors opened, letting out a gust of cold air and revealing what looks like arge gathering room. There were several small circr tforms embedded with metal engravings on their base, depicting the various elements of magic.
Large stone statues of humans, elves, and other races knelt on the sides, diagonally facing the altar at the front with closed eyes and left fists clenched and stuck to their chest.
The altar was no less than a stone podium with two candles emitting a faint light to the dark and mysterious altar. Behind it was another stone statue, donning a mask and a robe simr to what Eluard was wearing right now.
Its right hand held a staff with an arrow-shaped crystal on the top, while on its left hand floated a spiral condensation of mana. To Eluard, it was more of an image of a spiral gxy.
The door suddenly closed, bringing darkness inside the room. Like switches turning on one by one, the circr tforms brightened up sessively from the front, radiating a sky-blue color.
Eluard position himself behind the podium, "Pick one of the tforms down below and we will then proceed."
Emi and Olivia picked the front-most tforms.
"Close your eyes, and take a deep breath.", Eluard guided. They did as instructed, to which, Eluard incantated, "Envision!"
Chapter 10 The Five Tenets, Rivals Meet
Olivia found herself floating in space with nothing but the vastness of an eternal universe. Her calm mind was now in a disarray, trying to make a sense of what was happening to her.
"Did academy master send me here? What is this ce and why am I here?"
She tried to move but her sense of direction was messed up and she didn''t know what space was. That was when a dignified hollowed voice spoke to her in this deste void.
"Olivia Winterice. You havee to this ce to seek refuge, yet your heart and mind seek out power. The power to change your fate and assemble it on your own will because you find it despising that those who are in power are the only ones worthy to shape their destiny."
The words sounded meaningful to Olivia. She didn''t expect that her inner desires would be recognized like this easily. Her eyes darted around but she couldn''t trace where the voice came from.
It was both in one ce yet everywhere at the same time.
"I only want the power to protect myself and live the life I wanted to! What is wrong for a woman like me to dream and be ambitious?!", Olivia retorted.
As if satisfied, the voice replied in an intrigued tone, "Very well then, Olivia Winterice. Since you seek out power, power wille to you. But know that such strength is apanied by responsibilities you have to take, and the rules you have to remember."
"The Heavenly Magic Academy revolves its ideologies around the Five Ts that has been passed for eons you cannot dare to imagine. A vition of any of these and you will receive a punishment worthy of death."
"Then bring it on!", Olivia urged the voice to continue.
A subtle smirk resounded, "Open your eyes and perk your ears well, Olivia Winterice."
Olivia''s body suddenlyunched forward like a jet ne moving at supersonic speed.
"Urgh! What''s happening?", she fretted. Things got out of hand and she didn''t know if she was still being tested or not.
Amidst her frustrations, an image appeared in the distance. A robed man was overlooking a group of smaller figures beneath a mountain. It was no different to Eluard and the stone statue from the Altar of Rites.
His eyes were glowing in a golden hue, scrutinizing each figure with great detail. She stopped when her body was close to it, then the voice from before spoke again.
"All beings and all things are equal to the eyes unblinded to the truth."
Her body wasunched to another image. This time, two figures were standing with their backs facing one another.
The one on the left had muscr arms and a wide grin stered on its face. The world behind him was smothered in fire and wars that dyed thends in red.
The other one had a serene expression with its eyes closed. His world was rather peaceful and everyone lived in paradise.
Olivia could feel the purity of the right figure''s morality, and the ruthlessness in the left figure''s brutality, affecting her emotions and viewpoint in life to a great extent.
"Strength solves the problems of the world. Righteous discipline and personality equally do the same as well."
Her body was then pulled to another side, showing a figure with both of its hands crossing its chest. It felt like the person swore something in their hearts, yet never revealed the intent behind it.
"The secrets of one''s heart must remain to themselves."
The next image was a bncing scale in which the right scale was pulled down below. On top of it was the human brain which Olivia couldn''t make sense of. After all, she had yet to know what that symbol signified.
The left scale which was pulled up had a heart shape floating above it.
"The heart sways one''s sentiments. The mind sways one''s destiny."
As the image distorted, her body was finally pulled back at the starting position. Above her head was a surreal figure that looked exactly like her.
She was sitting in a lotus position and something seemed to have been drawn out of her body. It was her soul, her spirit, the immaterial manifestation of one''s self.
"Only through death can we achieve eternal peace."
As thest phrase was narrated, the void copsed under Olivia''s body. She started rotating in ce until it became faster before she cked out and lost consciousness.
¡
Heavenly Magic Academy.
Eluard nced at the two beams of light that shrouded the bodies of Emi and Olivia. They were currently afloat with their head bent upward.
[ Integrating system panels to the newly enrolled students. This will take a while. The system will notify the host if the process ispleted. ]
Eluard sighed in relief. He was just following the system''s script out of memory.
''Sooner orter, I''ll have to do it myself.''
He wasn''t good atmunicating with other people so he was rather nervous about talking with them by himself.
''Ah, wait. I have forgotten something important.''
Now that he was about to have a student, the matter of teaching them magic came into his mind.
''Have I...?''
He immediately ran to the public library to read more books about magic cultivation. He dared to forget his responsibility as a teacher to the newly enrolled students. The system would surely punish him if he couldn''t provide the services he advertised.
Eluard felt punching himself for being so stupid of wanting to gain new students when he couldn''t even teach them his current set of knowledge. Although the first special task required him to read books, it was mostly about the history and demography of Aludia with only a little introduction about the knighthood and magic system of its inhabitants.
''Fuck, it feels like cramming for an exam for the next day! System, I need your help right now!''
[ Filtering books based on host''s requirements. ]
The system then disyed a list of books Eluard needed to read and understand in order to teach his iing students about magic cultivation.
''3-35 books? No time forining! Time to read!''
As the negligent academy master crammed the magical cultivation books in the public library, a different scene transpired in a secluded vige in the Morning Star Empire.
Two people in peasant clothes walked carefully on arge dirt road. They wore scarves that hid half of their face and covered their head.
One of them was a hunchback old man with a low stature.
"Prince Lucan, this is the Huasha vige. The people here are discreet and will allow us to remain hidden for a long time.", he whispered to the young man beside him.
A row of boats parked on the shoreline of arge river nearby. Some fishermen were readying to embark while others were settling in after a rough fishing session.
"Huasha vige. I wonder why is this vige a bit familiar to me.", Lucan muttered.
"Prince, it''s the vige of that Jinmu who defeated you long ago.", the old man answered his confusion.
Lucan stopped walking and stared at his steward with a dumbfounded expression, "Uncle Mer, are you serious? You directed me to that bastard''s home vige? Don''t you think we''d be in big trouble if someone recognizes us?"
"Prince, don''t worry, they won''t.", Uncle Mer''s persuasion didn''t settle Lucan''s worries.
A vige guard noticed them and reprimanded, "Hey, you two there. Why are you whispering around yourselves? Are you into something?"
His sharp spear and wooden shield were ready to deal with any troublemakers inside Huasha vige. Uncle Mer approached the guard and handed him a pouch of money.
The guard snorted and beckoned them to continue, "Don''t make any funny business around."
"See, prince. Wasn''t hard now, was it?", Uncle Mer winked at Lucan.
They proceeded to go further into the vige without any interference. Lucan eyed the residents here carefully.
When they arrived at the central area of the vige, a man blocked their way while holding a fan in his left hand.
A cold breeze went by them, fluttering the man''s ponytailed hair to the air.
"Prince Lucan, I didn''t know you have missed me that much."
Sarcasm and anger filled his voice.
Lucan recognized the person, "Jinmu Lin, I''m not here to fight you."
Jinmu shook his head in disapproval, "Then what are you here for? To see how far I have fallen to the pit after you destroyed my magic root? Aren''t you a bit too shameless? You should realize on whose territory you are now, Prince Lucan Hermes!"
He waved the hand holding the fan and signaled. Spears were pointed at the two as the vigers surrounded them with hostility.
Lucan was about to say something when he realized that Jinmu was holding a familiar white envelope in his right hand.
''Was he invited to the academy too?''
It spelled trouble to Lucan who had great enmity against Jinmu.
"What now, Prince Lucan? Didn''t expect this, did you?!", Jinmu taunted. He wouldn''t dare to forget the day when Lucan sent a group of mask men to assault him and destroy his magic root in public. That day ended his ambitions and brought nothing but despair to him and his family ever since then.
Now, he could deal with Lucan here whatever he wanted. It didn''t matter if the royal family were to take revenge. Jinmu needed to return the favor no matter the cost.
"Capture them!", Jinmu ordered.
The guards were to pounce when Lucan took out his white envelope and disyed it in front of Jinmu''s eyes. Uncle Mer nced and was curious as to what it was.
"You! How do you have that?!", Jinmu widened his eyes. The vige guards stopped moving, wondering what was so special about the envelope that flustered their young master. In Jinmu''s mind, the same white envelopended on the side of his bed after he woke up earlier.
Although he has briefly heard of the fabled magic academy during his time at the Morning Star City, Jinmu thought he was just dreaming and that reality has yet to kick in.
"I have met with the academy master, Jinmu. Heavenly Magic Academy is real and if you dare stop me now, things aren''t going to end well for the both of us.", Lucan threatened.
Jinmu narrowed his eyes and contemted on what to do. There was a possibility that Lucan''s threatening held some legitimacy. The envelope in his right hand held the answer to all his questions.
Before he could decide, a loud cry resounded from the entrance of the vige. Lucan could feel a tremendous chivalric will pressuring them from afar.
"Ah!"
Bodies and blood were thrown into the air. Their bodies had deep scratch marks all over. It resembled that of a canine predator like those from a lion or a tiger.
A scarred man haughtily walked into the fray as if the vige guards were of no problem to him. On his right shoulder was an imprinted face of a dark wolf, baring its fangs to those who looked at it.
Dark miasma surrounded him. It was his released chivalric will.
''He''s the source of that pressure! And an imprint, I see. He must be a higher de knight, at least in the consolidation realm.'', Lucan slowly stepped back and hid the envelope from sight.
The scarred man smoked before grinning at Lucan.
"Prince Lucan Hermes! I thought you were smarter than I worried, but it seems like your younger brother fares better in this aspect! Because you have disappointed me, I will punish you to death!"
Chapter 11 Escape, Damaged Magic Root
"You bastard! Not only did you intrude on our vige, you even brought assassins with you! Why can''t you grow up a spine and die alone somewhere, shameless prince!", Jinmu hollered.
''Thankfully, the vige leader and the others aren''t here today! But still, the vigers!'', Jinmu gritted his teeth. He felt like he betrayed the people who trusted him.
Lucan ignored Jinmu, briefly ncing at Uncle Mer before confronting the scarred man, "Graham Morse! So my brother is willing to go that far, huh?", slowly backing away. This person was the leader of the Sucarii, an infamous assassin group in the Morning Star Empire. And now, Lucan was their next assassination target.
Graham shrugged, "Too bad, Prince Lucan. Knowing me wouldn''t change the fact that you will die today!", before knitting his eyebrows and emitting murderous intent, "Kill them!"
Five shadows darted behind Graham, sweeping towards the vige guards like lightning. With one strike, one life was reaped and the next one fell without even knowing what happened.
The vigers cried out in fear, running in every direction as they made their futile escape.
Jinmu''s eyes savored the sight of the people he had known over the years falling to the ground with a slit on their neck. Blood dyed the sacred ground as tears formed on his eyes, "You fucking royals, you always-!"
Someone grabbed his hand and shouted at him, "Shut up! Yelling won''t persuade those people! If you want to live, run!"
"You-!", Jinmu looked at Lucan''s escaping figure. It was ironic that the one who brought disaster to his home was now the first one to run away.
"Prince Lucan, go now! I will stall them!", Uncle Mer disyed his bluish-white aura.
"Oh, a master wizard? As if that can stop me!", Graham''s body suddenly transformed into arge dark wolf. His howl deafened the vigers and knocked most of them out. He then charged towards Uncle Mer like a predator about to kill its prey.
"Reality Realm?!", Uncle Mer was shocked. It was the peak realm of a knight in the higher de domain.
"Torrential Outburst!"
The earth shook as arge amount of water gushed into the air as high as 30 meters. It spanned over an area of 25 meters wide. One could feel the high pressure inside the water. Any fool that dares to pass through without protection would die as they are crushed by the raging waters.
Despite his timely protection, one assassin managed to slip out and run at Lucan who was escaping to the other end of the vige. Behind him was Jinmu and the remaining vige guards.
"Ah! Prince Lucan, watch out!", Uncle Mer shouted. Despite the worrying reminder, a wide grin was stered on his face, ''Prince Lucan, I don''t know what that envelope is but I''m going to let Prince Dexter have a look at it once your body lies on the ground, cold and dead.''
The assassin leaped to the houses and observed the fleeing Lucan and Jinmu in the distance.
"Young master, go ahead! We will stop that man before us!", one of the vige guards shouted.
"But Dui!", Jinmu hesitated. This vige was the ce that adopted and made him what he was today. Abandoning them was the greatest sin he could do, but what was the point of staying on a battlefield he was useless in?
Looking at their determined eyes, Jinmu could feel their will in sacrificing their lives for him. He knew that he would never be able to repay such a huge debt for all his life. His magic root was already damaged and there was nothing he could do about it.
"Young master, we were grateful that we were able to save you that day, and we would continue to look after you even if it costs us our lives!", Dui retorted, not giving Jinmu a way to negotiate.
"Brothers, charge!", the pitiful guards rushed to their deaths. Even if they were going to die today, as long as Jinmu remained alive, it was worth all the trouble they would face.
Jinmu wanted to talk Dui out of it but Lucan grabbed his hand again and insisted, "Let''s go! If you want to pay back your favor to them, use that envelope and go to the Heavenly Magic Academy!"
"Shut up! Don''t tell me what to do!", Jinmu was already annoyed that Lucan had the audacity to bring down the entire vige with him. Now, the shameless prince was offering him a way out of the situation and abandoning his precious friends.
The two rushed to a secluded alleyway and started channeling their mana to the envelope.
"You can run, but you cannot hide!", the pursuing assassin made easy work of the vige guards and rushed to where the two went earlier.
When he arrived on the spot, only a gust of wind remained.
"Where are they? Where did they go?!"
¡
"Ah!"
Jinmu and Lucan fell to the ground face-first. Lucan immediately stood up and dusted his clothes. He then noticed Jinmu kneeling on all fours, hearing a faint sobbing from his direction.
He was ming himself for what happened just now.
''It looks like Uncle Mer yed against me this time. How stupid of me to not know of it earlier.''
He was simply nning to disappear like a ghost before returning to the academy. Once he was powerful enough to exact his revenge, he would arrive in front of the face of his father and his siblings and let them experience fear.
Unfortunately, Uncle Mer foiled his ns. He noticed his unloyalty when he nced back at Uncle Mer earlier in the Huasha Vige.
After a long time of thinking, Lucan noticed that Jinmu didn''tsh out at him and only cried after a while.
The red-eyed young man wiped off the tears, stood up, and stered an indifferent expression on his face. Jinmu ignored Lucan and went to the academy far ahead.
''Everyone, I''m sorry. I am such a disgraceful person.'', he sighed and continued walking.
Someone suddenly leaned over Lucan''s shoulder, "Hey, what sort of drama are the two of you on?", startling Lucan.
"Who the hell are you?!"
The young manughed at Lucan''s reaction.
Half of his head was bald while his remaining braided hair was blown to the right side. His tall burly body shocked Lucan, wondering how could a brute like him was selected by the academy master.
Such a physique warranted one to be a knight, not a wizard.
"Me? Well, someone like you two, invited to the Heavenly Magic Academy."
Lucan shook his head, "Then what''s that thing on your hand? I don''t think mages should be holding such a heavy halberd on their way here."
The weapon was 2.5 meters long with a sharp red-colored de on the tip. Its base was brown, inscribed on it were various figures of demon beasts.
"Hehehe, that''s a secret.", the young man winked.
The door to the Heavenly Magic Academy opened.
The three went on with a not so joyous atmosphere. One was depressed and wanted to be alone, one was guilty and wanted to reconcile, while thest one was curious and wanted to know what happened between them.
Meanwhile, in the lobby, Eluard was sweating profusely as he didn''t expect that all three recruits would arrive at the same time. Furthermore, he had yet to finish the first book he was reading.
''Oh, gracious gods, please have mercy on this poor man.''
Amidst his worries, the three boys stepped inside. They felt the deserted and mysterious atmosphere emanating from the room.
Lucan went ahead and dropped on his knees, making the young man from before pondering as to what was he about to do.
"Academy master, I have returned and learned my mistakes. May I hope that you would grant me my request to enroll this time."
There was only honesty and humbleness in Lucan''s voice. He was very nervous that Eluard would reject him. If he returned to Aludia now, he would certainly die.
Eluard let out a low hum, approving of Lucan''s behavior. He turned his head to Jinmu and inspected his magic talent.
[ Name: Jinmu Lin ]
[ Age: 14 years old ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Status: Orphan ]
[ Affiliation: Huasha Vige, Morning Star Empire ]
[ Magic Power: Destroyed ]
[ Magic Root: Serenity Magic Root (Legendary, Damaged) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 9.8/10 (Apprentice Mage) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Water, Wind ]
[ Serenity Magic Root (Legendary) ]
[ Additional Effect: Serene Mind ]
[ The user is calm at all times. ]
[ Additional Effect: Water and wind magic spells have increased effectiveness by 250% ]
[ Additional Effect: Due to your calm nature, your focused mind increases your spell casting speed by 50%. ]
''A damaged magic root?''
This was a first for Eluard to see a crippled mage standing in front of him. He thought that they would be weary and easily tired all the time.
"Jinmu Lin.", Eluard''s slithered eyes stared at him.
Jinmu gulped in shock. He had yet to introduce himself but the academy master already knew him.
''Maybe because he sent me the invitation that he already knows me?'', he thought.
Despite the unsettled feelings he had in his heart, he managed to control his emotions and bowed to Eluard, "Yes, academy master."
"Your magic root is damaged. Are you sure you''re in the right ce?"
Eluard''s words hit Jinmu hard. A crippled magic root with a dark future ahead of him. What could he offer to the Heavenly Magic Academy in return?
He knelt with a calm face and replied to Eluard, "Academy master, my magic root may have been destroyed and my future in wizardry had almost be an impossibility. But that does not mean that my path in magic has ended for another one exists."
Eluard raised his eyebrows, wondering what this young man was going to say.
"Wizardry doesn''t only revolve around magical cultivation, but also the research of magic. Through research, we can expand our existing knowledge by formting magical theories, testing them based on the given information, validating the results, and applying them on a practical basis."
Everyone in the room was shocked by Jinmu''s answer. Even the young man was now eyeing him with great interest.
"In terms of cultivation, I do not deserve to have any ce regardless of what my magic root once was for it has been crippled into nothingness. However, in magical research, I am confident that I would bring a new era of magic with this steady and intelligent mind of mine."
Chapter 12 A Dual Cultivator
The atmosphere in the lobby turned silent. Eluard''s prolonged reaction made the boys anxious. They didn''t know if Jinmu''s answer satisfied the academy master or not.
The braided young man became fond of Jinmu because of his persistent nature, ''It''s a shame I cannot fight such an admirable person.'', he thought.
Eluard suddenly let out a chuckle, "You seemed to have misunderstood something, Jinmu Lin. I didn''t say that your magic root was crippled to nothingness."
They let out a gasp because they clearly understood what the academy master implied.
''Do-does he has the power to repair a damaged magic root?!'', Jinmu shared the same thought with the other two. However, Jinmu became wary and didn''t think of asking Eluard if his impairment could be fixed.
"Academy master, regardless of what I have said, or what the academy could offer to me, my point still stands.", he persisted.
Eluard nodded in satisfaction, "Goodd.", waving his hands to dismiss Jinmu and Lucan. If Jinmu had asked if his magic root could be fixed, then it implied that Jinmu was easily swayed by temptations and such an unstable mindset vites the fourth t of the Heavenly Magic Academy.
His magic root''s effect would also be ironic since it couldn''t calm Jinmu down when faced with such discovery.
If it happened, Jinmu would then be flung out of the academy just like Lucan from before. The former heaved a sigh of relief and went to the sides.
Eluard stared at the final recruit.
"Academy master, I am Solordo Luchador from the... somewhere in Aludia. I am pleased that I have gathered your interest and was invited to this prestigious academy.", Solordo bowed.
Eluard nodded. He looked at Solordo''s attributes and was shocked by the details the system provided.
[ Name: Solordo Luchador ]
[ Age: 16 years old ]
[ Status: Alive ]
[ Affiliation: Knights of Aludia (Separated), League of Wizardry (Separated), Luchador Household (Disowned) ]
[ Magic Power: Apprentice Mage (Median Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Harmonic Duplex Magic Root (Mythical) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 8.8/10 (Apprentice Mage) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Darkness, Wind ]
[ Harmonic Duplex Magic Root (Mythical) ]
[ Removes restriction of cultivating both chivalric will and magic on the user. ]
[ Additional Effect: Harmonic Essence Resonance ]
[ User can simultaneously gather both chivalric will and mana without side effects. ]
[ Degradation Effect: Chivalric-Magical Harmony ]
[ The power level of the two cultivation paths must remain bnced. Imbnce of internal essence will result to a halt in cultivation. Cultivation progression is passively slowed by 25%. ]
[ Chivalric Will Power: Apprentice Knight (Tier 2) ]
[ Chivalric Core Grade: SSS ]
[ Chivalric Core Grade Effect: Allows imprinting of divine-rarity demonic/magical beasts into the user''s chivalric core. ]
''An almost perfect dual cultivator?''
Eluard''s reaction wasn''t unfounded. Although one could have both chivalric core and magic root at the same time, the conflicting essences would kill them before they could start cultivating.
Eluard presumed that this must be because the humans or any simr species have adapted and evolved to only utilizing one cultivation path at a single time. The body was unable to handle the process when cultivating both, resulting in dangerous idents for those who dared to try.
Furthermore, Solordo''s affiliations were extraordinary, yet also partly concerning. To be disowned by his family meant that something must have happened.
"I see, a dual cultivator."
Solordo jolted in ce, "Academy master, you can see through me?"
"The only things I cannot see in this world is the past and the future.", Eluard replied.
Solordo let go of his weapon and knelt, "Academy master, please help me. Everyone else has abandoned me after knowing that I both want to cultivate my chivalric will and magic cultivation! It doesn''t matter if academy master can''t help me on the path of knighthood. I will take care of it myself!"
Eluard asked, "Why do you insist on the path of dual cultivation?"
Tears formed in Solordo''s eyes, "I-I¡ I want to preserve the gift that my mother gave to me! I was only a baby then when she died under the hands of the demons! I want to use both my father and my mother''s inheritance to kill them all!"
Solordo then banged the ground with his head, "Academy master, I beg of you! I want to exact revenge on my mother and not let everyone dishonor the inheritance she had given to me!"
Back at his home, everyone else, even including his father, forced him to take the path of knighthood because they thought that his father could help him on that path. Solordo thought that it was a foolish thought and rejected their offers.
Even when Solordo followed what his father told him to do, a strange force entangled him, preventing any advancement in the path of knighthood. The force only vanished when he started cultivating magic.
Shocked as he was, he changed his path and started cultivating magic to a point that the strange force returned. This was when Solordo understood that he had to cultivate his chivalric will and magic at the same time.
Solordo insisted to his father that the dual cultivation path was his only way.
It then became the basis of misunderstanding between the father and the son, which then reached the ears of everyone in the household. Their views upon Solordo were full of disgust, describing his stupidity, narrow-mindedness, selfishness, and arrogance.
Solordo''s father started calling him names until one day, his father erupted in anger and wished his son dead along with his mother a few years ago. Bathed in rage, Solordo charged out of the mansion and never returned.
Now, with a glistening hope in front of him, Solordo stopped his fa?ade and vented out his true emotions.
"A filial child, at least to your mother. However, know that I am only a guide to your path to greatness.", Eluard reminded.
He didn''t want his students to depend on him deeply. First of all, he wasn''t confident that he could teach them with perfect results. He was just someone who finished college in which teaching people wasn''t a part of it.
Second, the students should learn to be independent at some point. After undergoing years ofpetitive and torturous education, Eluard knew that people could only depend on themselves to be what they want to be.
Requiring the help of other people wasn''t a long-term benefit, nor was it certain insurance when things go awry.
"Yes, I understand, academy master!", Solordo replied.
Eluard was about to take them to the Pool of Revtions when his system prompted that Emi and Olivia have finished integrating with their system panels.
Eluard made haste, "Before we proceed to your enrollment, you must have a lot of questions with regards to your magic roots."
He was referring to Lucan and Solordo. Their magic roots might''ve been misunderstood by the people in Aludia after being appraised.
After all, appraisals only gave a vague result like the grade of their magic roots while the academy''s Pool of Revtions would give them all the answers to their questions.
Although he could wait and have the boys integrate with the system, Olivia and Emi were still there. He might disturb them while they check out the system.
On the other hand, he could showcase how different Heavenly Magic Academy was when appraising its aspiring students. This would give a good impression to the boys.
"Follow me.", he gestured to the three after teleporting down.
The three boys were awestruck as they observed the crystal-clear pool in front of them.
"This is the Pool of Revtions. All of the secrets about your magic talent will be revealed here."
The boys gulped in anticipation.
"The truth lies beyond this pool. Bathe in the water and the light and it will guide your way. After you have awoken, stay here for I have something else to do. I wille back once I am done."
Eluard gestured Lucan to step in first.
Lucan slowly took his steps. When he reached the middle, the pool shed brightly before he was transported to the other dimension.
He saw the board above and couldn''t help but rub his eyes to see if he was dreaming. Then, when he arrived in front of the first book, he slumped to the ground and cried.
"I wasn''t trash, I wasn''t trash! I¡ I¡", he was speechless. For all of his life, his magic root was denounced alongside his capability as a wizard.
To think that this strange phenomenon was a blessing in disguise.
"Academy master¡ thank you for answering my confusion¡"
He stopped crying after a while and continued to read the rest.
The same incident happened to Jinmu and Solordo. Solordo had it worse after knowing why he couldn''t advance his cultivation of either path.
''As I have concluded before, I need to cultivate both my chivalric will and magic before I could advance.''
After the short revtion, the three of them returned to reality and went out of the pool to patiently wait for Eluard. Experiencing the power of the Pool of Revtions made them revere Eluard as if he was a god.
The legends of the Heavenly Magic Academy told a few divine artifacts that existed inside but none in history has ever verified them at all.
Not until today where the three of them experienced it firsthand.
¡
[ Student system integrationpleted. You have sessfully enrolled 2 new students to the Heavenly Magic Academy. ], the system congratted Eluard.
[ Main Task: Recruit 5 mage students in the Heavenly Magic Academy. ]
[ The Heavenly Magic Academy was once titled as the most supreme academy of magic. Its glorious name has been forgotten for long. Now, it is time for it to rise back again. ]
[ Specific Requirements: Students must have the following attributes. ]
[ Magic Root: At least profound magic root. ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 7 or higher. ]
[ Magic Affinity: None. ]
[ Reward: Magic Root (Mythical-Trait or Higher). Magic Aptitude (10 or higher). Magic Affinity (Universal) ]
[ Current Progress: 2/5 students enrolled. ]
Eluard wanted to check out the results of the system integration first. He teleported to the Altar of Rites and saw the two girls in a trance as they stared at the air with incredulous eyes.
"Have you received the gift?"
Eluard''s question startled the two girls.
"Academy master¡ is this what we get after enrolling in the academy?", Olivia asked. The system panel in her eyes disyed her information and attributes in a way she could easily understand.
It was never been seen before in Aludia. If anything, the most they could do was to undergo ''appraisal'' and the results, whenpared to the ''system panel'' in front of her, were hugely different.
''No wonder the Heavenly Magic Academy was ssified as an imperial-level faction in the stories. Just the gift after enrolling far surpasses any sort of appraisal artifact in Aludia!'', Olivia eximed in her mind.
Eluard was ted to know that they finally had their system panels. The feeling was like introducing your friend to video gaming and then ying along together for hours toe.
"I call it the ''system''. It can help you measure out your magic talent, power, and other information you want to know.", Eluard answered.
"You will understand more of it in the future. For now, go back to your dormitory rooms, wear your uniforms and wait for me at the main hall. I have another batch of students to enroll."
Chapter 13 Main Task Reward, Divine Magic Root
Eluard teleported back to the Pool of Revtions.
"Academy master.", the boys bowed in respect.
"Things are now ready. If you have any questions before we proceed, ask them now.", Eluard said.
The three remained silent.
Noticing that they didn''t have any intentions to ask, "If there is none, follow me."
When they exited the room, they bumped into Emi and Olivia who were on their way back to their previous dormitory rooms.
"Academy master.", they bowed.
Emi asked excitedly, "Academy master, are they intending to enroll in this academy too? Will they be my senior brothers?"
The words ''senior brother'' made the boys feel like they were old men in front of Emi.
''Little girl, we''re just the same age or probably a few gaps in the way! There''s no way we''re your seniors!'', theyined in their minds.
Eluard simply nodded and continued on his way.
"Hey, senior brothers! Nice to meet you! I''m Emi!"
The little girl''s enthusiastic greeting put them in a conflicted state. What would they say in this situation? Greet in response? But Emi calling them senior brother hurt them in many ways.
They couldn''t reprimand her either. The cold-looking girl beside her felt dangerous and they didn''t want to mess with her.
Also, observing the room where they came from, these two girls should''ve alreadypleted the enrollment process and were now students of the academy.
"Emi, you will know of themter. For now, proceed to back to your dormitory rooms."
While he was speaking, Eluard quickly navigated to the ''Students'' tab and gave out a special task to Emi and Olivia.
The girls received a prompt on their system panel.
[ Special Task 1: Proceed back to your dormitory rooms using the map navigation in your system panel. ]
[ Rewards: Student uniform x1. ]
[ Note: Please prevent talking about the system near any people who are not a part of the Heavenly Magic Academy. ]
Olivia took Emi''s hands and departed to the main hallway. Eluard was very pleased with Olivia''s quick thinking.
As he led the boys to the Altar of Rites, Emi and Olivia conversed about the system panel they have received.
"Sister Olivia, why did you pull me out of there earlier? Is it because of that special task that the academy master has given to us?", Emi asked.
"Emi, we shouldn''t talk about this¡ system in front of others who aren''t students to the academy, okay?", Olivia reminded, "Do you still remember the third t?"
"The secrets of one''s heart must remain to themselves, wasn''t it?", Emi recited.
Olivia nodded, "Exactly, Emi. This system panel is the secret of the Heavenly Magic Academy. If we talk about it to others carelessly, we will be punished by the academy master so be careful, okay?!", patting Emi''s head.
"Okay!", Emi nodded and finally understood what the third t meant.
Olivia then assisted Emi on how to navigate through the system panel. Although she could be considered a bit rustic in this part, she managed to have Emi use the map and navigate themselves to their own dormitory rooms.
Their system tabs consisted of General, Tasks, Student Profile, Items, Store, Pets, and Map. The first four tabs and Map were the only avable tabs yet.
Looking at the map in front of her, their dormitory rooms were located on the western side of the 2nd floor. It was near their previous dormitory rooms yesterday and took them 15 minutes to arrive.
They then changed their clothes and returned to the main hallway. The uniforms resembled close to Eluard''s robe with a high cor and the emblem of the Heavenly Magic Academy. It was a magic staff with a golden magic crystal at the top and two angelic wings in the background.
The robe also adapted its color based on the student''s magical affinity. Since Olivia had an affinity with lightning, ice, and water, her uniform was colored navy-blue. On the other side, Emi''s robe was colored yellow-green.
In the main hallway, Emi and Olivia saw the academy master standing alone. Noticing the arrival of the girls, Eluard gestured them to form a line in front of him.
A whileter, the three boys emerged from the same direction with their own student uniforms as well. Lucan''s robe was scarlet-colored, Jinmu''s robe was sky-blue, while Solordo''s robe was a mix of dark and gray.
"Congrattions on being enrolled to the Heavenly Magic Academy. As the first batch of students to be admitted here, you have a huge advantage over yourpetitors and the chance to be my direct disciple."
The five of them immediately piqued their interests. Their system panels suddenly prompted something to them.
[ Special Task 2: The Five Ts ]
[ Heavenly Magic Academy''s ideologies revolve around the five ts introduced to you during your procession. The academy master has given you a task toprehend the meaning behind each t and present your exnations on the first public lecture for theing week. ]
[ Rewards: Bing the academy master''s direct disciple. Blue Magic Crystals x10. ]
[ Time Limit: 7 days ]
"I will be in seclusion for the following days. Make sure to use this opportunity to know each other.", Eluard waved his hands and teleported to his office. He was now ready to receive his reward for the first main task given to him by the system.
[ Main Task Achieved. Distributing rewards. ]
[ ¡ ]
[ ¡ ]
The series of ellipses on his system panel made Eluard anxious yet excited at the same time.
''No, Eluard! Don''t get your hopes too high! Maybe this is just a trap!''
After waiting for a few seconds, the system''s notification rang on his mind and he quickly looked up the rewards he had received.
[ You have received the Divine Nebr Magic Root (Divine), Magical Aptitude of 10, and Magical Affinity (Universal) ]
[ Congrattions host for achieving the first main task. You have also received an achievement ''Recruiter''. Continue to work hard. ]
Eluard wanted to shout at the top of his lungs after hearing the fact that he had received a divine magic root, ''System, you''re the best!''
He then felt a strange crawling sensation on his head. It was tickling and refreshing at the same time. Eluard was savoring the feeling when he suddenly found himself floating in the vast space.
In the distance was a star undergoing supernova, sting thes into fragments and extending its explosion outward. The force of the explosion was so strong that he could feel space tearing apart even when he was light-years away.
After a long time, the chaos subsided. His consciousness also returned to his body.
He slumped on the floor, shivering in fear, ''Wha-what was that? It was too frightening!''
The mask of the magus calmed his mind. He then looked at his new profile.
[ Host Name: Eluard Kai ]
[ Age: 22 Years Old ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Magic Power: N/A. ]
[ Magic Root: Divine Nebr Magic Root (Divine) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 10/10 ]
[ Magic Affinity: Universal ]
[ Magic Spells: None. ]
[ Special Skill: Magical Deterrence, Magical Analysis (Eye of Fidelity) ]
[ Achievements: Recruiter ]
[ Divine Nebr Magic Root (Divine) ]
[ A magic root that shares the mysteriousness of nebs found in the universe. It is still in its infancy stage and requires tremendous effort to cultivate and develop over time. Developing to the next stage will unlock new effects. ]
[ Additional Effect (under Infancy Stage): Magical Nebr Transmutation ]
[ You can alter elemental natures to any other element without restriction ]
[ Degradation Effect: Nebr Infancy Instability ]
[ Due to the universal aspect of your magic root and affinity, casting magic spells, conducting pill concoction, forming array formations, and simr magical-based activities have increased difficulty due to the unstable elemental nature of your mana. This can be alleviated by honing your mana control, increasing your magic power, learning more skills, numerous practicing, and strengthening the power of your mind. In addition, developing your magic root to the next stages will gradually stabilize your mana nature passively ]
[ Remarks: A good host in the making. ]
As he finished reading the entire prompt, Eluard sighed, ''It looks like I will really have to do much effort now, huh?''
Thankfully, he had the 3rd special task to indirectly help him in his hardships. While he umtes the knowledge after reading and understanding, he could then use it for his magic cultivation process to speed it up and advance to the next stages.
His magic root and power were negligible at the start due to how difficult it would be to cast spells. However, he knew that if he tried hard enough and seed in the end, the end results would be far too terrifying.
He imagined himself turning fire into water and vice versa, dumbfounding his enemies while defeating them in style, ''Shut up, idiot. You''re not Dante.''
[Note: For those who do not know, look up for Dante from Devil May Cry]
Eluard shook his head and became determined to go back to the library and read more books.
''I should first focus on the basics. In this way, I can help myself and my students. Also, it seems like I have to prepare personal cultivation ideas for my students.''
Each of his students catered to a different problem and needs.
For example, Lucan''s mana pool needs to be very huge before he could start casting spells. Even if he could train his control and power right now, he wouldn''tst that long due to his magic root''s specialty.
On the other hand, Solordo focused on both his chivalric will and magic cultivation. His cultivation progress was slowerpared to the rest so Eluard could prioritize him the least.
''Alright, let''s take it easy, Eluard. We have a lot of days to spare. I wonder how my students are doing now.''
Chapter 14 Chaos Erupting
,m Once Eluard disappeared from the main hall, the five students patted their hearts in relief.
"Ah, that was so terrifying! The academy master''s aura is pressuring me!", Solordo blurted while fanning himself with his hands.
Beside him was Emi who took the initiative to talk to him, "Is that so senior brother? I don''t think academy master is that scary¡"
Solordo was speechless. He wouldn''t dare to rebut against this small girl knowing that there was this cold-looking ''senior sister'' beside Emi. As far as his experience about ''senior sisters'' was concerned, Solordo''s story could be summarized as devastating.
Moreover, after observing Olivia''s physique, he concluded that she must be from the Norva Assili in the north. He even assumed that she was the royal princess due to her noble aura.
"That¡ I don''t know¡", he replied.
"Senior brother, you have yet to tell me your name!", Emi pointed at him.
"Ah, yes! I''m Solordo Luchador. Just call me senior Solordo, little Emi.", he patted her head.
At the mention of his name, Jinmu, Lucan, and Olivia stared at him with wide eyes.
"You-you''re from the Luchador Household?", Lucan shrieked in fear.
Although there were factions like the Creed of the Morning Star with wide reach in Aludia, a few small households existed in seclusion whose powers were equal to these big factions.
The Luchador Household was one of them. Despite his prestigious background, Solordo waved his hands to dismiss their thoughts.
"What Luchador Household? I''m no longer part of that family.", he snorted in disgust, "Anyway, you should introduce yourselves as well."
"I''m Jinmu Lin.", Jinmu shortly introduced.
"I''m Lucan Hermes. Nice to meet you, everyone."
"Oh, Prince Lucan from the Morning Star Empire?", Solordo was intrigued, "Seeing how shabby your clothes looked earlier, your family must''ve also troubled you, didn''t they?"
Lucan could only sigh and nod in approval. He wasn''t that different from Solordo, well, except for the fact that his younger brother tried to kill him and even implicate an innocent bystander like Jinmu.
"Hmph, serves you right.", Olivia harrumphed on the sides.
Lucan''s infamous achievements were recognized even in the Norva Assili. Various rumors about Lucan circted such as a pervert, an arrogant young master, a despicable young master, and any other derogatory insults that could describe him.
As such, Olivia''s image of Lucan was stained to oblivion. Now that she knew Lucan was her ssmate, she felt nauseated just by being close to him.
Witnessing her reaction, Solordo raised his eyebrows and asked, "Hey, Lucan, what did you do to this senior sister as well? Do you have bad blood with everyone else just like the rumors have told?"
"I''m not¡ a senior sister!", Olivia retorted. She didn''t like it when she was being called that way.
"Well, little Emi calls us senior brothers so shouldn''t you be addressed as a senior sister as well?", Solordo reasoned.
"No! She''s big sister Olivia!", Emi interjected.
The three boys died inside. Why was there such a difference in treatment?
Solordo then realized what Emi said just now, "Olivia? Oh, so you''re the royal princess of the Norva Assili. Thought as much."
Olivia didn''t like Solordo''s tone, "What are you trying to say, ex-Luchador?"
Solordo feigned ignorance, "Nothing. It''s just that my stomach is growling. Hey little Emi, do you know somece we could eat here?"
"Yes, senior brother Solordo!", Emi was excited and led the way.
Lucan stared at the ceiling, pondering over something.
"Hey, what are you staring at the ceiling about?", Solordo interrupted.
"Nothing. I just wonder what my younger brother is feeling right now.", Lucan smiled.
¡
Morning Star Empire, Prince Dexter''s room.
Bang!
Pots and papers were thrown around, littering the glossy wooden floor.
"Trash! Ipetent! Fucking useless!", Prince Dexter cursed at the two people in front of him. He was already engrossed in the fact that Lucan''s body was on its way to his private room.
To think that the people he hired to kill Lucan couldn''t do their job properly.
''Those old bastards are going tough at me now! And it''s these two, these fucking ipetent fools who are at fault!'', he stared at them with reddened eyes.
Uncle Mer had a downcast expression. He didn''t expect that Lucan would get away in time before the assassin could kill him. The n was supposed to be wless and easily executable.
On the other side, Graham had his confidence shattered to pieces. The Sucarii were originally feared by many, but the failure of a very easy job stained their reputation. Now, they were being mocked by others and their ranking in the underground world lowered by several ces.
Prince Dexter was about tosh again when a schr entered his room. The person was dressed in long white robes with stubble on his unblemished face.
His ck eyes calmly gazed at Prince Dexter as his tall body bowed in respect, "Prince Dexter. I have news for you. It''s somewhat concerning and might be able to help you in your cause."
The man''s soothing voice calmed the hot-tempered Prince Dexter. His anger subsided and asked, "Uncle Anthony, may I know what news have you brought to this young one today?"
Prince Dexter was respectful of Anthony who tutored him from a young age. If it wasn''t for Anthony, Prince Dexter would behave simrly to Lucan.
"Cases of reanimated bodies attacking viges in the volcanic grassy ins has been reported, my Prince. A horde of them is about to reach the Morning Star Empire as we speak. I came here to inform you early because his Imperial Majesty might call upon you and ask for your opinion about this matter.", Anthony replied.
Prince Dexter was surprised, "Reanimated bodies? Are the demons making their move, Uncle Anthony?"
Thetter nodded in approval. These sorts of atrocious acts of reanimating dead living beings into the undead were a punishable crime in Aludia. Only the demons dare tomit them on arge scale.
If it was a renegade wizard, the Creed of the Morning Star, the Knights of Aludia, and the League of Wizardry would dispatch a handful of elites to eliminate the threat at once.
However, when it came to demons, they were helpless. The reason was that the demons could easily retreat to the Wastes in safety and stay there until themotion was over, while the renegade wizards have no safe ce to hide so thetter was easier to deal with.
Moreover, renegade wizards associating with the demons?
The demons never make alliances with any other species no matter whatpromise either party would do. They were prideful and knew that nobody could contend with their power at full force.
Of course, some special situations did exist, however.
"If that is so, then shouldn''t the holy apostles from the Creed take their moves?", Prince Dexter asked, "There is no point in prolonging the attacks and making things hard in theter future."
"The Creed isn''t taking a full interest in this matter, my Prince.", Anthony''s answer intrigued Prince Dexter, "They have a far more concerning mission on the eastern seaboard. It''s something about the Heavenly Magic Academy."
Prince Dexter then understood why those people didn''t give much of a damn about the reanimation incident.
The public generally saw the Heavenly Magic Academy as just another more prestigious academy. However, hidden from their views was that it was primarily used by their ancestors to train wizards and, rumored to include knights as well, tobat the invading demon legions.
The Creed might''ve found a clue of its whereabouts, spreading their forces thin.
"It seems like we have to take this matter on our own hands for now.", Prince Dexter concluded, "Evacuating the people into the inner regions might seem to work, but that would cause unhappiness to those who already live there. It might even result in more chaos and panic."
Prince Dexter then looked at Anthony, "These undead are after the living, right?"
Anthony nodded. Prince Dexter concluded in his mind and dismissed the three of them.
As for his ns, he would only discuss them with his father.
¡
On the border of the Morning Star Empire, a huge horde of undead loomed in the far distance.
A small outpost was stationed nearby, overlooking the situation and rying reports back to the nearest city.
"Make preparations, men!", amanding officer ordered.
A group of injured men suddenly barged into the room without permission, "Sir, bad news! The scouts, they have been reanimated!"
The report shocked the people inside, "What? How did that happen? They have the wind wolf imprint so those undead shouldn''t have been able to catch up with them!"
"Sir, that''s the problem! The undead, they seem to retain their power after dying and-!"
The wall was broken, directly killing the injured men and thrashing the outpost.
"What the-?!", themanding officer immediately backed away in fear.
When the dust settled, his eyes saw arge undead pr bear carrying an undead man on its back. He was wielding a great axe on his hands.
"Shit! Someone go back to the headquarters and report this-!", themanding officer then noticed that everyone else was dead except for him.
He was surrounded by a group of soldiers emanating a strong aura just like when they were still alive.
"No, this isn''t possible! This is a nightmare!"
Those were hisst words as the undead charged at him and tore him into pieces.
Chapter 15 First Lesson, Jinmus Special Task
Heavenly Magic Academy. 1 weekter.
During the past week, the students studied the meaning of the five ts of the Heavenly Magic Academy. Despite their efforts in brainstorming and sleepless nights, they still couldn''t understand what the first andst t implied.
This frustrated them so much that Eluard noticed their sulky expression when he entered the ssroom.
"Looking at your faces, you must have failed.", his cold voice further dampened their mood.
Bing a direct disciple of the academy master was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and they just had to screw that chance. Even Olivia couldn''t help but curse herself for being stupid and wished that she had read more books back in her home.
Eluard tried tofort them.
"Failure is nothing but a path to sess. If you think you have lost something big today, think again once you have experienced the future."
He was alsoforting himself after thest few days of not being able to cast a simple illumination spell. The difficulty was far from what the system described and what he also expected.
Eluard thought that after a few tries, he could illuminate the room andbel himself as a mage. Nevertheless, he was able to finish a book and understand its contents in 7 days.
Looking at the brighter side of things, Eluard regained hisposure.
"Tha-thank you, academy master.", Jinmu was grateful.
''Academy master is right. I shouldn''t take it as the end of all and move on from it starting now.'', he shook his head and calmed himself.
Seeing their mood improving, Eluard nodded, "For today, I will be discussing with you the basics of spell casting."
They didn''t object. Maybe they could learn new things from the academy masterpared to hearing it from other people. Furthermore, Emi greatly required assistance as well since she was just starting to use magic.
"Mages gather the mana in their surroundings and store it inside their body, through the magic root. Magic roots then absorb the mana like how a tree would absorb water and use itter."
"Spell casting is the ter'' part where we utilize the mana absorbed by the magic root and conjure the imaginations in our minds and turn them into reality."
"For example, we want to cast the fireball spell. Most mages would misinterpret it as simply casting the spell then producing a fireball on their hands without any other processes. This is where they are wrong."
Olivia and the three boys were surprised. They were only taught to incantate the words and memorize the magic circles of each spell so that they could then be casted.
"Imagination is what drives the magic spells to work. We cannot produce something we cannot dare to imagine. What happens next is to control our mana and direct it the way how we want to obtain the said result."
"Since we want a fireball to appear in our hands, we must utilize our minds to imagine how mes work, how to make it appear as a ball, and make it float in our hands. Then, we gather the mana from our magic root and circte it in a way that the fireball would then be produced."
Eluard''s systematic way of exining how to cast magic spells was based on how people back on earth exin how the natural or artificial processes work before producing results.
The way spell casting was introduced in magic textbooks was simr to a situation where a person is taught how to use theputer, never understanding the ins and outs of binaryputations whenever they click something on the screen. All they needed to do was to memorize every step and go away with it.
He reckoned that if the Heavenly Magic Academy wants to produce top-tier wizards in the future, he needed to tread deeper in understanding the magical system of Aludia.
''The masters of magic in this world surely know about this. Only those who could recognize the illusion of the magic circles are those worthy to step in a grander magical world.'', Eluard thought.
However, he argued that it might be because some people didn''t bother much about how the magic worked. As long as the results meet their requirements, nothing else mattered.
"Of course, turning that into a real magic spell is different. We need to have the magic affinity to turn our mana into a particr element."
"Magic circles are used to measure out the amount of mana required to cast certain spells. They are categorized from form 1 up to form 10 magic spells."
"Form 1 spells require 1 magic circle before they could be casted, and this pattern continues until form 10 magic spells. Memorizing the magic form of a spell might be easier but as a student of the Heavenly Magic Academy, you''re bound to be different from the rest."
"After all, using the magic circles to cast a spell takes time. You are a mage and wasting your time for the magic circle to form allows your enemies to formte a n to counter your attack, or, they will take the initiative to attack you instead. For now, I will assign you all a new task."
Eluard assigned a special task to everyone except Jinmu.
[ Special Task: Form 1 Spells ]
[ The academy master has tasked you to enhance your knowledge on form 1 spells. Cast 5 form 1 spells without the use of magic circles in the next lesson. ]
[ Reward: Blue magic crystal x2. ]
[Author''s note: Starting this chapter, I will not include the counter of each new task.]
"Prepare yourself. Failure at that time will incur a great punishment."
The students were pressured because of his ultimatum. They didn''t want to experience the punishment they would get if they fail this task. Moreover, the reward was 2 blue magic crystals.
It was a tier higher than themon magic crystals found everywhere.
Eluard stared at Jinmu, "As for you, Jinmu, I have a different task for you."
[ Special Task: ssmate Assistant ]
[ The academy master has tasked you to help all of your ssmates in achieving their special tasks. If any one of them fails to achieve it, you will receive a punishment. ]
[ Reward: ess to the public library''s 2nd floor. ]
Jinmu was delighted with the reward. The public library''s second floor stored all sorts of advanced magical books about magic formations, research, and spells. Their contents were deeper and would greatly help Jinmu in his affairs.
"If you don''t have any questions, I will take my leave now.", Eluard waved his hands before disappearing in front of them.
They bowed in respect before rushing to the public library. Olivia carried Emi and personally guided her cultivation.
"Emi, you already know how to sense your mana in the surroundings, right?", she asked to which Emi nodded.
"Good, now instead of staring at them, focus your mind and think of gathering them towards your body.", Olivia continued.
Emi took a while to finish the process but she was able to gather the mana to her body. A refreshing sensation overwhelmed her senses, forcing her to open her eyes and ask Olivia.
"Big sister Olivia, does it feel good if you gather mana to your body?"
Olivia shook her head, "I feel ticklish and cold all over. Sometimes, I can''t even bear it and stop for a few days. Maybe because your mana affinity is of nature, Emi, that is why you feel that way."
Olivia was a bit envious of Emi because gathering mana to her body was more of a torture thanfort. Amidst her thoughts, she noticed Jinmu teaching Solordo about magical cultivation.
"Solordo, you are too impatient. Just because you are already in the median ring doesn''t mean you should ignore the basics.", Jinmu reprimanded.
"Then where do you think I should start then?!", Solordo was irked because he couldn''t cast a spell without using the magic circles.
"The academy master told us to imagine the spell we have to cast first. Since you want to cast wind sh, close your eyes and carefully imagine the scene you throw a big boomerang in a straight line."
"Wind sh is just turbulent wind moving in a direction you pointed at.", Jinmu exined.
Solordo calmed down and did as what Jinmu told him but thetter suddenly held his shoulder, "Go to the training yard. Why would you dare to mess in the public library?"
Solordoughed in embarrassment and sheepishly went to the training yard. He almost made a huge mistake.
Meanwhile, Lucan was having a headache. Spell casting was his weakest aspect due to his magic root. He not only need to cast five spells; he also needed arge amount of mana pool in case the academy master wanted them to consecutively cast each magic spell.
"You must be conflicted about which spell to focus on first, aren''t you?", Jinmu arrived on his sides.
"Jinmu¡", Lucan looked at him with a worried expression.
"Focus on the more challenging task first. Once you are done with it, you can proceed and finish the one that is easily done.", Jinmu advised.
He did it that way since people would usually lose motivation after finishing an easy task, then followed by a difficult one.
"Ah, yes.", Lucan felt awkward. Even though he had brought misfortune unto Jinmu, the guy was willing to help him in any case.
He was about to thank him when Jinmu already left. Lucan sighed and forgo it for now.
Chapter 16 A New Special Task
Eluard sat on his high chair, reading a magic spell book about various fire elemental magic spells.
He held his right hand in the air, moving his fingers like a wave as his mind formed images of a spell''s form while circting his mana to cast it into reality. Soon enough, me sparks ignited above the palm of his hand.
''Finally, I''m almost there.''
He closed the book and shifted his entire focus on casting a basic fireball spell. Mana surged from his magic root towards his right hand. A hot sensation emerged before finally transforming into a dense pack of me that was now a fireball.
Although it was smaller than expected, Eluard couldn''t be happier with the results. He didn''t utilize any magic circle and only used his mind to form the spell. His emotion got the best of him as he lost control of the fireball and it exploded.
Eluard got up and started over again.
"After I''m done with the fire element, I should move to the next element until I''ve covered everything."
He nned to study as many form 1 magic spells as he could to meet the requirement of being an ''all-knowing'' academy master of the Heavenly Magic Academy. He estimated that it would take him 5 months or so depending on his efforts and if there wouldn''t be any interruptions.
The office was then filled with sounds of explosion now and then, making the students anxious as to what sort of magic was their academy master doing.
After hours of practicing over and over again, Eluard was exhausted and went out to catch some fresh air.
''I wonder how the students are doing well.''
He went to the public library and saw Jinmu teaching Emi. Olivia and the rest were nowhere to be seen.
"Emi, you should focus first on establishing your magic root and be an apprentice mage. You wouldn''tst long before you could cast five form 1 magic spells. Your mana pool is more important than anything else.", Jinmu advised, "Don''t worry, with my help, you''ll catch up sooner orter with your senior brothers and sister."
Emi nodded and started to umte mana to her magic root. Jinmu distanced himself to prevent identally disrupting the flow of mana to Emi''s body.
He didn''t notice Eluard observing them from afar. After seeing that everything was okay, Eluard decided to go to the training yard.
''They must be practicing how to cast magic spells without a magic circle.'', he thought.
¡
"Hah!", Lucan panted and knelt on the ground. His mana pool was now emptied after a short series of practicing.
"Damn Lucan. You didn''t tell me you wouldn''tst that long!", Solordo scratched his head.
"I''m sorry. I think I need to rest for a while, Solordo.", Lucan said while struggling to stand up.
Solordo shrugged and went to the sides to continue his practice.
"Why can''t Ist that long?! This stupid legendary magic root is more of a curse than a blessing!", Lucan cursed, pounding the earth with his fists.
"What are you fussing all about?"
Lucan looked above and saw Eluard floating in front of him.
"A-academy master!", he kowtowed to greet him.
"Lucan Hermes, you are too inconsiderate of your magic root. You think that just because you have entered this academy, and just because you have a legendary magic root doesn''t mean that the path of magic cultivation will be easier for you."
"Your ego is acting on you, and it clouds your mind and judgment to the point that you are desecrating yourself. Know that I will not tolerate such behavior in this academy. If you want to improve, if you want to pass your first task, then persevere!"
The mask''s slithered eyes glowed in red, warning Lucan to be attentive to his thoughts. Eluard then slowly took his leave.
"Academy¡ master¡", Lucan stared at the academy master''s departing figure. He then gritted his teeth and stood up.
He took a deep breath and gathered the mana into his body again, ''I''m such an idiot! How the hell could I spout those words just now?!''
After cursing himself a thousand times, Lucan''s mana pool was refilled and practiced again. Now, he was very careful and would wait for a few seconds before casting another spell.
''5 seconds, huh?
Within that timeframe, he would gather mana around him to slowly refill the expended mana while prolonging his endurance to cast spells.
Solordo and Olivia could notice the change in Lucan''s behavior. Earlier, they were rather annoyed that he was too noisy and was about to kick him out when the academy master arrived.
''Hmph! I won''t lose to you, Lucan!'', Solordo picked up his pace and continued on his practice. He could already cast a wind de without using a magic circle, though its power wasn''t as powerfulpared to the other method.
In the next 2 days, Emi finally joined them in the training yard. She became an apprentice mage under the guidance of Jinmu.
"Big sister, look! I can grow grasses around here!", Emi naively ran around. Behind her was a trail of light-green mana falling to the ground and sprouting small leaves.
The three seniors were very envious that Emi didn''t require as much effort in casting spells without using magic circles. She only needed to learn one more and she could pass the task without a sweat.
Jinmu stood beside them, narrating his exnation to the rest, "Her experience on magic cultivation were yet to be established. Compared to us who are used to the ways of the old system, adapting to the new system is hard."
"Magic circles were the foundation of our magic spells. Now, to rece it with mere imagination and the power of our minds is difficult to achieve."
Solordo only noticed this now and asked Jinmu, "Jinmu, what task did the academy master give to you? It shouldn''t be simr to us since your magic root is destroyed, right?"
Jinmu shook his head, "That, I wouldn''t dare to divulge.", leaving the three of them along with Emi. He returned to the public library and continued reading books.
During the passing days, Eluard would asionally go out and check his students as a form of rxing activity.
He recognized Jinmu''s efforts in helping the rest which ted him. The rtionship of each student and the others were harmonious, at least for now. Eluard knew that sooner orter, rivalries and misunderstandings will take root in the academy.
¡
Five dayster.
Eluard gathered the students in the training yard. All of them wore confident expressions, something that didn''t surface out when they practiced here on earlier days.
"I hope that you four have been diligent in your studies and prepared yourself for this task."
The four simultaneously bowed, "We are ready, academy master."
Eluard nodded, "Emi, you go first.", stepping on the sides to observe Emi''s performance.
Emi excitedly ran forward. She knelt and touched the ground with her hand, "Wooden Sprout!"
The earth cracked as roots emerged underneath, soon followed by the nt''s branches and then leaves.
She then pointed at the dummy figure in front of her.
"Entangle!"
This time, the roots grabbed ahold of the stick and firmly grasped it in ce.
"Water Bullet! Earthen Bullet! Water Spout!"
Eluard analyzed Emi''s moves and made inspiration out of them.
[ One of your students haspleted a task. ], the system reminded him. Eluard then changed Emi''s task status topleted.
Emi was surprised about the sudden prompt in her system panel and jumped in happiness after knowing that she had passed. Her seniors pped in praise for her efforts.
It was unimaginable for them that Jinmu could assist Emi in her cultivation and quickly make progress.
"Continue. Lucan.", Eluard gestured.
The rest of the test continued without any problems. After thest studentpleted the task, Eluard also rewarded Jinmu''s efforts in helping his ssmates.
[ Special Task: ssmate Assistantpleted ]
[ You now have ess to the public library''s 2nd floor ]
Jinmu bowed at Eluard and thanked him.
"You all have passed your respective tasks. I will continue my lesson next week. You should rest and continue on your studies.", Eluard dismissed them and disappeared into the training yard.
When he returned to his office, the system prompted a new special task.
[ Special Task: Uninvited Guests ]
[ Members of the Creed of the Morning Star have found an entrance to the Heavenly Magic Academy''s dimension. Their intentions are mostly friendly but some harbors despicable thoughts in their minds. As the academy master, you should negotiate with theme on friendly terms, and banish those who tarnish both the academy and the Creed''s reputation. ]
[ Time until arrival: 4 months ]
[ Rewards: Unknown ]
''System, the Heavenly Magic Academy isn''t in Aludia?'', Eluard was shocked.
[ Heavenly Magic Academy is situated on a separate dimension connected to Aludia. Think of it like inteary connections connected by teleportation portals ]
Eluard nodded his head in understanding.
The four months dy might be caused by the Creed clearing the ce of monsters and/or demons, decrypting the mysteries of the magic formation that would teleport them to the Heavenly Magic Academy''s dimension, or other problems they faced.
''I have to double my efforts in theing days.'', he gripped his left hand and swore.
He might need to disy his powers in front of the members of the Creed and only mastering the magic elements would give him a chance to do so.
''No, not all of them. Should be five, at most. Then I''ll practice how to change their elemental nature. That should be more than enough.''
After all, the Creed didn''t have the intention to go to war with him. They could be visiting the Heavenly Magic Academy, hoping to utilize its resources with their fight against Vaha''s demons.
If he was only to impress them, Eluard had to prove his worth. Otherwise, the Creed might think he was some warlock who infiltrated the academy without their knowledge.
Chapter 17 Hunting Monsters
2 monthster.
Eluard poured all of his efforts into reading more books and cultivating based on the knowledge he had gathered.
He stood up from his high chair and looked at his attributes.
[ Host Name: Eluard Kai ]
[ Age: 23 Years Old ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Magic Power: Trainee Mage (Full Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Divine Nebr Magic Root (Divine) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 10/10 ]
[ Magic Affinity: Universal ]
[ Magic Spells: Fireball, Earthbind, Wind sh¡ ]
[ Special Skills: Magical Deterrence, Magical Analysis (Eye of Fidelity) ]
[ Achievements: Recruiter ]
''A trainee mage in the full ring, huh?''
Magic cultivation consisted of seven major realms. They were the apprentice and trainee mages, adept and master wizards, grandmaster magus, andstly, the archmage and the supreme archmage.
Each major realm was divided into four minor realms. They start from the lower ring, the median ring, the quarter ring, and the full ring.
In order to determine their current cultivation realms, people would usually have themselves appraised, or use magic measuring tforms to determine their current cultivation realms.
Eluard and the members of the Heavenly Magic Academy only have to look at their system panels and check out their magic power. It was fast and efficient.
''I am just simply circting my mana around. Didn''t expect that its effects would be that tremendous to my cultivation.'', he shook his head, thinking that something was wrong with his magic root, or to the system.
What he didn''t know was that he spent 7 hours per day utilizing his mana to various spells. When drained, his magic root could quickly fill up the void and start over again.
Such speed was unimaginable in the mages and wizards of Aludia.
Eluard also noticed that as his magic cultivation increased, his magic root seems to be spreading and slowly entangling his brain, increasing his processing power when ites to understanding the moreplex knowledge in magic.
As such, reading books and casting spells became easier. His previous estimation to finish manipting five elements and change their elemental natures was now moved to an earlier date.
He even dared to include every elemental nature known to magic except space and time.
''No wonder those of higher cultivation could instantly cast lower form spells. Their brains and magic roots have developed to an extent, and were also used to doing the same thing all over again.'', he thought.
It could be simrly described as muscle memory. As for Eluard, he rted simr knowledge of magic to make sense of the newer information he received.
He was about to continue when the system administered a task.
[ Main Task: Hunting Party ]
[ Your magic cultivation has reached a higher realm, alongside your students. The academy resources are running low and hunting demon beasts is a must. This is to both provide the academy with what it needs while also training you and your students in battle. A mage cannot be the apex figure of magic if they are cowardly in face of danger and death. ]
[ Requirements: Kill 2000mon rarity and normal-level demon beasts ]
[ Optional Requirement: Kill 300mon elite demon beast ]
[ Optional Requirement: Kill 500 umon normal demon beasts ]
[ Optional Requirement: Kill 25 umon elite demon beasts]
[ Rewards: White Magic Crystals x 5000 ]
[ Additional Rewards (On Completion of Optional Requirements): Blue Magic Crystals x 2500. Random equipment x 1 (Rare rarity) ]
[ Note: This task can be administered to your students. Their kill counts will be counted to yours ]
''System, can I teleport to anywhere in Aludia from here?''
He didn''t want to waste time walking to a particr area just to kill demon beasts.
[ You can teleport on these specific ces ]
The system showed him the map of Aludia. There were blue dots all around, indicating the avable areas he could teleport into. Furthermore, the system included information like their statuses, the demon beasts avable in the area, and other interesting stuff as well.
Eluard noticed that a cmity has ensued in the Morning Star Empire and in the entire volcanic grassy in.
He thought for a moment before administering the task to his students.
[ Special Task: Hunting Party ]
[ Your academy master has tasked you to join him in hunting several demon beasts in Aludia. Disy your prowess as a student of the Heavenly Magic Academy. ]
[ Requirements: Kill 200mon normal demon beasts ]
[ Optional Requirement: Kill 10mon elite demon beasts ]
[ Optional Requirement: Kill 25 umon normal demon beasts ]
[ Optional Requirement: Kill 5 umon elite demon beasts]
[ Rewards: White Magic Crystal x 1000. ]
[ Additional Rewards (On Completion of Optional Requirements): Blue Magic Crystals x 500 ]
"Oh, academy master has given us a new task! And it''s about hunting demons?!", Solordo was excited.
He had enough of the boring cultivating part here in the academy. He wanted to have some action as well.
Now, that chance has arrived.
"I''m fine killing normal demon beasts but elite, seriously?", Solordoined.
"They''re optional. You don''t have toplete them if you don''t want to.", Jinmu corrected.
"I know! But it irks me if there''s something I can''t aplish!", Solordo retorted.
Jinmu snorted at Solordo''s naivety, "Then that''s your problem, not us or academy master."
The five of them rushed to the main hallway and greeted Eluard.
"We will be going to the Alderium Continent. When we get there, if people ask who you are, remember to not easily divulge your real identity. Do you have any questions?", Eluard asked.
The students were intrigued as to why they were going to thend of the elves instead of the Morning Star Empire or volcanic grassy in.
"Things have been rough in the Morning Star Empire and the volcanic grassy intely. Going there now with your current power would be suicide.", Eluard answered the questions in their minds.
Seeing that they didn''t have any more questions, Eluard teleported everyone to the Alderium Continent.
¡
In a forest somewhere in the Alderium continent.
A group of elves dressed in mage robes ran in a panic. Some of them were covered in blood.
"They didn''t say that some elite monsters lurked around here! Run!", said a student leading the group.
These people were here to hunt some demon beasts. There were other student groups too but they didn''t know where the rest went.
They didn''t expect powerful demon beasts to attack them out of nowhere.
Of the 30 people sent, only 15 remained alive. Although their instructor tried to protect them, there were too many demon beasts. He ended up as food instead.
Because of this, the students lost hope and made their drastic escape. The leader tried to send a signal but the thick foliage prevented them from doing so.
"Oh no, look! A wed monkey!", shouted one of the students.
Atop a tree was a small monkey. His hands had razor-sharp ws like that of an eagle. It menacingly stared at the group of students below.
"Keke!", cackling as he pounced on of them.
"Earthen Bullet!", a loud shout resounded nearby.
The wed monkey was hit on the face and fell to the ground, dead.
Emi arrived on the scene, carefully taking her steps as she made her way forward.
"Are you guys okay?", she asked.
Many of them gulped as they saw Emi walking out. The robe she was wearing entuated her youthful beauty.
The leader approached her and bowed, "Thank you. May I know how to address you?"
He was respectful of his savior, regardless of who they were.
"I''m Emi! Just a wandering mage."
Her words shocked them. She, a wandering mage, was daring to go inside the Leeveria forest alone.
"Hey, Emi! No time for dilly-dallying! Time is of the essence! There are a lot of demon beasts here.", a cold womanly voice called Emi out.
"Okay,ing sister Olivia! Bye now, till we meet again!", Emi waved her hands before departing in a hurry.
Once she was gone, the students heaved a sigh of relief. The leader urged everyone to follow him and get out of this ce. It was more important to have their lives secured than to know those mysterious wandering mages lurking in the area.
Regardless, those people weren''t here to cause trouble to them.
¡
"Emi, where did you go?", Olivia red at Emi.
Emi sheepishly scratched her cheeks and smiled at Olivia, "Sister, aren''t we supposed to hunt demon beasts? Where are they? Let''s go now!"
Olivia shook her head and lead the search.
A few momentster, they spotted several wed monkeys feasting over a dead elven body. Olivia gritted her teeth in disgust while Emi cowered on the sides at the sight of it.
[ Name: wed Monkey
Power Level: Normal-level demon beast
Rarity: Common
Magic Affinity: Earth ]
''Amon demon beast?'', Olivia didn''t hesitate to strike them.
"Lightning Current!"
The wed monkeys were electrified to death.
Olivia approached the scene and carefully looked at the elven corpse. She was terrified and felt nauseatic just by looking at it.
''If I don''t have the power to defend myself, will I be one of them too?'', the thought dreaded her.
"Sister Olivia, is that person... dead?", Emi pointed at the corpse with shaking hands.
"Yes, unfortunately, we were unable to save him on time.", Olivia sighed in regret.
A system prompt distracted her fear.
[ Nearby demon beast corpses detected. Harvest them? ]
Olivia clicked the "Yes" button and saw the dead wed monkeys emitting a glow before vanishing into nothingness.
[ Harvest sessful ]
[ Received white magic crystal x5, iron ws (wed monkey) x5, wed monkey hide x5 ]
These items were added to her inventory. Olivia smiled and gestured Emi to follow her.
"Emi, stick close to me. As long as we''re careful, we shouldn''t end up dying. We''ll get back to that elven corpseter. It looks like there are people nearby.", she exined the situation.
Emi simply followed her senior sister''s advice.
A whileter, corpses of wed monkeys and other demon beasts littered the area. The two girls had their fun and harvested in delight, removing the previous gloomy atmosphere of the elven corpse.
Meanwhile, on the deeper parts of the Leeveria Forest.
Inside a deep cave.
"Fuck! We''re trapped. It''s a dead-end over there! And the dark luminous wolves and wed monkeys are almost upon us!", a middle-aged man huffed.
He was leading another group of elven students to hunt here. Although he was an adept mage, his prowess was more on healing and supporting people, not directly fighting demon beasts.
''Academy Master Sylvia said that this ce is clear! Just what sort of clearness is this?'', he cursed in frustration.
A student called out to him, pointing in a direction behind them.
"Sir Lierop! Look, there''s a figure in the distance! They''re robed and seemed to be floating in the air!"
The Lierop turned around with a weird look on his face, "What did you say?"
The student continued, not minding Lierop''s question.
"And I no longer hear any sound from the dark luminous wolves or wed monkeys from before! That person must''ve done something!"
Chapter 18 Displaying Prowess
Eluard looked at the pile of corpses in front of him.
[ Name: Dark Luminous Wolf
Power Level: Normal-level demon beast
Rarity: Umon
Magic Affinity: Dark, Light ]
[ Name: wed Monkey
Rarity: Common
Power Level: Normal-level demon beast
Magic Affinity: Earth ]
He was conflicted about using the harvest method from the system because of the people nearby.
''Whatever, I''ll have time to harvest moreter.'', he waved it off and faced the group of elves.
It wasn''t a lie when people said that elves were one of the most beautiful species ever existed in Aludia. The middle-aged man that led the group had such wless skin that made Eluard wonder if this guy was using the skin-care products used back on Earth.
Lierop widened his eyes when the robed man faced him. The mask was intimidating him and he couldn''t determine Eluard''s power.
"Se-senior, we thank you for the help.", he bowed, "May I know of senior''s name?"
"Senior is enough. You people must be here to also hunt, aren''t you?", Eluard asked.
"Yes, senior. Unfortunately, things didn''t go as nned. We didn''t expect arge nest of demon beasts hanging around here. I advise that if senior wants to continue hunting demons here, you must be careful.", Lierop advised.
Eluard was intrigued about the peculiar situation he was in.
''Did the system intentionally bring me here? Or was it just a coincidence?'', he thought.
"Of course, senior can also follow us out of here and report this incident to the Alderian Terrestrial Corps.", Lierop suggested, "The students aren''t in a good mental condition to continue so I''m hurrying to leave this ce as soon as possible. We can go now if senior wants to."
"No need.", Eluard dismissed Lierop''s suggestion. He was here with his students to hunt monsters, not let the others hunt the monsters for him, "You can go on your own."
Lierop understood Eluard''s intentions. Furthermore, he could feel that Eluard can defend himself so he didn''t have to worry.
"Senior, may I request of something, perhaps? It''s okay if you ignore it. It''s just that others are hunting here with us. If you find them, please help them. The Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary would be grateful for your deeds."
[ Special Task: An Elf In Need ]
[ The elven mage students of the Alderian Magic Haven have faced an unexpected disaster in the Leeveria Forest. Lierop, one of the wizard instructors is in dire need of your help. Find the stranded students shown on the map. ]
[ Note: Time is limited and the students might die earlier than expected. It is advised to finish the task as soon as possible. ]
[ Note: Once all of the students are gathered, return to this cave and wait for the Alderian Terrestrial Corps to arrive. ]
[ Rewards: Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary Favorability +10, Random Equipment x 3 (Rare) ]
[ Note: Rewards will be altered based on performance. ]
Eluard nodded in approval, "I will be visiting the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary in the future. Know that your promises will be remembered by yours truly."
Lierop assured Eluard of his promise. After the slight interruption, the group of elves followed Lierop out of the cave and went back to their home.
When they were far away, Lierop realized that four of his students were missing.
"Damn it! Her Royal Highness'' twins, and the other two!", he was about to return to retrieve them when howls resounded in the distance.
Lierop had no choice but to hasten his escape out of here, hoping that the masked senior would help the four stubborn students as their identities were rather important in the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary.
¡
"You should have joined your instructor, brats.", Eluard muttered under his breath. His voice echoed in the deste cave filled with the stench of the corpses of the demon beasts.
Four small figures walked out of the shadows and approached Eluard, "Senior, please guide us in hunting demon beasts!"
Eluard felt like spanking these hot-headed young people for leaving their instructor just to experience hunting demon beasts.
[ Name: Rina Alderia
Age: 14 Years Old
Race: Elf
Status: Alive
Affiliation: Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary (Royal Family), Alderian Magic Haven
Magic Power: Apprentice Mage (Full Ring)
Magic Root: Complementary Twin Magic Root (Legendary)
Magic Aptitude: 9.2/10 (Apprentice Mage)
Magic Affinity: Fire, Lava
Complementary Magic Affinity: Water, Ice ]
[ Complementary Twin Magic Root (Legendary)
The twin siblings carry both the magic affinity of one another. Mana sharing is enabled between the two. ]
[ Additional Effect: Complementary Enhancement
The twins can cultivate together and increase cultivation speed by 200%. Distance must be less than 10 meters to take effect.
Note: This is different from the ''dual cultivation'' you know of. ]
[ Additional Effect: Duplex Sense
Either twin can share their five different senses. ]
[ Degradation Effect: Complementary Death
The death of one twin will result in the death of the other. ]
Eluard narrowed his eyes on the girl with ck and white hair and the boy beside her with the same hair color.
[ Name: Rono Alderia
Age: 14 Years Old
Race: Elf
Status: Alive
Affiliation: Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary (Royal Family), Alderian Magic Haven
Magic Power: Apprentice Mage (Full Ring)
Magic Root: Complementary Twin Magic Root (Legendary)
Magic Aptitude: 9.2/10 (Apprentice Mage)
Magic Affinity: Water, Ice
Complementary Magic Affinity: Fire, Lava ]
"Oh, a legendary magic root, and a rather interesting one as well.", Eluard chuckled before turning around to leave.
Rina and Rono, the twins, widened their eyes in surprise, "Senior, yo-you know what is our magic root?"
"If the four of you behave properly, I might as well tell you more about the secrets of your magic roots.", Eluard said with his back on their faces.
He did look at the other two''s attributes but their magic roots werecklusterpared to Rina and Rono. Furthermore, he has no choice but to look over these brats and babysit while hunting for demon beasts.
''It takes more than just talking to the big guys about forming a¡ partnership.''
Since the Creed was about to enter the Heavenly Magic Academy, Eluard set up ns in making talks with the other factions as well. If he could finish the job properly, the elves might befriend him and be rewarded a valuable and trustworthy ally.
Hearing his words, the four of them straightened their bodies and obediently followed after Eluard.
Thetter realized something and suddenly engulfed the corpses on fire.
[ Harvesting corpses ]
The fire concealed the harvesting process of the system, making Eluard praise himself for thinking of such an ingenious method.
[ Harvestpleted ]
[ Received white magic crystal x 87, blue magic crystal x 10, iron ws x 44, wed monkey hide x 22, dark luminous wolf''s ws x 22¡ ]
A long line of loot appeared in Eluard''s system panel.
''Good, things are going as expected.''
Amidst his victorious interlude, a system prompt altered his mood.
[ Warning: Multiple high-level demon beasts detected. Proceed with caution ]
Eluard stopped moving and went to the students tab. He sent out a message for them to be careful of their surroundings.
His system allowed him tomunicate with the students of the academy wherever they were in the world. It proved very convenient to him to message the students in case situations like the one he is in now arise.
Rina and Rono, along with the other two students, looked at Eluard who stared at the air.
"Hey, what do you think he is doing now?", asked Rono.
Rina''s eyes showed worry about Rono''s decision to stay behind with Eluard.
"I don''t know, brother. If something bad happens, I''m going to me you for it.", the girl threatened.
Rono backed down in fear, afraid that something bad might happen to the four of them.
And his nightmare came into reality.
The ground suddenly shook intensely and demon beasts howling in the distance resounded. Some of them ran, flew, slithered, or crawled.
"Oh no, there''s too many of them!", Rono cried.
Rina rolled her eyes on her brother''s cowardice, "You were the one who said that we should stay behind and follow after that senior! Now, you''re acting like this?!"
"Uhm, uncle Rono, aunt Rina, I think we should step out now¡", one of the other students interjected.
Rina snorted, "It''s toote for that! Stand up, you stupid little brother! Come and fight like a man!"
"But I''m a still a boy-!"
Rina pped Rono and went near Eluard''s side. The two other boys followed her.
"Senior, I want to help!", Rina offered.
Eluard only nced in her direction and didn''t say anything.
''wed monkeys, dark luminous wolf, bull horn, metal scaled snake, poisonous vulture¡'', he listed all of the demon beasts that were approaching the entrance of the cave at great speed.
''An organized attack. Someone''s behind this, the demons, maybe?''
It was impossible for normal and elite demon beasts to group together and attack. At the very least, amander-level demon beast or a demon is controlling their actions together.
Even though a catastrophe was about to befall him, Eluard remained calm and raised both of his hands. On his left was the fire element and on his right was the water element.
Hebined the two of them, emitting hot steam around him.
''Gushing Geyser!''
Boiling water poured out from his hands and flooded thend in front of them. Some of the demon beasts were hit in the eyes, partially blinding them in the process.
Others were cooked alive. The painful howls of the demon beasts made Rina realize that she wasn''t dreaming.
"How strong!", Rina hasn''t seen that type of magic before. If anything, fire and water shouldn''t bepatible with one another yet here she was.
''He must be a grandmaster magus! No doubt about it!''
Screech!
A vulture hissed from above, swooping down to attack Rina. Poison dripped on its mouth while its feathers were stained with green and dark color all over.
It was nothing short of bing an undead being.
Now that she was being attacked, Rina could feel the pressure and threat of death. Her muscles stopped moving as she awaited her fate.
"Water Bullet!", a shout resounded behind her, hitting the vulture in the face and stopping its attack.
"Rina, are you okay?!", Rono ran to her.
"R-Rono!", she stuttered.
"You''re acting strong when you''re this dazed when a demon beast attacks you! Let your twin brother do his thing. I''ll protect my dear twin sister even if I''m dead!", Rono swore in front of everyone.
"I admire your ideals but now isn''t the time to spout such nonsense.", Eluard''s cold voice reminded them of the threat in front of them.
The rest of the vultures saw theirrade fall in the hands of the human. They were enraged and attacked.
''Hundreds of them! So many!'', Eluard was thrilled in his heart.
The mask of the magus resonated with his excitement and increased his enthusiasm to battle for more.
''Binding Light!''
Several rays of light emerged from his body, extending to the reach of the vultures, and seized them tightly. The vultures cried, struggling to break free but the light tightened its grasp before Eluard pulled them to the ground.
"Hah!"
His muscles erged as Eluard pounded the vultures towards their death. Most of them died from cracked necks by hitting the ground or colliding with the other demon beasts.
Eluard then casted several earthen spikes above each vulture and pierced their hearts, ending their lives in an instant.
Seeing that he was about to be surrounded by several demon beasts, Eluard gathered his mana and let out a dark wave.
"Wave of Ruin!"
The dark wave corrupted the demon beasts even more as they became insane and started ripping each other out.
The four students watched in awe as a single mysterious man obliterated a demon beast attack without using high-level magic spells.
Eluard alternately closed and opened his fists. He could feel the control and power of his mana increasing quickly unlike when he was cultivating.
''If this continues, it might be less than a month and my power could beparable to an adept wizard. However, my knowledge is only on par with that of a naive mage.''
Regardless of the imbnce between his knowledge and power, Eluard let out a chuckle and looked at the devastatednd in front of him.
The piles of demon beasts'' corpses. Torn bodies, cracked necks, splintered body parts, gouged eyeballs.
All of it was seen by Eluard. He could feel the throbbing of his mask as if it was enjoying the view.
"It seems like battling is more fun than I expected."
Chapter 19 Saving The Elves, Vahallas Plan
A few minutes earlier.
Jinmu, Lucan, and Solordo ventured together in the deep Leeveria forest.
"Academy master said we should be careful. It seems like a demon beast nest has taken upancy here.", Jinmu cautioned.
Solordo rolled his eyes, "What demon beast nest? I''m going to beat it to death!"
A few wed monkeys and wolves arrived in front of them.
"Hey Jinmu, you have anything to help us out?", Lucan asked.
"Hmph, don''t underestimate me."
Jinmu took out a bunch of papers from his system inventory. There were various shapes inscribed in them.
"Hey, magic traps? Seriously, how many do you have in your inventory?", Solordo was dumbfounded.
"About a thousand or so.", Jinmu indifferently replied before quickly setting up the magic traps in the vicinity.
Although his magic root was crippled to an extent, Jinmu could harness the mana in the surroundings and use it to light up the traps instead. He learned the method after reading the books in the public library.
It was termed as ''domain mana synthesis''. The theory was that when a magic root was crippled, the body only lost the ability to store mana inside its body. A person can still utilize the mana in the vicinity for any sort of magic activity.
Solordo was even more shocked now, "A-a thousand? And how could you manipte mana outside your body? Is this a method from the public library?"
Jinmu nodded at Solordo''sst question, "It''s better to create an excess amount of protection you would never use instead of dying unprepared.", then reasoned out the humungous number of magic traps he had created during the past few days.
He adapted the mentality during his earlier days in his vige. The vigers, even in the most peaceful times of their lives, would prepare a ton of weapons, traps, and other things.
They wouldn''t let the term ''peace'' get over their heads and die unknowing of the cause.
Lucan and Solordo approved of the thought. Jinmu''s reason did make sense.
"Good! It seems like I won''t have to watch your back for a while!", Solordo was ted. He wasn''t fond of looking over other people.
The enthusiastic man dove on the group of demon beasts and hacked at them.
Solordo was a trained knight and didn''t have any problems killing. He could predict their moves and attack or defend depending on the circumstances.
A wed monkey tried to sneak behind him but Solordo''s instincts noticed it.
"Ha!"
Solordo rapidly turned around and battered the wed monkey''s head.
Meanwhile, Lucan sted off the demon beasts crawling to him. Jinmu would sometimes help him out when he was recovering the spent mana.
A dark luminous wolf stepped on his trap. It instantly generated a strong gust of wind and blew the wolf away. Jinmu even modified the direction to where the other demon beasts were.
He worked quickly, recing the used magic traps with new ones.
As the three of them were fighting, they heard a loud crash from the distance. Many demon beasts howled and shed against one another. The three boys were intrigued and quickly dispatched the demon beasts that attacked them.
After the fight, they harvested the corpses and found out that they could only interact with the monsters they have killed.
"Pretty convenient. At least someone wouldn''t be able to cheat others of their loot.", Jinmu eyed the depressed Solordo.
The guy grinned ear to ear earlier, intending to snatch theirs.
Lucan looked at his map and noticed something.
"Wait, academy master is in that direction. Should we go? I''m afraid we might that some ferocious demon beasts lurk over there."
Commander-level demon beasts weren''t a joke. They might find themselves surrounded by a swarm ofmon and elite-level demon beasts under themander''s control before dying a painful death.
"Then we should stay away from that direction. Academy master is powerful, we aren''t helpful with our current magic power.", Jinmu concluded.
All of them, except Olivia, were still apprentice mages with Lucan and Solordo both at the full ring. The northerner girl was already a trainee mage and her prowess in battle was greater than the three of thembined.
Even Solordo, who always invited Olivia to a fight, wasn''t any worth during their matches. After all, her lightning affinity was too powerful.
Furthermore, they were sent here to hunt demon beasts on their own. Looking for the academy master for shelter would be a disappointing act on their part.
Meanwhile, Eluard made his way to the first group of the stranded elven students in the Leeveria forest. Although the foliage and trees hindered his vision, the map guided his way around.
"Uhm, Rina, aren''t we a bit too deep in the Leeveria Forest? What if we meet somemander-level demon beast?", Rono cowered behind her sister.
Rina sighed, "Idiot brother, why do you think we are here in the first ce? It''s because of you! Stop being a sissy and don''t-", pping Rono''s hands away from her, "touch me!"
Eluard ignored them and found footprints on the soft ground.
''They should be somewhat in front of my eyes now. Did they set up an illusion?''
"Rina, Rono,e over here.", he gestured at the twins.
"Uh¡", Rono hesitated.
Rina dragged her helpless brother in front of Eluard, "Senior, what is it?"
At that moment, the space in front of them warped.
"Yo-young master and mistress!", a woman appeared and greeted Rina and Rono. There was nervousness in her voice.
The golden hair of hers fell on her beautiful face, covering some small scratch marks caused by the demon beasts.
On the other side were five students hugging each other in fear of Eluard''s mask and robe. However, seeing Rina and Rono together brought a sense of relief to them.
"Auntie Haera, it''s d that you''re still alive!", Rina ran over to her auntie. Rono stood in ce and didn''t move.
Eluard patted Rono''s shoulders, "You deal with them. I have other elves to rescue."
"Uh, senior-"
Before Rono knew it, Eluard was nowhere to be seen, ''Strong. I wonder if I could be as strong as him.''
Rono remembered how Eluard faced all of the demon beasts that surrounded them earlier in the cave. He saw it as a courageous bravado of Eluard, disying his power and will to continue to fight.
"Hey, Rono! Come over and greet your auntie!", Rina pulled him out of his daze.
"Ah, yes!"
¡
Eluard moved to the deeper parts of the Leeveria forest. The way he saw it, the other groups of students were gone in the blink of an eye.
Only a few remained and his students were close to them than him. The only remaining spot was this particr point in the map, south of the Leeveria forest near its center.
[ Warning! ]
[ Detecting severalmander-level demon beasts in the vicinity. It is advisable to turn around and leave. ]
The system prompted him. Eluard narrowed his eyes and wondered when did the system be cautious.
''I thought that systems like you are all brave and have the front of superiority.''
Even though he just mocked his system, Eluard put it to great importance to tread carefully in the path in front of him.
The map was showing a few green dots in the distance disappearing at a slow pace. This was what intrigued Eluard toe over here instead of going around and saving elves in distress instead.
''Are the demon beasts sacrificing them or are they simply eating them?''
He had a hunch that something different was going on. The demons were definitely behind this strange urrence but he had to know more.
After all, they were the first line of defense against the demons in Aludia. If Eluard couldn''t do his job properly, he might as well retire from his position.
Moreover, he was confident that he could escape even if amander-level demon beast would attack him.
He fully enforced the dark element to cover his tracks and aura. In addition, he still has his magical deterrence ability.
Eluard could vanish like thin air and even prevent anyone from noticing him through any means. That is unless he was right in front of their eyes.
After a while, he noticed a disturbance nearby. Several murmurs could be heard, alerting Eluard.
Using the earth element, he climbed onto a tree by creating ''earth-based handles'' and perched on the top branch.
His eyes blinked many times, surprised at therge dark portal that was created in the middle of a floating tform.
It was emitting a low buzzing sound and on its center was a dark-colored gxy swirling counter-clockwise. Eluard could hear the cries of agony that originated from whatever was behind that portal.
Large demonic beasts prostrated in front of a tall demonic creature. Their followers stayed under the floating tform with fear present in their eyes.
The demonic creature had five horns on its head, branching out like those of a tree. Its four eyes darted around like crazy and therge canine mouth with long and big razor-sharp teeth moved as he whipped amander-level dark luminous wolf into submission.
"Throw these stupid elves to the Otherworld, quick! Master Vaha is waiting, and his wait couldn''t be extended any longer. The sacrifices have to continuously pour in or else I will face his wrath, and you, in advance, will suffer!", his ethereal-like voice produced echoes that terrified the elves and knocked them out.
"Look at how weak these creatures are, and to think that Master Vaha was subdued by them! The historians need to check their facts!", heshed out before kicking one of the elves into the dark portal with hisrge hind legs.
Eluard estimated that this demon creature was at least five meters tall, and that was when it hunched its back. Although he didn''t see the infamous demon wings from that creature, Eluard could feel its powerful aura permeating the surroundings.
Noticing that something was amiss, the demon creature punched the dark luminous wolf kneeling on the sides.
"Where''s the rest of the damn elves, you stupid dog! Didn''t I tell you to gather all of them here like the pigs they are?!"
"Bu-but sir¡, someone has killed my underlings¡", the wolf''s puppy-like voice resounded. He felt wronged and his hatred for this ''someone'' that interrupted their n soared to the heavens.
"I don''t give a shit if your underlings are killed! How ipetent!", the demon creature spat at him and went to the portal.
"You go hide and repopte! I wille back here in another time."
Once all the elves were thrown into the dark portal, the demon creature entered and closed it without hesitance. The demon beasts immediately stood up and ran in all directions.
Eluard remained calm despite the number of demon beasts going in his direction.
In his mind, he scoffed at the demon creature''s n. He knew that it would leave regardless of the result anyway. The elves would surely notice their presence, and so would the League of Wizardry and the Knights of Aludia.
At that point, the elves would be more cautious. The demon''s chances of capturing anything worthwhile would be nothing.
That was why it left. There was no point for it to stay in Leeveria Forest any longer.
On the other hand, Eluard was also amazed by how smart and tricky the demons were.
"It seems like they aren''t really that hot-headed and dumb. I guess I was reading too much back on Earth. Well, I guess if you provoke them, they might be.", he muttered under his breath.
Seeing that nothing else interesting would happen here, Eluard left the area silently.
Chapter 20 Fighting An Elite Demon Beast
''Harvest.'', Eluard ordered after setting fire off the corpses of the demon beasts he recently killed.
Behind him were two groups of elven students alongside their injured instructors. They were near the floating tform and Eluard rushed to them before the demon beasts could run over their location.
After a little persuasion, the group followed him, still wary of his identity and intentions.
He looked at his main tasks'' progress through his system panel.
[ Main Task: Hunting Party
Your magic cultivation has reached a higher realm, alongside your students. The academy resources are running low and hunting demon beasts is a must. This is to both provide the academy with what it needs while also training you and your students in battle. A mage cannot be the apex figure of magic if they are cowardly in face of danger and death. ]
[ Progress:
Requirement 1: 1786/2000mon normal-level demon beasts killed
Optional Requirement: 288/300mon elite-level demon beasts killed
Optional Requirement: 355/500 umon normal-level demon beasts killed
Optional Requirement: 0/25 umon elite-level demon beasts killed
]
[ Additional Note: All of your students have finished their special task. ]
''Umon elite demon beasts are sure hard to find.'', Eluard thought.
As for his students not contributing to the kill count, he wouldn''t me them for it.
Umon elite demon beasts wereparable to a trainee mage in the full ring. Fighting one with their current level was asking for the impossible.
Talking about umon elite demon beasts, Eluard felt a trace of danger from the trees in front of him.
"Senior, above you!", shouted one of the elf students.
He immediately controlled the earth below him to move backward. Four sharp ws emerged on the position he was in before.
Eluard quickly looked at their attributes.
[ Name: Dark Luminous Wolf ]
[ Rarity: Umon ]
[ Power-level: Elite ]
[ Affinity: Dark, Light ]
''Now, they''re here!'', Eluard was ted. He didn''t feel pressured at all.
"Senior, let me deal with one of them!", a burly elf instructor assisted. His broadsword gleamed in sharpness as his body dashed to the dark luminous wolf on the left.
Eluard then focused on the dark luminous wolf on the right. Its body wasrge, 4 meters long and at least 2 meters high.
He then understood why they were named dark luminous wolves. The strand ends of the wolf''s fur had a slight glint whenever it was exposed to darkness. On the top of its head formed a crescent moon and sun, intertwining each other like the yin-yang symbol.
The wolf opened its big watery mouth and condensed a dark ball. It chomped on it and spew a dark beam towards Eluard.
He quickly moved to the sides and dodged the dark beam, ''They can utilize their mana to cast a spell now huh?!''
Eluard waved his hands and unsuspectingly sprang arge earthen column below the dark wolf''s stomach with great force, throwing the beast to the air.
Helpless, the wolf wriggled mid-air.
"Die.", Eluard coldly spoke as he formed an earthen spike, targeting the wolf''s wide-open mouth.
Swish!
Blood spewed out. The wolf couldn''t defend its insides regardless of how strong and thick its dark furs were. It died in great agony.
Eluard then nced at the other battlefield and saw that the elven instructor was finished as well. He sliced through the wolf''s legs, crippling its movement before he shed his sword at its head.
The elf instructor sighed, grabbing arge leaf and wiping the blood off his sword. He noticed Eluard looking in his direction.
The two of them nodded at each other.
Eluard then burned the demon beast''s corpses, harvesting his kill.
[ Harvestpleted. ]
[ Received blue magic crystal x 1, dark luminous wolf''s hide x 1 (elite), ¡, demon beast core x 1 (umon, elite) ]
Thest reward surprised Eluard.
A demon beast core was different from the magic crystals they created. Thetter came from the condensed mana inside their bodies while the beast core was a result of the beasts being demonized.
Back in the Heavenly Magic Academy, Eluard read that all demon beasts were once normal beasts, simr to the wild animals back on Earth. This continued until the demons from the Otherworld interfered and ''evolved'' the beasts to a higher form of life.
,m The beast core was full of demonic power and posed a threat to those who were careless to use it. Aludia''s inhabitants took a long time before finding a method to purify the demonic aura inside then use the power stored in the beast core for their cultivation ns.
Some didn''t listen and instead, directly consumed the demonic beast cores. Those who did so turned into mindless maniacs, filled with insanity and the will to kill everything in their sight.
"Let''s continue.", Eluard led the way.
He guided them back to the cave and met the twins, Rina and Rono.
"Oh, senior, you''re back!", Rina greeted him with respect.
"It seems like you two are faring well."
Rina and Rono felt delighted when Eluard patted their heads.
"Hehe, senior. Isn''t it time for you to tell us more about our magic root?", Rina nudged Eluard.
"Rina, Rono. The two of you have aplementary magic root. The best thing about it is that the two of you could share your magic affinity.", Eluard gave a brief answer.
Rina and Rono looked at each other, confused about Eluard''s exnation, "We¡ can share our affinities?"
"As for the rest, I will tell you on another time. You should check on your ssmates and friends for now."
His eyes caught on the drama of the elves hugging and crying at one another. They didn''t expect that they would live to see each other again.
Rina and Rono nodded at Eluard''s order. He then went to his students who were standing at the sides.
"Senior, we have finished your task.", Jinmu proactively reported.
All of them had blood on their bodies. Eluard assumed that it was mostly from the demon beasts they have killed.
Emi''s temperament has greatly changed. She had the air of naivety before but is reced by an aura of a warrior. The little girl was more daring than ever.
As for Olivia, nothing had changed from her usual aloof behavior.
Solordo was rather annoyed by the fact that their hunting session was about to end. He wanted to go for another round but Jinmu and Lucan berated him not to do so until the academy master permitted them.
Eluard was surprised that Lucan didn''t be exhausted. When he looked at Lucan''s attributes, he realized that the boy managed to form a passive skill.
[ Passive Skill: Mana Absorption I ]
[ The user will passively absorb mana on his surroundings at a rate of 10x slower than the user''s normal speed. ]
''This must be caused by the fact that he is gathering mana during the 5-second interval of consecutively casting a spell.'', Eluard reckoned that his body adapted to Lucan''s actions and now, he was sowing the efforts of his hard work.
"You must''ve also encountered some elven students earlier, didn''t you?", Eluard asked.
"Yes, we did, senior. We brought them here after sensing a lot of people gathering in the area.", Jinmu exined.
A group of elves with Rina and Rono at the front walked to Eluard and bowed. The blonde elf from before stepped forward and saluted.
"Oh, benevolent senior, the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary is forever grateful for your help. Without you here, we might''ve fallen prey to the demon beasts inside the Leeveria Forest."
"The six of you must be tired from all the battles. We would like to invite you back to our home and spend the rest of the day over there. I promise you that we would treat you with great hospitality and-"
Eluard waved her proposal, "No need. We are here on a different matter and still have other business to do. You can go back on yourselves without us in your entourage."
He still has to finish his main task and probably after that, help his students finish the optional requirements of their special tasks if he could.
The blonde elf hesitated. It was embarrassing on their part that they could not be of any help to these people who offered their assistance without any return.
Eluard''s next words surprised her, "Furthermore, one of the instructors named Lierop already made his way back to your home. The Alderian Terrestrial Corps he was talking about should arrive at any moment."
As if waiting for his signal, several eagle screeches resounded in the distance. Above the sky were huge golden eagles four times the size of the wolves Eluard encountered earlier.
Their wingspans were so long and wide that they blocked out the sky. Each p of their wings generated furious winds.
At the top of each eagle were several knights and mages, staring at the ground below where Eluard and the rest stood.
"It''s them! The so-called golden saviors of Alderia, the Alderian Terrestrial Corps!"
The elven students cheered in unison. Their safety was now certainly secured.
The eaglesnded a distance away from them.
A familiar figure ran to Eluard. It was Lierop followed by two people behind him.
"Ah great senior, thank you for acknowledging my request.", he then stepped to the sides and introduced the two people.
"This is General Zukov Arviel, the battalionmander of the sixth Alderian Terrestrial Corps battalion."
General Zukov wore a red-golden armor that slightly intimidated Eluard. His full helmet armor covered everything except his dark-green eyes. Eluard wondered how could one breath on such an outfit.
Then, Lierop introduced the beautiful woman elf beside General Zukov.
"This is academy master Sylvia Erezar. She''s the academy master of the Alderian Magic Haven."
Academy master Sylvia was wearing a dark-green wizard robe. The cor went as high as her cheeks. A staff with a green crystal on its top was strapped onto her body.
Eluard didn''t waste time greeting them and went straight to the point, "I see. It is pleasant to meet you, General Zukov, academy master Sylvia."
"Lierop calls you¡ senior. I assume you want to stay it that way?", General Zukov inquired.
It was strange for a man like Eluard to not reveal his identity.
Eluard shook his head, "Today is not a good day to know who I am. And if you have questions regarding my appearance here, you should talk with themander-level demon beasts in Leeveria forest. They have some information worth your time."
Eluard''s slithered eyes glowed simultaneously with his advice. It was best for them not to know who he was at the moment.
The demons and the Heavenly Magic Academy were strict rivals of one another. If the Otherworld gets a gist that the academy was recovering to its peak, they might be alerted and choose to invade Aludia earlier than expected.
At that point, Eluard wouldn''t be ready, nor would the rest of Aludia be.
"Why not tell them first-hand to us?", Academy master Sylvia insisted.
"As I have told you, now is not a good day. You will understand sooner orter after you interrogate thosemander-level demon beasts. I warn you though, to warn the others of what you might get from the demon beasts. This might concern the fate of Aludia in the next few years."
Eluard turned around and channeled a teleportation magic circle below him and his five students.
"If the demon beasts refuse to talk, the name ''Vaha'' might force their mouths to do so. Also, there is a floating tform in the middle of the forest. A remnant of a demon''s aura should still be there there."
In the mention of that demonic lord''s name, everyone stopped chattering and look in Eluard''s direction.
Eluard didn''t give them a chance to talk to him as the teleportation magic circle fully lit up and engulfed him and the students.
"May the Morning Star shine a blessing upon you, elves."
Chapter 21 Staff Of Demonic Oblivion
Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary.
Mount Eredia, Alderian Nature Pce.
General Zukov and Academy Master Sylvia knelt in front of a wooden throne whose vines entwined in a chaotic yet orderly way.
A slender woman alluringly sat atop of it. Her dress was akin to a bundle of leaves packed together to form clothing. Beside her were Rina and Rono.
"Are you saying that the demons are up to something, and their first agenda is to capture sacrifices for that supposed-to-be-dead demonic lord?", the woman inquired.
"Yes, Empress Aelin. We have captured somemander-level demon beasts who confessed to us what the Otherworld was up to.", General Zukov replied.
He, at first, was confused by Eluard''s words until he interrogated the demon beasts. Just as Eluard said, the fate of Aludia and its inhabitants was truly at stake.
General Zukov added, "There is also a floating tform in the middle of Leeveria forest. If we can request for the League of Wizardry toe over and analyze it fully¡"
However, Empress Aelin, the woman on the throne narrowed her eyes.
"As far as I want to notify the League of such peculiar incidence, they are busy dealing with the undead outbreak in the volcanic grassy in and the Morning Star Empire."
"There is the possibility that it may spread to our borders. I have already closed the Zuria''s Hanging Bridge in the Hollow Ravine. For now, we are left alone to deal with the problem firsthand."
She stood up and her curled white hair fell to her waist like a waterfall, "Rina, my child. You said that you and your¡ brother met with a masked and robed man that saved you from the demon beasts?"
Rina excitedly ran over her mother, "Yes, mama! Senior knew that me and Rono has a legendary magic root! He also said that me and Rono could share our affinities!"
Everyone in the hall was shocked by Rina''s revtions. Before they could ask her about it again, the little girl conjured a small water sphere on the top of her palm.
"Look, mama! Here it is! The senior wasn''t lying!"
They knew that Rina only had the affinity of fire andva after appraising her magic talent. For her to conjure water was something only her brother should be able to do.
Everyone didn''t bother to test Rono out and ignored him.
"General Zukov, you said that this person was also responsible for telling you about interrogating the demon beasts, right?", Empress Aelin was now in a panic.
"Yes, Queen Aelin.", General Zukov answered, confused by the sudden change in the emotion of Queen Aelin.
"Where is that person now?!"
¡
"Achoo!", Eluard sneezed, shaking his body because he felt chilly, "Damn, forests are really cold to the skin."
In his past life, he rarely went to the cold rural ces where the wind there was fresh and not as hot in the urban areas.
Right after he left the Leeveria Forest, Eluard and his students went out of the academy again and teleported to another ce somewhere east of the Morning Star Empire. Based on the map, it was called the Eastern Seaboard.
They were currently on top of a mountain which was part of a long and wide mountain range.
"I should take that reward first."
[ Special Task: An Elf In Need Completed ]
[ Calcting performance ]
[ ¡ ]
[ Calctionspleted ]
[ Received: Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary Favorability +50 ]
[ Additional Note: ''Rtions'' Tab has been unlocked in the main panel ]
"Tha-that high? How good was my performance anyway?"
Unfortunately, the system kept its results away from Eluard''s curious mind. Despite the secrecy, Eluard was still ted that the system regarded his performance as higher than normal.
''Was it because I knew of the demon''s ns and warned the elves after everything that has happened?'', he thought.
Eluard then rubbed his hands and waited for the item rewards that the system would soon give him.
[ Received: Staff of Demonic Oblivion x 1 (Epic/Radiant Realm) ]
Seeing that he only have one item to receive, Eluard was disappointed. However, he shook his head. Since this item was of epic rarity, even 5 or more rare items couldn''t possibly match it.
''System, is this radiant realm referring to the item rarities in the perspective of an Aludian?''
[ Correct ], the system verified his assumption.
''Maybe the epic rarityes from the rarity culture back on Earth.''
He took out the Staff of Demonic Oblivion and held it in his hands. A strong will suddenly invaded his mind. He groaned in pain as he held the staff tighter.
His magical deterrence skill was put to work, blowing the dangerous will away like dust.
Eluard shook his head and looked at the staff again. Hardened vines of an unknown nt twirled around the base of the staff. On the top of it was a miniature head of a demonic creature with two horns, hollowed eyes, and a wide-opened mouth.
[ Staff of Demonic Oblivion (Epic/Radiant Realm) ]
[ A staff used by an archmage eons ago to subdue the demonic creatures that went out of the Otherworld. It is specialized in dealing with demons, but if the need arises, against other species as well. ]
[ Passive Effect: Archmage''s Aura
Magic spells casted are 100% more effective. ]
[ Passive Effect: Demonic Purge
Magic spells casted against demonic creatures are 200% more effective. ]
[ Degradation Effect: Demonic Resentment
Due to the number of demons killed under this staff, the souls of the demonic creatures have haunted it for eternity. As more demons are killed, the more the user will sumb to their insanity and fall out of divinity''s grace. ]
[ Additional Note: This effect is nullified by your magical deterrence skill. ]
''Nullified? What kind of high-level skill is my magical deterrence anyway?'', Eluard was starting to question just how powerful his skill sets were at the moment. Unfortunately, the system was unwilling to describe more of the skill.
Holding the staff with his left hand, Eluard gathered mana to it and casted a fireball spell.
Sure enough, a fireballrger than the regr appeared. He could feel the temperature in the area quickly rising.
"Just a form 1 spell and the effects are already this big."
He also noticed that the staff was glowing in crimson color everywhere. Moreover, the staff''s demonic miniature head was more intimidating than before. mes lighted up the hollowed eyes while its mouth breathed out fire.
''Scary. I wonder how I would feel about this if I unequip my mask.''
His awed expression was interrupted when the ground below him shook slightly. His eyes lit up, "Finally, a test subject."
The shaking intensified as the ground nearby caved in.
Rargh!
Arge worm popped out from below, opening its barbed mouth wide, ready to swallow Eluard. It was as wide as a tree trunk and as tall as a bus.
Eluard smirked, "Eat this.", hurling the fireball to the worm''s mouth.
Boom!
The worm was thrown back and wriggled on the ground. Its head was scorched badly but it still managed to live.
"How''s that for a snack?", Eluard mocked it, "Hot and spicy just like my chicken curry."
p [ Name: Grounded Barbed Worm ]
[ Rarity: Umon ]
[ Power-level: Elite ]
[ Affinity: Earth ]
"I''m rather disappointed that you''re a worm, but my stomach and me are rather indifferent to my next meal.", Eluard was really hungry after a long time ofbat.
The worm growled in anger, quickly burrowing to the ground. Eluard thought it escaped when earthen spikes popped near where the worm burrowed. It followed a trail and started popping more earthen spikes towards Eluard.
"You like ying hide and seek?!"
He pointed the head of the staff to the ground, "Torrential Outburst!", which the staff then glowed in bluish color and resonated with Eluard''s spell casting.
Arge area of the earth bloated as if something big was about toe out of it.
Crack! Crack!
Water gushed out furiously.
The worm was carried by a strong torrent, propelling it to the sky at a great height. It howled in disarray, wondering how could a small human have such power to pull it out of the ground.
Eluard pointed the staff at the worm making it glow in crimson again, "Fire Dragon''s me!"
Hearing his call, a dragon made of mes formed and floated above Eluard. It was twice the size of the worm with its wings pping, jetting out zing mes that set the trees nearby on fire.
It mightily roared at the worm before charging to take its life without mercy. The worm roared in response, unepting of the fate that was about to befall unto it.
The two forces collided heavily, creating an explosion on impact. Trees were blown away, uprooting them and breaking the earth in the process.
Wild animals nearby ran in fear. Even themon demon beasts hid in silence.
Eluard enjoyed the fireworks above, "Heh, so that''s what happens if I use form 3 spells. Its power is definitely a match to a form 4 spell with this staff on my hand."
...
In an area far away from Eluard''s position, his five students stopped walking and stared at the explosion from a distance. The shockwave from the st unsurprisingly reached their position.
"Hey, what demon beast do you think is academy master fighting now?", Solordo teased.
"Probably amander-level demon beast.", Lucan answered.
Solordo swung his halberd around, "Thought so! I wonder when can I fight those chitty-chatty beasts one on one!"
"Stop the chattering. We have an iing wave.", Jinmu alerted them.
The five of them gathered to a formation. Jinmu was in the middle, with Olivia and Emi behind him. Lucan stood in front of him, with Solordo in the frontmost position.
"Listen, since we want to hunt elite demon beasts on our own, everyone shouldn''t act recklessly unless I tell you to do so."
Jinmu took out his traps and prepared them.
"I''m talking about you, Solordo!"
Solordo rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes! I know!"
A pack of dark luminous wolves appeared in the distance. Among the pack were of the elite power level.
Solordo gestured at them toe and attack him, "Hehe, hey spiky dog! How about you entertain this big brother well, huh?!"
Chapter 22 Heavily Outnumbered
The dark luminous wolves growled in anger after Solordo''s intimidation. One of the elitesunched a dark beam to show this stupid human who was boss.
"Everyone, dodge!", Jinmu shouted. The beam hit a tree behind them, tearing it into two. However, their formation was destroyed.
The pack of wolves took advantage of this and assaulted the five students. Jinmu saw through this and activated the traps he had set up.
"Go!"
Water erupted everywhere, pummeling the weaker wolves or washing them away from the area.
"Olivia!", Jinmu ordered.
Olivia gritted her teeth. Lightning was still making her feel pain even though it was her main affinity.
Lightning cracks gathered between her hands, channeling it to a great extent beforeunching her spell.
"Lightning Strike!"
She struck the group of wolves drenched wet by Jinmu''s magic traps, electrifying them to their deaths. Those who survived were slowed down due to an ice effect that surfaced after Olivia casted her magic spell.
Jinmu quickly reced the traps that were set off, "Solordo, get their attention, please!"
Solordo whacked a wolf''s head, catching their attention before running away whileunching a magic spell from a distance.
"Rargh!", the wolf roared, gathering the others nearby in pursuit of Solordo.
Lucan observed the wolves in pursuit, "Fireball, fireball, fireball¡"
As he casted more and more, the newer fireballs becamerger and stronger. Once he casted 10 of them, his mana ran out and he knelt in exhaustion.
"Better be any time now!", Solordo reminded Lucan. The number of pursuing wolves was starting to terrify him.
"Rain of Fire!"
Lucan dragged his weary mind and pushed himself to the limit, barely hurling the fireballs on time before Solordo could be overrun.
Boom! Boom!
Loud explosions rang on their ears as the dark luminous wolves fell one by one.
"Emi, cover him!", Jinmu ordered again, "The elites are about to make their move."
The elite dark luminous wolves only stood in the far distance, observing the five students with great interest. They then howled simultaneously which made the students shiver in fear.
"Oh no, they''re gathering more wolves here!", Lucan shouted.
Jinmu didn''t waste time and messaged Eluard to teleport them out of the area. However, the reply he received made him faint in ce.
[ Special Task: Survive ]
[ Academy master has tasked you to resist the wave of demon beasts until he arrives in your location. ]
[ Rewards: Blue magic crystals x10 ]
[ Failure: Death ]
The new task made them curse Solordo so much for stubbornly dragging them in his selfish desire to finish all the optional requirements for their hunting party special task.
Academy master was now making them suffer the consequences of their actions. If they want to prove that they were stillpetent, they would have to survive the iing onught.
Jinmu snapped out of his hatred and immediately went back tomanding the team, "Everyone back in formation! Lucan, how much can you recover in this time?"
"About half! But I don''t know if my mind can handle another mana depletion!", Lucan panted.
"That''s more than enough. Emi, can you create some barriers on these sides?", Jinmu pointed to their east and western sides.
He wanted to limit the number of entrances the wolves would have so that they would group up in one particr area then utilize Emi, Lucan, and Olivia''s burst of magic spells.
That way, Solordo would only have to worry about the entire front while he would defend the rear part with his magic traps.
Emi''s mana pool was still small. If she was a trainee mage like Olivia, they might have an easier time with the barriers she could generate.
"Yes, senior brother Jinmu! Although¡ my earthen walls wouldn''tst that long¡", she scratched her head in embarrassment.
Jinmu shook his head and held Emi''s shoulders, "Emi, as long as you could do it, that would greatly help us your senior brothers and sister, okay?"
Emi nodded. She gathered her mana and created a 2.5-meter-high earthen wall on their left and right.
Although it was less than he expected, Jinmu could only bear to ept the results. He nted several magic traps on the front and behind the walls. Then quicklyid out more magic traps on all the entrances and the rear formation.
The ground suddenly trembled, alerting everyone. All their ears could only hear was the incessant howling of wolves in every direction.
"Solordo, I''m going to beat your ass up once we get over this!", Olivia swore in her heart. Hearing her threat made everyone more afraid of her than the dark luminous wolves.
The leaves were unsettled as the wolves darted to their position like hungry predators.
Fortunately, Jinmu cleverly ced all of his magic traps to where the dark luminous wolves would step over once they arrived. It thinned out their numbers but they continued to be indifferent to the death of others.
Solordo did all he could to gather as many wolves as possible, shing and thrusting now and then. Lucan would support him and sted off those who nned to sneakily attack Solordo.
Olivia and Emi targeted the rest. Because of how taxing the lightning affinity was, Olivia chose to utilize her ice and water affinity instead.
"cial Floor!"
She covered one of the entrances with a thin yet slippery ice nket that made the wolves lose their sense of bnce and fall. Moreover, the wolves would feel a tingly sensation on their feet, making them move their feet around to scratch off the annoying feeling.
This made them slip even more and lose focus.
Emi was then instructed by Olivia to puncture those wolves that slipped out with her earthen and wooden spikes.
Jinmu marveled at this sight but he was still worried, ''It''s working but for how long? I don''t think Lucan could recover any time soon, and the wolves around Solordo might overrun him too.''
''Olivia and Emi aren''t in the best condition either. That lightning has drained most of Olivia''s mental and physical health and Emi isn''t experienced in this sort of thing.''
Jinmu was quickly running out of options. Despite how calm his mind was, all he could think of was to hope that this wouldst long enough for their academy master to rescue them from this hopeless situation.
"Ah!", a heart-breaking shout made Jinmu lose hope even more.
Solordo was thrown into the air by an elite dark luminous wolf. Its wide smirk was directed at Solordo, implying how weak and arrogant he was to taunt them like that.
"Jinmu, I can''t hold on for too long!", Lucan reminded him.
"Me too! Jinmu, we need to do something new now! Fast!", Olivia bellowed at him. She didn''t want to die in this mountain for no good reason at all.
The stress was now invading Jinmu''s mind. At that moment, he saw a glimpse of an elite wolf charging for a dark beam targeted at Lucan.
"Idiot, watch out!", Jinmu immediately activated a magic trap near Lucan. It spewed out arge amount of water that pushed Lucan away before the darkness beam could hit him.
This, however, gave way for a wolf to bite Jinmu''s right shoulder. He groaned as blood poured out, activating the wind magic trap to slice off the wolf''s head.
"Senior brother Jinmu!", Emi worried, wanting to go over and check Jinmu''s condition.
Things turned for the worse as an elite dark luminous wolf sneakily attacked Emi and Olivia and threw them in Jinmu''s direction.
? Lucan stared at the despairing situation they put themselves into.
''Were we too na?ve even until now?'', he thought while panting heavily. His mind was about to break because of the numerous times he had his mana depleted.
The head of a dark luminous wolf appeared in front of him. Just as the wolf bit his head, it was suddenly blown to the sides by a powerful force.
[ Special Task: Survived Completed ]
[ Received: Blue Magic Crystals x5 ]
Lucan was bewildered, "What?!"
"Rain of Fire.", a cold voice resounded.
Eluard had finally arrived.
Boom!
The area became chaotic as fireballs rained on their position. They were so big that at least three dark luminous wolves were hit by a single st.
"Grr!", the elite wolves tried to fight back but suddenly found themselves thrown into the air by the enormous torrents.
When theynded back on the ground, they were greeted by deep burrows with sharp earthen spikes below. Their bodies were lodged fatally into the spikes, breaking their bones or piercing their vital organs.
Only 10 seconds have passed and the pack of dark luminous wolves was ultimately obliterated by Eluard, ''This staff sure does bring wonders.''
"A-academy master!", Lucan cried out for help. Tears welled up in his eyes now that Eluard has finally arrived.
Eluard nced at their injured bodies and said in a disappointing tone, "I hope this will serve as a punishment for your impulsiveness, students. You may have escaped today''s deathly summon, but luck will never be always on your side."
Chapter 23 Book Of Necrophology
Heavenly Magic Academy.
Eluard immediately teleported them away to the medical area of the academy. It was located near the training yard where an array formation was installed to automatically heal any light to severe injuries to those who were stationed here.
Once Eluard tidied up everything, he left the students on their own.
The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward and silent. Nobody was eager to start a conversation.
After waiting for some time, Olivia couldn''t hold on to her anger andshed out, "So much for impressing the academy master!"
Solordo, knowing that it was him being talked to, retorted, "Huh? I didn''t invite you to join me in any way! You were the ones who consented to go with me, how is that my fault?!"
"Obviously because Jinmu isn''t the type of guy to leave us alone! So guess what, we joined him in case you drag him into a helpless situation! And there it went!", Olivia didn''t back down.
Their replies became more aggressive the more they debated against one another. Emi tried tofort the two parties but their angry expressions frightened her.
Lucan wasn''t in the right condition to meddle either. His mind was too exhausted to do anything. It was splitting his consciousness into manyyers making him unable toprehend what exactly was happening in the room.
"You guys are too loud. If you want to start shouting at one another, leave us alone.", Jinmu calmly rested on his bed.
He wasn''t concerned that they failed. What he was more concerned about was the disagreement of parties after everything that happened. They might instigate an opposition between Olivia and Solordo.
In order to prevent the bomb from ticking off any further, Jinmu had to de-escte the situation.
"I for one, don''t me anybody for what happened. I just me myself for being too weak to help out."
Olivia and Solordo stopped arguing against one another. They looked at Jinmu and continued to listen to his words.
"There''s no else at fault here except ourselves. We just deny that fact because our egotistical mind couldn''t dare to ept it.", Jinmu closed his eyes to rest.
His bitten shoulder was a bit numb andcked weight whatsoever. He was also feeling light-headed due to the amount of blood he lost earlier.
Unbeknownst to him, his calm voice seethed the hot-headedness of Olivia and Solordo. They ignored one another instead.
As the students rested in the medical area, Eluard was rather excited about the reward of the main task.
[ Main Task: Hunting Party Completed ]
[ Rewards: White Magic Crystal x5000 ]
[ Additional Note: Your items in the inventory can be optionally added to the academy''s resources. ]
[ Additional Note: You cannot withdraw any items you have deposited to the academy''s resources. ]
[ Checking optional requirementspletion ]
[ ¡ ]
[ Optional requirements met. Distributing additional rewards ]
[ Optional requirements rewards: Blue Magic Crystal x 2500, Book of Necrophology x 1 ]
Eluard blinked his eyes several times. Ignoring the rest of his rewards, Eluard took out the book of Necrophology from his inventory and checked its contents.
The texture was soft to the touch but it was emitting a weird foul stench. On the cover embedded a small skull of an unknown being. It has hollowed eyes, a wide forehead, and a long jaw.
Eluard didn''t recognize to which species this thing came from.
He opened the book and the foul stench worsened.
"Can''t my mask block this? I feel nauseated just by smelling it. How could I even read the entire book at this point?", Eluardined.
The system remained silent, further darkening Eluard''s expression. He waited for some exnation but was offered a cold shoulder. He put up with it and started reading the book.
After a while, Eluard understood what the concept of the book revolved about.
It was more or less on the topic of undead beings.
They were categorized into two.
The first type came from darkening a sentient being''s mind before putting them in an illusionary state where their main consciousness was driven elsewhere while another one, darker and more vicious, would take over the mind and instigate insanity.
The other method includes killing the person before using the dark element to invade and manage their minds. It would fill their thoughts with only the most chaotic of sorts such as killing or depending on the wizard who controlled them.
''Wait, if I remember, I casted some spell months before and created some undead beings, right?''
Eluard thought that they were zombies but the definition stated in the book revised his previous insights. He was beginning to think that something bad might''ve happened to the undead he had summoned.
If his guess was right, then this book might''vee at a very convenient time. He continued reading with a worried look on his face.
There, he understood that if an undead being was created using the first method, it would undergo several darkening states until the corrupted mind fully takes over its body.
First was the nurturing stage. The corrupted mind would feed off the host as it readies to take over it. Its memories arepletely nk so people, particrly those who are close to the person, could easily spot something different and treat it easily.
The main consciousness could fight it out if they have a very strong mentality. It could also be purified with basic form 5 purification spells and remove the corrupted mind in the process.
However, once it was left to nurture for days, the corrupted mind would ascend to the amalgamation stage. The new consciousness could think for itself and even cultivate without anyone noticing the slight difference.
To remove it at this stage would require a radiant knight or any other person imbued with the power of divinity in their hands. The original consciousness still exists butpared to the nurturing stage, it was powerless to do anything at this point.
If nothing else was ever done to stop an undead being during its amalgamation stage, the corrupted mind would increase its control and sovereignty over the body, slowly absorbing the memories of the previous consciousness before tearing it apart and finally reaching the mind retraction stage.
At that point, the new consciousness would have all the memories of its previous user. Nobody would know that the one controlling it was no longer the same person a long time ago.
Eluard shivered just at the thought of reading the final page contents of the darkening stages. He went back to the book''s table of contents and saw that there was much more interesting knowledge stored here as well.
There were actually many methods to cancel out the mind corruption of an affected person. Eluard wanted to read more but he noticed that it was already nighttime. He hadn''t realized that time passed that quickly when he was reading the book.
His nose twitched, "Wait, the foul stench isn''t that smelly anymore."
He thought for a while and concluded, "Although the contents are really interesting, I might just waste my efforts reading more of it for the time being."
The matter with the Creed arriving at his doorstep was rather more important than the problem of undead beings that might be guing the Morning Star Empire and the volcanic grassy ins for now.
How could he forget that there was the League of Wizardry, the Knights of Aludia, and the Creed of the Morning Star to deal with such problem, assuming that it ever existed?
Each one of these factions was strong enough to handle any chaos that arises, probably even the demonic invasion from the Otherworld.
Not that he was irresponsible of the mess he created but Eluard was powerless to revert his spell at this moment. He would have to be an adept wizard and also re-learn that particr spell he used before. Instead of mulling much over it, why not make use of the avable helping hand here in Aludia?
He was nning to get on good terms with the Creed and ''hire'' some of their workforces if possible. Eluard was that shameless, yet would go for an easier path if he could get away scot-free.
"I don''t think I should be enrolling more students unless I have some staff like teachers around to help me with the educational responsibilities in this academy."
There was much for him to do such as reading the books in the public library to gain more knowledge, cultivate his power to a higher realm, and master the art of elemental change that was provided by his divine-grade magic root.
If he was also busy overlooking every action of his students, it could be a pain in the ass to deal with in the long run and would waste precious time in the process.
After all, he was still a greenhorn in the field of magic. Even though his students saw his performance back at the forest earlier as if he was a god, a real expert could see through his inexperience and call him a fraudulent academy master.
Eluard knew that he has a lot to catch up on before bing a legitimate academy master of the Heavenly Magic Academy not only in title but through power as well.
With additional staff to help him around, things will be easier and he could then fully dedicate himself to knowing more about magic.
Chapter 24 Solordos Request, Eluards Unique Spell Casting System
A week passed. The students had long recovered and went back to their usual academy life.
They recently started taking their time reading more magic books in the public library before heading to the training yard and practicing whatever spells or concepts they had learned.
And Jinmu was the most determined and studious of them all. In the case of another person''s perspective, that would mean a good thing.
However, Eluard faced it differently. His problem, currently Jinmu who was in front of him, bowed in respect and greeted him.
"Good morning, academy master."
Eluard faced his student. Seeing that he was noticed by Eluard, Jinmu continued.
"Academy master, I would like to ask you some questions with regards to the theory of domain mana synthesis."
Eluard stared at Jinmu''s figure. He was clueless as to what the domain mana synthesis was all about.
"Jinmu, I thought you and I have reached an agreement back on the days you were still not a student of this academy.", Eluard mysteriously voiced out before disappearing out of Jinmu''s sight.
Thetter sighed in disappointment, "As I expected, unless I was academy master''s direct disciple, I would''ve been able to learn much more under his guidance."
"Academy master already gives us public lectures once every week to help us in our cultivation. Maybe I was asking too much from him earlier."
He has yet to do something to repay the academy of the knowledge and power he received. Jinmu shook his head and went back to reading more about domain mana synthesis.
As for Eluard, he was rather interested in the domain mana synthesis that his student stumbled upon. The system immediately listed out several books that contained the concept of the said theory.
Three of them were shed out.
"Jinmu must be using them.", Eluard thought. He picked the other books instead and left the public library.
He was heading towards his office when Solordo blocked his path. Eluard was getting annoyed by this parade, "What are you up to this time?"
Solordo noticed the impatience in Eluard''s tone.
"Ah, academy master. I''m not here to ask for help with concepts in magic. I''m here to request if I could go out and harvest some demon beast''s blood to improve my chivalric cultivation."
Eluard checked out Solordo''s current attributes.
[ Name: Solordo Luchador ]
[ Age: 16 years old ]
[ Race: Half-human, half-elf ]
[ Status: Alive ]
[ Affiliation: Knights of Aludia, League of Wizardry ]
[ Magic Power: Apprentice Mage (Full Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Harmonic Duplex Magic Root (Mythical) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 8.8/10 (Apprentice Mage) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Darkness, Wind ]
[ Chivalric Will Power: Apprentice Knight (Tier 3) ]
[ Chivalric Core Grade: SSS ]
After seeing that he was now on the peak of the apprentice knight and mage, Eluard understood Solordo''s current situation.
"I see. To which ce do you want to go? Mind you that I will restrict the possible ces you could go in Aludia. It is for your safety, after all.", Eluard reminded the hot-headed Solordo.
His student scratched his head in embarrassment, reminiscing the incident he caused a week ago.
"Academy master, I want to go to the Dwarven Mountain Compass. There''s a rather interesting demon beast that is a viable foundation for my chivalric core."
Eluard narrowed his eyes, "Don''t lie to me. You want to absorb the blood of a divine-rarity magical beast, aren''t you?"
Solordo''s mouth twitched in disbelief, ''How could academy master see through me?''
Eluard scoffed at Solordo''s naivety, ''Boy, I may just be new to Aludia but I sure have studied a lot about the regions around here.''
Dwarven Mountain Compass was an infamous location because it was the birthce of the legendary creatures, the dragons.
That was why Eluard berated Solordo. Dragons were the most ferocious magical beasts in Aludia.
"If you want me to ept your request with full certainty, you have to start being honest of your intentions, Solordo Luchador."
Eluard''s slithered eyes glowed in red.
Magical beasts were very different from demon beasts.
One was a naturally urring being while the other was artificially ''tampered'' by the demons to be used for their ns. The former was more intelligent because their bodies weren''t corrupted by the demonic aura from the Otherworld.
Dealing against an intelligent creature was difficultpared to the dumb ones.
Their affinity to mana was also higher, thus, their magic power was greater than the demon beasts. Their physical attributes, however, fell drastically short of their counterparts, except for some with a powerful physical body like the dragons.
Solordo sighed in regret. He should''ve known that fooling the academy master was a futile attempt on his part.
"Academy master, you really do not have to worry much. Actually, my family and I have this particr pact with one of the dragon tribes in the Dwarven Mountain Compass. Although they¡ disowned me for a while now, the dragons have a stubborn personality and I know that they would insist otherwise."
Eluard grasped what Solordo was trying to say, "Is that so? A human household forming a pact with the prideful dragons. That is an achievement to boast."
He also realized why the Luchador Household reached and stabilized their position as one of the strongest seclusive families in Aludia.
"Fine, but know that your absence will have a price to pay. I will give you 3 months to finish this particr business."
Solordo bowed and thanked Eluard for epting his request. Now, he could finally ascend to bing an anointed knight and a trainee mage at the same time.
An apprentice knight would drink the blood of a demon or magical beast and mix it with their bodies. The next few days will be torturous as the beast''s blood, alongside the knight''s chivalric core, would start to fuse with the host. The body would fight back against it and prevent it from happening.
A person would be an anointed knight once the process waspleted. They will then share a mysterious bond with the demon or magical beast with whom they drank their blood. The effects vary for each knight and beast, from bing friendly with each other, noticing their presence from a nearby distance, or in some cases, hating one another instead.
They would also carry some physical characteristics or other special attributes of the said beast. Some knights would be hairier, taller, burlier, or more intimidating without them noticing.
Furthermore, their chivalric will had developed, allowing them to manipte objects nearby. They can also use their chivalric will toyer their weapons andunch a short-distance attack.
Despite this increase in power, the anointed knights and every realm above it also face a life-threatening disadvantage. Since their chivalric cores are fully fused with their bodies, the destruction of the core meant the death of the said knight.
...
Eluard took Solordo to the main hall and teleported him to the Dwarven Mountain Compass.
"Be safe with your travels ande back as soon as possible.", Eluard reminded.
Solordo nodded to him before closing his eyes as the teleportation circle transferred him to his destination.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself falling mid-air.
"Wha-!"
Solordo''s face hit the leaves and branches of the trees down below. His face was wrecked in many ways and his mood became grumpy.
He fixed his appearance before looking at the map, "I''m hundreds of kilometers away from the dragon tribe''s location. Doesn''t matter. This must be academy master''s test this time."
Solordo gripped the halberd tightly with his right hand, stering a wide smirk on his face, "Just you wait, everyone. This big brother''s going to surprise you on his way back."
¡
Back at the Heavenly Magic Academy, Eluard put the stack of new books on the edge of hisrge desk.
Looking at the pile of books before it, he leaned back on his high chair.
"Magical transmutation¡ magical transmutation¡", he repeatedly muttered with a confused tone.
Although his magic root included the ability of magical transmutation, it was easier said than done. He hadn''t made any progress the past week and time was running out.
"That''s not right. I shouldn''t be putting a single magical elemental identity to my mana or else it would remain the same element forever. However, if I do so, I would be unable to change it to another element since nothing else but that particr element remained. But if I don''t do that, what use is my mana then anyway?"
His divine magic root forcibly pushed his magical cultivation to be very unique such that he didn''t have any sort of relevant references from the existing magic books.
"No, it should be that I have pushed out the rest of the elements in my mana and only picked out what I needed to use."
He thought that his mana was like the color ck. Everything was mixed into it and he would pick one out of everything.
"Wait, that''s it! I shouldn''t follow the normal procedure of gathering mana then conjuring a particr element that has an affinity to my magic root. I already have everything so why would I discard them?!"
"Instead, I''ll just suppress the others and then disy one element at a time. Then, if I wanted to use another element instead, I should suppress the previous one and change the ratio of elements in my mana!"
The difference was that his first methodpletely discarded all of the unused magical elements in his mana. Although this was the main system for the mages in Aludia, albeit phrased in a way on how Eluard understood the concept, it prevented him from changing his magical element''s nature because only one element remained.
The second method simply limited the presence of the rest of the other elements. In other words, if he used a fire magic spell, the fire element''s magnitude is increased while reducing those of the rest rather thanpletely removing them.
In that way, he would be able to turn the said fire magic spell into another element as long as the said element wasn''t removed. All he needed to do was just change the ratio of the elements in the spell he was trying to cast.
Eluard stood up in excitement and immediately carried out his theory.
"Let''s test out with two elements for now. How about fire and water?"
He gathered his mana to his right fingertips and slowly eroded out the other magic elements from within.
''Control! Only two! Fire and water!''
As he bnced the ratio of the elements, Eluard saw a ballposed of half fire and half water dancing above his palm.
''To the fire!''
He increased the ratio of the fire elementspared to the water. The me then surrounded more than half of the ball, slowly removing the presence of the water element in it.
''Then water!''
A war seemed to have raged within when the water suddenly surged like a flood and overtook the position of the me until it was the only thing that remained.
Eluard could still feel the fire element residing within but its presence was too weak to be noticed if one didn''t put much focus on the ball.
Seeing the marvelous result in front of his eyes, Eluard chuckled like a madman and praised himself.
He stopped the spell and held the desk with a weary expression.
"Heh, that really grinds the mind but it seems to work at least."
Chapter 25 Going Out
A few dayster.
Eluard was now tinkering with his magic transmutation by flipping off the switches on three different elements, fire, water, and earth.
"This is more fun than what I have expected it to be."
Although the experimentations wore out his body, the results always ted him to a great degree.
Unfortunately, his fun came to an abrupt end.
[ Special Task: Shopping Spree ]
[ You have recently received a bountiful award but you have yet to utilize it properly. Based on the system''s observations, the host is in dire need of attending to responsibilities when ites to the logistics of the academy. You are not here to only cultivate for yourself. You should be attending to the student''s sustenance as well. ]
[ Requirement: Purchase several high-quality magical goods on a marketce and bring them back to the academy. ]
[ Additional Requirement: Trade your harvests with the merchants/shopkeepers and conduct a profitable deal. ]
[ Optional Requirement: Establish a deep rtionship with one of the shopkeepers/merchants in Aludia. ]
[ Rewards: Random Equipment x 1 (Rare) ]
[ Additional Rewards (onpletion of optional requirement): Random Equipment x 1 (Epic) ]
Eluard slumped to his seat, rolling his eyes on how stupid his system sounded like sometimes.
"Shouldn''t you have given this sort of task a little earlier instead? Why bother administering it out now?"
"Also, what''s with this very ambiguous requirement? How would I know if what I purchased is a high-quality material?"
[ Experience is needed to answer your questions rather than this system providing it to the host. ]
[ Also, your umted experience inmunicating with the natives should now be put to test. ]
[ Lastly, you should bring it to a habit of utilizing your harvest from hunting the demon beasts than letting them stay useless in your inventory. ]
Now that the system told him of this, Eluard realized that the resources of the academy were unsettling for a prestigious academy.
He couldn''t only just hand out magic crystals to the students now and then, could he?
There should also be some other materials or items like staves, pendants, or other things useful for the student''s magical cultivation journey.
After all, the ''sects'' and ''academies'' from the novels he read on back on Earth, even the schools he went into while he was a student, provided them with things that they needed for them to develop.
"There''s that thing with the pill concoction, and the ingredients the alchemists would require to create the pills¡"
He was referring to the raw materials that were used during pill concoction.
Eluard wanted to kick his head for not thinking of these things earlier. It shouldn''t have resulted in the system giving him a special task just so that he would be reminded of these responsibilities.
"Maybe I was too focused on enhancing my power that I forgot that I am an academy master who looks out after everything in the Heavenly Magic Academy."
Eluard thought that it might be because there were only a few people here in the academy. If it was the other way around, he might''ve sensed the irresponsibility he hadmitted.
He couldn''t be med for it either. The poor academy master was inexperienced in taking jobs in his past life, much worse when he was put in a very critical position that handled almost everything of a big academy.
Eluard just recently graduated before transmigrating. His mindset heavily leaned on being a student and it wasn''t going to change any sooner. Not until the system''s new task prompted him to do otherwise.
He was about to go out when he realized another problem.
"System, don''t tell me I have to go out with my real appearance in front of the public?"
[ As long as you are careful with your approach, your real appearance will never matter in the public. ]
Eluard nodded his head in understanding, "Now, to which ce should I go this time?"
Going into huge cities would quickly gather suspicions from the small and big factions alike. It wasn''t like he was going to be overlooked all the time. Rather, he wanted to dy this from happening as long as possible.
''Then at the border viges of the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary I should go then.'', Eluard decided.
The Morning Star Empire was a tight spot to go in these days.
Also, the Norva Assili was rather barbaric in their ways, and talking with them without sufficient strength to back his words would prove fatal for Eluard.
On the other hand, the elves were amiable at the very least. Moreover, he already presented himself recently in the elven territory. Taking a stroll in the backyard of a possible ally would allow him to grasp some knowledge of their culture and society.
That way, he could amend his ns suitable for establishing a cooperation with the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary.
As for the rest of Aludia, they could wait. It wasn''t good to move around and possibly alert the Otherworld in the process. The demonic creatures and other hidden enemies might be slyer than Eluard would expect them to be.
¡
At the edge of the Leeveria Forest, on arge road.
A merchant caravan was being held by a group of fierce-looking bandits. Strangely, the bandits'' eyes were all red as if they haven''t slept for a very long time.
On the center of the parade was a luxurious-looking carriage surrounded by five armored men. Inside it was four people with different expressions on their faces.
"Papa, uncle Greywolf will defeat those bad people outside, right?", a little girl hugged a fat man in fear.
Her father gently stroked her hair, "Yes, my dear L. Uncle Greywolf will take care of them."
The two people on the other side, one man and one woman, scoffed at this view, "Sir Aurpiel, if you would like us to deal with them¡", suggested the man with a sinister-like voice but was stopped by Aurpiel, the little girl''s father.
"No need. I don''t want the public and my enemies to know of you two for now.", Aurpiel replied. Furthermore, having these two powerful people fight the bandits outside would be considered overkill.
The caravan was protected by armored guards. However, the burly man leading them had his eyes wrinkled in distress.
"Captain, what now? Why are we not attacking them yet?!", shouted one of the guards. These scrubs were only at the level of a tier 2 apprentice knight but their captain seemed hesitant to make a move.
''It''s not that I don''t want to attack them! We can''t fight them!'', the captain cursed in his mind.
As a tier 5 anointed knight, he could feel the pressure from these red-eyed bandits. They growled like a demon beast and salivated from their mouths.
He slowly advanced towards them andunched a short-distance attack. His target only smirked and took it head-on. The bandit''s left hand was cut off his body but he remained standing still and cackled like a madman.
Small tendrils suddenly emerged from the wound of his detached hand and extended to his left shoulder. It reattached itself and the bandit acted as if nothing had happened.
The captain and his subordinates widened their eyes at this impossibility.
"You cannot dare topare to us, elf! Surrender now and we might consider sparing your puny lives!", the leader of the bandits announced.
His voice was hoarse and low.
Just as the two groups were about to sh, a jolly and light-hearted voice resounded from the trees on the sides.
"How about you bandits surrender yourselves and I might consider sparing your lives on the process?"
Everyone, even the people inside the caravan, looked towards the source of the voice.
A handsome young human sat atop a tree branch without a care in the world. He was wearing some ragged mage clothes while ying with a stone he picked up somewhere on his right hand.
His hair that reached to his eyebrows fluttered every time he hurled the stone up in the air. It was Eluard on his normal appearance as a human.
"Another idiot thinking he''s the savior of the world.", the bandit leader mocked Eluard.
"Well¡", Eluard scratched his cheek, "Technically I am¡"
He shook his head and smiled, "Since you don''t want to surrender, you won''t get to live the day it would happen¡"
Everyone was shocked by Eluard''s prideful reply. This human considered himself as the savior of Aludia, a very daring statement in the eyes of its inhabitants.
The leader of the banditsughed at Eluard, "Look at this human! You talk big, I''m going to-!"
Before he could finish his words, water gushed out below his feet,unching him high up into the air. Right as he thought he would start to fall, the atmosphere suddenly turned very hot.
He looked down and saw a dragon''s head made of mes charging through him at great speed. His skin started to burn into ashes but he ignored it and mocked Eluard again.
"Human, you think this can..."
The bandit leader realized that the regenerative skill wasn''t working on his body, ''What''s this? Don''t tell me that bastard imbued divinity on his spells?! Impossible!''
He could only curse silently as the dragon opened its mouth and chomped him on one bite.
"What? No-!"
His cries of pain were overshadowed by the loud roaring of the me dragon. The bandits, who felt high and mighty earlier, ran in all directions and scattered in fear.
"Boss didn''t survive! The regenerative skill isn''t working against this man! Run!", shouted a bandit who was already meters away from the caravan.
When they thought they were safe from Eluard''s clutches, the ground in front of them trembled before falling into a pit trap with sharp earthen spikes that were waiting to puncture their fragile bodies to death.
This unusual and overpowered disy of skill petrified the guards and the people inside the carriages.
''Na-nameless spell casting, and elemental spell shift! His spells even disrupt the demonic regeneration of those demonized bandits! Who is this person? An archmage at such a young age?!'', the man on the center of the caravan beside Aurpiel shouted with great reverence on Eluard.
He was keeping himself from running to the human and asking if he could receive guidance onto the path of magic.
However, Eluard''s next words almost made them go crazy.
"Hey, old man! I see that you''re a traveling merchant caravan. You want to buy some demon beast materials from me?"
Chapter 26 Negotiations, Unexpected Reunion
Aurpiel gulped nervously. He walked out of his carriage and bowed at Eluard, "Si¡ great sir, may I know what sorts of demon beast materials are selling to me¡?", moving his pointy ears up and down.
He noticed the awed expressions of the two people earlier. The fat man immediately realized that this young man who came out of nowhere must be somewhat amazing.
Eluard''s mind jolted after hearing Aurpiel''s question, ''Right, I shouldn''t disy the luxury of harvests I received at the start. That would be suspicious, or he might think I am dumb.''
After all, selling all things in one go might plummet the significance of the goods he was trying to sell, particrly if only one merchant was involved in the deal.
''Merchants like this guy who sought profits aren''t easy to deal with. A person like me who has little knowledge about marketing and simr should tread on this task carefully.''
''If I remember, prices should differ for each merchant. I don''t know what specialties this merchant leans into. I should sell 1 elite and 10mon dark luminous wolf hides and see how it goes.''
Seeing Eluard hesitating, Aurpiel''s nervousness washed away and was reced by a calm expression instead.
"10mon and 1 elite dark luminous wolf hides.", Eluard replied.
Aurpiel wrinkled his eyebrows, "I can buy the elite wolf hide for 40 white magic crystals. As for themon ones, I can only give you 5 for each."
Was the trade value low, high, or right at the market price? Eluard didn''t know.
He had to me himself for plunging carelessly even though he reminded himself to be careful earlier.
''This tricky system! What experience?! You want me to be ashamed of myself?!'', he cursed.
[ Failure and sess are part of growth, dear host. Your decision for this deal awaits. ]
''Damn it!''
The system didn''t even give him a hint of whether this deal was profitable or not. But he had to remind himself the system was leaned on magic cultivation, not marketing.
Otherwise, he would''ve been reincarnated as the son and heir of a wealthy businessman with a business system on the get-go.
Eluard put up a facade, "Too low, but I''ll consider it this time since I''m in a hurry.", arrogantly tossed the hides of the dark luminous wolves to Aurpiel and his guards.
A cold breeze went past Aurpiel''s bald head, ''Low? What low? They''re the damn market price! What arrogance is this?'', his mouth twitched in disbelief.
Young masters with great talent were bred from the same brand of prideful parents. This was how Aurpiel saw Eluard as he reluctantly took out 90 white magic crystals packed on arge pouch before tossing it to the arrogant human.
If one hasn''t realized it yet, a series of misunderstandings urred unknowingly between the two parties.
Eluard thought that Aurpiel''s prices were low after seeing him wrinkle his eyebrows. The inexperienced academy master assumed that the fat man might have been ying his cards against Eluard all along.
Meanwhile, Aurpiel thought that Eluard saw his prices as too low and might increase them.
Even though the wolf hides were that valuable as amodity in the current market, he couldn''t bear to take out more from his treasury.
After all, he mainly conducted deals with normal people. His business'' currency revolved around coins and rarely about magic crystals. Thetter and such were the most divine items he could only reach with his life.
That was the main reason he darkened his expression because he was afraid that Eluard would be unreasonable, which the human unconsciously did.
''He must have limited the items he was trying to sell to me. Now that he knows how ''low'' these prices are, this damn human shouldn''t be approaching us any time soon.'', Aurpiel concluded.
Eluard counted the magic crystals on the pouch before leaving without saying goodbye. He didn''t want to stay here any longer in case things get more awkward.
Aurpiel only snorted in disdain before returning to his carriage with a gloomy expression. The guards picked up the hides and stored them in the other carriages.
The man from before leaned over but Aurpiel knew what this guy was thinking.
"The two of you don''t have to do anything. I guess this day is just an unlucky day for me.", Aurpiel sighed.
"Papa, you don''t have to be sad. L is still here!", the little girl beside him cheered him up.
Aurpiel smiled and gently stroked L''s head again.
¡
"Ah, where to now? To a vige, right?"
Eluard looked at the map and saw a blinking small square west of his current position. On the top of the entire map wasbeled, "Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary".
''Just like old times, eh?'', he reminisced the days ying video games, searching the map for his next destination.
Eluard followed the road with the guide of the map and reached his destination sooner than the merchant caravan behind him.
There were barely any walls guarding the vige in front of him. Instead, guards patrolled the area, with some of them riding on top of flying beasts and overlooking the situation above.
''Isn''t this security a bit too tight?''
It was just a vige. Surely, there was no way they had to be this strict unless something bad was going on.
''Was it because of my appearance, or was it something else?''
He was about to take another step when two elven guards stopped him. Eluard was confused, staring at the golden-armored burly men.
"How can a human like you be here? I thought that the hanging bridge has been closed for a few days?", the guard was suspicious, "Don''t tell me you traveled yourself here through some illegal means."
Eluard panicked, "Wait, wait! I''m just a wandering mage, okay? I don''t know about the hanging bridge closing. Maybe because I arrived here earlier before it happened¡"
The guard''s menacing eyes intensified, scaring Eluard.
"Look, look.", Eluard said before producing a small ball of me on top of his palms.
The guards scrutinized Eluard''s figure. Seeing that there weren''t any weird marks over his body, they etched his face on top of their heads and gestured at Eluard to continue inside.
"Be careful human, we''re watching you.", they reminded in a very cold voice.
Eluard scratched his head, "What''s up with those guards anyway?"
"Hey!", a loud shout startled Eluard.
"Uh, what is it now?", he turned his head at the source of the voice.
A young male elf ran towards him.
"You look new here. And a human at that, how did you end up inside the sanctuary''s border when the bridge was closed days ago?"
"That¡", Eluard didn''t have any usible reasons toe up with it.
The elf understood Eluard''s hesitance, waving his hands, "If you don''t want to say it, it''s okay. Not important."
Eluard sighed. The elf suddenly patted his left shoulder.
"Anyway, you should be careful going out these days. I heard that the undead being outbreak at the volcanic grassy ins has spread to the north and the Morning Star Empire, and probably towards the sanctuary as well."
"But why are you telling me this? This seems out of ce.", Eluard scratched his cheek.
"Ah, I''m Perith Literas! I aspire to be the greatest storyteller in Aludia!", the elf graciously stood out at the center of the road.
People nced in their direction, making Eluard feel embarrassed.
"Uh, can''t we do this somewhere else with not so many people?", he begged.
"No can do! I want the people to recognize me. After all, I n to-!"
An angered elven woman suddenly pinched his ears, "Ah! Auntie, stop! Stop!"
The woman easily dragged Perith''s helpless thin body.
"You bastard! You dare to run away from your responsibilities at home, huh?!", the woman berated.
"No, no, no! You got it wrong! I already finished my chores! Ah! Forgive me, I won''t lie again! Ah!"
After the shortmotion, everyone lost interest and went back to their usual lives.
''Is this how the elvenmunities live?'', Eluard looked around. Elves should have their homes on top of trees, or somewhere deep in the woods, but these elves had theirs on the open ground, just like in humanmunities.
Eluard encountered a few humans on the way. For some reason, however, the elves seem to be rather friendly with them.
There were also familiesposed of a human and elven parent, surprising Eluard.
''Don''t tell me the elves and humans bred off with one another? I thought the elves were strict about their inheritance rules.''
He walked around and searched for the marketce. He nned to see what goods were on sale.
''I definitely won''t be able to buy quality materials here, but this should help me on knowing the market prices around.''
He also hoped to be lucky enough and stumble on something rare as well.
Anothermotion suddenly erupted near him, gathering Eluard''s attention.
"Oh, look! It''s Goddess Haera, the goddess of magic from the Alderian Magic Haven!"
"Why is she here? Didn''t she return to the Magic Haven a few days ago?"
People started discussing the arrival of a group of elves. Leading them was a beautiful elf with her golden eyes looking at the sides.
Her graceful figure enchanted Eluard more than ever since he wasn''t wearing his mask in the meantime.
Eluard''s eyes opened wide.
''Wasn''t she that person I saw back from the Leeveria forest a few days ago?''
There were also the twins, Rina and Rono, with the little girl jumping in tion while her twin brother sulked behind.
His stupefaction was interrupted when somebody shouted behind his back.
"Hey, you bastard human! Why are you blocking the damn way?!"
Chapter 27 Pursued By The Elves
Eluard turned around and saw the merchant caravan from before. The captain guard named Greywolf had a disapproving look towards him.
"Ah, sorry. I''ll go away now, I''ll go away¡", Eluard hurried.
Haera and her group noticed the merchant caravan. The former was surprised and approached them.
"Are you a merchant caravan?"
Greywolf recognized Haera, going off his horse, and knelt in front.
"Miss Haera, it is good to meet you. Yes, we are a merchant caravan. May I know what Miss Haera requests of us?"
"Did somebody recently sell some demon beasts materials from you?", Haera asked.
Eluard and the entire merchant caravan shook from her question. Greywolf couldn''t help but look at Eluard''s frozen figure from a distance.
''Do-don''t tell me¡ he did something bad to our goddess?!''
Without a second thought, he shouted to his subordinates, "Get him!"
Eluard realized what happened, "Oh, god. I didn''t do anything bad to her, really!", sting off the area using the earth element.
"Sir Aurpiel, I think we might need to interfere this time.", the man inside the carriage hinted.
Aurpiel thought about it, ''That boy sure is arrogant. Maybe he did cause some difort for Miss Haera a few days earlier?''
"Go do your job and help Greywolf, but do not kill the young man. Miss Haera might need him for something.", Aurpiel gave the order.
The two instantly barged out of the carriage and followed Eluard''s trail. Meanwhile, Aurpiel went to the confused Haera.
"Uh, Miss Haera, is something the matter?", Aurpiel bowed in respect.
"Why did those people suddenly chase off a guy?"
Aurpiel sighed, "That man sold us some demon beast materials earlier in the road. I don''t know what happened between you and that guy but¡"
Haera pped herself, "No, no, mister. You misunderstand.", she sighed and turned around, "Guards, please take care of the young master and mistress. I have something to do for now. We''ll meet back at Nirulva City."
Eh?
Aurpiel was at a loss for words. What happened and why did Miss Haera''s mood turn different?
¡
"Shit, shit, shit! Why are you chasing me? I didn''t do anything bad!", Eluard said while jumping off the roof of a house andnding on the earthen column he created.
He then controlled it to move quickly at the center of the road and went out of the small vige.
"Stop right there! How dare you touch our goddess with your dirty hands?! Bring back the items you stole from her, thief!", Greywolf and his subordinates followed.
"What ''touched'' your goddess? She''s asking too much from me, don''t you think?"
Eluard''s words agitated them.
This drew the attention of the golden-armored elven guards and asked one of the people from the group of pursuers.
After hearing his words, the guards immediately followed while calling out the rest toe over and assist them.
Meanwhile, the man and the woman working for Aurpiel nced at the situation below while flying in the air.
"Orlon, blind him!", the womanmanded.
Orlon pointed at the sky above Eluard, "sh!"
A blinding light shed above Eluard''s head but he quickly gathered his dark element to his eyes and absorbed the light instead.
"It didn''t work?! Meyera, it seems like he can counter my light element! You should use your earth element to stop him.", Orlon suggested.
"On it.", Meyera''s bright yellow eyes glowed, grasping control of the earthen column Eluard was riding upon.
She stopped it from moving, stumbling Eluard before falling to the ground. One of the guards ran quickly to catch him but Eluard instantly turned the earthen column into water and used it to create a flood that dragged him further away.
"Elemental spell shift! Again!", both Orlon and Meyera cried out at the same time.
"Again?", the captain of the golden-armored elven guards wondered. He signaled his subordinates to stop pursuing and asked one of his aides, "Can you guess that man''s magic power?"
"No, sir. It seems like his magic power is immeasurable and he might just be ying tricks to make fun of us!", an elven guard replied.
"An archmage that young?", the captain questioned reality, "Or is there a method to actually learn elemental spell shifting at an early age?"
Hisst phrase made everyone realize something.
"Orlon, he might be a disciple of an archmage or a supreme archmage! We must be careful of our approach lest we anger the master behind him.", Meyera warned.
Orlon nodded in approval while the elves themselves found another problem.
"But what about Miss Haera and him? We can''t just let him go away after all the trouble he had done, right?", one of the guardsined.
Haera was a goddess in everyone''s eyes. Her talent was high, and so was her beauty. They couldn''t just let the matter go even if the perpetrator was the disciple of an archmage.
"You said that Miss Haera asked your caravan if someone recently sold demon beast materials to you, right?", the captain asked Aurpiel''s guards.
"Yes, sir. I don''t know if it''s a misunderstanding on our part but I guess that young man must have something to do with Miss Haera.", Greywolf replied, "In fact, we only met him after some red-eyed bandits ambushed us. He easily took care of them and the transaction happened after that."
"Red-eyed bandits? Did their bodies regenerate when you attacked them?", the captain''s voice sounded fearful.
"Yes... sir, is something the matter about that?", Greywolf was confused, "When that young man attacked them, however, their regenerative skills didn''t work out. They were likembs being ughtered in open daylight."
The captain''s expression became solemn, "Demonized beings, something about it must be rted to the undead outbreak in the volcanic grassy ins. It seems like the Otherworld is really on its way to invade again.", muttering under his breath.
''Also, that young man contains a hint of divinity on his magic power. Radiant knights, or those blessed with the purity of the Morning Star like those freaks from the Creed, should only have the power to eradicate the demonic aura from the affected beings.''
He tapped Greywolf''s shoulder, "Thank you for telling this matter to us. The elven royal guards thank you for your great service. As for that young man..."
"I will deal with that person. Everyone can go back now, sorry for the trouble.", a light-hearted voice resounded above them.
It was Haera, wearing a long golden robe and a wide wizard hat. Before everyone couldpliment her, she darted off and went after Eluard.
''Archmages are the only people capable of shifting elements from one to the other. This guy is interesting.'', Haera thought.
Eluard calmly controlled the water to flow to the nearest road he saw on the map. He noticed a disturbance above him and caught a glimpse of that beautiful elf from before.
''What does she want with me now?'', although he had some flirtatious thoughts in his head, Eluard prioritized the task more than anything else.
He gathered the flowing water andnded on the ground upright.
"You''ve been causing me problems for a while now. Be blunt, I''m in a hurry.", he said.
Haeranded on the ground. She noticed how Eluard ignored her beauty. However, since the man said he was in a hurry, she wasn''t one to waste time either.
"I''m Haera, an instructor from the Alderian Magic Haven. Human, you recently sold some demon beast materials, right? I''d like to know where did you get them."
Eluard was intrigued, understanding what Haera was up to.
''Oh, is the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary interested in my identity now?''
He didn''t expect them to act that quickly and investigate all merchant caravans passing through the border of Leeveria Forest.
''She must be working under the order of the empress of the Nature Pce at Mount Eredia. Let me take a look at her attributes.''
[ Name: Haera Zumfiel ]
[ Age: 24 years old (72 human years) ]
[ Race: Elf ]
[ Status: Alive ]
[ Affiliation: Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary, Alderian Magic Haven, Zumfiel Elven Household ]
[ Magic Power: Adept Wizard (Full Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Starfall Magic Root (Mythical) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 9.2/10 (Adept Wizard) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Nature (Wood, Water, Earth) ]
[ Starfall Magic Root (Mythical) ]
[ A magic root blessed by the stars beyond, guiding its path to the realm of universal affinity. ]
[ Additional Effect: Star Power
Call upon the stars to further enhance the user''s magical attacks, increasing magical power by 500%. It can also be used to strengthen the user''s physical abilities. Magical power passively increased by 200% ]
''An adept wizard at such a young elven age? And another mythical magic root? Just when are such things verymon, system?''
[ As the academy master of the Heavenly Magic Academy, you are bound to meet extraordinary people in your life ], the system replied.
Eluard epted it as a logical reason.
On the other side, Haera felt ufortable when Eluard gazed at her figure.
"Why are you interested in where I got my harvest? Are the elves nning to plunder areas with rich rewards now?", Eluard mocked Haera.
Haera didn''t like what she heard, "Bastard, we elves don''t steep that low unlike you humans. Listen, if you don''t want to tell the truth, I will ask someone to do it in your ce instead.", threatening Eluard.
"Do you think my master would allow that?", he retorted, "Mind you, my master is an impatient person. If you halt my progress any longer, I don''t know to whom he wouldsh out if his mind snapped in anger."
"Then tell me who''s this master of yours and I''ll let you off, how about that?", Haera was running out of patience as well.
"Why would I tell you who my master is?", Eluard chuckled.
Haera''s nerves bulged out in anger.
"Well then, since you don''t want to tell me anything, take this instead.", she took out a card from her magic storage and threw it to Eluard.
"Meet me in this ceter once you arrive at Nirulva City. I know someone who will appreciate your demon beast materials from whatever ce you may have gathered it from."
Haera changed her mind. Eluard was unwilling to say anything so she resorted to giving him the opportunity instead even though he didn''t reveal his origins.
Moreover, she was awed by Empress Aelin''s foresight.
''Empress saw that this would happen, that that robed man would order one of his people to sell their harvests nearby after they were done with their hunting.''
However, the only problem that remained was Eluard''s identity. Rina and Rono recounted seeing five other young people whom they thought were the robed man''s disciples but none of their physical descriptions matched that of Eluard.
''Either he is the robed man''s secret sixth disciple, or his master is another person.''
That was the only conclusion Haera coulde up with. Nevertheless, she would be able to confirm her assumptions once Eluard arrive at the ce mentioned on the card.
"If that is all, then I''ll be on my way then.", Eluard set off to the Nirulva City in the distance.
? He was interested in the ce Haera introduced.
Meanwhile, Haera stomped her feet.
"That bastard! He didn''t even say who he was! How unkind of him!", she strutted off and returned to the small vige.
Chapter 28 Woodland Bar, Purple Magic Crystal
Nirulva City.
The Morning Star began to set. A suspicious figure lurked on the alleyways.
"Wow, so this is what a true elven city looks like.", Eluard remarked.
Nirulva City was a mix of tree houses and buildings on t ground. There were fewer humans herepared to the vige.
"The guards here amount to a thousand, at least. Were they that alerted that a demonic creature appeared inside the Leeveria Forest?"
He looked at the map and saw that he was a few blocks away from his target destination.
"Woond Bar¡ sounds like somece to drink instead of selling and buying goods. Also, urging me to meet her at night, she must be afraid to be seen with a human in public."
Eluard spent the afternoon observing the marketce inside Nirulva City. There, he understood that Aurpiel''s prices from before were almost exactly as the market price of the materials Eluard sold.
He med himself for acting too arrogant, "Will they¡ trade with me in the future after what happened?"
¡
A few momentster, he arrived.
In front of him was a very simpleyout of a building, with no luxurious parade or decoration of sorts. There was a smallmp on the side, lighting up a little fraction of the huge alleyway.
There was a signboard on top, engraved on it were the words ''Woond Bar''.
The windows on the sides were covered with a thin cloth. Eluard couldn''t guess what was on the other side.
"Never judge a building by its cover¡", Eluard stepped in, ''Carpet? And a soft one at that¡''
The room was dimly lit with a peaceful atmosphere. There were two couches on both sides coupled with decorative flowers emitting a fragrant smell.
A passageway separated him and what looks like a bar from afar.
"You''re finally here. Do you know that you shouldn''t make ady wait for you?", Haera appeared in front of him.
"Whatdy? I''m here for other business.", Eluard rejected her nonsense, ''Girl, you might be beautiful but I have stuff to do.''
A burst of loud heartyughter resounded behind the bar.
Eluard went further and saw a huge demi-human with horns on his head and a hairy body. He was dressed in formal tuxedo-like clothing, covering his arms and hands with a long glove while wiping a wine ss with a white cloth.
[ Name: Gruvon Mighthorn ]
[ Age: 34 years old (85 human years) ]
[ Race: Humanoid Minotaurus ]
[ Status: Alive ]
[ Affiliation: Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary, Zumfiel Elven Household (Affiliate), Woond Bar (Owner) ]
[ Chivalric Will Power: Higher de ¨C Consolidation Realm ]
[ Chivalric Core Grade: B ]
[ Chivalric Core Grade Effect: Allows imprinting of rare-rarity demonic/magical beasts into user''s chivalric core. ]
"Miss Haera, it looks like you''ve found your match.", the demi-human teased, "Human, don''t you know that you''re the first one to reject this missy in front of you?"
"Is that so?", Eluard tilted his head. He found the demi-human''s tone to be friendly.
Seeing Eluard''s reaction, the demi-human was ted, "Good, good. You''re an interesting fellow indeed. I''m Gruvon Mighthorn. As you can see, I''m a humanoid minotaurus, something you humans used to call us for a while now. You are?"
"I''m Kai. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Gruvon.", Eluard spoke out hisst name, ''That shouldn''t be a vition now, is it, my dear system?''
[ No ]
Gruvon nodded at Eluard''s introduction, "Mr. Kai, I heard from Miss Haera that you want to sell some demon beasts materials from your hunting party?"
Eluard nced at the elf, "Yes."
He took out a bunch of elite dark luminous wolf''s hides and ws, and 2 kilos of grounded barbed worm meat.
Gruvon narrowed his eyes, "The harvest isn''t as bountiful as I expected, but¡"
Eluard gazed at Gruvon''srge figure inspecting his loot.
"It sure is the finest quality I have seen in my life.", Gruvon added.
Haera widened her eyes, "Finest? Uncle Gruvon, what do you mean by that?"
Gruvon didn''t answer her and rummaged through the rest of the goods. He found out that their quality was the same. Even he could tell how fresh and tender the grounded worm''s meat was.
He felt a little hungry just by looking at it.
"Mr. Kai, your harvesting skills are top-notch. If I was to put a price on this, it should be 50% more than the current market price.", Gruvon extended his hands.
Eluard was surprised, ''50%? Does that mean that my deal with the merchant caravan was a loss?''
He received Gruvon''s hand, "Deal."
Haera remained a bystander after all that had happened. She was supposed to be the person introducing Eluard to Gruvon but it looks like her existence became void in the eyes of the two instead.
''I have never felt something like this before! What humiliation!'', she vowed to teach Eluard a lesson another time.
Meanwhile, Gruvon went to the back and picked up one purple-colored magic crystal. It wasrgerpared to the blue magic crystal.
"U-uncle Gruvon, isn''t this a bit too much?!", Haera shivered in disbelief.
"What too much? Miss Haera, this is just an appreciation for our first meeting with Mr. Kai."
Gruvon looked at Kai, "You''re an easy man to talk to, unlike those profiteering merchants and cultivators from the outside world."
He handed out the purple-colored magic crystal to Eluard.
"This is a purple magic crystal, Mr. Kai. It is only found on somemander-level beasts. You should know how rare that item is.", Gruvon exined.
Eluard stared at the glowing magic crystal. He could feel the intensity of the power contained inside.
[ Purple Magic Crystal ]
[ A very rare crystal only found on somemander-level demon or magical beasts. They can also be mined on the very deep edges of magic crystal mines. ]
[ Purity: 85% ]
[ Contained Magic Power: Equivalent to a Master Wizard at the Median Ring ]
''Ho-how powerful!'', Eluard shouted internally.
A master wizard was one tier higher than an adept wizard, and to think he could find something equivalent of that power in a crystalrger than his hand.
"Thank you, Sir Gruvon.", Eluard bowed.
Gruvon stepped on the sides and introduced his bar, "If you would like to, you could have a taste with the wine here. I assure you that their quality is one of the best in Aludia."
Eluard shook his head, "I would like to, Sir Gruvon, but I am in a hurry for now. Maybe another time."
Gruvon sighed, "That''s a shame then. Very well, Mr. Kai, you cane back here anytime and sell other interesting demon beast materials you have to me. I''ll give you afortable price for your high-quality goods."
Eluard nodded, "Ah, I almost forgot. You should also credit Miss Haera, Sir Gruvon. I wouldn''t have found this ce if it wasn''t for her, Sir Gruvon."
Haera sighed in relief, ''At least this bastard has some conscience left inside him.''
"I know. I hope that you and Miss Haera would be good friends after this.", Gruvon teased.
"That¡", Eluard''s mouth twitched, "I''ll be taking my leave now."
Gruvon and Haera watched Eluard shyly exit the building.
"Miss Haera, it seems like he does have a crush on you."
Haera snorted, "Stop it, I am only acquainting with him because of Empress Aelin''s orders."
"Still, that doesn''t mean the two of you couldn''t be friends on the other side, right?", Gruvon chuckled, "About your mission, by the way, are you sure he''s connected to that robed person now?", he asked.
"I''m 60 percent sure. Moreover, his appearance near the border of the Leeveria Forest isn''t a coincidence. That mysterious person must''ve sent him over to sell the goods.", Haera concluded, "Also, he didn''t seem to ask or bother why am I helping. It''s as if he''s just ying along with me for the time being."
"If he was truly unaware of the situation, Uncle Gruvon, he wouldn''t have left that easily and should''ve verified the authenticity of my words."
Gruvon felt good about how Haera was too focused on Eluard''s actions, "Then aren''t you forgetting something, Miss Haera?"
Haera confusingly stared at the minotaur, "What do you mean?"
"Now that he''s done selling stuff, don''t you think he would be searching for something to buy after all the trouble?", Gruvon''s smile widened to the ends of his cheeks.
"Fine! Fine! Fine! I''m going now, okay?!", Haera stomped her foot and angrily followed after Eluard.
Chapter 29 Named Legend
Haera followed after Eluard outside the Woond Bar.
"Wait!"
Eluard turned around, wondering what was this girl up to now.
Haera caught up to him, "You, you''re definitely that person''s disciple, aren''t you?"
Eluard struck a confused look on his face, "Miss, I don''t really know what you''re talking about. You see, I''m very grateful for your help which I do not know why you did it but I think we should part our ways here now."
"Heavenly Magic Academy.", Haera spoke out those three words, "That person who appeared that day fits the description of the countless legends revolving the academy master of the Heavenly Magic Academy."
"Are legends a viable piece of evidence now? Also, what does this have to do with me anyway?", Eluard asked.
"Everything.", Haera bluntly answered, "When I asked you toe with me, you only asked if I have anything else to say before leaving. I don''t think that is how an ignorant person would act."
"If you have nothing to do with that robed person, you should''ve pestered me about who I am, why was I doing this, and guarded yourself against me in case I would betray you. Instead, you went here without a question as if you have great confidence that I wasn''t lying to you."
"Earlier at the bar, I didn''t notice any sort of spell protection or a hint of wariness in your body. This proves the fact that you were certain that you would make a fortune there, and that my help arrived at a convenient time when you needed to sell the materials your master handed over you."
"Also, for all the archmages currently living in Aludia, none of them have any disciples who are as young as you which has full mastery of the elemental spell shifting skill."
Eluard was unable toe up with a good excuse against Haera''s words, ''Hey, don''t tell me I am busted?''
[ The female elf only suspects your identity as a disciple of the Heavenly Magic Academy''s academy master ], the system replied.
''Oh, isn''t this a bit convenient then?'', Eluard nned to use this to his advantage.
Haera smirked after seeing the defeated look on Eluard''s face.
"Fine, you win. But we still have to part ways here.", he insisted.
Haera raised her eyebrows, "Is that so? I bet you know the ins and outs of Nirulva City then, Mr. Kai?"
''This woman is getting on my nerves.'', he ignored her and walked away instead.
While Eluard was being pestered by the elven beauty as he searched for a suitable ce to sleep for the night¡
Morning Star Empire.
It was cold and dark in the Imperial Capital. The residents shut their doors and windows tight and turned off any source of light.
Imperial guards patrolled the streets, on the lookout for the safety of the public. If it wasn''t for them, one could''ve mistaken this ce as a ghost city.
Opposite the Imperial Pce was a very huge temple withrge cemented columns on the outside. The lights around this ce were brightly lit unlike the rest of the city.
Armored soldiers stood their ground below. The people in front carried banners with the symbol of a thin five-pointed star shape with glitters on all four diagonal sides.
A man with a staff on his right hand emerged from the temple, carrying a hint of divinity and imposing a strong will upon the people below. His body was glowing like a firefly in the night.
The soldiers gripped their weapons tightly when they saw this person arrive.
"The Otherworld has started their dark and evil actions upon the people of Aludia. It is us, the Creed, to take the fight to them and show them that we, Aludians, aren''t people they should mess with!"
"The Morning Star may have already set and darkness have embraced us in this cold night, but worry not, my dear courageous followers! The Morning Star will rise again, and that time, we, the Creed, will eradicate every existence of the Otherworld that lingers on our sacrednd!"
"Blessed be the Morning Star!", he raised his staff high in the air, followed by the people below as they cheered in unison, marching out of the Temple''s area in synchronous steps.
¡
On the other side of the Temple.
Prince Dexter and his father, Emperor Philip, mused at the glorious parade below. They observed from arge open window on top of the Imperial Pce.
"Father, you said that the Creed has found their way to the fabled magic academy near the eastern seaboard.", Prince Dexter asked, "Why are they dividing their forces during these dangerous days?"
Emperor Philip let out a snort, "Dexter, do you think the Creed is doing this for purely good reasons? That ambitious golden-haired fuckboy, as long as he remains to be the Divine Prophet of the Creed, his intentions will never be as sacredpared to the faith he believes in."
Prince Dexter nodded in understanding, albeit holding back hisughter after Emperor Philip said ''golden-haired fuckboy''. After all, there was this particr issue that the Divine Prophet was involved in a harem with prostitues in the capital city.
Dexter wondered how could such a person remain in power despite the usations they were facing, ''How shameless of a Divine Prophet. If the Morning Star was a human, it would''ve already obliterated that piece of shit to a pile of dust.''
Unfortunately, a lot of nobles and apostles backed the bastard of a prophet, and the way they handled the news out of the public''s reach made it hard to condemn him.
"Let''s go. The undead outbreak isn''t something easy to handle. Our Imperial Army lost a battalion and are now pushed back to Stoneheist City.", Emperor Philip''s grave voice alerted Prince Dexter.
"What about the League and the Knights? Shouldn''t they do something about this, father? If they leave the outbreak be, the Morning Star Empire won''t be the only thing to worry about.", Prince Dexter worried.
"The League has been following the Creed in the search of the Heavenly Magic Academy. The old fools won''t also make a move unless a demonic creature appears in front of their eyes. As for the Knights, the Herald of the Dragons is on his way here."
Emperor Philip walked out of the room, leaving his son alone to ponder.
"They sent a named legend from the Luchador Family? If that is true, then this outbreak might be a low-level threat then, father."
¡
"Gragh! Urk!", an undead human shouted before being shed in the stomach by a ted armored man.
It wriggled in pain as radiant light emerged from the cut. The undead cried, unwilling to let go of its short-spanned life.
The man calmly observed the dark cloud diffusing out of the human''s decayed body. It slowly regained its vitality with the help of the radiant light.
"What foul demonic method is this. Corrupting the mind of a sentient being while still retaining its power before they were consumed by the darkness.", his mature old voice echoed.
The human whimpered, groaning and holding his head in pain.
Seeing the aftermath, the man sighed in relief.
He grabbed his greatsword and caressed it with his calloused big hands.
"I was worried for a second that my divinity wouldn''t work here. The demonic aura is still afraid of the divine power, no matter the situation."
The sharp edges of the great sword gleamed in coldness under the moonlight. The earth below his feet suddenly trembled in distress.
"It seems like I won''t be at home for a while."
He tightened the grip on his greatsword and gathered his chivalric will into his entire body. Red mes engulfed his massive figure, heating the nearby surroundings and burning the grasses and trees into ashes.
The person in front of him regained his original consciousness and witnessed a marvelous sight of a human transforming into a draconic being.
He wetted his pants, "Ah! Who-who are you?! A-are you here to-to-to kill m-me?!"
The silhouette of a four-horned draconic being terrified him.
The engulfing mes suddenly blew away in all directions. The previous human-like hands were now filled with scales and ws like that of a dragon.
"Kill you? Hehehe¡", its cold draconic voice shook the human to its core, "Don''t worry, little human. I''m not here to kill your puny life. Instead¡"
A pr war bearnded a few meters on the ground beside the draconic being. It then savagely roared, assaulting his ears furiously.
"You''re so loud¡", it stepped upon a pile of mysterious metal armor scattered on the ground, "I wonder if you would be that noisy if I tear your throat apart!"
The draconic being quickly shed the huge greatsword that the pr war bear was unable to react on time.
A thin line of cut suddenly emerged perfectly on the middle part of its body.
"If I wasn''t here to purge the demonic aura from undead beings like you, I would''ve sliced you into two instead.", the draconic being patted the dust off its scaly body.
"Roar!", the pr war bear roared again, but this time, it was in pain.
The radiant light that emerged from the cut burned the darkness that corrupted the pr war bear.
After a moment of screaming that almost deafened the human crouching in fear from the distance, the pr war bear wriggly moved around before fainting.
The draconic being snorted, puffing out smoke from its elongated nose. Its eyes widened in surprise.
"Hmm?", he turned around and faced the east, "Arahon Agui. The blood of the infernal dragon in my body is bing restless."
"Don''t tell me someone managed to form a pact with that unruly dragon lord?"
Chapter 30 Divine Flame Dragon Blood Assimilation
Dwarven Mountain Compass, Lair of the meDragon.
Solordo arrived at the entrance of arge mountain. It was wide and high, epassing at least five kilometers of area from the north to the south.
Fire continuously spouted behind the vast lump of earth, lighting up the dark sky like fireworks.
"Heh, took me a long time than expected. But it was all worth it."
Solordo''s body was covered in scars caused by the demon and magical beasts alike. Half of his hair seemed to have been uprooted out of his head as well.
Despite the battered state that he was in, determination shone in his eyes, brighter than the fireworks exploding above.
His ears perked up as the bushes rustled near him. Solordo widened the smile on his face, "Bring it on, you dumb-looking green skins!"
Spears shot out from the dark. Solordo rolled forward.
"Grah!", a small humanoid green skin jumped and shed the wooden axe it was holding upon Solordo.
[ Name: Geron ]
[ Rarity: Common ]
[ Power Level: Normal ]
[ Affinity: None ]
"Stupid geron, get the fuck out of my way!", Solordo parried its attack and grabbed its neck before pounding its head to the ground with great force, killing it in an instant.
The rest of the geron''s squad surrounded Solordo.
He could feel the air whistling, immediately jumping out of the position he was in andunching a strike to the gerons on the sides.
Arrows punctured the ground to where Solordo was before. This angered the small green skins and attacked the human all at once.
Solordo hacked at the vital parts of the geron''s bodies while flexibly moving around and dodging all the arrows and attacks sent to him.
"Hah!", Solordo sliced a geron into two.
The gerons cried out and retreated out of Solordo''s sight. This human was too terrifying for them to fight against.
Solordo wiped off the blood that stained his face and continued on the path to the entrance of therge mountain.
Just as he was about to step in, arge dragon head peeked out from the mountain and eyed Solordo with great interest.
[ Legend: Arahon Agui ]
[ Affiliation: me Dragon Tribe (Leader) ]
[ Beast Type: Divine me Dragon ]
[ Rarity: Divine ]
[ Power: Monarch-level ]
[ Affinity: Divinity, Fire, Earth, Lava ]
It let out arge fume from its nose and started talking.
"Solordo¡ Luchador. Son of¡"
"No, I''m not the son of anybody anymore, Great Divine me Dragon, Arahon Agui.", Solordo corrected.
He wasn''t the least intimidated by Arahon''s domineering voice and figure. The academy master''s aura pressured him more than therge dragon in front of him.
"Then why are you here¡ bastard from the Luchador Family?", Arahon questioned his appearance.
Solordo pointed the halberd''s tip on the dragon''s head, "Your blood."
Arahonughed at Solordo, "How ambitious. Have you ever thought the impossibility of that, human?!"
"Try me, dragon lord."
Solordo held out his left hand and generated a gust of wind on top of him.
Arahon''s terrifying eyes widened in surprise, "That aura¡ you''ve been to that ce, haven''t you?"
"Oh, what ce are you talking about?", Solordo raised his eyebrows.
"Hmph, feigning ignorance, as usual. Very well then, I am impressed by your talents, young human. But you have toe to me ''in person'' so that you''d receive the power you seek dearly. Think you can withstand the heat of my mes?!"
Arahon''s voice signaled the earth to crumble into two, spouting fire andva towards Solordo''s position. It was a spectacr disy of might and style, something the dragons were prideful about.
Solordoughed maniacally, "Arahon Agui, here Ie!"
He infused the chivalric will into his legs and feet, jumping high into the air and evading the hot flowingva rushing down the mountain.
Arahon smirked, "This is my territory, human. You should at least respect my aerial authority here!"
Firebirds spawned from the hotva below andunched a sweeping attack at Solordo.
''Windwalk!'', Solordo brushed the air with his arms and legs, using his wind element to push his body forward.
Arahon curiously observed Solordo''s movements.
''Nameless spell casting. A feat considered capable to only but the archmages. However, if he came from that ce...''
''Solordo Luchador, no wonder you have the bravado of showing yourself here in an attempt to im a drop of blood from me!''
Arahon stared above, ''Heavenly Magic Academy¡ the tales of ages havee back to defend Aludia and the others from the Otherworld''s invasion once again¡'', closing his eyes and reminiscing a fragment of his past.
Tall towers and arge castle-like building at the center of thend. Floating high above was a masked man whom Arahon admired and feared of.
''I wonder¡ if a new academy master has been chosen? I hope that this time, that person would reveal his true identity to the worlds¡''
¡
Meanwhile, Solordo defended against the sweeping firebirds with great difficulty. This resulted in inflicting severe burns after shing against them.
''Can Iyer my dark element upon my weapon?'', he doubted. Weaponyering wasn''t something easily learned even if one was a genius. Moreover, he wasn''t that proficient in using his dark element either.
He also rejected the thought of using his wind element against the firebirds. That was a waste of effort and energy to do so.
''No, I don''t have to fight them! I''ll just ignore them and go straight for Arahon!''
Just as he was about tond, Solordo extended his halberd vertically to the ground. The tip struck the ground firmly, allowing Solordo to slid off the handle while softly negating the momentum of his fall.
He then threw his halberd on a high wall a few meters away from him. Solordo quickly ran to his halberd as the earth started to crumble behind him.
He jumped high again and formed an eagle-w with his right hand. He gathered his chivalric will and punctured the wall.
Solordo hang on the side.
He took his halberd and used it together with his right hand to crawl the high earthen wall.
''Faster! Faster! The firebirds are almost here!''
Blood was now dripping out of his right hand but that didn''t stop Solordo from reaching the top before the firebirds could catch up to him.
''Nearly there!''
Arge burning boulder rolled above his head, nearly hitting Solordo and drag him back down.
''That was close!''
He lifted his body to the top of the wall and started running on the uphill pathway in front.
''Lava glums?''
Ahead of him were a group of short bloating figures spewing outva from their mouths.
[ Name: Lava Glums ]
[ Rarity: Common ]
[ Power Level: Normal ]
[ Affinity: Fire, Earth, Lava ]
Solordo detoured from theva glums'' position as far away as possible. Although they were clumsy and timid, being surrounded by them wasn''t a good thing.
''The temperature''s getting higher and it''s making it difficult to breathe!''
He focused on going ahead without a pause, jumping on the tree branches to hasten his trail.
Ava glum poked its head a few meters ahead of the tree Solordo jumped into. Seeing theva right in front of his eyes, he had no choice but to slip and fall to the ground.
When hended, his feet sunk deep on the earth.
''Mu-mud?!''
It halted his momentum, giving theva glums a chance to fire at Solordo. He quickly infused chivalric will to his legs again and barely escaped death.
''A teleportation magic circle! I''m nearly there!''
Solordo gave his all and brushed past the iing attacks of the fire birds andva glums.
He was hindered again when boulders rolled above a cliff down to his position. Solordo timed his steps and narrowly advanced through.
"It''s here."
Arge teleportation magic array glowed in front of his eyes with dazzling radiance. He could see the physical manifestation of mana flowing in an upward direction.
Hundred meters behind it was Arahon''s big head.
"No turning back now, Arahon Agui. You better keep your words.", Solordo reminded.
Arahon snorted, "If I were you, human, I''d be more worried if you could survive the might of the blood of a pure divine me dragon."
The great dragon lord didn''t expect that Solordo would notice what to do and how to do it in a quick manner. After all, most people would be driven to attack in reply to the aggression of the monsters that Arahon spawned.
However, he wasn''t that insecure and let Solordo did as he wished. That challenge was just to measure out Solordo''s battle prowess.
''If he stayed there a little bit longer, the heat would have dried him out.''
Solordo smirked and stepped inside the teleportation magic array. The mana instantly flowed chaotically. It circled Solordo and revolved around him faster and faster until he was transported to a very deep and hot underground cave. He stood alone on a tall long column of earth.
The magma swam down below, vaporizing the rocks falling into it.
Quake!
Arahon''s humungous body slithered underground. His ws and feet easily made contact with the magma. The melting pressure didn''t seem to have affected him in any way.
Arahon cut a small part of his neck''s skin. Scarlet blood poured out. Arahon then created a ceramic bowl and stored the blood there until it was half full.
He gave it to Solordo, letting the human do the rest.
As he was handed of the bowl, Solordo hesitated.
"Don''t tell me we''re going to conduct the assimting process here?", Solordo asked.
If it was any other ce around, he might have had a greater chance of sessfully assimting the dragon''s blood into his own body.
However, with how hot and dry the underground cave was, gathering his focus turned out to be a huge problem.
"You begged for it, human. Aren''t you supposed to live up with your courage?", Arahon argued.
Solordo scoffed and despised himself for acting cowardly at a time like this. Arahon''s words awakened his unyielding mentality.
''Heh, Solordo. Don''t tell me you''ve grown weak? What about bing the first dual cultivator of Aludia? Didn''t you want to prove yourself?!''
''Academy master gave us this chance because he had great hopes for my return. Why stop now? This little inconvenience isn''t worth to dabble out! Let''s go with it!''
Solordo slowly drank the blood from the ceramic bowl.
The blood was heavy and tasted like earth and metalbined. It was hot and spicy, with a popping sensation on his tongue, mouth, and throat.
Solordo''s body shook in disgust but he managed. He sat down in a lotus position and focused on assimting the pure divine dragon blood into his body.
''My¡ stomach! My¡ heart! They''re all heating up!''
Sweat immediately trickled from his reddish skin. The heat made him groan in pain. He bit his teeth and reminded himself to persevere.
''Come on! Deal with it! Use the blood to fuse the core and body as one!''
The scarlet blood revolved within his stomach, awaiting his intent to assimte it into his chivalric core. Solordo dragged it to his veins, allowing his own blood to naturally push it into his heart.
The dragon''s blood suddenly became a group of tendrils, attaching themselves to Solordo''s heart. A small glimmer of light then emerged with the roar of a dragon resonating.
The light expanded from Solordo''s internal body and shone out from the pores of his skin.
Arahon was in disbelief, "This is it! He has done it!"
The light intensified and the roar loudened. The underground cave started to shake, terrifying the beasts that dwelled above.
Solordo''s body was now floating mid-air. The blinding light shed upward, piercing the dark sky with great force. It carried the ethereal figure of a red dragon spouting mes with its big mouth, flying high into the sky as if it intended to destroy everything that blocked its path.
Chapter 31 Dartex Deluminas, Elven Emporium
Therge column of light appearing from the depths of the Dwarven Mountain Compass and the aura of the red me dragon alerted many powerful people in Aludia.
Some of them questioned the identity of the man who assimted with the divine beast, while others banded together and sought to know the man behind this miraculous event.
¡
Oriental Oceanic Empire, south of Dwarven Mountain Compass.
A schr gazed at the northern direction with a pleasant expression.
"Divine assimtion. I wonder who that lucky person is¡"
His gentle voice drifted on the air.
"Probably from the Luchador Household, right?"
¡
Back at the border between the Morning Star Empire and the Volcanic Grassy ins.
The draconic being constantly shed against the undead, changing the once lustrousnd into a battlefield. He was least interested in what was happening in the dwarven mountainpass.
"It''s strange. Very strange indeed.", he flicked off the great sword to the sides, shing past through the neck of a human undead trying to sneak attack him.
The undead fell on the ground, wriggling under hisrge and wed draconic feet.
"They stopped their advance.", eyeing the valley full of undead loitering like mindless freaks, "Don''t tell me the Morning Star Empire isn''t the target of the caster behind this."
A swirling dark cloud suddenly formed in the center of the horde. It quickly spun in a counter-clockwise direction, bing a thin humanpletely covered in ghastly dark robes, with only their jaw and dried-lipped mouth visible to the outside world.
"Miguel Luchador¡ you sure are one pesky insect in my ns."
The harrowing voice echoed in the entire valley. Miguel, however, remainedposed in spite of how fearful the sound was.
"Dartex Deluminas, you''re still alive after all this time?", he asked with a surprised look.
p "You mortals could never match up to my power!", pinching his fingers, Dartex shouted disdainfully in a rapid manner, "How could your measly little tiny bit of strength affect me in any way!"
"More than enough to annoy your mad egotistic self.", Luchador harrumphed.
"Heh, is that so?! Annoy me? No one can annoy me!", Dartex exuded a dreading aura outward, forcing the undead beings to kneel under his presence, "No one can ever match up to me!"
"Look at how powerful my undead army is! If it wasn''t for that mysterious robed person, I wouldn''t have started this death march of mine!"
Miguel narrowed his eyes, ''Someone else was behind this? No, it seems like he isplimenting another person''s work and is taking full credit for it himself.''
"Now, if you''ll excuse me, Herald, I have a person to thank with!", Dartex shoved his thin arms to dismiss Miguel, "Off with your stanching draconic figure in front of me, or I might turn you into an undead being!"
Miguel was angered, "You wish!", charging towards Dartex.
Thetter simply raised his hands and conjured 9 dark magic circles in front of him, "Deathly Wave!"
A ck fog quickly spread out from his body into the entire legion of undead, covering them like a nket and transformed everything into pure ck air.
Miguel backed off, afraid to touch it, "What?! He''s escaping?!"
The ck air formed into arge skull in the sky, cackling at Miguel''s stupefied face. Dartex re-shaped the air into a straight line and headed east.
The knight turned his head and realized Dartex''s n, "That direction, it''s the eastern seaboard! Don''t tell me he''s targeting the ancient ruins where the entrance of the Heavenly Magic Academy is?!"
¡
The next day, Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary.
A shing sunlight disturbed Eluard from his peaceful sleep.
"It''s time to wake up, Mr. Kai.", a flirtatious feminine voice called out to him.
Eluardzily got up and scratched his eyes, ''Oh yeah, I remember sleeping in her house instead. Why are those damnable elves so despising against us humans?''
He tried to rent a room inside Nirulva city but he was tantly rejected by the locals, reasoning that he was a human.
Left with no choice, he gave up and followed Haera to her house here in the city.
"Do you really have toe in and wake me up?", Eluard was confused.
Haera left and didn''t answer his question.
''What was that all about?'', Eluard touched his chins.
Meanwhile, Haera felt smug after duping Eluard yesterday. She bribed the establishments to reject Eluard with absolute certainty.
It was important for her to not lose her trail of him because she wanted to investigate him as much as possible. She even set up sentries on Eluard''s room to see if he would do something interesting.
She went to retrieve the information when she entered Eluard''s room. After reviewing them, however, none of her expectations were met.
''Did he really admit he was rted to the Heavenly Magic Academy?''
She felt that Eluard was the one who duped her instead.
"Miss Haera¡", a soft elderly voice called from the side.
"Uncle Vermon.", Haera replied.
He bowed, "Breakfast is ready and the carriage is also set to go to the emporium right after.", with light shining on his head.
"Thank you, uncle."
Uncle Vermon eyed Haera with worry, "Miss Haera, that human. I''m not saying that apanying him is against the rules, but¡"
Haera waved him off, "Uncle Vermon, Kai isn''t any simple human. Besides, if those people think that way, then they have proven how low-ss they are."
She rolled her eyes, "Getting jealous against Kai¡", she chuckled, mocking her ex-suitors of how ridiculous they would look like should they confront Eluard in her in sight.
Uncle Vermon noticed how Haera called the human by his name.
''I am not talking about how special he is!''
Rather, Uncle Vermon wanted to talk about the authenticity of Eluard''s identity.
Eluard got out of his bedroom and saw Haera and Uncle Vermon in the hallway. Haera noticed his presence, "Mr. Kai, you''re finally awake. Come, join me in breakfast."
Haera lead the way, with Uncle Vermon bowing at Eluard, gesturing him to go first. As they made way to the dining table, Uncle Vermon mused at Haera''s peculiar behavior.
''Thatss, calling him Kai when he''s not around. Is something other than her mission is going around here?''
¡
"So Mr. Kai, what do you want to do here in Nirulva City after selling your demon beast materials?", Haera asked.
"Obviously buy something good in return. In the emporium, hopefully.", Eluard absent-mindedly answered.
The food served here put him in a trance after taking a single bite.
"Then maybe I could help Mr. Kai around? I have a lot of friends in the emporium.", Haera fluttered her eyes, "I can introduce them to you and you could buy from them instead."
Eluard nodded.
They went off after breakfast and arrived at the Elven Emporium.
Eluard marveled at the sight of a 200-meter-wide tree whose height reached to the top of the heavens.
There were various man-sized holes in the sturdy bark of the tree where peoplee in and out asionally. The traffic here was iparable to the rest of the city.
It was packed with merchant caravans, mercenary bands, and other groups of people. The number of guards stationed here were minisculepared to the visitors.
"If you haven''t known yet, Mr. Kai, the Elven Emporium is a market hub for trading goods inside the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary."
"Each huge city has their own branch of the Elven Emporium, and teleportation magic circles are set up on each branch for a smooth flowing of goods in between. Of course, if you want to use them, theye up with a fee. Ten blue magic crystals each trip."
Eluard understood and asked, "Is there an entrance fee?"
Haera shook her head, "There isn''t, but if you have a prestigious background, you can avail the special goods and services that the Elven Emporium offers to their distinguished guests."
''Don''t tell me I''m going to avail this special stuff because of her distinguished family background¡'', Eluard''s lips twitched.
He then noticed that the people stopped on the sides and made way for Haera''s carriage to go through, ''Is this what she meant by that¡''
The gossips, however, alerted him.
"Hey, isn''t that Goddess Haera''s carriage? Why is she suddenly here in the Elven Emporium of Nirulva City?"
"Did you know? There''s some rumor that Miss Haera was after a young human male back at Jurken Town yesterday. Do you think that¡"
"Shut it! Do you want to die?! Miss Haera has a lot of suitors from various noble households both in the Sanctuary and the Morning Star Empire!"
"Right, right! We should keep this to ourselves¡ go¡ away now¡"
¡
Eluard became gloomy, ''I came here to buy goods, not to be an assassination target!''
Knowing how the ''rivals'' would behave once their dream girl is with another man, Eluard upped his guard and cursed at Haera for being too careless.
She noticed the change in Eluard''s mood, but she shed an innocent smile.
"Mr. Kai, is something the matter?"
''Everything!'', he shouted in his mind, ''Dear lord, let me go through this peacefully. I want to return to the academy in one piece¡''
"Uh, no, no. Everything is fine, Miss Haera. Th-thank you for your concern."
Haera raised her eyebrows.
The carriage stopped and Uncle Vermon opened the window on the side.
"Miss Haera, we''re here."
Chapter 32 Shopping Spree, Abusive Elf
"Where are we to, Miss Haera?", Eluard asked as he got off the carriage.
He realized that they were underground. There were rarely any people here and those who remained were workers and servants moving things around.
''Is this a parking space or something?''
The area wasrge and 2-3 meters high. Each step he took would echo outward, bringing a lively ambiance to the deste surroundings.
"To the top floor, Mr. Kai. A person I know there is rather expectant in meeting you as soon as possible.", Haera replied.
Eluard scratched his cheeks, ''Damn, she acts fast. I have only spent a day here and she already spread the news of my identity and arrival¡''
Haera stepped inside a teleportation magic array and Eluard followed.
The mana reacted and transported them on the top-most level of the Elven Emporium.
When they arrived, a loudugh weed them.
"Ah, Miss Haera! You''re finally here!", a plump middle-aged man approached Haera and Eluard.
Haera was embarrassed by that person''s sudden appearance. Moreover, the hallway was decorated with luxurious paintings, a smooth red carpet, and guards stationed on the sides.
"Uncle Wyn, you don''t have to be this extravagant. A little formality is enough¡"
Wyn dismissed Haera, "Why the frugality? I have money and I will spend it as I wish!"
He noticed Eluard and extended his hands, "You must be Mr. Kai that Miss Haera has been talking about! Nice to finally meet you. I am Wyn Qinric, the manager of Nirulva City''s Elven Emporium branch."
[ Name: Wyn Qinric ]
[ Age: 76 years old (228 human years) ]
[ Race: Elf ]
[ Status: Nirulva City Branch Manager ]
[ Affiliation: Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary, Elven Emporium ]
[ Magic Power: Master Wizard (Median Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Profound Magic Root ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 7.0/10 (Adept Wizard) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Wood ]
Eluard received Wyn, "Hello Mr. Wyn."
Wyn approved of Eluard''s greetings.
"Come,e. Let''s take this inside my office, shall we?"
Wyn''s office wasrge, surrounded by bookshelves on the left and stacks of wines on the right. Eluard could smell the lingering flowery scent in the air.
''No wonder he''s fat¡'', Eluard contemted before closing the door behind him.
"Sit, over here.", Wyn gestured.
"Wyn, you know why we''re here. Have you brought the goods I told you about?", Haera bluntly reminded.
"Oh yes of course I did! But not only did I bring them, I also brought some extras as well.", Wyn smiled at Eluard, "After all, Mr. Kai here might be looking for something more¡ extraordinary.", then flicked his hands.
The two bookshelves on the corner started moving away and revealed a secret door.
"Follow me.", Wyn led.
Eluard saw a vast disy of materials inside the secret room. They were ced neatly on top of wooden tables carved with intricate magic circles.
"Are they array formations, Sir Wyn?", Eluard inquired.
Wyn widened his eyes in surprise, "My, my, Mr. Kai. You sure have a keen sense of perception, don''t you?"
He picked up a staff from the nearest table and showed it to Eluard.
"Mr. Kai, I present to you the Ice Crystal Staff. Consider giving it to the most aplished ice elemental user that you know and you will see that their powers are amplified to a high degree."
Wyn caressed the staff. Its base was cracked in many ces but was filled with dark-colored ice, gluing the fragments.
Mana flowed through the ice, glowing like Christmas lights.
On its head were five diamond-shaped white-bluish crystals floating harmoniously. The middle one wasrge while the rest were small.
[ Ice Crystal Staff (Rare) ]
[ A staff imbued by the natural characteristics of ice. It is cold to the touch and might cause frostbite to non-ice elemental mages and wizards. ]
[ Passive Effect: cial Aura
Ice-based magic spells are 150% more effective. Ice-based magic spells have a 15% reduced mana consumption. Ice-based magic spells are casted 10% faster. ]
[ Passive Effect: Cold re
The staff imbues coldness to the wearer''s mind and body. ]
Wyn felt the cold biting him and immediately returned the staff to the table.
"Ah, very, very cold, Mr. Kai. I would be careful to touch it if I were you.", Wyn advised.
"This staff interests me. How much does it cost, Sir Wyn?", Eluard asked.
Wyn bowed, "200 blue magic crystals, Mr. Kai."
He wanted to say something additional but Eluard cut him off.
"Deal.", Eluard handed out 200 blue magic crystals to Wyn without hesitation.
''Eh?!'', the two elves stared at Eluard with great shock.
''He-he didn''t have to appraise it? Isn''t he afraid of being scammed by this profiteer?!'', Haera was dumbfounded.
Wyn held Eluard''s shoulders, "Wait, Mr. Kai! I think you should have this appraised again first before you-"
"No need. I have my ways, Sir Wyn.", Eluard said before picking up the staff and storing it in his inventory.
He continued onto the next table and scrutinized the rainbow-colored powder stored in a jar.
[ Diffusal Powder (Rare) ]
[ A powder used for pill concoction or array formation. It can also be used as a cooking ingredient and add/remove vor to/from the dish. It has strong dispersing characteristics. ]
''This could be usefulter.'', Eluard turned around, "The diffusal powder?"
"5-5 magic crystals for every 100 grams, Mr. Kai.", Wyn stuttered. He didn''t expect that this young man was that direct.
''He even knows the name of that powder!''
Eluard purchased it and continued walking around the room, buying things that were noteworthy in his eyes. Out of the 900 goods that Wyn disyed, Eluard bought 200 from the list.
[ Inventory ]
[ White Magic Crystals x4589
Blue Magic Crystals x667
Purple Magic Crystal x1
Staff of Demonic Oblivion (Epic) x1
Ice Crystal Staff (Rare) x1
Diffusal Powder (Rare) 700g
Eye of the Broken Basilisk (Rare) x 5
¡
]
''Hmm¡ I still have half a thousand blue magic crystals. And I''m nning to sell more of the demon beast materials back at the Woond Bar.'', Eluard thought as he looked at his inventory.
Meanwhile, Haera and Wyn dumbfoundingly stared at Eluard as if he was some monster.
"Miss Haera, isn''t his storage space strangelyrge?", Wyn whispered.
"Uncle Wyn, that, I do not know either.", Haera shook her head. It seems like there was more than just the elemental spell shifting about Eluard.
"Also, Miss Haera, haven''t you noticed?", Wyn gossiped again.
"What is it now, uncle?!"
Wyn giggled, "That young man, he isn''t giving you any attention at all!"
Haera''s expression darkened. She realized that Eluard has been able to avoid her exquisite beauty even though they''d been together for a while now.
"Ah, Miss Haera. To think the day woulde where you''re the one who is being rejected instead¡"
Haera pinched Wyn''s chubby tummy, "Ah, no stop! Goddess, no!"
Themotion dragged Eluard out of his daze. He approached Wyn with a smile, "Sir Wyn, it seems like that will be all I could buy for today. I''m running low on money so¡"
Haera breathed a sigh of relief after knowing that Eluard wasn''t able to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Wyn waved his hands,forting Eluard.
"Mr. Kai, if you have something to sell, you can approach us as well. If you want it, I can call an appraiser now and buy from you."
Eluard scratched his face, "Well¡"
Haera stepped in and told Eluard, "Mr. Kai, the Woond Bar and the Elven Emporium are under the jurisdiction of the same set of owners. I only sent you to the Woond Bar yesterday to confirm something from you."
"Now that all is well, you don''t have to worry much about making business with Uncle Wyn here."
Eluard was awed by how vast the elvenss'' connections were.
"Then¡ I guess this will do instead?"
He took out the remaining of his loot. Wyn immediately sent 3 adept appraisers to his room and have them checked out.
The appraisers became fervent once they noticed how unusually wless the quality of goods was.
"Oh! A perfectly harvested dark luminous wolf''s hide and ws!"
"What about this wed monkey''s metallic ws? If anything, they''re priced at 50 white magic crystals on how perfect they are!"
"This supple grounded barbed worm''s meat! Damn it, let''s get this over with quickly! My stomach is rumbling after smelling the delicious aroma from the raw meat."
¡
The entire day passed with Eluard constantly buying and selling with Wyn on the Elven Emporium.
He was able to profit 2000 blue magic crystals even after purchasing the other materials he could get from Wyn''s secret room.
Furthermore, due to how profitable their deal was, Wyn handed Eluard a premium Elven Emporium card, allowing him to buy from them, or any other branch, with a 20% discount. It also allowed Eluard to receive news and the highest priority should Wyn or the other branches decide to sell quality stuff on an auspicious day.
"That was tiring.", Eluard yawned.
"Tiring? Shouldn''t you celebrate instead? You profited a lot earlier and you want to rest. You''re wasting a good opportunity here.", Haera shook her head.
"Miss Haera, that was a collective effort from my junior brothers and sisters back at the Heavenly Magic Academy. Also, making money isn''t easy, you know?", Eluard retorted.
Haera rolled her eyes at how dense this human was, ''I''m asking you to¡ to¡''
She blushed but Eluard didn''t seem to have noticed it. The human stared at the sky above as they made their way back to her residence.
"Mr. Kai¡", Eluard looked at her, "What does it feel like being a student of the Heavenly Magic Academy?"
Eluard was confused, "Of all the questions you could ask, why ask the obvious one?"
"Just answer me!", Haera insisted.
He sighed, "Nothing different, really. It''s just reading books, practicing magic, cultivating, and repeating them all, with some tasks given to us once in a while."
"Is that so¡ I thought it would be strict there or somewhere in between¡"
Eluard coughed, "What do you mean by strict? I guess the entrance requirements might be a little strict but after that, everything else is the same."
"Those juniors of yours¡ do you miss them when you''re out here in Aludia?", Haera continued.
"My juniors, huh? Not particrly missing them, but the change of environment does make me feel that way."
He was about to get teary-eyed when the carriage suddenly stopped. Haera was angered that her moment with Eluard was disturbed.
"Uncle Vermon, why have we stopped?"
"Miss, it''s that conceited brat again.", Uncle Vermon helplessly replied.
Haera went out and saw three carriages blocking the way ahead.
"Vulture, what sort of ridiculous parade is this?", she shouted.
[Author''s Note: Pronounced as vul-tu-re, not vol-ture.]
Vulture stood there proudly, "Oh my Goddess, why are you spending your time with a loathsome human instead of a noble elf like me?! Are you ignorant of my affections? Are you blind to my actions?!"
He started weeping like a dumb idiot.
"Vulture Winxys, you have no right to determine which people I choose to hang out with-!"
"Shut up! Shut up!", Vulture cut her off, "How dare you speak back to me, woman? You should shut up and let me finish my words!"
"Instead, you should lower yourself to me and offer your body you bitch!"
The moment he said those words, arge harrowing death reaper appeared behind Vulture and his men.
"Young Master!", one of his subordinates cried in horror.
Vulture turned around, "What?!"
Before he could react, the reaper quickly shed Vulture''s men into two. Their heads lobbed up in the air, glued in their faces the horror of death looking at them right in their eyes.
Blood sprayed out, sprinkling Vulture''s body as if he needed some sort of bloody bath.
The scythe then absorbed the bodies like a ck hole, leaving no trace of them ever existing.
Vulture cried fearfully, "Ah, my men! Who-who dared to do this?!"
Haera''s carriage was opened.
"Mr. Kai?!", Haera and Uncle Vermon stared at him with fear.
They knew that it was him who conjured that horrific figure.
"Vulture¡ Winxys, right?", Eluard coldly red at the elf.
[ Name: Vulture Winxys ]
[ Age: 26 years old (78 human years) ]
[ Race: Elf ]
? [ Status: Current Heir of the Winxys Noble Household ]
[ Affiliation: Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary, Winxys Noble Household ]
[ Magic Power: Adept Wizard (Median Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Profound Magic Root ]
[ Magic Affinity: Fire, Wind ]
Eluard scoffed at Vulture''s attributes.
"A profound magic root, daring to look down upon a mythical magic root. Do you think that just because she''s a woman means you have more authority than her?!"
Eluard manipted the mana to slowly corrode this abusive elf''s magic root and cultivation.
"Ah!", Vulture agonized in pain, turning his face into purple. His nerves were starting to bulge out of his body. He couldn''t feel properly as everything inside him was being burned inside out.
"St-stop it, Mr. Kai!", Haera begged. Although Vulture was a scornful fellow, the household and people that backed him were powerful.
However, she had to admit that Eluard was also a very powerful wizard indeed. None of them noticed Eluard amassing his mana to attack Vulture and his people.
It simply came out of nowhere and when they realized what happened, they were already dead. Moreover, Eluard seems to know her magic root''s rarity and of Vulture''s just by a single nce.
"Luckily, my time is nearing and academy master has called me out. Otherwise, I would''ve obliterated you and the people behind you to dust.", Eluard threatened before conjuring a teleportation magic circle below him.
"Miss Haera, this is where we part ways for now. I''ll be back to finish thister."
Chapter 33 Special Task Updated
Eluard overheard the conflict outside the carriage but ignored it. He was staring at the mission panel shed in his eyes.
[ Warning: Your Special Task: Uninvited Guests has been updated ]
''Updated?'', he wondered.
[ Special Task: Uninvited Guests (Updated) ]
[ Members of the Creed of the Morning Star have found an entrance to the Heavenly Magic Academy''s dimension. You were supposed to meet them 2 months from now but an unexpected incident has urred. A warlock has rampaged through the fort and is causing havoc. Avert the crisis from worsening and stop the perpetrator. ]
[ Requirement: Stop Dartex, The Fallen Genius ]
[ Additional Requirement: At least 75% of the Creed and League of Wizardry members survive ]
[ Optional Requirement: Reform the Fallen Genius ]
[ Rewards (Updated): Temporary Power Scroll x 3 (Random), Random Special Skill x1 ]
[ Additional Rewards (On Completion of Optional Requirements): Random Equipment (Epic) x1, Orange Magic Crystal x1 ]
[ On Failure: Death of the Creed and League of Wizardry Members ]
''I might have to use my temporary power scroll for this.'', Eluard thought.
If even the lives of the members of the Creed and League were threatened, there was no other thing than the fact that the enemy was powerful.
He was about to silently leave when he heard Vulture''s oppressive words.
''System¡ use the temporary power scroll.''
[ Applying ]
Power surged through Eluard''s body, making him float for a moment and emit a bluish aura.
''I never wanted to include myself in this conflict, but your words and actions gave me no choice.''
He conjured the death reaper, striking Vulture''s men and reaping them of their lives. He opened the door and showed himself.
"A profound magic root, daring to look down upon a mythical magic root. Do you think that just because she''s a woman means you have more authority than her?!"
Eluard manipted the mana to slowly corrode this abusive elf''s magic root and cultivation.
"Ah!", Vulture agonized in pain, turning his face into purple. His nerves were starting to bulge out of his body. He couldn''t feel properly as everything inside him was being burned inside out.
"St-stop it, Mr. Kai!", Haera begged. Although Vulture was a scornful fellow, the household and people that backed him were powerful.
However, she had to admit that Eluard was also a very powerful wizard indeed.
"Luckily, my time is nearing and academy master has called me out. Otherwise, I would''ve obliterated you and the people behind you to dust.", Eluard threatened before conjuring a teleportation magic circle below him.
"Miss Haera, this is where we part ways for now. I''ll be back to finish thister."
¡
Eluard teleported to the headmaster''s office. He took out his mask and hesitated on equipping it.
''Should I¡ present myself as the academy master or as Mr. Kai?''
There were advantages and disadvantages of either option, but he concluded that presenting himself as Kai was more sensible than as the academy master.
First of all, his temporary power scroll was limited to the level of a grandmaster magus. The Heavenly Magic Academy''s academy master should have no difficulties in restraining the rampaging warlock and Eluard was unsure of the enemy''s strength.
What if it was an archmage and he embarrassed himself under the identity of the academy master?
On the other hand, presenting himself as Mr. Kai, the alleged ''hidden sixth disciple'' of the academy master, would provide him a lot of space for errors and unexpected oues.
In addition, Haera and Uncle Vermon witnessed his power and his words saying that he was called by the ''academy master''.
If he reappeared in the eastern seaboard and captured the rampaging warlock, he would validate his identity as someone rted to the Heavenly Magic Academy, giving him an easier timemunicating with the Sanctuary and other factions in Aludia.
''However, this will lead to another problem as well.''
Eluard considered the inconsistency it might bring in the future.
After all, his true power is far from the fact of what the Sanctuary and the rest of Aludia believed upon, a grandmaster magus.
People with observant eyes might notice something suspicious should he be careless from now on.
"System, I''m ready now.", Eluard said before putting back the mask on his inventory.
[ Calcting coordinates ]
[ ¡ ]
[ Calctionspleted ]
[ Target: South of Eastern Seaboard, Dulrak''s Ruins ]
[ Teleporting ]
A very wide teleportation magic circle appeared underneath him, illuminating the entire office and blinding his eyes.
Eluard could feel his body lighten and start to float again in the air. The mana surged until his figure vanished from the office.
The students noticed this disturbance but paid it no heed.
''Academy master must be testing some new spells right now. I wonder what it is.'', Jinmu mused while flipping on a thick book discussing the intricacy of magic array formations.
He was stuck on his venture in domain mana synthesis.
''The advanced knowledge presented is something I cannot discern properly for the time being. I might becking in knowledge.''
Reading another book proved sessful as his mind was refreshed and new knowledge popped into his mind.
Meanwhile, Emi and Olivia sat a few tables from him and studied on their own.
"Sister Olivia, did you feel it too?", Emi said while munching on a vegetarian sandwich. For some reason, the vegetables served in the canteen were simrly delicious like that of meat.
Olivia nodded, wrinkling her brows in contemtion.
¡
Morning Star Empire. A few hours earlier.
A four-horned demonic creature suddenly attacked Miguel, forcing him to block it andnd back to the ground.
"Kekekeke¡", the demonic creatureughed, "What''s the hurry, Herald of the Dragons? Care to join me in my solitude?"
Miguel ignored the creature and nced at the disappearing undead legion in the distance.
"No wonder Dartex has the audacity to start an outbreak.", he turned his head around and locked eyes with the towering demonic creature, "It seems like your great demonic lord cannot wait any longer, Otherworldler."
"How dare you sully my master''s name, hybrid! How can an impure being like you could ever understand?!", the demonic creature cursed.
Its long tail pped around, pounding the ground with each sentence it finished.
"This world was supposed to be ours in the first ce! You only set your foot upon here the moment those shiny crescent heads became jealous of us and chose to steal it during our most vulnerable days!"
Miguel scoffed, "Your fault for being careless, Otherworldler. The sins of the past are something we in the present are gloriously upholding until now."
This phrase angered the demonic creature. It hissed and opened itsrge mouth, with itsrge ears and tail erecting high.
The huge four arms trembled in great distress, grasping the air as if it wanted to crush Miguel''s head a thousand times.
"Die!"
Chapter 34 Dulraks Ruins, Abysmal Descent
Eastern Seaboard, Dulrak''s Ruins.
Bodiesy lifeless on the red-painted ground inside a forest. sted sections of walls and columns littered around with green vegetation growing on top of them.
A foul stench permeated the area. It carried with it the aura of dread and death, instilling fear in everything that stood in its way.
Dartex and his undead legion have finally arrived.
"Come out,e out now! You damnable nobility and so-called guardians of Aludia, you stupid Creed cultists and rule-enved wizards!"
His harrowing voice echoed in the forest, rming the innocent animals that were now fleeing to the distant safety.
Two golden-robed magi appeared a few meters from Dartex.
"Cardinal Lerga Sacramento, Magister Amos Linson. What a fateful reunion this is.", thetterughed.
The other two put on dismal expressions on their faces.
"Dartex, stop with this madness right now! Surrender yourself, there is no need for spilling of blood today.", Lerga advised.
Embedded on his left chest was the glittering emblem of the Creed''s symbol.
Dartex''s dried mouth grinned, "Lerga, after all these years, that is all you could say.", before he secretly conjured six dark magic circles on his hidden left hand, "Spill not one blood¡ surrender thyself¡ Is your foul mind only capable of reasoning with this?", and sent out a dark beam towards the two.
"Star Shield!", Lerga countered. A golden star-shaped shield appeared in front of them, blocking Dartex''s attack.
"Lerga, this is going nowhere. We should join forces and beat this madd.", Amos suggested.
Lerga''s golden eyes glinted in coldness, "You take point, Magister Amos. I''ll support you from the back."
Amos was shocked, ''This despicable cardinal has the guts to plot against me on times like this?!''
His daze was interrupted when Dartex hurled arge fireball into them, blowing their surroundings into bits.
"What''s the long face for?!"
Amos clicked his tongue in annoyance, ''I''ll deal with the Creedter. For now¡'', hepromised and chose to take the lead instead.
Dartex slowly walked towards the two, "Lerga, Amos. You may have broken me once before, but I will not let you break something again today!"
They could feel the hate from his speech.
"You will not take another step in that dimension, or you will taint the holiness of the Heavenly Magic Academy with your foul minds! Attack!"
The undead legion roared in unison, charging with unstoppable momentum with the desire to tear off Amos and Lerga''s existence out of this world.
Lerga used this chance to run towards the entrance of the ruins and block off the pursuing undead by closing the enchanted heavy stone doors.
A clergyman approached Lerga, "Cardinal Lerga, what''s going on outside?"
"Prepare the teleportation magic array! We need to go now!", Lerga panicked.
"But it''s not ready¡", the clergyman weakly replied.
p "Then make it so! I''m ordering you!"
The clergyman jumped in fright, "Ye-yes Cardinal Lerga!", hurrying off to inform the others about the changes in their n.
¡
Back outside, Dartexughed at Lerga''s cowardice, "And they call themselves the guardians of Aludia. How professional of them."
"It seems like yourpany has left you to die, Amos. You should''ve known better who to trust in the bitter end."
"Shut the fuck up.", Amos ignored Dartex''s provocations and counter-attacked.
He conjured 7 light magic circles on his hand, "Wheel of Light!", throwing several discs of light that easily cut through the charging undead legion.
They spun quickly and warped the space around them, affecting arge area.
Amos gritted his teeth, ''This might be an easy solution¡ however¡'', it costed the lives of the humans who could''ve been saved.
Each being it decapitated hurt his heart more than the previous one.
Seeing the spinning discs converging to his location, Dartex grasped the air. 8 dark magic circles appeared below him.
"Tendrils of the Void!"
The ground quaked intensely as seventeen purple-colored tendrils sprouted and caught all of the spinning discs.
The tendrils suddenly bloated and ''pumped'' their dark essence into the golden wheels, corrupting them.
Dartex circled his index finger, "Right back at you.", before pointing it to Amos.
His purple tendrils extended, throwing the corrupted wheels to its owner.
Amos shouted, "Guardian Bloom!", conjuring 9 light magic circles.
A golden sunflower rapidly grew in front of him and opened wide its 75 petals. The center of the sunflower turned hollow, bing a strong vortex that sucked the iing corrupted wheels.
Its roots wriggled underground, turning into countless legs like that of a centipede. It walked around and started swallowing all of the nearby undead into its bottomless hole.
The pulling force was so strong that even the heavy stone walls weren''t spared.
The more it absorbed, the bigger it grew, quickly surpassing 10 meters and there weren''t any signs of stopping. Stem grew out of the other roots, sprouting new golden sunflowers, and started sucking things in as well.
Dartex realized the danger of the situation. The suction that those golden sunflowers disyed weren''t a joke. If he was caught by them, not even his tendrils could help him out.
And that was considering they weren''t fully grown yet.
He extended both of his hands up high and conjured 10 dark magic rings, "Abysmal Descent!", his harrowing voice echoing to the top of the heavens.
Hearing those words, Amos'' face turned pale. He recently just became a grandmaster magus and wasn''t versed in any form 10 magic spells.
''He''s really the fallen genius, Dartex Deluminas!''
The reason for Dartex''s title was how a genius he was when he was aw-abiding student, not until he decided to betray the principles of magical cultivation and used them tomit severe crimes instead.
''Abysmal Descent, otherwise known as The Death Realm''s Call!'', Amos stumbled on the ground fearfully.
Only the vilest of wizards could conjure such a spell. After all, one wouldmunicate with the realm of death, a ce where eternal suffering was themon experience, and far more nightmarish torture and mind-breaking sceneries existed deep within.
There was a saying in history that even the demonic creatures from the Otherworld hesitated to step inside such a suicidal realm.
Amidst his stupefaction, the sky above turned dark and time seemed to have slowed down to a great extent.
Space was torn apart and arge deteriorated skull peeked out from the other side of the crack. The red balls that inhabited the hollowed eye sockets looked below and nced at Dartex''s thin figure.
As if realizing what happened, the skull vanished and a dreadful aura leaked out from therge tear.
Amos could feel the earth crying in despair, the sound of death ringing in his sweating ears. Thunder rumbled and dark lightning shed from time to time.
After a while, a group of horrendous ethereal beings flew out of the crack like swarms of bees flying around.
Their screams were loud and painful, their bodies were tall and unimaginably disfigured, and their thirst for life was dangerously high that anything they passed through decayed in the blink of an eye.
"Th-th-the ves of death! Spectral des!", Amos shouted.
The divine-like aura surrounding the golden sunflowers caught their attention, immediately heading straight towards them.
The golden sunflowers tried to absorb the spectral des only to be responded with mockingughter from its nemesis. Once the spectral des were inside, sharp dark ws protruded out of their ''hands'' and started tearing everything apart, including space itself.
The golden sunflowers squirmed in dismay. Its panicking roots iled around, bringing even more destruction to thend.
It tried to suck in more but all was for naught as the spectral des were faster.
Amos could hear their cackling even from a hundred meters away, "This is impossible! Dartex, stop this now! You should know better what would happen if these spectral des start rampaging in this world!"
Dartexughed, "Oh, Amos, the idiot. You should have known better on what to do before and after what happened that day¡", red mes gleamed out from his dreary eyes, finally showing his full face to the outside world.
"Your ironic principles will sway me no more. The man who once stood on that path died decades ago!"
He ordered his tendrils to attack Amos at full strength.
Amos gulped, regret filling his heart.
Just as the tendrils were about to reach him, a long stretch of concentrated light bounded them in ce.
"What?! Who''s there?!", Dartex gasped.
The stone doors from the entrance were blown into bits. Inside the smoke were various silhouettes walking towards the exit.
The man leading them was no other than Eluard wearing a wizard robe he bought from the Sanctuary earlier. Behind him were a group of clergymen from the Creed and wizards from the League.
He was resting his left foot on top of the face of Lerga who fell t on the ground, bound in ropes.
He raised his head proudly and assumed a pose.
"Mr. Kai, a disciple of the Heavenly Magic Academy."
Chapter 35 Eluards Arrival, Surprising Matter
Eluard gazed at the undead legion in front of him.
''Those things look familiar¡?''
He reckoned that they looked perfectly simr to the undead he created back at the volcanic grassy ins.
Dartex''s eyes widened in surprise.
"He-Heavenly Magic Academy? You said you are from the Heavenly Magic Academy?!", pointing his fingers at Eluard''s smug figure.
"You must be Dartex, the Fallen Genius.", Eluard replied.
[ Name: Dartex Deluminas (The Fallen Genius) ]
[ Age: 112 years old ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Status: Corrupted by Demonic Whisper ]
[ Affiliation: None (Warlock) ]
[ Magic Power: Grandmaster Magus (Full Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Void Magic Root (Mythical) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 9.5/10 (Grandmaster Magus) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Dark, Fire, Earth, Void ]
[ Void Magic Root (Mythical) ]
[ You can call upon the void to bring forth death and destruction to your enemies. It carries the corruptive power of death that transforms everything touched into darkness, and living beings into undead. ]
[ Additional Effect: Death''s Whisper ]
[ Due to your unnatural body, you have a special connection to the death realm and can open a portal as you wish. This, however,es with a painful price. ]
[ Degradation Effect: Death''s Bounty ]
[ Because of your special connection to the death realm, you will receive a penalty when meeting with other creatures and are likely to receive their dislike and contempt. ]
''The death realm? There is such a thing?''
Eluard realized that the universe might be grander in its expanse than he imagined.
There was also the fact that Dartex had a strange magic affinity, the void. Eluard was unsure of what it was, cing the matter on the back of his head to study itter.
''And he seems to be corrupted by something called demonic whisper.''
[ Demonic Whisper ]
[ A form 9 magic spell used to entrance a target into warping the indistinctiveness of reality and illusion. It urges the worst desires of a person intomitting vile actions that they think are aligned with their noble principles. ]
Dartexughed, "Finally, an apostle from the fabled magic academy! Come help me, brat! Let us deal with these mongrels who wish to tarnish the holiness of that ce!"
Eluard was confused, ''He''s on a trail of blood and revenge. I can feel it. However, his means¡''
He gazed again at the system prompt and came up with the conclusion that Dartex might currently be not in his right state of mind.
"I''m sorry, but it seems like you are the one who needs to step down instead, Dartex. As far as I can see, the only person here who wishes to tarnish the academy is you."
"Furthermore¡", Eluard pointed at the undead legion, "Those things¡ what are they doing here?"
Dartexughed again, "What fool did the academy brought to me this time?!", eyeing Eluard with great hatred while ignoring hisst question, "It seems like you''re not the one I''m looking for! Fine, then so be it!"
He regained control of his tendrils and tried to grasp Amos who was still in a dazed state after everything that happened.
Eluard saw through this and bounded the tendrils with light.
"To hell with your light element! Void Touch!"
Dark poisonous fog immediately appeared on top of the tendrils, trying to corrupt Eluard''s light element.
However, he noticed that they remained stable and pure.
"You bastard, you''re an archmage already?!"
Eluard smirked, "Are you afraid now?", bluffing the enemy in hopes of instilling fear in them.
However, Dartex unexpectedly smirked in reply.
"You think I''m afraid?! Even if you''re a god, no one will be stopping me today!"
Dartex controlled the undead legion to charge straight at Eluard. However, the undead remained on their grounds, unwilling to move a single inch.
"M¡ma¡maker¡", mumbled by one of them.
"Maker? What do you mean maker?!", Dartex was losing his temper. He turned around and saw Eluard smiling at him as if he had won the battle.
[ Alert: Corrupted mana signature detected on several undead beings. Do you wish to remove them? ]
[ Note: This is only possible due to your original mana signature that was used as a foundation for the cirction of the undead aura. ]
''So this guy made use of my previous spell, huh?'', Eluard gritted his teeth in annoyance. He didn''t expect that he would be exploited like that easily.
''System, is this everything he has?'', he asked, wondering if Dartex left any stragglers behind to spread and bring forth another undead legion.
[ The system is unable to determine for this moment but it is likely to be a possible scenario due to Dartex''s slyness. It is advisable to deal with the undead legion first as soon as possible and interrogate himter. ]
''Extract it then.'', Eluard ordered.
[ Warning: Performing extraction will render the undead back into their normal forms. Are you sure you wish to proceed? ]
The alert prompt reminded Eluard of the casualties that might happen should he perform the extraction process now.
Dartex was a crazy man who wasn''t in the slightest conscious or sympathetic to the deaths of his fellow humans. Even if he fought against Dartex now, the surrounding area wouldn''t be in a good condition and implicate the others in their battle.
''System, don''t we have a prison chamber back at the academy? Can we use it to hold the undead legion for the time being?''
[ Affirmative. Executing order. ]
Thousands of teleportation magic circles shed on each undead being that Dartex brought with him.
"Teleportation? You bastard, you think I would allow you that?!"
He extended his hands and tried to cancel the teleportation but a mysterious force prevented him from doing so.
''It doesn''t even work like this?'', Dartex began to panic.
Amidst his confusion, the magic circles shed brightly and vanished in sight, dragging along with it his undead legion.
Dartex was maddened when he felt the lost connection to the legion.
"You shit! You will pay for that! Tendrils of the void! Cataclysmic Firefall!"
More tendrils emerged below the ground, fighting against Eluard''s rays of light.
The air then turned hot, vaporizing water in an instant asrge swathes of fireballs formed on the red-painted sky above before raining down like water.
''Can ice and water stop this?'', Eluard asked himself beforerge ice shards and water torrents burst from the ground to stop the zing fireballs.
He felt his ice melting at an rming rate and his water vaporizing into nothingness.
"Then earth it is!"
He created a thick dome-shaped earthen shelter, covering him and the rest from the impending danger.
The fire zed outside, flowing likeva and burning everything into ashes except Eluard''s makeshift earthen dome.
"You hide under a shell?", Dartex smiled.
The void tendrils worked better in a darker environment.
However, Eluard expected this reaction from Dartex as well. His enhanced magical sensorying from his eye of fidelity made it sure that no disturbance of magical flow will ever escape his eyes.
"He-help me!", one of the clergymen from the Creed shouted as a tendril grabbed him.
Eluard immediately sent out rays of light to stop and bound down the assailing tendrils while saving those who were caught.
His mind was miraculously multitasking as if there were multiple brains inside his head. There were no signs of a hindrance to his performance. He could cast binding light to deal against the tendrils while looking out for any other potential threats that might endanger him.
"Enough with that ray of light! Time to deal with you!"
Dartex sent out the spectral des who were waiting on the sides. They slip past the earthen wall went for Eluard whom they sensed a strong aura of divinity.
"Kekeke¡"
Their devilish cackle frightened most of them that they fainted out.
Amos, who has long recovered from his daze, went to Eluard''s side.
"Mr. Kai, be careful! Those are spectral des, the servants of death from the death realm! They are very powerful and can ignore most attacks you send to them!"
Eluard narrowed his eyes.
[ Name: Spectral des ]
[ Affiliation: Death Realm ]
[ Type: Innate Undead ]
[ Rarity: Legendary ]
[ Power Level: King-level ]
[ Affinity: Dark, Void ]
''A king-level beast? I can take it!'', Eluard was confident, "Is that so? Can you take care of the tendrils and Dartex for me?"
Amos nodded, yet a hint of worry could be seen on his face.
Before he realized it, Eluard and the spectral des were already shing.
Thetter was screaming at Eluard, revealing their dark sinister ws awaiting to bathed in fresh blood.
He sent a light beam to one of them and pushed it back.
The spectral de rotated mid-air and stopped after a while. It shook its head in confusion before growling back at Eluard and became more ferocious than ever before.
''It works, but it angers them.'', Eluard said while quickly making his way to escape the pursuit of the spectral des.
He would asionally st them with light beams in case they get too close to him. Just as he was about to make a turn to evade a tendril from grasping him, one of the spectral des quickly dashed to his side.
It bared its ethereal teeth and let out a ghastly aura that afflicted Eluard into losing his consciousness.
However, at that moment, a beating sensation erupted from his mind.
On the crack above the ruins, the skeletal head from before emerged fully into the world. The red lights that shed in its hollowed eyes were pointing in the direction of Eluard.
Its jaw was hung down. He was intrigued by something.
"Keke¡ Interesting."
Chapter 36 Steward Of Death
Eluard woke up in a familiar void of space. His slightly muddled eyes were trying toprehend the visuals appearing in front of him.
''This is¡?''
On the far distance was a bluish-white star, emitting radiant light to the nearby floating debris of rocks and other things.
Dust swirled around it like a typhoon and its dark clouds.
''I''m in space? What''s going on?''
He looked around, only to be replied with a warning prompt from the system.
[ Warning: Brute memory intrusion detected. Deploying countermeasures ]
''Memory intrusion?'', he shook his head, clearing up his chaotic mind.
The moment he opened his eyes again, he witnessed a mesmerizing event.
The star in the center of theary system started rapidly spinning on its own, glowing brighter than usual before sending outrge rays of light flying towards his forehead with light speed.
It hit him, ''Wha-what''s happening now?!'', frightening Eluard.
Before he realized it, strange memories were being dumped into his head forcefully.
"Ah!", Eluard shouted. He was caught off-guard and was now experiencing a mind-numbing headache, almost losing consciousness in the process.
''Hold on! I need to hold on!''
He didn''t notice that a golden humanoid figure appeared right beside the star on theary system. It simply nced at Eluard before it disappeared.
Back on the outside world, everyone inside the dome saw Eluard''s forehead glowing in a golden hue. He was shouting in pain with his eyes closed.
The spectral de that tried to assault him was struck by a golden ray of light before it was pushed far away, devoid of sentience.
Its hollow figure fell to the ground, turning into ashes a secondter.
The other spectral des became wary and careful in their approach. Some of them even backed further in case they were hit by that strange light that entangled around Eluard.
"I don''t know what happened to him but get away for now!", Amos ordered the others.
Time passed by and the golden light became stronger, tearing down the earthen dome as the rays flew outwards. It shed intensely like the sun then died out.
Eluard regained his consciousness, kneeling on the ground while gasping for breath.
"Who are you, human?", a cold voice called out to him.
Eluard raised his head and saw a huge skeletal head floating in the sky. Its figure was too intimidating that he gulped and remained silent for a while.
[ Legend: Kamtya Henan ]
[ Affiliation: Death Realm ¨C Steward of Death ]
[ Type: Ascended Divine Being ]
[ Rarity: Divine ]
[ Power: Deity-level ]
[ Affinity: Darkness, Void ]
''De-deity level! I thought monarch-level was the peak!'', Eluard shouted in his mind.
This sort of monster was too strong for anyone to battle against. Moreover, it was only a skeletal head but its figure was already a towering behemoth.
Seeing that the human was not in the mood to reply, Kamtya let out a sigh.
"Fine, keep your identity to yourself. But know this, human. Be careful of that power hidden inside yours. A¡ treacherous war might prematurely start in case you carelessly use it for your entertainment."
It turned around and looked at Dartex, "Consider yourself lucky today. I''ll take this as your sacrifice instead."
Kamtya dropped his jaw, absorbing the raging mes that Dartex casted earlier. Although it had spread far and wide, almost tens of kilometers in a matter of minutes, all of it was easily taken away by one big skeletal head.
"Mark my words, human. Use your power well¡ Kekeke¡"
Kamtya''s figure slowly faded into nothingness. The crack in the space above also mended and returned to normal.
Dartex became speechless. That skeletal head wasn''t this talkative on other asions. For it to act like that after seeing Eluard, something was going on.
Now that his trump card was out of the table, Dartex no longer have any reasons to stay. He knew how fast the League would react and the Knights might be on their way as well.
However, a wide smirk appeared on his face.
"Kai... Kai¡ I''ll remember that name very well!"
A dark portal emerged behind Dartex, sucking him in and distorting his figure in the process. The portal faded away, leaving only a devastated wastnd that was once a lush forest full of life.
The remains of the earthen dome crumbled into dust. Amos and the others could feel the agonizing burning smell. It was too strong that he could feel his stomach acting up.
They then approached Eluard. Their faces were pale due to the intense battle earlier but a hint of gratitude could be seen in their eyes.
If it wasn''t for this brave human whom they were unfamiliar with saving them in the nick of time, they would''ve died.
"Mr. Kai, I am Magister Amos Linson from the League of Wizardry. Thank you for your help.", Amos sincerely bowed.
Eluard stood up and nodded to them, "Are you the people sent here to ess the teleportation array to the Heavenly Magic Academy?"
"Yes, this is all of us, Mr. Kai. It was spearheaded by the Creed led by Cardinal Lerga, but¡", Amos eyed the corpse of Lerga whose body was riddled with punctured holes everywhere, "Well, I guess that doesn''t matter now."
Amos didn''t expect that things would turn out this way and neither did Eluard.
Dartex''s sudden attack was unexpected, and his direct involvement in the undead outbreak was a surprise as well.
"Mr. Kai, you said that you came from the Heavenly Magic Academy, right?", Amos asked.
"Yes, I am a student there. The academy master sent me here to assist you.", Eluard calmly answered.
"Eh? You-you already know that we wereing?", Amos and his colleagues were stupefied.
If that was the case, what was the purpose of the academy waiting for them to be attacked before Eluard showed up?
Wasn''t it much safer if their academy master received them in advance instead?
Eluard waved his hands in dismissal, "It''s not what you think it is. Master has his ns. Looking at that guy''s body, serving as evidence, his n seemed to have worked well."
Amos understood Eluard''s implication. Moreover, he realized that they were tapping onto a teleportation array that led to the academy.
p Since that was the case, it was a given that its powerful academy master would''ve noticed something happening here.
Lastly, the academy had pride of its own. Meeting them proactively would tarnish the academy''s high prestige. After all, it wasn''t under the jurisdiction of any factions or empires. They weren''t required to give or show face to them and wouldn''t be punished for not doing it either.
Rather, it should be them crawling under the academy''s mercy.
Amos bowed in pardon, "I see. It is my fault for not realizing it sooner, Mr. Kai."
Eluard panicked in his mind, ''What own ns of mine? This is bullshittery at its finest! And he even believes it!''
"Mr. Kai, the other magisters in the League will arrive soon. Do you want to meet with them? It would be of great news should they know that the Heavenly Magic Academy has returned.", Amos suggested.
He did not, for one bit, doubt Eluard''s identity. His power was immeasurable and Amos could feel a hint of divinity coursing through Eluard''s inner body.
A powerful archmage like him deceiving Amos would be too far-fetched. There wasn''t any point in receiving the hostility of the League just to mess with them by ying a prank.
"Fine by me.", Eluard epted. He was willing to meet and talk with the big guys.
Although it was now steering off his original n by miles ahead, he was willing to adapt andpromise.
''Maybe I could hire someone from them instead.''
An archmage working for him¡ That would tremendously help his time management and teacher quality problems.
Archmages were highly knowledgeable and well-versed in the art of nameless spell casting. Their decades of experience in magic cultivation were something not to be trifled with. It could help the current students in building their foundations, transferring such knowledge clearly and directly.
Of course, in the case that the rest doubted him, he would just teleport the pack of mistrusting wizards and p reality to their faces.
Amidst his thoughts, Eluard noticed a faint aura emanating from the east of his position.
Noticing Eluard, Amos sighed, "So you feel it too, Mr. Kai?"
Eluard was intrigued, "May I know what this aura is all about, Magister Amos?"
"It happened yesterday. Someone from the Luchador family assimted their blood with the divine me dragon in the dwarven mountainpass, the me dragon lord Arahon Agui.", Amos exined.
"What were feeling right now is a remnant of that legendary event. Nobody has yet to assimte blood from a divine beast and everyone is interested in knowing this young person who achieved such a feat."
After hearing the answer, Eluard felt happy inside.
''It must be Solordo. That brat is living up to his words.'', he thought, ''I''ll have to prepare a present for him when hees back.''
Chapter 37 League Of Wizardry, An Archmage Arrives
On the skies high above in the eastern seaboard, 16 streaks of different lights propelled in the air at a supersonic speed.
Inside them were grandiosely robed people bearing the emblem of the League on the side of their arms. A ball of me floated atop of a hand, that was the League''s emblem.
Apart from how well-dressed the rest were, an old man in in white robes actually led this group of men.
"Magister Lemus, you said that Magister Amos sent a distress signal to the ry earlier. Howe it took us a while to receive that call?", the old man asked.
His white hair fluttered harmoniously despite how fast he was traveling.
The man beside him narrowed his eyes, "Elder Flock, that I am unsure. Maybe someone is messing with the League''smunication systems.", exining in a dire tone.
Thismunication system he talked about was a highly-developed and efficient system that allows the League and any of its members to share information within just by sending an encrypted signal constructed through mana anywhere in Aludia.
A member was trained in various ways on how to master this secret method. Furthermore, their signals were unique, allowing the League to determine who sent a particr message.
They could be cryptic or informative depending on the intentions of the sender. However, for Magister Amos''s message to be that fragmented and confusing, someone inside the League must''ve tampered with it.
Magisters were the third-highest and most powerful in the ranking of members in the League of Wizardry. The probability of Amos sending a broken message was unusual for someone at that rank.
As for external forces messing with theirmunications, the League enhanced itsmunication methods over the years, increasing its security and preventing anyone from getting a hint of their signals.
"We''re here.", the old man stopped, overlooking the cked area.
Their eyes opened wide in surprise. This scale of a battle was too devastating for Amos and the rest of the group to survive.
Dartex''s void mana was an extremely powerful type of mana that could erase or alter the existence of any object to whatever Dartex wished as long as it was within the boundaries of his power and skill.
If Amos and the rest were to survive, only someone at the archmage level or a radiant knight could help them. The divinity imbued in their powers was more than enough to trample the void''s peculiar characteristics.
"Look over there!", one of them pointed at Eluard and Amos in the distance.
The newly arrived groupnded. Amos immediately went over and greeted them.
Elder Flock looked at Amos with a hint of doubt, "Amos, what happened here? I thought you and the rest were in danger."
Amos bowed, "That was the case, Elder Flock. Not until this young man, Mr. Kai, helped us deal with Dartex."
They gasped in shock after hearing Dartex''s name. Even Elder Flock became serious in the mention of that fallen genius.
"So he is still alive after all that has happened to him.", he sighed, "That man was persistent and courageous. What a shame that he fell on the darker side."
Elder Flock gazed at Eluard.
"Thank you, young man, for your timely assistance. I am Elder Flock from the League of Wizardry. I assure you that we will not forget what you have done today."
Eluard scratched his cheek in embarrassment. He was unsure of what to say after. Instead, he took a peek at Elder Flock''s attributes.
[ Name: Flock Gamble ]
[ Age: 167 years old ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Status: Alive]
[ Affiliation: League of Wizardry (Elder) ]
[ Magic Power: Archmage ]
[ Magic Root: Profound Magic Root ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 8.8/10 (Archmage) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Fire, Wind ]
''A profound magic root and an archmage at that?'', Eluard didn''t expect to see a true archmage today. All he could feel about this Elder Flock was how calm his figure was.
The power residing inside him was all restrained such that it didn''t affect the outside world.
A loud snort resounded. It was a fat man advancing towards Eluard.
"More than that, Elder Flock. Isn''t his timing too convenient? Don''t tell me you knew that this ce would be attacked, do you?", he questioned Eluard''s authenticity.
Amos smiled despite how hostile it sounded.
"You''re right, Magister Jaggos. This man here is actually someone from the Heavenly Magic Academy."
The people from the League gasped in surprise.
"Heavenly Magic Academy?"
"I thought that it was closed for years! Howe they have a student now?"
Jaggos didn''t believe what Amos said.
"Impossible! The Heavenly Magic Academy hasn''t been seen until now! How could someone like hime from there?", he argued.
The other wizards and clergymen retorted Jaggos''s argument, witnessing with their eyes how Eluard arrived through the teleportation magic formation.
"Now, now. We don''t need to argue much about this.", Elder Flock interfered, "We can just ask him if he knows the way to the Heavenly Magic Academy.", eyeing Eluard with curiosity.
''Strange, I cannot determine how powerful this person is. It''s like trying to stare at the bottomless ocean.''
Everyone epted Elder Flock''s suggestion. However, the old man waved his hand and dismissed their thoughts.
"However, now is not the time to think about that.", seriously gazing at the spot where Dartex vanished, "Dartex must''ve known of your identity already. If he chooses to divulge that information as soon as possible, we would be facing a huge disaster."
They looked at each other and realized what Elder Flock implied.
Demonic Creatures. The Otherworld and its rivalry against the Heavenly Magic Academy.
Dartex was a genius. Even if Eluard didn''t say who he was right from the start, he would suspect Eluard''s identity.
Moreover, he was a very unstable warlock. Nobody knew what was on his mind, and the things he would do next.
Eluard, however, could feel a tense crisis looming over his head. He tantly divulged his identity in front of his enemy. The worst part was that thetter was able to escape without him doing anything to stop it.
Also, Dartex was affected by a strange spell, the demonic whisper.
Eluard''s guts were telling him that the fallen genius was working under the demonic creatures, and his presence to trample upon the ruins today might be an order from Dartex''s master.
"I can feel the trace of spatial magic being used here recently. However, I cannot trace to which other side did it end.", Elder Flock voiced out.
At that moment, the system prompted Eluard.
[ The system can track Dartex''s dark portal endpoint at the cost of one purple magic crystal. Would you like to proceed? ]
''Eh? You have this kind of functionality now?'', Eluard was surprised.
[ The system''s range of capability is vastly more than you have imagined, host. ]
''But why the high price though?''
[ This is a highly optimized method to trace the flow of magic based on the books present in the public library. Any normal methods used in Aludia would cost more than the current price. ]
After hearing the system''s exnation, Eluard sacrificed the purple magic crystal on his inventory. Despite how powerful it was, he wouldn''t be able to utilize it any time soon.
Elder Flock then noticed mana surging from Eluard''s body.
"Young man, don''t tell me you can trace Dartex''s dark portal?", he flustered.
Spatial magic and everything rted to it were too profound that even an archmage like him have barely scratched the surface of that topic.
Now, a young man younger than him by more than a century attempting to do something he couldn''t do.
Eluard nodded, "Yes, I can, Elder Flock. My master taught me many things, and this is just one of them."
He went at Dartex''s previous location, pped his hands, and closed his eyes. Everyone didn''t disturb him, expecting of good news from Eluard''s actions.
Even the doubtful Jaggos stopped questioning Eluard and remained silent on the sides.
[ Tracing in progress¡ ]
[ ¡ ]
[ ¡ ]
[ ¡ ]
[ Tracepleted. The endpoint is shown on the map. ]
After a minute of waiting, Eluard opened his eyes.
A blinking light was spotted in the outskirts of The Wastes, near Vaha''s Dominion.
''Damn it.'', he cursed.
"How did it go, young man? Were you able to locate Dartex''s current position?", Elder Flock asked.
"Yes. Unfortunately, he is in The Wastes now.", Eluard grimly replied.
"The Wastes?"
Everyone was frightened. The worst situation came upon them.
However, Elder Flock apprehended them and lightened the situation.
"All of you, calm down. I and this young man will go to the Wastes and confront Dartex before something worse urs. The rest of you should guard this ce and request more assistance from the Knights and other forces."
Elder Flock then grabbed Eluard''s hand, "Come with me. Point me to the direction where Dartex is right now."
Chapter 38 The Wastes, Dartexs Capture
Elder Flock and Eluardnded on dark brown earth with barely any trees or animals in the area.
This was the Wastes, described as the turf of the demonic creatures that came from the Otherworld. The ground was corrupted by their foul aura for so many years that it adapted over time.
Elder Flock sensed the area by flowing his mana around. It was a technique known as zoned mana sensory, helpful in detecting nearby hidden threats, magic array formations, and other secrets that were out of the naked eye''s reach.
The difficulty of the technique was high due to the mana''s high reactivity when exposed outside. If one was careless, they would lose control of the mana they sent out.
Eluard could feel a pressuring sensationing from the old man beside him.
''What sort of monster is this old guy? I understand that you want to sense something but it shouldn''t be this domineering!''
Eluard wondered how powerful would Elder Flock be if he used his magic.
"I found it.", Elder Flock softly said.
He raised his right arm and pointed at the dead tree in front of them.
"Dissipate."
A single word was what it took before fragments of a magic formation array shattered into million pieces like ss.
Eluard became speechless. If others were to do this, it would take them a few minutes to do so.
A small entrance to a cave was then shown to them.
Elder Flock could sense the familiar ominous aura from Dartex.
"Dartex, it''s no use now. Come out and prostrate yourself and I might bring mercy unto you."
An evil cackle resounded from the cave, "Mercy? Have you ever shown mercy to your student, you foolish old man!"
The earth crumbled as magma spewed out below.
Dartex wasn''t surprised that Elder Flock and Eluard managed to track him.
Elder Flock pushed Eluard out with a simple flick of his left hand,nding kilometers away from Eluard''s original spot.
"What?", he was dumbstruck. However, his daze didn''tst long asrge fireballs rained down from the sky.
"Cataclysmic Firefall!", Dartex shouted.
Elder Flock only gazed at the impending swathe of hot fireballs. He even had the confidence to y with his beard in front of Dartex.
"Oh, what a mboyant disy of your meager skills, Dartex. If you continued under my patronage, I would have worried that I might be injured from that."
"Shut up old man and die!", Dartex ignored Elder Flock''s insult.
Thetter snorted and flicked his right hand.
? The clouds darkened and the wind became turbulent. It generated several tornadoes ofrge sizes and different magnitudes.
The forceing from them was so strong that the fireballs, despite how terrifying they were, started to flicker and died out a whileter.
"Impossible!", Dartex was in disbelief. Little did he know that the tornadoes were sucking out the mana from his spell.
The tornadoes stopped and everything returned to normal.
"p of the Earthen Thunder!"
The mountains in the distance started to rumble and form into multiple 30-meter golems with thick arms and legs.
"Voiden Core!"
Dartex then infused his void mana into all the golems, turning them purplish-ck and increasing their durability, speed, and strength.
"Roar!"
The void golems jumped quickly,nding in front of Elder Flock, and delivered punches straight at his minuscule figure.
Elder Flock simply waved his hand again.
Wind swiftly traveled through the void golem''s body, cutting it like butter. The golem stopped in ce before sting into little chunks of earth.
Another void golem swooped its legs but Elder Flock flew to the air on time. He then circled his right arm around, suddenly enveloping the void golem in fire, melting the earth until onlyva was left.
He then erected a strong wind barrier to his right side.
"Bam!"
A void golem tried to punch him but the force rebounded, pulverizing itself.
Eluard witnessed all of this pass in just half a minute.
He realized that every time Elder Flock silently casted a spell, his fingertips would emit a faint golden glint.
''Is that what they call divinity?'', Eluard wondered.
¡
"Is this all your worth, Dartex? I can''t believe that the fallen genius would fall this far down."
Dartex tried to escape to bide more time for the demonic creatures toe over and help him.
Unfortunately, Elder Flock wasn''t easily fooled.
"You shouldn''t underestimate a true archmage, Dartex. We only let you do as you wish because¡ we were afraid that you might die on our hands identally."
"Divine Retribution."
Golden lightning struck, shattering all the void golems and electrifying Dartex all at the same time.
It was then followed by an ear-shattering thunder that violently shook the earth.
"Arfffff!!!"
Foam formed out of Dartex''s mouth as he copsed and cked out.
His body that floated in the air fell on the ground with a loud thud.
"You cane over now.", Elder Flock said to Eluard.
Even though they were kilometers away, his voice sounded as clear as if he was beside Eluard.
"Elder Flock, is he still alive?", Eluard worried.
He wouldn''t be able toplete the optional requirements of his special task if Dartex ended up dead.
"No, but his life is on the line. If he still wants to uphold his promise, returning to the living shouldn''t be a problem for him.", Elder Flock exined.
Deep inside, however, Elder Flock decided to hand over Eluard instead of the League.
Originally, they nned to use Dartex as a tool to observe the Wastes. They knew that the Otherworld wouldn''t maintain peace forever and it was time to prepare for the worst of things.
They pushed through with the n despite how illogical it was because the Otherworld wasn''t fond of forming rtionships with others except themselves.
Years of surveince led to nothing but disappointing results. It was way worse than they had imagined not because the Otherworld didn''t form a pact with Dartex, but because Dartex developed his viinous personality more than what they had imagined.
They had to sacrifice a lot of personnel just to continue with their n. With the increasing displeasure from the other high magisters, they decided to kill Dartex instead and put on the cloak of justice.
Today was supposed to be the day Elder Flock would kill Dartex.
The League intentionally let out rumors of the fact that they found the entrance to the Heavenly Magic Academy so that Dartex woulde over and foil it.
However, knowing that a mole resided in their ranks, Elder Flock lost his trust in the League.
Handing Dartex''s dead body back to them wasn''t a worthwhile n. Fortunately, a blessing arrived at the most fortunate time.
"Young man, you know the way to the Heavenly Magic Academy, right? If so, lead us there now.", Elder Flock advised before setting up a concealing magic array formation on their surroundings, "The demonic creatures won''t stop until we are both dead and they retrieve Dartex."
"If you are truly someone from the Heavenly Magic Academy, now is the time to prove yourself to me."
Elder Flock was this worried because the Henderrals stationed in the Wastes were as powerful as Elder Flock himself.
They weren''t an easy opponent to deal with and he had topromise to Eluard even if it meant betraying the League in the process.
Regardless, he could leave Eluard if he deceived him.
Eluard understood Elder Flock''s intentions and immediately conjured three teleportation magic circles under their feet.
Elder Flock widened his eyes, ''So it''s real.'', ncing at Eluard.
The magic circles shed, teleporting them out of the Wastes before the demonic creatures arrived.
Chapter 39 Flinging Out An Archmage
Heavenly Magic Academy.
Lucan was on his way to his dormitory room to rest. He had been practicing non-stop without a care for the world.
''If I can''tst that long, I''ll make sure I will!'', he swore in his heart.
The previous defeat against the dark luminous wolves awakened the urgency in his heart to train more and more each day.
His mana capacity right now was equivalent to a trainee mage at the full ring.
Just as he passed through the main hall, the teleportation magic formation lit up, shocking Lucan.
¡
Elder Flock stared at therge main hall he was teleported into. He immediately felt an overwhelming aura.
''Th-this is?''
"Elder Flock, we have arrived at the Heavenly Magic Academy. Please stay here. I will tell my master that I have returned.", Eluard said before dragging Dartex away.
"Uh¡ yes¡", Elder Flock dazedly replied.
He never expected to step afoot the fabled magic academy in his whole life.
"Who''s there? Lucan, what happened here?!", Olivia and the rest arrived.
They then saw Elder Flock and Eluard standing on top of the center of the magic formation.
Eluard smiled and put on an act.
"It''s nice to finally meet you, Lucan, Olivia, Emi, and Jinmu."
"Who are you? I don''t know you!", Lucan retorted.
"Oh, I guess master hasn''t introduced me to you. How heartbreaking.", Eluard patted his heart.
Everyone except Jinmu became wary of Eluard''s identity. However, Jinmu got a hold of what was happening.
"Ah, you must be our senior brother then. I am Jinmu Lin, may I know of senior''s name?"
The other three looked at Jinmu with surprise.
In Jinmu''s mind, nobody but the academy master has the right to use the teleportation magic formation in the school.
If somebody else could use it then that someone must be rted to the academy master.
He then concluded that this person might be the academy master''s direct disciple. As for whether the academy master forgot to tell them about it or not, it wasn''t a problem Jinmu would think deeply.
Eluard''s eyebrows raised at Jinmu, "Oho, at least someone from your group is intelligent enough to recognize their seniors."
Jinmu smiled.
"Anyway, I won''t be bothering you for long. Master has called out for me. We''ll meet again on another time."
Eluard waved goodbye while dragging Dartex''s unconscious body.
"It is unexpecting to meet you here, Prince Lucan Hermes.", Elder Flock said out loud.
"I''m sorry but you are?", Lucan asked.
"I''m Elder Flock from the League of Wizardry. I heard that Prince Dexter has taken over the title of the Crown Prince from you?", Elder Flock chuckled.
The three of them gasped as the old man introduced himself.
"E-elder Flock? The 2nd High Magister from the League of Wizardry? I-is it you?", Jinmu almost lost his cool.
A High Magister was equivalent to an archmage. Those who cultivated magic would be as surprised as they are if they happen to stumble upon one in their lifetime.
Elder Flockughed at the reaction of the 3 students, then wondered why Emi didn''t react to him at all.
Olivia grabbed Emi and bowed to Elder Flock.
"Ah, forgive me, elder. Emi has only started her cultivation a while ago. She isn''t that knowledgeable yet about the League of Wizardry and other things."
Elder Flock coughed, "It''s not that of a matter to me."
¡
Meanwhile, Eluard made haste to his office. He already transferred Dartex to a prison cell down under and immediately put on his mask and robe.
He nned to receive his rewardster. Attending to Elder Flock was more urgent than anything else.
Just as the five people in the main hall were having a joyous talk, Eluard suddenly arrived in front of them.
"You must be Elder Flock that my disciple was talking earlier.", his cold voice resounded.
Elder Flock turned to check out this neer but to his surprise, just like Mr. Kai from before, he was unable to measure out this robed person''s power at all.
He was about to greet Eluard when thetter waved his hands, "Spare the pleasantries. I know you''re not here to simply introduce yourself to me, don''t you?"
Eluard then dismissed the 4 students by prompting their system panels. The four bowed at Eluard and left the area.
"It is very bold of you to challenge the identity of my disciple and use it to your advantage to enter the academy and transfer Dartex''s custody from yours to our hands, Flock Gamble."
Hearing hisst name made Elder Flock nervous. He had yet to speak something but the other party knew his full identity.
"If I was the most ruthless academy master of this academy, I would''ve turned you to dust and shattered your existence in the history of Aludia.", Eluard warned, ring at Elder Flock with his mask''s slithered eyes.
The old man found himself being pressured all of a sudden. It was so strong that he knelt in front of Eluard.
Then, he realized that his power was suppressed.
''My-my powers! Where did they go?''
Meanwhile, Eluard''s eyes glinted coldly, ''Oh system, you didn''t tell me I could y with people like this.''
He took a look at Elder Flock''s attributes. The old man''s power was now only at a trainee mage''s level. With this, he continued on his ramblings.
"I can''t imagine how the League has started being this conceited in front of the academy that brought them the history they have today. Do you want me to remind you how your predecessors begged to us in hopes that we would recognize them?"
The pressure became stronger. Now, Elder Flock''s head was nted on the ground like a dead dog. He was starting to regret underestimating the Heavenly Magic Academy.
Heavenly Magic Academy wasn''t tied to any factions, nor would it ever want to.
Regardless of one''s origins or current strength, all of it was trivial in face of the fabled magic academy. There was a reason the Otherworld and the Heavenly Magic Academy were sworn rivals in the past, in the present, and the future.
And that was the overwhelming power it contained that Elder Flock was experiencing right now.
''This¡ is this the power of the academy master? Even the Magi Elder isn''t this powerful when he gets angry!''
The Magi Elder was the highest and strongest existence in the League of Wizardry rumored to be on the level of a supreme archmage. For Eluard to suppress Elder Flock easily meant that even the Magi Elder couldn''t hold a candle to him at all.
He forced his head to look above. The re from Eluard''s mask him of his worst nightmares.
A never-ending suffering in a cold world whose harsh reality almost made him die due to hopelessness.
He wanted it to end but Eluard wasn''t one to easily stop.
"Since you dared to test my student, I''m going to test you as well. It''s-"
Just as he was about to think he was to die, Elder Flock immediately prostrated to Eluard and loudly proimed.
"Please spare me academy master! I''m willing to work under you but please spare my life!"
He felt that if this went on any longer, his heart won''t be able to take more of it. The higher one''s power went, the more fear they would have on those who were stronger than them.
After all, they had seen much of the world at that point and were conscious enough to always put their own survival against anything else.
Moreover, Elder Flock saw this as a chance to improve his power. If he could get into the Heavenly Magic Academy, he would be able to use the knowledge and treasures to reach the realm of a supreme archmage.
Unfortunately, Eluard saw through his scheme.
"Hehehe, do you think I would easily ept someone like you into my ranks?", Eluard rejected his proposal, "I could travel to distant worlds and I can still find as many as you are like cabbages in the market."
He was nning to put on the mask of a condescending academy master. He would lose his superiority if he would let people into the academy just because they begged for it.
One had to earn their worth for them to be given their rewards.
"So tell me, Flock Gamble? How worthy are youpared to others?", Eluard stepped on the old man.
Elder Flockid there silently, unable toe up with a special reason for Eluard to ept him.
"Hmph, just as I thought.", Eluard kicked him, "But don''t worry, I will consider once you have done enough. For now, get out of my face."
Eluard said before flinging Elder Flock out of the academy and teleporting him back to Aludia.
Chapter 40 Plans
The Wastes.
A group of demonic creatures floated atop the destroyed terrain where Elder Flock and Dartex have fought before.
"Do you sense them, Nish''taka?", said the figure in the middle.
His 3-meter tall body towered over the rest. The demonic wings on his back battered with scars pped furiously, generating shockwaves every time.
Itsrge fists were gripped tightly on the sides. He was waiting for a reply from the slithering demonic creature down below who was busy smelling out any leftover scent from Elder Flock and Dartex.
"Their scent stops here, Der Henderral.", Nish''taka solemnly replied. A grim expression was stered on her face.
Therge demonic creature started fuming in anger. The tworge horns on his head started to bend inward in a gruesome manner.
"Der Henderral, it is best to forget about this incident.", a demonic creature with crow-like features tapped on his shoulder, "The grand n should take precedence. Dartex has already done his part. Regardless of where he is now, we would still be found out sooner orter."
"What is more important is that we should focus on disrupting our enemies for as long as we can. The moment that they realize what is happening, all will be toote.", the crow''s dark eyes glinted coldly.
"Your suggestion, Allustro?", therge demonic creature asked. His anger was soothed under this crow''s presence
After all, he was a respected strategist from the Otherworld.
Allustro stared at the northern direction with a serious expression.
"We have ordered Dartex to spread the corruption far and wide. Most of its victims have already developed to the mind retraction stage with the help of Minjax."
"The group of northern barbarians are on their way back to the Norva Assili, and Dartex stealthily intercepted the marching band of the Creed cultists on the outskirts of the Morning Star Empire Capital City before the Herald of the Dragons interrupted our ns earlier than expected."
The crow snorted in disdain. The Knights weren''t aszypared to the old bastards from the League of Wizardry.
Despite this setback, it proved surprisingly good for their other ns, however.
Their recent attempts of abducting people from the rural areas attracted the attention of the Knights. As such, the Knight''s ranks were thinned out from the inside by letting them freely investigate the incidents.
Allustro wasn''t the slightest worried that the Knights would suspect them for now. Their escape methods were greatly improvised.
No one but the lone supreme archmage from the League could sniff out their presence in the area.
"We will first use the Norva Assili to create a disruption, while the Creed unsuspectingly breeds new followers which we will use on ater date."
"Our dear prophet has umted much ire from the public so this will take a little more persuasion to convince the public to gather their trust."
Therge demonic creature snorted, "Then what about the elves? And the dwarves?"
"They aren''t an easy force to reckon with.", he advised.
The armada of archmages from the elves, and the dragons who are now allies with the dwarves were an invincible force for the demonic creatures to face head-on.
Even though a portal was open for them to connect with the Otherworld and other worlds, arge amount of power was required.
This surge of power would be sensed by the Magi Elder, alerting the entirety of Aludia who would then respond to the existential threat of the demonic creatures and stop them from whatever they were trying to aplish.
As for the empires and factions proactively attacking the Wastes, it wasn''t a profitable investment. There was nothing valuable in this forsakennd.
Moreover, fully exterminating the presence of the demonic creatures would lead to surveince problems from the League and the Knights.
At least, with the demonic creatures continuing to exist here in Aludia, they would be able to monitor their movements, though they were bound to regret such a decision for ater date.
Regardless of reasons, because of the absence of aggression from their enemies, the demonic creatures were able to empower themselves over the years.
Allustro nodded his head, "We are setting up a war between the Grurad Mystic Manor and the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary. The abducted elves are secretly stored from an inconspicuous ce inside the Grurad Mystic Manor."
"Once the elves find out, it will be another war between the two.", the crow''s eyes glistened in delight.
The Grurad Mystic Manor was and full of demi-humans exiled from the Sanctuary because they werebeled as impure, or were convicted of heinous crimes from the past.
If the elves found out that their brethren were being locked up like rats in such a foul ce, anger will erupt from the depth of their hearts and initiate a war until the other side is destroyed.
"The Vortex Ascendancy event is also near. The realm on the other side that the dwarves have been guarding for centuries is now popted with lesser and higher demons, the marasakas and karageros."
"The deathly surprise will surely earn them a quick trip to the death realm.", Allustro coldlyughed.
Those dwarves were highly arrogant and prideful as years passed mainly because they managed to establish an allegiance with the powerful dragon tribes.
This lowered their guard, giving way for Allustro and the other demonic creatures to sneak on the portal''s entrance and make it a breeding ground for the demonic creatures and alike.
Hearing the good news, therge demonic creature smirked.
"Good, good. It seems like you have nned all of this secretly on our backs, Allustro."
"I was worried that if I tell everything on a moment''s notice, Der Henderral, our demonic brothers and sisters would becent like our enemies. I wouldn''t want such a thing to happen now, would I?", Allustro replied.
"If this grand n works as expected, Lord Master Vaha wille back and reign terror once again!"
Hearing his name gave rise to adrenaline for each demonic creature present. Their eyes widened in frenzy, raising their heads to the sky and loudly shouting.
Just as they were celebrating, another demonic creaturended on their position. When the dust settled, its four horns stood out.
A menacing look was stered on his face. His two arms on the right, however, were cut off from his body.
Scarlet blood poured out from it, shocking the other demonic creatures.
"Simonte, what the hell happened to you?", therge demonic creature asked.
Simonte knelt in disgrace, "Der Henderral, I am sorry. I tried to hold the Herald of the Dragons for as long as I could, but I was unable toplete my mission."
"The Herald of the Dragons, Miguel Luchador? But how? You are supposed to be as powerful as him!", therge demonic creature was in disbelief.
"The-the divine me dragon blood awakened inside him. It must be because of that thing that happened a day ago! That was why he was able to injure me this much!", Simonte exined.
"Divine me dragon blood¡ divine, divine, divinity!"
A scarlet aura emanated from therge demonic creature''s body.
"Miguel Luchador, you will pay for this!"
¡
Dulrak''s Ruins.
The members of the Creed and the League stood their grounds, wary of the surroundings for any iing attack.
A dragon''s roar was heard, alerting everyone.
From the sky fell a draconic figure withrge draconic wings extending from his back. Hended fiercely to the ground.
"Settle down, everyone. It''s someone from the Knights."
Magister Amos calmly approached the draconic figure, "Herald, what brings you here to Dulrak''s Ruins?"
"Dartex, where is he?", Miguel asked.
"Elder Flock went out to pursue him. You won''t need to worry about that.", Magister Amos calmly answered.
He didn''t include Eluard''s presence, nor the Heavenly Magic Academy. Everyone from before agreed to not whisper a word or story about the involvement of the Heavenly Magic Academy in this incident.
It was of utmost importance to hide this information for as long as possible.
"Is that so?", Miguel doubted Magister Amos'' answer.
"You seem to havee from a recent battle, Herald.", Magister Amos noticed.
"Hmph, if it wasn''t for a demonic creature blocking my way, I would''ve dealt with that Dartex instead.", Miguel harrumphed.
He had to thank the person who assimted with the divine me dragon''s blood, allowing the sleeping blood in his body to awaken just in time to defeat the demonic creature.
"What? A demonic creature blocked your way?", Magister Amos was shocked. Or rather, he acted to be as shocked as he was.
They already knew of the Otherworld''s involvement with Dartex.
Magister Amos have to set up a pretense that it was his first time knowing of this matter or else Miguel might sense something suspicious.
"Hah, you old fools from the League are always sloppy. Nevertheless, since Dartex is already dealt with, I will go back now.", Miguel jumped to the sky and disappeared in a sh.
He didn''t give a damn about whatever business the League or the Creed have with the teleportation magic formation in Dulrak''s ruins. He has to report what happened here back at headquarters.
''The recent abduction incidents must also be rted to the demonic creatures. It seems like they are nning something big.''
He didn''t think that the n was about the direct revival of Vaha. If it was, then the demonic creatures should have started plotting against them from centuries ago.
Why would they only start now?
Back at Dulrak''s Ruins.
Magister Amos stared at the distance.
Amotion suddenly erupted behind him where the entrance to the ruins was located.
He turned around and saw Magister Jaggos approach him with a dark expression, "What happened, Magister Jaggos? Did the teleportation magic formation act up again?"
Magister Jaggos nodded, "Magister Amos, Elder Flock has returned. However, he seems to have encountered trouble."
---VOL. 1 END---
Chapter 41 Unlocked Additional System Functions
The people led by Magister Amos hurried to Elder Flock.
The old man was breathing haggardly, fear present in his eyes.
"Elder Flock, what happened? Did that young man betray you?", Magister Jaggos worriedly asked.
"No, I was the one who betrayed myself.", Elder Flock replied.
His words confused the others. What sort of self-betrayal did hemit? And how would that happen in the first ce?
"Magister Amos, you are in charge of the next Vortex Ascendancy, right?", Elder Flock asked.
"Uh, yes, Elder Flock, but what''s the matter?", Magister Amos gulped.
"Heavenly Magic Academy."
Elder Flock stood up and dusted his robe. This made them confused even further, thinking that Elder Flock must have lost his mind and was unable toe up withplete sentences.
Despite their reactions, Elder Flock smiled and left the area.
"Elder Flock, where are you going? What about the Heavenly Magic Academy and the Vortex Ascendancy? Also, should we tell the Tower fully about this incident?", Magister Amos asked.
They argued about telling the academy''s existence in front of the other elders and magisters but decided to wait for Elder Flock''s jurisdiction on the matter.
"No, I won''t be returning for now, and it''s best if you do not tell them so. Keep this a secret, Magister Amos. Also, set up a defensive array formation around this area. Do not let anyone else get close to that teleportation. Not even the Magi Elder himself. Tell them Dartex destroyed it and is currently on reparation.", Elder Flock advised before vanishing out of their sights.
¡
A dayter.
Heavenly Magic Academy.
Eluard sat on his high chair, patiently waiting for the system to give out his rewards.
[ Special Task: Shopping Spree Completed. Optional Requirements Met. ]
[ ¡ ]
[ Received: Crude Lightning Ball x1 (Rare), Divine Ster Fruit (Epic) x1 ]
[ Congrattions host, forpleting this task. You have received a new achievement, Hunter and Seller. ]
[ After deliberate consideration, you have unlocked additional system functions afterpleting the task. ]
[ The Shop tab is now open for your browsing. The system offers daily, monthly, and yearly items avable for purchase using two sets of currency, magical currency, and your personal achievement points. ]
[ The personal achievement points are earned afterpleting specific special tasks (ubeled),pleting the main tasks, and other hidden achievements. ]
[ You currently have 400 personal achievements points. You can view your achievements on the Achievements tab. ]
''Holy shit, system! Sopleting tasks can yield such results too? What is this? Hidden rewards or something?''
Eluard didn''t expect that he would be able to unlock additional system functions bypleting a special task. It seems that there were more than the listed rewards of a particr task.
The system didn''t answer his inquiries and continued.
[ Merchant Tab is now open, allowing the host to include merchants in the academy for trading items. This does not affect the Shop tab solely created by the system for the host, though the host can still participate in trading items here. ]
[ Merchants can either be invited from the worlds, or created through the character creation function. ]
''Character creation function? What''s this?'', Eluard asked.
[ Character creation function will be unlocked once you advance to the adept wizard level. ], the system continued.
[ Merchants from the character creation sellmon items. You can unlock higher item rarities by upgrading themercial district to specific levels. Please see the Merchant tab for more information. ]
[ The stalls are located east of the academy''s grounds, inside themercial district with a base area of 10 square meters. You can expand the area by expending academy achievement points. ]
[ Academy achievement points are earned whenever any student or staff who are part of the academypletes tasks assigned by you or by the system and participating in major events. ]
[ You currently have 779 academy achievement points. The logs can be seen on the academy achievement logs under the Achievements tab. ]
[ Please note that the maximum number of merchants allowed is currently limited to 3. Continue to work hard and unlock more slots by expending academy achievement points. ]
[ Merchants are only limited within themercial district. Any vition of this rule will result in a permanent ban and aplete memory wipe of the vitor. ]
The amount of information the system disyed made Eluard''s mind go tipsy.
He then caressed his chin, thinking of inviting that merchant he met back on the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary.
''Will it be worth it?'', he thought.
Maybe Aurpiel could relieve the boredom of sparseness in the academy while trading goods from Aludia to the academy through his students.
''System, shouldn''t an academy have their sources of ie as well? It shouldn''t be all kill and harvest, right?''
[ These functions are currently locked. Continue to work hard, host. ], the system replied.
Eluard snorted, ''As expected.'', though he was intrigued that there were locked functions for him to useter. He wondered what they were and how special they would be.
Just the character creation function itself was godly. If it was like the character creation stuff from the games back on earth, then he was in luck.
He then went back to the thought of inviting Aurpiel to the academy.
Traveling merchants had their charms and specialties. If he was lucky, he might be able toe upon a rare or epic item from them.
After all, the world of Aludia wasrge. Who knows what sort of strange things people would encounter outside?
''I still have two slots remaining for that anyway. It wouldn''t hurt for me or him, would it?''
The only problem left was the method to make it look like Aurpiel was the one trying to get inside the academy instead.
Eluard shook his head and forgo the thought for now. He looked at the two items he received.
[ Crude Lightning Ball (Rare) ]
[ A specially crafted ball made of pure lightning. It contains the essence of lightning and can help the user in increasing their affinity with lightning, alongside the increase of power and potency of lightning spells. ]
[ Additional Note: Can only be used by users with innate lightning affinity. ]
[ Additional Note: Can only be used ten times for each user with decreased efficiency on each additional consumption. ]
''Oh? Olivia can make use of this. She''s the only lightning user here for now.''
Eluard set up a n to start another round of tasks for his students. He has been wondering how to establish forces in the academy after witnessing the might of the League of Wizardry.
[ Divine Ster Fruit (Epic) ]
[ A fruit made from the essence of stars mixed with the divine essence of the gods. It is particrly helpful for users who have acquired divinity, increasing the overall attributes of their magic roots, and the power of their spells. ]
[ Additional Note: Can only be used by users with a divine magic root. ]
[ Additional Note: Can only be consumed three times with decreased efficiency on each additional consumption. ]
''A tailor-made reward for me. Ah, system, I like you so much.'', Eluardplimented in hopes of getting more bountiful rewards next time.
As for the Special Task: Uninvited Guests, he has yet toplete its optional requirement of reforming Dartex into a good guy.
[ Administering new tasks. Please wait for a moment. ]
''What? I was just thinking of this guy and now you''re giving me another set of special tasks?'', Eluard was at a loss.
Chapter 42 New Tasks
[ Special Task: Righting the Wrong ]
[ You have identally caused an undead outbreak that was used by Dartex and the demonic creatures for their great n. Now, you, as the main perpetrator and the academy master of Heavenly Magic Academy, are required to undo the damages and prevent any further mishaps from urring. ]
[ Requirement: This special task has multiple subtasks. Please refer to each subtask on how toplete them. ]
[ Rewards: None. ]
[ On Failure of at most one subtask: Revocation of title as academy master. The host will be purged from reality and sent to the death realm. ]
Eluard felt his spine cold out after knowing what would happen if he fails one subtask in this one.
''I have greatly fucked up this time.'', he cursed himself. It looks like showing off that time with Emi was unnecessary.
An uncalled action that led to serious problems in the present.
[ Subtask 1: Dark and Deste North ]
[ Erik Siegfried, alongside his henchmen and one ve, Akane, were afflicted by the undead corruption and has returned to the Norva Assili. It is imperative to deal with them first due to the erupting civil war caused by the rivalry between the Royal Family and the Siegfried Household. ]
[ Failure: Death of the Northern Barbaric High King Garron, the current ruler of Norva Assili, Olivia''s father. ]
[ Subtask 2: Dusk of the Creed, Dawn of the Morning Star ]
[ The holy army that was supposed to march to the frontlines in the Morning Star Empire was intercepted by Dartex and his undead minions, afflicting them out of the surveince of everyone, and have now returned to the capital city. ]
[ Prevent the corrupted members from infecting additional victims. The old and any new undead beings will be marked on your map. ]
[ Failure: Infected victims reach 75% of Aludia''s total poption. ]
[ Subtask 3: Muddy Waters ]
[ A group of undead beings boarded a merchant ship headed to the Oriental Oceanic Empire. They are nning to erode the waters with the infectious undead essence and spread it to the inhabitants of the empire and the underwater empire of species known as Dubiga. Due to unknown reasons, the system is unable to determine their location. However, they are still prone under the analysis of your Eye of Fidelity. ]
[ Failure: War erupts between the Oriental Oceanic Empire and the Dubiga. ]
[ Additional Note: The system was able to track these undead beings with the use of Dartex''s memories and traced them using his mana. ]
[ Additional Note: Due to the presence of demonic power from each undead being, their overall strength is increased significantly. ]
[ Additional Note: Be wary of the interference from the Otherworld. The demonic creatures will not let their enemies deal with them easily. ]
The three subtasks put great pressure on Eluard.
''Damn, and I have to keep Olivia''s father alive. This is an awkward situation.'', he thought.
Persuading the people that the undead outbreak remains a threat was out of the option.
Dartex was already handled with. In the public''s mind, the problem was gone along the fallen genius himself.
Also, Aludia doesn''t have the materials to educate them that there were three stages of an undead being with thest one prevalent on the new targets. They wouldn''t even bother to know of that information either.
A mind retracted undead being waspletely simr to its previous host. Unless the undead essence was purged from them, the people wouldn''t be able to notice a thing.
On the other hand, requesting these afflicted people to be purged would be ridiculous as well. That was akin tobeling a man as an insane person in front of others which was humiliating.
It wouldn''t sit well for them and Eluard.
Asking for Elder Flock''s assistance wasn''t viable either. He didn''t know how and where to find him.
Eluard concluded that it was better to visit Dartex first and talk to him about the things that has happened.
¡
The solitary confinement cells were located on a small dimension directly connected to the Heavenly Magic Academy.
There was only one way to ess the area, through the invitation of the academy master who was Eluard himself before being teleported here. Without his permission, no one could enter nor leave.
The cells were built with strange yet very powerful metal known as volsteal.
The said material could only be harvested on the cores of specific heavenly bodies, but that was a discussion to be further exinedter on.
The prisoners'' and visitors'' strength were suppressed to the lowest power level except for the academy master. Any other ''special attributes'' were disabled as well, rendering anyone but the academy master crippled inside this dimension.
Eluard strutted in the hallway, ncing at the rowdy undead beings who were reaching their hands to him to try and go at him.
He could feel the misery behind their voices, making his heart lurch in anger and curse at himself for bringing this suffering to them.
''Did I¡ really do this to them?''
Eluard didn''t know whether it was because of his mask, or his apathetic self, but the remorse was not as heavy in his heart as he expected.
[ Do you wish to remove the corrupted mana signature from the undead beings? ], the system prompted.
"Yes.", Eluard softly replied then sighed in defeat.
The undead beings who were busy shouting at Eluard suddenly felt pain in their bodies. Golden light embraced them gracefully from nowhere, purging out the dark mana and demonic essence stuck inside them.
Despite the brightness the golden light emitted, the mask seemed to have covered Eluard''s eyes.
They howled as their eyes turned white, rendering them unconscious after the golden light purified them.
"System, can you teleport them back to their original ces after they have regained their consciousness?", Eluard requested.
[ Affirmative. ]
Hearing the system''s reply relieved a burden on Eluard''s shoulders.
''I havee here thinking I could be a hero I dreamt of before. Those types that one could see in the movies.''
A guilty smile surfaced on his face. He unknowingly ended up as someone who incurred doom to Aludia''s inhabitants.
Eluard sighed and continued on the path ahead. He circled the corner and was taken below.
This time, there weren''t that many people except for Dartex''s frail figure sitting on the 3rd cell from Eluard''s right. Hisplexion was restored, though wounds were still apparent on his body.
The tattered clothes were thrown to the sides, showing his full face whose bald head coupled with the wicked and cked eyes of his emitted an aura of a criminal.
"Ah, you have finallye, my dear academy master."
Chapter 43 Eluards New Ideas
"Ah, you have finallye, my dear academy master.", Dartex greeted with a mocking tone, "I have been dreaming of this to happen on the day I felt your aura from the volcanic grassy ins. And those undead, yes! The art you have beautifully crafted, I-"
Eluard cut off his craziness.
"Dartex Deluminas, you are bound to repay for the atrocities you havemitted."
Dartexughed, "Isn''t this problem started by you, my dear academy master? Without your efforts, Aludia might still be in a more peaceful state than before."
Eluard''s heart wavered, but the mask emboldened his self-confidence.
"True, but my intentions were rather not evil, not until you and the Otherworld decided to interfere with my business."
Eluard primarily set the undead beings to chase the human poachers who were running away from his clutch. What he didn''t expect was that his spell would be used against his back.
"That''s what you say, but the public will not think so.", Dartex grinned.
"You might be underestimating my powers here, human.", Eluard let out a domineering aura that forced Dartex''s head to hit the ground, "Allow me to remind you what force you are reckoning with."
Dartex gulped. He didn''t expect Eluard to suddenly overwhelm him.
Eluard snorted, "Yes, you may have corrupted the Creed''s holy army and is intending to spread whatever lies you and your demonic masters may havee up with, but the truth won''t matter in the long run. What matters is that the Heavenly Magic Academy will be the victor on this new era of war."
The Creed was the perfect faction to antagonize the Heavenly Magic Academy. As for why Eluard thought of this, it could be attributed to the knowledge he gained from Earth.
"It is only a matter of time when I gather my forces and you soon shall taste defeat. As a famous saying from before has said, history is written by the victors."
...
Dartex remained silent. He was unable toe up with a rebuttal to Eluard''s quote.
They could brainwash the public that Eluard was the evildoer, but Eluard could do the same against them as well.
Whoever won the fight was the one who sided with the truth. Such was the reality of life.
"Still not convinced? Well, maybe it has something to do with the voices in your head.", Eluard reminded which shocked Dartex to the core.
"How do you know?!"
"Someone from the Otherworld put a demonic whisper spell upon you. Don''t ever think that such a measly secret can be hidden from me.", Eluard''s words frightened Dartex, "I have the power to see through everything about you, Dartex Deluminas. Do you want me to give it a try?"
He held his head in pain, "Ah, stop! No!"
Whispers audible only to him started surfacing within his head. It made him insane, blurring out his mind, preventing him from thinking properly.
It was akin to a drunk person hallucinating while walking on a path under the night.
Images of a demonic creature with a long serpentine tail and disfigured beauty were disyed in his eyes.
"Dar¡tex¡", the demonic creatures slowly hissed.
The two horns protruding from her humanoid head elongated and twisted themselves like a bull''s horn. Her calm ck eyes turned wicked and red, charming Dartex in all sorts of ways.
Dartex started to sumb in the demonic creatures'' hand, sending whispers that tried to indoctrinate his feeble mind.
Eluard narrowed his eyes, ''Demonic whisper, huh?''
His eye of fidelity was able to see through deeper yet more peculiar things now which didn''t happen before.
Twisted line of sight. shing blinding lights. A nightmarish experience that could make anyone mental. That was everything Eluard saw from Dartex.
What a strong hypnotizing spell. Even a grandmaster magus of Dartex''s level was unable toe up with a counter to it.
Apart from it, he noticed an ethereal figure. A spirit, pure and golden, untainted from the corruption that the demonic whisper incurred.
Its thoughts were good-willed and innocent, yet unfortunately, it was trapped in the demonic whisper''s imprisonment. It contained Dartex''s true self, the one that he wasn''t able to show to the world.
''There''s a blurry past of his. I cannot see the events clearly, but I can say that it was traumatizing for this guy. No wonder he fell to the dark side.''
Eluard realized that this man wasn''t a true evil wizard. He was someone who was a lost soul, picked up by the demonic creatures and was used to do their bidding.
A fallen genius.
Seeing this, Eluard lifted his left hand and grasped it firmly. At the same time, the whispers vanished out of existence, relieving Dartex of his suffering.
[ Demonic whisper suppressed temporarily. Please note that utilizing powers out of your current power-level while inside the academy will use the magic crystals stored in the academy resources. ]
''You didn''t tell me this yesterday. Weren''t Elder Flock''s powers suppressed as well?''
The system presented an updated description of the mask of the magus, answering Eluard''s question.
[ Mask of the Magus ]
[ The long-lost mask of a renowned wizard. It has a consciousness of its own that will affect the wearer''s mindset and personality. ]
[ Special Effect: Prideful Reminiscence ]
[ The previous owner was once the greatest magical cultivator that ever existed. Its lofty personality still exists today. Can suppress the strength of any being into the lowest possible power-level. ]
Eluard was surprised, ''You''re updating its description now? What kind of system are you anyway?''
He didn''t expect that the system would ''enhance'' itself as time passed by. Or maybe this was a result after finishing tasks, or ascending to a higher power-level.
Eluard then nodded in understanding.
On the other side, Dartex breathed haggardly, then looked up and saw Eluard''s left hand glowing in a golden hue.
"You-, did you just-?", his eyes were crystal clear, unlike the previous instances where it was muddled and empty.
Eluard attempted to make apromise, but the system said otherwise.
"Confess, and I might make up my mind of sparing you, Dartex Deluminas.", he hesitatingly replied.
Dartex knelt on all fours, "Heh, why do you sound like those bastards from the Creed, eh?"
Eluard released his suppression of the demonic whisper.
"It seems like you will be spending a little more time here. Enjoy your stay while itsts."
He hurried out of the area and returned to the academy. Dartex''s cries of help echoed as the voices returned to haunt him again.
¡
Eluard arrived in the main hall. For some reason, the mask emitted a bloodlust the moment Dartexpared the academy to the Creed.
''It must be because the mask has a pride of its own.'', he thought.
Being equated to a lowly cult was a huge disrespect to the academy so the mask retaliated and urged Eluard to teach Dartex a lesson. He didn''t know if it was a good thing or not, though he knew that he won''t be able toe back there for a while due to the mask''s gloomy aura.
The system disturbed his thoughts, prompting him to head to the ssrooms to teach the students today. Eluard mused about what topic would he be teaching this time.
His mind worked its wonders, concluding that he would be discussing the importance of variation in one''s offensive and defensive spells.
Dartex''s battle against him and Elder Flock produced new ideas in Eluard''s mind.
For example, there were certain spells that Eluard wouldn''t be able to counter easily like Dartex''s Cataclysmic Firefall. Water and ice were helpless against it, and despite the earthen dome''s strong resistance against fire, the surrounding environment wasn''t spared from the ravaging firestorm.
If it happened somewhere else isted, then Eluard would ignore it; but that was an area blooming with life turned into an apocalyptic state due to his incapability to protect the things around him. It was a devastating oue he didn''t want to happen again.
On the other hand, things might have turned out differently if he utilized the dark mana element''s strong absorption property. Dartex''s spell could have been nullified and wavered his morale.
Back to the main topic, Eluard thought that one should have a good number of spells for each situation.
One cannot simply rely on a fireball to resolve all sorts of problems that might arise while adventuring in the wild. What if a fire mage stumbled upon an ice-elemental beast?
What if their offensive spells were useless in front of the unbreakable defense that the enemy disyed?
Running through this line of thought, Eluard came up with another lesson as well and that was the importance of physical fitness.
Just because one was a mage didn''t mean that they have to forget everything about their physique. After all, mana coursed through one''s body, and the body was the foundation of everything.
? If it was strengthened after conducting multiple exercises in a week, wouldn''t it improve the flow of mana inside their body as well?
Moreover, they have the option to run if they used up all of the mana stored inside them. It was better to have a slim chance of escape than pant in ce and die an untimely death.
Eluard was getting to a good point in his imaginative arguments when he realized someone was running towards him.
It was Emi, albeit in a rather distressed state.
Fear was stered all over the little girl''s face. Tears streamed from her eyes as she whimpered.
This angered the academy master. Who would dare to hurt such an innocent child inside the academy?
Did the senior brothers and sister have something to do with this?
He approached Emi and asked her.
"Emi Moon, what happened to you? Why are you running and crying all of a sudden?"
Eluard''s cold voice was warmth to Emi''s ears. She stared at his aloof figure floating above the ground and ran over to embrace him.
"A-academy master! The-they are fighting all over the canteen!", she cried.
"Emi tried to talk them out of it but they pushed me around the corner so I ran away!", rubbing her face on Eluard''s robe, "I was scared, I thought they were going to kill me back there¡"
The entire academy grounds trembled slightly. Fortunately, Emi was preupied with her crying so she didn''t notice it.
"Emi, bring me to them. I''m going to teach those brats a harsh lesson today."
Chapter 44 Punishment
A few minutes earlier.
The four students were having a peaceful breakfast when Emi asked Jinmu a question.
"Brother Jinmu, what is a crown prince? I heard from Elder Flock yesterday that brother Lucan was a crown prince too."
Jinmu felt conflicted.
Even though he viewed Lucan as an enemy he will never forgive, exining to Emi the concept of a crown prince was no different from mocking the person who lost the title, particrly when done right in front of his face.
Unfortunately, Olivia was there to ruin the mood.
"Ah, Emi. The crown prince is a title given to the heir of the Morning Star Empire''s emperor. Sadly, your brother Lucan wasn''t cut for it.", she said in a mocking tone, "At least your big sister remains the heir to the throne of her father. Isn''t it wonderful, Emi?"
Emi let out a gasp of astonishment. As someone who was ignorant of the political conflicts of factions and empires, she thought that Olivia was morepetent than Lucan.
"Wow, big sister Olivia! How did you manage to do that?!"
"It''s no secret, Emi. You just have to bepetent enough to hold the position. Don''t be like your brother Lucan in the future, okay?", Olivia advised.
Emi nodded vigorously. Whatever Olivia said was the truth in her eyes.
This irked Lucan who didn''t like being insulted by others, andpared to others.
He stood up and angrily asked, "Hey, white-haired girl! You''ve been messing with me a lottely. What''s gotten into you?"
The devilish girl was quite pleased of Lucan''s reaction. The rumors she heard about Lucan back on Norva Assili made her despise him.
Now, Elder Flock''s news from yesterday gave her ideas of humiliating the ex-crown prince.
Feigning ignorance, Olivia snorted, "Nothing, actually. What about you, Ex-Crown Prince Lucan? What''s gotten into you that you were revoked of your title?", smirking at Lucan, "If I were you, I would admit how ipetent I am."
"Oh, is that so? How''s the fight for the throne back at home anyway? Are the curses too much for you to handle that''s why you ran away and asked to be taken by academy master?.", Lucan retorted.
Talking trash and arguing against people were his forte.
He knew how patriarchal the societal structure of Norva Assili was. High King Garron pursued the issue of allowing Olivia to inherit his throne.
After all, Olivia was his first-born and legitimately passed the other requirements set by the elders.
Unfortunately, the public rejected such demand. It was unthinkable for them that a woman would inherit the throne.
It worsened when the public appraisal of Olivia identified the existence of a magic root.
The direct lineage of Norva Assili''s warriors was founded on the cultivation of the chivalric core. Only when someone coptes with a foreigner would a child born with a magic root ur.
The consequences of doing so were devastating. One was denounced for their entire life. Unless they exiled themselves and went somewhere else, their days were torturous without a break.
Olivia hated Lucan even more now. That was an experience she didn''t want to feel again, nor would want others to reminisce in front of her.
And most of all, to how urate his argument was.
"Bastard, you''re going too far."
Lightning sparked on her hands.
"You started it. Aren''t you ashamed, Olivia Winterice?", Lucan didn''t back down, casting multiple fireballs behind him in one go.
Olivia''s anger rocketed to the max. The lightning around her became stronger.
Emi jumped in fright and was scared. Did she just cause a fight between her two seniors?
Jinmu stepped up and tried to mediate the situation.
"The two of you. Stop it now or I''ll call the academy master."
Lucan and Olivia, however, insulted Jinmu in reply.
"Shut up, Jinmu. You''re just a luckymoner. If it wasn''t for your magic root, academy master might have not even batted an eye on you at all!", Lucan ignored him.
"That''s right. What does amoner like you know about the conflicts of us, nobles? Step down or I''ll fry you with my lightning.", Olivia threatened.
The atmosphere intensified.
Jinmu was able to calm himself. However, he responded differently.
"I said stand down!", Jinmu quickly controlled the mana in the surroundings and sted the two using water to the walls on the other end of the hall.
He then nced at Emi who quivered on the sides.
Emi thought that Jinmu was going to attack her so she ran quickly before something bad happened to her.
''They¡ they''re scary. Why are my seniors acting like this now?! What if academy master finds out?!''
The ignorant girl who started all of this ran far away. Away from the messy canteen.
¡
Lucan and Olivia stood up. Jinmu''s sudden attack caught them off guard.
"Bastard, you will pay for that!", Olivia casted a cial spike, targeting Jinmu''s chest.
She was about to sent it when the academy quaked out of nowhere.
''Oh no!'', she misfired and hit Jinmu''s head instead.
Fortunately, Jinmu was able to mitigate the impact using his wind element. He fell down with his forehead bleeding.
Lucan and Olivia gasped in fright.
They went to help Jinmu but an overwhelmin aura suddenly engulfed over htem.
"Brats, aren''t you a little haughty to dare cause a mess here inside the academy?!", Eluard arrived with Emi behind him, grabbing his robes.
He intensified his aura, making sure that they were suppressed to damnation.
"A-academy master¡", the three gritted their teeth.
Realization struck them and they regretted their actions.
Eluard used his eye of fidelity to trace back the events that happened earlier.
''Strange, the images here are as not as blurrypared to Dartex. Maybe it''s because our difference in strength is what caused it.''
The events shed past his eyes. It detailed out everything that happened and Eluard understood how this mess came about.
He nced at Emi''s direction, "Don''t you have something to exin, Emi Moon?"
Emi covered her face in embarrassment. She knew that the academy master found her out.
There was no point in feigning ignorance. That would end up badly for her, probably much worse than the punishment the academy master might give to her seniors.
"A-academy master¡", she yed with her small hands, hoping that the academy master forgives her.
"Go to the sides, I will deal with youter. As for you three¡", Eluard approached them.
He noticed Jinmu''s bleeding forehead, "Is your pride that important to hurt your ssmate ruthlessly?"
Olivia wanted to exin herself but Eluard dismissed her.
"I thought we were clear about the rules here in the academy. Didn''t you undergo the process in the altar of rites? Are you certain that you are a student of this academy or not?"
The three gulped nervously. They understood what the academy master implied.
The first t of the Heavenly Magic Academy.
[ All beings and all things are equal to the eyes unblinded to the truth. ]
''The eyes unblinded to the truth'' referred to the academy master, and the phrase ''all beings and all things are equal'' meant that he does not give a damn whether one came from amoner or a noble background.
Therefore, all students must forgo of their previous backgrounds as they were now equal in the academy. Anyone trying to mention and degrade the others with the basis of their origin were doomed to be punished.
"Answer me.", Eluard continued.
"I-I am a student of the Heavenly Magic Academy, academy master!", the three loudly proimed.
"Your words aren''t convincing. Youck some aspect of humility and unity in each of your hearts and minds.", Eluard retorted, "Was the former defeat not enough to widen your eyes?"
He stopped pressuring them then quickly opened his system panel and issued a weekly special task and a special task to the four of them, with Solordo''s put on halt due to him currently undergoing his blood assimtion process.
[ Weekly Special Task: Weekly Hunt ]
[ The academy master tasks you to hunt demon or magical beasts and bring back your harvests every week. ]
[ Weekly Requirement: 2,500 elite-level demon beasts killed ]
[ Additional Requirement: Each kill must be done individually. ]
[ Rewards: Random Equipment (Normal-Rare) x1, 25 blue magic crystals ]
[ On Failure: Increased kill count by an additional 2,500. ]
[ 3 consecutive failures: Expulsion from the Heavenly Magic Academy ]
¡
[ Special Task: Cold North ]
[ An ominous event is about to take ce in the cold northern empire, the Norva Assili. The Siegfried n is on their way in dethroning High King Garron''s rule from the people, covertly nned out by the demonic creatures from the Otherworld. ]
[ Requirement: Assist the High King in stopping the Siegfried n''s n. ]
[ Failure: High King Garron dies. ]
[ Rewards: Random Equipment (Rare) x2, 100 blue magic crystals. ]
¡
The four stared nkly at the two special tasks given to them by the academy master.
Most particrly Olivia, whose heart became nervous and in disbelief that her beloved father was about to die should they fail this task.
"A-academy master, thi-this is not real, right?", she stuttered.
The intense atmosphere turned gloomy. Even Lucan felt sorry to Olivia after everything he had said to her.
Emi and Jinmu were worried as well.
"What you see is the reality, Olivia. This report came from your senior brother, Kai.", Eluard grimly replied.
"Enough pondering about it. Kai will approach you once he gathers enough information. The Siegfried household won''t be in a rush, but I hope that by that time, you are all ready."
He knew how ironic he sounded but the facade had to be kept in order to maintain the trust between him and his students.
"Jinmu, go to the medical ward and have that bleeding stop."
"As for you three, proceed to your ssrooms now!"
Chapter 45 Jinmus Plans
Jinmu solemnly stared at the system panel in front of his eyes.
The bleeding on his forehead has long stopped. Now, he was formting a n on how to deal with the two tasks at the same time.
''The volcanic grassy ins is a dangerous area to be in. Despite theck of demon beasts there, we might die from the unpredictive natural cmities.''
''The Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary do offer a lot of demon beasts, but the elves are already aware of our existence. Continued exposure in that area would attract attention from unwanted factions.''
Jinmu understood the current situation of the Heavenly Magic Academy.
In his eyes, the academy master was waiting for his students to develop into a strong force which could be utilized in the future.
If the academy master wanted to announce the academy''s return that early, then he would have gone along with the elves and made talks instead of returning to the academy in haste.
However, the fact that the academy master gave the elves a tip about the Otherworld''s ns bothered him.
Was he trying to form a secretive rtionship with the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary?
Jinmu listed out the possible reasons for the academy master to do this.
One was that the Sanctuary''s connections to the other empires were shallow. They weren''t that interested in forming strong allegiances, nor would they try to wage wars onto others.
With the exception of the Grurad Mystic Manor.
Jinmu re-evaluated his thoughts. Maybe exposing themselves again was a good idea?
Moreover, Heavenly Magic Academy could provide what the elves wanted the most.
A sacred ce of magical cultivation.
The elves'' talent to magic was extremely high. They thirst for knowledge and power about magical cultivation.
An agreement between the Sanctuary and the academy will have an influx of highly talented students on thetter while strengthening the overall force of the former.
It was a win-win situation that neither party would foolishly reject.
''Since this is the case, it is best to remain within the Sanctuary''s territory.'', Jinmu concluded.
The Morning Star Empire wasn''t an option. The assassins who massacred his vige might recognize them there.
He also thought the probability that the Otherworld were nning things on other ces as well. It would be strange if they only targeted the Norva Assili.
Now that all was set, Jinmu only needed to verify his assumptions. His senior brother Kai should have other ns on how to handle the problems in Norva Assili but it wouldn''t hurt to speak out his thoughts to his senior brother.
He went out of the medical area and proceeded to the ssrooms.
''They should be finished by now.''
s, he was on point. Though he did not expect that the three ssmates of his wore depressive expressions on their faces.
"What happened? Why are you sullen after the academy master''s lesson?", Jinmu was nervous.
,m "Did you not check your system panel? Academy master gave us another task.", Lucan weakly sighed, "Also, academy master said that we can now use the teleportation magic formation on our own ord."
He sat on the floor and held his head, regretting the actions he did earlier.
Jinmu opened his system panel and saw a new special task.
[ Special Task: Spell Variation ]
[ Academy master tasks you to learn 15 different magic spells and present these spells to him by next week. ]
[ Requirement: At least 5 spells must be of the defensive category. ]
[ Failure: Grounded ¨C unable to leave the academy''s premises for 1 week. ]
Jinmu mused at the failure condition of the said task. It was quite a severe punishment since one would also fail the weekly special task.
''Academy master is truly pushing us to train and be stronger faster. I kind of forgot that obligation as I was entranced by the vast knowledge presented in the library. But now¡''
He eyed the three depressed students in front of him.
"Emi, Lucan, Olivia. What are you getting depressed all about? Is the task too hard for you?", Jinmu said.
"For someone a genius like you, sure it is not hard.", Lucan replied, "You''re the smart guy."
He was worried about learning new spells since it would take a lot of tries before mastering one, where thereid Lucan''s greatest weakness due to his legendary magic root.
"Brother Jinmu, I-I don''t know much of the other spells. I''m scared I might be grounded this time¡", Emi shyly added.
She was the most inexperienced of them all. Although her mastery in nameless spell casting was second to Jinmu, her skills were subpar when ites to the moreplicated spells.
"What pathetic reasons.", Jinmu snorted, "Why do you think the academy master chose you after all this time? It''s because he sees the potential in you to be stronger and prove that his decision back on those days wasn''t a mistake on his part."
Despite how hostile they were to one another a few hours ago, Jinmu was ready to assist them without a hint of remorse in his words.
Lucan and Emi looked at him in surprise.
Jinmu then noticed Olivia who remained silent.
"Olivia, why are you still sulking over there?", he asked.
Olivia felt annoyed that Jinmu asked him. How could he not understand that she was extremely worried of her father''s fate?
She snorted and left without a word.
Emi wanted to follow her but her demeanor was too cold. Jinmu nced at Olivia''s departing figure. Nobody knew what this guy was thinking.
"Emi,e with me. I''ll teach you a thing or two about the other magic spells.", Jinmu gestured.
"Wh-what about me?", Lucan was confused. Shouldn''t this guy be teaching him too?
"You already know a lot of magic spells, Lucan. All you need to do is practice them all.", Jinmu argued, "And stopining. You''re already old enough to be responsible for yourself. Weren''t all noble children born like that?", grabbing Emi''s hand and headed to the library.
Lucan''s pride was hurt, but Jinmu was correct. Regardless of hisins, he would only waste his time instead of putting effort into practicing instead.
He went into the training yard where he saw Olivia sitting on the corner.
"What''s gotten into you? Are you thinking of your father?", he asked.
Olivia stared daggers at him, "Leave me alone."
"Okay, if that is what you want.", Lucan didn''t insist and practiced on the distance.
Seeing how the ignorant young man left her, Olivia''s mood worsened.
She needed someone to console her, to cheer her up but what all Lucan did was train there like an idiot and pant as his mana easily depletes.
This made her hate him even more.
''What a weak man, so easily tired after casting a few magic spells!'', she cursed. However, she didn''t realize that her thoughts shifted from one thing to another.
Lucan continued with his parade. Her annoyance peaked and angrily left.
He grinned after the cold girl was gone, ''Got you.''
The ex-crown prince nned to set Olivia up. He intentionally tired himself after a few rounds of practicing.
Knowing that Olivia hated men who were weak, Lucan decided to put on a show. And his n worked, at least half of it.
What remained was for Olivia to return on another time and do her own practicing. The northerner girl will certainly show off her skills, disying how lowly he waspared to her.
After all, herpetitive spirit wasparable to Solordo. Unfortunately, that muscle-brained guy wasn''t here and Lucan thought he had to temporarily take his ce.
Of course, Lucan already epted his loss. There was no way for him to win against the northerner girl.
All he just wanted to happen was for Olivia to temporarily forget the unpleasant information showed by their special task concerning the fate of her father.
Lucan returned to his practice, swearing to the Morning Star how cruel the academy master was.
Meanwhile, the cruel academy master was panting in his room. His sight blurred and he couldn''t stand properly.
''What the hell is happening to me? I''m not on drugs or any other stuff like that recently.'', Eluard cursed.
It started when he was delivering his lesson earlier. He had no choice but to end it early because he was no longer in the good condition to continue.
''Ah, I feel drowsy. I want to sleep.''
When he fell on his bed, his consciousness was brought to the void of space he was in before.
Just as he thought he had gone crazy, a golden humanoid figure arrived in front of him and bowed.
"Hello, sessor."
Chapter 46 The Divine Pathfinder
Eluard thought of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.
Didn''t this happen when he arrived in front of the academy''s grounds before greeted by an old man dressed formally?
"What did I do this time? Won a jackpot?", he absent-mindedly asked.
"What do you think, sessor?", the golden figure replied.
"Fine, you win.", Eluard admitted defeat, "What are you and why did you pull me in?"
''This guy must be the one who made me drunk as hell earlier''
What a bastard, he ruined Eluard''s chances of showing off to the students again.
"I am the Divine Pathfinder, sessor, the guide to your magical cultivation.", the divine pathfinder answered, "This ce is called the divineary space, a virtual realm that exists only in your mind, a visual representation of your magic root."
"I pulled you in here to inform you of managing your divineary space that will assist your cultivation efforts."
Eluard was confused, "Do you have any reason to call me a sessor?"
And why does he have another guide to help him?
The divine pathfinder took a while to respond.
"I was created long ago to help the Primal Lord of Magic''s sessors. And I feel a remnant of the Primal Lord of Magic from you, alongside your connection with his sacred temple."
Primal Lord of Magic? Sacred Temple? Connection?
This was the first time Eluard heard of such a person.
[ The Divine Pathfinder is an entity created to help the sessor of the seat of academy master in the Heavenly Magic Academy. ]
''Entity? Are the two of you the same?'', Eluard was surprised.
[ Simr, not the same. The Divine Pathfinder, as exined, helps you in your magical cultivation while the system assists you in your academic business. ]
It gave more questions to Eluard, such as why would the divine pathfinder only show now instead of when he received his magic root.
The divine pathfinder read Eluard''s thoughts.
"I know that you are very confused about my existence, sessor. The memories I sent you will give you the answers you need."
"For now, try to gather your mana into that densely packed cloud of dust in the distance."
Eluard followed the divine pathfinder''s suggestion. He will review those ''memories'' at ater date.
Mana surged from his forehead toward the nebe. He emptied his mana yet nothing happened, shocking him.
''Wh-what? System, use the magic crystals in my inventory!'', Eluard ordered.
The magic crystals refilled his mana and he continued the process again only for it to end futilely.
He looked at the divine pathfinder. The golden figure was anticipating good results from Eluard. However, the ipetent academy master wasn''t able to do anything.
"Hey, I have been using my mana here. Why is nothing happening over there?", Eluardined.
The divine pathfinder caressed its face, "Sessor, may I know what is your current realm now?"
"Trainee mage at the full ring."
The divine pathfinder gasped, "No wonder nothing is happening."
He contemted before continuing, "I was supposed to assist you the moment you have ascended into divinity, sessor. In other words, an archmage."
"The attempted memory intrusion that day forced me to show myself earlier than expected because you would be at risk if I let it be. The memories I gave you overloaded that spectral''s consciousness, rendering it dead."
He shook his head and sighed, "Since you have to ascend, sessor, you will not be able to pursue any further. I am very sorry for this unfortunate event."
The emphatic words annoyed Eluard. Although systematically following the process of magical cultivation was a must, it wouldn''t hurt to cheat his way through if he could.
He ignored the divine pathfinder and stared at the nebe.
A closer look showed him an outward division of the clouds in a circr fashion like the rings of a tree. There were at least ten of them.
Eluard concluded that each of these sections contained a single and its orbital revolution.
''This guy wants me to form the entireary system in one go. Yes, an archmage definitely has that power, but I do not have the capacity to do that.''
He racked his brains and came up with a solution.
''Can''t I form one at a time instead? Let''s see if this thing works.''
Eluard grinned.
The change in his expression piqued the divine pathfinder''s interests and wondered what he was up to this time.
p ''System, use all of the magic crystals in my inventory if needed!''
Eluard put all of his focus on the section closest to the bluish-white star. He extended his hands and firmly grasped the space in front.
, form!''
Time elerated, trembling the void space. The dust and gas in the first section rapidly revolved around a concentrated space, slowly forming into a small.
Dust turned into pebbles, then into rocks, then intorge rocks, and soon grouped together into a molten.
Eluard let go of his focus and breathed deeply. His mind almost snapped but he persevered.
The divine pathfinder was shocked of this discovery. However, he set everything aside and informed Eluard of what to do next.
"You''re doing it, sessor! Now, imbue a magic element into that you have just formed!", he hurried.
''Fire, maybe I need fire!'', Eluard gritted.
He controlled his mana and engulfed the with fire elements. At the same time, a warm current flowed from his brain throughout his entire body.
The burned with higher intensity, coinciding with the increasing temperature that Eluard felt.
mes roasted his muscles and skin. Pain coursed on his body but Eluard persuaded himself to not stop now.
''I am almost there! Just a little bit more!''
He didn''t know what changes these actions will do, and he didn''t care if he lost all the magic crystals in his inventory. He knew that he will benefit from this immensely despite the sacrifice he willmit.
He continued pouring fire elements into the until it was fully saturated.
It then absorbed everything and was set aze from the inside.
Eluard let out a loud shout.
Back on the academy grounds, the four students who were simply minding their own business were terrified asrge swathes of mes flooded the main halls. Luckily, it did not enter the interiors nor did it hurt them.
The ear-shattering shout worsened their fright.
"What the hell?! Academy master, please! We''re very very sorry!", Lucan pleaded, "I won''t dare to cause trouble here again!"
He knelt on all fours and prostrated incessantly like a fanatic who was wronged.
Everything calmed down after a while.
Jinmu and Emi went out, with the little girl clinging tightly to her senior brother.
He saw the mes from before whirling in the academy master''s office''s location.
''What is happening to academy master?''
A sudden quake interrupted his thoughts. Lucan shouted pitifully which annoyed Jinmu, ''Coward, deal with it!''
"Senior brother Jinmu, look! A tower ising out from the north!", Emi pointed.
Jinmu nced at the northern direction and saw a very tall tower whose end surpassed the skies and beyond, giving him a familiar feeling which he experienced back on the Altar of Rites.
"Senior brother Jinmu, can you tell me what is happening? It''s getting scary.", Emi asked.
"I don''t know too, Emi. Come, let''s go back inside. Academy master will tell us more about this.", Jinmu dragged her back inside the library.
Eluard remained ignorant of the things that happened as his mental self turned unconscious. His entire body was burnt all over. Luckily, there was a healing magic array formation ced inside his room that slowly mended the burns he received.
Meanwhile, the divine pathfinder was ultimately shocked of the feat that Eluard just achieved.
"This is a miracle! I didn''t expect that the sessor could think of a method like this!"
He nced at Eluard and sighed in relief.
"Let him rest for now. The power contained in that is extremely powerful. At least, this part is done sessfully by him."
The divine pathfinder vanished, wishing for Eluard to make a fast recovery so that he could tell the sessor the fruits of hisbor.
Chapter 47 Advancement Of The Students
2 days passed.
Jinmu taught Emi everything he could about form 2 and form 3 magic spells.
He removed the concept of magic circles and instead, described each magic spell the little girl asked of him.
The form counter of a magic spell depended on the number of magic circles a magic spell required to be cast. It also allowed magical cultivators to control the flow and quantity of their mana so that nothing was leaked or wasted in the process.
Since they were students of the Heavenly Magic Academy who trod on the path of nameless spell casting, such concepts no longer applied in their magic system. However, it came at a cost of increased mana consumption.
A spell''s ranking was based on itsplexity, potency, and application.
Complexity referred to the structural difficulty of the magic spell. For example, a fireball wasn''t asplexpared to summoning a fire elemental beast.
One was just a ball of me while the other required the concept of consciousness for it to understand orders and act on itself, and mana coagtion to maintain its form for a long period.
The potency referred to how strong, both in scale and raw power, a magic spell was.
Although there were many types of fireball spells, the potency differed. Dartex''s Cataclysmic Firefall was arge-scale and extremely powerful spell despite its main structure based on fireballs.
If left unattended, an entire city would be destroyed, left with nothing but a trail of ashes and rubble.
Lastly, the application referred to how a magical cultivator could use the said magic spell.
The form 5 magic spell, me handsso was weak in potencypared to the other magic spells in this category. However, it required someone to master the partial magical metamorphosis.
This was a state avable only to the wizards and above where they used the magic elements to temporarily enhance their bodies.
"Brother Jinmu, I''m tired.", Emi slumped in the training yard. Her cat ears were down and her tail coiled around her back.
They were now practicing the magic spells they have learned but Emi wasn''t motivated. Hearing them in theory was cool and fun.
Putting them in action wasn''t.
Jinmu approached her. She looked above and met his cold re.
Her hair, ears, and tail stood on end.
"I-I will continue!", Emi quickly behaved. Jinmu wasn''t the type to punish her but that re was a nightmare.
A loud bang echoed from a distance away. Emi and Jinmu looked at the source of this sudden interruption.
"What sort of mockery is this, Lucan? You call yourself a student of this academy? Stand up and fight me again!", Olivia demanded.
"I can''t. I need to rest for a while.", Lucan panted.
His mana reserves were depleted. Coupled with Olivia''s lightning strike to his stomach, he was unable to fight in his current state.
p "Weak.", Olivia snorted and left. Ironically, she was panting as well though her fa?ade made her look like everything was alright.
Lucan grinned, not much of a surprise to the two observers.
They saw Lucan and Olivia as two quarreling lovers where the former was unable to meet his partner''s demands. What''s worse was that thecking man seemed to enjoy his partner''s punishments.
Emi and Jinmu shook their heads. What a dangerous couple. One was sadistic and the other was masochistic.
"Say, brother Jinmu. Don''t you think that big sister Olivia has gone softer on brother Lucan?"
Jinmu nodded, "You are right, Emi. She doesn''t kick him anymore unlike what happened in the past two days."
Lucan''s n was obvious to Jinmu. However, he did not say anything that would jeopardize the poor ex-crown prince''s motives.
After all, the Special Task: Cold North was too depressing for Olivia to take in. Comforting her was not an option. Nobody knew the extent of her rtionship with her father.
The least they could do was to distract her thoughts to something else. Her sadistic and elitist behavior was a fit for Lucan''s ipetency.
In that way, annoyance would fill her mind centering around Lucan all day.
Also, going back to Norva Assili at this time of the year could lead to an early demise of High King Garron''s rule. Since the Siegfried household was nning to take over, Olivia''s presence was highly important to their efforts.
Her life as a bargaining chip for High King Garron to step down the throne was the perfect situation for them. Not pursuing the Siegfried household''s demands would end up badly for Olivia and her father.
Not only was the throne lost but Olivia''s life too.
Therefore, her remaining here to empower herself was a better option. At least in the future, she would be ready to face her enemies just like what the academy master had said.
High King Garron wouldn''t worry about her safety either. Even though he doesn''t know where Olivia currently was, as long as she was not in the hands of the Siegfried family, everything was still fine.
"Alright, ignore him. Continue with your practice.", Jinmu strictly reminded Emi.
The little girl did not dare to ck off.
"Wooden Periphery!"
Vines and twigs grew 2 meters around her in a circr fashion. Jinmu stepped back and assumed an attacking stance.
"I will attack you now. Let me see how skillful and reactive you are this time."
The surrounding water elements moved and formed into a bullet.
Water Bullet!
Emi anticipated Jinmu''s strike, controlling the vines to move in front of her and create a defensive wall.
The bullet was deflected proving her defense to be sessful. She heaved a sigh of relief.
This gave Jinmu a chance to hit her with another water bullet from a different direction.
Emi was drenched. Luckily, their uniforms were durable and resistant to magic attacks. Otherwise, Emi would have suffered from his strike.
"You did better but you ultimately let your guard down just because you defended once.", Jinmu remarked.
Emi let out a whimper but her cold senior brother didn''t take the bait this time. He only responded with a colder re.
With that, another 2 days passed.
The continuous practice of form 2 and 3 magic spells indirectly strengthened their bodies.
Casting them was taxing to handle in the first few days but they managed to copeter on. This was because the exercised magic root developed itself the more it was used; simr to how muscles and physical exercise worked together.
It also directly improved their magical cultivation realms.
Emi became a trainee mage at the median ring with Lucan on the same power level.
Olivia advanced to the quarter ring, while Jinmu remained as an apprentice due to his heavily damaged magic root.
His interaction with Emi sprouted suspicions in the little girl''s mind.
''It feels like senior brother Jinmu is using the surrounding mana as his source of power instead of his magic root. Is there something wrong with senior brother Jinmu''s magic root?''
Her gut feeling was on point. Unfortunately, no one verified her thoughts.
Emi tried her best to approach Jinmu about it but she was too afraid and too shy to do so.
Now that their practice session was over, it was time to conduct their weekly hunt.
Jinmu told them his n in advance and allotted two days toplete the weekly hunt task. A count of 2,500 kills wasn''t easily achievable, particrly when their targets were elite demon beasts.
The four students gathered in the main hall.
Jinmu told them his n and teleported to the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary''s territory. The location was the Dark Forest, otherwise also known as the territorial border between the Sanctuary and the Grurad Mystic Manor.
It was a heavily forrested area that almost blocked out the Morning Star. The humid air worsened Lucan''s experience.
"Damn, why are we here instead of somewhere dry and fresh?", heined.
"Aren''t you a sissy? Can''t handle a little wetness on your clothes?", Olivia mocked but Lucan ignored her.
He was just saying things out of muscle memory.
"Say, Jinmu. Don''t you think academy master has this all nned out?", Lucan wondered.
The Weekly Hunt special task came at a convenient time to test out their magic spells against the demon beasts.
Jinmu''s conclusion was simr, albeit a little faster than thetter''s dull mind.
However, this revtion wasn''t as shocking to him. Academy master was academy master. How could an exemry being not foresee such things a few steps ahead?
Little did he know that this invincible person slept soundly back at the academy. His body was still in the process of recovery.
A month or so was required before he would wake up from his deep sleep.
Back on the students, Jinmu replied with a nod and focused on the special task at hand.
"Alright, spread out but do not go too far. The map indicates a lot of elite demon beasts in this area. If one is in trouble, do not hesitate to contact the others.", he heavily implied to Lucan and Olivia.
The ego of these two was the highest and teamwork wasn''t a part of their vocabry.
"Also, don''t interact with the system if there are people nearby. Understood?"
They nodded in understanding and bade each other goodbye.
¡
Further into the forest were a group of dark heldens and some greenhorns sharpening their weapons under the warmth of the Morning Star.
The dark heldens had long silky hair which covered their entire faces. Their arms and legs were thin and looked frail.
The greenhorns portrayed the exact description of their race. If it wasn''t for their pig-like faces, the Sanctuary would have dealt with them more seriously.
Littered around them were corpses of demon beasts, big and small. The trees were painted with red and dark blood.
On another side wererge sacks of meat and the bones that could be utilized on tools and weaponry.
It was a gruesome scene that would horrify many.
"Kek, what a bountiful harvest we have today. 3mander-level demon beasts, and a ton more of the smaller ones."
"We will have food and lots of more food in the uing winter once we finish that man''s task.", said a brute orc towering at 3 meters.
His muscles bulged crazily and his frightening red eyes dismayed his acquaintances from gazing at him.
The people cheered in unison.
They were assigned by someone from the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary to capture a merchant caravan that will pass through this area today.
The demon beasts, and anything that stood in their way were additional prizes.
The leaves rustled on a nearby tree, alerting this group of butchers. A dark heldentched onto a tree like a lizard and maneuvered herself easily.
She crouched, extending her long legs and rested her hands.
"What''s there, Kerina? You have prey for us to kill?", the brute greenhorn was excited.
"Boss Harruga! Humans, 3 of them, and one demi-human!", Kerina replied with a ghastly voice.
"Alone?", Harruga wanted to confirm.
"Yes, alone!"
Chapter 48 Zumfiel Noble Household
Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary.
Zumfiel Noble Household.
As one of the founding households of this empire, the Zumfiel garnered huge respect and fear from the public.
They were also a secr family, away from the political conflicts of empires and factions. Their strength was second to the Erezars whose existence remained a mystery to themon man.
With the increasing conflict against their rival, the Winxys Noble Household, such arrangements were bound to change sooner orter.
And that time was near.
"Come out there, you bastards from the Zumfiel Household! Do you have no honor? You dared to assault my son and killed tens of our men publicly before you left as if it does not concern your dignity as a secr family!", a tall bald old man dressed in wizard robes shouted.
Behind him were simrly-dressed people, with some of them wearing tight-fitted metal armor, carryingrge weapons in their arms.
It was as if they havee here to wage a war on the people on the other side of the huge wooden gate.
Three men walked out and approached them. The leader was an unusually muscr elf. His wizard robes would confuse people even more.
Was this guy a knight or a wizard?
"Zirigma, your voice is so loud. I could actually use your help in waking up our servants on time.", the burly elf mocked, "Unfortunately, that privilege belongs to the Winxys Household. What a waste of an opportunity for us, Zumfiels''."
"Norton Zumfiel, I''m not here to listen to your humor. Where''s your daughter and that man alongside her that hurt my son?!", Zirigma angrily retorted.
Norton was surprised, "Your son was hurt? You have my deepest condolences. I will ask one of my servants to call a doctor to treat his wounds then."
Zirigma''s patience ran out. An explosive aura burst from him, cracking the high stone walls behind Norton.
Norton''s presence suddenly turned cold and domineering. Zirigma''s aura was overshadowed. No, Norton destroyed it and repaired the walls in the process.
"Zirigma, I think it''s been years since I have shown you my capabilities as an archmage. I guess today is a good day to remind you of that."
Everyone from the Winxys Household felt a chill in their spine. Norton''s aura locked them in ce, unable to move an inch with their bones and muscles.
One wrong move and they might not be able to leave this ce in one piece, dead or alive.
He calmly approached the frozen Zirigma and tidied up his cor.
"Listen, your suicidal son has always caused trouble to my daughter and my family over and over again. Did I ever ask you to handle him as a proper parent does?"
"No, I did not. And here we are, when someone finally teaches your son some good manners, you can''t seem to handle it and call assault like the shameless piece of shit you are."
Norton softly pped Zirigma''s cheeks.
"Do not make me lose patience, Zirigma. Or else I will finish what that man has started unto your son.", giving him a meaningful look, "And pass it on your entire household if I am in the mood."
He turned around and waved his hands dismissively.
"Your ce as a secr family is already questionable in the eyes of many people. Without your ancestral efforts that established you as one of the founding fathers of the Sanctuary, I would have sent you crawling to the streets at night with everything your son had done."
"Be grateful for what you have today, Zirigma. You never know when you will lose all which you treasure, including that rotten-spoiled son of yours."
The wooden gate was shut hard, leaving Zirigma and the rest of the Winxys household members outside.
"Sir Norton, what do we with them next?", asked one of Norton''s servants.
"Leave them alone, and where is Haera? Didn''t she return yesterday in the evening from Nirulva City?", Norton asked.
"She is currently in the training yard, Sir Norton."
Norton searched for his daughter.
Haera was his most favored and loved child. Her magic root was supreme, her talent was also unparalleled. She even inherited her mother''s beauty.
What more could a father ask of her?
Although her current realm was in the adept wizard realm, she could beat some older master wizards who were one major realm above her.
Because of that, she was appointed as an instructor in the Alderian Magic Haven at such a young age. Not even Vulture could hold a candle to her and he was wishing to court Haera in the most disgusting ways.
Luckily, Norton was a patient and understanding man.
He found Haera sitting on a bench, absent-mindedly staring at the pond in front of her. The calm environment deepened her thoughts.
''What is up with this girl to daydream all of a sudden?''
Norton hadn''t seen her daughter act like this before. He narrowed his eyes and thought of one possibility.
Was this girl in love?
Nothing else but that could entangle Haera in an endless pursuit of knowledge and understanding. Also, she didn''t greet her father when she returned. That usually shouldn''t happen unless another man resides on her mind.
Norton sneakily approached Haera and eavesdropped.
He wasn''t strict when it came to the personal love affairs of his children. He would let them do as they wished as long as it made them happy.
That didn''t mean that he wasn''t the type to gossip about his children''s love of their life, nor would he not interfere when it matters. The most dumbfounding thing was that this man was the biggest eavesdropper in their family.
Haera, unaware that her father was nearby, picked up a flower and started her ritual.
Norton held hisughter after seeing this.
''He loves me, he loves me not. This mischievous girl is truly in that phase.''
He couldn''t stop himself from grinning. Finally, someone was able to make his daughter lovestruck after all the troubles that happened.
A never-ending line of suitors was rejected by her and Norton became numb to it.
Now, he was curious about the identity of this person. Surely, it wasn''t Vulture, right?
He remembered that that bastard of a noble child was humiliated by someone Haera was acquainted with and that she was also sent to Nirulva City for a mission.
Haera was about to pluck the remaining flower petals when two household guards interrupted this serene scene.
Norton was angered but hid for now. He would teach these guards a lesson another day.
"Miss Haera, General Zukov Peldante from the Alderian Terrestrial Corps is looking for you. He''s waiting in the headquarters.", one of them reported.
"The Alderian Terrestrial Corps?", Haera and Norton were confused.
Did something serious happen?
Haera went to the headquarters of the elven army barracks located near the base of Mount Eredia, the mountain where the Alderian Nature Pce was situated.
Stationed alongside the main elven army was the Alderian Terrestrial Corps.
"I am sorry for the sudden summoning, Miss Haera. However, this right here is a very important matter that concerns Empress Aelin''s mission to you.", General Zukov handed out a parchment to Haera.
"This is?"
"A few days ago, an unknown party surfaced in the Leeveria Forest with intentions unknown. Just now, four of those six people were spotted near the Dark Forest.", General Zukov exined.
"The scouts have reported an increase of magical cultivation strength from three of them. It is quite a quick progress ifpared to the rest."
Haera raised her eyebrows, "And? What does this have to do with me?"
General Zukov mmed his desk, "Everything, Miss Haera. Empress Aelin has been awaiting of news with regards to the matter several days now."
"With this discovery, we can capture those four under the nose of that masked man and inquire their identities and intentions before reporting to Empress Aelin with good news."
Haera''s expression darkened, "I thought that Empress Aelin has forbidden any aggressive actions. Are you disobeying her orders, General Zukov?"
"She won''t know if we act decisively quick, Miss Haera.", General Zukov leaned over her and spoke softly, "I am letting you in on a marvelous opportunity, Miss. You should know better than that."
Haeraughed, mocking General Zukov''s stupid n.
"Nice try, General Zukov, but it is unfortunate that you will be swimming on your glory alone. Thank you for wasting my time with this nonsense. I will be leaving now."
She turned around and smirked on her way out.
What an idiot. This old man''s pursuit of her heart still wasn''t over despite the numerous times Haera rejected his advance.
Now, he dared to use the lives of innocent mages in order to court her? What atrocity was this?
He was willing to go that far just for a foolish and selfish wish-fulfillment of his ego?
Haera wouldn''t let anything happen to those four students even if she antagonized the entire Alderian Terrestrial Corps.
Empress Aelin strictly reminded them to peacefullymunicate with this mysterious party whom she long realized to be the Heavenly Magic Academy.
The empress didn''t spread that information easily. Haera was her trusted subject so the lucky girl was able to know more of the matter at hand.
''General Zukov. Empress Aelin has been suspicious of your intentions a long time ago. You have just fallen on her trap.''
Chapter 49 The Empress Directives
A few days ago in the Alderian Nature Pce.
"Where is that person now?!", Empress Aelin hurriedly asked.
"Empress Aelin, we do not know where that man has gone. That person simply generated a teleportation magic circle before they vanished.", General Zukov answered.
Empress Aelin became solemn, "I see. What do you think of them, General Zukov?"
"Their intentions are unclear, Empress. I feel that they have an ulterior motive in showing themselves here on our territory. They might be in cahoots with the Otherworld and are already aware of their ns from the start. I suggest we-"
"I disagree.", Haera retorted, "Rina and Rono told me that the robed man purely wanted to hunt demon beasts in that area alongside those young children."
General Zukov snorted, "Rina and Rono are young children! That robed man can easily deceive them!"
Hisst words made Empress Aelin turn cold, "General Zukov, you are dismissed."
"But Empress Aelin, we cannot let such a risk go-"
"Enough. I will have the final say on this matter, and I say that we cooperate with them through friendly negotiations.", she didn''t budge, "You are all dismissed."
General Zukov gasped. He was in disbelief for a moment that the Empress wasn''t listening to his suggestions.
This has not happened before. The empress would be ted that he was there for important talks. But now, he was discarded like a useless subject.
''What is the Empress thinking?! She easily trusts those people more than her loyal subjects who have worked under her for so long?!''
His pride was hurt so he bowed and left without saying another word.
The others went out as well. Rina and Rono were taken to their home.
"Haera, can youe with me for a minute?", she requested.
"Yes, Empress."
Empress Aelin went on a balcony. In this ce, she could oversee the entire capital city of the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary, the Sanctuary city.
The chirping sounds brought peace to her mind. The slight cover from the trees protected her fair skin from the intensity of the Morning Star''s light.
These two elves, one dressed formally and one dressed seductively, exuded a strong charming aura to anyone who dared to take a peek.
"I have been wondering for all this time, Haera.", she calmly spoke, "How far will a ruler go to serve the people they dearly love?"
Haera remained silent. She didn''t know the answer to such a question.
"Do you think that I have been a good ruler after all this time, Haera?"
"Yes, Empress. You have brought prosperity and development to the Sanctuary.", Haera replied.
"Is that so?", Empress Aelin nced at her.
"Back when I was a woman of your age, I dreamt of a Sanctuary highly advanced in magical knowledge and research. We became so powerful that no one in Aludia could ever match up to us, even the demonic creatures from the Otherworld."
"I dreamt of the same Sanctuary that finally epted the differences of demi-humans. The Grurad Mystic Manor and the Sandmen following in our footsteps towards greatness and evesting prosperity."
Empress Aelin shook her head.
"Then, I became a ruler. I was supposed to have the best opportunity to achieve my young, na?ve, yet beautiful dreams of this Sanctuary."
"But now, I failed."
"I am bounded by chains inherited from my ancestors long before. The nobles remain in power and themoners struggle for their rights. The elders have gone mad with their conservative thoughts."
"Our spite against the Grurad Mystic Manor has worsened."
"Our power as a nation dwindlespared to the newborn humans in the Morning Star Empire."
"And such a cmity loom upon us every day. And I, as the empress, is unable to do anything to stop it."
Just as Haera thought that Empress Aelin have gone mad, she noticed a smile on the empress'' despondent face.
"But I guess the ancestors are not as cruel as we thought they are. They have allowed me to prove myself once again."
Haera was dumbfounded. This smile from the empress, a very bright and hopeful smile, with tears running down her face.
How could she put it? It was akin to a bird who finally learned how to fly. It was akin to a ve who finally found freedom in their life.
''Did she destroy the chains binding her for so long?'', Haera wondered.
"Haera, tell me what you know of Heavenly Magic Academy."
The sudden change of topic surprised Haera. Was the empress fascinated by that fabled magic academy?
Seeing how Haera hesitated to answer, the empress let out a chuckle.
"I guess you are finding a way to phrase the ever-circting rumors and legends, am I right, Haera?"
Haera was embarrassed. The empress saw through her.
"But you must be interested as to why I mentioned them now, aren''t you?"
Indeed, her interest was piqued. Was this something that has to do with those mysterious group of people from Leeveria Forest?
"Everyone is talking about that academy and all but no one is talking about the person in charge of that academy. An academy isn''t much without its academy master, right, Haera?"
The girl nodded in response.
An academy relied its foundation on the academy master because they were the ones in charge of everything. From lessons to logistics to events and other things, the scope of an academy master was wide.
Even with personnel lessening their work, the academy master still is the one to decide the final way of things.
Moreover, the image of the academy master would reflect the academy they served. But due to how people clung to the fame of the academy than the person themselves, students and instructors sometimes interpret the two different things as one.
Just because an academy was famous and high quality doesn''t mean that the academy master was as well. However, apetent academy master will always result in apetent academy despite how run-down it looked.
Empress Aelin sighed and told Haera what she knew.
"The academy master of the Heavenly Magic Academy is a mysterious figure whom no one in history was able to identify. Their names are unknown, their race remains hidden, nobody except themselves knew who they truly were."
"Despite the secrecy of their identities, one thing remains the same about them. Their eyes are the eyes of truth. No lies or deceits can pass through their judgment. Everything that they n is a grand n whom everyone would only notice once the deed was done."
"All of this, contained within a garb of a robe and a mask. Legends from our ancestors say that this pair of clothing was an inheritance to the sessors of the Heavenly Magic Academy, and no one but them has the right to wear it."
There was nothing but admiration in Empress Aelin''s words. Thepliments she threw almost swayed Haera as she listened in.
"If I may guess, that mysterious man who led them was garbed in a robe and a mask as well, Haera?"
Haera couldn''t properly process the words that Empress Aelin was spouting just now.
She thought that the empress was saying these things tofort herself or for other reasons unknown, but the seriousness in the empress'' eyes persuaded Haera that she wasn''t messing around.
Also, there was anticipation in her tone the way she asked herst question. Was there something else Empress Aelin wasn''t telling her about? And why was she expecting something from Haera''s answer?
"Empress, I am unsure if that person fits in your description. All I could say is that their realm is immeasurable and¡"
"And they can see through everything about you.", Empress Aelin finished. Haera gulped in silence. The empress''s words were on point.
Empress Aelin walked past her, tapping Haera''s shoulder on her way out.
"You will understand, my child when you return to a town near Leeveria Forest a few days from now. If I am not wrong, they will be selling their harvests soon enough."
"And be careful of General Zukov. His vanity has long consumed him, making him more ambitious than ever, Haera. He will go to lengths just to prove his arguments, and in the process, he will try to implicate you if he can. He is one of your suitors, after all."
The empress left. Haera stood there alone, contemting the deep words that Empress Aelin told her.
shing to the present, she hurried to her home and asked her father''s help.
The sly old man was in the training yard, sitting in a lotus position; eyes half-closed.
"Father, where is Uncle Veron?", she asked.
Norton acted surprised, "Ah, my Haera. Your uncle is¡"
Bam!
A figure arrived in a sh. It was a man in his forties in terms of elven age. His ck hair was short and straight like a de.
Haera could feel the rage in his deep blue eyes.
"U-uncle¡ calm down! It''s not Vulture, I need your help with something else.", Haera corrected.
The pressure of his aura faded. He was ready to listen to his niece.
"There''s this group of people I know of who are in trouble somewhere in the Dark Forest. Can youe with me?", she requested.
"Sure, I can teleport the two of us there now. Will brothere with us?", Veron eyed the carefree Norton.
"No, father won''t. You are more than enough.", Haera assured.
"Then let us go."
He held Haera''s right hand and casted a spell. Haera gritted her teeth and prepared for what was toe.
"Hey, what are you doing? Why are you using that in this sacred ce?!", Nortonined. This was Veron''s teleportation spell.
The ground started quaking. Haera and Veron''s figures vibrated like a ringing cellphone before they slowly blurred in ce.
Norton lost his patience as the quake intensified.
"I''m warning you. Get out of here while I''m not angry!"
At the wave of his hand, Haera and Veron vanished. Peace returned but at the cost of cracked ground andpletely obliterated structures.
"Ai, that Veron!"
Chapter 50 Danger, Updated System Map
Jinmu stood still, alert to his surroundings. The leaves rustled without a hint of what caused it.
A magic trap he set on top of a tree branch lit up and caught a demon beast off guard. Water burst and submerged its victim by forming a pressurizing water prison.
The captive drowned before it could manage to escape.
Its corpse fell to the ground. He approached it and recognized the demon beast.
[ Name: Wind Pathing Monkey ]
[ Rarity: Umon ]
[ Power Level: Elite ]
[ Affinity: Wind ]
Jinmu let out a smile after seeing the results.
''This water prison spell is quite faster than I expected. Even a wind pathing monkey can''t react to it.''
Despite the elite level of these demon beasts, they weren''t sturdy enough to handle such a blow. Wind pathing monkeys simply used the wind elements to hasten their speed, not because their physical attributes were formidable.
And that wasn''t all.
Over the past weeks, Jinmu honed his mastery of the domain mana synthesis. It gave him the ability to engrave magic traps anywhere without drawing them in a paryus.
[ Author''s Note: I am slowly re-inventing the materials for this story. Paryus will be introduced in Chapter 19 ]
[ For old readers and fans, a paryus (pronounced par-yuss) is a material where magic could be ''conducted'' without being destroyed. ]
It boosted his fighting abilities to a high extent because he no longer needed to prepare, nor would his enemies notice the existence of a trap since paryus wasn''t used.
Also, his magic traps were visually camouged. Magic pa Unless the area was investigated with minute details, nobody would notice a difference until the trap was triggered.
He harvested the demon beast''s remains using the system and continued on his course.
Mana flowed continuously everywhere Jinmu went. Magic traps were created on his arrival and would remove if not activated after passing through.
This was to prevent any incidents left by his magic traps during his absence. Leaving them on their own was irresponsible on his part and a reckless thing to do as a student of the academy.
He continued killing demon beasts this way for the past 2 hours. His inventory was already flooding with harvested blue magic crystals and other materials.
Jinmu was having a good time whenrge humanoid pigs exited the shadows and presented themselves.
It was Harruga and his bandit party.
"My, my, what do we have here? A crippled mage.", heughed loudly joined by his acquaintances.
Jinmu scrutinized this group of society defects with a calm look.
[ Name: Harruga ]
[ Age: 47 years (141 humans years) ]
[ Race: Greenhorn ]
[ Status: Alive ]
[ Affiliation: Harruga Bandits, Leader ]
[ Chivalric Will Power: Higher de ¨C Enlightenment Realm ]
[ Chivalric Core Grade: B ]
[ Chivalric Imprint: Bull Hound (Rare) ]
Harruga was holding a rusty butcher sword. Part of it was chipped away due to prolonged use and Harruga''s mishandling of his weapon.
Greenhorns were known to be highly tempered demi-humans and didn''t care whatever weapon they used to kill their prey. They''d just sh at things until they were dead.
"Oh, boss. Look! He''s trying to memorize our faces one by one!", said one of the bandits.
Jinmu almostughed at this greenhorn''s crooked eyes.
"What you going to do about it boy? Take revenge on us in your next life?", Harruga''s mockery instilledughter again.
"No, I''d like to remember your poor faces before you are stung by these bees."
Jinmu nimbly moved his fingers and used the wind to cut in half a nest of punch-stinging bees from a distance. They were three timesrger than the normal bees and each sting packed a punch.
They once swarmed amander-level demon beast and stung it to death.
"Leader, watch out!"
The bandits turned ghastly when they saw the approaching punch-stinging bees.
The insects minded their own business but these despicable intruders chose to cut their home in half. Now, they were going to taste the might of their sting.
"Ah! Zap them! Smack these bees away!", Harruga panicked as one bee managed to sting his left shoulder.
Although it didn''t swell, the pain in his muscles was unbearable. It was simr to having a bruised muscle and someone pinched the softest spot.
He quickly shed at the bee and cut it in half. The rest of them attacked to avenge their fallenrade.
"All of you, cover yourselves!", Harruga ordered. He wasn''t going to let himself be a target dummy of these insects.
"Might of the Bull Hound!"
A bloodthirsty aura was emitted that knocked out all the punch-sting bees harassing his group. It rained down insects and the nearby demon beasts ran away in fear.
Harruga stepped on a pile of punch-sting bees and angrily asked, "Where is he?! Find him! I want him dead! I want to butcher him a thousand times!"
He found his acquaintances bruised all over. The punch-sting bees dealt a huge blow to their manpower.
"Damn it, move you idiots!"
Left with no choice, they nodded in hesitance and started their search.
"You cripple of a mage! How dare you humiliate me, Harruga!", he sted the trunk of the wide tree beside him.
The dark elf from before arrived.
"Leader, we should go get the others too.", Kerina suggested, "They must be a group who went here to hunt. If we capture one of them¡"
Harruga waved his hands, "Go get some men and do it! I will wait here. Those bastards will pay. Damn it!", gently rubbing the part where the punch-sting bee hit him.
¡
Jinmu opened his system panel and informed the other three of the impending danger. This time, he left his traps without removing them.
People were pursuing them and triggering some magic traps in the process could offer him a dy to their ns.
''I need to warn the others to get out of here immediately.''
He looked at the map and noticed something different. There were more dots disyed in the interface.
Centered on the map was a white dot which represented him, the blue ones as students from the magic academy, two green dots approaching his direction, and red dots scattered all around.
The blue dots even disyed the names with Emi headed to the east of Jinmu''s current location.
He mused that this was the work of the academy master. Those mes might be the catalyst and the result was this upgraded map and the unknown tower.
''I don''t need to worry about this for now. Those greenhorns like to y on their prey. Getting out of here is the better option.''
Unlike the other students, they have the privilege to teleport anywhere wherever they wished. This slight interference from the greenhorns wasn''t as impactful as what those bandits thought.
That was unless they were caught.
He put his eyes on the two green dots close to him. They were moving at a quick pace earlier and stopped when they were a few meters away from him.
Jinmu chose a random direction and started walking.
''These guys are tailing me. What should I do?''
Their intentions were unknown, however, their sudden appearance in the Dark Forest intrigued Jinmu.
''Let''s try heading into that group of red dots.''
He casually approached the bandits without a care in the world.
Meanwhile, Haera and Veron, the two green dots Jinmu saw on the map, were dumbfounded.
They sensed the presence of the bandits and worried for Jinmu''s safety.
Haera tapped Veron, "Uncle, he is one of them. There are still three of them out there."
Veron nodded. He didn''t care nor ask who these people were. As long as Haera worried for them, he would too.
Veron ced his hand on the ground and released a sound wave. Through his magical echolocation, he managed to locate the other three.
Instead of the usual ''sound'' reflection, Veron''s magical echolocation resonated with the mana of its target.
"Haera, one of them is east from our direction. Their magic power is a little weakerpared to the rest. Go check it out first.", Veron reported to her.
Haera departed much to Jinmu''s surprise.
''They''re splitting up? And it looks like that one''s going to Emi. Don''t tell me they''re here for us?!''
He felt a vibration in the ground earlier. It bounced after hitting him and returned to the green dots'' location. Based on his deductions, that vibration was used to locate where Lucan, Olivia, and Emi were.
Jinmu decided to head closer to the bandits. Verifying the green dots'' intentions was the better option. There was still time for him to notify Emi if things went haywire.
He wanted to know who these people were, why were they here, and how did they manage to follow them.
"This boy is making my life hard. He really wants me to take care of those small fries, huh?", Veron sighed.
The greenhorns weren''t his match. However, his gut has been telling him that something was wrong with all of this but he could not get to the end of it.
''Haera went to the camp and returned quickly? That doesn''t sound right especially since Zukov was involved.''
That youngmoner elf general rose to the ranks without hindrance. It shocked everyone since Empress Aelin let him do as he wished, something ironic for a misogynistic ruler who was cheated on by her husband in the past.
This pushed the strife between themoners and the nobles to peak, with the former gaining more position and power in the political strife of the Sanctuary.
Moreover, Zukov was deeply infatuated with Haera. The general letting her leave on her own wasn''t in line to his behavior.
Unless Haera''s actions was a part of the general''s n.
''Maybe I''m thinking too much.'', he shook his head and focused on the current task.
He raised both of his hands and generated a sound barrier in the bandits'' location. He was about to cast a spell when he heard what they were talking about.
Chapter 51 Verons Inquiry
"Kerina, shouldn''t we remain on alert about that merchant caravan returning here? If we miss it, our client is going to destroy us.", one of the dark heldens asked.
Themission this time was high and failing toplete it just because they were messing against a group of kids wasn''t a worthy investment.
"What do you know, idiot?! The client also sent us to look for some other people. And those four match the description.", Kerina replied.
The bandits turned to look at Kerina. Wasn''t this day an auspicious day for them?
"If I were you, I would focus on searching them first. The client''s rewards will be higher if we manage to catch them.", she snorted and took off.
She was unable to properly use her magic due to the punch-sting bees'' attacks. Not only did it mess with one''s muscles, but it also affected their mana cirction as well.
Without it, Jinmu would have been apprehended otherwise.
The winds turned gloomy, alerting the group of bandits. The air vibrated, worsening the bruises to a high degree.
"Ah! Damn it, get out of here!", Kerina panicked.
However, the vibration quickly increased in frequency and power every time it bounced on the edge of the sound barrier. The prolonged exposure destroyed their sense of gravity, rendering them unable to walk properly.
Some shouted in distress which only worsened their situation. The vibration at that point was too strong that the ground cracked, killing those who were unfortunate to fall on the crevices.
The others who remained bled in their ears and died soon after.
Kerina gritted. She was unwilling to die in this forest.
Fortunately, the vibrations stopped. She rolled on her left side in order to ease the pain.
The surroundings were blurry to her. It was simr to being drunk, except that her life now hung on the brink of death.
Jinmu saw the entire incident shing past his eyes. In 5 seconds, a group of high-level bandits was turned into mush.
There were no indications of a spell being casted. It was a thorough surprise attack that caught the targets off-guard.
The map disyed one red dot remaining and the green dot near him never moved once.
Until now.
The air vibrated and a tall figure appeared. His wizard robes wererger than his body frame, with a slightly curved nose that aligned with the pointiness of his short ck hair.
Jinmu quickly used the system to identify this neer.
[ Name: Veron Zumfiel ]
[ Age: 91 years old (273 human years) ]
[ Race: Elf ]
[ Status: Alive ]
[ Affiliation: Zumfiel Noble Household, Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary ]
[ Magic Power: Grandmaster Magus (Full Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Vibrant Magic Root (Legendary) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 8.2/10 ]
[ Magic Affinity: Wind, Sound ]
''Someone from the Zumfiel Noble Household? What is he doing here?!''
Jinmu had a lot more questions on his mind but he chose to observe for now. Veron knew that Jinmu was watching and he let the boy do as he wished.
"I didn''t expect that one of you manage to survive my fiery resonation spell. A form 7 magic should have killed you all many times over."
Veron grinned.
"But I guess it is a blessing in disguise. At least, I would be able to interrogate you about your intentions in this ce. Your words earlier piqued my interest."
Kerina wasn''t paying attention nor did she have the ability to do so. In her mind, however, was an incessant cursing targeted towards Jinmu and the person who ambushed them.
Veron noticed a very well hidden paryus inside her tight-fitted dark robe. He used his wind magic to retrieve it.
There were magic lines engraved on the paper, surprising Veron.
In the center was a circr pattern with a cross inside. Its lines extended and met on the other end. Then, in the middle of the cross was a diamond-shaped figure imprinted with a strange symbol that Veron couldn''t identify.
"A 4-way magic encryption lock. Your client is truly secretive and resourceful."
He channeled his mana and forcefully destroyed the lock. Words suddenly appeared on the nk paryus.
Veron read its contents carefully and understood them.
"So you were originally targeting a returning merchant caravan but you stumbled on a greater prey instead."
And the greater prey the paryus mentioned were a group of five young children that appeared on Leeveria Forest a few days ago.
The details were descriptive as possible.
The first one was a young man with slightly tanned skin, a muscr body, and a half-bald head with a long scar on the left side of his face. He had a fierce aura, entuated by his sharp brown eyes.
This person was the strongest of the five, followed by the next in line.
She was a northerner girl with long silver-white hair and round bluish-white eyes. She had a tall body attributed to her long slender legs coupled with her cold demeanor.
Next was a fairly-skinned young man exuding an aura of nobility. The person''s hair was colored golden and styled like spikes, blown to the back of his head with a mocking expression on his diamond-shaped face shown by his clear blue eyes.
The secondst was a schrly young man with long ck ponytailed hair. He had a thin and frail figure, and ck eyesparable to the calmness of a silent river.
Thest was a girl with feline ears and tail, with short honey-colored hair and crystal-clear ck eyes. This person was said to be the weakest of them all.
Veron sighed and looked at Jinmu''s location.
"You cane out now.", he gestured. Jinmu walked out, making Veron shake his head in realization.
"Take this, you will need it.", Veron threw the paryus to Jinmu.
"This is?"
"A contract, something that concerns you and the people who were with you.", Veron replied.
"May I know of senior''s intentions? Are you here to help us?"
Veron studied Jinmu''s appearance and concluded that he was the fourth man on the list. Although he was no longer frail and thin, his hair and schrly aura remained.
"Kid, I don''t know who you are and what you did but I would be careful around these parts of the Dark Forest. Otherwise, whoever is pursuing you might catch you on the moment you least expect it."
Veron already has a name in his mind. Coincidences from the recent events made him cautious of the Sanctuary and worried for these young people.
He also included the possibility of Haera''s mission being involved as well. He heard from Wyn Qinric that Haera introduced him to a notable seller of demon beast materials.
Their excellent quality made Wyn cry tears of money as the bastard businessman started showing off to his peers. That ''notable seller'' might have something to do about the dark helden''s contract and other things.
On the other side, Jinmu was confused by Veron''s words. He couldn''te up with a reason as to why would someone go after them.
Was someone ambitious enough to make a target of the Heavenly Magic Academy?
If they were, then they had a death wish. He would simply report this to the academy master and have him deal with this problem.
Seeing his confusion, Veron smiled.
"Kid, you don''t need to bother with this. Allow us, the Zumfiel Household, to repay the mistakes of our race. I hope that you and whoever is backing you re-consider their thoughts."
He understood why Haera was protective of them. She knew something that she was unwilling to impart. Veron wasn''t the one to force her either.
If she wants to, then she will tell both him and Norton at the right time.
Also, the fact that these humans managed to arrive in the Dark Forest unknowingly fascinated Veron.
''A teleportation spell must be involved. Also, seeing how brave they are to be this deep, there should be a protector hiding in the dark.''
Since that was the case, Veron put it into his heart to not let that person act first-handedly to deal with whoever was targeting them.
Otherwise, they''ll be displeased and retaliate in response, something Veron didn''t want to happen.
"How do I know that you won''t turn your back on us?", Jinmu inquired.
This person went to all the trouble ofing from the Sanctuary City to the Dark Forest which was a hundred kilometers away.
Even if he took care of the bandits, what if it was a facade to gather Jinmu''s trust?
"I will leave you to your business, kid. Have fun and be careful. Until we meet again.", Veron''s body vibrated before vanishing in sight.
Leaving was better than answering Jinmu''s questions. Doing thetter action would end up with Veron earning Jinmu''s suspicion instead.
Jinmu wanted to ask more but he was toote. He looked at the map and noticed Veron going to a familiar ce he was in before.
''Is he going to confront that Harruga guy?''
Kerina''s groan caught his attention. He closed his system panel and stared at her.
''Now, what do I do with this bandit? Kill her?''
Her group tried to kidnap them and their intentions were hostile. He coldly snorted and casted a water sphere. He submerged Kerina''s head and tried to drown her.
The dark helden was unable to do anything. Her muscles were lifeless beecause lost all of her strength.
She struggled in getting out of the water sphere and suffocated after.
Jinmu was about to leave when his system alerted.
[ Corpses of multiple dark heldens found. Do you want to harvest loot from their bodies? ]
Chapter 52 Special Task: Weekly Hunt Finished
Veron arrived at a recently abandoned camp. There were corpses and meat of demon beasts, and some other disgusting things.
"Elf, I think you''re lost in the forest, aren''t you?", a cold pig-like voice resounded. He was Harruga, followed by 14 of his other henchmen.
They drew out their cold weapons, ready to butcher this elf in front of them.
''15 of them, and one at the enlightenment realm.'', Veron scoffed. Only a radiant knight, the peak of the knighthood realm, could threaten him.
Such a low realm wasparable only to a master wizard and Veron had long surpassed that.
"Save me the trouble and tell me who your client is. If I''m in the mood, I might spare your lives as well.", he threatened.
The greenhorns mocked him andughed at his joke.
"This guy is funny! Kill him!", Harruga ordered.
Veron narrowed his eyes, ''Then so be it! Quivering Wave!''
Before the greenhorns could take a step, a strong vibration echoed, pulverizing their limbs into nothingness.
Even Harruga wasn''t spared of it, widening his eyes in utter disbelief.
The battle was over before it even started.
He was horrified after realizing that Veron didn''t conjure any magic circle before attacking.
''A-a grandmaster magus¡! I-is he alongside those young people?''
Veron slowly approached Harruga, tapping his left hand with the other hand. It was nothing short of a time-ticking bomb to Harruga.
He pissed himself and shook in ce.
"Spa-spare me, elf! I will tell you who our client is! I-I mean it.", Harruga pleaded.
Veron used his index finger to touch the pig''s forehead.
"Zukov Peldante."
Harruga''s heart slightly beat at the mention of his name.
"Wha-?!"
Veron smiled and channeled his mana.
Another vibration resonated, pulverizing Harruga''s head before he could react. Veron protected his clothes using a wind barrier from being sshed by blood.
"A beat is all I need.", Veron softly dered and stood up. He has experienced such things all his life and today wasn''t any different.
The beat of realization and remembrance.
Harruga met Zukov at some point, otherwise, Veron wouldn''t have felt it from Harruga''s heart.
"I think things are good from here. I should get Haera and meet that returning merchant caravan. We''ll prepare a surprise for Zukovter."
¡
Jinmu stared at his system panel. Loot prompts filled his screen.
''I thought I could only harvest from my kills? Or maybe this rule only applies to students of the Heavenly Magic Academy.''
He mused, stering a grin on his face.
There was a lot of good stuff here, including some purple and blue magic crystals, materials, and raw food.
''I remember that senior going into this particr location earlier.''
Jinmu followed, to his surprise again, looted another group of greenhorn corpses and received plentiful rewards.
He didn''t linger any longer and continued on his hunt of elite demon beasts. The rewards will be utilizedter. For now, finishing the hunting task was more important.
Due to howrge the Dark Forest was, it was popted with a variety of demon beasts. Therefore, the four students continued on their task and massacred without care.
At the same time, Veron told Haera that there was no longer any need to worry about the kids. He persuaded her to meet the returning merchant caravan who were on their way back from the sandmen region.
Indeed, a merchant caravan arrived. However, the coincidences stunned Haera for this merchant caravan was no one but Aurpiel''s.
This merchant caravan not only met Haera in that elven vige but they were recently hired by Wyn Qinric, the Elven Emporium''s Nirulva City manager.
Aurpiel originally cursed the mysterious man, thinking that the person''s reaction of selling his demon beast materials at a lowly price was uncalled for. When he arrived at the Elven Emporium to sell what he bought from Eluard, he was shocked to see Wyn inviting him to the office and discussing business.
Wyn told him that he also received a simr set of demon beast materials from someone a few days ago. Aurpiel realized the opportunity and told Wyn everything he knew.
The two arrived at an agreement and established a partnership.
Wyn then ordered them to go to the sandmen region but the guards rejected their entrance and had no choice but to return profitless.
"Hello, Miss Haera. It''s good to meet you again here in the-, wait, why are you in the Dark Forest today?", the merchant man was bewildered.
This ce was no-mansnd. For Haera to appear here, she must have some reasons to do so.
"Sir Aurpiel, I was about to ask you the same thing as well.", Haera replied.
"Hmm¡", Aurpiel nced at the man beside Haera. This person was unfamiliar but he was exuding a powerful feeling.
Also, it seems like they were close as well.
"We were supposed to go to the Sandmen region to trade but the guards forbid us from entering. Even some human refugees were thrown out forcibly as well."
Aurpiel noticed the reing from Veron and Haera and quickly continued, "Well, they reasoned that someone from the Oriental Oceanic Empire poisoned all the water reserves there."
The pressuring aura retreated, calming Aurpiel''s heart.
If that was the case then the sandmen have reason to not let them in. The desert was a thirst-inducing environment and one wouldn''t be able to hold their urge to drink at the sight of a water resource.
Forbidding living beings like them who needed water to survive was a good call. It prevented idents of water poisoning that might implicate the rtionship of the sandmen to the other factions.
Veron approached them but was blocked by Aurpiel''s guards.
"Wait, he is my uncle. He has something to tell you, Sir Aurpiel. In fact, this matter is very important.", Haera implied.
The caravan was confused, not until Veron exined to them what happened.
"Sir, you mean General Zukov wanted to capture us to interrogate us about what happened after meeting Miss Haera?", Aurpiel asked in a fearful tone.
"No, not about miss Haera. He wants to know about that mysterious man you met on the way. If I remember, you pointed to him after meeting Haera, right?", Veron corrected.
Aurpiel nodded.
"Zukov has men everywhere. If he wants to get to the bottom of things, he will have his way with them.", Veron sighed.
He didn''t know if it was Haera''s mistake or Aurpiel''s, but they needed to do something about General Zukov before he worsens the situation.
Although capturing the caravan might not yield him direct results because they have no clue about Eluard either, General Zukov can take them as his hostages and force them to do his bidding.
He will then use the caravan to entrap the mysterious man the next time they meet somewhere and General Zukov might even use immoral methods in the process.
"I see. So what does this sir n to do?", Aurpiel asked. Despite the strong adversary they were facing, Veron''s aura seethed the stress in their minds.
"We''ll wait for Zukov to arrive here this evening or tomorrow evening.", Veron calmly replied, "His pride''s impatience will force him to go here. No need to worry about it."
As for Zukov bringing additional forces, that wasn''t possible. He wanted to stay out of the empress'' radar.
The group further discussed the n and prepared for Zukov''s arrival.
¡
Two days passed after that encounter.
The four students finally finished their special weekly task.
Hunting 2,500 elite demon beasts weren''t easy, yet it fulfilled the thirst for battle and improvement in the students.
Olivia was now on the verge of ascending into the realm of an adept wizard. She had been battling a lot of strong elite demon beasts and it helped her a lot.
The lightning element wasn''t hurting her anymore, nor was her ice element chilling her. It was a sign that her body was getting acquainted with the magical elements.
One more step and she can utilize a technique called the partial magical metamorphosis. It was a concept where a wizard uses their magical elements to enhance their bodies, strengthening them in many ways.
Emi felt the same. The natural environment of the Dark Forestforted her the longer she stayed here. She could also feel her surroundings at a distance of 5 meters.
Moreover, she developed confidence in her capabilities as a new magical cultivator. Being able to kill demon beasts alone proved that she was apetent student chosen by the academy master.
When she rested, however, she would sneak her way to Jinmu and tried to observe his actions.
Unfortunately, her target was senior brother Jinmu.
Every time he noticed Emi approaching, he would set up a trap to which the clumsy little girl would trip it off. After catching her, Jinmu nagged her for cking.
Because of this, she was unable to verify her assumptions that there was something wrong with Jinmu''s magic root.
Meanwhile, Lucan developed a strange effect in his magic root.
[ Sequential Mana Restoration ]
[ Due to your extensive efforts, your magic root developed a new special effect. Temporarily increases mana restoration speed by 5% every time you cast a spell. Lasts for 5 seconds after thest spell casted. ]
He was ted after seeing its description. The restoration effect extended the number of spells he casted before he exhausted himself.
Finished with their task, the four of them gathered with Jinmu in the lead.
It was already nighttime and the Dark Forest was very dark. Continuing to hunt here wasn''t a good option.
"Alright, I assume that everyone is finished with the special task¡", he was about to continue speaking when he heard the winds rustle nearby.
Before any of them could react, a hand suddenly reached out to Emi.
Chapter 53 Zukovs Capture, The Academy Masters Absence
A hand suddenly reached out to Emi.
It was about to touch her skin when furious winds swept by and flung the suspicious figure that tried to grab her.
Jinmu realized what happened and quickly teleported them out of the ce.
Several figures arrived on the scene after their departure. The one leading them was no other than Veron and Haera.
"Zukov, give up. They have already escaped."
A red-golden armored elven stood up with difficulty. He was no other than General Zukov who wandered here after not hearing of Harruga for a day.
The general was furious and wanted to teach the bandits a lesson. Instead of the bandits, however, he chanced upon Veron and Haera.
He tried to go past them and went to the four students who were nearby. He was already at the chivalric ascension stage, the realm of knighthood before bing a radiant knight.
His sensory skills were next to Veron so he was able to quickly determine the location of the four students.
"You nobles are all the same. You''re just envious of me and my achievements! You even set me up! That mysterious group, and the Otherworld, they''re all false!", he shouted in desperation.
Veron pped him using wind. The general easily slumped on the ground, almost lifeless.
He looked nothingpared to a grandmaster magus.
General Zukov tried to stand up again, "What are you going to do with me now, huh? Imprison me for treachery? For not listening to the empress''s directives? What bullshit!"
"You''re delusional. Don''t tell me your ego has also clouded your perspective of reality as well.", Veron coldly said.
"What clouded myself? Those things are illusions you all created, and that merchant caravan, they-!"
It was thest thing General Zukov said before Veron knocked him out.
If Eluard was here, he wouldbel General Zukov as someone high on illegal drug intake.
There was physical evidence, loads of them. The missing elves were real as well. How could such a general reject such proof of validity that the Otherworld was on the move?
"Haera, I will let you take things from here. Imprison him, but do not kill him. We have evidence.", he took out a paryus very simr to what he had given to Jinmu before.
It was the original paryus containing Zukov''s contract while what he had given to Jinmu was just a copy he created on the scene.
He put it back and vanished.
Haera sighed deeply. She ordered the guards of the Zumfiel Household to take the general back to Sanctuary City to face his charges of colluding with the Manor in order tomit a crime.
A dangerous one at that.
Aurpiel, the man-in-charge of the merchant caravan that Zukov wanted to capture, stepped forward and thanked Haera.
"Miss, I am thankful for your help."
Haera nodded to him.
Aurpiel was in disbelief at things that just happened. Should Veron and Haera hadn''t known of this, his merchant caravan might have been captured by General Zukov and his underlings.
Thinking about it made him shiver in his spine.
He suddenly remembered the four students as well, wondering what happened earlier when their figures shed out of the area.
¡
Heavenly Magic Academy.
,m Jinmu was heavily panting. Teleporting them in the blink of an eye out of that dangerous area strained him and his magic root.
Lucan went over and assisted him.
"Jinmu, you don''t look that good. Let me assist you to the medical area."
He picked Jinmu up by the shoulder and went on their way. He looked back and said to the two girls.
"Emi, Olivia. I''ll take care of Jinmu. Go get some rest."
Lucan was perceptive of what happened just now. As a royal descendant, assassinations and plots weren''t new to him.
''I don''t know who tried to grab Emi out of the blue but you''re going to pay the price!''
After Jinmu told them of his ns, the rest realized that the academy master wanted their identities to remain hidden for now.
However, Lucan was ready to retaliate even if it opposes the academy master''s ns. He did not want anybody to easily make a target of the academy and its students.
He wanted to show the world the consequences of messing with them.
Unfortunately, the next day passed and they didn''t see the academy master. They were rather excited to show off their skills and report what happened back in the Dark Forest.
"Where do you think the academy master is?", Lucan asked.
"I think the academy master is resting.", Jinmu replied.
"Resting?", the other three wondered.
Jinmu sighed. How could they not see the recent efforts the academy master just did?
"Don''t you remember? A week ago, mes rampaged in the academy grounds before that tall tower from afar appeared here.", he pointed at the tall tower that breached the heavens.
"I see. Academy master must have summoned that building from somewhere. It must have taken him quite a lot of power to do so.", Olivia finally understood.
A smirk surfaced on Lucan''s head, "Do you guys want to check it out?"
¡
The four arrived in front of the strange tower.
"That is mighty big.", Lucan shook his head in disbelief.
The tower was very far from the academy''s grounds. It took them almost an hour to reach it. After seeing it up close, the tower was as wide as 25 meters.
Its color was ck with some magic lines embedded on the walls that perfectly blended on its surface.
Touching the wall, Jinmu felt that it was simr to a polished granite block but was filled with mysterious power.
Jinmu thought that it wasn''t mana but something else.
The texture was smooth and there seemed to have no friction even if he dragged his hand or fingers around it.
When he rested his head on the wall, a chaotic rhythm exploded, disturbing his thoughts and messing up his mind.
Jinmu couldn''t think properly for a moment and pulled out his head in panic.
The chaotic rhythm subsided and his calmness returned. Still, his breathing was unstable, surprising his ssmates who observed on the sides.
"I think it would be best for the academy master to tell us what this tower is all about.", Jinmu advised without telling anything more.
He gestured for the rest to leave it alone. They returned to the academy grounds with bored expressions.
On the way, they agreed to continue doing the weekly special task that the academy master ced on them.
Jinmu argued that the system might be the one in charge of actually checking their progress and the academy master was there to ce it on top of their things to do.
Later that day, the system did track their progress and automatically handed out their rewards.
It all came from the equipment that Eluard bought back on the Elven Emporium. He deposited the items into the academy resources from his inventory in advance in case he forgot to do it.
The students were satisfied with their rewards.
Olivia received the rare Ice Crystal Staff. It was the staff Eluard purchased from Wyn using 200 blue magic crystals.
Holding it made Olivia feel colder and stronger. With a wave, the staff glowed in sky-blue, emitting a cold aura on the surroundings.
Olivia casted a spell, generating many icicles around her, andunched it to a dummy target in the distance.
The dummy target was instantly destroyed.
She caressed the staff and thanked the academy master for his generosity.
On the other hand, Jinmu received a normal mind-calming bead. Even though it was useless to him, he could research the material itself to understand the mysteries thaty behind its mechanisms.
He mused that if he knew how the mind-calming bead worked, then creating a new but better one was worth it in the long run. The additional knowledge would help him as well in the other fields of magic.
Meanwhile, Emi received a strange-looking ne. It was carved out of wood and in the center was a tree with a hole emitting a light-green light.
[ Life Giving Ne (Rare) ]
[ Improves the wearer''s healing spells by 25%. Enhances the power of the wearer''s nature, water, earth, and wood magic spells by 10%. ]
She giggled andplimented the academy master deep in her heart.
The little girl wore the ne and was astounded when vitality gushed throughout her entire body. She became energetic and started ying around.
As for Lucan, he received a fire bracelet. Its design was simple. The surface was engraved with two red lines parallel to each other.
[ me Bracelet (Normal) ]
[ Enhances the wearer''s fire-based spells by 5%. Generates a warm current when equipped. ]
Lucan felt the warm current on his right hand as he equipped it. Despite its low enhancement effect, Lucan was still grateful to the academy master.
At least his efforts were rewarded regardless of their quality.
Everyone tried the equipment they received. Since the academy master wasn''t around, they had the freedom to do whatever they wished.
Over the next two weeks, the four students became autonomous and started practicing and studying on their own.
Even without the academy master''s reminders, they etched it deep in their hearts to cultivate properly and be a student that the academy master was proud of.
Things were going smoothly not until the third week that the academy master was missing.
The students noticed that there were frequent patrols from the elven guards recently in the Dark Forest. Jinmu thought of this strange event being connected to what happened a few weeks ago.
''Are they really searching for us?'', he reminisced that senior''s words that day.
He realized that their appearance back on Leeveria Forest might have invited suspicion from some concerned parties in the Sanctuary.
Thinking about it made him angry. There was no point in establishing a hostile rtionship with them.
The Sanctuary would incur a huge loss if they did. He didn''t want to make an enemy of them either.
Moreover, the academy master''s patience wasn''t infinite. Although he was magnanimous in certain situations, his wrath wasn''t a good thing to experience in any case.
However, Jinmu didn''t arrive at an immediate conclusion and chose to investigate it instead.
The problemid on how to gather the information that will answer his questions without inviting attention or suspicion from the elven guards.
He looked at the map and stared at it for a while.
His eyesnded on the Leeveria Forest area and noticed a single main road nearby. Jinmu smiled and left the Dark Forest, informing his ssmates of what they were going to do next.
Chapter 54 Visiting Emis Hometown
Jinmu stood on the side of a cemented road. It was searing hot as the time was currently noon.
He was talking to a passing caravan who came from the Sanctuary. He, alongside his ssmates, has been asking them and the other passersby for news inside.
Fortunately, the elves weren''t hostile and told them of things that happened.
First was the sprouted conflict between themoners and the nobles.
It started when a party from the nobility captured a general ofmoner origin. The former argued that the said general was in cahoots with the Grurad Mystic Manor.
Those who sided with the general, mainly themoners, countered that these nobles set the general up. The presented documents which served as evidence were ''forged'' as they say, and continued pleading to Empress Aelin that the general be freed.
The confrontation worsened when they knew the party who captured the general. It came from a secr family. This made themonerssh out in anger, dering that they would persecute those who wronged their general.
Jinmu was intrigued by what happened.
''Interesting. The Zumfiel Noble Household went that far just to protect us, huh?'', caressing his chin.
Another news was about an undead outbreak that happened in the volcanic grassy ins and the Morning Star Empire.
It devastated the two regions but was soon resolved with the help of the League of Wizardry and the Knights of Aludia. Nobody knew who started it but they weren''t willing to learn anyway.
As long as the outbreak was gone, everything was okay.
"Alright, if you don''t have any more questions, we''ll be going now.", said the captain guard of the caravan.
If Eluard was here, he would recognize this man as Aurpiel''s captain guard.
Right, the merchant caravan that Jinmu talked to just now was no other than Aurpiel''s.
Aurpiel passed through the four students. He noticed them and thought that they were a familiar sight.
''Strange, where have I seen these youngsters before?'', narrowing his eyes.
Jinmu was looking back at Aurpiel''s carriage but he wasn''t staring at the merchant man. He was staring at the elf peacefully sleeping on the side.
Her head rested on the wall with a slightly perplexed expression. The system brought out this elf''s information which surprised Jinmu.
[ Name: Haera Zumfiel ]
[ Age: 24 years old (72 human years) ]
[ Race: Elf ]
[ Status: Alive ]
[ Affiliation: Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary, Alderian Magic Haven, Zumfiel Elven Household ]
[ Magic Power: Adept Wizard (Full Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Starfall Magic Root (Mythical) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 9.2/10 (Adept Wizard) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Nature (Wood, Water, Earth) ]
''This is too big of a coincidence.''
That was the thought swirling in Jinmu''s mind.
''She is the one with that senior from before.''
ncing in the direction of their destination, he formted a n and went back to the academy after this short encounter.
"Jinmu, what do we do now?", Lucan worried.
There were patrols near Leeveria Forest. They reckoned that those people were there in search of their presence. It prevented them from hunting demon beasts in that area.
The students wanted to tell the academy master of this but he hasn''t been seen for three weeks. Because of that, Emi, Lucan, and Olivia had no choice but to listen to Jinmu.
"What do you think about going to the volcanic grassy ins?", Jinmu suggested, "Of course, we''re not going near the dangerous zones, just on the safer ones."
Emi, at the mention of the said continent, excitedly raised her hands.
"Let''s go, let''s go! I live in that ce and I want to go back to my hometown. I miss my sister Akane. I want to see how she is doing now."
The other threeughed at Emi''s enthusiasm. What an energetic girl she was.
"Alright Emi, we''ll go to your hometown first and see your sister.", Jinmu agreed, "After that, we''ll continue on our hunt, okay?", and patted her head.
The little girl nodded vigorously. She didn''t want this opportunity to pass. Moreover, she wanted to introduce her small but proud hometown to her senior brothers and senior sister.
Too bad Solordo wasn''t here which reminded Emi of his absence.
"Senior brother Jinmu, where do you think senior brother Solordo is?"
Jinmu shook his head, "I don''t know Emi. I think the academy master must''ve given him a separate task. Or maybe he is undergoing the process of blood assimtion."
Emi wondered what Jinmu meant. Seeing her curious face, Jinmu exined what the blood assimtion process was.
"Oh, no wonder senior brother Solordo isn''t here for a while.", she said with a sad look on her face.
He was the most energetic person of them all and he would take Emi out to show her a thing or two about knighthood cultivation. The little girl was easily awed and Solordo continued with his antiques.
Jinmu didn''t approve of it and caused friction between the two.
Reminding of the past made Emi miss her senior brother Solordo even more.
Lucan patted her shoulder and relieved her sadness.
"Don''t worry Emi, you will see him soon enough."
Jinmu sighed and concluded their meeting.
For the next two days, they prepared themselves for their journey on the volcanic grassy ins.
It was and full of dangerous natural cmities. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tornadoes, and typhoons were normal here.
Coupled with the demonic and magical beasts who adapted to a terrifying environment, the difficulty of living and hunting monsters here was extremely high.
Fortunately, the nearby regions frequently assisted the people living in the volcanic grassy ins. It was also used by several factions to train their soldiers and other people.
On the other hand, the thing that makes the volcanic grassy ins dangerous is its direct connection to the Wastes. There was a narrow valley that connected the two continents.
It was known as the Valley of Death.
This was a ce where many Aludians and demonic creatures alike died in battle. Until today, the skeletal remains of whichever species remained there like andmark.
It reminded the Aludians of the grim battle that urred when their ancestors defended them from the Otherworld''s demonic invasion.
¡
The four students teleported to the volcanic grassy ins. Emi sensed this location as a bit familiar.
Wasn''t this the ce where the academy master fought a group of human poachers?
Olivia''s eyebrows wrinkled in disbelief as well. A nostalgic feeling hit her, worsening her heart''s worry about her father''s life.
Jinmu coughed, interrupting their thoughts.
"Ah, yes! Sorry about that, senior brother Jinmu!", Emi scratched her cheek, "I can''t help it! This was where academy master found me and big sister Olivia together!"
The two boys were surprised. They looked at Olivia and she exined her side.
"I was caught by some human poachers and was to be taken to the Morning Star Empire. Academy master found me here and rescued me from their grasp."
Emi jumped in, "They also rescued the other vigers as well! Academy master is so powerful! That bad dark wizard guy wasn''t a match to him at all!"
After the short interruption, they made their way to Emi''s hometown on her lead.
However, an unexpected sight met their eyes.
"No-! I-it can''t be!", Emi stuttered. Lucan quickly covered her eyes and hugged her.
''What sort of brutality is this?!'', he was in disbelief.
Apart from the skeletal remains that littered the ground, a barren wastnd was the only thing left of her hometown.
Emi struggled out of Lucan''s embrace. She wanted to p herself. It was a futile attempt on persuading herself that this was just a dream.
Powerless of her senior brother, the little girl teared up and cried in despair.
"Lucan, Olivia, take Emi out of here. I''ll go and investigate what happened.", Jinmu ordered.
He took off and upped his guard.
''Aplete destruction. This isn''t done by demonic beasts. It must have been done by human bandits, or something simr to that.''
He stared at the dark marks on the ground. Jinmu knelt and touched it with his index finger.
''It''s charred. There''s no longer any burnt smell. This incident happened a long time ago.''
He stood up and started looking elsewhere.
Jinmu arrived in the center vige. It was evident since there were stone foundations on the side. The materials were simr to what was used in constructing a town center.
He continued his search and noticed a vague animal track imprinted on the ground. He crouched to take a closer look and recognized where it came from.
''A pr war bear. Don''t tell me they came from Norva Assili.''
A bad feeling rose in his heart.
He connected Olivia''s identity as a royal princess from that area, and how the academy master chanced upon her near Emi''s hometown.
He deduced that a party was sent to retrieve Olivia but they stumbled on this ce. The leader must have been a ruthless person for him to ughter an entire vige regardless of whatever reason he had.
Two oues came out of Jinmu''s mind. Either the entire vige was destroyed or some were spared or escaped.
He was hoping for thetter as they wouldn''t be able tofort Emi of the loss of her sister.
Jinmu sighed and chose to go back instead. He''ll try exining things to Emi as clearly as possible.
Otherwise, she might think that Olivia was the reason her hometown was destroyed, rifting the stable rtionship she have with her big sister.
Chapter 55 Olivia Becoming An Adept Wizard
Jinmu returned to the spot where they arrived earlier. Emi stopped sobbing but her face was despondent as ever.
She was clueless and helpless about the fate of her hometown. The elders, the uncles, and aunties, and most importantly, her big sister Akane.
Hearing Jinmu''s footsteps, they turned on him and hoped for news.
Lucan approached him and asked, "Jinmu, how did it go?"
Jinmu took a deep breath and sighed. He shook his head and remained conflicted on how to tell Emi of his findings.
Seeing his expression, Lucan and Olivia were distressed. Did he find nothing or was it something that he shouldn''t tell them about?
Emi started to tear up again, "Brother Jinmu, you found something, did you? Please tell me. I want to know what happened to them.", she pleaded pitifully.
Jinmu hardened his heart and spoke up.
"There were traces of pr war bears in the vige, Emi. I''m not entirely sure if they are the ones who did it to your vige, but one thing remains clear. Someone from the Norva Assili arrived here not long ago."
Lucan gulped. He wished that the Norva Assili had nothing to do with this. Unfortunately, when he turned around, Olivia''s reaction verified his thoughts.
He found her gripping her clothes again, this time not out of hesitation, but guilt. She gritted her teeth, crying small tears in her bluish-white eyes.
''Oh no!'', he shouted inside his mind.
Emi heard Olivia''s soft whimpers. She nervously looked at Olivia and asked.
"Senior sister, why are you crying¡? ¡Do you know who did¡ this?"
"Yes, yes I think I do. But-"
She tried to mediate Emi''s misunderstanding but the little girl cut her off.
"And I thought highly of you, senior sister.", Emi simply brushed off and left. Lucan followed her and left Jinmu alone with Olivia.
"So there are things that cannot be controlled no matter what.", Jinmu muttered to himself.
Olivia knelt and covered her eyes. She was resenting herself for moving away from home in a dubious manner and implicating people on the way without her knowing until the incidents have already transpired.
Was it worth it considering the fact that she was indirectly involved in the destruction of Emi''s hometown?
"You know something, don''t you?", Jinmu asked her, "Tell me now and I can help you fix not only Emi''s resentment of you but of our special task regarding your father as well."
His manner of speech was highly confident, assuring Olivia that trusting him was a good thing to do.
"Come on now, we''re students from the same academy. There''s no need to be this secretive with one another, do we?", Jinmu urged Olivia to tell him the things he needed.
Olivia wiped off the tears on her face and hug her knees as she told Jinmu about the Siegfried family.
Not only were they her family''s rivals, but their most talented and powerful descendant, Erik Siegfried, was deeply infatuated with her ever since the two of them met each other.
"I see. You mean this guy named Erik followed your trail in order to retrieve you and return to the Norva Assili?", Jinmu verified.
"Yes, his power as a tier 7 knight gave him many privileges. One of them allowed him to be part of the Norvas Corps, an elite unit of the Norva Assili."
Olivia answered and continued.
"Because of his family''s influence, the elders dared to heighten his authority and created an entire squad tailor-made for him."
"Then he used this squad toe and find you.", Jinmu nodded in understanding, "And he''s your number one suspect?"
"No, I am certain that he is the only type of person who wouldmit this¡ this thing he did to Emi''s hometown. He is vile and cruel. You wouldn''t even dare to imagine the filthy things he had done just to force my attention on him.", Olivia hated Erik.
Much more than the people whobeled her as an ''outsider'' due to her being a mage. There was a fine line between good and bad and Erik crossed that line of lengths untold.
Olivia wondered how could an evil remain in service in Norva Assili. Perhaps her father tried to do something about it but he was powerless to do so.
Regardless, she needed to confront Erik about his deeds. It was about time that he was taught the consequences of his actions.
"If that is the case, Olivia, then Erik might have returned to Norva Assili and reported to your father a twisted lie."
Jinmu''s words implied something to Olivia.
"Don''t tell me he-?"
Jinmu stopped her and shook his head, "We still don''t know, Olivia. But it is best to not dabble on this thought for now."
"Then what about my father? You think I can easily forget something as important as him?!", she retorted.
"I''m not telling you to forsake your parents.", Jinmu said back, "Do you not remember the academy master''s words? Have you forgotten why he sent us to hunt demon beasts weekly and learn a variety of spells?"
Olivia''s temper cooled down.
Jinmu smiled after seeing her reaction, "Look, I don''t know what went on academy master''s mind but this is a good opportunity he has given us, Olivia."
"The study of magic spells and then applying them before using them to fight the demon beasts. Tell me, didn''t it elerate your cultivation speed on a scale you have never imagined before?"
"I guess you are very near to your partial magical metamorphosis because of it or am I wrong?" he asked.
"Ye-yes.", Olivia stuttered in reply.
Did the academy master see through it or was it just a coincidence? The frequent use of magic spells made her body adapt to her magic elemental affinities.
Time was the only thing she needed for her to ascend. Once she bes an adept wizard, she would have the power to contend against a tier 7 knight like Erik.
If the academy master did n that...
Despite the optimistic oue, Jinmu warned her.
"Look, don''t be hopeful either. You may advance to an adept mage sooner, Olivia, but it''s not only Erik who is out there."
Olivia shook her head, "I don''t care about the others. I just want to see my dad, and also Erik. I want to punish him. Nothing else matters."
"Then set your heart to be that way.", Jinmu waved his hands, "I''ll go over and tell Lucan and Emi what to do in the next few days. We''ll make our way to the Norva Assili in two weeks and meet up with senior brother Kai."
"Also, time is running out Olivia. Make sure to make the most out of it while we still can."
Olivia nodded and gripped her fist.
''Emi, I''m sorry for what happened. I won''t intend to exin as I know that you will not be in the mood to hear it. Let your senior sister exin it through actions. One day, you will understand. I''m certain of it.''
She stood up and dusted her mage robes. A newfound strength erupted within her.
Jinmu was right. They have limited time to empower themselves.
She didn''t want to wait for a few more weeks before returning home. Her anxiety about her father''s condition was piling up.
Any longer and it will affect her state of mind and magical cultivation progress. Maybe it would cause the end of her father as well should she remain absent for a few more days.
She didn''t know what Erik told them, what he nned to do, nor how long will the Siegfried''s patience continue.
Thus, a week passed right after. Olivia increased the difficulty of her challenges and went on fighting near areas with dangerous natural cmities and demon beasts.
Today, she was fighting on arge geron encampment with over 700 poption in total.
"Lightning Fork!", she casted a spell, electrifying a group of elite gerons that jumped on all her sides.
The lightning was so strong that they were burned to a crisp and turned to dust.
Olivia snorted and marched forward where more gerons and elite gerons awaited her.
The elite gerons were now dressed with wood armor.
The material came from the haillektra tree known for its effective instive properties. As such, ice and lightning-based spells have reduced damage, making the elite gerons a suitable challenge for Olivia.
Now, for her to fry them to death in a single spell meant that her spells were more powerfulpared to the elite geron''s defense.
"Bastards, bring it on!", she shouted, charging at the horde of gerons without care.
Her left hand conjured lightning while the other hand emitted a cold aura. She pped her hands and sent out a strike.
Ice and lightning collided, mixing altogether to create a destructive attack.
"Pr Lightning Wave!"
Multiple lightning surged from her hands, randomly striking the enemies while leaving a trail of ice behind its path.
The ice inherited the lightning''s speed, generating blocks of itself as soon as an enemy was struck. The lightning inherited the ice''s coldness as well, afflicting an additional biting frost to the unfortunate ones.
In less than 10 seconds, the encampment of 700 gerons was annihted with a single move.
Olivia panted. That spell used half of her mana and almost made her faint.
However, a cold and tingly feeling arose in her mind.
''Thi-this is it! My body is ready to ascend!''
She immediately gathered mana from her surroundings and used it to conjure ice and lightning.
The cold and tingly feeling started pulsating, reaching out to the very depths of her body.
Olivia gnashed her teeth. The lightning was ''shocking'' her skin and muscles while the ice numbed it.
The pain increased as she continued, forcing her to shout with all her might until an explosive aura burst out from her body.
She then lost consciousness but thankfully, Jinmu and Lucan were nearby. They observed everything in in sight, right from when Olivia attacked the gerons until she ascended to an adept wizard.
Jinmu thought that this process was a little familiar but shook his head and dismissed the thought.
"Go get her, ex-crown prince.", Jinmu pushed Lucan, "I''m going back to fetch Emi."
Lucan scratched his head in annoyance.
''Damn that Jinmu. Always wanting me to look out for Olivia.''
Nevertheless, he went over and carefully picked the unconscious ice and lightning princess. ncing at her sleeping face, he blushed.
''She-she looks beautiful. What the hell, Lucan?! She hates you, why do you keep thinking about that?! Move it, idiot!''
Chapter 56 Meeting The Caravan Again
Jinmu went back to see Emi.
The little girl advanced faster than her senior sister and became an adept wizard a week earlier. Emi was driven for vengeance on what happened to her hometown.
She became gloomy and rebellious. Even Jinmu shivered just by looking at Emi from afar. Sometimes, he needed the help of the map to locate her urately.
After her ascension, Emi developed a new effect on her magic root that gave her the ability to blend perfectly with the environment.
Although it was a good thing, in this particr situation however, Jinmu saw it as worrying.
If not for the fact that he had the system to help him, he would''ve lost track of Emi while they wandered towards Norva Assili.
''This is bad. We need to get to the Norva Assili sooner than expected.''
He opened the map and saw a group of green dots nearing Emi''s location. Their formation was linear and travelled orderly.
''Is this a caravan?'', he thought.
¡
The captain guard stopped. This spot was a t ground with a natural barrier guarding their nks.
He ordered his men to set up camp and rest for the day.
A merchant man alongside two people dressed in wizard robes went out of one of the carriages.
The captain guard approached him and bowed, "Sir Aurpiel, we should rest for now. In a few days'' time, we will step foot on the Norva Assili."
Aurpiel nodded, "Thank you, Greywolf.", signaling the two wizards behind him to guard the area.
A little girl jumped on his back. It was his daughter, L. Her hair was tied up to a ponytail, holding onto Aurpiel''s cor as if she was riding a horse.
"L, stop it. You''re going to choke father to death.", Aurpiel reprimanded but the mischievous girl didn''t stop.
"Papa, papa. You haven''t told L who that sistering with us is. She is beautiful and always sleeps on the corner. Did you kidnap her or something?", L asked.
Aurpiel choked on air. What thoughts were running on his daughter''s mind? Kidnap that woman?
That woman was no other than Haera Zumfiel! Why would he dare to kidnap a noble household''s descendant?
He sweated profusely and corrected L, "Look L, it''s best to not tell you for now. Alright, go over with uncle Greywolf. I have something to do.", grabbing her and putting her down.
Despite L''s grumpy look, Aurpiel shook his head and sighed. L stomped her foot in annoyance and went to where Greywolf, the caravan''s captain guard was.
She then noticed a small silhouette on the far distance. The figure was staring at the sky with a nk expression.
"Uh, uncle Greywolf, do you see that?", L pointed to the figure''s direction.
Greywolf turned his head over as well, wondering what did L see this time around. It was just an elevated slope with a protruding earth and grass above it.
"L, are you ying a prank on us again?", Greywolf sternly asked. This girl had been infusing anxiety over him and his group as she kept on asking them whether they were seeing something only she could see.
What was there to look about but patch of soil with green grass and fresh air?
Greywolf shook his head and returned to his work. Seeing that her uncle ignored her, L became curious and cautiously approached the figure.
Up close, she realized that this figure was no other than a demi-human with toned-down cat ears and a tailed coiled close to her body. The demi-human was no other than Emi.
"He-hello? Are you there? Are you real?", she stuttered.
Surprised, the demi-human turned around and saw L hiding herself on a nearby tree. Her long elven ears perked like a curious dog.
"You can see me?"
"Ye-yes, I can see you clearly. Why are you there? Is there something in the sky that you wish to see?"
L''s question awakened the sadness in Emi''s heart.
"There is indeed, something in the sky that I wish to see.", she solemnly replied.
"Then did I disturb you? I-I''m sorry then, I will go now.", L started to retreat. It was rude to intrude on other''s privacy.
Emi shook her head, "No, don''t be sorry. You didn''t disturb me. In fact, you piqued my interest.", smiling L, "How can you see me even though I am supposed to be not seen? Do you have any power that allows you to do so?"
L put her right index finger on her mouth, thinking what was so special about her that she could see things people wouldn''t normally see.
"I-I don''t know either. I just see things as the way they are, I guess?"
She doubted her answer. She doesn''t know why this was happening to her and no one was interested enough to dabble on her mystery.
Even the two wizards that her father hired thought that L was just hallucinating.
Emi, however, saw it as a satisfactory answer. She wouldn''t pry on L''s secrets. The elf child was harmless. There was no point to shoo her away just because she could see Emi while under the effects of her magic root.
"May I know your name, elf? I am Emi¡", she wanted to say herst name but decided not to do so.
"H-hi Emi, I-I am L. Ni-nice to meet you.", L shyly waved her hands.
The leaves rustled on the sides, alerting the two little girls.
Jinmu arrived, albeit in a messy manner. Leaves and mud sttered all over his body. Searching for Emi was harder than it sounded.
"Emi, where are you? It''s time to go back-"
He noticed a foreign party confronting Emi.
[ Name: L Meretha ]
[ Age: 8 years old (24 in human years) ]
[ Race: Elf ]
[ Status: Alive ]
[ Affiliation: Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary, Aurpiel Merchant Caravan ]
[ Magic Power: N/A ]
[ Magic Root: Resonant Magic Root (Legendary) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: N/A ]
[ Magic Affinity: Wind, Light ]
,m ''Eh? A legendary magic root?'', Jinmu was shocked.
Was a legendary magic root thismon?
He rejected the thought and argued that it must be because of the system giving him the ability to analyze the other party''s information.
Otherwise, he would just see her as a child elf lost in the middle of nowhere, no different from other people.
The three were on a stalemate as they stared at one another. Suddenly, footsteps resounded downhill and a strong voice shouted, "Hey, L. What are you spacing there out for? Time toe back for dinner!"
Greywolf arrived with two men to retrieve L. They then saw Emi and Jinmu as they looked around.
"Wait, aren''t you that brat who we saw back on the road a few days ago? What are you doing here?", Greywolf became suspicious.
How could a party of children travel that far and coincidentally meet them again a few dayster?
Jinmu gulped, "Sir, I mean no harm to you and your caravan. I came here to¡ to retrieve my little sister back.", pointing at Emi who was standing on the side.
"Mean no harm, huh?", Greywolf narrowed his eyes.
Either these young people were trailing them or this encounter was just a coincidence.
"What''s going on here? Who are you talking to?", Aurpiel arrived and was dumbfounded to see Jinmu here of all ces.
Greywolf turned to Aurpiel and alerted him, "Sir, these people are suspicious. We saw them back in the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary a few days ago and asked us of news in the Sanctuary."
"Now, they arrive her and talked to your daughter. I don''t know what they are up to but for them to manage to catch up on us¡"
Aurpiel dismissed Greywolf''s thoughts, "What are you talking about, Greywolf? They are merely children. How is it possible for them to have that train of thought?"
"Also, don''t you see what they are wearing? I don''t know what materials were used to tailor those sets of robes but I can tell you that they are very expensive and rare."
"If they meant harm to us, we would''ve long suffered for it.", Aurpiel reasoned, "And I don''t think with the wealth they have on their pockets, they would set their sights on a poor merchant caravan like us."
He sighed and tapped Greywolf''s shoulder.
"Alright, go back in the camp. I''ll deal with this."
Greywolf had no choice but toply with Aurpiel''s orders. The two men followed after him and left the area.
L quickly ran to her father''s side, "Papa, papa. These people are friendly yet strange. Also, you have met them before, didn''t you? Surely you can tell me something about them now, right?", she grinned.
Aurpiel patted the head of his mischievous daughter. The sly girl would always find a way to extort him of information that she needed and he was very helpless about it.
"L, I''ll tell you moreter. For now, we should attend to our guests."
Jinmu went to Emi''s side and bowed at Aurpiel, "Sir, there''s no need to be this hospitable. We will be off now."
Aurpiel clicked his tongue, "Kid, don''t you dare deny my generosity. At least let me offer you to a small meal. It will not take too much of your time now, will it?"
Chapter 57 Curse Of The Winter Rose
Aurpiel led Jinmu and Emi to their temporary camp. They brought 10 carriages with them that were lined up perfectly on the road. 50 guards spread out in the area, watching the perimeter.
The horses were sent somewhere else to eat and rest.
Aurpiel carried L on his shoulder, turned around, and looked at the two.
"Thank you foring with me¡"
"Call me Jinmu, sir."
Aurpiel scratched his cheek, "Jinmu and¡ uh, Emi, was it?"
The two nodded.
"So what brings you out here, the two of you? Are you travelling to Norva Assili? Or somewhere near that?", Aurpiel inquired.
He wasn''t wary of Jinmu and Emi. His intuition told him that these two were friendly. His years of traveling around Aludia earned him the experience of knowing whether one was an enemy or not.
Meanwhile, Jinmu analyzed Aurpiel''s identity.
[ Name: Aurpiel Meretha ]
[ Age: 46 years old (138 human years) ]
[ Race: Half-Elf, Half-Human ]
[ Status: Alive ]
[ Affiliation: Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary, Aurpiel Merchant Caravan, Elven Emporium - Nirulva City Branch ]
[ Remarks: No knighthood or magic talent. ]
''He''s just a normal person. But howe his child is so talented?'', Jinmu wondered.
To have a legendary magic root right off the bat, his wife must be an extraordinary person.
"We are on our way to Norva Assili.", Jinmu told him half the truth.
"That makes us the same then."
Aurpiel gestured at them to sit near therge campfire.
Pots, tes, and utensils were ced around. The scent of the soup and other delicacies assaulted both Jinmu and Emi''s noses. Their stomachs growled in reply.
Aurpiel chuckled, "See? And you wanted to reject me. Come, let''s sit down and gobble on the food."
They merrily ate with Aurpiel leading the talk about various topics. He didn''t ask where theye from nor what they intended to do in Norva Assili. It felt like he was here recounting his adventures to his old friends.
The night darkened further and Jinmu wanted to go back now.
"Thank you for your generosity, sir. We''re out of time and my elder brother hase to pick us up.", Jinmu pleaded.
He wasn''t certain of Aurpiel''s personality and motives. It was better to be careful than sorry.
"Is that so? Then I''ll guess we''ll see each other in Norva Assili then. Please doe over and buy some goods from me if you have the time, okay?", Aurpiel smiled.
"Yes.", Jinmu bowed before taking Emi out of the encampment. He maximized his focus and checked whether someone was following them through the map.
''No, they''re still there.''
Emi nudged his arm, "Senior brother Jinmu. Don''t you know? That L was able to see through my nature concealment skill. She even proactively went over and greeted me normally."
Jinmu was dumbfounded. L has yet to start cultivating but she saw through Emi''s skill that easily?
"Maybe it has something to do with her magic root.", he replied.
Emi smiled, "I think so too. She is interesting. I wonder if academy master would take her if he knows of her talent."
Her words and tone were more mature and confident than before.
"I doubt the academy master would reject a talented seedling. Also, it seems that the two of you are going together very well."
Jinmu noticed that L was fond of talking to Emi, with thetter having the same feeling too.
"Me, and L? I don''t know senior brother Jinmu. All I could say is that the two of us have a simr experience in life."
Her answer confused Jinmu. What was so simr to them other than the fact that they were both demi-humans?
''Is Emi referring to the loss of a special someone thing?''
Jinmu experienced it too but why was he unable to feel that loss from L at all?
Was it because of his calm and cold demeanor which numbed his heart from the emotions of others?
"Alright, I don''t know what you are talking about but we''ll see if the academy master piques his interest in L and whether her father will approve of it.", Jinmu advised.
Aurpiel probably doesn''t know that her daughter was talented. After all, he sees himself as a normal human so her daughter should be too, right?
The two covered a lot of distance and were now far away from the area. They then teleported and returned to the academy.
¡
The moment they left, amotion rung inside the camp. The carriage where Aurpiel stayed started quaking in ce.
He moved quickly to open the door and saw an unhealthy Haera whose face slowly became ashen white. Coldness seeped within her body and she wanted to crawl out there and warm herself.
"The curse, it''s acting again!", Aurpiel said in a horrified tone. He could feel the cold aura that Haera emanated.
It greatly affected him that he almost suffered from frostbite. Fortunately, a blurry figure dashed to the inside, throwing Aurpiel away before he was frozen intact.
A voice then resounded in his mind, ''Let me handle this.''
''Ah¡ yes, sir Veron.''
¡
Inside the carriage, Veron grimly stared at Haera who was enduring the pain. He put his palm on top of her chest and let out a small st of a sound wave.
Sky-blue fragments of mana were expulsed out of Haera''s body. Despite the beauty they disyed, the fragments were harmful to the touch. They were extremely cold and a careless touch will freeze anybody.
Veron generated another sound wave again, shattering the fragments into nothingness. Haera''s ashen expression eased up and the rosiness of her skin returned.
''Damn it, this Curse of the Winter Rose is guing her body non-stop. It''s been acting more frequentlytely.''
This particr curse was deadly because it slowly emits a freezing auraing from one''s heart. The longer it remained, the stronger the curse would be.
At first, one would only feel chills in their body. Next, the coldness seeps into their heart. It slows down the heart''s pulse rate, endangering the person. There''s even a chance of a blood being frozen, blocking the passageways which has a high chance of killing its target.
The curse then spreads out to the other parts of the body. If left untreated, it will fully cover the person, the winter rose will bloom, and the target dies.
One cannot touch them easily as well because the curse was highly contagious.
The only way to stop it required the help of an archmage expert in the field of ice-rted spells or fire-rted spells.
The former can undo the said curse while thetter could extinguish it with their fiery fire magic.
Unfortunately, due to the conflict that arose in the Sanctuary which then shifted its focus to the Zumfiel Noble Household, calling for help now wasn''t a viable option. Their household also doesn''t have any members that have an affinity for ice.
As such, Norton ordered Veron to carry Haera in the deep mountainous regions of the Northern cial Continent and request help from the divine frost dragon to undo the said curse.
Teleporting using his skill wasn''t possible. The curse greatly weakened Haera''s body, unabling her to handle the stress during hte process of teleportation.
Publicly carrying her around was stupid. That was tantamount to telling their enemies that something was wrong within their household.
They desperately turned to Wyn Qinric and asked him if they could ''smuggle'' Haera out of the Sanctuary without grabbing attention.
Luckily, the fat man had a merchant caravan going to Norva Assili the day Veron approached him.
Wyn reminded Veron that the merchant caravan was only a transport method, not Haera''s bodyguards or something of the sort.
Veron understood his words and told him that he will take care of Haera and quickly depart should their presence endangers the lives of the merchant caravan.
¡
Going back to the present.
Veron patted her head, "Haera, don''t worry. We''re almost near the northern cial continent. Bear with it a little more and your uncle will definitely get rid of that curse."
Haera replied with a nod before going back to sleep.
Veron sent out a telepathic message to Aurpiel.
''She''s okay now. You can go back without a worry.''
Hearing Aurpiel''s departing footsteps, Veron sighed. He did saw Emi and Lucan earlier and wondered if it was of coincidence or was of destiny.
''That Jinmu said that there''s a senior brother nearby but I can''t feel him. Maybe he''s out of reach.''
Veron mused that this person must be the guy Haera was talking about to him when she was feeling unwell in the earlier weeks. She said that she wanted to meet him badly but she doesn''t know if her body could survive before it happens.
¡
"Was that man so remarkable that you couldn''t forget about him, Haera?", Veron asked.
"Yes, I''ve only spent a day with him but it felt like an entire lifetime for me.", Haera replied, "Do you know, uncle? When Vulture stopped our carriage that time, he stood up for me and his words put my heart in ease."
"It made me feel happy and safe¡", she coughed before continuing, "How I wish I could see him again¡"
Chapter 58 Eluard Awakens
"My Lord, the Otherworld is about to attack again. This time, I fear that our strength will not be able to hold them back.", a submissive voice resounded.
Hearing it jolted Eluard and opened his eyes in shock.
''Wh-where am I?''
His head rested on the cold floor made of unknown material. Shaking his head, he stood up and looked around.
The area was surrounded by walls, faintly illuminated by the lighting from the small gaps on the floor. It flowed simrly to the neon lights back in the busiest of cities on Earth.
The discussion happening nearby continued.
"Does it matter? We lost the moment the Primal Lord of Chaos died. What is there to worry about dying?"
The voice this time was domineering, cold, and deeper than the previous one. His words carried a heavy weight. Eluard could feel the pressure with just the mysterious person talking.
"Then we should request the help of the other Primal Lords, My Lord. Even if our interests do not generally align, the threat of the Otherworld should persuade them otherwise.", said someone with a high-pitched feminine voice.
Eluard followed the trail of their voices and arrived at arge altar.
There were torches on the walls and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling this time, giving Eluard a better impression of the room than the hallways he traversed.
At the center were twelve high chairs evenly grouped on each side.
People dressed in full-length robes of various designs with hoods that covered their entire figure straightly sat on each one.
Some held a staff while the others sped their hands.
Their sizes were different as well. One of them towered on the entire high seat.
The person in the middle far-end stood like an overseer watching over the rest. A red carpet was ced on the floor leading to his position.
His eyes hidden under the hood glowed in golden light.
"They will not listen. There is no point wasting our voices on deaf ears.", he replied.
At that moment, a quake disturbed their meeting. The chandeliers were swung and rocks fell from above.
"They are here.", said the person nearest to Eluard. Frightening roars and a demonic chant resounded from afar towards the altar room.
The atmosphere tensed up as auras exploded from each mysterious individual. They readied themselves and stood up together.
"Listen, my dear servants. We may or may not die today, but engrave it deep in your hearts to protect our legacy for the future sessors."
As if he could see Eluard, he nced in his direction and nodded in assurance.
"If there is nothing else, to war we go then!"
¡
Eluard felt drowned from the glimpse of a horrific battlefield riddled with dead bodies everywhere.
His mind spun quickly and he panicked.
"Stop!"
His body was flung out from the bed to the door.
"Damn it, what the hell?!", Eluard cursed.
He caressed his back to ease the pain. That nightmare was very real.
''Is that the memories the divine pathfinder was talking about?'', Eluard guessed.
He had heard the words Primal Lord a few times now. The divine pathfinder wasn''t lying when he said that Eluard was a descendant of the Primal Lord of Magic.
[ Warning: You have been asleep for 6 weeks. ]
The system prompt woke Eluard from his daze.
''Si-six weeks? That long?''
Surprised, he checked the system''s information about himself.
[ Host Name: Eluard Kai ]
[ Age: 23 Years Old ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Magic Power: Adept Wizard (Lower Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Divine Nebr Magic Root (Divine) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 10/10 (Adept Wizard) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Universal ]
[ Magic Spells: Fireball¡ ]
[ Remarks: A good host in the making. ]
[ Note: Your magic root developed new effects. ]
[ Special Effect: Infernalary Ignition (Passive) ]
[ You have formed the firstary body on your divine nebrary space. It is infused with the essence of fire, greatly amplifying all fire-rted spells by 1000%. This effect can be enhanced further. ]
[ Degradation Effect: Mana Essence Instability ]
[ Your fire mana essence''s amplification caused an imbnce between the different elements in your mana. You are temporarily unable to cast any other spells except fire-based magic spells using your magic root. ]
Eluard was speechless. His efforts became wasted after reading the degradation effect of his enhanced fire mana essence.
''Wait, it only says using my magic root. Does it mean that¡?''
The concept of domain mana synthesis was brought into his mind. If he could harness the surrounding mana instead, maybe he could stabilize his chaotic mana and regain control of the other elements.
Fortunately, Eluard spent some of his time dabbling in the field of domain mana synthesis. Manipting the mana outside his body was easier now that he was an adept wizard.
It also proved his assumption that he can use other elements. He did not have to utilize his mana if necessary. The disadvantage was that the power wasn''t potentpared to using his own mana.
Satisfied with the results, Eluard moved on to the other system prompts.
[ Congrattions on ascending to the realm of a wizard, host. You have unlocked several system functions. ]
The long-awaited prompt finally reached his ears. Eluard quickly went over the Character Creation tab.
[ The host can produce creatures using soul stones, purple/orange/divine magic crystals, and a mix of physical items or objects like blood, hair, skin, etc. They act as any other conscient being, except for their undying loyalty to you and a modified perception of magic and chivalric cultivation. ]
[ The system handed out several pre-existing temtes for the host to individually examine. Each temte refers to the different living beings found in the universe. ]
[ There are limitations in the creation of characters. There should be no conflicting physical characteristics or evolutionary traits, and ipatibility of the selected physical material that will be mixed with the selected temte. ]
[ Only six temtes are avable for now. The rest will be unlocked once the host advances to a higher realm, or meets another species during your adventures. ]
Eluard''s eyes darted around. He examined the screen and found that the avable temtes consisted of humans, elves, demonic creatures, dragons, demonic and magical beasts.
He clicked on the temte of a human and was amazed by the detailed disy and freedom of creating a character.
He could alter the person''s size, talent, affinities, even the rarity of the magic root itself. However, he was unable to specify the type of magic root the person will certainly acquire.
The rarer the magic root was, the greater the cost.
Going over the other temtes, he realized that some of them didn''t support a magic root or a chivalric core.
The cost also varied with the humans being the cheapest using the base temte. On the other hand, they were the most flexible of them all.
''System, what is this soul stone thing and where can I get them?''
[ Soul stones are special rocks that can store the spiritual manifestation of a living creature and preserve them until a new body is found. They are graded differently which means that higher soul stones can store more powerful spirits. ]
The soul stones'' grades were: mortal, enduring, divine, and undying.
A mortal can only store the soul of a normal creature that has no cultivation progress. The soul can continue to exist for 5 months before it dies out.
An enduring soul stone can store every non-ascended creature and the duration of its soul depends on the strength of the target. Those who were stronger have a shorter duration than the others.
The previous two grades have the side effect of deteriorating the quality of the soul as time progresses. As such, one was prone to memory loss and other ailments that might implicate both their soul and their new body.
The next one, however, which is the divine soul stone, can store all sorts of souls regardless of origin and power level. They canst up to 100 years and can sustain the quality of the soul as long as the stone wasn''t damaged.
As for the undying soul stone, the spirit canst for unimaginable years.
There was also another drawback when a soul is stored and then passed to another body. The previous talents and cultivation progress were void.
If one wanted to be powerful and talented like they were before, then the new body should be simr to one''s previous body or even better.
This wasn''t a problem for Eluard since the character creation function existed and it can cater to his needs provided that he can supply the materials.
The system then answered his inquiry about how and where to gather the soul stones.
[ Soul stones can be obtained either through the system''s shop, the merchants, or in other worlds. ]
[ There are soul stones scattered across Aludia. They arebeled on your map. ]
[ Gathering them requires special care. Please look in the library for the details. ]
There was a total of 27 soul stones disyed with 2 of them glowing in gold, 10 in purplish hue, and the rest were gray.
Eluard mused that the divine soul stones must be the gold ones, the enduring soul stones as the purple ones, and the mortal soul stones for the others.
The rarity of an undying soul stone was high since even none were found in Aludia.
His thoughts were interrupted when an intriguing system prompt popped up.
[ A rift to the Heavenly Magic Academy dimension is being opened forcefully. ]
[ The source is familiar. Allowing entry. ]
[ The unknown guest has arrived in themercial district. Please amodate them as soon as possible. ]
Chapter 59 The Cosmic Merchant
Eluard teleported to themercial district. His students weren''t at the academy now so he chose to entertain this mysterious entity who arrived at the academy.
Themercial district was located west of the academy''s main grounds. It was situated atop a mountain simrly carved like a crescent moon.
The mountain was made of three sections with different elevations. They were connected by multiple staircases scattered around.
A person stood on the lowest section of the mountain. On his back was arge bag with tools, weapons, and other materials bulging as if there was too much stored in there.
His golden eyes glistened and emanated a deep aura. The wind breezed through, blowing his golden hair to the back of his head.
The two of them scrutinized one another.
[ Legend: Erazos Zecfanto a.k.a. The Cosmic Merchant ]
[ Age: 100,690 years old ]
[ Race: Human (Evolved) ]
[ Affiliation: Sessor of the Primal Lord of Wealth ]
[ Power: Unknown ]
[ Talent: Wealth is Power ]
[ Wealth is Power (Passive) ]
[ User''s strength depends on amassed wealth. ]
"Heavenly Magic Academy. It''s been years since I was here.", Erazos sighed.
His words intrigued Eluard, ''He was here before?''
Before Eluard could ask, Erazos approached him and extended his hands for a greeting.
"The same set of robe and mask. There is no doubt you are the current academy master of this ce."
Eluard epted his hand and shook it firmly.
"I''m sorry but who are you again?", he asked.
Erazos pumped his heart with his right fist and proudly dered.
"I am the Cosmic Merchant of the Universe, dear academy master. I have traveled different worlds and traded with those who are lucky enough to gather my attention."
"Fortunately for you, your presence was recognized by yours truly and now, here we are."
"I''m going to be blunt, academy master. Let me take a spot in this ce and I''ll guarantee you special quality goods every visitation I make.", Erazos offered.
He didn''t stop there and continued.
"In exchange, I will give you¡ wait a second."
Erazos took off therge bag and stretched his hands inside, looking for something.
"It must be here¡ It must be here¡ Ah, there it is!"
Eluard''s eyes widened at the smooth small glowing stone in Erazo''s right hand.
[ Undying Soul Stone (Empty) ]
[ Can store the spiritual manifestation of any creature. The stored soul will not deteriorate nor expire. Invulnerable to almost all damage. ]
Erazos gently shook the undying soul stone as if handing out good food to Eluard.
"This, academy master. I''m going to give you this in exchange for that spot. How about it?", he sounded confident.
It felt like he didn''t care about freely handing the undying soul stone at all.
[ The Cosmic Merchant wants to take a spot in themercial district. Do you agree? ]
Eluard nodded. The mountain trembled as sparks of light came from the sky and enveloped the highest spot avable on the mountain.
Arge three-story building formed inside. The entrance was tworge wooden doors with a symbol engraved in the middle.
The symbol was a sack with goldying around.
Seeing this phenomenon, Erazos grinned. He picked up therge bag and tossed the undying soul stone to Eluard before running to his ''abode''.
"It is still the same thing! Wonderful, I miss this ce!", Erazos startedughing maniacally.
The windows were closed with a chimney on the left side of the building covered in thatched roofing.
Eluard teleported beside him. He wasn''t fond of Erazos''s lively attitude. It stemmed from the feeling that someone was on his turf acting carefree and disrespecting his identity as the academy master.
"I''m sorry, Cosmic Merchant Erazos Zecfanto, but have you been here before?", Eluard probed.
Since this guy was a hundred thousand years old and a human at that, he wanted to test Erazos''s knowledge and reaction.
Hearing his name, Erazos narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, I have been here many times than you could imagine, Academy Master Eluard Kai."
A short bout of replies, with the seeding ones more shocking than the other, urred in themercial district of the Heavenly Magic Academy.
"How do you-?!"
Erazos waved his hands, "Oh, don''t worry. Me knowing who my clients aren''t a thing to worry about. I''m the very confidential guy.", pointing his left index finger to himself.
"Also, I reckon to have remembered your name before.", touching his chin in contemtion, "Ah, yes. Thousands of years ago, I remember a simrly named couple looking for their lost son. I wonder if that was you¡"
The entire dimension trembled. Eluard unexpectedly received this sort of news from a stranger who knew who he was and seemingly interacted with his parents a long time ago.
"Who are you really?!", Eluard''s tone was hostile now.
"I told you, academy master. I''m the Cosmic Merchant of the Universe. Anyway, it seems like you have a lot to catch up on yourself.", he turned around and waved his hands, opening a portal to somewhere.
"Goodbye for now! Make sure to not lose that undying soul stone, academy master. You might need it earlier than you expect."
"Wait!"
Eluard tried to lock the area but Erazos simply bypassed it and left before he could inquire more.
The academy master was panting heavily. His heart was in turmoil and couldn''t properly think for a moment.
''Mother, father! A thousand years ago!''
He remembered them as if yesterday he was still on Earth.
The mask took effect and calmed Eluard''s palpating heart. Rationality returned to him and he started thinking about other things instead.
''It doesn''t matter now. At least that guy wille backter. I still have other chances to ask him about my parents.''
He looked around again and sighed in defeat. The academy was deste as ever even with thepany of the 5 students.
He then remembered a system prompt concerning them.
[ Warning: One of your students attempted to enter the Tower of Ascension. ]
''The Tower of Ascension?'', Eluard raised his head to the left and noticed a very tall tower in the distance.
[ The Tower of Ascension ]
[ This is a lost artifact from the legends. It contains the deepest nightmares and profound weakness of a person. One enters and is faced with one of their greatest nemeses. For each floor they enter, a new darker and more powerful enemy than the other wille over and challenge them. ]
[ Note: There is no limit on how many floors one can ascend into. [
[ Note: As the saying goes, what doesn''t kill you makes you stronger. ]
Eluard seemed to have partly understood the tower''s existence. People generally stumble upon difficulties in cultivation or other walks of life.
Particrly the former, if one couldn''t handle how difficult it was to enhance their strength to the next level, they wouldn''t get anywhere until the end.
This tower can then be used to test the person''s skills in all fields to ovee the wall blocking their path to advancement.
That was what he coulde up with now as he has yet to try the Tower of Ascension.
Unfortunately, the system didn''t congratte him on almost getting the correct answer.
''I''ll check that outter. It''s best if the students are here so that they can start using that tower for their cultivation progress.''
He switched his tab to the shop and saw various items offered on the screen. He was currently in the daily shop tab and the amount disyed there was numerous.
''Damn, where the hell does the system get this? What''s the purpose of themercial district then?''
''Oh, wait. The students and staff might not have this functionality.''
Eluard scratched his head for thinking stupidly.
Some items can be bought either through personal achievement points or magic crystals. Others only have one medium of purchase.
Such was the single divine soul stone priced at 100,000 personal achievement points.
Eluard shook his head. His current personal achievement points were still in the hundreds. It wasn''t worth buying anything right now.
''The materials here could be alternatively purchased in Aludia. Of course, there are some items here that are unique and might not be avable out there.''
Also, the quality disyed was top-notch.
He moved to the monthly sets of materials and was more shocked by what he saw. The rarity and quantity were higher than the daily sets but their price was staggeringly high.
For example, there were 7 epic-rarity items and equipment with the lowest priced at 20,000 personal achievement points or 4 purple magic crystals.
A system prompt then attempted to exin the ratio of the cost between a personal achievement point and its equivalence in magical currency.
[ Additional Note: Magic Crystal (MC) Ratio to personal achievement points (PAP) is 1 Purple MC : 5,000 PAP. Cannot be converted either way. ]
[ Author''s Note: 1 PMC -> 1,000 BMC -> 1,000,000 WMC ]
Eluard didn''t continue to the yearly tab as the prices might cause him a heart attack.
''I''m poor! So poor!''
Hemented his poverty and went to the other system prompts to cheer himself back up.
[ Your students have arrived in Norva Assili. They are waiting for your presence in order to continue with the Special Task: Cold North. ]
Chapter 60 A Surprise Encounter
Eluard stood atop a snowy cliff, staring at therge town surrounded by wooden sticks. He was still wearing his set of robe and mask.
Today, he nned to gather information about news of the recent events in the Norva Assili. He can''t simply meet up with his juniors without the much-needed details beforehand.
''If it wasn''t for the upgrade, I wouldn''t even consider doing it like this.''
He was referring to the robe of the magus given to him by the system before. Just like the mask itself, the robe seemed to be evolving together with its user.
[ Robe of the Magus ]
[ The robe of a once renowned wizard. Its versatility has greatly helped its previous owner. ]
[ Special Effect: Adaptive Mechanism ]
[ This robe''s functionality depends on the needs of the user. ]
Although the description was very vague, Eluard conducted some tests earlier on a smaller vige and returned with sessful results.
He was able to conceal his entire presence that not even his breath was felt after exhaling in front of an oblivious passerby. Combined with his magical deterrence skill that concealed his aura, Eluard elusively traveled around under the eyes of everyone.
The robe also noticed the cold environment and became cold-resistant.
Just with this, Eluard verified that the system usually did not want to tell him everything and was left to do research on his own. Of course, this method ted Eluard.
Frankly enough, it urged him to open his mind and not ck like an idiot who fully depended on the system for every action he had to do.
''Now, where do we start gathering information from?''
Eluard had several ces in his mind.
First was the market. With the most crowded and busiest ces, surely some random passerby would whisper rumors now and then.
He jumped off the high cliff and utilized the wind element through the domain mana synthesis to soften his fall.
Eluard calmly entered therge town, bypassing the guards who were tier 6 anointed knights. This particr scene felt like he was strolling around his backyard.
He wasn''t touching the ground and instead, used the wind element again to float in the air.
The robe only covered his body, not the physical tracks he leaves behind when stepping on the snow.
He followed the map and arrived in the market. There were rarely any fish or vegetables sold here. Rather, hides and thick meating from both the demonic and magical beasts popted the stalls.
Eluard then utilized the wind element again to eavesdrop on each conversation urring nearby.
As to how he managed to develop this particr skill?
The paranoid academy master wanted to know how his students felt about him during the earlier days in the academy.
Unsettled on how his students praised him like a god every time they met, Eluard nned to listen on their conversations while he wasn''t around. Since being stealthy like an assassin wasn''t his forte, he had to resort on other methods instead.
Otherwise, his students would bust his ass.
Luckily, he found a technique in the library named vocal orchestration. Its concept revolved about decoding the vibrations emitted while speaking. The decoding process involves the use of mana before transmitting the information back to the user.
This makes it easy to eavesdrop on conversations even when one was very far away.
The method was also subversive. Unless an alert archmage notices the strange fluctuation of mana in the surroundings, no one would ever be knowledgeable that someone was actually listening in on their conversations.
For Eluard, however, being detected was the least of his worries. His magical deterrence skill could be put to use, making him the most dangerous and stealthy eavesdropper not only in the academy, but in Aludia too.
The overwhelming paranoia motivated Eluard to learn it as quickly as he could. Now, he was reaping the benefits of his efforts in an unexpected manner.
A crowd gathered on the sides and Eluard snooped on them.
"Hey, don''t you know? I heard that the Frozen des became a dangerous area recently. The magical beasts are amassing to attack the nearby towns and viges!"
"Oh no, my brother lives in the area near that! Do you have any idea why this thing is happening?"
"Actually, it was someone from the Siegfried n who knew of this news and spread it around. They said that the divine frost dragon was very angry that someone brutally massacred a nearby den of magical beasts and left no one, even the younglings alive."
"Is the high king going to do something about this?!"
"High King Garron is aware of it and is currently enlisting a great number of warriors to defend ournds!"
Eluard stopped in ce and contemted on the possibility that this was a setup from the Siegfried n. The divine frost dragon haven''t disyed such aggression over the years but that peace was recently disturbed.
''Or the demonic creatures are the ones directly behind this fa?ade.''
There was no denying of the Otherworld''s involvement on this incident. Maybe it was them who antagonized the divine frost dragon and made a scapegoat of the Norva Assili.
The Siegfried n would then supplement the n and finish what the demonic creatures started. And that was murdering High King Garron under the pretense that he died battling against the horde of angry magical beasts.
Eluard also mused that the Siegfried n doesn''t have the capability to insult the divine frost dragon, forcing the demonic creatures in taking the first step.
''Hmm?''
The map was showing two red dots found near Eluard''s position.
''Enemies? Are they demonic creatures?''
He moved around the market and went inside a pub. The loud cheers and people brawling on arge table filled his ears. Fortunately, the robe cancelled the unnecessary noise that was messing with Eluard''s focus.
His eyes locked on to the farthest side of the pub, left of him.
There were two cloaked figures whose heads were covered under the shadow of their hoods. Their ''hands'' were fitted with gloves and they simply stared at the food the waitress handed over.
Eluard found out that he couldn''t eavesdrop on their conversation using the vocal orchestration technique.
''Are they using telepathy?''
He switched his gears and used his eye of fidelity to see their information.
[ Demonic Creature (No-Name) ]
[ Power Level: Marasaka (Lowest Demon) ]
[ Demonic Symbols: 10 ]
[ Type: Caster ]
¡
[ Demonic Creature (No-Name) ]
[ Power Level: Marasaka (Lowest Demon) ]
[ Type: Fighter ]
[ Demonic Symbols: 7 ]
This was the result of his eye''s analysis. Eluard snorted at the sight of the two demonic creatures doing their best to hide in public.
Demonic creatures were ranked based on the image possessed by their demonic cores. It was then surrounded by various symbols that further enhanced the power of a demonic creature.
The more symbols there were, the more powerful a demonic creature was.
They were also categorized into two, a caster and a fighter, equivalent to the mages and knights in Aludia.
Marasakas were the weakest demonic creatures. They didn''t have demonic tails, long dark horns, or wings on their backs. Marasakas weren''t also given the freedom to have their own names.
However, they were a force to be reckon with as their strength wasparable to a tier 7 knight or an adept wizard.
''Are they here to scout the events in Norva Assili too?''
The other customers were gossiping about the news in the Frozen des. Hearing them, the two demonic creatures nodded at each other before they stood up and left the area.
Eluard followed their trail. He was intrigued on what these two demonic creatures were up to.
One was slightly taller than the other, with a bigger build and menacing aura. The other one was calmer with a hunched back. The staff on its right hand looked ordinary but Eluard knew it was not.
[ Red Demonic Staff (Rare) ]
[ A staff used by demonic casters to gather their demonic power and wreak havoc on the environment. ]
They exited the town and went to a seclusive spot far from the town''s entrance. It was situated on a cave under the cliff he jumped earlier. The ce was hidden using a magic formation.
"The n is going well. I wonder why Mahiista is so paranoid that someone would interfere.", the tall demonic creature harrumphed.
"I thought he told you to watch out for the presence of the academy? They already said that that ce hase back.", the demonic caster replied.
"Why do we have to fear that academy? I never understood why should we in the first ce!", the demonic fighter pumped their fists.
The demonic caster was about to retort when a young man dressed in white wizard robes suddenly appeared in front of them. They were alerted and upped their guard.
Eluard, on the other side, already thought of disposing the two demonic creatures in front of him. He unequipped his robe and mask beforehand.
Since the Otherworld was aware of their presence, there wasn''t any point of acting inplete secrecy anymore. However, he has to make sure that they won''t be able to measure out the academy''s current strength.
What felt off was how their enemies reacted upon knowing that they came back. The demonic creatures seemedx and carefree.
There were no high-level aggression, invasion, or murdering people. It was differentpared to how the books stated their ruthlessness and domineering behavior.
''That doesn''t matter now. I''ll need to take care of these goons first.''
Chapter 61 One Against Two
The two parties stared at each other. Either of them waited for someone to take the first move.
''A caster and a fighter, huh?''
Fighting without his mask was a challenge for Eluard, much more difficult now that he was facing two demonic creatures.
"So it was true all along.", he coldly spoke, "That the Otherworld is on the move."
The demonic fighter snorted and dashed towards Eluard, clenching his fist as he delivered a strong punch.
''Let''s see you react to this!''
He punched through Eluard''s body but found out that no blood burst out. Eluard''s figure vanished like a cloud of smoke, shocking the demonic fighter.
''An illusion? When did he cast that?!''
His feetnded on quicksand, disrupting his footing before tripping on the ground.
Worse, the entire ground be hollow and he fell 10 meters deeper. He couldn''t muster his strength and found out that a siphoning magic array formation was set up.
A roar of a dragon was heard, forcing his attention down below. Upon looking, a pir of me quickly rose and burned him to death, giving him no chance to shout in pain.
The demonic caster was dumbfounded, leaving him unable to react as the me continued to ravage up the cave''s ceiling, sting an entire column of earth away which caused an avnche that was now headed towards him.
The most confusing thing was that the demonic caster didn''t feel any fluctuation of mana in the surroundings,
''When did he cast those traps and those spells? Is this what they call nameless spell casting?''
He gathered his demonic power and chanted.
"Sonic Explosion!"
The huge buildup of snow was blown hundreds of meters away. It almost buried a passing merchant caravan but they were quick enough to react to this sudden downpour.
"Earth Shift!", a feminine voice shouted. Her bright yellow eyes disyed a confused look after casting the spell.
Five magic circles were formed before the earth quaked, separating a chunk from the rest and sliding forward 200 meters away.
The guards were puzzled. Where in the heavens did that lump of snowe from?
A man dressed in wizard robes came out and stood beside the woman.
"Orlon, can you sense it?", she asked.
"West of our position, some sort of battle is going on. Should we check it out, Meyera?", Orlon hesitated.
"No, I think it''s best if we keep watch from here. We''ll wait for a while.", Meyera replied.
The battle in the distance ensued.
The demonic caster hovered in the air, dodging the fireballs that Eluard sent. He retaliated using his sonic explosions.
Eluard erected earthen walls to defend against the demonic caster''s attack. The sonic explosions hit them and slowly cracked his defense.
He moved out of his position after sensing a disturbance below.
Roots sprouted from where he was just now, going as high as 10 meters before bending in pursuit of Eluard.
"Devouring Fire Breath!"
Intense mes flooded the pursuing roots and were quickly burned to ashes. The mes suddenly swirled and formed into the head of a dragon.
"Fire Dragon me!"
The dragon roared, swiftly flying towards the demonic caster. He free fall towards the snow, chanting a spell.
"Frost Wave!"
An extremely cold breeze rushed to meet Eluard''s mes.
Unfortunately, they were too intense that the demonic caster''s spell vaporized without even turning into water. He tried to regain his footing but he found himself hanging mid-air.
''What? When did he?!''
Roots were springing out on the ground below him. All of his limbs were restrained and he was positioned upside down.
Seeing the dragon''s head approaching him, his heart became unsettled, and cried for mercy.
"No! Stop!"
The mes brushed past him, burning his skin but was left alive.
The demonic caster''s body was charred ck, leaving only his bare muscles twitching. Another cold breeze went by, cramping his muscles like hell.
His groans were dull and devoid of life. How he wished Eluard had killed him instead.
"I guess demonic creatures of your level are this weak. I didn''t need to use my staff for this battle.", Eluard triumphantly dered.
He picked up a lump of snow and formed it into a snowball. He readied his hand and threw it towards the demonic creature.
The demonic caster''s hoarse voice called out to him, "Kill me¡ Just kill me! You won''t get anything from me so why the dy?! You want me to suffer what I deserve?"
Eluard let out a hum as if he was confused, "I will definitely kill you, demonic creature. But for you saying that I cannot get anything from you¡"
He knelt and met the demonic creature''s eyes, or where they were before, then coldly spoke.
"Unfortunately, that is something only I can decide."
Eluard''s iris turned golden, nking out the demonic creature''s mind. His eyesight warped before his consciousness was pulled out to a different dimension.
¡
"Mahiista, why is it that you wanted to mess against the divine frost dragon so bad? Can''t we let the Siegfried n oppose High King Garron on their own?", the demonic caster asked.
The one he was talking to had their back to face him. However, their shadow towered over the demonic caster''s body. He was even intimidated just by looking at the defined and well-built muscles of this demonic creature.
Arge rock nearby was shattered into pieces using its tail, letting out a loud snort before the demonic creature faced him.
"Because this stupid n is of no use at all! They cower in their mansions, waiting for an opportunity that might arrive for thest of their lifetimes!"
His round head let out fumes of anger, shouting at the demonic caster with indignance. Eyes full of hatred, he continued.
"I''m giving them a head start so those ungrateful northerners should be thankful!"
"Allustro wanted a bloodbath and I''ll give this to him! What do you think that frost dragon will do when I ughter a bunch of pigs in his backyard, huh?!"
The demonic caster gulped. He couldn''t find an answer due to the frightening disposition of the demonic creature.
"He will ughter every northerner he sees on the tip of his eyelids!"
Confusion filled the demonic caster''s mind. Wasn''t the purpose of sending the turned undead northerners back to spread the outbreak before wreaking havoc in Norva Assili?
"And mind you, not only that! Minjax applied the curse of the winter rose to a woman from a noble elven household, the Zumfiels! They are on their way here as of this moment. Not only will the frost dragon ignore them, but he might also even implicate them in his rage!"
His voice turned cold and evil, grinning from ear to ear.
"Once that happens, the elves will be in further turmoil alongside their civil war. The Zumfiels will ask for an exnation from the Norva Assili but since the Siegfried n will take over at that time, what exnation will they receive?"
"Nothing!"
Therge demonic creature waved his hands all around. He would sometimes grab his head or thump on the ground simr to an insane monkey.
"And since the Zumfiels will not receive any exnation, they will be out for blood, widening the scale of the bloodbath and more sacrifices for demon lord Vaha!"
He cackled maniacally. The sight of elves and northerners killing each other thrilled him.
The demonic caster lowered his head, "Then¡ about the others¡"
"Well, aren''t you here to look for any presence of the academy in the vicinity?", the demonic creature approached him and eyed him, "Don''t let them catch you, or else our n fails, do you understand?!"
The demonic caster nodded his head vigorously. Failing at this task meant their death. And a not so merciful death at that.
He left the area, ending Eluard''s memory intrusion using his eye of fidelity.
The surroundings warped again and his consciousness returned to his main body.
He caressed his neck and stretched his head to the sides, trying to alleviate the dizziness that affected him. That was his first time intruding on the memory of others, almost draining his mental strength.
"You¡ how can you?! All of this¡ did you not care whether we surrendered or not?!", the demonic caster was terrified.
He knew that the moment his mind nked out, all of his secrets were exposed to Eluard.
Thetter smirked and slowly stood up. Disposing of them wasn''t his first option, not until he heard that the demonic creatures were already aware of their presence.
What was the difference between trailing them and killing them? Nothing, except for the fact that some of their members died.
He wasn''t worried about not getting any information either. His eye of fidelity could see through everything, it was just that doing so would burden his mind. Still, Eluard was ready to endure the pain as long as it benefitted him and the academy in the long run.
"Surrender? You think I''d allow you to do that?", he raised his hand and casted a fireball, sting the demonic creature''s head.
[ Corpses of demonic creatures detected. Do you want to harvest it? ]
''Oh? I can also harvest something from them?''
He agreed to the system''s prompt and waited for results.
[ Harvest sessful. ]
[ Received Lower Demonic Core (x2), Red Demonic Staff (x1, Rare) ]
[ Demonic cores can be sold to the system and exchanged for either magic crystals or personal achievement points. ]
The additional information surprised him. It seems like Eluard gained a new source of stable ie. In addition, he could help out his cause as well.
''I''m going to hunt themter. For now¡''
He turned around and faced his west. Two wizards showed themselves and revealed a shocking expression.
"Huh? Aren''t you¡"
Chapter 62 Wanting To Meet Her Again
"Huh? Aren''t you¡"
Eluard and the two wizards pointed at each other. Neither of them expected they would meet here in the northern cial continent.
Eluard became wary, "Don''t tell me you''re here for trouble again?"
Meyera snorted, "We should be the one telling you that. Mind exining to us what''s with you dumping us snow earlier?"
''Dumping them with snow?''
Eluard mused that the demonic caster''s attempt of blowing the avnche away might be the result of this woman''s hostile behavior.
"Oh, about that. If you want to me someone, me this guy.", he pointed at the upturned corpse of the culprit.
Meyera and Orlon were surprised. What aplete domination of a fight. Eluard''s body remained intact and free of signs that denoted his exhaustion.
"I see, then we''ll be on our way then."
The two left since they had no business with Eluard. They only went over to check out what caused that snow to fall on their heads.
ncing at their departing figure, Eluard shook his head. He didn''t want them to inquire about the fight and his wishes were fulfilled.
Even though Aludia''s inhabitants were bound to fight alongside them in the future, dying that possibility was the best course of action. Innocent lives and the longsting peace should remain in ce until there was no other way but for war to take over.
''It''s almost nighttime now. My students should be going back.''
He burned the demonic caster''s corpse and turned around. That was when Eluard felt his mind throb and had his consciousness pulled to his divineary space.
He met the golden figure of the divine pathfinder. Eluard could feel the tion from the divine pathfinder after he returned here.
"Ah, dear sessor. You are back.", the divine pathfinder greeted in respect.
"Okay, stop.", Eluard waved, "What is it this time?", pointing at the pulsating star at the center of the system.
Bewildered, the divine pathfinder let out a gasp, "Oh that?", caressing his cheek in contemtion, "Hmm¡ How should I put it? Have you ever encountered someone with aplementary magic root, sessor?"
His words reminded Eluard of the twin elves, Rina and Rono. The divine pathfinder noticed his solemn expression and nodded.
"That''s right, this phenomenon is simr to the effects ofplementary magic roots, sessor."
"It doesn''t necessarily require an innate connection between the two, or more, but there are specific magic roots who, when near one another, establishes a unique connection that allows an interaction between them."
Eluard was surprised, "Do you mean¡"
The divine pathfinder understood what was on his mind.
"You are right, sessor. This is caused by the presence of a magic root that resonates with yours."
"Maybe it is someone you know of? Try giving it a thought for a while. I''ll be here if you have any other questions."
He put his hands behind him, letting Eluard contemte the meaning of his words.
''Someone that I know of¡ Someone that I know of¡''
It took him a long time before realizing who the mysterious person might be.
''There''s no mistake. It''s Haera!''
He was at a loss. Haera''s magic root revolved around the power of the stars and he had one right inside his mind.
There was no doubt that his magic root would resonate with hers.
''But it didn''t do that like before! Or maybe because I have activated the star of myary space after creating the first?''
That was a possibility he was willing to believe. His thoughts were disrupted, however, as a sr stormmenced on the pulsating bluish-white star.
The divine pathfinder was alerted, "Sessor, the connection is strengthening but I doubt you''d manage to hold it off now. It''s best if you stay away from whoever is responsible for this or else, you''ll end up badly just like what happenedst time."
His words doused the burning passion of Eluard to meet Haera again.
"Do you mean I have to stay away from them until I somewhat be stronger in the future?", he panicked.
For some reason, his heart felt off after saying those phrases.
"No, sessor. There are only two reasons for this to happen. Either the one who resonates with your magic root is stronger than you, or there is something wrong with them."
Eluard''s mind nked out and his heart thumped nervously.
He recalled the demonic creature''s story from the demonic caster''s memory of a cursed elven noble from the Zumfiel Household traveling to Norva Assili to cure themselves from whatever was afflicting them.
"Is Haera in some sort of danger?!", thinking about it frightened him. He couldn''t dare imagine, despite how short their encounter was, that a beautiful elf like her was cursed by a demonic creature for the advancement of their ns.
Rage filled his mind and he wanted to go over the Wastes and annihte them all.
Eluard clenched his fists and forcibly pulled his consciousness out of his divineary space. He was about to take a step to where the caravan was when the air beside him vibrated.
A hand grasped his shoulder and stopped him.
"That''s going to be yourst step, human."
,m Eluard turned around and saw a handsome middle-aged elf gloomily staring at him with visible anger on his face.
"Bastard, who are you?", Eluard replied in vexation. He was left unsettled thinking about Haera''s current condition and this elf worsened his mood.
[ Name: Veron Zumfiel ]
[ Age: 91 years old (273 human years) ]
[ Race: Elf ]
[ Status: Alive ]
[ Affiliation: Zumfiel Noble Household. Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary ]
[ Magic Power: Grandmaster Magus (Full Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Vibrant Magic Root (Legendary) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 8.2/10 ]
[ Magic Affinity: Wind, Sound ]
[ Vibrant Magic Root (Legendary) ]
[ Allows the user to manipte sound waves to their advantage. Increases wind and sound magic spell power by 200% and 300% respectively. ]
[ Additional Effect: Vibrant Echolocation ]
[ User can urately create a visual representation of their surroundings with their eyes closed. ]
[ Additional Effect: Vibrant Spatial Teleportation ]
[ User can teleport to any location using sound. Extremely dangerous and can result in death if done carelessly. ]
Before Veron could reply, Eluard pped his hand away and confronted him.
"Where is Haera? I need to see her now. And don''t start by saying you don''t know because clearly, you are Veron Zumfiel from the Zumfiel Noble Household."
Veron was in disbelief that this human managed to identify him just by a single nce. However, he calmed himself and harrumphed at Eluard.
"You don''t need to see Haera now."
Eluard gritted his teeth.
"Why not? What is it you''re hiding around?"
Veron sighed, unwilling to ept the fact that his niece was now terminally ill.
"I''m not hiding anything. Don''t you know you''re the only reason she continues to live until today?"
"If not for that, I reckoned she would have died days earlier from the curse of the winter rose."
Eluard felt the desperation and sadness in Veron''s tone. It was born out of familial love, something Eluard wished he had in his previous life.
The nostalgic memory hit him.
His anger subsided and his countenance fell. He was now disying the same reluctance that Veron was having.
Veron went to his side and said, "I don''t know why she is yearning for you, and I don''t want to know why either. But please, don''t ever let her see you for theing days."
"Because once she does, thest fire burning in her heart will vanish. The two of us only want Haera to live. If you want that, do as I say."
Eluard was conflicted. He couldn''t muster any strength and utter the words to rebuke Veron''s arguments.
This was the first time he whole-heartedly experienced someone''s life depending on him. Was this the other responsibility of the Heavenly Magic Academy''s academy master?
Looking back at his past, Eluard was a nobody because nobody loved him, nobody cared for him, and nobody depended on him. At least that was how he saw it began and ended.
Now that he came across this peculiar feeling, emotions burst out of him. He wanted to treasure that feeling deeply. He didn''t want it gone.
Veron noticed Eluard tearing up with his eyes closed.
''Anger, rage, longingness. Don''t tell me he cares for Haera that much too?''
He thought that Eluard was acting like an idiot for showing such emotions toward a woman he barely met. He could say the same for Haera either.
Maybe that was just how love works? He was unsure as he lost that particr ability centuries ago.
However, one thing remained clear.
Their emotions were pure and free of any pretenses.
Seeing this, Veron chuckled and patted Eluard again. This time, it was to assure Eluard that he will take care of things.
"It seems like you care for my niece, don''t you? A lot of things might have happened when the two of you spent your time together in Nirulva City."
"Don''t worry, I''ll bring her back sound safe. You will see her again."
Before Eluard could look up and say something in return, Veron has already fled.
Chapter 63 Devising A Plan
Eluard returned to the academy and went into Dartex''s prison cell. He was vexed and wanted answers to the many questions revolving in his mind.
He arrived and saw the fallen geniusid with his back on the floor, staring at the ceiling while awaiting his demise.
"Tell me all you know about the n of the demonic creatures.", the slithered eyes of his mask glowed in red.
"You think with this thing inside my head, I can will to do what you want?", Dartex pointed at the side of his temple.
Eluard raised his hand and clenched his fist, suppressing the demonic whisper''s effect.
"Do it and don''t y around this time.", he warned.
Dartex gasped a mouthful of air, arching his body before rolling to the sides and facing Eluard. Being free of his pain was like bing a free man.
"The demonic creatures¡ wanted to use your spell and spread the undead outbreak all around Aludia."
Eluard wasn''t satisfied and let out a cold snort.
"You think I''m a fool? Tell me something about the curse of the winter rose, now!"
Dartex halted for a moment before looking at Eluard again, "Did you just say the curse of the winter rose?!"
Eluard intensified his aura, pulling Dartex out of his stupefaction.
"The curse of the winter rose¡ It means the bloom of death."
"The rose feeds off one''s heart and grows until it blooms. Once it blooms, the person will die, frozen in ce and gone forever!"
"Only an archmage proficient in ice or fire magic can assist you in this, or you could ask for the divine frost dragon or the divine me dragon''s help."
"Either way will remove the curse with certain possibility!"
Dartex continued panting. Talking that much was already taxing to his body due to the prolonged demonic whisper messing with his head.
Eluard knelt and looked him straight in the eyes.
"Then what about the undead? Why take such lengths to mess with my magic spell? Tell me something I don''t know about, Dartex Deluminas."
Dartex dragged his body towards the wall on the side before he continued speaking.
"They¡ they do not want a full-blown war. Using the undead is stealthier, and less risky. The undead can be killed whenever they want and use their lives as an offering to the demonic lord Vaha."
He stopped and caught his breath, "You should look out for the Creed of the Morning Star and the Oriental Oceanic Empire."
"The Norva Assili also has some undead stationed over there, but the scale is iparablepared to the first two!"
"¡"
"¡"
"s, the people have becent. The longsting peace has dulled their minds and abolished their fear of the frightening might of the Otherworld."
"And now, the demonic creatures use this to their advantage..."
He coughed out blood and held the metal bars tightly in exasperation.
"Stop them, I beg of you. I may have wronged my brethren, and I do not want to clear my name of all the crimes I havemitted!"
"Just save them!"
His voice slowly hoarsened and was running out of breath.
"Hmph."
Eluard waved his hand and released the suppression. The recurrence of the demonic whisper shocked Dartex and knocked him out instantly.
"It seems that he does not know of the curse or other ns made by the demonic creatures.", Eluard concluded.
Dartex has known of the curse beforehand but its inclusion into the ns of the demonic creatures might have slipped past him.
Or maybe the demonic creatures only used Dartex to mess with Eluard''s spell and the others were assigned to other areas of responsibility.
Regardless, Eluard found another clue to the Otherworld''s ns.
He noticed that some passersby in thatrge town were undead but they looked like any other northerner in broad daylight.
''What a frightening existence when an undead reaches the mind-retraction stage.'', Eluard shivered at the thought of it.
He left the prison and opened the Book of Necrophology.
Dealing with the undead was the priority. As for the divine frost dragon''s assault, Eluard will have to persuade the divine beast one way or another.
Fighting against them wasn''t worth his efforts. The magical beasts weren''t their enemies but should be their allies.
He scrolled past the first few pages of the book and arrived at the section where it discussed the removal of the undead essence stuck inside an afflicted being.
The first method was a forceful expulsion using any light-based magic spells or other spells imbued with divinity. The former type of expulsion required the person who does the process to be stronger than the caster who imbued the undead essence towards the victim.
Eluard furrowed his eyebrows, ''Am I the caster or is it Dartex now? Or is it a powerful demonic creature?''
If it was any other caster, then Eluard has no choice but to rely on the expulsion process using the power of divinity. It led to another question which was where could he find a reliable source of divinity?
''Isn''t my magic root of divine rarity? Maybe it contains some hint of divinity in it.''
Eluard was eager in proving this assumption. However, he considered the situation where he used the first method on people weaker than him.
Since the method was forceful, there was a difference between saving a person''s life and killing them.
Eluard shook his head and continued reading. He''ll get the hang of the said difference after running some tests at ater date.
Another method was a prescribed intake of oral medicines created through pill concoction. It was safer but took longer to be cured. There were chances that the undead essence spreads during the recuperation period as well.
There were pill forms listed in the book. They varied in efficiency, usability, and difficulty in creating.
Thankfully, the materials and procedures required were included as well.
Eluard took note of them. He will ask Jinmu in aiding him on this matter. That student was studious and inviting the cold brat on this shouldn''t be a problem.
Also, it will widen Jinmu''s already vast array of knowledge. Eluard was even nning on recruiting Jinmu as a staff once he graduates from the academy.
Thest method was the undoing of the said spell orchestrated by the caster themselves. This was very tricky as Eluard is confused as to whom possessed the authority of the undead essences scattered around Aludia.
Was it still him or was it Dartex and the demonic creatures?
Furthermore, this method required the caster to be 100 meters near the afflicted beings. Initiating the spell reversal will induce hostility from the undead and attack the caster in retaliation.
He also had to worry about the storage of the darkened soulsing from the undead beings.
Nevertheless, he found a fragment of the answers he was looking for. The only thing left was to test out the theories formed in Eluard''s mind.
Closing the book, Eluard realized that his students have already returned. He smiled and went out under the identity of the academy master.
He arrived in the main hall and stumbled upon the students teleporting into the area.
"You have returned."
Hearing his familiar cold voice, the four students quickly turned around and greeted him.
"Academy master!"
They all gulped and sweated profusely. What if the academy master was waiting for them all day long and they had just to go out without attending his ss today?
"I am sorry for being absent for a few weeks. I had¡ something to manage with regards to the betterment of the academy."
He approached them and individually observed their information. Seeing that they progressed considerably over the past few weeks, Eluard nodded in satisfaction.
"It seems that the four of you are looking good. May I know where have you been for the past days?", he inquired, acting as if he had gone into solitude and was unaware of their actions.
Jinmu stepped up and bowed, "Academy master. We have continuously hunted for demon beasts just as you have requested us to do. Also, we have learned many magic spells and are eager to show you our results."
Eluard waved his hands, dismissing Jinmu''s proposition.
"I will let Kai rate your results. It seems that you haven''t seen him in the Norva Assili, have you?"
The four students shook their heads.
They were excited to meet their senior brother but they found themselves lost after arriving in the area.
Even though Olivia lived there, she spent most of her time inside her room or within the reach of her father.
The map wasn''t useful either.
They did not want to be spotted while traveling around. Some guards or random civilians could be secretly working with the Siegfried n and report on their whereabouts at the slightest notice.
"I see. He might have difficulties gathering information for him not to meet up with you after all this time."
"But do not worry, he returned here earlier and informed me that he will be waiting for you at the vige nearest to the Frozen des tomorrow. Meet him at exactly sunrise."
Without waiting for their response, Eluard turned around.
"All of you are dismissed."
Chapter 64 Garron Marches, Verons Anguish
Arsolo Stronghold.
Capital of the Norva Assili.
An arrangement of armored warriors, knights, and other soldiers lined up perfectly in front of a wooden tform. The men on the frontmost side ranks gripped gs with symbols embedded on both sides.
On one side was the ded end of a halberd axe. A line circled on its lowest part embroidered with crystal symbols on top.
On the other side of the g was a snowke put inside a circle. Four lines evenly spaced around one another extended outwards the circle, shaped like the small letter t.
The soldiers put on a serious expression when a pressuring aura emerged.
The tform trembled when a battle-scarred man stepped inside. His thick brows were furrowed and the cold weather dried his thin light blue lips.
His bearing was straight and proud even though he was wearing crystalline armor made of frostal ice. Frostal ice was colder and more versatile than regr ice, almostparable to the enhanced titanium created by the dwarves.
The man rested his left hand on the hilt of his sheathedrge sword strapped on his waist. His right hand was holding onto arge helmet with four horns branching out like those of a demonic creature.
He sighed while staring at the miniature high seat prepared for him in the center of the tform.
''These idiots, are they mocking me?''
The aide on his side went over with a guilty expression, "High King Garron, it''s best to focus on the task at hand.", advising him before his temper acts up.
High King Garron''s built was way too overboard and this was thergest chair they could quickly find.
High King Garron eyed his aide who cowered after noticing his re.
"Th-th-the Siegfried n sent some of their men for this mission. There are also the Nahorva n, Vargo n, Marneski n, Velos n, and your other loyal subordinates.", the aide bowed, "With this army at your disposal, we can definitely subdue the divine frost dragon''s assault."
Two stalwart figures approached behind him. They looked simr to High King Garron.
One was older with pale and rugged skin. His right eye was closed, bearing the mark of a bear''s w that stretched from his bald forehead to his right chin. His left hand was crippled, relying only on his other hand to swing therge metallic great axe.
Compared to him, the younger one was lively and well. He had a bright smile on his glossy face, featuring arge spiky hair that bloomed all around his upper body. He wielded two short swords with a crescent end which glowed in dark blue.
"Brother, we''re here to offer our strength as well. Do not ever forget us.", the older man tapped Garron''s shoulder.
High King Garron nodded at them, "Thank you, Xerga, Misha."
Xerga and Misha, the older and the younger, both nodded in reply to him.
Garron was blessed for having these two as his brothers. Unlike his unfaithful wife and younger son, they remained by his side despite the troubles he was facing.
Seeing that everything was in ce, Garron faced his soldiers and stepped forward to greet them.
"My dear brothers and sisters, warriors of the Norva Assili, we are gathered here together today to fulfill our duties as the guardians of the north, the protector of our people!"
"The divine frost dragon, Harrtugg Naaw, haspletely gone mad and is preparing to attack the towns near the Frozen des. Their numbers are many, and the situation is dire."
"Many will die and even I am not fully confident that I will return alive!"
"However, if we do not march for the safety of those who are in danger and powerless, then to whom shall they ask for help then? The elves? The Morning Star Empire? The League? The Knights?"
He said in a despondent tone. He wasn''t going to persuade those who did not want to go. After all, his n was suicidal and idiotic in the eyes of the public and the other ns.
But what else could he do?
The Siegfried n was gaining power overnight.
Since they badly wanted the throne, then so be it. He wasn''t ambitious nor did he ask for the throne in the first ce.
He only did everything just to protect his daughter from harm. Otherwise, their family would have been long oppressed to damnation.
Now that Olivia was gone nowhere in the treacherousnds of Aludia, he had no reason to continue bing the High King of Norva Assili.
He even reckoned that it was more of a blessing than a disaster.
Garron hoped in his heart on dying under the hands of the magical beasts so that Olivia wouldn''t pursue the Siegfried n for vengeance in the future.
The Siegfried n will never let him return alive after this short crusade. They will take over once he leaves the Arsolo Stronghold, and will do everything in killing him once and for all.
Garron also wasn''t in the position to remain neutral in this incident. His rivals will pressure him, and in turn, the pubic will urge him to lend a hand in the frozen des sooner orter.
It was better being proactive on this approach. He can rally in advance and embolden his loyal subordinate''s trust on him. Otherwise, he will lose their support and gain emnity instead.
Taking his deepest breaths, Garron solemnly stared at the soldiers, waiting for their reply.
"No, High King! We, the soldiers of Norva Assili will fulfill our duties just as what our ancestors before us have done!", the soldiers shouted in unison.
Hearing this put a grin on his face. He put on the helmet from his right hand and unsheathed therge sword.
The aura of a radiant knight emanated from within him. Bluish smoke rose from the depths of his skin, lowering the temperature of the surrounding area.
At the same time, the soldiers unsheathed and raised their weapons and shields in respect to their High King and together, chanted the Norva Assili''s Frost Hymn.
"From the cold northernnds, our bodies were forged!"
"Above the cracked searing ice, our voices will roar!"
"Oh, our forefathers in the past, grant us strength in this test!"
"May even in the face of death, our burning spirit will never be swept!"
The thunderous voices echoed towards the heavens. One could feel the rumbling in reply to the soldiers'' unwavering resolve.
''Olivia, wherever you are, I hope you are in good hands! Father has done everything he could and this is where my life will end!''
Tears slowly fell in his eyes as his thoughts revolved around his daughter.
He channeled his chivalric will unto his sword and shed towards the heavens.
"My dear warriors, now we march! For the Norva Assili!"
¡
Thud!
A fist punched through the wooden wall and left a mark. Blood sshed on it, dyeing it red.
The thudding continued. It was clear that someone was very angry and it was no other than Veron.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
He cursed and continued punching.
When he heard that the divine frost dragon was in an episodic rage, Veron became disheartened and his world broke down.
At first, he couldn''t believe it so he wandered around to ask a simr question to all the passersby he met.
The hopeless situation worsened the more he heard of the same news over and over again.
Since he couldn''t march over the divine frost dragon and shout at him, he could only vent his anger in silence, pointing the curses at the person who messed against such a formidable enemy, or rather, an aide that could have helped in fixing Haera''s curse.
Even though he had to persuade the divine frost dragon at all costs, a possibility was better than certain rejection.
He stopped punching the wall and crumbled in sadness. He rested his hands on the wall and hit his head with his fists, whimpering silently.
Veron did not want to disturb Haera who was now almost cold as dead in the soft bed behind him.
She was barely breathing now. Forcing the ice out of her body wasn''t effective as before.
Instead, it worsened Haera''s condition because the forceful expulsion injured her body every time he did so.
Veron''s mind became confused. He didn''t know what else can he do, to whom he could ask for help, and whether Haera will remain alive under his protection.
Thinking of her survival, the image of his brother passed through his head which caused him to cry even more.
"Brother, I have failed¡ I have failed!"
"I¡ I am sorry¡ I couldn''t help Haera! I couldn''t help you¡"
Norton and Veron were rivals back in their youthful days. Despite Veron''s intense hatred against Norton, thetter continued being friendly and respectful to him.
On all his darkest days, this rival had helped him several times yet Veron didn''t appreciate Norton''s kindness.
After turning older and the two reached an agreement, Veron asked Norton for his never-ending forgiveness and goodwill.
"That is because I see you as my brother, not my rival. What the hell were you thinking of before, huh?", the younger Norton reprimanded Veron, "I will always be behind your back. I hope that you will too when I need you someday!"
Hearing those words in the deepest core of his memory, Veron''s tears flowed incessantly.
Where was he when his brother needed him the most now?
That was when he heard Haera''s weakened voice whispering to him.
"Uncle¡ let me see him. Let me see him onest time¡"
Veron turned around and knelt in front of Haera.
"Haera¡ Haera, I''m sorry that uncle couldn''t¡"
Her cold index finger touched Veron''s lips, gesturing him to shut his mouth. She smiled and implied something to Veron.
And that was to let her see Kai again.
Chapter 65 Meeting His Students As Kai
A harsh cold wind blew through a forest, sweeping the snow that stacked on the branches. It fell on the head of a pr war bear who sat on the ground while staring at the distant town.
The bear let out a cold snort before it walked away.
On the other side, in that distant town.
Jinmu stared at the sky above, narrowing his eyes as the light from the Morning Star shed through.
"It''s already sunrise. Senior brother Kai should be with us any moment now.", he spoke hoarsely.
The cold environment was messing with his body the longer he stayed in the northern cial continent. The same could be said for Lucan and Emi as well.
These three were born in a non-arctic region, unlike Olivia. If anything, they wished to finish this mission as quickly as possible and return to the paradise that was the academy.
They were in a dpidated house whose quarter of a roof was torn open, giving them a view above. Then, a figure slipped past that hole,nding gracefully on the croaking wooden floor without making a noise.
Looking at the familiar short straight ck hair falling to his chin in a crescent shape, the four students gasped in surprise.
Eluard, however, put his hands in front of his heart-shaped lips, gesturing for them to lower their voices and not attract too much attention.
The hearts of the girls fluttered, while the boys were amazed at how cool their senior brother''s entrance was.
"It''s finally about time we meet again with one another, my dear juniors.", Eluard let out his hands wide, "However, time is short and we, particrly you, Olivia, are running out of time so we''ll spare the introductory session on another date and deal with this special task, shall we?"
They calmed their minds and nodded to their senior brother''s suggestion.
He then led them to therge wooden table and gently ced his hands on its surface.
"I have conducted some investigations earlier and found some traces of the Otherworld''s activity inside Norva Assili."
Jinmu couldn''t help himself but blurt out, "Then senior brother Kai, have you¡"
Eluard understood Jinmu''s thoughts and gestured at him to calm down.
"Yes, there are demonic creatures around here. I killed two of them."
Before his juniors would gasp at him again, he quickly added.
"However, their powers are miserablepared to the real challenge. I assume you are already aware of the demonic creatures'' rankings back at the academy, yes?"
Fortunately, the four of them replied with a yes which made Eluard happy.
"Good, the enemy this time is a little difficult. They are a karagero which means that they areparable to a master wizard or even a grandmaster magus."
"However, you don''t need to worry about that, I will take care of the big guy for you, my dear juniors.", Eluard assured them.
Just as they thought they were relieved of a huge responsibility, Eluard''s next words distressed them.
"Your objective this time is to assist the warriors of Norva Assili against the wave of attacks from the angered divine frost dragon.", Eluard grimly narrated.
"The karagero I was talking about earlier nned to induce disorder in the Norva Assili by ughtering a bunch of magical beasts in the Frozen des. This, in turn, made the divine frost dragon, Harrtugg Naaw, angry and is now nning to retaliate against the merciless killings towards the magical beasts under his rule."
"In response to the threat, High King Garron is now marching to this ce as of the current and defend against Harrtugg Naaw''s assault in person."
Jinmu felt that something was off with his senior brother''s narration.
He raised his hand and asked a question, "Senior brother Kai, why would High King Garron personallye over and not leave it to his subordinates in finishing the task?"
Eluard clicked his tongue, anticipating that one of them would doubt his spections. However, he had to remind them what they wereing here for.
"Jinmu, your special task says that the Otherworld has covertly nned out something so that the Siegfried n will dethrone High King Garron''s rule in Norva Assili, right?"
Hearing his words, the four students jolted. They quickly opened their system panels and checked the special task''s description again.
[ Special Task: Cold North ]
[ An ominous event is about to take ce in the cold northern empire, the Norva Assili. The Siegfried n is on their way to dethroning High King Garron''s rule from the people, covertly nned out by the demonic creatures from the Otherworld. ]
[ Requirement: Assist the High King in stopping the Siegfried n''s n. ]
[ Failure: High King Garron dies. ]
[ Rewards: Random Equipment (Rare) x2, 100 blue magic crystals. ]
Realizing his mistake, Jinmu raised his head and saw Eluard''s disappointed expression.
Despite this minor setback in Jinmu''s performance, Eluard continued.
"Correct, the Otherworld ns to anger the divine frost dragon and have him attack the Norva Assili. This incident will force High King Garron out of hisfort zone because the demonic creatures will utilize the Siegfried n''s ability in pressuring their target which will encourage the public to do the same thing as well."
"High King Garron will have no choice but toply with the Siegfried n''s request. And that is where youe in, my juniors."
"Help High King Garron against the attack before something worse happens to him."
He looked at Olivia''s shivering figure, knowing that the topic has greatly unsettled the poor girl.
"Olivia, I don''t know if you will be moved by this, but your father might n to die under the hands of the magical beasts so that you wouldn''t avenge his death should he die under the Siegfried n instead."
"He doesn''t know where you are right now but he doesn''t want you to embark on the path of revenge because he is afraid you will kill yourself in the process."
"That is how I see things based on my investigations."
Olivia''s heart softened, forming tears in her eyes after hearing of her father''s wishes. She rubbed her face and replied to her senior brother.
"It''s okay, senior brother Kai. I-I know that your words are meant tofort me, I-"
"Do not fully ce your trust in me, Olivia. You will have your chance to inquire your father about thister on. At that time, you can let out your feelings however you wanted.", Eluard advised her.
This was all his spections and not a definite conclusion. He had to remind Olivia to keep her emotions at bay for now.
However, it was better than nothing, and the pieces of evidence leading to this weren''t that circumstantial either.
Eluard knew something that the students don''t and that was the involvement of the undead essence in this incident.
That factor was what made him arrive at these thoughts.
Going back to the description of Eluard''s version of the special task, the system reminded him that the afflicted beings had their strength significantly enhanced due to the presence of the undead essence.
Using that logic, Eluard concluded that since Erik Siegfried''s strength has increased considerably, the Siegfried n can use him to influence other parties and gain their allegiance while intimidating High King Garron at the same time.
Now that weeks have passed since that incident involving Dartex, the Siegfried n should have been able to nurture themselves during that period.
High King Garron should have realized this and knew that his time was running out.
"Alright, going back to the main topic.", Eluard waved his hands, "Jinmu, you will be leading your ssmates in the defense. We will wait for High King Garron and his subordinates to arrive on these towns in the seeding days."
"We won''t act, not until he has arrived. Otherwise, the demonic creatures will notice our presence and strike us when we are unguarded."
Eluard reasoned that the demonic creatures will surely retaliate and flush out their existence should they prematurely defend against the first waves of attack by the magical beasts.
However, if they waited for High King Garron to arrive and act only at that time, the demonic creatures won''t have the chance to sneakily attack them.
Why?
High King Garron and his army of warriors will be nearby. The demonic creatures'' appearances are way too distinct enough that the warriors will notice a bunch of suspicious figures suddenly entering the fray.
"The rest of the n will continue after sessfully defending against the magical beasts'' attack. I will see you at that time."
Eluard was about to leave when Emi spoke for the first time.
"Senior brother Kai, may I request something of you?", her tone was like the weather, cold and dry.
"What is it, Emi?"
"Can you please investigate any other recent events of warriors returning to Norva Assili? I have something to do about that particr information.", she smiled.
Jinmu caught Emi''s intentions and tried to warn Eluard but he was a second toote.
"This must be about serving revenge on your hometown vige, right, Emi?"
Jinmu and the rest were dumbfounded.
''How did senior brother Kai manage to see through Emi''s whims? And even knew her reasons for doing so?''
Little did they know that Eluard had long seen Emi''s suffering right after he peered through their information when he met them yesterday in the academy.
He also knew that someone tried to mess with his academy and his students, the torn rtionship between Emi and Olivia, and Lucan''s¡
Regardless, Eluard didn''t talk about it that time since the subject wasn''t appropriate and he wanted Emi and the rest to open up first.
Since Emi discussed the issue now, Eluard won''t back down and was eager to hear more of it.
He smiled and turned around, opening a teleportation magic formation below his figure.
"Your big sister is alive..."
Emi widened her eyes at the mention of Akane being alive.
"...but not so well. I saw her the day before. And the one who holds her¡"
"As a ve¡"
"Is no other than Erik Siegfried of the Siegfried n."
Chapter 66 A Sudden Attack
The four students stared at Eluard''s departing figure, speechless of the information that he announced about Emi''s sister, Akane.
Emi nkly stood in ce. She was in disbelief that her big sister remained alive after everything that has happened.
Jinmu and Lucan staggered to look in her direction. Not only did their shocke from news of Akane, but the fact that Eluard confirmed their assumption that it was the Siegfried n who came after Emi''s vige and destroyed it.
They even enved Emi''s big sister.
Jinmu was horrified and could feel his body shivering at the thought.
''This is too shocking of a revtion! I hope Emi won''t lose herself after this!'', he hoped in his heart.
However, the next scene went differently than he expected.
Emi regained control of herself and slowly clenched her small fists. Her heart was both nervous and beaming in joy. She closed her eyes and cried.
"Big sis is alive¡ big sis is alive¡"
She repeatedly blurted, kneeling on the ground and tightly gripping her chest.
Olivia couldn''t take seeing Emi like this and walked out. Lucan noticed her and followed her downstairs.
Who knew what that cold girl was thinking about now?
Jinmu sighed. What a start of a day this was. He approached Emi and held her shoulder.
"Emi¡"
The little girl suddenly jumped on him and hugged him.
"Big brother Jinmu, big sis is alive!"
Jinmu smiled, patting her back tofort her excited heart. This scene continued for a while before Emi stopped and let go of Jinmu.
She wiped the tears off her face, "Big brother Jinmu, I-I''m sorry¡ I didn''t mean to ssh my tears over your clothes¡"
Jinmu waved his hands, "It''s okay. But are you okay now, Emi?"
She nodded.
"Good. Don''t worry, Emi. We''ll get her sooner, alright?", Jinmu assured her. He didn''t mention Olivia because now wasn''t the time.
He also guessed that Emi might still have resentment left in her heart against her senior sister.
"Alright, follow me."
Emi wondered what her senior brother was up to.
"Where are we going, senior brother Jinmu?"
Jinmu became serious, "To check out the situation on the other side."
Downstairs, Olivia and Lucan were left alone. As for Jinmu not inviting them over, he had his reasons.
"Leave me alone.", Olivia spoke to Lucan with her back on him.
"Listen to me, Olivia. I don''t understand the enmity between you and Emi, or between the Siegfried n, but you shouldn''t walk out suddenly like that.", Lucan said.
Olivia turned around and violently waved her hands, "You understanding nothing is why you should stay away from me! What do you know about being rejected? About being shoved away by someone who trusted you dearly before?"
"I was the one who cause this to Emi!", pointing at herself, "How can you not see it?!"
She tried to exin things to Emi but she was ignored every time.
Now that their senior brother Kai exposed the truth, Olivia thought that things between her and Emi became worse.
"That¡", Lucan hesitated.
Of course, he knew what that particr feeling was, especially when the moment he lost his title as crown prince, he was targeted by his younger brother. His father even called him a son of a bitch.
No one bothered attending to his calls, not even his close rtives and former ssmates and friends. Lucan also doubted his Uncle Mer who, despite being a master wizard, let an assassin go past him at the most convenient time.
A grandiose crown prince on the outside, a lonely existence on the inside. That was how Lucan saw his past after reflecting on it during his stay in the academy.
All of the built rtionships were superficial. It all relied on the fact that he was a crown prince. Once it was taken away, he was an exploitable resource that could be set aside anytime.
But how could he say it in front of Olivia? Lucan found no words to put out, making it look like he knew nothing, worsening Olivia''s impression.
She gritted her teeth and snorted at Lucan before she got out of his sight and went somewhere else.
Lucan cursed himself and grunted.
"Ah, damn it! Why are you so dumb in situations like this, Lucan?!"
He was inexperienced in talking to girls, worseforting them. And he dared to try it on a cold royal descendant like Olivia.
He paced back and forth on the first floor, thinking of how to win back Olivia''s trust. Fortunately, the first floor was spacious enough that it took him 2 minutes to circle the entire area.
However, a sudden prompt from his system panel interrupted his pondering.
[ Warning: A magical beast attack ismencing. Prepare yourself. ]
''An attack?'', Lucan was in shock, ''Isn''t this a little too early?''
Amidst his daze, the earth quaked as roars of magical beasts resounded from afar. The sky was blocked by the sheer number of flying magical beasts whose sizes differed from a small bird to that of a mountain.
''Fuck, what did those demonic creatures do that the divine frost dragon is extremely enraged like this?!''
The glimpse of the system map caught his bewildered eyes. A green dot was nearing this hostile group of magical beasts and it seems like they were rather unaware of what was happening.
''Don''t tell me this is Olivia?!''
There were only two green dots in the area. Jinmu and Emi must have already left.
Lucan sped towards Olivia''s position. However, enraged magical beasts blocked his path.
[ Name: Pr War Bear ]
[ Rarity: Umon ]
[ Power-Level: Elite ]
[ Magic Affinity: Ice, Earth ]
¡
[ Name: cial Scorpion ]
[ Rarity: Umon ]
[ Power-Level: Elite ]
[ Magic Affinity: Ice, Poison ]
''What bad luck!''
The two elite magical beasts were backed up by weaker ones but they were too many for Lucan to handle alone.
''I need to get to her first! Ignore them!''
Lucan casted tens of fireballs at once. He controlled the smaller fireballs to attack and frighten the magical beasts.
Lucan then erected an earthen column and jumped at the rooftops of the houses. Many people were running around, with some being ughtered by the magical beasts.
He helped those whom he could assist, sting the beasts away with the remaining fireballs. Most of them were too scared and ran away without thanking Lucan.
He, however, didn''t take it to heart. He looked at the entrance of the vige.
The guards and warriors tried their best to hold the beasts back but they were soon flooded and ran over. Their bodies were trampled mercilessly.
The carnivorous ones didn''t let this free meal go unattended as well and savored the feeling.
Lucan''s heart skipped a beat. What a terrifying scene he was in now. He turned his head in front of him and saw Olivia, striking down a pr war bear to death.
"Ice Spikes!"
The bear was punctured in all sorts of ces, bleeding profusely and dyeing the snow red.
Lucan ran to her and extended his hand to grab her.
"Olivia, what are you doing here?! We should get out now!"
However, Olivia pped his hand away.
"I told you to stay away from me! Why do you keep on pestering me, huh?!"
Lucan''s heart fell, ''Damn it, what''s with her hostile behavior now?!''
Olivia shouldn''t be stupidly acting like this. She was supposed to be calm and collected like Jinmu.
"Can''t you see we are surrounded by magical beasts around?! Even if you kill one, the rest are going to march over and gang up on you!"
"Then let them march over me!", Olivia retorted, "I have to protect these people! They serve under our cause so why should I-!"
"Watch out!", Lucan quickly gathered his mana and casted a spell.
"Fire Whip!"
A long stretch of fire whip appeared on his right hand. He grasped it firmly before whipping the thick-furred white monkey jumping from Olivia''s back.
Its body was small and agile but Lucan was faster. The fireshed at the thick-furred white monkey, hitting its entire chest.
The burning sensation disrupted the monkey. It growled mid-air and lost its bnce.
The beast went past Olivia. Before it could recover, Lucan flicked the whip and coiled it around the monkey''s body.
"Ignite!"
? The fire whip glowed intensely, followed by arge swathe of fire that swallowed the beast in whole and burned it to death.
The snow beneath melted and became water. Through it, Olivia saw her stupefied expression.
Lucan moved and grabbed her sessfully this time.
"Let go of me!", Olivia begged, "These people need our help!"
"Stop acting like an idiot and let us get out of here!", Lucan strengthened his grasp over Olivia''s hand.
However, her resistive force made him slip over and tumbled on Olivia''s feet which resulted in both of them falling to the ground.
"Why won''t you listen?!", Lucan was getting annoyed, "Have you forgotten what senior brother Kai told you earlier?!"
"You don''t understand!", Olivia started crying. Why can''t Lucan let her do as she wished?
"Damn it, Olivia! You''re still going to bring that up now? Your life is more important than this nonsense!"
Olivia tried to push Lucan away but he was hugging her securely.
''Time to teleport out of here!''
Lucan navigated through his system panel and clicked on the teleportation button on the map.
The following system prompt horrified him deeply.
[ Unable to teleport. A nar demarcation magic array formation has been set. ]
[ Please move away from the range of the nar demarcation or destroy the magic array formation to proceed. ]
His grip on Olivia loosened, allowing her to roll over further away. She was about to speak when a haughty demonicugh ringed in their ears.
A demonic creaturended on top of a house, towering at 5 meters in height. If Eluard was here, he''d recognize this demonic creature as the one he saw back during his memory intrusion.
"Kekeke! You''re not going anywhere today, students of the Heavenly Magic Academy!"
The demonic creature was twisting its hands around, ying with a devil fork in his hands.
"The nar is locked. You won''t be returning to your academy soon!"
Its eyes widened and his grin spanned his entire face. The three horns on his head twitched in excitement.
A prey was going to die today!
"Not until I pierce you with my fork!"
The demonic creature jumped to the skies and readied an attacking stance. He swooped down to Olivia first and extended his hand that was holding the devil fork.
"Die!"
He shouted those words when suddenly, the air between him and Olivia vibrated.
"Fiery Resonation!"
Chapter 67 Verons Timely Rescue
The air between the demonic creature and Olivia vibrated.
"Fiery Resonation!"
Sound waves boomed out but the demonic creature reacted quickly and stopped his charge. However, he realized that his sense of bnce was distorted.
His falling figure worsened the distortion which made himnd on the ground head first and nt himself upside down.
A hand then both grabbed Lucan and Olivia by their waists away from this demonic creature. The sudden motion woke them out of their daze.
It gave Lucan the opportunity to analyze the demonic creature''s information.
[ Demonic Creature, Mahiista ]
[ Power Level: Karagero (Upper Demon) ]
[ Demonic Symbols: 734 ]
[ 344 Symbols of Magicka, 150 Symbols of Asura, 100 Symbols of Baruchard, 80 Symbols of Sarandawa, 60 Symbols of Tarsevia ]
[ Type: Caster, Semi-Fighter ]
''Strong!'', was the reaction of his mind.
A demonic creature whose total demonic symbols surpassed 100 was deemed to have ascended to the rank of a karagero.
That did not directly mean they were powerful as the demonic symbols were categorized into many circles of doctrines.
Some imbued direct raw power while others augmented a demonic creature in all sorts of ways.
The most famous circles, as recorded from the documents inside the Heavenly Magic Academy''s public library, were those from Magicka, the Mystic Demon; Asura, the Superior Demon; and Baruchard, the Transfiguring Demon.
With Mahiista''s 344 symbols under Magicka, it meant that his magical power was very close to that of a peak master wizard. His 150 Symbols of Asura meant that his physical strength wasparable to an upper de knight at the imprint realm.
The 100 Symbols of Baruchard weren''t noteworthypared to the first two. Having more of this symbol extends the limits of modifying a demonic creature''s physical characteristics.
In other words, one can add demonic wings or tails, or improve them in a way such that being sliced by their wings was equivalent to death.
Mahiista''s 80 Symbols of Sarandawa, and 60 Symbols of Tarsevia were rather problematic.
The former revolved in the concept of durability and sturdiness while thetter revolved in the concept of adaptability and flexibility.
This gives Mahiista the ability in adapting well to the freezing environmentpared to Lucan and Olivia. With his defensive capabilities empowered by his Symbols of Sarandawa, the demonic creature could take a beating or two without dying.
A prolonged fight wasn''t ideal. Mahiista can manage in holding himself against the weather and their attacks. They, however, would sumb to injuries and to the coldness of the northern cial continent.
Lucan eyed the neer and found out that it was a man named Veron Zumfiel whose power level easily exceeded Mahiista''s.
Veron, on the other hand, was surprised. He had seen these faces long before and was shocked by their identities.
"I didn''t expect that I would be seeing together the crown prince of the Morning Star Empire and the royal princess of Norva Assili."
''Wh-who is this guy?!'', Lucan and Olivia were dumbfounded, ''I haven''t seen him until now!''
The feeling of someone knowing you but you not knowing them was a dreadful feeling. Either they know you under friendly circumstances or was it due to something else.
In addition, although the Zumfiel Noble Household was a well-known secr household, not many knew who were its household members.
And Veron was such a person.
"Oh, don''t worry. I won''t be telling anyone you were here.", Veron assured them, "Including the fact that the two of you are students from that fabled magic academy."
The roars of the magical beasts earlier caught his attention from kilometers away. Veron thought that he''de over and see what was happening.
"Were you able to hear that demonic creature''s words from far away?!", Lucan asked in rm.
Jinmu heavily reminded them to not let anyone know of their identities as students of the Heavenly Magic Academy no matter what.
Veron only smiled and didn''t bother to reply. His attention was focused on the demonic creature who have already recovered.
"Bastard, how dare you sullen my image, damn elf!", Mahiista shouted, forcing their attention towards his enraged face.
"Shut up, demonic creature. So you were the one behind all of this, huh?!", Veron guessed, "You even locked the space not only to prevent these young ones from escaping but to hide your presence from the magical beasts."
Mahiista grinned, "What if I am the one who is behind all of this? What are you going to do about it?"
Veron turned cold. To think that a demonic creature foiled his ns of saving Haera.
Mahiista continued on his parade and let out a snicker, pointing at them.
"Harrtugg Naaw will still ughter the Norva Assili no matter what. And you, my dear elf and human friends will be a stepping stone to this grandiose of a n!"
"Surrender your body, and I might give you a merciful death!", Mahiista said while licking the middle tip of his devil fork.
Olivia''s heart sank after hearing Mahiista''s words.
''Oh no, I have to stop him! I won''t let him do what he wants to do!''
She stood up and berated Mahiista.
"Foul demonic creature! What rights do you have and you think we''d let you do as you wish?!"
"I won''t let that happen over my dead body!"
Lucan went over to Olivia and soothed the vexed girl, "Hey, calm down!"
Olivia pped his hands away this time.
On the other side, Mahiista pped his hands. He was amused by Olivia''s futile resistance and courageous fa?ade.
"Well done! Well done! As expected of a student of the Heavenly Magic Academy, you truly are an idiot with a loose screw on your head!", he mocked.
Mahiista nned to rile up Olivia as much as he could. That was what fuels his excitement and the urge to murder her in every way.
Veron tapped Olivia''s shoulders and calmed her down. He then stepped forward, nning to fight Mahiista thought not to kill him, but to escape.
Now wasn''t a favorable time for a deathmatch against this demonic creature.
Lucan and Olivia were here. Guarding them against harm while fighting the demonic creature wasn''t an easy task.
Demonic creatures tend to attack anyone they deemed an enemy regardless of the other party''s thoughts. That was why it was best to fight them alone or else they''ll use everyone around you and turn the tables of a winning fight.
Furthermore, the demonic creatures weren''t vulnerable to death unless one was imbued with the power of divinity.
Killing their physical bodies wasn''t enough.
One had to purge the demonic essence flowing around their spiritual manifestations before they were pronounced truly dead. Otherwise, they''ll simply find a new body and reincarnate.
The best Veron could do this time was to incapacitate Mahiista as quickly as possible.
"Demonic creature, don''t forget that I''m here. I''m going to make you regret your actions sooner orter.", Veron waved his fingers.
The demonic creature noticed the surrounding air vibrate again. He wasn''t able to react to this sudden attack.
Heavy and dull sound waves entered his eardrums and made a mess inside. He cked out without fully knowing what happened, hitting the ground with a loud thud.
"Cover your ears, now!", Veron alerted the two students.
He then pped his hands together and let out furious sound waves which bounced back and forth with increasing amplitude and intensity.
The space around them vibrated to the extreme. Not long after, pieces of magical array formation lines shattered.
At the same time, a system prompt appeared in both Olivia''s and Lucan''s eyes.
[ nar demarcation magic array formation destroyed. You may now teleport back to the academy. ]
They gulped in awe of Veron''s skills. He worked fast and efficiently with a concrete n set in his mind.
However, the surrounding environment shut off their ted minds in quick session.
Destroying the formation resulted in the space returning to normal. It brought with it the image of devastated houses and corpses that littered all around.
Veron grabbed the two students again and started his teleportation process.
Olivia''s face turned ashen, "Wh-where are you taking us?! Let me go, I need to look after them!"
"Somewhere not around here so stop struggling youngdy, or else don''t hold me ountable if your body breaks during the travel!", Veron scolded.
The pressure forced Olivia to behave.
As her body blurred in ce, she bitterly bit her lips and stared at the dying figure of a northerner man being impaled by a cial scorpion''s frosty tail.
"Ah! Help me! Please!", the man shouted at them, "Don''t leave me dying here!"
His words fell on deaf ears. Veron and thepany had already left him alone to die.
"Curse you! Curse your damn-!"
The cial scorpion hissed before puncturing the man''s abdomen with its bloodied tail. He struggled for a while and died.
Staring at the meal in front of it, the cial scorpion readied its pincers to devour its prey.
¡
In the far distance was arge sky-blue dragon pping its wings mid-air.
"Demonic creatures. They are here.", a cold thunderous voice resounded within the sky-blue dragon''s mouth.
He was surrounded by severalrge magical beasts who looked up to him as their leader.
"Lord Harrtugg Naaw, it''s best to halt the attack. The presence of the demonic creatures might have something to do about the merciless ughter of our innocent magical beasts.", a bird purely made of ice advised.
Its wings wererge, thick, and sharp. They were unnaturally flexible as well.
"Do you think I have not considered that?! But those northerners shall still pay for their crimes!"
"I will never forget the scent of that northerner who came over and stole some eggs while I was out there overseeing the death of the magical beasts under me!"
Those eggs were the result of his and histe wife''s hard work. They were about to hatch any time soon and someone had to disrupt this auspicious event.
Harrtugg Naaw''s teeth were gritted, "Continue the attack! I will not rest until I see that person die!"
Hidden deep within Harrtugg Naaw''s cold blue eyes that were filled with hatred was a glint of red barely observable.
Harrtugg Naaw raised his head and roared fiercely. This was the signal for them in continuing their march.
The thirteenrge magical beasts around him didn''t notice a thing and roared in reply. They then bowed down and turned around.
Chapter 68 Going Back
Aurpiel stared at his daughter, L, curiously staring at Haera''s cold figure from 2 feet away. She was sitting with her back hunched, supporting her small head alternately tilting from left and right.
"Papa, why do you think this beautiful sister isying there on the bed and sleeping soundly? I haven''t seen her like that while we were traveling a few days ago."
Her question was unanswerable from Aurpiel''s perspective. He wasn''t a wizard nor a knight so he was unsure of how to respond to his daughter.
Haera''s cold aura was peculiar to Aurpiel''s senses. There was no way someone would emit such coldness from their body as if they were ice.
"I-I don''t know L. Maybe she is just asleep?", Aurpiel tried his best.
L raised her eyebrows, "But Papa, this big sister is colder. I feel like the coldness is seeping through her body. It doesn''t feel right¡"
The room became silent for a while before L sighed. She gave up thinking about Haera and shifted her thoughts.
"Papa, about that strange big brother and sister from before. Do you think I will be able to see them again?"
She was talking about Jinmu and Emi, with her interest glued to thetter.
Aurpiel understood his daughter''s wishes. However, he shook his head.
"I don''t know L. Maybe it was just a coincidence that day. You should know that those two are magesing from a powerful background, alright?"
He immediately patted L who was starting to pout, "Okay, okay. I''ll make sure that you''ll see them again."
The devilish little girl grinned.
Just as the atmosphere turned bright, three figures appeared in the room.
It was Veron, Lucan, and Olivia.
The two students fell to the floor and grunted. Veron''s teleportation buzzed their minds and almost made them faint.
Veron sucked a deep breath, "Take a rest for a while. We''ll talk after you have recovered."
He turned around and thanked Aurpiel for looking out after Haera.
"Oh, uncle! How did you do that?!", L asked excitedly.
Aurpiel grabbed L''s hands and reprimanded her for asking such questions to Veron.
"Ah, sorry about that, sir. It''s nothing. We''ll be taking our leave now."
The two left with L reluctantly staring at Haera.
Veron helped the two students sit and waited for a few minutes.
Lucan bowed to Veron, "Thank you, kind sir, for helping us earlier. Without you, we would have died under that demonic creature''s hands."
Veron smiled, waving his hands to dismiss Lucan''s gratefulness.
"Don''t thank me. It''s something a wizard like me is inclined to do for those from the Heavenly Magic Academy."
Hearing the academy''s name, the two became solemn.
"I''ve told you before, and I''ll tell you even now. I won''t leak your identities to the outside world."
Seeing that they were still hesitant, Veron decided to speak out his name.
"I am Veron Zumfiel from the Zumfiel Secr Household. I assume you already know of my household?"
Lucan and Olivia nodded.
"Good, that makes things easier then. I won''t take my time talking much with you."
Veron stood up, "Now, if you have somewhere else to be, I can guide you out of this ce."
Shortening his time spent with these two was for the betterment of everybody.
Lucan politely declined his request.
"We''ll be on our way on our own, sir Veron. You don''t have to look out for us at this point."
"Also, know that the Heavenly Magic Academy will be grateful for your assistance in this matter. Goodbye."
Since Veron didn''t want to make things hard for them, there was no need to bother him any longer.
Lucan quickly teleported out of the area, with Olivia hesitating for a moment before catching Veron''s re which made her make up her mind.
The fragments of the teleportation magic formation shed through Veron''s eyes.
"Ah, how long has it been since my ancestors interacted with the fabled magic academy?"
His voice drifted to the cold air of Norva Assili. He closed his eyes and rested.
¡
Meanwhile, Lucan and Olivia returned to the academy grounds.
Jinmu and Emi were waiting for them in the main hall for a while now. The former became impatient and quickly approached them.
"What the hell happened out there? It took you a long time to return here."
Olivia turned her head away, annoyed that this cold brat has the nerve to interrogate them instead of worrying for them.
Lucan sighed in defeat, admitting half the truth of the matter.
"I was about to teleport after hearing the system''s warning but Olivia was stuck inside the vige and I had to help her out."
His answer intrigued Jinmu.
"Oh, helped her out?", he faced Olivia and pointed at her, "You should have known what to do when we are faced with that situation. Haven''t the past days taught us more than enough about that?"
Olivia furrowed her eyebrows. Jinmu''s tone felt like he was mocking her ipetence.
"I have no reason to tell you what happened out there. It''s none of your business."
Jinmu stepped forward with a colder disposition, "As the leader appointed by senior brother Kai, I have the business to know what happened earlier."
"Tell me the truth, Lucan, Olivia. This concerns the Heavenly Magic Academy in every way."
Olivia''s mind snapped.
Jinmu was ignoring the innocent lives she tried g to save and it seemed like he doesn''t have the mood to give a damn about it.
However, her belongingness to Norva Assili and her soft heart persuaded her to confront Jinmu.
"Bullshit!"
The three students shockingly stared at Olivia who shouted out of nowhere.
Olivia continued venting out her frustrations.
"What do you mean this concerns the Heavenly Magic Academy, huh?! Have you not thought of the innocent lives lost because of that attack?"
"Is your loyalty to the Heavenly Magic Academy more important than helping the people who were powerless in defending themselves against the magical beasts?"
"Yeah, right. I forgot that you''re a cold bastard. You''re just amoner. How can you ever know the difficulties that those people are facing every day?"
"I thought the Heavenly Magic Academy was supposed to help Aludia so why are we cowering out of the demonic creatures and their ns now?!"
Silence permeated the surroundings.
Lucan was cursing Olivia deep in his mind for showing such hostility and insubordination during this period when teamwork was what they needed the most.
What if the academy master heard her? Wasn''t she asking to be expelled, and even implicate them at the same time?
Emi held the same thoughts as well.
Jinmu, out of the other three, simplyughed at Olivia''s arguments.
His reaction made Olivia hate him even more.
"How devilish of you! You''re evenughing at such a depressing moment like this? Have you got no empathy?"
"Are you just the type of person to follow whatever was told of you, huh, Jinmu Lin?!"
Jinmu coldly smiled at Olivia, not taking her arguments to heart.
"Yes, I am that type of person, Olivia Winterice. Tell me, what are you going to do about it?"
Olivia gritted her teeth. She found no words to continue reprimanding Jinmu, but thetter had more things to say at the tip of his tongue.
"I will be forever loyal to this academy, and just because we are concerned about Aludia, doesn''t mean we have to always look out for them."
"And just because the demonic creatures are our number one enemy, doesn''t mean we have to confront them in every encounter."
Jinmu started approaching Olivia, taking one step closer for every sentence he finishes.
"Have you ever measured your capabilities, Olivia?"
"Did you think that you can handle that attack on your own and save those innocent lives and helpless people you dearly want to save?"
Jinmu pointed at his head, "If you have used your head properly, you would have understood that you are no match to them."
"You were never a match to them."
"You''d die in vain. And it''s the most stupid death because you will not be able to save anyone before or after your death."
"How can you continue upholding the Heavenly Magic Academy''s responsibilities if you die such a stupid and early death?"
Jinmu shrugged at her, giving Olivia the chance to respond to him. However, she became speechless.
Jinmu''s thoughts were logical and reasonable. How could she help them when she was just a measly adept wizard? Only a grandmaster magus can fight in that situation. Even then, their survival wasn''t guaranteed.
Moreover, senior brother Kai explicitly told them to wait for High King Garron to arrive in a few days. He left them, trusting that they will listen to his words.
And Olivia disobeyed him.
Despite her understanding of her wrongdoings now, Jinmu didn''t stop.
"You need to understand when and when not to fight, Olivia."
"I know that you northerners are brainless fools who like to fight too much, but that is not the case here in the academy."
"And it seems like you have forgotten the Fourth T of the Heavenly Magic Academy, did you?"
"The heart sway''s one''s sentiments. The mind sways one''s destiny."
Jinmu''s cold words reminded Olivia of the dreading reality she was about to face.
"You have let your heart overtake your mind."
"And because of that, you have almostpromised the special task, and also almost killed yourself and Lucan."
Jinmu let out a smirk and turned around.
"However, it seems that the system might have given you a leeway this time. Or maybe the academy master used this to test us of what we have learned, as always, and he decided to free you of his grasp this time."
"Though I wonder what would happen next..."
He started moving to the library to study again, waving his hands in farewell.
Chapter 69 Arahons Lair
Dwarven Mountain Compass.
Eluard freely glided in the air as he stared at therge volcanic crater below filled with flowingva. The volcanic crater was so humungous that even thergest volcano back on earth paled inparison both in scale and height.
And that was just its crater.
At the center of ity a red-skinned dragon whose entire wings spanned past six hundred meters.
[ Legend: Arahon Agui ]
[ Affiliation: me Dragon Tribe (Leader), Luchador Secr Household, Heavenly Magic Academy (Former) ]
[ Beast Type: Divine me Dragon ]
[ Rarity: Divine ]
[ Power: Monarch-Level ]
[ Affinity: Divinity, Fire, Earth, Lava ]
''A divine me dragon. Here ites, Eluard. Don''t be nervous, now.''
Eluard channeled his mana towards his left hand.
Doing so produced a reaction from the red dragon below.
¡
Arahon noticed a robed and masked man above him. A strange sensation suddenly erupted from his head, jolting him awake.
''My mark of allegiance! Is this¡ the Heavenly Magic Academy?!''
His eyes glinted, realizing the identity of this mysterious person. He exhaled, puffing out steamy smoke out of his nose.
Arahon pped his wings majestically and went as high as the robed man was.
"Arahon greets the academy master of the Heavenly Magic Academy.", he bowed.
"It seems that you still remember, divine me dragon.", Eluard responded.
Arahon shook his head, "How could I not? And why would I dare to?", lowering his head so that Eluard could see his forehead.
On his forehead was the symbol of a dragon''s head. It glowed in dark red and faced forward, emanating an oppressive aura.
"This mark, bore from my ancestors and passed unto me, will remain as a part of my identity, and the reason why our lineage continues to live on this day.", Arahon proudly narrated.
"Also, that robe and mask. There is no doubt that I will be mistaken about your identity, academy master."
Eluard nodded in affirmation. Just yesterday, he was driven to desperation in saving the people of Norva Assili and Haera.
He nned to use High King Garron''s army in fighting the magical beasts meanwhile utilizing his students against the subversive actions of the demonic creatures.
In the case of retaliation from the demonic creatures, his students can back off under the cover of High King Garron''s army.
However, Eluard wasn''tcent nor confident to rely on this n. Karageros were powerful entities.
Together with the demonic essence that could only be countered with divinity, a single karagero can tip off the bnce of forces on the battlefield.
There were other factors as well, but to greatly weigh the probability of winning this battle in his favor, Eluard sought other options.
As for Haera, if Harrtugg Naaw could destroy the curse of the winter rose with its affinity to ice, shouldn''t Arahon be able to do the same with his fire?
He went to the public library and uncovered more of the history of the Heavenly Magic Academy. With the help of the system, he found an interesting archive.
The Heavenly Magic Academy once reared magical beasts, but not in a way one would generally think of it.
The magical beasts, alongside other beasts, were originally tamed by someone titled the Primal Lord of Beasts.
Unfortunately, the said Primal Lord died in the hands of the Otherworld, forcing the beasts to scatter after their owner died.
Some returned to the wild and procreated, while others sought servitude unto the other Primal Lords.
Thetter were unsure of their survival if they returned to their original habitat. Things could have changed, or maybe their original homes were now taken by the Otherworld.
Regardless of their reasons, even if they lost their freedom while serving a Primal Lord, it was better than dying out in the wild.
One of these Primal Lords was no other than the Primal Lord of Magic.
Magic was an important part of the lives of magical beasts. No one but the Primal Lord of Magic has the capability of nurturing them, or rather, nurturing their talents and skills in this field.
The Primal Lord of Magic then set up a mark of allegiance to these magical beasts.
One reason was to monitor their activities and whereabouts.
The Primal Lord of Magic was a cautious person. Magic was just like any other weaponying around. It could be used to protect life or kill in an immoral manner.
With the Primal Lord having surveince of the magical beasts serving under him, he could take immediate action should one of them show signs of devious intentions.
Another reason was to establish loyalty and identity to the magical beasts.
The Primal Lord knew that his rule won''tst for an eternity.
Someone would seed in their position and should they need help, the sessor can use the mark of allegiance to call upon the magical beasts in the direst situations.
Tomunicate with the magical beasts, the Primal Lord then made a countersign symbol purposed to resonate with the mark of allegiance he imbued upon them.
Eluard did his best in learning this countersign symbol. The symbol was simply the Heavenly Magic Academy''s emblem.
The only difference was the inclusion of logic of magical array formations.
Since the countersign symbol remained the same, each mark of allegiance from the magical beasts will only resonate if he follows a certain flow of mana while activating the countersign.
Because of this, Eluard changed his ns. Since there were too many marks to remember, he first researched the magical beasts, specifically the magical beasts well-versed in the fire element.
Many of them did not exist in Aludia. He could tell based on the knowledge in his mind which he gathered after exhaustingly reading a ton of books.
Then, he came upon the divine me dragons, one of the supreme existences that were the embodiment of fire itself, alongside the fire phoenixes and the golden crows.
Eluard quickly learned how to activate the countersign symbol for the divine me dragons'' mark of allegiance.
And now, he was going to use it to grab the divine me dragons to his side. He raised his left hand and showed Arahon his backhand.
Arahon hummed. He recognized the countersign symbol.
''This countersign symbol is still what it is after all the years that have passed.''
All the descendants from their lineage were taught this. Once that symbol glowed and their mark of allegiance resonates, it only implied one thing.
"What does the academy master of the Heavenly Magic Academy request of us?"
Eluard was ted inside his mind. He didn''t think it would work so well.
"My students will be conducting an operation in the northern cial continent a few days from now. Help them in case Harrtugg Naaw interferes."
"And the Otherworld will be there.", Eluard emphasized.
"Do this, and I might consider you bringing back to the academy, just like before."
Eluard didn''t y words.
If the academy reared them in the past, then there should have been a ce for them to stay over.
The system said that there were other locked system functions. Maybe storing the reared beasts was one of them?
Of course, he wasn''t going to be a beast tamer or something. Should the function exist, he''d only use it for re-establishing allegiances that were formed with the magical beasts in the past.
Arahon chuckled with frenzied eyes.
"Arahon will surely assist your students, academy master. You can rest assured of that."
Eluard mentioning their return to the academy was more than enough of a reason for him to ept the offer.
He didn''t try to reject it nor negotiate.
Arahon wasn''t dumb. The divine me dragon tribe became what they were due to the Heavenly Magic Academy.
At least that was how it went after recalling his memories.
"Good, I''ll expect news in a few days. Talk to my direct disciple Kai. He might have other needs as well."
Eluard turned off the countersign symbol and lowered his hand. Since Arahon agreed, there was no point staying here any longer.
His moving in and out quickly after finishing his business aligned well with his bossy and entric behavior as the academy master.
He did not need to persuade anyone for more than a minute, nor would he extravagantly exin his actions or thoughts to whoever he was talking to.
Seeing how the academy master blinked out of his sight, Arahon heaved a sigh of relief.
''The bloodline of the divine me dragon is dying.''
''This is a chance for me to revive our legacy. Oh, my dear ancestors. Guide me so that I may not fail on what would be the greatest redemption endowed unto us.''
Hended back on hisir and looked below.
"Brat, you need to finish your assimtion quick. I''m going to the Norva Assili and check out with your friends."
Arahon was talking to Solordo who remained underground for his blood assimtion process.
It was taking so long because Solordo was not only assimting the divine me dragon''s blood into his chivalric cultivation. He was also integrating it with his magical cultivation as well.
Not only will he inherit the divine me dragon''s physical strength, but it will also enhance his magic and maybe even give him an affinity to whatever was the divine me dragon''s magical affinity.
"No rush, dragon lord. You think bing strong is a fast process?", Solordo responded.
"Huh! As if you could do something with your power right now. Alright,e up quickly after you are finished. I will wait for three days."
"If you don''te out by that time, I''ll leave you here alone."
Solordo harrumphed.
''What a stinky dragon lord!''
Chapter 70 Rifted Relations, A Shocking Investigation
Eluard returned to the Heavenly Magic Academy and was met with a gloomy atmosphere.
He wondered what happened and saw Lucan heading to the training yard alone. Emi went the other way to the public library.
As for Olivia, she was kneeling on the floor in dismay. She was tightly clutching her robe and gritting her teeth.
Eluard hid his presence and used the Eye of Fidelity.
After getting a glimpse of the events that happened, Eluard narrowed his eyes. He was furious and guilty.
Furious in the sense that the demonic creatures tried to kill his students. Guilty in the sense that he unknowingly put them in such a dangerous situation.
He should have anticipated the risks after setting up the meeting ce in that remote vige near where the Frozen des was.
''Was it a coincidence? Or did the demonic creatures notice our arrival?''
The possibility of thetter was high.
Deploying a magic array formation that utilized the concept of space was a difficult feat to achieve in a short time. That was unless either the demonic creature anticipated them beforehand or the magic array formation was stored in some medium before it was used.
Nevertheless, Eluard epted one fact and that he had greatly underestimated the capabilities of the demonic creatures.
They weren''t out to y. They were in for blood and their lives.
The demonic creature didn''t hesitate and waste their time in trying to dispose of Lucan and Olivia. This gave Eluard another insight into what to teach the students next.
It was on how to cope with situations when they encountered the demonic creatures.
Arriving into this thought brought him the existence of the Tower of Ascension.
Since High King Garron would take days to arrive on the main battlefield, perhaps he could use the spare time to train his students using that tower instead?
Eluard was unsure of the decision.
The challenge inside the Tower of Ascension could be more daunting than he expected. There was a possibility of it bing counter-productive, putting his students in a bad shape just as they are about to conduct their operation.
Not only that, there was disharmony between his students.
They weren''t in the mood to be challenged. What they needed was to rest for a while and cool things down.
Amidst his thoughts, Olivia stood up and was about to return to her dormitory when Eluard stepped in.
Olivia stopped in ce and greeted him.
"A-academy master, we-wee back."
He could hear the fear in her voice.
''Does she think I will punish her?'', he straightened his posture and simply nodded at her.
Olivia readied herself to be berated again by the academy master. However, when she raised her head, she found no one else but herself in the main hall.
Eluard went back to his office and put the matter into the hands of his students. He won''t interfere unless something very serious happens.
The only ones who could fix the rift between their rtionships were themselves.
He could provide them with some pieces of advice but he worried that their interpretations would turn out to be different than what they meant.
Eluard sighed. Thinking about it was stressful.
He closed his eyes and recollected how Veron aided his students against the demonic creature.
''I have to thank that Veron should our paths cross again. And Haera¡ I wonder how is she now?''
Eluard suddenly stood up and teleported out of the academy,nding on cold deep snow in the northern cial continent.
His long robe fluttered under the intense breeze atop a mountain edge.
''Damn it, I almost forgot. I have to check out the situation inside the Siegfried Household. And maybe¡''
The system wasn''t the chatterbox that would direct him on the actions he needed to do.
''I need to create a character who could scout for me. I hate going around without a concrete n or something.''
His schedule was very tight and although he could establish ns now and then, a one-man army wasn''t an ideal thing.
The filled soul stones sold in the shop were expensive. Moreover, with how things have drastically progressed to the worst in recent days, he didn''t have the time to earn crystals and buy what he needed.
Eluard eyed therge settlement in the distance. Based on the system''s map, he was now near Arsolo Stronghold, the capital of Norva Assili.
Eluard generated a gust of wind below his feet and propelled high into the skies. He glided downwards, overseeing the events down below through the map.
When he neared his target destination, several gray dots popped up.
''That is a lot of undead down there. Just how did the Siegfried Household manage to spread the undead essence without suspicion?''
An alert prompt made Eluard stop moving.
[ Warning: A magic array formation has been set up nearby. ]
[ Effects are unknown but based on the magical structure, it is likely to be exhibiting the behaviorparable to illusionary magic array formations. ]
''An illusionary magic array formation? And on a scale thisrge?''
His surprise came from the fact that his Eye of Fidelity was unable to detect the presence of this magic array formation.
No one other than the demonic creatures could have done this.
Norva Assili did not have mages or wizards. Even if they did, the recruitment fee was extravagant for their treasury to handle.
''System, will I be detected if I enter it?''
He did not want to stumble upon a simr situation just like what happened to Lucan and Olivia.
The demonic creatures might set off something destructive the moment they notice a disturbance of mana flow in the magic array formation.
His magical deterrence could work but he was worried that it might lead to results that he''ll regretter.
[ You can set a barrier around you which will imitate the flow of mana that the magic array formation follows. ]
Eluard immediately rejected the thought. He wasn''t well-versed in advanced magic array formation topics such as formation retraction. It was a fast-paced method of analyzing magic array formations without triggering an rm.
Even with his Eye of Fidelity as an alternative, his control of mana wasn''t as urate nor precise where he could replicate the system''s suggestion.
''Let''s not carelessly tread in now.'', Eluard backed off and returned to where he was earlier, ''They must have a reason for deploying this illusionary magic array formation.''
Illusionary magic array formations worked in a way that distorts the reality of the affected individuals.
The wizard who deploys such formations has control over which ones are affected and which are not. The disparity of reality depends on a wizard''s mental strength, spare mana capacity, and the original terrain where the formation was set up.
Establishing an illusionary formation on a volcanic location that transports the individual to a cier environment would require a higher level of skill and mana than when used in colder environments.
''If I''m not wrong, they must be using the formation to hide the effects of the undead essence of the afflicted individuals.'', Eluard snorted at how resourceful the demonic creatures were.
The pre-mind retraction stages of an undead showed obvious signs of transformation. The high-level warriors will undoubtedly notice a strange sensation about the people around them, provided how grandiose the proliferation attempt of the demonic creatures was.
However, the illusionary magic array formation could have prevented this from happening.
Worse, because Norva Assilicked mages or wizards to detect the presence of such magical array formations, the rest were unaware of the demonic creatures'' subversive actions.
The demonic creatures may have set up additional countermeasures to prevent high-level warriors from detecting it.
''This is bad.'', Eluard furrowed his eyebrows.
It was brought to his attention that the demonic creatures may have nted several undead beings in the army of High King Garron.
Yes, they may look the same on the outside but who knew whether they were already under the control of the demonic creatures or not?
''They don''t care about the Siegfried n''s rivalry against High King Garron.''
''No, the power struggle is most likely a ruse. To introduce the undead essence in this area, they used Erik Siegfried''s returning squad as patient zero before transmitting the undead essence around.''
''The ns and other warriors are conspiring with the Siegfried n not because of their newfound power, but because the demonic creatures took control of their minds using the undead essence.''
''High King Garron is unaware of this, especially since the illusionary formation has done such a good job of concealing it. He believed the Siegfried n was bing increasingly powerful, which led to his decision to march into the battlefield when, instead, he could have purged the undead essence using his power as a radiant knight.''
Eluard caressed his chin, deep in thoughts.
''As for the remaining warriors and civilians, the only way for it to rapidly spread is through food or water consumption. The taverns and other public establishments serve a lot of people every day.''
''With the illusionary formation, it covered the effects of the poisoned food or beverage.''
''When the people consume them¡''
How rming.
If Eluard had been unaware of such information, he might have assumed that once they defeated the Siegfried n, everything would be over.
''High King Garron''s significance is dependent on preventing the Siegfried n from seizing power. If Olivia''s father dies, no one can stop the Siegfried n, or rather, the corrupted Siegfried n, from ruling over the entire Norva Assili.''
At that point, the demonic creatures will have an easier time in the northern cial continent.
They can then use the Siegfried n for other purposes such as initiating aggression over nearby empires or raiding small viges in the volcanic grassy ins.
Also, Olivia might rebel after her father''s death.
''Thankfully, I was able to request help from Arahon. Otherwise¡''
Just as his eyes darted around the cold mountain, he noticed a frail and slim figure standing upright from the distance.
He was wearing a set of white robes with long white hair and an equally-long white beard that fluttered alongside his clothes.
The old man let out a chuckle, stretching his oval face while staring at Arsolo Stronghold.
"My, my¡ This could be an auspicious day for me¡", he muttered to himself. His eyes disyed an ted emotion as if he found prey to prowl upon.
Meanwhile, Eluard was shocked after finding out the identity of this old man.
''Isn''t he¡ Elder Flock?!''
Chapter 71 [Bonus Chapter] Elder Flocks Cooperation
Eluard was taken aback when he realized who the old man was.
''Isn''t that¡ Elder Flock?''
The old man appeared to be overjoyed. This piqued Eluard''s interest who was about to present himself in front of the archmage.
"Dartex surely have done the demonic creatures a great favor. Their meticulous ns are really something, eh?"
Elder Flock calmly massaged his long white beard, unaware of Eluard''s presence on the sides.
"I wouldn''t have stumbled upon this discovery was it not for the rumor about the divine frost dragon''s sudden aggression."
"Hmm¡ now, how do I deal with this, huh? Eh?"
Footsteps were heard behind Elder Flock. When he turned around, he was surprised to see a familiar figure he hadn''t expected to see in this deste frozenndscape.
"It is my greatest honor to meet you once again, the disciple of the great master of magic, Mr. Kai.", Elder Flock bowed in sincerity.
He didn''t put on airs in front of this young man.
"Hello, Elder Flock. It is unusual of you to be wandering here."
Elder Flock chuckled. He couldn''t ask the same of Eluard because he was aware of the Heavenly Magic Academy''s responsibilities in these matters.
He reckoned that they must have been able to extract some information from Dartex.
"Ah, would you consider it a coincidental encounter from me?" ", he said solemnly, "But you should know, Mr. Kai, that I, too, do not want to let these atrocious actions go wherever the demonic creatures want them to go."
"I am simrly concerned of the people just as how the Heavenly Magic Academy concerns itself upon this world."
Eluard smiled, "Then I am pleased to hear it from you, Elder Flock. Seeing how ted you are, you must have a n for this, yes?"
Elder Flock nodded before facing the Arsolo Stronghold.
"I can let us in on that illusionary magic array formation without being detected. The problem is how do we root out the evil that has started this."
"Oh, about that. We can check out the marketce first.", Eluard suggested.
"I see.", Elder Flock waved his hands.
Eluard immediately utilized his Eye of Fidelity to see what the archmage was up to.
''He is manipting the light around us. I don''t know if the mana disturbance cannot be detected but we''ll see.''
Elder Flock gestured at Eluard to continue below.
They quickly arrived in front of the illusionary magic array formation.
"Fascinating. They managed to set up a highly elusive illusionary magic array formation to the point that the structure itself is an illusion.", Elder Flockmended the person who created it.
However, it was still nothing in front of an archmage.
He extended his hands and opened his palm, touching the formation''s surface.
Eluard saw golden lines appear in his view. They were pulsating in and out, like the figures detected in a radar back on Earth.
"Imitating this flow is a little difficult.", Elder Flock calmly spoke.
He retracted his hand before gathering both of them in front of his chest. Mana continuously gathered around him.
"In the count of three¡"
"One¡"
"Two¡"
"Three!"
Elder Flock hurled the ball of mana to the illusionary magic array formation. The entire surface rippled and created a hole where the ball of mana hit it.
Lines appeared in the hole where the previous ones had been. Mana flowed through those artificial lines, giving the impression that the structure remained intact despite Elder Flock''s interference.
The two saw the opportunity and went in. Just as they passed through, the formation returned normal.
Eluard and Elder Flock continued on their way. They were dumbfounded by the sight as they passed through the streets.
"The undead corruption is worse than expected. I think more than 80% of the poption here is already influenced.", Elder Flock remarked.
Eluard nodded in approval.
Since they remained unaffected by the illusionary magic array formation''s effects, they were able to see the true situation inside the Arsolo Stronghold.
The people''s eyes were lifeless. Some of them either had their skin bruised, or swollen in many different parts.
Others emitted a stinky odor as well. It wasparable to expired food left out in the open for bacteria to grow.
"How disastrous. These poor innocent souls have be the victims of a war that should have been left between the aggressors instead."
"Of course, I won''t me the Heavenly Magic Academy about this. It''s those demonic creatures from the Otherworld who must be punished.", Elder Flock angrily voiced out.
"We''re in the marketce, but I don''t see any corruption here.", he was confused.
The two of them shared the same thought that the corruption should have originated where the foods and drinks were sourced from.
Eluard looked at his map and saw a lot of red dots disyed on the screen.
"Maybe they are stationed around the taverns or restaurants before nting the corruption in there."
The two agreed in investigating the public establishments.
Eluard walked into a crowded tavern. He used his magical deterrence skill to avoid drawing anyone''s attention.
''The demonic creatures are not here. Don''t tell me they''re inside the kitchen and the storage rooms?''
Eluard quickly donned his robe and mask, concealing his entire presence. He was just around the corner from the kitchen when he noticed some demonic creatures enter it suspiciously without the owner''s permission.
Or rather, it looked like the owner did not care to ponder their presence and let them do whatever they wanted.
Eluard followed them downstairs where the drinks were stored. He saw the demonic creatures take out arge drum filled with unknown content.
However, just from the smell alone, Eluard could recognize that this was a foul mixture of whatever was inside.
One of them scooped a small amount from therge drum and poured it into one of the wine barrels. They continued doing the same thing for the rest.
''So not only does the illusionary formation hide the presence of the undead essence and the poison. It also seems to hide the demonic creatures as well.''
Eluard didn''t linger any longer and left the tavern. He removed his mask and robe before returning to the marketce and discussed with Elder Flock his findings.
"Do you want to eradicate them here and now?", Elder Flock asked.
Eluard shook his head, "That will surely attract the demonic creatures'' attention."
"Well, they will but aren''t we quick enough before they could do anything?", Elder Flock argued.
Eluard still shook his head. He was left with no choice but to exin everything to Elder Flock.
There was no point in hiding things since it hase this way.
Also, Elder Flock has shown him presentable behavior and thoughts, even though such personality only came out when the innocent people were already in danger.
Nevertheless, it was better than not doing anything. Eluard will take whatever he can as long as he and the Heavenly Magic Academy will benefit from it.
"It''s not about that, Elder Flock. Since these sorts of things happen in this ce, it must be urring in the other ces of Norva Assili, and possibly the entire northern cial continent as well."
"The worst part is that the demonic creatures imnted a kill-switch on all afflicted undead creatures. I bet they won''t hesitate to flip that switch should they be alerted of our intervention here."
That was why Eluard did not meddle with the demonic creatures this time.
He could consider himself fortunate that the ones he had killed the day before were unimportant in the grand scheme of the demonic creatures. Otherwise, he won''t be able to forgive himself.
Elder Flock, on the other hand, was equally dismayed. To think that the act of saving people will also result in their death.
It was ironic and annoying just thinking about it.
"However, it''s not like there''s no way to solve the problem, Elder Flock.", Eluard grinned.
"Tell me what is on your mind, Mr. Kai. I will do my best to assist you with my skills."
Eluard gestured at Elder Flock to leave the area first. He did not want to talk about an important thing inside their enemies'' turf.
"Do you know someone who is an expert in spatial magic, Elder Flock?"
Elder Flock caressed his beard, interested in Eluard''s n.
"Oh, yes. I do know one. The problem is it would take a day or two for them toe over here."
"That person is a little¡ temperamental."
His words made it sound like that person is definitely vtile and not just a little temperamental.
Eluard ignored it and continued.
"Works for me. This is only a theory but what if we cut off this particr ce out of the demonic creatures'' reach?"
"I''m not asking for it tost long enough for an hour or two, but at least a bit more time so that we could do what you initially suggested, Elder Flock."
The archmage was enlightened. It wasn''t because he was unable to think of this, but his methods were far too straightforwardpared to Eluard''s.
"That person can stretch their muscles for an hour or two which is more than enough of a time for us to finish what is needed to be done."
Eluard nodded, "Then it is settled. I will wait here two days from now and discuss the n further. My junior brothers and sisters will conduct an operation to oppose the divine frost dragon''s aggression."
"I intend to use that timeframe in carrying out this strategy; may I ask if Elder Flock has any other suggestions?"
Elder Flock shook his head. He was surprised to know that the Heavenly Magic Academy deployed an additional unit to deal with Harrtugg Naaw''s assault.
"Then see you two days from now, Elder Flock. Happy travels."
The archmage chuckled. He waved his hands before vanishing out of Eluard''s sight.
Chapter 72 Experimenting, Surprise Attack
Eluard didn''t depart from the area.
He was curious about the identity of the spatial magic user that Elder Flock introduced. That person must be extraordinary forpelling the archmage to drag them in person.
Either they were an archmage, or they held a special ce in Elder Flock''s memories.
''I hope that it would work just like how that magic array formation restricted Lucan and Olivia from teleporting back to the academy.''
His n was based on the encounter between the two students against the demonic creature.
This time, he wanted to separate the nes and prevent the demonic creatures from flipping the kill-switch the moment Eluard and Elder Flock conducts their purging operation.
He also sought to foil the demonic creatures by sending reinforcements from nearby or from the Wastes, which could significantly alter the oue of the battle against Harrtugg Naaw and the undead beings.
Eluard walked down the mountain and stationed himself near a road where a lot of undead beings passed through.
He waited for a while until only a few of them remained.
Locking on his target, Eluard quickly pounced and grabbed them by the throat, dashing away from the road before teleporting to the prison dimension connected to the academy.
Eluard tossed the undead being who was busy wriggling its arms around, trying to scratch and infect him.
''We''ll see if this works.''
He used his mana and lighted a fire on top of his left palm. It was mild in power and scale.
''The forceful expulsion required a hint of divinity or light element before the undead essence could be removed. If I do contain a hint of divinity within me¡''
Several roots sprouted below the undead being, restricting its limbs from moving. Eluard stood right above the target before sting the fire toward its chest.
''¡then this should work!''
Upon impact, the undead writhed in intense pain and started shouting in agony. Eluard closely observed the chest where the undead was hit.
He saw how the undead essence burned to ashes when it came into contact with his fire.
His spell died out before it could fully cleanse all of the undead essences.
''It works, and not only that. I have a hint of divinity in my mana.''
Eluard chuckled and was joyous of the results.
Although he could use the light element through the domain mana synthesis, proving the existence of divinity within him was of higher importance.
Now that he knew a little bit more about his capabilities, Eluard continued with his experiments.
Proceeding with the second or third method was out of the question.
The second method required meticulous study and research. Dabbling with pills, alchemy, and medicinal ingredients wasn''t the same as learning how to cast a spell.
For the third one, Eluard was currently restricted to using only the fire element in his mana.
The spell retraction process would require the caster to undo the spell using the same element it was used to cast.
Utilizing the surrounding mana wasn''t applicable either since that was not Eluard''s mana.
''I also need to restore the bnce of my elements soon. This feeling is no different from being crippled.''
Eluard conjured a brighter and stronger me this time around. He engulfed the undead being in mes, extinguishing the undead essence that was corrupting it. Although the person''s skin was roasted, Eluard considered it a sess.
Things will never be perfect on the first try. What he needed to do now was to gather more samples and expand his experiments and results.
''Time to abduct some undead.''
In the following days, Eluard continuously experimented with the forceful expulsion method. His targets varied in their characteristics such as power, age, and sex.
He wanted to see how they factor into how much power and scale should Eluard integrate into his mes.
The purified northerners were locked in the cells. Eluard did not worry about their sustenance since a magic array formation was set inside.
It satiated and quenched their daily food and water needs.
¡
Eluard retrieved his mes and sent the purified northerner to a cell. The first floor could contain 200 prisoners in total.
Eluard single-handedly filled more than half of the capacity in just 2 days.
''The frequent use of my fire element increased the control I have on it. Moreover, the bncing of elements in my mana seems to be reaching a closure as well.''
He felt his palms and rubbed them together.
''This should be all for now. Tomorrow is the big day, Eluard. It''s time to take a rest.''
Eluard was keeping a close eye on High King Garron''s marching army. He realized that the closer the army was to the assaulting magical beasts, the situation worsened alongside their degrading morale.
Harrtugg Naaw has alreadyid waste to 21 towns and 2 strongholds. The casualty surpassed 50,000 civilians and warriors.
High King Garron was pained after hearing the estimates. How he wished he had marched sooner and saved more lives.
He was now atop a watchtower, looking out over the snowy ins in the distance.
The army holed themselves in the Sokovo Stronghold in hopes of stopping Harrtugg Naaw''s advance within this secured location.
It was the main trading hub of Norva Assili due to its direct connection to 13 other towns and strongholds. This gave them the ability to quickly call reinforcements from all sides.
Moreover, three mountain ranges from the east provided a natural cover, preventing the magical beasts to group up as one big horde that could prove dangerous against High King Garron''s smaller army.
Despite this, a dark expression was stered on his face. Things weren''t going ording to his expectations.
The long wait made Garron anxious.
Can he defend the ground until hisst breath? His thoughts were interrupted when his older brother Xerga arrived.
"Brother, we have received several messages that the local and nearby armies are on their way to assist us here.", Xerga stepped to the sides.
He knew how important this battle was to his younger brother and himself.
"Xerga, should I die in a moment''s notice, take Misha out of this ce and go to the Morning Star Empire. I will-"
Xerga was dumbfounded. What was his younger brother talking about all of a sudden?
"Garron, you think I would dare to forsake my mothend just for your wishes?"
"Under my order, you will.", Garron coldly replied. He did not give Xerga a way to retort and left the watchtower.
Boom!
A loudmotion erupted in the distance to the north.
The two quickly rushed below and inquired the nearby people.
"High King! Something ominous is happening in the marketce! The people are attacking our soldiers!", a warrior reported.
Another one arrived bearing simr news.
"High King, the western entrance is being attacked by some foul-looking warriors! They look exactly like our people!"
Everyone was shocked. Howe they were under attack out of nowhere?
Nobody reported any unusual findings. The scouts did not say anything either. Garron dispatched personnel and investigate the root cause of this strange incident.
"Close the encampment! Let not one single man enter in or out unless I order it!"
"Yes sir!", the warriors saluted before going into position.
A meeting was set up with the leaders of the various ns and other forces.
"Does anybody know what is going on?", High King Garron inquired.
"High King, this may be the work of the Siegfried n!", one of his aides pointed at a in-looking man who was the farthest from Garron.
"We all dearly know how they resent your rule. This is treason! They must be punished!"
"Silence!", Garron menacingly stared at the man from the Siegfried n, "Harrow Siegfried, might as well say something, would you?"
Harrow cackled, "Ah, Garron. Your skills have truly degraded over the years. No wonder that today, your rule as the High King will cease!"
Dark miasma burst out of his eyes and mouth, grabbing the coiled spear on his left side and jumping on therge table before thrusting his spear to the High King''s head.
The rest weren''t able to react on time.
Garron, however, remained unfazed.
Behind his body, an ethereal apparition of a pr war bear materialized. The two of them mocked Harrow''s futile attempt of delivering a surprise attack.
"Die¡"
Those were thest words Harrow heard before a pulsing sensation passed through him. Without any dy, his entire body was frozen to ice mid-air.
Garron gripped his right fist and punched the ice sculpture into pieces.
At the same time he released his aura, sharp noises of shattered sses resounded throughout the entire Sokovo Stronghold.
''Isn''t this how magic array formations sound like when they are broken?!''
Garron realized what happened and picked up hisrge broadsword.
"Gear up! Defend yourselves!"
His senses tingled and swung the broadsword to his back.
When his eyes caught up with his movement, he was utterly devastated by the sight in front of him.
"How could this happen-?!"
It was a northerner with an abominated figure and dark pustules around their body.
Garron could not let his sympathy drive him down as more corrupted northerners attacked him from all sides.
He tried to push them away by flicking his left hand. Unfortunately, the power contained within was too strong for an ordinary civilian to handle.
They burst into a pool of blood, staining the ground near Garron in red.
His mind turned nk for a slight moment before another pressuring aura emanated from his body.
"Siegfried n! I will exterminate you all until the end of time! I don''t care what others will think of me but I, Garron Winterice will never forgive you!"
Chapter 73 Defense (1)
"Urgh!"
An undead was thrown out of a detached house andnded outside. Putrid blood oozed out of its gone limbs, letting out a nauseating smell.
Veron walked out of the broken wall, carrying Haera like a baby using only his left hand.
"How troublesome."
He was idly sitting beside Haera when chaos erupted everywhere. The previous owner jumped on him after smashing through the door.
''Is this the reason why some students of the Heavenly Magic Academy were here a couple of days ago?''
His pointy ears perked up after someone shouted not far away from his position.
"The caravan, they''re in trouble."
Veron picked up the pace and jogged.
Stepping on the soft snow, he quickly arrived at an intersection. A group of corrupted warriors ambushed him, swinging their weapons without hesitation.
He stepped back with his left foot, narrowly avoiding the sharp de of a brutish warrior. A thump echoed in the air, sting the ears of the warrior who attacked and knocking him out.
''Sound Barrier.''
The air around Veron vibrated. When the des made contact with it, they cracked outwards, sending the sharp bits onto their faces and injuring them.
Veron retracted the vibrations and let out a burst of them, pushing the attackers away with great force that their spines broke after hitting the ground or the walls.
He continued on his way and reached where Aurpiel and the rest were. The caravan guards were having a hard time defending against the undead warriors and civilians.
Some of the guards shed and hacked at the aggressors while the others simply evaded them, afraid to hurt them in any way.
This made Greywolf, the caravan''s captain guard curse at them for their cowardness.
"Idiot, what the hell are you doing? Do you want us to die instead?!", he shouted before blocking a warrior''s strike with his sword.
He shifted the sword''s weight to his left, forcing the warrior to slide off and giving Greywolf a chance tond a swift punch to its neck.
The warrior grunted and was angered by Greywolf''s retaliation. He ignored the warrior and gathered the strength in his muscles in swinging the sword toward its neck.
Putrid blood oozed out like a fountain.
Greywolf did not stand idly to be showered in such disgusting fluids and used his chivalric will in shoving it away like how mages and wizards use the wind to push things mid-air.
There was a potential infection should he make contact with that blood.
"See? Kill them, damn it! Don''t just move around and dodge their attacks!", Greywolf continued his reprimands.
"But sir, they''re civilians!", the timid guard replied.
Because of his hesitance, the undead civilian was able to grab his head and bite his neck. Greywolf snorted, dashing to his subordinate and hacking both his and the undead civilian''s head.
Another undead crept under his notice. It was about to lunge when a woman shouted.
"Root Entanglement!"
Several roots quickly sprouted and took hold of the undead mid-air. Greywolf turned around and sliced off its neck and jumped away before the blood could touch him.
"Thanks, Miss Meyera!"
The woman who stood above the carriage casted another spell, conjuring 4 green magic circles.
"Greater Grounded Puncture!"
The earth shook asrge roots fiercely sprouted from the ground and skewered the undead who were on the way. It extended for another 10 meters before it stopped.
Casting that spell almost exhausted all of Meyera''s mana. She knelt on her right knee and took deep breaths.
Greywolf was astounded by how powerful wizards were. Amidst his enjoyment, he caught a familiar figure approaching from afar.
"Sir Veron?", he mumbled.
When Veron got close to them, he sted all the undead away, relieving the caravan guards of a huge burden. They then killed the rest and gathered together.
Once the chaos subsided, Aurpiel and L went out of hiding and approached Veron.
"Sir Veron, thank you for helping us.", Aurpiel bowed.
Veron was about to respond when a loud shout reverberated south of their position.
"Siegfried n! I will exterminate you all until the end of time! I don''t care what others will think of me but I, Garron Winterice will never forgive you!"
It was filled with anger, distraught, and vengeance. The rest of the caravan except Veron shuddered in fear.
''That must be High King Garron who arrived here earlier. What a strong aura! Were they also met with the same adversary?''
Veron remembered the demonic creature from a few days ago. He reckoned that this must be their doing and not of the Siegfried n.
''We must cooperate with the army. There''s no way for them or us to get out of this alive.''
The magical beasts were on their way. This sudden assault was probably intended to diminish the strength of High King Garron''s army the moment the magical beasts arrive.
"Sir Aurpiel, I suggest we go over the source of that voice.", Greywolf advised, "It''s not good toy around here in the open where we could be attacked in any direction at any time."
Aurpiel simply nodded while nervously hugging L. He had to leave the decision to the experts this time. All he wanted was to be safe and sound after everything is over.
Seeing Aurpiel''s agreement, Greywolf turned to Veron and requested.
"I hope that Sir Veron could apany us as well."
Veron waved his hands, "Don''t worry. I have nowhere else to go now and you are also right of wanting to go over that location, Sir Greywolf."
Aurpiel gestured at Veron to bring Haera inside his carriage. The poor elf was nowpletely ashen white with faint breathing and cold skin.
''Haera, I don''t know if that man wille here and see you before you pass away.''
Veron softly put Haera''s body on the seat.
''But I know that I have to keep you alive for as long as I could no matter what happens.''
As the caravan made way to High King Garron''s location, the people from the Heavenly Magic Academy were busying themselves as well.
The four students gathered at the main hall with Jinmu on the lead.
"Are you all prepared?", he asked.
The three nodded.
"Will wait for senior brother Kai here?", Lucan inquired, "I doubt we''ll be able to meet again in that vige after what happened."
"Yes, we will wait here.", Jinmu replied.
Under the awkward silence, Olivia gathered her courage to speak up in front of everyone and apologized.
"Ji-Jinmu, Lucan¡ E-Emi¡ I''m sorry for what I did a few days ago¡"
She was sorry for endangering not only hers but Lucan''s life, and almost jeopardizing the special task just before it even started.
"I promise that I''ll make it up to you three this time. I hope that you could still forgive me!"
Olivia bowed again.
Jinmu sighed, "It''s good that you managed to ept your wrongdoings, Olivia. I am sorry as well, for reprimanding you too harshly back at that time."
She was surprised.
Jinmu had a soft-side too?
"It''s not only you who is hurting to see innocent people die as well. At that time, we don''t have a choice but to retreat.", Jinmu rified.
He wasn''t inhuman enough to ignore the deaths of the people who lived in that ce. Jinmu simply did not want to die in vain helping those who he could not help using his current meager strength.
The main hall was about to get dramatic when Eluard walked out.
"Hey, juniors, I hope you didn''t miss me well that much."
The four students fixed their emotions and greeted him, "Senior brother Kai. You have returned."
"There''s some changes in our ns."
His words dumbfounded them.
''Change of ns? Did something bad happen?'', Olivia was worried.
"The demonic creatures have set up an illusionary magic array formation on most, if not all, the towns and strongholds in the Norva Assili."
"I''m going over them and see what I can do against it. Meanwhile, the four of you will stay and assist High King Garron and his army."
"You''re not going to be the main casts here, at least not for now. All you need to do is to look out for any suspicious demonic creatures and warn the army of their existence. You have your system panel to assist you in this task."
Eluard went in front of them and crossed his arms.
Truth be told, his students weren''t of much use in this special task due to the immense difference in power. Eluard wasn''t worried of it, however. He already nned for Arahon Agui to deal with that matter.
In addition, Eluard wanted a closure on Olivia and Emi''s troubles in Norva Assili. The former had her own familial problems while thetter was hoping to rescue her big sister.
There was also the possibility that their presence could lead to a higher chance of sess. Regardless, Eluard was willing to go through this makeshift n no matter how messed up it was in a strategic viewpoint.
That was the best thing he could do given how many things he had to handle in the slimmest amount of time.
"I''ll teleport you to Sokovo Stronghold were High King Garron and his army are currently stationed."
"I have found a safe spot for the four of you to stay put and wait for the battle to begin. Jinmu, you will take point, okay?"
Jinmu bowed, "Yes, senior brother Kai."
Eluard continued.
"When the battle starts, always stay with one another and get to High King Garron''s location as quickly as possible. Don''t mind the magical beasts, or any demonic creature that you encounter."
"Ask for help if you are in trouble. Olivia''s identity will greatly warrant the warriors to help you at all costs."
He started the teleportation process and chose a ce near Sokovo Stronghold as theirnding spot.
They closed their eyes and felt their bodies shiver in coldness as they arrived back in Norva Assili.
The moment Emi opened her eyes, a familiar sight of her devastated vige was exposed.
"N-no¡"
Eluard and the rest were shocked of this discovery.
The Sokovo Stronghold was filled with dead bodies everywhere. The bodies were rotting and stinking, proving that the conflict happened a few hours ago.
"This¡"
Chapter 74 Defense (2)
"What the hell happened here? Were we toote?", Lucan was aghast.
"No, my father and his army won''t be easily taken down!", Olivia retorted and hoped in her heart that her words were true.
None of them expected that this would happen.
"Senior brother Kai, is this the effect of those illusionary magic array formations you mentioned earlier?", Jinmu asked.
Eluard gravely nodded, "Yes. The demonic creatures are spreading an undead corruption here in Norva Assili."
"They are using the illusionary formations to hide the presence of the undead. I didn''t want to tell you at first in case someone gets riled up and alerts the demonic creatures."
Olivia felt that her senior brother was talking about her. She became embarrassed and hid lest Eluard catches a glimpse of her.
"Never mind that now. We need to go where High King Garron is and check out what is happening on their side."
Eluard and his students moved at a fast pace. He avoided contact with the undead by slipping through dark and small alleys that connected each street one way or another.
Their strength must be conserved as highly possible. Should another ruckus break out, they will have the energy to retaliate if needed.
"Senior brother Eluard, that group of undead doesn''t have the intention of moving away from their position. Will we detour?", Jinmu pointed at the intersection in the distance.
There were at least 10 of them and they didn''t look like the normal bunch that could be easily apprehended. Some of them were knights of tiers 6 and 7. The others had lower power levels while the rest were civilians.
"Stay here, I''ll take care of them.", Eluard propelled to the rooftop of a half-destroyed wooden house.
''System, can we teleport these bunch of undead into that prison dimension?''
[ Affirmative. Targets must be stationary for 2 seconds. ]
Hearing the good news, Eluard extended his hands and channeled the earth element on the ground where the undead was stood blindly.
He gripped them and at the same time, the ground crumbled which surprised his targets. The undead fell 10 meters deep with spikes and roots waiting to hold them in ce.
They grumbled in distress. Due to the long spikes and the hardened entangling roots, the undead was unable to get out of their predicament.
The high-level warriors tried to use their chivalric will in destroying the obstacles but Eluard reinforced its durability.
He quickly started the teleportation process. Within 2 seconds, a light shed inside the deep hole, teleporting the undead to their destination.
Eluard didn''t celebrate and returned to his students.
"It''s all good, time to move again."
The four students were enlightened and inspired by how Eluard dealt with this situation.
Emi, Lucan, and Olivia were thinking of fighting the undead group and finishing it as quickly as possible.
On the other hand, Jinmu thought of distracting them to somewhere else. He did not want to pick a fight since his opponent''s strength was out of his league. In addition, it was to also prevent inviting suspicion or attention from the nearby undead.
In Eluard''s mind, he was running out of experiments for the 2nd method. That group was plenty in numbers and varied in power level, a great sample for his future tests.
Regardless, the trouble was gone and now, the only thing that separated them from High King Garron''s encampment was a group of stern guards stationed at the entrance.
Eluard stopped advancing and gestured to his students to do so as well. This confused them and wondered what their senior brother managed to look up this time.
Eluard proactively spoke, "Look at your map. There are two red dots in that entrance."
They followed and realized something.
"Senior brother Kai, are they demonic creatures?", Jinmu was worried. The undead was shown to be grey or dark dots on the map.
A red meant that a true enemy was nearby.
"Yes.", a dark expression formed on Eluard''s face, "This is very tricky. I don''t want to alert the demonic creatures right now."
[ Demonic Creature (Unnamed) ]
[ Power Level: Karagero (Upper Demon) ]
[ Demonic Symbols: 355 ]
[ 225 Symbols of Asura, 50 Symbols of Baruchard, 50 Symbols of Alhastra, 20 Symbols of Sarandawa ]
[ Status: Demonic Transfiguration (Indefinite) ]
[ Type: Fighter ]
¡
[ Demonic Creature (Unnamed) ]
[ Power Level: Karagero (Upper Demon) ]
[ Demonic Symbols: 455 ]
[ 300 Symbols of Magicka, 100 Symbols of Alhastra, 55 Symbols of Darhiwa ]
[ Status: Demonic Transfiguration (Indefinite) ]
[ Type: Caster ]
¡
[ Demonic Transfiguration ]
[ A demonic spell that allows demonic creatures to transform themselves into another species. ]
[ Additional Note: Based on the detected mastery of the caster who casted the demonic transfiguration spell, only an archmage can manage to identify them under normal situations. ]
[ Additional Note: The duration indefinitelysts until exposed using a magic spell, retracted by its caster, or the caster is killed. ]
''This is bad. Two demonic creaturesparable to a master wizard at the median ring.'', Eluard analyzed his enemies, ''And a demonic caster of an archmage level supporting them in the shadows¡''
''Do I stand a chance here?''
The demonic creatures transformed their figures exactly like northerner warriors, making it hard for any other person to distinguish them from the real deal.
Although Olivia could pass through due to her identity, she would be the only one who could go over and see the situation inside. There was also the possibility that that demonic creature a few days ago has given Olivia''s information around.
They might be alerted the moment she reveals her presence.
Walking directly and assaulting the demonic creatures wasn''t an option. The guards may not believe their allegations because he and his studentsck evidence to back them up. It could worsen the already dire situation they were in now.
Moreover, the demonic creatures'' strength was something he could not handle as well and he did not want to waste some temporary strengthening scrolls just for a short battle.
Jinmu noticed the desperation in Eluard''s expression. He turned his eyes back on the map again and saw something different.
He nudged Eluard on the sides and gathered his attention.
"Senior brother, there''s a group of people here.",ying his finger on the green dots on the map, "Maybe they''re a caravan or something and is worth taking a look."
"Then let''s go over and see what this is all about."
¡
Greywolf and the caravan slowly trod the dangerous streets early in the morning. This wasn''t the type of a start he was familiar with, nor would he want to experience it again.
The horses suddenly neighed, alerting them.
"Who''s there?! Show yourself!", Greywolf shouted.
"It''s me, sir.", Eluard walked out of the shadows and showed himself.
Greywolf immediately recognized him, "You! How the hell are you here?!"
Wasn''t he at the Sanctuary around a month ago? Did he follow them on their way here, or was it purely coincidental?
In the midst of Greywolf''s surprise, another group of figures appeared and stunned him to his core.
"Yo-you two! You are in cahoots with this young man?!", pointing at Emi and Jinmu.
Cahoots?
Emi and Jinmu shook their heads and replied, "No, sir. He is our senior brother."
"Ah, senior brother?!", Greywolf could not imagine the two of them as a junior of this maniptive ''senior brother.''
Hearing themotion outside, Aurpiel and the rest, went out.
"Greywolf, what is the matter? Why are we stopping in the middle of nowhere?!"
The captain guard was at a loss, "Sir¡"
Before he could say anything, Eluard stepped forward and greeted Aurpiel.
"Hello, Sir Aurpiel. It''s been a long time since we have seen each other."
Aurpiel and the two mages beside him were equally shocked of encountering Eluard in this ce.
"He-hello, sir¡ Are you here to trade again?", Aurpiel quickly put on the face of a merchant, "I''m sorry but we are in a hurry here. Haven''t you seen the dead bodies around?"
Veron tapped Aurpiel''s shoulders, "They''re not here to trade, Mr. Aurpiel. They''re here toe with us."
"Come with us?!", Aurpiel was dumbfounded. What did Veron mean by that?
"You-! You''re that person from before!", Eluard noticed Veron exiting the carriage.
"We''ve met again, young man.", Veron smiled, "Sir Greywolf, Mr. Aurpiel. You don''t mind if we continue on our way while taking this young man and his juniors alongside, yes?"
Aurpiel scratched his head, unable to reject Veron''s suggestion.
"If you don''t mind, Sir Veron, then we won''t mind as well. But the carriage can only carry only so many of us, right?"
"Your two mages can go outside. I have an important business with this group so please bear with my foolishness for a short while, Mr. Aurpiel.", Veron responded.
Aurpiel was left with no choice but to follow Veron''s orders.
Eluard and his students entered the carriage one by one. The moment they settled in, a colder aura seeped into their skins and muscles which made them shiver.
"Oh, this is too cold!", Lucanined.
When Eluard''s eyes fell on the figure gracefully sleeping on the other side of the couch, his emotions burst out, and grabbed Haera''s hand on impulse.
"Haera!"
Chapter 75 Internal Flame Massage
Eluard grasped Haera''s hand on impulse.
"Haera!"
Veron reacted and flicked Eluard''s hands away.
"Wait, don''t touch her yet!", he warned, "I thought I told you she''s under a curse! Touch her carelessly and you''ll end up in that as well!"
Eluard jolted and was pulled out of his daze.
"A-a curse?!", he said in disbelief, ''Wait, I remember Veron saying something like that a few days ago!''
''I can feel my magic root resonating with hers but the feeling is too shallow! It''s almost like Haera is really dying¡''
Eluard analyzed Haera''s information to know more about her true situation.
[ Name: Haera Zumfiel ]
[ Age: 24 years old (72 human years) ]
[ Race: Elf ]
[ Status: Curse of the Winter Rose (10 hours left until death) ]
[ Affiliation: Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary, Alderian Magic Haven, Zumfiel Elven Household ]
[ Magic Power: Adept Wizard (Full Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Starfall Magic Root (Mythical) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 9.2/10 (Adept Wizard) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Nature (Wood, Water, Earth) ]
[ ¡ ]
[ Additional Note: Haera has been cursed of the curse of the winter rose by a demonic creature of at least grandmaster magus level. The coldness will slowly eat away the life remaining on her body. There are 10 hours and 45 minutes left before shepletely dies out. ]
[ usible Remedies: Internal me massage. Due to the intensity of the fire element in your mana, the coldness can be slowly thawed out by gently inserting mes inside her body and letting it flow thoroughly. ]
[ Other Remedies
1. Concocting and ingesting the golden me pill. The golden me pill can be ingested to temporarily alleviate the victim''s suffering. If concocted using the host''s mana, Haera will only need to ingest three pills in the span of 9 days before the curse vanishespletely.
2. Breath of a divine me dragon. Convince Arahon to bathe Haera under his intense yet effective mes for 30 full minutes. It may cause burns and other injuries.
3. ¡
]
Eluard took a deep breath. It looks like he has the chance to save Haera now more than ever. Waiting for Arahon wasn''t an option.
The only reason he was here was because of the unprecedented surprise attack from the undead. Otherwise, he would have left the students on their own and met with Elder Flock to continue with the operation.
Meanwhile, his four students nkly stared at their senior brother, wondering how was he able to meet such beauty and how deep their rtionship go.
''Senior brother Kai is caring of that elf. His reaction earlier is proof of that.'', Lucan thought.
It wasn''t the time to ask the senior brother some personal questions. The mood inside the carriage was cold and disheartening, centered around Eluard and Haera.
The slight ruckus alerted Haera and woke her up. Her sight was blurry and she could not clearly distinguish the people looking at her inside the carriage.
"Uncle¡ where are you? Who are these people?"
Her weak voice softened the hearts of everyone. What a poor situation she was in. If only someone could help her out of her predicament¡
"Haera, they''re¡"
Eluard interjected, "Haera, it''s me!"
Her mouth let out a gasp, shocked by the fact that the voice of the man she was eager to meet before she dies has resounded beside her.
"Ah! You''re here Mr. Kai¡"
Knowing that things would get dramatic and maybe romantic, Veron signaled the rest to get out. They departed without Eluard ever noticing due to his attention focused entirely on the elf in front of him.
Veron sat on the other side, keeping a check on the situation that would unfold. He then noticed something crawling on his back.
"You, how are you still here?"
L grinned, "Uncle, please don''t tell papa that I am here."
Veron''s expression darkened. What a cheeky little brat. Did she think that her father was an idiot?
Regardless, Veron was willing to put up with her for now.
"Kid, what are you doing here? Do you want to see two people making love in front of you?", he tried to threaten her.
"Making love? What''s that?", L tilted her head in confusion, waiting for Veron to tell her what was he talking about.
Seeing her reaction, Veron was at a loss. Normally, kids would get embarrassed once the topic of love was brought up. This little girl was not only unafraid, her ignorance was fueling up the courage in her heart.
She even challenged Veron by giving him the chance to threaten her again.
''Damn it, children are annoying sometimes.''
L saw that Veron did not want to exin things to her. Since the old man was uninterested, she pointed at Eluard and Haera, "Uncle, do you not see that?", whispering to his ears and hoping to gain his attention again.
"See what?", Veron was confused.
When he turned his head back around, he saw Eluard''s right hand tightly grabbing Haera''s left hand.
The coldness didn''t seem to have affected him. Rather, the coldness that had once remained on Haera''s skin was thawed out for reasons unknown to Veron.
"Uncle, I can feel the coldness leaving that big sister''s body. And the source of the warm ising from the big brother over there.", L told him what she felt and saw.
The little elf''s words nked Veron''s mind.
''He is dissipating the effects of the winter rose? But how?! This young man should not be an archmage yet, I know it, but for his mes to do that¡''
He was awed at how powerful the people of the Heavenly Magic Academy were.
''Is this fate? Or is it simply a coincidence? Did someone pre-ordain this event?'', he was full of questions and hungry for answers.
Looking at Haera''sfortable expression, Veron was ted in his heart. He thought that Haera would feel slight burning pain or difort but Eluard''s methods exceeded his expectations.
He then turned to L, bewildered at how this little girl managed to identify the events happening between Eluard and Haera.
''Does that Aurpiel know of her abilities?''
L''s father was just a normal human. Maybe he did not want his child to be appraised by the wizards because there was no way for L to develop a magic root.
But clearly, based on Veron''s observations, L did have one and it wasn''t a simple magic root.
''I won''t bother her about it. Even if I want her to be a mage, she should be the one to decide for herself along with her father''s eptance.''
Veron sighed, patting L''s head and having her sit on hisp. If L wanted to be a mage in the future, he''ll have to convince her to join the Heavenly Magic Academy.
Or persuade the young man in front of him to ept the request.
"Don''t disturb them, little one. Do you understand?"
L excitedly agreed, ''Maybe this is what the old uncle meant by making love?'', referring to Eluard and Haera.
"Haera, it''s good to see you again."
Haera smiled, "It''s good to see you again too, Mr. Kai. Did your juniors receive those things you have bought for them?"
"Yes, yes. They have received them a long time ago.", Eluard replied.
"Ah, you are a responsible senior brother, aren''t you?", Haera chuckled.
Eluard shook his head, "I don''t think I am as responsible as you think I am Haera. But still¡ thanks¡"
"Without your help, I might have a harder time selling those things around and buying the quality stuff."
Haera shook her head, "It should be me thanking you, Mr. Kai. Do you remember that day you abruptly left?"
Eluard nodded, "Yes, what about it, Haera?"
"No-nothing¡", Haera coughed while blushing. Speaking her thoughts in front of him was embarrassing.
What if Eluardughed it off and broke her heart instead?
She shifted her focus and noticed Eluard touching her hand. The sight of it made her emotional.
"Is it cold to the touch, Mr. Kai?"
Eluard smiled, "What coldness, Haera? Are you talking about the curse?"
"Yes, the curse¡."
She stuttered, realizing that a warm current was flowing throughout her body. She fluttered her eyes incessantly, wondering whether she was dreaming or not.
Haera closed her eyes and felt her inner body.
''My left hand. Those gentle mes have melted it all. Is this what Kai is doing right now?''
She opened her eyes again and looked at Eluard.
"Mr. Kai, this is not a dream, right? Am I really awake?", she asked.
"You are not dreaming, Haera. You are wide awake. Just rest easy there, I will take care of things from here."
Eluard increased the quantity and intensity of the mes he was transferring inside Haera''s body. He had been subtly executing the internal me massage he studied months before.
All it required was for him to find the point in her body which was the outlet or inlet of mana. With the use of his Eye of Fidelity, this step was easily done by Eluard.
The mes would travel around her body like how blood does. At that point, he only needed to retain the continuous supply of mana, something that the current Eluard was notcking.
As for the more sensitive organs in her body like her brain, Eluard would be careful around them so as to not inflict a burn and injure her in the process.
"Mr. Kai, what is going on? How are you able to¡"
"I''ll talk about itter, Haera. I''ll focus on thawing out the coldness first."
Eluard closed his eyes.
Haera nodded and rested her head on the seat. She nced at Eluard who closed his eyes and knitted his eyebrows.
''This warm feeling¡ I can feel it better now.''
She was at death''s door a minute ago and suddenly her vitality was quickly returning to her thanks to the man that has helped her twice.
''Mr. Kai¡ thank you for doing this to me. I swore I will repay you and the Heavenly Magic Academy.''
Chapter 76 Deadlock Protection Spell
Eluard gave his all to removing the curse deep inside Haera''s body. The more he interacted with it, the more he learned.
''This curse isn''t as simply thawing out the ice that it generates. The curse lies within Haera''s heart and there is some sort of protection inside which I cannot break through myself.''
With the system''s help, he was able to identify what sort of mechanism it was.
[ Deadlock Protection Spell ]
[ It is a demonic protection spell that shields anything it is protecting with unfathomable demonic power. It can only be unlocked by the caster themselves. ]
[ Warning: Tampering may result in Haera''s death and affliction of demonic essence inside the perpetrator''s body. ]
[ Additional Note: Can be unlocked if the host reaches a certain power level. ]
Reading the warning sign, Eluard understood that someone wanted Haera dead, certainly. He didn''t know what were the reasons but since this was an incident involving the demonic creatures, whatever they were trying to aplish was up to no good.
''Even if Haera got the help of the divine frost dragon or Arahon, the results wouldn''t be any better.''
The presence of the deadlock protection spell thwarted any efforts in breaking the curse.
Eluard did not want to use his undying soul stone either. What if the deadlock''s failsafe action was to also destroy Haera''s spiritual manifestation in the process?
There would be no saving her if that happens.
''It''s no use thinking about this. Haera is safe now and I am d I was able to help her before it was toote. I''ll deal with the curse at ater date.''
Eluard could feel his shoulders lightening up. A heavy weight seemed to have been lifted off his body.
He looked at Haera who wasyingfortably.
Herplexion has already returned to normal after his short internal me massage session. Although the coldness woulde backter on, Eluard will just thaw it out again until he finds the person who has casted the deadlock protection spell inside Haera''s heart.
For now, he had to deal with the issue in Norva Assili. Eluard took a deep breath and let go of Haera''s hand.
"It''s all done, at least, temporarily."
Haera opened her eyes and noticed that her sight wasn''t as blurry as before. She had almost fallen asleep earlier and if not for Eluard''s voice, she would have been asleep again.
She raised her upper body and touched her hands with one another.
''The coldness, it''s all gone. I can breathe without too much difort and my muscles and skin aren''t as frigid as before.''
Haera looked at the man who has started sweating all over.
"Mr. Kai, are you okay?", she worriedly asked.
Eluard wiped off the sweat, "No, I''m okay, Haera, uh no, Miss Haera.", correcting himself, "What about you? Are you okay now?"
"If not for you, do you think I would be okay?", Haera joked, stering a smile on Eluard''s face.
There was still a numbing sensation etched in her heart. Haera wondered what it was and asked again.
"But... was the curse broken now or does it remain?"
"There''s a deadlock protection spell covering the curse inside your body, Miss Haera. I can''t do much about it unless we find the caster themselves.". Eluard said.
Veron was taken aback, "A deadlock protection spell?! Who in the world would want my innocent niece''s life to be gone in every possible way?!"
This was a devious act of killing a person. It gave them almost no chances of saving Haera no matter what they would try to do.
Haera grabbed Veron''s hands and calmed him down, "Uncle, don''t think too much about it. What''s important now is that Mr. Kai has helped me and we know more about the curse inside my heart."
"Asking for more is asking for trouble. We will deal with the curse once we return to the Sanctuary."
"Haera¡", Veron gritted his teeth. He will never forget this atrociousness shown upon their Zumfiel Noble Household.
"Mr. Kai, I will remember this favor for the whole of my life. If it wasn''t for you, I would have been dead now.", Haera thanked him.
Eluard waved his hands, "It''s no big deal, Miss Haera. This is something I wanted to do of my own volition, though it was rather unexpected that the Otherworld is involved in your curse."
Veron and Haera were shocked by the discovery. Was the Otherworld''s presence everywhere now?
"There were remnants of demonic essence imnted in that deadlock protection spell. I''m afraid the case is not as shallow as we previously think it is.", Eluard exined.
"Then¡ will the Heavenly Magic Academy also be involved in this¡ Mr. Kai?", Veron nervously asked.
The involvement of the higher powers in any sort of conflict will shift the bnce of power and the ns of every faction affected.
Veron shivered at the thought that the demonic creatures might be the ones responsible for the surging public restlessness in the Sanctuary. Maybe the internal structure of the Sanctuary was alsopromised.
He shook such disturbing thoughts away and listened in on Eluard''s answer.
"Yes, we will. It''s the Otherworld we are talking about, after all."
Eluard knew of Veron''s discovery about the identity of Lucan and Olivia so he wasn''t intrigued by the question.
"Wait, Uncle Veron. How do you know Mr. Kai is someone from the Heavenly Magic Academy?", Haera was confused.
She did not tell anyone about her mission nor would Eluard tell anyone about his affiliation to the fabled magic academy.
"Ah, it''s a long story, Haera.", Veron scratched his head.
He forgot to act ignorant in front of his niece. Regardless, what''s done was already done. He quickly changed the topic to not be interrogated by the pouting Haera.
"Mr. Kai, you are here because of the Otherworld as well?"
Eluard thought of whether he should tell them his ns or not.
''I can probably ask for their help in this issue. It''s not like I would be forcing them on it anyway. They can choose to take the task or not.''
He cleared his throat and was about to start talking when Haera gestured for him to sit down beside her.
She was sitting upright now with a slight blush on her cheeks. Eluard wondered what happened for her to be this rosy as early just as she was temporarily treated.
"Yes, this surprise attack was caused by the demonic creatures in an attempt to destabilize the status in Norva Assili."
"Sir Veron, you should already know that the magical beasts'' sudden aggression is also caused by the demonic creatures, right?"
Veron nodded.
"Me, alongside my junior brothers and sisters, were tasked by our academy master to tackle the presence of demonic creatures here, and prevent them from wreaking further havoc than what they had already done."
"I was only supposed to guide my juniors to High King Garron''s location. He is the biggest ally that we could acquire as of now."
"I am hoping that Sir Veron and Miss Haera could help us in this ordeal as well. But if you don''t want to¡"
Veron quickly interjected, "That won''t do, Mr. Kai. Although Norva Assili detests mages, and particrly us, elves, that does not mean that we will walk out of this issue as if it does not concern us."
"You should also know, Mr. Kai, that all mages here in Aludia are obliged, regardless of their power or identity, to help the Heavenly Magic Academy with all of their efforts. It is an unspoken rule we cannot and should not dare to vite."
"After all, Heavenly Magic Academy was the reason we became what we are now. If not for that, I doubt Aludia would have been able to stand strong all these years and prevented the Otherworld''s demonic invasions in the past."
Most people heavily disregarded the factual existence of the Heavenly Magic Academy. Only a select few either hoped, or knew of the truth, and the obligations that came alongside it once they became someone who cultivated magic.
Many of those who followed such practices believed that this was their only way of repaying what the Heavenly Magic Academy has done for them.
And Veron was one of these sorts of people.
"My uncle is right, Mr. Kai. You may think that it is ufortable for us, mages and wizards in being dragged into your troubles, but it should be us who will feel shame if we do not drag ourselves into your troubles instead.", Haera added.
Eluard became speechless after hearing their opinions. The Heavenly Magic Academy''s fame was this strong?
The system didn''t tell him anything, nor did Eluard hope it would tell him anything. Still, knowing of that relieved him, though he knew the limits of such obligations and wouldn''t dare to abuse it at any cost.
"Then¡"
"Just tell us what to do, Mr. Kai.", Veron bluntly requested.
Eluard sighed, "The n is for my juniors to get inside and meet with High King Garron and his army, and then talk further about how to defend against the magical beast''s attack."
"Unfortunately, some disguised demonic creatures are sticking beside the warriors in the entrance. Openly entering wasn''t viable and jumping through the barricade would seem suspicious and attract some unwanted attention."
"I noticed Sir Aurpiel''s caravan from afar and nned to use it as a way to get inside. Maybe Sir Veron has suggestions on this course of action?"
Veron shook his head, "We''ll go with your n, Mr. Kai. Aurpiel and Greywolf can handle the guards."
"You also said that you were to only guide your juniors here, right? I assume that Mr. Kai''s presence is needed elsewhere."
"Rest assured that your juniors will make their way to their destination unharmed and continue on your business without worries, Mr. Kai."
Veron was giving Eluard the chance to leave now which lined up perfectly with his ns. The former knew how important it was to not waste time, particrly when dealing with the Otherworld.
Eluard stood up and bowed at Veron, "Thank you for your help, Sir Veron, Miss Haera. If you don''t mind, I will be going now then."
"If you have other questions, you can ask my junior named Jinmu. He''s the acting leader of the group."
Veron and Haera both waved their hands.
"Mr. Kai, please be careful out there.", Haera worried.
Eluard smiled and left the carriage. His students noticed him and approached him, bearing many questions in their curious minds.
"Senior brother Kai, how did it go?", Lucan asked.
"It''s all good. We''ll be parting ways here now, my dear juniors.", Eluard scratched his cheek.
It felt awkward to leave them alone all of a sudden.
"The illusionary magic array formations cannot wait. We have two battles to fight today and we need to win both to foil the Otherworld''s ns."
"And don''t worry about getting inside the encampment. Sir Veron and Miss Haera will help you with that. Though make sure to not implicate Sir Aurpiel and the caravan, alright?"
The four nodded in understanding.
"I''lle back hereter once I am done with my mission on the other side."
Eluard turned around, waving his hands as he disappeared from their sights.
Chapter 77 Meeting Her Father Again
Eluard left the area without the guards noticing his departure. The four felt ufortable now that their senior brother wasn''t around.
The three looked at Jinmu, asking him what they should do now.
"Let''s follow senior brother Kai''s orders."
The carriage''s door opened again and Veron''s voice resounded from inside.
"You brats,e up here."
Aurpiel remained outside and was forced to sit on a horse. Thankfully, the two mages he hired shielded him from the harsh cold weather.
Meanwhile, inside the carriage, the boys sat beside Veron while the girls sat beside Haera.
The moment they settled; the carriage started moving at a slow pace. The quiet ambiance gave them the opportunity to check out one another.
"Uncle, these people¡", Haera was astonished after recognizing Lucan and Olivia due to their noble status in the Morning Star Empire and the Norva Assili respectively.
''Was Kai the one who recruited them to join the academy?'', Haera wondered.
Each of these juniors was situated in different parts of Aludia. Looking for them must have been a hassle, worse, persuading them to join.
"Hello, ma''am and sir. I am Jinmu Lin.", emanating a calm and schrly aura. He remained unfazed despite sitting beside an elf who was a grandmaster magus.
His peers, however, were unable to contain the emotions they felt.
Lucan took his turn, "I am Lucan Hermes.", smiling and forming a dimple on the cheeks of his immature and silly face. He was trying to hide the fact that he was intimidated by Veron''s aura.
As a student of the Heavenly Magic Academy, Lucan pledged in his heart that he will not cower under anyone unless it was the academy master himself. Given this situation, his oath was now being put to test.
The little girl followed after Lucan, "Hello, ma''am and sir. I am Emi Moon, nice to meet you.", bowing to them to hide the nervousness stered on her face.
As thest person to speak up, Olivia was taken aback before introducing herself.
"I-I am Olivia Winterice, hello¡"
Haera and Veron felt the awkwardness behind Olivia''s introduction. She knew how her people treated the elves and other demi-humans, and also mocked those who were practicing the art of magical cultivation.
As a result, speaking with them close up made Olivia feel uneasy in both her heart and thoughts.
''Wi-will they scold me or something?'', she hoped not.
Veron suppressed theughter swelling inside him. These young people were trying their best to hide the fact that they came from the Heavenly Magic Academy.
''Did Mr. Kai forget to tell them that me and Haera already know about it?''
Lucan and Olivia already interacted with him but were ying ignorant so as to not gather suspicion from their two other ssmates.
Veron couldn''t me them either. The Heavenly Magic Academy might have a rule that forbids anyone from carelessly speaking their true identity.
"Don''t act so reserved in front of us two. We already know that you foure from the Heavenly Magic Academy.", Haera spoke the truth, "I am Haera Zumfiel from the Zumfiel Noble Household. It''s finally nice to meet Kai''s juniors."
"Eh¡", the four were rendered speechless.
Their efforts of putting up a fa?ade were all for nothing.
Lucan was the first toe to his senses and asked, stutteringly, "Then you and senior brother Kai¡", pointing his right index finger at both Haera and Veron.
Haera chuckled as she made a fist with her left hand and held it in front of her mouth.
"We met each other some time before. Mr. Kai said that he does miss his juniors now and then, I wonder how much of that is true?"
They couldn''te up with an answer. How could their senior brother miss them when the two parties just recently met with one another?
Was senior brother Kai a type of person who easily experiences homesickness?
"That¡ we don''t know because we just have a few interactions with our senior brother¡", Lucan replied.
"Ah, I see. Oh, sorry for you asking you that. It''s my curiosity picking itself up.", Haera sighed.
The students were more curious about their rtionship now. It was unanimously agreed that no outsider should ever know that the Heavenly Magic Academy has returned for the time being.
If their senior brother made such an exception, he must have his own reasons for doing so. Or maybe it was part of the academy master''s n.
It was undeniably known that the Zumfiels were a powerhouse of wizards whose lineage of archmages spanned several generations. Communicating with them to establish a rtionship with the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary was a worthwhile step
"Your senior brother told me that you want to get inside the encampment, right?", Veron asked.
"Yes¡", Jinmu answered, "But why is that little girl sitting on yourp?"
"Oh, her.", Veron was taken aback. He almost forgot that L was here alongside them all the time.
Veron felt that it was kind of a strange sensation.
Haera jolted when she realized L''s presence.
L winked at Haera, implying to her that the cheeky brat saw everything that happened earlier.
"Don''t mind her, don''t mind her.", Veron changed the topic back to what it was before L could say anything.
"Anyway, based on the agreement between us and your senior brother, we will be escorting the four of you inside the encampment "
"We''ll also be assisting you on your mission here in this ce. Don''t hesitate to utilize our strength and skills to your advantage, brats."
"Oh, so what senior brother Kai said was true.", Jinmu contemted. He thought that their senior brother''s words were tofort the dire situation they were in.
"Shh!", Veron gestured for them to remain silent. He could feel that they were near the encampment now.
Eluard warned them of the existence of the demonic creatures.
Veron already sent a signal to Aurpiel and Greywolf to not let the guards open the carriage at any cost.
A moment passed and the carriage stopped.
"Hey, who the hell are you?!", a warrior shouted from the entrance. The movement of this caravan was suspicious based on his observations.
Greywolf''s horse stepped forward, "Sir, we''re a traveling merchant caravan who wants to enter the encampment. We have warriors, food, water, and other things that could prove useful for your needs. All we want is to be safe and out of harm''s way."
"And the carriages?", another warrior shouted.
"Oh, those are where we put our stuff, sir.", Greywolf responded.
"I''m not a fool. I''m talking about that luxurious-looking carriage at the center of your caravan.", the warrior pointed with a serious expression.
"Sir¡ there are mages over there and they don''t want to be disturbed right now.", Greywolf pleaded.
The warrior shoved Greywolf away, "Fuck your mages, I''m going to see what secrets you are hiding inside.", proudly strutting towards the luxurious-looking carriage.
"Let them in.", a low voice called from afar. The warrior stopped on his steps and turned around, "But High King¡"
"I said let them in."
He could feel a slight tone of anger behind him. The warrior could onlyply and open the gates.
The merchant caravan easily passed through the gates and went deeper inside the encampment. When the seven people nced out the window, the ce was no different than outside the encampment.
Dead bodies were littered everywhere and destruction could be seen wherever their eyesy upon.
Arguments and sobbing filled the noises of their ears. It was chaos all around after the surprise attack.
The sight disheartened the five young people while Haera and Veron remained calm. Inside their hearts, however, they were grieving for this unfortunate loss and hoped that it would not happen again.
"Big brother Jinmu, are those people¡ really dead?", Emi asked.
She wasn''t unfamiliar with dead bodies but the feeling was different when the lives of humans and demi-humans were at risk.
"Yes, they are, Emi. And there''s nothing we can do to bring them back.", Jinmu wasn''t going to get used to it any time soon, "However, we must not falter and continue to protect those who are still living. Else, they''ll end up just like them."
His words grabbed Emi''s consciousness back to the day when she discovered the barren wastnd that was once her vige.
''I must not falter and continue to protect, huh?'', she was lost deep in her mind.
A gritting sound came from Olivia. She was gripping her fists tightly, guilty of the fact that she could not help those who were already dead.
She was about to drown in exasperation when a familiar voice entered her ears.
"Can the people outside that carriage go out and meet us? I can sense a powerful magical aura inside. I would like to know which grandmaster or archmage I am serving today."
Olivia''s eyes were full of shock, ''This is father''s voice! This is his!''
Hearing it after 3 months made her emotional. She thought that she would not see him again.
The emotions filled her up, barging out of the carriage and running to the front. She shouted brokenly.
"Father! It''s me, Olivia!"
Themotion brought the attention of everyone nearby at the caravan and High King Garron''s escort.
"That voice, isn''t that the little princess?"
"She has returned? But why is she inside that merchant caravan just now?"
"Look! It''s truly Princess Olivia!"
The crowd gasped after realizing the cause of the ruckus. Their royal princess has returned alive and well, something they didn''t expect from someone who was missing for over 3 months.
"Hush, High King Garron is over there.", reprimanded one of the high-ranking warriors.
All of them immediately shut their mouths.
"Father, it''s me!", Olivia shouted again.
Chapter 78 Arrival Of The Magical Beasts
"Father", Olivia ran towards High King Garron.
The lovely voice of her daughter jolted the burly man back into reality. His heart started beating fast, afraid that whatever he was hearing now could be all just a dream.
Garron''s eyes fluttered multiple times until he saw his daughter''s figure up close. She was wearing a strangely decorated navy-blue mage robe that had two lines encircling the edge of the half-sleeves of both her arms.
The high cor exhibited from Olivia''s robe made Garron remember those high-ranking wizards he saw back at the Morning Star Empire ages ago.
Tears formed in his eyes, "She¡ she is alive¡!", stuttering. The grip he had on the horse''s reins eased up.
He subconsciously let go of it and got off his horse, staggering to walk as he knelt on the soft snow and opened his arms to hug the daughter he had long missed.
"O-Olivia! My daughter!"
"Father!", Olivia hugged him tightly. The touch of her father''s calloused hands aroused a feeling of security within her.
Garron was careful to not be overwhelmed by his emotions. He might clutch Olivia too tightly and identally injure her.
They let go of each other after a while and looked into one another''s eyes.
"Olivia¡ where have you been? Howe you are here now of all times?", he nervously asked.
The magical beasts were attacking and the Siegfried n had turned their des against him. If she stays here any longer, he will not be able to protect both his and Olivia''s life.
"Father, I''vee here to help you.", she said while wiping off the tears on her face.
Garron was dumbfounded. How could his daughter help him out in such a dangerous situation?
Her level was just somethingparable to an adept wizard¡
''Wait, she has an aura of an adept wizard?''
Realization struck Garron, putting his heart on another race. Didn''t it usually take mages at least 3 years to reach such a level in magical cultivation?
Howe her daughter''s speed was undeniably fast and unrealistic?
"Olivia¡ how are you an adept wizard after three months?"
Olivia was not surprised, "About that father¡ I have met a great master who saved me in the middle of my adventure. He took me in under his care and now, I''vee back after hearing what happened here in the northern cial continent."
"A great master?", Garron was in disbelief, "Were they a wizard or something?"
"Yes.", Olivia said as she put a smile on her face.
His aides who went near him to listen to their conversation were baffled as well. They looked at each other, contemting whether Olivia''s words were true or not.
Several people walked out of the luxurious carriage in the middle of the caravan. This gathered the attention of everyone, scrutinizing each person in that group.
"Look, an elf! What a beautiful elf!"
"There are some humans with them as well. What sort of merchant caravan is this?"
¡
Garron''s eyes were settled on the elf at the back with short straight ck hair.
''This person''s aura is as strong as mine. Maybe he is the man that Olivia was talking about?''
He was doubtful of his conclusion. That elf was not disying any sort of teacher-student affection toward Olivia.
If he was her master, the elf should have disyed a slight hint of tion on his face.
"Father¡", Olivia''s voice startled him, "Allow me to introduce those people to you."
Garron nodded. He stood up and dusted off the snow on his legs. Extending her arms, Olivia''s eyes brightened and she started talking.
"Father, these are my ssmates. They were taken in by that great master as well."
"This is Jinmu, our leader.", she proudly spoke. Jinmu bowed at Garron and greeted him respectfully.
"And that boy over there is Lucan."
Garron felt a hint of shyness from his daughter''s tone. He raised his eyebrow and stared at Lucan.
Thetter shrank his head and quickly put on a serious expression. He realized what happened and cursed at Olivia for making her father target him all of a sudden.
Olivia continued, "And she is¡"
She hesitated. It felt awkward introducing Emi with the current rtionship going on between them.
Her hesitance made Emi frown. Was Olivia not going to introduce her to the High King? Emi snorted and went by herself.
"I am Emi Moon, High King Garron. Since you are the High King, I would to request something of you.", the little girl boldly stated.
This irked the warriors under High King Garron, mocking Emi''s rudeness and acting like that in front of their leader. Garron turned his head to the surrounding people, ring at them for trying to intimidate the little girl.
"Let''s hear what you have to say, Emi Moon.", Garron gave her the approval. He was interested in Emi''s request.
If Olivia''s master was that great, then that person should have been able to aplish whatever they needed. However, Emi needed his help and it meant one thing.
"The Siegfried n has taken my sister under their custody. Please tell them to hand over my sister back to me.", Emi''s voice was as cold as the weather.
Everyone became speechless. Was she setting an ultimatum upon their High King?
The atmosphere turned hostile.
The warriors weren''t going to take such humiliation any further and were about to reprimand Emi when a strong magic aura burst out and apprehended all hostility.
Veron stepped forward and greeted Garron.
"I am Veron Zumfiel. It is my pleasure to meet the leader of Norva Assili."
The people were mad-stricken after knowing his name. A noble elf has arrived in their region and someone from a strong background at that?
Veron retracted his aura and returned to his usual self. He tidied his robe before talking.
"High King Garron, I advise you to conform to the wishes of this child. Furthermore, aren''t you taking down the Siegfried n as well? You can do her a favor and she will be grateful to you for a lifetime."
Veron guessed that this could be a hidden opportunity set by the academy master of the Heavenly Magic Academy upon Olivia and her father.
It was only a thought that passed through his mind but it was better to be on the fortunate side of things. Furthermore, he wanted to increase the favorability of the students through his actions. Maybe Emi and the others would like him for it.
Or maybe not but he was willing to take a risk.
On the other side, Xerga couldn''t take it anymore and angrily reprimanded Veron and the group of youngsters.
"Listen, elf! We don''t care if you''re from a noble household or whatever strong background you people have!"
"You don''t have the rights to order our High King whatever you wish! This is not your territory!"
His retorts sparked the confrontation of the other warriors and started butting in on the issue.
"Silence!", Garron shouted.
The rowdiness calmed down and everyone stared at the High King.
Xerga and Misha went to his side.
"Brother, you must not listen to this nonsense! The Siegfried n may be our enemy, but these people have no right to take advantage of our hostility with them and order us on their will!", the older brother was angered by the disrespect shown by Olivia''s ssmates.
Misha remained silent but agreed to Xerga''s arguments, nodding at Garron and showing his support on their older brother''s side.
Garron simply waved his hands, dismissing Xerga and Misha without hesitation.
"Brother! You cannot do this!", Xerga was appalled. How could this stubborn younger brother of his suddenly turn submissive out of nowhere?
"We have a beef with the Siegfried n and rescuing this little girl''s sister will not do us any harm now, or does it?"
"After this battle, we will turn our des to the brothers that have betrayed us either way. There''s no use arguing about this."
Garron furrowed his eyebrows and stared at Emi, "Though I hope that next time, you would be a little more respectful of your tone, Emi Moon. I don''t care if you are acquainted with my daughter closely or not."
"I am the High King, and you should treat people, particrly your elders, with respect just like how you do to your great master."
The little girl did not back down at stared back at High King Garron as well.
No one can ever top the respect she will give to the academy master. High King Garron''s words mocked her beliefs and perspective. It equated to indirectly disrespecting the academy master itself.
The problem was settled but Lucan felt another storm brewing. He grabbed Emi and dragged her behind him. He was profusely sweating earlier due to Emi''s impolite behavior.
Garron turned to Veron, disying a confused expression.
"Mr. Veron seems to be acquainted with my daughter and her ssmates. May I know how are you rted to them?", Garron asked.
"I will be assisting them on their mission here, High King. It has something to do with the magical beastsunching an offensive to your kingdom.", Veron calmly answered.
"Assist us? In what way are the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary''s interests affected on this matter?"
"No, how is the Zumfiel Noble Household even rted to this?"
Garron was suspicious. There was no way the elves would act this courteously in helping other factions with their problems unless there was something important at stake.
"This action of mine is solely under my own motives and reasons, High King. The Sanctuary or my household is not connected to this no matter how hard you try to link them.", Veron told him the truth.
It was only a coincidence that he met Eluard at this ce. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be talking here right now.
"Then so be it¡"
Roar!
A thunderous roar of a dragon instantly ster their ears. Many warriors fainted on the spot, except for the high leveled ones and the people around Garron and Veron.
Thetter managed to put up a sound barrier on time, deflecting the harmful soundwaves that would have knocked the youngsters out of their consciousness.
"Damn it, they''re here already?!", Garron panicked.
They have yet to recover from the surprise attack and now, another one was on its way.
''The rest have yet to recover, and I don''t know when will another surprise attacknds on our way!''
He was losing hope of winning the battle. His army was in disarray and he was unsure whether the rest of his subordinates were truly loyal to him after what happened with Harrow Siegfried.
Garron suddenly felt a soft sensation in his left hand.
"Olivia!"
"Father, what are you worried about?! We''vee here to help you, remember? Don''t worry, we won''t hinder you in any way. Just let us help you. Let me... help you for once."
Garron shed a tear after hearing her words.
"Daughter, you have changed.", he muttered.
Olivia would usually turn a blind eye to him whenever they meet each other. For her to proactively approach him now, something must have happened between these three months.
"Fine, but you will stay in the backline. Do not negotiate yourself out of this.", Garron reminded her.
Olivia''s heart was overjoyed, "I won''t disappoint you, father!"
Garron only nodded and quickly walked to his horse. He channeled his chivalric will into his mouth and let out an order to the entire encampment.
"Everyone, set up the defenses and ready yourselves for another round of battle! Man the towers and prepare the traps! Those who can still walk, move! Those who are injured, rest for a while and join the battleter!"
His shout pulled the unconscious warriors back to their feet while the others rallied into position.
Garron turned to Misha, "Give me a scout report of the magical beasts, quick! We need to know theposition of their ranks, their overall strength, and whether they are attacking all at once or are they sending us waves!"
The surprise attack destroyed most of their stored reports during the battle. Garron had no choice but to send another group of scouts again.
A warrior approached him with disbelief in his eyes.
"What is it? Don''t tell me the beasts are already upon us now?!"
"No, High King! Come with me, I can exin it better when you all see it!"
Chapter 79 Undead Surprise
It was early in the morning and the Morning Star has just started its daily cycle, basking its radiant light under Aludia.
The serene scenery disyed by the mountain ranges from afar was disturbed by a ruckus of magical beasts charging towards Sokovo Stronghold in pure rage.
"You call this an unnatural phenomenon? There''s nothing strange about this. Are you making a fool of me now?!", High King Garron red at the warrior who called him out atop the wooden wall.
Everyone thought that the king-level beasts were joining the charge but it was only a bunch ofmander-level beasts and their minions.
"No, High King! I''m not talking about the charging magical beasts! I''m referring to those group of warriors stationed over there!", the warrior pointed northwest of their position.
There was a small forest in that direction. Several human figures could be seen, lying in wait with the intent to charge back at the magical beasts.
Taken aback, "Those are not my men! I have not yet ordered anyone to attack yet!", High King Garron wanted to reprimand the person assigned to this unit.
"High King, these must be reinforcements from the nearby strongholds or viges. Perhaps they have not yet received our distress call?", said one of his aides.
"That''s strange.", Xerga replied, "They should have gone over here to discuss matters first."
Regardless of reasons, reinforcements must always rendezvous with the reinforced unit in order to understand the general situation.
If they did not want to meet with them, either they were insubordinate or they were just fools.
"Those are not reinforcements.", Jinmu responded, intriguing them.
They were not reinforcements from the other strongholds? How could this in-looking young man be able to know everything?
"Father, Jinmu is right. Those are not reinforcements.", Olivia concurred.
"What the hell are these young ones talking about? Hey, how did you end up here anyway?", a high-level warrior retorted.
These youngsters didn''t have the slightest idea of what they were talking about.
"Olivia, exin yourself.", High King Garron ignored the warrior''s doubt. It was better to listen first for now since everyone was at a loss on what the hell was going on as well.
Maybe Olivia and Jinmu have a certain reason as to why they said those people in the forest weren''t reinforcements.
Olivia nced back at Jinmu. Thetter nodded at her and started his exnation.
"High King, you have fought some weird-looking northerner earlier, right?", he asked.
High King Garron''s eyebrows furrowed. Mentioning those poor souls who were implicated by the Siegfried n''s vile ns angered him.
"Yes, we did. What about it? Don''t tell me those people out there are simr to the ones we fought earlier?", a dark foreshadowing presented itself in his mind.
"Exactly.", Jinmu bluntly answered.
Xerga quickly rejected such thoughts, "Impossible! How can you know at this distance?! Even the High King couldn''t manage to do that so what makes you able to do it instead?"
Jinmu sighed. These people won''t be able to understand since the answer to Xerga''s question was forbidden knowledge.
"We will observe, shall we?", Jinmu replied, "Those people will attack the magical beasts not to deter them but to corrupt them. You will understand once it happens."
He didn''t exin any further since they won''t believe him anyway.
"What nonsense?!", the High King''s subordinates threw another fit of rage again. These youngsters were bing increasingly annoying by the minute.
"High King, I think these young ones are here to cause trouble. What about¡"
High King Garron dismissed, "Enough. We''ll observe for now and see what happens."
He did not have any intentions of rescuing the reinforcements because they were not in the position to do so even if they turned out to be real northerner warriors who were too hot-blooded to blindingly charge at an unstoppable enemy.
Their only choice was to hole up inside the encampment and wait for the beasts to arrive. It was a safer ce than any other right now.
The subordinates cursed inside after hearing their High King''s choice. They could only wait for the reinforcements to reveal their realness and scold these children for their inexperience and dishonest actions in front of their elders.
Five minutes passed and a cold breeze blew towards the small forest in the distance.
The warriors mounted their horses in an unnatural synchronized manner, tightly holding their weapons and shields.
The leading warrior''s horse neighed, whipping its mount, and charged forward. His men followed him in silence. Only the stomping of the horses'' hooves upon the soft snow could be heard.
This strange phenomenon intrigued those from the encampment.
There was no shout, no words of bravery, or any other sort of noise that was prevalent when northerner warriors charged at their enemies.
As their figures basked under Aludia''s light, High King Garron and those who doubted Jinmu and Olivia soon widened their eyes.
Those people were disfigured in all sorts of ways. Some had their arms torn off while others have a grotesque mouths absurdly dislocated.
High King Garron could feel his hair stand on end. The aura that they emanated was deathly and full of dread.
His senses tingled on the western side of their encampment before he could view the long-awaited conflict between the two parties.
That aspect that worried him was emitting a strong malevolent intent.
"Xerga, go to the west and check out what''s happening!", High King Garron quickly ordered.
His older brother nodded to hismand. High King Garron was able to sense everything within a few kilometers of his position.
Another tingling sensation erupted within him, alerting the High King. This time, the feeling came from the east.
"Vargo n, Velos n, go to the eastern perimeter and see what is going over there as well!"
"The Nahorva n and Marneski n shall go to the south and reinforce that area! The rest will stay with me!"
"Yes, High King!"
Everyone moved out, not daring to question their High King''s orders. Olivia and her ssmates could feel the pressure rising over their heads.
Was this what it took to be a student of the Heavenly Magic Academy?
The challenges that the other students faced were barely anything worthpared to what they were experiencing now. Their lives were on the line, and the lives of everybody else depended on them too.
"Father, what is going on? Tell me!", she begged. It didn''t feel good to be left out in the dark.
"I hope it''s a false rm but there are hundreds of thousands of people marching towards our position right now!"
They were all taken aback.
"A-a hundred thousand people?! Our people inside are only three-quarters of that size!", said one of his aides.
If everyone single one of those hundred thousand people were enemies, they would be left with no strength to spare when the magical beasts start their assault.
"Damn it! The Siegfried n has thought their way through!", High King Garron cursed. They have abandoned their dignity and honor to seize the throne for themselves.
Meanwhile, Veron''s head was calmly observing the sky all this time. He was unbothered by the chaos erupting below.
This caught the attention of Lucan and his niece, Haera.
"Uh, sir¡ why are you looking at the sky right now? Is there something up there that we should be worried about as well?"
He was gradually losing his mind over what was going on. They didn''t want to face another threat, particrly one from above.
Lucan would teleport himself back to the academy when that happens.
"It''s not us who should be cautious. It should be them.", Veron vaguely replied.
He closed his eyes and felt the vibrations in the air to investigate the arrival of a strange andrge creature.
''A dragon''s breath carrying intense mes. It''s arguing with somebody but they seem to be friendly with one another.''
Veron then detected arge mana disturbance near the dragon. He opened his eyes and instantly used the wind element to create a massive defensive barrier.
''Heaving Current!''
The wind surged and started rotating counterclockwise, pushing everything outward. Those who were right outside the defensive barrier were instantly pushed very far away.
His actions alerted the others. What was this grandmaster magus up to now?
"Ah, sir Veron. They are really enemies, aren''t they?", Lucan wanted to hear something elsee out of Veron''s mouth.
"Just shut up and brace yourself!", Veron was annoyed.
"High King, above us!"
When High King Garron lifted his head, he noticed the sky swirling above them. The shift in the weather worsened their unease.
"Mr. Veron, do you have any idea what this is all about?!", he panicked.
There was a huge possibility that this was the work of an archmage. High King Garron wouldn''t be able to save his subordinates if their new ''enemy'' decides tounch a powerful area attack.
Amidst his worries, he was instantly blinded as several shing fireballs descended from the sky. The heat was so intense that the space warped around them.
"Cataclysmic Firefall!"
A dragon bellow was heard, stumping their minds.
The screams of anguish from the undead beings in the far distant followed. The divinity radiating from the massive fireballs consumed every undead and demonic essence that was corrupting them.
They slumped to the ground, unconscious but not lifeless.
The remaining people inside the encampment gritted their teeth and held on for their dear lives. It was so hot even though the fireballs were still far away.
Then as if someone turned off the lights, the searing heat vanished and the coldness gradually returned.
Everything became normal once again.
High King Garron and the rest of the people opened their eyes. The fireballs were nowhere to be found.
A sonic boom resounded and someonended on the ground not far away from their position. The snow exploded in all directions, covering the entrance of the strange neers.
"See, I told you. You don''t have to worry about every damn thing, human brat!", a draconic voice reprimanded.
"What a pesky dragon lord you are! You should have let me in for some fun!", a young human voice replied.
"And what? Let everyone die instead?! You stupid human brat, you want me to face the consequences of that master of yours?!"
The young human sniggered, "Well, that is a problem you will have to face then, not mine."
While the two beckoned at one another, the four students were shocked to hear this familiar voice once again.
"Solordo!"
Chapter 80 Arahons Charge
The snow dust settled, revealing the two figures whonded from the sky just now.
"If not for your master, brat, I wouldn''t even havee here!"
The enraged voice came from a tall man whoseplexion resembled that of a pepper spray victim. If one watched closely, it was caused by the appearance of his dragon scales while transfigured.
His two dragon horns spiraling vertically, as well as his golden iris and ck pupils, indicated that he was a transfigured dragon.
High King Garron and Veron could feel the domineering aura leaking out of this funny-looking person.
Beside him was a shorter human carrying a 2.5-meter-long halberd with a sharp red-colored de at the tip. His hair was blown to left, covering the fact that he was bald on that side.
"Stop right there!", High King Garron threatened.
Everyone was anxious about the impending danger and these two strangers suddenly arrived uninvited at the center of their formation.
"Who are you and why did you fall down the sky?", he asked.
"Father, wait!", Olivia grabbed his hand, "I know that human, he''s one of our ssmates!"
"One of your ssmates?", High King Garron immediately ordered his men to lower their weapons.
"Thank you, father!"
Olivia alongside the three other students excitedly went over to Solordo.
The bickering between the dragon and the human took a stop and faced the approaching youngsters.
"Lucan, Emi, Jinmu, Olivia!", Solordo opened his arms.
[ Name: Solordo Luchador ]
[ Age: 16 years old ]
[ Race: Half-human, half-elf ]
[ Status: Alive ]
[ Affiliation: Knights of Aludia, League of Wizardry ]
[ Magic Power: Master Wizard (Lower Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Harmonic Duplex Magic Root (Mythical) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 7.8/10 (Master Wizard) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Darkness, Wind, Fire, Earth, Lava ]
[ Chivalric Core Grade: SSS ]
[ Chivalric Will Power: Higher de ¨C Condensation Realm ]
Lucan was taken aback after seeing Solordo''s information.
"So-Solordo, you''re a master wizard now?!"
How was that possible? Even Veron and Haera were taken aback when they felt the aura emanating from Solordo as well.
Thetterughed and put both his hands to his waists, "Of course, I am. Can''t you see how amazing my talent is?"
His response wasn''t received well by the surrounding people, recing their astonishment with uninterested looks.
If he was a little more serious, perhaps Solordo could''ve exined to them that it was all the work of Arahon''s divine me dragon''s blood. The enhancement it brought was amplified due to his mythical magic root and high chivalric core grade.
Not only did it boost his physical attributes and magical power by a huge margin, but it also gave Solordo affinity to three new elements: fire, earth, andva. To top it all off, this was just the beginning of his assimtion process.
Over time, the blood willpletely assimte with him, receiving more benefits in the future.
Arahon hit Solordo on the back of his head, knocking him down to the ground face-first.
"Sorry about that. This brat''s ego has taken a turn for the worse."
High King Garron asked, "You are-?"
"I am Arahon Agui, the leader of the divine me dragon tribe from the Dwarven Mountain Compass far away from here.", Arahon bluntly replied.
He stared at the four students dazedly looking at him and continued, "I was sent here by your master. He said that you might need assistance."
"Is someone named Kai along with you now?"
Olivia and the others shook their heads, "Senior brother Kai has left us a while ago. If senior Arahon wants to talk to someone, Jinmu is our leader and he can substitute for our absent senior brother."
"Oh, a human brat with a damaged magic root? How intriguing.", Arahon, like the other five kids, was baffled.
The four became alerted because Arahon loudly spoke of Jinmu''s situation in front of Emi. That was thest thing that Jinmu wanted her to know about right now.
She became emotional and stared at him, "Big brother¡ so you were really¡"
"Enough, we will talk about thister.", Jinmu dismissed her thoughts, "Senior Arahon, we are a little shorthanded against the magical beasts. I hope that senior could provide us his assistance over that matter."
Arahon grinned, "Works for me. I can single-handedly deal with those cial bastards while you take care of the undead beings and demonic creatures lurking around the surroundings."
"Of course, if some of the king-level beasts pass through my guard, I will have no choice but to leave it in your delicate care."
"After all, aren''t the northerner warriors strong and ferocious just as the tales describe it to be?"
He openly challenged the reputation of High King Garron and his army. Some were thrilled to prove their worth, while others were terrified and wished to back out.
Amid his short euphoria, High King Garron stepped forward with an intimidating aura.
"Senior Arahon, did you just say that there are demonic creatures around here?"
"You must be the High King.", Arahon greeted, "If I were you, I would be mindful of the man standing next to me. Because who knows¡"
He raised his right hand and forcefully grabbed an unknowing warrior from the distance and caught its neck.
"Maybe they would turn their des and cruellytch it on your mouth all of a sudden."
The warriors were dazed by the quick turn of events. Before they could raise their weapons and threaten Arahon, he opened his mouth and breathed out mes imbued with divinity.
"Gah!", the warrior shouted in agony.
"Sto-!"
High King Garron was halfway through his words when he noticed a cloud of dark miasma diffusing out of the warrior''s body.
The divinity stored inside him reacted. He sensed the vileness trapped inside that little cloud, forcing his mind to ept Arahon''s assertions concerning the presence of demonic beings among their ranks.
"High King, he''s killing one of our warriors! We should punish him!", shouted one of his aides.
High King Garron remained silent and watched as Arahon''s mes burned that warrior into ashes. His aides couldn''t do anything unless their High King ordered them to do so.
Satisfied, Arahon licked his mouth and breathed out a small plume of me.
"They''re almost near, High King. I will be going now, and tell your stupid confidantes to watch their backs, hehehe."
Arahon gathered power on his legs and propelled high into the air, heading into the group of charging magical beasts from afar.
He noticed the remaining undead beingsing from the forest.
"Tsk, what a pain in the ass."
He didn''t want to transform back into his true form since it was toorge and a little inconvenient when fighting due to the limited movements it could offer.
Despite the ability to breathe out mes and st things with ferocity, punching and spitting mes on his enemies up-close was the fighting style he had long favored ever since he was just a dragonling.
Arahon was left with no choice but to utilize his magic power. The undead was just an appetizing side dish. Today''s main course was Harrtugg Naaw and his enraged legion of magical beasts.
mes engulfed him and grew big enough to cover the entire group of undead beings on his left.
"nket of Searing mes!"
The mes surged like flooding water and mercilessly drowned the undead. The horses neighed and quickly turned to ash.
Their riders were able tost longer but amounted to the same fate that their mount faced.
With the distraction out of the way, Arahonnded on the ground and tightly gripped his fists immersed in mes.
He could see the magical beasts a hundred meters away from him. Arahon grinned andunched his body towards them.
He pulled back his right arm and aimed at the leading pr war bear that ignored his presence.
"How audacious! You do not dare to tremble upon the might of the divine me dragon?!"
Arahon let out a punch, generating a strong shockwave into the face of that arrogant pr war bear. Thetter raised his head and discovered that its life was in danger.
However, it was helpless in the face of a divine magical beast''s strike and died instantly. The magical beasts behind it were not spared as the shockwave stretched throughout the region, spewing intense mes.
The remaining ones who were able to survive were fortunate but not for long. Arahon was tilted and changed his mind.
He was now out for blood.
For a brief while, the earth rocked before a wide circr zone copsed into the deep hole, ejecting hotva that melted the snow and elevated the temperature, terrifying the magical creatures who were used to the cold climate.
They retreated into the grasp of their leader, Harrtugg Naaw, the divine frost dragon, hoping that he could hold back this crazy fire dragon lord.
"You can run, but you will always die!", Arahon dered.
"Magmatic Hydralisk!"
Four serpentine creatures made of mixed molten rock and magma erupted from the hole that Arahon created. Their hisses were low yet profoundly horrific to the ears of the magical beasts.
The majority of them cked out in ce, spilling saliva from their mouths. Even from afar, the heat emitted by the magmatic hydralisks melted the snow and scorched the bodies of the nearby magical beasts.
"Go! Instill fear upon them!"
The magmatic hydralisks hissed again and started rapidly slithering into the legion of magical beasts where Harrtugg Naaw was located.
Arahon was confident of his ns. After all, the academy master didn''t specify how he would stop Harrtugg Naaw''s delusional wrath.
''The magmatic hydralisks may not stop you, Harrtugg Naaw, but I wonder if you will still be as confident as you were if these cold bitches run away from your nonsensical cause!''
Although Arahon was hot-tempered, he was not the type to battle his long-time friend that he cherished over the years. However, if the situation calls for it, then he will have to do what was needed to be done.
Chapter 81 Attacking The Impostors
The warriors were jolted out of their stupor as Arahon sprang out of the area and gazed in horror at his previous acts.
"He-he killed one of our warriors! High King, this is uneptable!"
The people protested and demanded justice.
"Enough! Arahon is right, there are some demonic creatures that have infiltrated our ranks."
"My divinity reacted to the presence of demonic essence that diffused out of that warrior earlier. If that is not a reminder that one is a demonic creature, then what is?!"
No one managed toe up with a rebuttal to his arguments. He was the only radiant knight here that had an arsenal of divinity. Who was more capable and authorized to discuss more of such matters?
"Hah! What foolery!", a warrior suddenly shouted.
"High King, you don''t have to go that far to defend your daughter and her ssmates! That Arahon or whatever he is still killed one of us!"
Another warrior beside him was insulted by that person''s words and punched him in the face.
"Bastard! You dare to go against the High King''s words?! You must be an impostor, a demonic creature! Die!"
He unsheathed his long sword and tried to kill the warrior who disrespected their High King. Thetter defended himself and the two put themselves into a fight.
"See? Look at his actions! Everyone,e over and arrest him!"
The warriors surrounded the suspicious man and threatened to skin him alive. "Lower your damn weapons and stop this at once!", High King Garron was insulted by their aggressive behavior.
"But High King, they are acting suspiciously! They could be a disguised demonic creature!"
"What disguised? You''re only saying that to prove your innocence! Lower your arms, damn recruit!"
High King Garron was unable to control their emotions any longer. This worsened the situation and it was only the starting point.
The five students, however, observed at the sides.
''Strange, he''s not a red-dotted figure so why is he openly opposing the High King as if he was a disguised demonic creature?'', Jinmu mused, ''Are the disguised ones enchanting the minds of the innocent in order to cause chaos and nt distrust inside the army?''
Jinmu believed that this was the case. Since Arahon exposed the presence of the demonic creatures, it was expected that the enemy would fight back sooner orter.
Although it wasn''t a cunning n from the perspective of a student from the Heavenly Magic Academy, High King Garron and his aides didn''t have the method to identify whether one was a demonic creature or not.
Otherwise, with the High King being a radiant knight and containing an arsenal of divinity within him, they would have identified the threat way before Arahon had arrived.
Lucan slowly walked beside him and whispered, "Say, Jinmu, should we intervene?"
Jinmu shook his head in denial.
"Now is not the time. Although we know where the demonic creatures are, we do not have the capability to hunt them down."
"We also cannot prove whether the warriors are impostors or not."
Blindly charging in was an unwise decision to make. What if the demonic creatures had several traps for them to trigger?
They didn''t have divinity or other tools that would expose the demonic essence of a demonic creature. The reason they were able to identify them was because of the system''s help.
Otherwise, they''d be as blind as these warriors are, far from the truth of the current situation.
"Big brother Jinmu, what should we do?", Emi was getting anxious, "If we let them fight against one another, things will get chaotic and we may not have the chance to fix it at that point."
"Jinmu, we should make a move soon. The demonic creatures will take advantage of our inaction and might even implicate us if possible.", Lucan added.
Their barrage of questions put Jinmu at an impasse.
''Lucan''s right. The only reason the demonic creatures haven''t targeted us yet must be because of Sir Veron''s presence or Olivia''s close rtionship with High King Garron.''
He tried to refresh his mind by opening the system map.
''There are 18 red dots around the encampment. I don''t know which one of them is doing the enchantment and individually going on them one by one is time-consuming.''
Amidst his confusion, a voice resounded in his mind.
''Brat, you need help?''
Jinmu''s eyes widened, "This voice-!"
''You seem to have a way of figuring out the true demonic creatures from the others, yes?''
Jinmu nodded and disyed a calm expression on his face. The elf was astonished at how this young brat maintained hisposure despite the pressure.
He smiled and discussed his n.
''I can sense the fluctuation of mana which I assume is an enchanting spell being casted but I cannot fully trace out the origin of these disturbances. They''ve managed to hide their trail very well.''
''So I''m going to need you to pinpoint to me where they are. Can you do that?''
Jinmu hesitated not because he couldn''t aplish Veron''s task, but because there were 18 demonic creatures in the vicinity. Moreover, they were scattered far from one another so reaching them all with limited time wasn''t feasible.
He couldn''t inform Veron either since the demonic creatures may be observing from a distance and Jinmu doesn''t know how tomunicate through Veron''s medium.
''No, I don''t need to tag them all. I only need to tag the nearest ones and dy the formation of the marks for each target.''
Jinmu nned to utilize his mastery of the domain mana synthesis in forming small magic array formations which would then act as a target beacon for Veron''s attacks.
He only needed to prolong the formation of the earlier markings while going around and tagging the other demonic creatures. When he reaches the final target, the other beacons should be made at the same time he forms the final one.
In that way, Veron can simultaneouslyunch a surprise attack on those that Jinmu marked.
If Jinmu chooses the normal path and individually tags and attacks the demonic creatures, the others can react to the disturbance and can either retaliate or retreat.
As for running around without gathering suspicion, Jinmu covertly pulled out something from his inventory.
[ Mystic Cloak (Rare) ]
[ This cloak can cover the aura and presence of its wearer for a limited time. Bypasses detection spells not greater than form 5. Requiresrge amounts of mana per usage. ]
[ Maximum duration per use: 30 minutes ]
[ Cooldown: 3 hours ]
This was one of the items that Jinmu received from the bandits that tried to abduct them in the Dark Forest several weeks ago. Fortunately, he had charged the equipment with mana beforehand.
"You kids, get out of here. We''ll handle this.", High King Garron forced them out of the za with an escort of loyal warriors.
The situation was getting out of hand as the chaos worsened. Most of the warriors were suspecting one another. Nobody was willing to make a move and cautiously readied their weapons and shields.
It made things easier for Jinmu, however, as he put on the cloak without the rest noticing.
Veron followed in Jinmu''s footsteps. Although his presence vanished, Jinmu would still generate sound nheless.
"Hey, where''s Jinmu?", Solordo asked.
"What? Jinmu is missing?", Lucan was taken aback.
"Shh! Lower your voice!", Olivia hushed.
"But where is he? Did you see him go somewhere around?", Solordo insisted.
"Damn it, the demonic creatures might have gotten him¡"
"Shut up, let''s ask Sir Veron and Miss Haera instead. Maybe they knew where he went.", Olivia was angered by their presumptuous feedback.
''Don''t ask where your leader is. He''s doing something right now. Stay back and watch out for any demonic creatures nearby.'', Veron''s voice resounded in their minds.
They looked at one another.
"Is he¡ going to do something about the demonic creatures now?", Lucan was at a loss, "Why did he not tell us something about his ns?"
"Shut it. Jinmu must have his reasons. We will ask himter.", Olivia reprimanded, "For now, we must carry on normally and wait for the signal to intervene."
"You are kind of talkative right now, miss northerner. Did something happen while I was not around?", Solordo teased.
The ''miss northerner'' sent out a cold re in his direction to which he responded with azy shrug.
Emi tightly gripped her clothes and hoped for her big brother''s sess.
¡
After a few minutes of walking around, Jinmu approached his first target and slowly set up a very small formation beneath them. The amount of mana he used up was so little that not only did it slip past the demonic creatures'' senses; but it also dyed the construction of the beacon.
He did the same thing for the subsequent targets.
Veron, on the other side, finally realized what Jinmu was up to.
''He wants me to incapacitate multiple targets at once, huh? No wonder it is taking him long to set up.''
The elf didn''t me Jinmu. The young brat cannot possibly determine who was behind all the enchantments. Although his current n was risky, it was better than nothing.
''His newer beacons are forming quicker than those prior. You didn''t have to go that far, young brat.''
Veron readied himself while sitting on the ground.
He understood that Jinmu wouldn''t be able to mark everyone assuming that they were scattered across the area. He also needed to wait for the beacons topletely form before attacking so that he would line up with Jinmu''s timings.
''I think this is thest one.''
He sensed that the young brat''s movements halted.
''Time must have run out. I''ll teleport him out of there.''
He raised both his hands and started the teleportation process. Meanwhile, Jinmu felt his body suddenly vibrate in ce.
''Senior Veron caught up with my whims. This action will surely attract their attention but¡''
The man they were facing right now was a grandmaster magus. He let his body levitate before he vanished from the area.
"Ah!"
Jinmu''s figure appeared in front of Haera and his ssmates.
"Jinmu!", Solordo reacted and caught his frail body, "How''d you do that?!"
''This guy!'', Lucan palmed his face. Solordo dared to be astonished about Veron''s teleportation spell rather than worry about his ssmates'' well-being.
Before they could ask Jinmu what happened, Veron gathered arge amount of mana and proceeded with his attack.
''Greater Sonic Pummel!''
Chapter 82 Retaliation (1)
"Kekeke¡", a warrior hiding inside a tent lowly cackled.
He was a disguised demonic creature in charge of enchanting the warriors and creating chaos inside.
"Eh? A disturbance in mana?!"
He quickly defended himself but it was toote. A sonic explosion sted his head away without any effort.
His innards washed the room in dark blood, emitting a putrid smell. The motionless corpse wiggled for a few seconds before copsing to the ground.
On another tent not far away, a simr case happened. This time, however, the warriors sitting beside that demonic creature turned aghast and ran away in fear.
"What in heaven''s name was that?!"
"I don''t know, run!"
It did not take Veron a lot of time to quickly dispatch the 11 targets that Jinmu marked earlier.
"Whew!", he heaved a sigh of relief. While the demonic creatures would resurrectter on due to their special demonic essence, that period was long enough for them to defeat the remaining seven and purge their existence using High King Garron''s divinity.
The High King may not be able to use it in detecting the presence of demonic creatures but that did not prevent him frompletely killing them either.
Divinity was divinity. It was the most dominant power to ever counter the Otherworld''s demonic essence.
"Uncle, did you just attack the demonic creatures?"
Veron nodded, "Yes, Haera. The young ones needed some help. Particrly this Jinmu brat."
"Ready yourselves, the-"
Roar!
The ground trembled violently, catching everyone off guard.
"What happened?!", Haera worried.
"It''s the demonic creatures! They''ve shed off their disguise and are openly attacking now!", Veron sensed everything through the reverberating sounds.
"Let''s go and inform the High King about this!"
They went outside and were shocked to see the utter chaos disyed in front of their eyes.
The warriors were fervently attacking one another without a care in the world. A few dead bodies have already littered the scene with death and gore.
In the middle of it all was High King Garron trying to suppress his crazed army before it was toote.
Olivia saw the ethereal figure of arge frostal pr war bear appearing behind her father.
"Sir Veron, can you form a sound barrier in front of us?!"
''Huh?'', Veron was confused at first until he saw the High King gathering his breath and was preparing for a shout.
He quickly pped his hands and formed a sound barrier on time.
"Uwaaaa!"
An ear-shattering shout more explosive than thunder echoed upon the entire encampment. Everyone else except Veron''s party and the High King himself dropped to the ground unconsciously.
Carried along with that shout was an extremely cold breeze of winter. Icicles formed on the edges of tents and blew out all the lit campfires.
Veron was also having difficulty standing after what happened.
''What a loud shout! My barrier couldn''t almost keep up with it!''
Radiant knights were truly powerful, as expected of the peak of chivalric will cultivation whose only rivals were the archmages themselves.
"Father!"
"Olivia!", High King Garron was surprised to see her daughter unharmed, "How are you still standing up until now?!"
That shout of his was uncontroble and affected whoever heard of it.
"It''s Sir Veron, he protected us."
Veron and the rest finally caught up. The former was panting heavily. High King Garron''s shout stressed him mentally. He gathered himself and exined the situation to the High King in a blunt manner.
"I see. You''re saying that my daughter and her ssmates have a way of determining whether one is a disguised demonic creature or not?"
High King Garron was surprised about this revtion. What sort of master did his daughter meet anyway?
To think that this person could give their students the ability to detect the presence of a demonic creature, that feat in itself was nothing short of legendary.
"Yes, but that doesn''t matter now. The demonic creatures have forgone their disguise and might be attacking any second!", Veron warned.
"Kekeke¡ you humans are truly dumb sometimes!", a mocking feminine demonic voice called out to them.
The youngsters were terrified, hugging one another in fright. Haera and the High King upped their guard.
"They''re here¡", Veron''s voice faded as he weakly slumped to the ground.
"Uncle!", Haera examined him and discovered that her uncle was physically fine.
"Is he ok?"
"Yes, High King. My uncle is just mentally tired, probably because he protected us from your shout earlier¡", Haera felt awkward after saying that.
The High King got perplexed by his actions.
"What''s the matter, High King? Do you realize now how wrong you were to shout like that pre-emptively?!", the demonic voice resounded again.
High King Garron sensed the snow behind him vaporize into thin air. He turned around, followed by Haera and the others, and saw an unusually tall and slender demonic creature with limbs as wide as a wooden stick.
Her nails were long and sharp and her face was distorted diagonally, making it look like someone cracked her neck and left it that way ever since.
[ Demonic Creature, Seductra ]
[ Power Level: Karagero ]
[ Demonic Symbols: 890 ]
[ 340 Symbols of Magicka, 250 symbols of Asura, 100 Symbols of Baruchard, 100 Symbols of Sarandawa, 100 Symbols of Darhiwa, 100 Symbols of Alhastra ]
[ Type: Caster, Semi-Fighter ]
''8-890! 890 demonic symbols!'', Lucan was speechless. That previous demonic creature only had symbols around the 700 mark and this random disguised one surpassed it by a hundred marks.
Seductra was indifferent to the Heavenly Magic Academy students'' presence. She seemed convinced that she could defeat them all as long as no archmage was present.
A smirk formed on her face and slid her long fingers into her curvaceous mouth.
"But I thank you for clearing the obstacles on the way, High King Garron! With you and your measly group of incapable youngsters, you shally down on this ground alongside your army, cold and dead forever!"
"Attack!"
Six more demonic creatures appeared and joined the fight. They were all muscr and each carried a different weapon.
The six simultaneously jumped together and raised their glowing weapons, targeting Haera and the students.
Haera tried to conjure and cast a spell but she realized that her actions were too slow and wouldn''t make it in time to protect the youngsters.
Fortunately, for them, Solordo was a seasoned warrior who remained unfazed by the impending danger. Rather than being worried, he was excited that he could finally stretch his muscles after cultivating for a long time inside Arahon''sir.
He leaped high, infusing his halberd with both chivalric will and fire magic before extending his arms and rotating in a 360-degree fashion.
If one looked attentively, red dragon markings were engraved on both his arms.
"Tail of the me Dragon!"
The halberd on his hands expanded three times its original length and became flexible enough as if it turned organic, like the tail of a dragon.
Solordo brutely whipped it out. It possessed both sheer dragon strength and the power of fire magic, striking the six demonic creatures in mid-air and repelling them all at the same time.
Not only were they repelled, but their weapons also started to break and fire could be seen burning their injured flesh.
"Impossible! What sort of a human are you?!"
The most surprising thing that happened was that the six of them were overwhelmed by a single human brat. Even High King Garron was shocked by it as well.
''Is his assimted and imprinted beast that divine me dragon from earlier?!''
He remembered a tremendous aura and heavenly light striking the heavens in the middle of the night a month before.
''Maybe this kid is the one who did that¡''
¡
Solordonded, retracting the enhancement on his halberd, and patted the dust off his clothes.
"Surprised that a human could fight you head on?!", he mocked.
"Don''t you dare think too much of your luck human! Your suffering only starts now!"
Seductra angrily took out arge red scroll made of unknown material. When Jinmuid his eyes on it, a sense of danger arose within his mind.
[ Demonic Scroll: Clustered nar Demarcation Formation ]
[ A magic formation is stored inside this demonic scroll. The Clustered nar Demarcation formation divides a whole ne into multiple distinct nes for a short time. Can only be altered or destroyed by spatial magic users or the creator of the magic formation itself. ]
''A demonic scroll?! This can''t be good!''
High King Garron dashed to Seductra and grab ahold of the demonic scroll before pulling it out of her grasp.
This dumbfounded the demonic creature, ''My trick didn''t work?!''
She expected that the High King would begin to question himself, which would lead to his incapacity to act due to the pent-up fury of his previous disappointing actions.
"You think I''m a fool, you damn demonic creature!", High King Garron shouted before shing his sword at the distorted head of Seductra. The sword''s motion was apanied by a chilling aura, showering her in frigid ice.
She lifted her hand to intercept his strike but Garron''s tremendous strength as a radiant knight split it in half while still delivering the lethal de to her neck.
Garron brutally severed the demonic creature''s head apanied by a shockwave that sted the ridiculous amount of ck blood spraying out of her decapitated body. He did it in case the demonic scroll needed some blood to be triggered.
This caused the demonic creatures to panic as they did not expect that the High King would actually fight back.
''Damn that Seductra! What a foolish n of breaking a radiant knight''s will!''
At the moment their morale was destroyed, a signal was sent out into their minds.
"Get out!", shouted a demonic creature who had already fled in the distance. The rest followed and scattered in all directions.
Solordo and High King Garron went out to track down the fleeing demonic creatures.
"You''re not getting away!"
In the middle of their pursuit, space trembled uncontrobly and forced the two to return.
"Roar!"
A loud draconic roar, simrly as loud as Arahon''s yet colder and darker erupted.
"Are they fighting against one another now?!", Solordo felt that he was missing out on a good show. Imagine how thrilling it was to witness first-hand a legendary fight between two monarch-level dragons.
The space trembled again, shoving their feet off the ground. Haera stumbled and faced the sky.
"No, wait! The skies, look at the skies!", she shouted.
The sky above their heads was shattering like broken ss in multiple spots.
The radiant light of the Morning Star vanished and was reced by a red miasma that leaked out of those gaps. Its aura was terrifying, instilling fear in those who were unfortunate enough to see it.
"This... this is the end of the world...", Lucan''s will plummeted into the abyss. His unstable mind was easily corrupted and was now experiencing a nightmare.
"Snap out of it, Lucan!", Solordo attempted to rescue him, but the former discovered that only he, Haera, Jinmu, and High King Garron was left with a sane mind.
Roars of numerous demonic creatures echoed from the other side of that crack.
A demonic beast''s w emerged a few secondster. It was engulfed in mes and gleamed like the vein of a molten volcano.
[ Name: Hellhound ]
[ Rarity: Rare ]
[ Power-Level: Commander ]
[ Magic Affinity: Dark, Fire ]
Chapter 83 Retaliation (2)
A few minutes before the cracks appeared in the skies¡
Arahon arrived in front of the hundreds of thousands of magical beasts that Harrtugg Naaw rallied.
His magmatic hydralisks hissed in disdain uponying their eyes on the prey. They were no less than ants in front of the hydralisks'' power.
Arahon raised his hand, signaling them to attack.
The hydralisks roared and descended the mountain. Lava continuously leaked out of their monstrous bodies, forming an appearance that the mountain was experiencing a magma eruption.
The snow instantly vaporized, alongside the beasts who foolhardily stood in ce not until theva arrived and consumed them.
When the hydralisks caught up, they simply slid on the ground, trampling over the small ants that dared to stand in their way. Even the 5-meter tall bisonic trampler could only stare in horror before being crushed into meat paste.
Arge white-furred ape tried to fight back, punching the rocky nose of a hydralisk. Annoyed, it opened its mouth and devoured the white-furred ape in whole.
The heroic attempt of that ape ignited their hopeless bravado and followed its actions. They attacked the hydralisk''s body on all sides, thinking that they could get away with it scot-free.
Arahon shook his head, "There''s a reason why their bodies are made of molten rock andva! You better get out of there before my pet is angry!"
The hydralisk grumbled and expanded its body to twice its previous size. This forced the molten rocks to disperse from one another.
The creatures were stunned when the hydralisk screamed and spewed balls ofva from every inch of its body.
Arge area was affected, creating a pool ofva for the hydralisks to merrily swim.
Arahon grinned side-to-side, thinking that this show of might would finally bring their bravado to a halt and force them to retreat.
Unfortunately, his ns were thwarted when a 30-meter white-furred ape descended from the sky and smashed the center body section of one of the magmatic hydralisks. The ape then grabbed the two separated body parts and pummeled the hydralisk from head to tail.
It wasn''t long until the hydralisk crumbled and died.
The ape roared in victory. Thumping on the pool ofva and sshing it away from his body.
Arahon didn''t get angry, however. It was a normal urrence since he only used those hydralisks to try and force the small ones to go away. Against a king-level beast like that huge white-furred ape, it would need four of them to be at a standstill.
Arahon closed in on the edge of the mountain cliff, observing the ape who was wreaking havoc upon his summoned monsters.
''This otherworldly aura filled with insanity and the urge to destroy everything. There is no doubt this ape is corrupted by demonic essence.''
No wonder these beasts were acting aggressively out of nowhere.
''Ah, please don''t make it that Harrtugg Naaw was also afflicted by this as well.''
Arahon stared above and closed his eyes. What a long day this was going to be. After pondering for a short while, he felt the ground shake in distress.
Arahon saw the ape standing in front of him, knuckling its arms in preparation for another brawl.
"Oh, you wanna fight?!", Arahon imbued both his fists with divinity and immediately punched the arrogant ape.
Golden light shed on impact, radiating towards the insides of the ape before it was knocked unconscious. The 30-meter figure rolled down the mountain like a boulder, killing the beasts who were on their way to the top.
"Hmph!", Arahon snorted.
He had met some arrogant beasts back in the days and whenever he did, he would give them a taste of raw dragon power. This hobby of his wasn''t going to change anytime soon.
In fact, Arahon was longing for more toe.
And fortunately, for him, it did.
The wind surged as a king-level dire swirl eagle swept past Arahon''s figure and tried to slice him using its sharp white cial feathers.
He lifted his right hand and grasped its right-wing, almost ripping the eagle into two due to it flying at sonic speed.
Arahon tightened his grip on the eagle''s wing before throwing it away in the direction where arge cial scorpion suddenly popped out of the ground.
Despite the eagle''s shriek, the cier scorpion was caught by surprise and the two collided. Thetter identally injected the bird with fatal frostal poison.
The poison paralyzed its senses and ity motionless on the ground.
"What a bunch of idiotic beasts you are!". Arahon mocked and imbued his draconic arms with divinity.
Golden lights shed again and the two suffered the same fate as that white-furred ape from before.
"Grr!"
A growl gathered Arahon''s attention. There was a bear half the height of that ape yet it was covered in thick frostal ice on its entire body.
The frostal ice armor squirmed around as if it was a living organism. Arahon was disgusted by this and instantly dashed towards the bottom of the frostal pr war bear''s stomach.
The bear couldn''t react on time and its hairs stood on end. It knew that something bad was about to happen.
mes surged out of Arahon and quickly expanded outwards.
"Divine me Burst!"
The mes exploded in point-nk range rtive to the frostal pr war bear. It propelled the king-level beast high into the sky.
Its arms iled helplessly before realizing the absence of the thick frostal ice armor it was so proud of. The bear''s mouth opened wide, providing Arahon the opportunity to hit its dumb and disoriented face.
He sent the bear to the peak of the mountain and crushed the entire thing. The bear was sent rolling down to the other side.
Arahonnded on the ground and sensed a strong aura emanating behind him.
"Arahon Agui, what business do you have in my territory, you bastard?!"
The familiar cold voice rang in Arahon''s ears. He turned around and basked at the enormous dragon figure of Harrtugg Naaw, the divine frost dragon.
"To stop your madness, Harrtugg Naaw.", Arahon replied, "It seems like you have grown inept, my dear old friend."
His red eyes red, "To think that you would easily sumb to the demonic essence of the Otherworld."
"I thought us divine beasts, with our historical lineage of ancestors raised by the Heavenly Magic Academy, you could''ve at least offered a fight."
Arahon''s body slowly erged, transforming back into his original form one body part at a time.
"But no, you failed. Miserably at that."
"No wonder the academy master didn''t bother to approach you. You are one ipetent and ungrateful bastard!"
Arahon''s transformation ended. His body wasrger and longer than Harrtugg Naaw''s, featuring an almost unimaginable size of 600 meters and wings that extended twice his body length.
Harrtugg Naaw looked like a dragonlingpared to him. He covered half of the mountain range just him alone.
mes spewed out of Arahon''s mouth, inviting Arahon to rebuke him. At the same time, it started a forest fire on the once deeply frozen forest and creeped its way towards Harrtugg Naaw''s position.
With his spiky neck and chilling breath, Harrtugg Naaw threatened Arahon.
"I''m going to give you a chance to leave this ce alive, me dragon! If not, you''re going to regret it for eternity!"
The skies darkened in response to Harrtugg Naaw''s roar. A snowstorm was brewing, umting ice hail that swirled above the mighty frost dragon.
The forest fire was instantly extinguished.
Arahon cackled at Harrtugg Naaw''s unfounded confidence.
"It seems that you have forgotten an important part of history, Harrtugg Naaw. That demonic essence has truly made you and your afflicted minions dumb to a great extent."
"Shut up, Arahon! Retreat or die!", Harrtugg Naaw wasn''t going to have any of Arahon''s lessons today.
"Then so be it, Harrtugg Naaw! Just so you know, unlike your divine frost dragon family, we, the divine me dragons are amongst the three origins of me!"
The entire ground covered by Harrtugg Naaw''s body lit up intensely before a devastating earthquake erupted, copsing the earth he was standing upon.
This destroyed the snowstorm and brought back warmth to the frozennds.
The frost dragon lost his footing and tried to p its wings but his reaction was toote. Several chains made of pure elemental mes strangled his entire body and pulled him closer to a pool made of boiling magma.
Enraged, Harrtugg Naaw emitted an intense freezing aura in order to freeze the damn chains enveloping him.
Arahon predicted this and pre-emptivelyunched an attack.
"Meteoric Cataclysmic Firefall!"
Arahon''s spell caused a widespread disturbance over the entire world of Aludia.
Archmages and radiant knights alike sumbed to fear at the might of such a powerful spell.
And the one who took the most pressure was no other than Elder Flock who was a hundred kilometer away from all of this chaos.
He dumbfoundedly stared high at the sky as molten rocks andva gathered together and formed a meteor with a radius of 100-meters.
"Master, what the hell is that thing from above!", a feminine voice asked him in the middle of his contemtion about life and death.
The beautiful woman was unable to get any information from Elder Flock and began to pout. She then detected a spatial disruption near that meteor.
''Did someone just discreetly iste a ne?''
¡
Meanwhile, Harrtugg Naaw was facing the nightmare of his entire life. Or rather, it was the nightmare of his entire species.
Little did he realize that the red glint hidden deep on his eyes were long gone.
"Arahon, do you want to destroy this world alongside me?!"
"No, I''d like to destroy that ego that has corrupted both your body and mind, you fouled creature!"
Just as when Arahon forced the meteor to descend, the space shook intensely, generating cracks on the skies.
The disturbance lost him control of the meteor, causing it to shatter into fragments and fall down on the frost dragon with minimal force.
Harrtugg Naaw saw this as a chance and broke free from his restrictions. He roared intensely and flew quickly towards Arahon who was still dazed at the sudden event of space cracking.
The frost dragon opened its mouth and tried to bit the me dragon''s neck.
Arahon timely retracted his head out of Harrtugg Naaw''s reach which caused the frost dragon to miss his mark and propel high into the sky.
Arahon ignored Harrtugg Naaw and calmly thought of the current situation.
''The space is cracking and the aura of the Otherworld is leaking out! Isn''t their invasion a little bit early?!''
Arahon was no longer interested about the case of Harrtugg Naaw''s affliction from the demonic essence. He was simply making a fool out of his old friend back then just as how he did in the past.
It was to also send a message to the demonic creatures to not mess up with his friend another time.
The chains he used to cripple the frost dragon''s movements was imbued with divinity and burned all the demonic essence away. Coupled with the magma pool that was emanating divinity as well, Arahon was certain that that frost dragon was now clear of any corruption inside its feeble mind.
''I don''t know what those cunning demonic creatures are nning, but¡''
Terrifying roars of demon beasts resounded on the other side of the crack. Arahon felt nostalgic after not hearing them for a long, long time.
"Harrtugg Naaw, my friend. If you don''t want to join my cause, I suggest you go back to yourir and cower under the safety of your frostal ice caverns."
The frost dragonnded beside him, snorting at Arahon''s mocking remarks.
"Arahon, I''m not nning on thanking you any time sooner. However, you''re right about one thing.", Harrtugg Naaw stared at the cracks widening at a slow pace, "We need to deal with this issue first and foremost."
"Do you have a n?"
Arahon clicked his tongue.
"I know someone who might."
Chapter 84 Grouping Up (1)
Arahon and Harrtugg Naaw turned into their humanoid figures. Walking out as arge dragon was too striking and didn''t serve any purpose for the current situation.
"Before we tackle the problem above, we should take a look at the status of the beasts under you.", Arahon suggested.
Demonic invasions like the thing happening above weren''t a joking matter. Even monarch-level beasts like them wouldn''t stand a chance if they arrogantly ignore the threat of demonic beasts pouring endlessly from the crack above.
"It seems like most of them have been afflicted of the demonic essence corruption as well. My gut tells me that it was all your doing¡?"
Harrtugg Naaw let out a cold snort. Unlike Arahon who liked to exhibit his naked and scaled body to everyone, the frost dragon wore a thick white coat made from the hide of a frostal pr war bear.
Despite the horrible frostal ice armor that encased its body, theyer beneath it was fluffy and gentle to the touch.
"You think it''s my fault that I let them sumb to it?", he argued.
"Well, weren''t you the leader? It would help if you hadn''t sumbed to the demonic corruption in the first ce?", Arahon grinned.
Harrtugg Naaw was taken aback. This dumb me dragon seems to be a little intelligent today.
"Whatever, that doesn''t matter now.", Arahon proactively changed the topic, "Though, it does interest me as to how the demonic creatures managed to slip past your guard and corrupt you despite you being a divine beast."
The two draconic figures arrived on the peak of another mountain nearby.
"I don''t know how they managed to do it either."
"All I remember is seeing some bastard northerner taking away my eggs. Those demonic creatures probably took advantage of my anger at that time and the obvious happened."
This was the frost dragon''s truthful assessment of his prior condition. He was terrified by how mysterious his corruption was since he was unaware of it all along.
Harrtugg Naaw might have done considerably worse if he had been left to his own devices, raging against the innocent lives of the inhabitants of Norva Assili.
He wasn''t going to deny the actions, however. If need be, he will face severe sanctions from both the League of Wizardry and the Knights of Aludia.
The magical beasts and those tworge factions agreed that regardless of the degree of a perpetrator''s irresponsible behavior, either side should always settle matters peacefully.
Though one thing intrigued Harrtugg Naaw and Arahon after all that has happened.
"Don''t you find it strange that the wizards and knights didn''t seem to have taken notice of your aggression a few days ago?", Arahon questioned.
"Who else is to me but the demonic creatures?!", Harrtugg Naaw shouted.
He suspected that those sly bastards had screwed up the League of Wizardry''s tediously constructedmunication channels.
"Bah, let''s stop talking about this."
The frost dragon raised his right hand and gathered the ice elements tens of kilometers around him. He was brewing another storm but this time, he imbued it with divinity. This made the sky suddenly shine a golden light, covering the ominous cracks far above it.
He grasped his hand and waved it sideways, finishing the spell.
"Divine cial Tempest Purge!"
Ice hail sted the earth, ripping through the trees and carving holes in the snow-deprived ground. Although it appeared deadly from afar, the magical beasts that bathed under the storm had the demonic essence tormenting them being slowly eroded.
Arahon wondered at Harrtugg Naaw''s actions. Though this was beneficial to cial magical beasts, it was extremely harmful to their demonic counterparts.
The storm continued to ravage for 5 minutes before it ceased. The skies turned clear but not for long as the cracks and horrifying aura returned.
Arahon and Harrtugg Naaw noticed how the cracks becamerger and saw some demonic creatures jumping out andnding nearby.
"Velgraehs, Norbbe, Skakkor, Kaerlordo!"
At his call, a dire swirl eagle, a frostal pr war bear, a cial scorpion, and a huge white-furred apended in front of Harrtugg Naaw and Arahon.
"My Lord!"
They were the four king-level magical beasts that the me dragon recently knocked out. Thetter was quite surprised that they recovered from his punch that quickly.
"You must have seen the dire situation we''re in and how the demonic creature made a fool of us by corrupting us with their hateful demonic essence!"
"But now isn''t the time to let them pay for what they have done! Rally your troops and prepare for a new fight!"
Skakkor, the cial scorpion, interjected, "My Lord, what about your dragon eggs?"
Arahon was annoyed that Skakkor discussed that issue, though he let it go for now and exined.
"We will pursue the perpetrator who stole my dragon eggster. We should work with the northerners first and face this threat altogether!"
How could they cooperate with the northerners after massacring thousands of their people?
When their senses caught up to the horrifying aura from above, they understood what their lord was talking about.
"My Lord, what about the other nine king beasts you locked up somewhere?", Norbbe, the frostal pr war bear dumbly asked.
Harrtugg Naaw was losing patience talking to a group of morons, making him appear like one in front of his loathing old ''fellow.'' He could imagine the grin Arahon was wearing on his face and his thoughts running in that me dragon''s head.
"Idiot, free them! Go with Velgraehs in case you are too slow to get there in time!"
Velgraehs and Norbbe departed in a sh. Their lord was angry and staying any longer wouldn''t end up well for them.
The dire swirl eagle cursed at her acquaintance, ''Damn bear, how dare you implicate me in such boring matters?!''
Although confronting the demonic beasts was a tough challenge, Velgraehs preferred it to recovering her fellowpanions who had been imprisoned somece in the northern cial continent.
"And you two, what are you blindly staring at? Don''t you have some beasts to rally?!"
Skakkor and Kaerlordo woke up from their stupor and departed. The former burrowed underground in search of his underlings while thetter hopped joyously and rhythmically started beating his chest while roaring.
"What a cordial rtionship you cial beasts truly have.", Arahonplimented.
"Shut up!", Harrtugg Naaw snorted, "You being here means that someone sent you to do something, right?"
"It''s best not to talk too much about those people, you know.", Arahon warned, "However, if you really want to work with the northerners, I can help you mend your troubled rtionship with them."
"State your price.", Harrtugg Naaw inquired.
Arahon shrugged, "Nothing too much that will break your heart, it''s not like I''m going to ask for one dragon egg of yours¡"
Harrtugg Naaw almost snapped but Arahon quickly changed the topic, "Oh, look. Your followers are back."
Standing at the mountain peak, Arahon and Harrtugg Naaw saw hundreds of thousands of magical beasts marching in unity to brave the impending invasion of the demonic beasts.
Those on the ground yelled in rage, while those in the air squealed in delight. Their shrieks were so loud that they drowned out their marching footsteps. Leading them was no other than the cial scorpion, Skakkor, and the white-furred ape, Kaerlordo.
"What about your beasts? Haven''t you tried calling them for once?", Harrtugg Naaw questioned.
Arahon shook his head, "I can''t seem to reach them from afar. This is strange. It''s as if something is blocking me from reaching the other side."
"Hmph, such ipetence.", Harrtugg Naaw snorted, "Since that is the case, let''s go before those bastards from above show up."
Arahon led them to where the encampment was but much to their shock, there wasn''t anything to be found except for a barren wastnd and some rubbles in the distance.
"Hey, me dragon. Are you sure you''re mentally fine right now?", the frost dragon took this chance in mocking Arahon.
"I am far better than when you were corrupted.", he replied.
However, he was confused about where in the heavens Solordo and his ssmates have gone after.
Did the army retreat that quickly? It was impossible.
The northern barbarians were too prideful to ever do that. If ever they started acting cowardly, it would take them at least several hours to pack everything up and move out of the area.
"Arahon, we''re wasting our time here. The demonic creatures are almost about to pass through!", Harrtugg Naaw reminded.
He could already see some ws protruding out of the cracks.
Either they futilely start searching for that encampment or prepare against the invasion.
"Search around for any clues! I know that they''re here just a few minutes ago!", Arahon insisted, "Some demonic creatures infiltrated the encampment before I departed. I didn''t think much about them before and left it for the warriors to deal with but for things to go this way¡"
Arahon somewhat regretted that he didn''t kill them all right away. He was confident that with High King Garron and Solordo around, they would be able to deal with any situation that might arise.
''If the academy master finds out that I''ve fucked up¡''
Amidst his worry, Harrtugg Naaw ordered Skakkor, his underlings, and the aerial beasts to quickly take a circle around the ce and see if something would help them.
As for Kaerlordo and the rest of the magic beasts, Harrtugg Naaw ordered them to retreat into the mountain ranges for now. That ce had several natural and terrain advantages that could help them contain the threat of the demonic beasts without suffering too many casualties.
Although Kaerlordo looked dumbed on the outside, the ape was quite clever. Preparing a n for their defense wasn''t a problem the ape couldn''t solve.
Not long after, two beasts returned and carried with them an interesting report.
"My Lord, we have spotted two figures, one young woman and one old man, on the other side of our position. The old man seems to be someone from the League of Wizardry, wearing a set of pure white robes."
"Howe they didn''t notice you? Are you sure you''re not lying to us?!", the frost dragon warned.
A person dressed entirely in white robes denoted the presence of an elder from the League of Wizardry. It was especially eye-catching since both wizards and mages donned magnificent outfits,pletely the opposite of what the real powerhouses dress.
No other person would ever dare to wear it simrly unless they wanted to die.
In addition, these seniors were archmages themselves, one of the most powerful beings in Aludia. If an archmage couldn''t even detect the existence of these little animals, then the two in front had to be lying.
Besides, Arahon and Harrtugg Naaw should have sensed the existence of this so-called ''elder''.
The two beasts prostrated, asserting the fact that they really saw someone like that when they went out earlier.
Seeing their reaction, Arahon and Harrtugg Naaw looked at each other and nodded.
"Fine. So be it. Lead us to where you found those two then."
Chapter 85 Grouping Up (2)
Elder Flock and the young woman beside him dazedly stood in the opennd in front of them and bloodied ruins behind them. The sight was like the difference between heaven and hell.
"Emilia, you said that you sensed a disturbance in the spatial integrity of the main ne here in this particr location?", Elder Flock asked.
If others saw his demeanor, they would question how unnaturally calm this old man was even though the sky looked like the world was about to end.
Furthermore, Emilia, the young woman apanying him, wasn''t worried about the thing above. Rather, the spatial disturbance mentioned by Elder Flock concerned her more than anything else.
She raised both of her silky long hands whose thin arms were covered by the long sleeve of her dark-blue robe. The space in front rippled as if someone threw a rock on the calm water of ake.
"It''s not the only disturbance I felt, master. There is another one nearby but the scale is smaller."
Emilia had to thank the person responsible for therge meteor in the sky earlier. She guessed that because of the pressure that the spell emitted, whatever hid this disturbance must have worn off, causing her to notice the anomaly in the spatial integrity of this location.
''What a strong concealment technique. Those demonic creatures are surely putting all of their efforts into this, eh?''
Elder Flock briefed her on what was happening in the northern cial continent. Surprisingly for the old man, the adventurous young girl easily agreed.
"I see. You seem too eager to fix this disturbance. Don''t you think your curiosity could turn out worse?", Elder Flock warned.
"Well, I don''t think it would be that dangerous, master.", Emilia reasoned, intriguing the old man.
"Remember the army of warriors led by the High King of Norva Assili? I think they''re on the other isted side, master."
"Istion?", Elder Flock knew what she meant but he was confused.
"Probably because they want to mess with the bnce of power? The demonic creatures were careful of High King Garron''s power so they may have targeted him and tried to use the ne istion techniques to force his cards out of the table."
Emilia was unsure, "Though I think my and your presence here wasn''t part of their ns. Otherwise, they would have considered this step."
Emilia was a spatial magic user and the only one to have ever existed in Aludia with an innate affinity to space, one of the most mysterious concepts in the world of magic.
In front of a spatial magic user, tricks like spatial istion weren''t worth a sweat, though the cracks above were a problem that Emilia wouldn''t quickly solve given its scale.
Furthermore, she had another reason for not solving the crack problem for now.
"Master, I''m going to fix the isted ne now. Look out for me if things go wrong, just like the old times, hehehe¡", Emilia mischievously giggled, darkening the old man''s expression.
He extremely hated the part where he was the one to fix this spoiled brat''s mess.
''You''re a damn academy master of one of the best magic academies yet you''re acting childish! Unbelievable!''
Elder Flock was losing his mind.
Although Emilia was the most talented human he had ever met second to Dartex and Eluard, her behavior and personality were a little off.
"Hmm? Monarch-level beasts?"
He was too focused on Emilia''s discovery that he forgot their presence ever since he arrived here.
''So the beasts decided to attack us now¡ eh?''
Elder Flock saw two draconic figuresnding not far away from them.
"Damn it, master! Don''t tell me they''re the beasts you were talking about earlier?", Emilia panicked.
She wouldn''t be able to do anything about the anomaly if an archmage and a powerful beast shed with one another.
"Hmm, I don''t feel the usual aggression. I''ll see what they''re up to. Continue with your work.", Elder Flock waved his hands and simultaneously set up a strong protective barrier.
He walked forward and greeted the two transfigured dragons.
"What does the two of you bring here, may I know?"
"So you''re really an elder from the League.", Arahon, the red-skinned dragon said.
Elder Flock narrowed his eyes, wondering what Arahon meant by that.
"I''ll be blunt, have you seen a bunch of northern barbarians, archmage?", Harrtugg Naaw inquired.
Elder Flock was alerted, "Oh, you''re looking for them?"
"Don''t be so guarded against us. We''re not here to fight. We''re here to seek cooperation.", Arahon exined.
"You expect me to believe you easily?", Elder Flock didn''t believe their stories. A bunch of savages wanted to speak with them?
"After seeing this, you will."
Arahon lowered his head and showed to Elder Flock the glistening mark on the top of his forehead. The me dragon was certain that the old man would recognize it.
After all, the League stored vast knowledge and information concerning the existence of the Heavenly Magic Academy and the history of the magical beasts.
Shocked, Elder Flock pointed, "That is-, the mark of allegiance! You were also sent here by the Heavenly Magic Academy?!"
The two dragons were dumbfounded, particrly Arahon.
"Also? Old man, don''t tell me you were approached by them as well?"
Elder Flock realized that he misspoke but he thought that it was better this way.
"If we were sent here together for the same reason, then that would make things easy."
Arahon agreed, "Indeed.", retracting the mark on his forehead.
"What about that guy beside you? Are they in as well? You should know that the magical beasts in this region are assimting a huge force to attack the northerners."
Arahonughed, "Don''t worry about it, old man.", patting Harrtugg Naaw''s back, "This guy is no longer in that state that you are so worried about."
"The beasts are already taken care of, that''s why we''re here to talk about establishing a temporary alliance to fight that thing above together."
"Yeah¡ he is right¡", Harrtugg Naaw embarrassingly replied.
Elder Flock eased up, knowing that monarch-level beasts like the two in front of him wouldn''t lie about such a thing. Moreover, he reckoned that the red dragon was foreign and was assigned by the academy to suppress the magical beasts.
Meanwhile, he and Emilia, through Eluard, were assigned to deal with the problem of the spreading undead essence.
Their chance meeting could be considered a coincidence. Neither party expected the Otherworld to go for a more serious move, such as the demonic invasion presented above.
"Since that is the case, I''ll agree to cooperate with you.", Elder Flock turned around and gestured for the two to follow him.
"The two of us are simrly looking for the presence of the northern barbarians as well. My student, Emilia, has observed several anomalies in the spatial integrity in this location and another one nearby."
"She thinks that the demonic creatures have isted the nes, trapping the warriors or whoever was inside."
Arahon and Harrtugg Naaw observed the young man who closed her eyes and was sweating all over.
"Is she trying to fix the anomaly and rescue whoever is trapped on the other side?"
Elder Flock nodded to the me dragon''s question.
"Then what about reinforcements? Does the League or the Knights know of the situation around here?", Harrtugg Naaw worried.
It was certain death if they face the invasion alone.
"That''s not necessary."
Arahon was bbergasted by Elder Flock''s response, "What do you mean by not necessary?! Old man, that is the fucking Otherworld we are talking about!"
"My student is a spatial magic user and she told me that the demonic creatures had locked up the entire region away from the Aludia. Even if you screamed with all your might, the people outside won''t hear our cry for help."
"Also, since they locked up the ce, those demonic creatures wouldn''t be able to pass in anything stronger than a king-level beast or a graferhal."
Elder Flock was confident in his assessment. A smaller in couldn''t contain the more powerful beings or else it would copse and possibly kill the intruder, and further implicate the world where the intruder came from.
Furthermore, he had the impression that the demonic creatures had meticulously nned everything. It appears that they were intended in doing something and that something was not a one-sided massacre of either side.
''They''re probably testing the waters and see how their enemies would react.''
That was the elder''s conclusion after piecing up his experiences in the past few days.
Him capturing Dartex and them failing to trail his smell has already exposed the fact that the Heavenly Magic Academy has returned.
Of course, he didn''t expect beforehand that the academy would be shorthanded in manpower. Otherwise, the seeding events wouldn''t have mattered regardless if the Otherworld knew of it or not.
During their conversation, they noticed the space beside them warping strangely and emitting indescribable sounds.
"Master, stay back!", Emilia warned.
The three people backed a hundred meters away.
Emilia then circled both her hands counterclockwise before weaving some signs. Simultaneously, 9rge transparent magic circles appeared in a dome-like pattern all around the space.
She sped her hands together after her preparations, "Spatial Restoration: Affixation!"
After incantating the words, the space in front of her trembled and the encampment that was missing warped in.
A strong force pushed Emilia away but was soon caught by her master.
"Emilia, are you okay?!"
The woman clenched her teeth in annoyance. It happens every time she tries to reconnect isted nes to the main structure.
"It''s nothing, master! What a dumb thing that was!"
He helped his student up and saw the downed soldiers at the entrance of the encampment. The ce was eerily silent which was supposed to be filled with rowdy warriors all around.
"The entire encampment was taken down?!", Arahon was in disbelief.
"No, it''s not taken down. There are several people up ahead and one of them emits a radiant knight''s power!", Harrtugg Naaw refuted.
"A radiant knight''s power?!"
Chapter 86 Lilas Tragedy
The reconnection of space alerted the beasts that were searching in the sky, on the ground, or beneath it. Those who were too close to the spatial warp were pushed by a powerful force, killing the weaker ones.
Meanwhile, a group of cial scorpions burrowed under noticed a weak cry above their current positions.
"Do you hear that?!", said one of the patrols.
"It''s too weak. This is like¡ a small child crying!"
"Should we¡"
"No, don''t do it!"
They didn''t dare to resurface until they were clear of their current situation. The warriors remained unaware of the changes in the minds of the magical beasts so the cial scorpions raced in the direction of their lord, Harrtugg Naaw.
"Go, go, go! Tell our lord about this discovery. Something might have happened when the ground above us trembled fiercely earlier!"
And right they were.
At the center of a huge campfire were bodies of both warriors and the members of a particr merchant caravan. The red blood that sttered all over ascertained one thing.
These people were no longer alive.
"Papa¡ papa¡"
A small girl mindlessly nudged the corpse of a man whose throat was slit by a sharp weapon. She was the only one alive in the middle of this nightmare.
Apart from that, the man''s eye was poked with something, leaving it hollow and horrifying to look at.
It was no other than L and her father, Aurpiel.
"Wake up, papa¡ wake up, please! You''re not dead, right?"
Her father''s corpse didn''t respond but the little elf didn''t give up. Aurpiel still promised to her that he would bring her to meet Jinmu and Emi again.
With a face drenched in blood, L continuously nudged him. She didn''t think Aurpiel would keep lying down there despite her constant nudging.
"Papa¡ papa¡ no, it can''t be..."
L was distracted. They were only a few minutes ago, alive and well, happily conversing with the warriors until thetter suddenly pointed their weapons at them and began a massacre.
She turned to the sides and nudged a woman dressed in tattered wizard robes, "Auntie Meyera... please wake up... you said that everything would be alright, right?"
L recalled the mage grabbing her and pushing her into the carriage. After that, there was nothing but roars of warriors and guards fighting each other, shing their metal des as they hacked their weapons in front of their enemies.
Before she could look up what happened outside, a deafening roar knocked her out but not for long. When she left the carriage, she was met with a maddening sight and found that everyone else but her was dead.
"Please wake up... please, please, please..."
"Uncle Greywolf... Uncle Orlorn, can somebody wake up?!"
Her voice cracked and she was shivering all over.
L persuaded herself that everything was just a dream. As she crawled to find someone who was still alive, her head stumbled and raised her head.
She saw a draconic figure dressed in thick white robes, staring at her withplicated feelings.
"Sir... are you here to rescue us? Please help me... My papa isn''t waking up. Uncle Greywolf, uncle Orlorn, and auntie Meyera aren''t waking up either... They must be asleep, maybe you could wake them up..."
L clutched at his glistening and smooth icy dragon scales, hoping that Harrtugg Naaw could ''revive'' the dead merchant caravan.
She was losing hope and she couldn''t bring herself to imagine that Aurpiel and the rest has already passed away.
''L already lost mama when I was small, I don''t want to lose papa and everyone else again!''
Harrtugg Naaw alongside Arahon, Elder Flock, Emilia, and his minions, emotionally looked at the devastated and whimpering little elf.
Despite having witnessed simr gruesome scenes their entire lives, the four of them were disgusted by the sight. On their way here, they took care of the remaining demonic creatures who were slowly regaining control of their destroyed bodies.
Arahon''s face was as dark as it could be. He regretted not dealing with the disguised demonic creatures and felt he had indeed messed up. Even though taking care of L and the merchant caravan wasn''t his responsibility, letting such an incident happen shook his conscience and pride.
"Little girl, you must be tired. Let this big uncle give you a moment of respite."
Harrtugg Naaw raised his hands and injected arge wave of ice element inside L''s head.
''Winter''s Embrace.''
The elf felt her head lighten up and lost consciousness right after. Emilia opened a small portal and let L''s figure fall into her arms.
"Master, what do you think happened here for this tragedy to ur?", she was equally infuriated and wanted to st the demonic creatures back into their world.
"I think High King Garron in the distance may have known what happened here. Let''s go."
High King Garron became alert and drew out his sword when they arrived. He was surprised to see Arahon and an elder of the League group up with what he thought was the transfiguration of Harrtugg Naaw.
"Arahon, elder, what do the likes of you have to do with this vile beast?!"
"Rx, youngd. Harrtugg Naaw is not here to fight with you.", Arahon corrected, "The demonic creatures corrupted his mind and the rest of the magical beasts as well. Fret not, I have purified them of such ailments."
High King Garron was still skeptical. He was not going to believe the words of a beast who was now colluding with the one who had ughtered thousands of his brethren.
"Why didn''t youe over here and tell us earlier?!"
Emilia stepped up, "It''s not like they didn''t want to, High King. You were trapped here inside a spatial istion technique."
Jinmu, who was kneeling on two and overseeing his unconscious ssmates, was dumbfounded by Emilia''s words.
''She knows that we were isted all this time?''
When the skies turned crimson red and his ssmates copsed to the ground, a system prompt informed him that they were trapped inside a spatial istion technique. It baffled him since the demonic creature wasn''t able to set up the scroll before.
Intrigued, Jinmu used the system to analyze Emilia''s information.
[ Name: Emilia Kayle ]
[ Age: 40 years old ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Status: Alive ]
[ Affiliation: Morning Star Academy (Academy Master), League of Wizardry ]
[ Magic Power: Grandmaster Magus (Median Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Spatial Magic Root (Mythical) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 9.6/10 (Grandmaster Magus) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Space ]
''I-isn''t she the academy master of the Morning Star Academy?!'', Jinmu was surprised, ''So she has an innate affinity to space, huh?''
No wonder she was able to detect the spatial istion technique.
"High King, it''s best if we listen to them right now."
Haera and Solordo also looked at the high king and seconded Jinmu''s advice.
Left with no choice, High King Garron swung his sword and pointed it at Harrtugg Naaw, "Don''t me me if I''m going to behead you the moment I sense that you are up to no good."
He sheathed his sword and chose to cooperate.
"So what''s the n? These warriors aren''t in the best condition as you can see and it will take them some time to get back up."
"If not for those damn demonic creatures enchanting my men, I would''ve ughtered them before they were able to spout such nonsense inside their heads."
Elder Flock nodded in understanding, "The demonic creatures did something like that, huh?"
He nced at L who was being carried by Emilia, "No wonder her father died."
The old man mused that the demonic creatures, with all the chaos going around, enchanted some warriors near the caravan and persuaded the rest that Aurpiel''s men were here for a not-so-good reason.
High King Garron heard Elder Flock''s words, "Her?"
"We saw a pile of bodies on our way here littered around some carriages. Do you know those people?", Arahon exined.
"L!", Haera was aghast, "What do you mean her father died?!"
They''vepletely forgotten about the merchant caravan.
Arahon saw through Haera and sighed, "It''s no use regretting now. Firstly, we must¡"
The sky shed again, dimming the already crimson red background.
Roar!
The earth shook as the howls of the demonic beasts echoed in the entire area.
A group of dire swirl eagles descended and hovered right above High King Garron and the rest.
"My lord, the demonic creatures are now spawning from the cracks! What do we do?!"
"Damn it, my warriors are still unconscious! We can''t just leave them behind!", High King Garron argued.
"No worries, I can bring them all into a ce quickly.", Emilia handed L over to her master and nced at Harrtugg Naaw, "Tell me where are we going to hole up."
The ice dragon roared in a certain direction and a momentter, another roar could be heard. Emilia closed her eyes and tracked the source.
She then raised her hands and crossed them diagonally. Eight transparent magic circles appeared around her.
Before they knew it, everyone was covered in light. They started floating in ce as she channeled her entire mana into the execution of her spell.
Emilia gritted her teeth and shouted, "Greater Spatial Translocation!"
Chapter 87 The Demonic Beasts Attack
On the mountain ranges near Sokovo Stronghold, thousands of warriorsy on the soft snow as several magic beasts tended to them.
"How long will your people wake up?", Arahon asked High King Garron.
"I don''t know either. It''s my first time inflicting that shout upon them. Probably an hour or so."
High King Garron''s reply made them speechless. How could they defend against the attack with such an unknown variable on their hands?
"Then we''ll have to fend for ourselves for a while.", Elder Flock sighed, "Regardless, we need toe up with a n on how to deal with the demonic beasts and the undead beings that have spread around Norva Assili."
He had told the rest of the events with regards to the corruption of undead essence that inflicted several strongholds and viges inside the northern cial continent. He left out the part about Eluard''s involvement, however.
"But master, weren''t we supposed to meet with that person you were talking about?", Emilia reminded him.
"Now that you''ve mentioned it, I haven''t seen that brat for a while."
"What person are you talking about?", Arahon asked.
The others were intrigued as well, particrly Jinmu, ''Are they referring to senior Kai? He left us a while ago telling us that he was going to deal with his mission.''
''It is logical for senior Kai to ask assistance from Elder Flock. I remember that day when he arrived at the academy but I never saw him again. Did the academy master flung him out?''
He nced at the old man who was rubbing his jaw in contemtion. Jinmu chose to not talk to him and waited for Elder Flock to approach them.
He signaled for his ssmates to do the same as well, and surprisingly, they agreed.
"Let''s not waste our time mulling whoever that person was. The battle is right in front of our eyes.", Harrtugg Naaw argued.
Everyone agreed. With that put aside, Elder Flock stepped forward and drew a miniature map of the northern cial continent on the ground.
"The crack looks to be spanning horizontally on the horizon, though I doubt the Otherworld would scatter their forces around if they choose to aggressively attack our positions."
"I am unsure of whether they would target the nearby viges and strongholds, but just to be careful, I hope that the magical beasts could lend us a hand in defending these ces until High King Garron''s army wakes up from their sleep."
The frost dragon nodded, "I have already told my subordinates to head to the nearest settlements and defend it at all costs.", before looking at the High King, "With the damages we have incurred at your people, I am willing to sacrifice my men to atone for the aggression that I have dealt upon the entire Norva Assili."
High King Garron remained silent but he was actually overjoyed to hear those words. He did not want to express his emotions because doing so would irritate him and tarnish his pride.
Elder Flock then continued, "The four of us, ascended beings, will each take a position in the four different directions. I will guard the east, the frost dragon will guard the west, Arahon will guard the north, and High King Garron will guard the south."
"We will use our skills to thin out the approaching demonic beasts. I don''t care if some weakling slips past through you but don''t ever let go of the big ones.", he reminded.
"The beasts on our side will be grouped ordingly with most of the aerial beasts stationed at the eastern and western sides of the mountain ranges, while most of the ground and underground beasts will be stationed at the northern and southern sides."
ording to the map, the northern and southern sides were not particrly mountainous and covered a lot of t ground. The western and eastern sides were theplete opposite.
"Emilia, you stay in the center and try to close the rift above before things go bad."
Elder Flock nced at the five familiar figures that he met at the Heavenly Magic Academy.
''Now is not the time to tell them about my true intentions. Maybe when Mr. Kai returns...''
"The elf alongside those youngsters will remain here with Emilia and protect her and the unconscious warriors until they wake up."
Elder Flock''s words dampened the students'' enthusiasm. They were ecstatic to be fighting alongside the powerful beings of Aludia. After all, it was a one-of-a-kind experience avable only to Heavenly Magic Academy students.
The old man red at the pouting youngsters.
"Remember, we must hold out until Emilia closes the rift. Once she does, we will kill any stragglers and hunt the demonic creatures responsible for this chaos!"
Closing the rift did not mean that the spatial istion which wasrgely applied to the entire region would disappear. Emilia was certain that calling the Otherworld and isting the nes were two different things.
In other words, once the rift was closed, the demonic creatures will remain trapped in the region and use their own spatial istion technique against them. That will then give Elder Flock and the rest a chance to persecute the perpetrators of this incident.
As for the demonic creatures escaping through a portal?
Emilia wouldn''t let them do as they wished, nor did she consider the fact that the demonic creatures have such an arsenal in their hands. The confiscated demonic scroll implied the impossibility of the scenario even happening in the first ce.
If they truly were spatial magic users, why would they resort to using external tools in achieving their needs?
Elder Flock gazed at them, "Are there any questions?"
Emilia raised her hand, "Master, I think I should check out that remaining spatial anomaly first. I have a feeling that something significant lies on the other side of that isted ne."
She felt a wave of resonance in her magic root before they departed. It had never happened to her previously which intrigued her. She remembered the direction perfectly, and it pointed to the location of the spatial anomaly.
"And who are you going to bring with you? Our hands are full here.", Elder Flock asked.
"Them.", Emilia pointed at Veron and his party.
"This is no time for spections!", Harrtugg Naaw refuted, "You should be focusing on closing the rift and not some random spatial anomaly!"
"Also, you''re going to tread in a dangerous area flooded with demon beasts around. What if you get stuck there for no good reason?!", High King Garron added, "And what about my daughter? She''s just young and isn''t ready for all of this. You want her to die?!"
He was furious because he had only recently reunited with his daughter and was about to lose her again.
"Academy Master Emilia has a point, elders. What if something significant truly lies in that spatial anomaly?", Haera stepped in.
She, just like Emilia, also felt a wave of resonance inside her magic root after they returned from being isted in their ne.
"Furthermore, it''s not like we are a bunch of weak wizards.", she said while putting her shoulder on Solordo and Jinmu.
The other three who were Emi, Lucan, and Olivia, were roused by a sh of Elder Flock''s divinity earlier, pulling them out of the nightmare caused by the horrifying aura leaking out of the cracks.
"Master, please.", Emilia begged, "I''m a spatial magic user, remember? I can get in and out whenever I like. And those demonic beasts will be there when our presence is already gone.", assuring her anxious master of her skills.
Hearing the roar of the demonic beasts from afar, Elder Flock sighed, "Fine. Go over there and do what you must do. Do not take your time!"
The group quickly left after the old man''s confirmation.
"Let''s go and get to our positions. The demonic beasts are already upon us.", Arahon shouted.
Finally, he was going to get a piece of action after waiting for a long time. He cracked his draconic knuckles and jumped high to the skies.
"Oh, there are so many of them! I''d like to roast them to death!"
From 5 kilometers away, thousands of demonic beasts savagely charged towards their position. Some of them were huge while the others were small.
In their red eyes emanated a strong thirst for blood and excitement in the killing. Arahon could see the saliva dripping out of their mouths which disgusted him.
The me dragon gathered his hands and pushed downward, elerating his fall.
"Magmatic Downfall!"
When he reached the ground, the earth in front of the charging demonic beasts shook violently, revealing a pool of magma beneath.
The demonic beasts who were slow fell to their deaths, scorched by the hot magma and leaving nothing but a trace of smoke in the air.
The flying demonic beasts sneered and flew above the hole.
"Magmatic Hydralisks!"
A deafening hiss echoed before a long serpentine monster sprang from the pool of magma and caught the flying demonic beasts hovering in the air.
After teaching the scornful beasts a lesson, they hissed again and spat outrge volumes ofva from their mouths. It sprayed the entire air and vaporized all the demonic creatures that were too slow to dodge them.
The hydralisks then let gravity take over and crushed the unlucky beasts on the ground with their monstrous bodies.
"Die, you bastards of the Otherworld!", Arahon shouted as he observed the massacre from afar.
''I wonder how the others are doing, eh?''
His sense was fully focused on the direction in front of him. He did not want a sneaky bastard to get through his defense as that would be embarrassing for a divine beast like him.
Behind him was the white-furred ape whom he punched earlier. The ape was shivering in fear that he was assigned to a group with this ferocious fellow of a dragon.
"Uh, sir¡ I don''t think I am needed here, hehehe¡"
He tried to negotiate but Arahon didn''t reason.
"Stop whimpering over there! Do you see that huge fucker at the distance?!", the me dragon pointed at a metal-bodied gori standing at 40 meters in height.
The demonic beast was emanating a power simr to the white-furred ape. Thetter was furious just by looking at the face of that thing.
"Don''t you want to punch that gori to death?! Run over there now and start your rampage! Prove to the Otherworld that you are mightier than their stupid goris!", Arahon provoked the inner savagery of the white-furred ape.
Not a momentter¡
"Roar!", the ape furiously thumped its chest and grabbed a boulder before hurling it into the face of the gori who was busy thrashing the magmatic hydralisks that Arahon has summoned.
"Rargh!", the gori was infuriated. He recovered from the ambush strike and saw a white-furred ape charging at him with the intent to pulverize its existence into nothingness.
''Damn ape, you think you are stronger than me?!''
The gori wasn''t one to back down and threw punches at its rival. The two then started to beat each other up.
Arahon was so ted to see two king-level beasts fighting. Those at the dwarven mountainpass were so cowardly. They didn''t dare to cross the path of the other in fear that they would attract the attention of the League or the Knights.
It was so boring that Arahon hoped to die instead.
"That''s right, you two dumb fucks! Beat each other, please this master of yours!", the me dragonughed.
If Harrtugg Naaw was here, he would smack Arahon''s head. How dare he used his subordinates for his entertainment?!
"Achoo!", Solordo sneezed and scratched his nose, ''Why do I feel like I''m missing out on something great?''
Chapter 88 Revelation Of Plans
Arsolo Stronghold.
In the center of the settlementid thousands and thousands of bodies stacked like copper coins on top of one another. They were emitting a foul stench as their bodies slowly rot and their eyes and mouth hung wide open.
The marasakas dragged another batch of undead beings and arranged them in an adjacent column.
The foundation of this horrendous sight was arge magic circle painted in blood. On its center was the symbol of a pentagram with several smaller demonic symbols scattered around.
Mahiista observed the actions of his subordinates, hovering on top of the ritual site while holding his devil fork.
"Kekeke, foolish humans. They don''t know what''s in store for them."
"Though, that Allustro is truly one cunning demon. He sure is messing with the minds of those at the Heavenly Magic Academy.", he said while chuckling.
Allustro advised him that the academy would not rush up to him and will remain dormant until something significant happens. Even if they conducted preliminary inquiries, their adversaries would be unable to devise aprehensive n and put a halt to their efforts in time.
Allustro also implied that the academy couldn''t directly confront any troublemakers. Every trouble arises for a variety of reasons, and it cannot be solely caused by the demonic creatures themselves.
Otherwise, if the academy chooses to intervene in issues such as internal civil war, just like what Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary is experiencing, the people would regard it as a threat and demand a reasonable exnation from the academy for their needless involvement.
As a result, Allustro and the other demonic creatures affiliated with Vaha''s Dominion had an advantage in terms of proactive plotting. They could even perplex the academy by leading them to one conclusion beforeunching into a series of acts that would contradict, if not all, of their previous assumptions.
"I wonder how that demon ended up in a wastnd like this.", Mahiista mused.
Even though the Otherworld''s expanse was already vast and its might was overwhelming, it still needed an absurd number ofpetent demons to run things everywhere.
He was only puzzled as to why that crow-demon was stationed here when his abilities would undoubtedly shine onrger and more crucial battles.
"I''m going to ask him more once I finish this mission."
His momentary happiness was disrupted when a karagero approached him with slight hesitation, "Mahiista, what about the other warriors? Didn''t Allustro originally n the inclusion of the Siegfried n''s allies which will increase the probability of¡"
Mahiista waved his hands.
"Forget the original n. Don''t you see that things have taken a drastic turn?!"
"Harrtugg Naaw''s legion is now purified so who in the demon''s name would take all the me and retaliation of High King Garron''s army?!"
"If not for the fact that they were purified by that damn stupid me dragon, I wouldn''t have prematurely used the rift and proceeded with the original n instead!"
The purpose of him angering and demonizing the magic beasts was to lead an assault on Norva Assili, forcing High King Garron to act. The sh between the two massive forces would weaken either side and the distraction would dy them for as long as the magic beasts could.
During that time, Mahiista would make use of the undead beings that have stealthily multiplied under the notice of everyone. Opening the rift to call the Otherworld was supposed to be used only during the ritual summoning but he didn''t expect that things would turn awry just as he was about to start.
Thinking about it made Mahiista even more furious.
He grabbed his devil fork and pointed it at the forehead of his subordinate, "How about you shut up and go back to your post! We still have a long day ahead of us or do you want me to cut that short for you?!"
He snorted and spat on thetter''s face. It left without a word and gritted its teeth when his back faced Mahiista.
"Tsk, what a misfortune."
Mahiista ignored his subordinate and took out tworge bluish-white dragon eggs that were floating in his left hand. If Harrtugg Naaw was here, he would certainly re in rage as this was the dragon eggs that that despicable northerner has stolen from him.
There were originally four dragon eggs but Mahiista encountered an ''ident'' earlier and thus, reduced them into two.
"That Heavenly Magic brat managed to fuck up my n even more, but it doesn''t matter. Since there are only two dragon eggs, the quality will surely rise by a great margin."
He grinned while staring at the demonic symbol inscribed on the shells of the dragon eggs. The demonic symbol suddenly glistened, emitting a deep and mysterious aura.
The demonic power from his body burst out, shocking the weaker demons in the area.
"We are running out of time. Let us proceed to the main course.", he shouted.
The demonic creatures quickly ramped the remaining bodies and ran as far as they could.
Mahiista descended and ced the two dragon eggs in the center of two perfectly blood-inscribed circles that were 25 meters apart.
"Demonic Carnation: Asura''s Empowerment!"
A throbbing sensation originated from his heart. The dark blood running through his body became chaotic and boiled intensely. It was followed by the cracking of his bones and the twitching of his muscles.
His stature swelled by the second as a scarlet aura encircled him. After his full transformation, Mahiista resembled the manifestation of a mighty demon, standing 10 meters tall with hands the size of a column and two pairs of jagged demonic wings spreading across his back.
Then he began invoking bizarre phrases that gave off an unpleasant feeling. During this process, the dragon eggs rose slowly into mid-air. Alongside the undead beings who were shouting in agony, a scarlet aura surrounded them, the very same aura that Mahiista had.
The skies darkened even more. When a thunderous cry of a powerful demonic beast crossed over the northern cial continent, startling everyone, the rift began to quake violently.
"Demonic Summoning: Call of the Demonic Deathly Dragon!"
...
A few minutes before Mahiista proceed on to his evil ns, Emilia and her party appeared tens of kilometers away northeast of Sokovo Stronghold.
This was the ce of the other spatial anomaly that she had sensed earlier. The closer she got to it, the more intense the resonation her magical root felt.
Fortunately, there was scarcely any demonic beast running around. If anything, the cold weather was their only nemesis on this short adventure.
"So, academy master Emilia, what''s your reason for taking us with you here?", Haera suspiciously asked.
[ Author''s Note: From now on, the peak of magic cultivation pre-ascendance is called grandmaster wizard instead of grandmaster magus. ]
Emilia, with her strength as a grandmaster wizard, could go on her own without asking for anyone''s help. However, she seemed to have specifically chosen them as her entourage.
In addition to that, Haera remembered that Emilia and Elder Flock were supposed to meet with a particr person whose identity has yet to be known.
''Were they talking about Kai?''
She tried to deny it, but the coincidences were toopelling. Eluard left and was never seen again, but Emilia and her master appeared at the same time.
And the mostpelling of it all was the fact that her magic root was resonating. Nobody could ever make her feel that way except Eluard.
''Oh, quite sharp, isn''t she?'', Emilia raised her eyebrows. She was somewhat bewildered to see an elf, a bunch of non-northerner kids, and a me dragon in the northern cial continent.
The elves were thought to be a reclusive race who preferred to stay in their homnd rather than travel elsewhere. As for the non-northerner kids, Emilia found Lucan and Jinmu quite familiar but couldn''t recall who they were and when shest saw them.
Furthermore, their distinctive mage robes, which she had never seen before, and that extremely familiar sign embedded on their left chest, which she had forgotten what it was, piqued her interest and led her to believe that they had been sent here by someone.
And that someone must be that person who had requested her master''s help. As for that me dragon who called himself Arahon, Emilia mused that he was dispatched here for another reason, though she was unsure what kind of person could gather the mighty force of a divine beast.
"Nothing, I just want to confirm something."
"Confirm what?", Haera inquired.
"You will knowter.", Emilia didn''t reveal her ns and Haera didn''t insist on knowing it.
The four youngsters were confused about what was happening. Why are these two big sisters suddenly arguing with one another?
Only Jinmu himself realized the current situation, though he wasn''t going to tell his ssmates any time soon. He wanted to see what Emilia was up to as well, and how will the rest react to it.
"The anomaly is right here. I''m going to start now. Just cover my back."
As the spatial force acted on it, the cracks popped up and started to mend with one another. Haera and Jinmu nced at it before returning their attention to their surroundings.
The rest, however, were astonished and continued observing the strange phenomenon.
''The scale is lesser than that previous one.'' Emilia noted, ''What kind of person or thing is trapped inside here and why would their enemies iste them of all things?''
She thought that it was a waste of resources and time to randomly iste a ne for baseless reasons. After all, spatial magic stored in paryus or demonic scrolls was one of a kind.
Producing them was too difficult because one needed to have extensive knowledge of both spatial magic and magic array formations. Acquiring them was even worse.
Emilia dispersed the unnecessary thoughts and heightened her focus on fixing this spatial anomaly. She then felt her magic root resonate even more, thrilling her.
What could make her feel this way? Was it a heavenly defying treasure? A portal to another world?
Or maybe was it a marvelous prince charming she had dreamt of for a long time?
In the middle of her imagination, the cracks have fully mended and all that was left was for her to pull the isted ne back.
Emilia weaved a few signs before sping her hands altogether. 9 transparent magic circles appeared around the isted space and Emilia incantated, "Spatial Restoration: Affixation!"
The space warped in, producing a shockwave that blew the snow in all directions. Emilia was prepared this time and distanced herself, preventing anyone from being blown away.
Behind the snow dust, a silhouette of a man could be seen.
Haera''s breath quickened as the feeling in her magic root intensified, ''There''s no doubt that he is¡''
When the snow settled, Haera and the five youngsters widened their eyes in surprise.
"Kai!"
"Senior brother Kai!"
Chapter 89 Closing The Rift (1)
Eluard walked out of the smoke with a pale face. A smear of blood could be seen on his mouth, worrying Haera and his students.
"Kai!"
"Senior brother!"
Solordo dashed and caught Eluard by the arm, supporting his frail body lest his senior brother passes out.
''Curse that Mahiista! If I knew he had a trump card, I wouldn''t have let my guard down¡''
Eluard was ambushed by that demonic creature while he was on his way to meet with Elder Flock. Thetter spouted a lot of things that lowered his guard.
? Mahiista then stabbed him with its devil fork in the middle of their conversation, set up a spatial istion technique, and left him to die.
Fortunately, Eluard had some healing items stashed away in his inventory. Coupled with the divinity stored in his fire essence, he burned up all the demonic essence that seeped inside his body and in addition, healed his wounds.
Despite his recovery, however, the stress induced by the demonic essence put him in a bad spot.
Jinmu knelt in front of him and asked, "Senior brother, you look injured. Did someone attack you earlier?"
"Yeah¡ that demonic creature almost got me but now is not the time to worry about my safety¡", he said while coughing out blood.
"We need to treat your wounds right now, Mr. Kai!", Haera interjected. Seeing the man who saved her life hanging around on the edge hurt her deeply.
"That big elf sister is right, senior brother.", Olivia and the rest agreed.
Emilia simply stood on the sidelines and observed, feeling her chin after confirming her thoughts.
Eluard caught aware of her presence.
"You must be¡ the person that undid the thing, huh?"
"Yes I am, and you are?", Emilia raised her eyebrows.
"Call me Kai...", Eluard was cut short after coughing out blood. Haera went over and used her handkerchief to wipe the blood.
"Thanks..."
"Do not thank me. I''m just worried about you, that is all.", she blushed while replying.
Realizing their mistake, Jinmu introduced Emilia to Eluard.
"Ah, senior brother. I almost forgot. She''s academy master Emilia. She''s here to help us with the problem against the demonic creatures¡"
"I know.", Eluard stood up, "It''s about time I meet the person whom Elder Flock has invited."
Confused, Emilia saw blood trickling out of his mouth again, "You¡ don''t look really good. How about we leave here first and talk once you get yourself healed up?"
"My current condition does not matter. Mahiista¡"
The space shook as the rift above their heads shone with extreme darkness and a loud horrifying dragon roar echoed from the other side.
A few momentster, a huge column of dark beam struck from the rift andnded far away in the east.
"That location is Arsolo Stronghold!", Olivia covered her mouth, "Don''t tell me the Otherworld just¡"
A dark thought grew on her mind. The others were equally terrified as well. They could sense a tremendous despairing aura flowing from that ck beam, and they had a feeling that something powerful would soon arrive in this realm.
"He has started it¡", Eluard lowly cursed, "Get us out of here, now!"
Emilia was bothered by how this young brat addressed and ordered her, though she knew that he was right. Nevertheless, she gathered her mana and prepared to teleport them out of the ce.
"Gather round!", sping her hands together, 6 transparent magic circles appeared, "Spatial Translocation!"
¡
"Hah!"
High King Garron lunged forward, shing at the twin-headed hellhound who roared at his face.
The sharp frostal ice de cleanly cut the two heads, spurting a fountain of blood to the ground.
"When is this gonna end?!"
Watching the group of demon beasts from afar made him worry.
He had been fighting for minutes and killed endless demon beasts yet their numbers do not seem to dwindle at all. Rather, they continued rampaging in the area without a care for their lives.
Although he was a radiant knight with a huge reserve of strength, it didn''t mean that he could recklessly battle as he wished.
There was still the Siegfried n who had betrayed their cause and sooner orter would fight against him, and the leader of the demonic creatures who orchestrated thisrge-scale attack.
Amidst his frustration, he noticed several behemoth figures charging in the distance.
"Are they¡ the king-level beasts of the Otherworld?", he pondered.
"No, High King.", a magical beast beside him corrected, "They are our big bosses!"
"Hmm?"
High King Garron observed again and saw that some demon beasts were flung into the air before a strong gust of wind swept past them and killed them.
"So fast!", the high king was surprised. Even his eyes couldn''t keep up with the movement of this king-level magical beast.
It halted in the air and disyed its huge majestic wings.
"Oh, big boss Velgraehs!", the magical beast was astonished.
"Velgraehs? Is that the name of the king-level dire swirl eagle?", High King Garron muttered, "But why are they here?"
He remembered that these king-level beasts who were under the direct orders of the frost dragon were supposed to reinforce the nearby stronghold and viges and defend it against the assault of the demon beasts.
''Don''t tell me that my vigers died before they could respond?''
''Or they didn''t listen to that damn frost dragon''s orders at all?!''
The thought angered the high king. Furious, he charged at the demon beasts as well to meet up with the reinforcements.
"Velgraehs!", High King Garron shouted, "What are you doing here of all the times?!"
The monstrous dire swirl eagle heard his shout and paused mid-air, "High King Garron, I thought you wanted our help?"
"And I thought you were going to help us as well! Shouldn''t you be somece else right now?", questioning Velgraehs''s presence.
Velgraehs let out a gasp, "Oh, as much as I hate it, though we were ordered by our lord, unfortunately, there are no sightings of anyone inside the nearby viges and strongholds.", replying coldly.
"What?! What did you just say?"
"Your people are missing and we don''t know where have they gone to or what happened to them. So instead of wasting time in those deserted ces, we chose to head back here instead."
Velgraehs was in fact, shocked about their findings. How could arge poption of northerners suddenly vanish from their homes without gathering too much attention?
"Don''t lie to me!", High King Garron remained doubtful.
Before Velgraehs could reply, a roar from the heavens shook the entire realm. She shivered uncontrobly and fell to the ground, dazed by the phenomenon that just happened.
"This is-!"
High King Garron raised his head and could see the entire sky further darken.
"Everyone, retreat to the inner mountains!", Elder Flock ordered through telepathy, "King-level beasts, maintain the defense! We will discuss something for a moment!"
High King Garron and the rest followed. They then saw the dark expression on each other and knew that things had gone out of hand.
"Harrtugg Naaw, I thought you ordered your men to help the northerners. Why have they returned quickly like a terrified dog?", Arahon used the frost dragon.
He, just like High King Garron, also met with the king-level magical beasts.
"I thought that they had exined it to you clearly, that the people inside the strongholds or viges are missing for no reason."
"The people are missing?", the other three simultaneously gasped.
"He''s right.", a familiar weak voice interjected.
The four ascended beings looked over the source of this voice and saw Emilia''s group walking out of the cover of the snow-deprived trees.
Arahon recognized Eluard among them and wanted to hurry over but Elder Flock overshadowed him, "Uh-! Mr. Kai!"
"Elder Flock.", Eluard replied weakly.
Emilia saw how her master treated this young brat like a golden treasure, afraid that he would die at any moment.
''Tsk, what''s so special about him? I guess he''s just a third-party nobody that was assigned to meet with me and my master. How dare he act haughtily like that? I''m going to punish himter!''
She was the respected academy master of the second-best magical academy in Aludia. For Eluard to order her as if she was working directly under him irked her to the core.
"Who is this young man?!", Harrtugg Naaw questioned, piquing the interest of everyone unaware of Eluard''s identity.
"Oh, him¡ uh¡", Elder Flock hesitated, leaning over Eluard''s ears and whispered, "Should I¡ Mr. Kai?"
Although Heavenly Magic Academy was a well-known ''factual'' existence in the upper ranks of the League, he still had to respect the other party''s wishes if they wanted their privacy from everybody else.
"It doesn''t matter now, Elder Flock. Just tell them. It''s better this way anyway. And my master won''t bother too much about it."
Eluard made up his mind after his short yet deathly encounter with Mahiista.
Elder Flock nodded, "Then¡", clearing his throat and straightening his back, "Everyone and particrly you, Emilia, this is Mr. Kai, someone from the Heavenly Magic Academy."
"He was sent here, alongside his...", the old man nced at the five youngsters, "...juniors to monitor and respond to the threat of the demonic creatures in the northern cial continent."
"He-heavenly Magic Academy?!"
Emilia was in utter disbelief.
"So-"
"Shut it.", Eluard coughed out blood again, ''Damn it! Can''t you stabilize yourself for one moment?!''
"Now is not the time to be surprised about who I am. I want everyone to listen to my words first."
He, with Elder Flock''s support, walked near the ground map at the center. Behind him were Emilia, Haera, and his curious five students.
"The missing vigers¡ they were kidnapped by the demonic creatures and are held at the Arsolo Stronghold."
"The reason is¡ they''re going to prepare a sacrificial ritual and use the bodies as a sacrifice¡ to summon a powerful demonic dragon entity from the Otherworld¡ into this ce."
Eluard panted heavily.
"A sacrificial ritual? Summon a powerful demonic dragon from the Otherworld?!", Harrtugg Naaw lost hisposure.
"My friend, your stolen dragon eggs¡", Arahon caught up with the frost dragon''s thoughts.
"What stolen dragon eggs?!", High King Garron became impatient, "What has happened now, huh?!"
Everyone was running wild in his backyard, and he, the high king, couldn''t do anything to stop it. As more information was revealed, he felt like an inept ruler who was unaware of everything.
"Some bastard stole my dragon eggs a while back. I didn''t think it they would¡!"
A strong cold current brewed beneath Harrtugg Naaw''s feet.
"Stop it.", Elder Flock narrowed his eyes and restrained the frost dragon''s anger, "As dreading as it may be, being angry about it won''t solve a thing."
"I won''t ask every one of this again. Shut your mouth let Mr. Kai finish first and we''ll choose what to do after hearing his words."
Chapter 90 Closing The Rift (2)
Eluard continued amidst the silence.
"As I have said before¡ the kidnapped northerners will be used as a sacrificial to summon a powerful demonic dragon entity with the use of two frost dragon eggs that he stole from¡"
Harrtugg Naaw was taken aback, "What? I thought there were four of them? What about the other two?!"
"I¡", Eluard hesitated, ''Should I tell him the truth?''
The subject was a little personal and sensitive. He thought that Harrtugg Naaw would hate him for it.
His silence annoyed the frost dragon, "Brat, I''m asking you!"
Arahon and Elder Flock sent a re toward the frost dragon.
"Lower your voice, Harrtugg Naaw. We may be friends but I will not be merciful to those who dare to aggress against my benefactors¡", the me dragon warned.
"Stop it. I''m sorry but¡", Eluard pleaded, "¡the other dragon eggs were destroyed by me."
"I didn''t have a choice and would rather have it decimated than let the demonic creatures use it."
Despite the rational reasoning employed in Eluard''s actions, Harrtugg Naaw still couldn''t believe that he lost his children without even hatching them.
Worse, the remaining ones were used in an unholy way that he couldn''t fathom to imagine the results of their summoning.
Everyone nced at his face, awaiting his reaction to Eluard''s words.
A tear formed in his eyes which was a rather peculiar asioning from an emotionally cold species.
"My- my children¡!"
On all fours, the frost dragon knelt on the ground, gripping his fists and gritting his teeth in unexinable anger.
"Why, why me?! Why my children?!"
The skies with their already dark and dreading atmosphere turned colder as a winter storm began to brew.
"Hoho.", Elder Flockughed mockingly, knowing fully well what was up in Harrtugg Naaw''s mind, "Don''t tell me you''re going to act angry now that your dragon eggs were stolen under your ipetency?"
"You fucking elder, how dare you call me ipetent?!", Harrtugg Naaw threatened.
"Harrtugg Naaw, now is not the time to act egoistically!", Arahon advised, "Cruel and harsh the elder''s words may have sounded, but it is the truth."
"You, of all people here, should realize how much you have fucked up from the beginning."
"First, you let some nobody steal your eggs and you didn''t spare any effort in retrieving them back to your possession."
"Second, you let your anger control yourself, giving the demonic creatures a chance to enter your mind and manipte it as they endlessly desired! You even said that you were unaware of it not until I smacked you in the head!"
"Andstly, this young man who destroyed the stolen eggs is not to me for what happened. Whether you like it or not, destroying the stolen dragon eggs is far better than having them all in the hands of the demonic creatures!"
"If you still have a mind behind that skull of yours, use it to cool your head off and think for once!"
Arahonshed out, venting the hidden frustration welling under his head for the past few hours. He then pointed at the frost dragon with a cold re.
"Everyone here has a reason to persecute you. You have no respectable grounds in acting like we have oppressed you and your kind."
"If you want to me someone, me yourself. You''re just a victim of your ipetency, nothing else."
The long jarring speech pulled Harrtugg Naaw out of his crazed state, breaking the brewing storm from above. His mind cleared up and was now basking in shamefulness of his recent actions and behavior.
''How¡ how can I be¡?''
''I killed my children on my own¡ I killed thousands of people under my order¡! I am truly¡ ipetent!''
Several memories shed on him, instantly filling up the regret flowing inside his heart and wishing how he could have done better.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Sparked with rage out of self-me, the frost dragon pounded the earth with his small yet powerful draconic fists. Whimpers could be heard from the shivering body of the once dignified Harrtugg Naaw.
He no longer looked like a powerful entity, but more of a lost brat that was in dire need of help.
"How can I¡", he stuttered.
"You must want to make up for it, don''t you?", Eluard finished the words the frost dragon could barely say.
Harrtugg Naaw didn''t flinch, yet he didn''t deny his words either. Eluard shrugged and let it be. He wasn''t going to insist on forcing the frost dragon to speak up.
After all, the two of them weren''t different from one another. He was also unable to rescue the corrupted northerners from the firm grasp of the demonic creatures.
If either one of them seeded, probably the demonic creatures would have a harder time executing their ns. Unfortunately, Eluard didn''t have the luxury to dwell too much on his regrets.
"I''m not going to repeat what I have said earlier. The answer to your question is already there."
"I-is that so¡", Harrtugg Naaw was relieved and slowly stood up. He knew what the brat from the academy meant and that was to take on the full might of the demonic dragon that was about to be summoned.
Eluard sighed, somewhat amazed at how Harrtugg Naaw could control himself after experiencing a very bad day. He pointed his left index finger at Arsolo Stronghold and spoke.
"The enemy is holed up here in Arsolo Stronghold. They are led by a powerful demonic creature named Mahiista. He is¡ on his base strength, is simply at the rank of a karagero."
"However, before everyone judges this bastard, he has a hidden power that we from the academy would term as a demonic carnation."
Everyone was intrigued by this information. Despite knowing about the demonic creatures for a long time, it appeared that there were certain things they were unaware of.
The four students, except for the studious Jinmu, felt the same thing as well.
''A demonic carnation, huh? No wonder senior brother Kai lost to the enemy.'', Jinmu silently remarked.
"A demonic carnation allows specific demonic creatures to power up in several ways, either through intellectual enhancement or raw strength enhancement."
"They are categorized into five, and to cut it short, Mahiista''s demonic carnation multiplies his strength up to a hundred times."
"A-a hundredfold?", Elder Flock was dumbfounded.
What kind of power-up was that?
Even he, with thebination of some magic-instilled paryus scrolls, magical enhancement from his peers, and the assistance of a radiant knight''s chivalric will, there was no way such methods couldpare with Mahiista''s demonic carnation.
Eluard observed their reaction and just like them, he was puzzled about it as well, though he had a suspicion that the multiplication of strength was restricted dependent on its user''s actual strength.
Given a particr scenario, it would be extremely illogical for him to multiply his 1 million demonic symbols a hundred times and then suddenly find himself among the most powerful entities in the Otherworld.
"Do not fret, however.", Eluard tried tofort their chaotic minds.
"Do not¡ fret?", Arahon was speechless, "Brat, how are we supposed to battle a powerful enemy like that?!"
"He won''t be reaching the rank of a Henderral, I assure you.", Eluard replied, "I faced that monster earlier. Luckily, I managed to escape from him through various means."
Elder Flock mused, knowing that this young brat must have used some precious treasures given by the academy master for him to survive that ordeal.
"If that is the case, then there is no need to worry at all. I will face this monster by myself.", the old man confidently dered.
"What about the rest of the enemies? Is the Siegfried n included?", High King Garron asked.
Eluard shook his head, "I don''t know if the demonic creatures included them in the sacrificial ritual or not."
"Though I have a feeling that their role in this incident is to oppose High King Garron and take over the throne of Norva Assili. The demonic creatures won''t easily throw them away."
"Moreover, the northerner army is still intact. Someone needs to face the brunt of the betrayed northerner army.", Eluard gave his honest remark.
"I see. Is there anything else?". Elder Flock wanted to be sure.
"The remaining nuisances are the demonic beasts flowing out of the rift above, and the smaller demonic creatures roaming around the area.", Eluard nced at Harrtugg Naaw and continued, "Though with the help of the magical beasts and my juniors, this won''t be too much of a problempared to the first few."
"That settles everything.", Elder Flock added.
"What about me?", Arahon pointed at himself.
"You will be assisting the frost dragon, sir¡", Eluard was at a loss.
"Arahon, call me Arahon."
"Sir Arahon then¡", he said while scratching his cheek, ''Damn it, I almost slipped up.''
Just as they were having a good discussion, the heavens roared again, reminding them of the existence of the rift above their heads.
"We need to move, now. If any more of the demonic beasts spawn out, we will be heavily outnumbered long before we could reach the Arsolo Stronghold.", Eluard reminded.
"Mr. Kai, we can close the rift with the help of my student, Emilia.", Elder Flockmented. He, however, didn''tment on the fact that she could teleport them directly into Arsolo Stronghold.
First, they didn''t know the current state inside that ce. Second, she won''t be able to use the greater spatial translocation spell as there was too much of a weight Emilia would need to brunt against during the transportation process.
Add to that was the still unconscious northerner army who seems to not have any signs of waking up soon. Their participation was a must in order for their retaliation to be proven sessful.
"She can close the rift?", Eluard was surprised, originally thinking that she must be at an archmage level to close such a huge gap.
"Don''t underestimate me, brat from the Heavenly Magic Academy.", Emilia snorted, "Give me a few hours, and things will get better."
"No, that''s too long. Mahiista will be able to regroup at that point and further strengthen their defenses.", Eluard worried.
There was no way they could stop the rite, but a long dy may put them in a dangerous position. That was because Mahiista could simply deploy a new strategy, making all of their preparations into futile.
"You can''t me me! I''m just a grandmaster wizard!", Emilia argued. Why was this man asking for too much?
A thought passed through Eluard''s mind, jerking him in ce.
"No-! There''s another way!"
Chapter 91 Closing The Rift (3)
"Another way? What is it?", Elder Flock and the rest were baffled.
Did this man have a method to hasten the process of closing the rift?
The elder thought that it was a futile attempt on Eluard''s part. If Eluard wanted to do that, an archmage would be needed and the only archmage here was...
''No, it''s better to observe his actions first.''
The young brat closed his eyes.
Unbeknownst to them, Eluard took his consciousness into the divineary space. Floating around, he sensed the space and star resonate in simr frequency, that of which is his heartbeat.
"Ah, sessor. You have returned once again.", the divine pathfinder greeted.
"Divine pathfinder, since magic roots tend to resonate with others on a given basis, is there a way I can enhance them one way or another?", Eluard cut to the chase.
"You can, dear sessor.", the divine pathfinder nonchntly replied, "Not only can you enhance their raw power itself. Due to your higher rarity, possibly even the best of all, you can also temporarily unlock the hidden potential of a resonating magic root if it permits."
"That powerful?", Eluard gasped.
"Sessor, do not ever underestimate the limitless prospect that your magic root and talent contain. Things may seem a little underwhelming at the start, and there are other features you may not know of, but remember that as the direct descendant of the Primal Lord of Magic itself, you will overpower the rest once the time hase."
The divine pathfinder prompted Eluard of his bloodline. Eluard found motivation in his words and became even more determined in his actions as a result.
"What about the process then?"
"Pour your mana into your target through direct contact with any part of yours and their body. Although you could alter thister on, it is a necessity in the beginning for you to get acquainted with.", the divine pathfinder answered.
Eluard bowed, "Thank you, divine pathfinder."
His consciousness faded from the divineary space, returning to his original body. When he opened his eyes, he realized that he identally proved another theory he devised a while ago.
''Time passes differently when I go in and out of that space. It may seem like I have spent a lot of time there, but here, heh. Not even Elder Flock himself managed to track what happened.''
Eluard gestured for the old man to let go of him and walked toward Emilia.
"Have you found a new way?", Arahon impatiently asked.
"Yes, I hope that academy master Emilia would fully cooperate with my new n.", Eluard said while knuckling his fists in preparation.
He was nning to use the remaining temporary power scroll in his inventory when the system issued a prompt.
[ Warning: Using the Temporary Power Scroll in your current condition will impose serious injuries. ]
[ Warning: Subsequent use of Temporary Power Scrolls can damage your cultivation base. Estimated subsequent use remaining: 2 ]
Eluard halted his steps and thought for a moment before resuming.
''System, no wonder you rarely give me temporary power scrolls, eh?''
[ Temporary Power Scrolls are preventive measures for the host to get out of peculiar and/or unounted situations that may turn risky, or the resulting oue is significant. They are not meant to be spentvishly. ]
Eluard snorted, thinking that there was something wrong with his system but he could note up with an exnation for it.
''System, just give me the damn power-up. I need to act fast for this special task of yours.''
He was conscious enough to not be selfish and act as the hero in the final moments of this incident. He was no match for Mahiista and the dragon that was about to be summoned.
Worse, he was inexperienced in fighting against the true experts of the Otherworld.
Rather than taking such chances, why not use the temporary power scroll to speed up the process of closing the rift instead? It was surely beneficial, and it may aid him in preserving the strength of Elder Flock, Harrtugg Naaw, Arahon, and High King Garron so that they could fight their adversaries with full strengthter on.
Those people were the only ones capable of facing their enemies. Eluard wanted to learn from their fights and use it to understand some things first. As for his spotlight, like what the divine pathfinder had indicated earlier, his time wille and now was not that time.
Insisting otherwise was in stupid.
After his short persuasion, a cool breeze erupted from his head and went down to his legs. This was sensed by the four ascended beings, narrowing their eyes on the brat who was standing in front of Emilia.
"Cooperate with you? About what?"
"In closing the rift, what else do you think I am talking about?", Eluard raised his eyebrows.
"Didn''t you just say that it would take a long time? Why suddenly change your mind?", Emilia snorted.
"Because I can elerate the process, academy master Emilia. Now please.", he gestured, shocking everyone with his previous words.
"elerate¡", Elder Flock stuttered with his student in tow, "¡ the process? Impossible! You don''t even know the basics of spatial magic, much worse closing the rift!"
"I never said I will teach you a few tricks or two, I''m only going to assist you. What are you talking about?", Eluard confusingly replied.
"But still¡!"
"Academy master Emilia, just trust me on this, okay?", he assured her.
Left with no choice and time, Emilia agreed, "Fine, but I''ll lead the way!"
Eluard shrugged.
The rest heard their entire conversation and were left speechless. Even Haera herself wondered how could Eluard gather up the courage to argue against Emilia who was known for her erratic behavior.
''Well... he is a bit peculiar in his way too, right?''
She was referring to that sudden surge of power from Eluard which she also sensed back when he was confronting Vulture a while ago. Haera bit her lip and wondered what was going to happen this time.
The slight interruption reached its conclusion, giving Elder Flock the floor to execute his orders.
He waved his hands to gather their attention, "The northerner army should wake up soon. Until the rift closes, we will continue to defend the area. The attacking demonic beasts may increase in number and some may get past through the outer defenses."
"I will remain here and guard the central area. High King Garron and the two dragons can position themselves on their own volition and support the areas that are badly outnumbered or those that need some help."
He turned around and looked at Haera and the other five youngsters, "As for you kids¡ keep a lookout for any stragglers and obliterate them if you can."
"Move out!"
Everyone else except Eluard, Emilia, and Elder Flock, left.
The young academy master was about to start her channeling when she felt a warm hand touch her back.
"Wh-what are you doing?!", she blushed and immediately backed away.
"I''m transferring my mana into you. Stand still!", Eluard replied.
"Is that what you meant by assisting me?!", Emilia was flustered.
"How else am I going to help you then?"
"By magic array formation!", she reprimanded, "Formation, I say!", repeating her words, "Or can''t you use some paryus magic scrolls? Some pills or something else than this?"
What sort of man suddenly touches a woman on her back without telling her firsthand? She was extremely dissatisfied and wanted to call her master for help.
"I''m sorry but my methods do not work that way.", he saw her about tosh again and quickly added, "Look, either you let me assist you or not. Your choice."
Elder Flock saw what urred earlier and paid it no heed.
"Emilia, just do what Mr. Kai needs."
Seeing that her master didn''t confront the perverted bastard, she warned Eluard of things he shouldn''t do.
"I''m reminding you¡"
Eluard shrugged at her response. This girl was out of her mind if he thought he was out here to take advantage of an older woman.
He had better things to do and he wasn''t in the mood to argue with her.
Emilia turned around and took a deep breath.
"I will touch you now."
Despite hearing his words and a thick wizard robe separating his hand from her naked body, she still shivered uncontrobly when his hand touched her back.
Oblivious to her feelings, Eluard closed his eyes and gathered his mana before transferring it into her body.
She felt the surge of foreign mana from him and found that her mind was a little clearer today. Her magic root was also resonating intensely more than ever.
''I could feel myprehension improving and the power of my spatial magic too! What is this? Can he improve the cultivation of others or does it only work on specific individuals?''
Emilia drove the thought out of her mind and focused on the task at hand. The earth below her and Eluard caved in as her spatial magic forced itself outwards.
She sped her hands together and conjured 9 transparent magic circles around her body.
"Spatial Closure!"
The spatial rift above shook. Another tremendous roar echoed, pressuring the person responsible for trying to close the rift to immediately cease what they were doing.
A minute passed and the roar stopped. What followed it, however, were numerousrge scarlet beams targeted at Emilia and Eluard.
''Just as I envisioned. The Otherworld is truly a masterss on its own when putting up precautionary measures on their ns!''
Elder Flock foresaw this and set up a defensive barrier around the two, protecting them from the Otherworld''s retaliation.
As if a sentient being, the rift realized that it could not get past this old man''s defenses and chose to deal with him first.
A dark column fell from the heavens before splitting into endless smaller beams and targeting Elder Flock in all directions.
He snorted and stood his ground, "Divine Serpentine me Guard."
The temperature around 20 meters from his position soared high as several me-elemental snakes burst out of his body. They surrounded Elder Flock and hissed fiercely at the iing destructive beams.
They slithered their bodies in the air and used them to defend against the attack.
Elder Flock directed some of them to confront the beams head-on, devouring thempletely before shooting the beams back towards the rift above.
Sensing that the opposing party dared to send its attack back to its own, the rift trembled again. It sent eightrge king-level demonic beasts directly to his position.
"You have to do better than that.", Elder Flock coldly mocked the rift''s inability, "Divine me Implosion."
The king-level demonic beasts suddenly bloated. Steam surged out of their mouths before a blinding light shed and a powerful explosion urred in mid-air, showering the old man with disgusting innards and blood. His gut wasn''t going to take more of it and quickly vaporized everything using his mes.
Angered, the rift trembled furiously. Then, the sky was blocked out as hundreds of thousands of demonic beasts fell.
"Quantity over quality, huh? Are you out of your mind?", Elder Flock harrumphed, "Divine Surging me Wave."
The me-elemental serpents changed their form and became a wall that mimicked the sea waves in the ocean, dashing towards the demonic beasts and scorching them to their deaths as the waves passed through.
While Elder Flock was busy fighting against the rift, a small feminine grunt rang in his ears. He turned his head around and saw both Eluard and Emilia holding their mouths now full of blood.
Enraged, Elder Flock shouted.
"Damn it, Emilia, you''ve overestimated yourself again, didn''t you?!"
Chapter 92 The Rifts Final Retaliation
"Damn it, Emilia! You''ve overestimated yourself again!", Elder Flock loudly cursed.
This girl must have increased the scale of her magic spell and chose to epass the entire rift instead of closing a portion of it one at a time.
Unfortunately, his guess was on the mark.
"I-I thought you could speed up the process with your assistance¡! Why are we¡ coughing out blood now?!", she med Eluard.
"It''s speeding up the process but you are covering way too much!", Eluard retorted, "Lessen the scale or else we will die!"
How could this girl dare to increase the difficulty into the realm of impossibility? Closing the entire rift in one go was out of the question. She, a genius, should have known better.
Emilia coughed out again before attempting to shift her mana to lessen the scale of her spell. Unfortunately, an unknown force prevented her from doing so.
''She can''t do it!''
Eluard realized what happened and quickly ced his other hand on her back.
Emilia felt the surge of additional mana into her body. She gritted her bloodied teeth, pouring all of her attention and power into closing the entire rift in one go.
Elder Flock was worried at first but after seeing the gap narrowing, he continued his defense.
The rift and the old man relentlessly exchanged blows with one another. Multiple dark beams and demonic beasts were sent toward Elder Flock''s direction and the old man used his fire magic to keep the enemy at bay.
"Divine me Serpentine Assault!"
All of his me serpents retracted their bodies to him, coiling themselves before lunging towards the numerous dark beams in the sky.
The two forces collided, exploding arge area upwards. After the short fight, Elder Flock narrowed his eyes as he reassessed the situation.
''At this rate, I''m going to use up my entire strength before I can fight that demonic creature!''
''Should we have gone directly into the enemy''sir instead?''
Elder Flock thought, but his mind came up with a quick counter to his question.
''Impossible. The rift is sort of sentient and will certainly include itself in the final conflict if we let it be just as right now.''
The original n of closing the rift first was the correct choice, though, without Eluard, it would have taken a longer time and forced him to put more effort and strength.
He controlled the fire serpent and entangled an approaching demonic beast. The serpent then spewed a mouthful of mes, vaporizing the enemy.
A demonic beast managed to sneak on his back and sent its two sharp ws upon him.
''What? Behind me?'', he reacted toote.
"Swift Pouncing sh!", a shout echoed from his right before a figure quickly went past between him and the demonic beast.
Thetter stopped moving and soon after, revealed countless sword cuts around its body. Not a momentter, blood sshed unto Elder Flock and drenched him wet.
"Hey, old man wizard, you need to keep your guard up!"
The northerner warrior mocked. Elder Flock nced at this figure and saw that he was only using one of his hands to wield, and his right eye was scarred by what looked like a bear''s w.
"I''m Xerga Winterice. I wonder howe you''re here in the northern cial continent and what are these demonic beasts doing around?", Xerga questioned while looking above, "And that¡ thing above? What the hell is that?!"
He had never seen such a horrifying sight before and for some reason, the muddled sensation on his head was slowly fading.
''Damn, that nightmare¡ what an endless tirade and I''m d it''s all over.'', Xerga sighed on his mind.
Elder Flock awoke from his trance and calmly replied, "I''ll tell you the detailster. Please help me deal with the demonic beasts first."
"What about them?", Xerga pointed at Eluard and Emilia.
"That''s the people who you should defend!", Elder Flock didn''t bother to exin thoroughly as the rift''s retaliation intensified.
Not only dark beams but all sorts of offensive dark spells were continuously being thrown out.
Elder Flock sent out another fire serpent imbued with divinity, blocking therge dark ball that was emanating a powerful demonic miasma. He retracted his right hand and stared at it.
''Forget about my strength, even my divinity will run dry too!''
Archmages have a limited supply of divinity and gathering them was a time-consuming activity that Elder Flock did not want to result in doing at theter stages.
Meanwhile, Xerga circled Eluard and Emilia, holding onto his great axe with his right hand, and started spinning like a beyde.
"Northern Hurricane Whirlwind!"
It affected arge area and quickly moved around. All the demonic beasts that tried to approach him or the two were pulled into him before being shredded mercilessly.
When the demonic beasts retreated, Xerga stopped spinning and asked.
"Hey, how long do we have to do this? My strength isn''t unlimited, you know?!"
He shouted while beheading a fleeing dark wolf using his great axe.
Elder Flock didn''t bother Emilia, knowing that the girl was focused on closing the rift.
"Just a few more minutes!", he replied and nced at the sky.
''The attacks are weakening and the gap is thinning out!''
He effortlessly reflected a beam and sent it hurtling towards a pack of demonic beasts in the distance. They were hit in the middle of their formation, sting their bodies into smithereens.
Elder Flock stood in ce, waiting for the rift to attack again. However, seeing that the gap was almost closed now, he knew that things would be quiet for a little while.
Xerga went beside the old man and looked at him from top to bottom. He had many questions in his mind but he wasn''t going to be answered at the current moment.
He turned his head to his fellow northerner warriors and saw that most of them were beginning to wake up. They held their heads and shook them softly, trying to clear their muddled heads after a long sleep.
"Everyone, are you awake now?!", Xerga approached them.
"Sir!", the warriors stood up and saluted.
"No need to be this formal. Tidy yourselves and help the rest. We''re currently fighting against some enemy. I don''t want to see such a messy sight or else we will be in big trouble."
"Yes sir!"
Elder Flock observed Xerga and the northerner army.
''Strange. They didn''t move a muscle earlier, and now, they''re suddenly juiced up for action?''
''It must be the rift''s doing, or probably, I hope, that the effect has worn out.''
An ominous feeling erupted from his mind.
''I don''t know how the demonic creatures manage to pull off one sneaky technique right after another. That illusionary magic array formation that hid the undead beings, the demonic creatures, and even a spatial istion technique.''
''This is rming information and it makes me want to believe that they have infiltrated most, if not all, of the factions here in Aludia.''
Elder Flock could not rule out the likelihood that it could happen in the League of Wizardry. After all, they''ve recently had a string of mimunications with their agents.
With his experiences in the northern cial continent, he was convinced that a demonic creature was now hiding among their ranks.
''But I doubt the Heavenly Magic Academy won''t take this to notice, do they? No, I am supposed to help them in this ordeal and give myself a chance in bing one of their members.''
If his wishes were realized, Elder Flock will be able to act as a go-between for the League and the academy, passing information between the two parties and bing an important figure in theing years.
Just as he was silently imagining his triumphant rise, he heard Emilia and Eluard shout in agony as the two let out volumes of blood from their mouths and fell to the ground, unconscious.
Elder Flock tried to tend to them but stopped when the space trembled as a dark beam from the rift,rger than anything in the past, sted the sky in half and headed to the east in a sh.
Arahon, Harrtugg Naaw, and High King Garron were rmed. The force beneath that beam itself was strong enough to severely injure them.
"It''s headed to Arsolo Stronghold again!", High King Garron''s heart lurched after shouting with all of his might.
His home was going to get demolished again.
The dark beam hit the earth and sunk it a few meters on impact. The collision shook the earth, shaking off all the snow in the trees and knocking out all the underground beasts without a warning.
When the othersnded on the ground, they were put down from their feet and grunted, resisting the urge to vomit due to the intense quake.
Elder Flock levitated on time, shielding his eyes from the dazzling sh. He saw the shockwave blowing a terrifying ball of snow at them beneath the blinding light.
"Hah!"
He timely set up a massive defensive barrier and protected everyone inside the mountain range.
The snow grazed upon the barrier, attempting to take it down. Elder Flock noticed this and infused wind magic on his defensive barrier.
It caused the snow to be blown away again, parallel in the direction of the shockwave. The barrier remained intact as the snow passed through it.
As for the demonic beasts, they were wiped out by the shockwave. Elder Flock didn''t bother to look for them.
The disturbance didn''tst long and stabilized after a while.
Elder Flock exhaled a breath of relief as he withdrew his defensive barrier. When the dust settled, he noticed something odd in his sight.
''Doesn''t this look like the Wastes itself?''
Chapter 93 To Arsolo Stronghold
The once snowynds of the northern cial continent turned into a dark and deste wastnd, far too different from its former glory. It seemed to have switched sides with the sky which was now bright and clear with the Morning Star''s ray of light shining on Elder Flock''s stressed face.
He shook his head and went down. It will take years of effort to restore the devastation that the Otherworld has wreaked upon this ce.
The entire northerner army has already woken up from their long slumber. The warriors hugged each other after surviving such a dangerous ordeal.
Emilia and Eluard were stacked on one another, unconscious with blood leaking out of their mouths. Elder Flock attended to them and casted a healing spell to reduce the severity of their injuries for the time being.
Xerga approached from nearby and stood behind him.
"How okay are they?"
"Still alive. Their muscles were stressed out, including their organs. They will be fine after a few months'' rest.", Elder Flock sighed.
Thankfully, their internal magic system remained intact. Otherwise, he would be worried that his student would end up crippled after closing the rift.
A secondter, the ground shook. Several magical beasts arrived on the scene, causing panic amongst the warriors.
"Wh-what is this? We''re suddenly surrounded by enemies?", Xerga readied his axe with aplicated expression.
"Halt, they''re not enemies!", a loud familiar voice echoed over the small valley, stopping their actions. Everyone raised their heads and saw the high king up in the air beforending on the ground near Xerga. Harrtugg Naaw and Arahon followed behind.
"Brother!"
"Xerga, finally you''re awake!"
The brothers hugged each other, "I''ll talk to youter, Xerga. For now¡"
High King Garron parted ways and asked, "What the hell happened to those two? Why are they in a bad shape?"
"Closing the rift was harder than expected, but still under our hands. It must have retaliated not only to me but to my student and Mr. Kai through their heads.", Elder Flock exined, "But that doesn''t matter now. We are ready to go as soon as your army finishes its preparations. I can carry a lot of people around."
"Also, you should realize that the entire northern cial continent is devastated by that st earlier. I''m telling you in advance in case you wanted to know of it."
"I-Is that so?", High King Garron''s spirits lowered. No one but them and some other lucky ones who weren''t here survived.
To have their entire poption lowered into hundreds of thousands on a single day, the blood of the frostal pr war bear inside him boiled in anger, livening his spirits once again, "Then I thank you in advance, elder.", High King Garron bowed, swearing to the heavens that the Otherworld will pay dearly for what they have done.
"What about the magical beasts? Will they be quick enough?"
Harrtugg Naaw took a while to answer. He was wondering whether the five other king-level beasts who didn''t make it in time were still alive or died in the st.
"Some of my ground units will arriveter. However, my king-level beasts will suffice. They are swift and can deal with a lot of things you require them to.", Harrtugg Naaw offered.
"Someone should protect Mr. Kai and Miss Emilia, right?", Arahon added.
Before Elder Flock could say something, the frost dragon quickly responded, "My ground units will carry them over. And don''t worry, they will have a safe ride if that is what you''re so worried about."
"I see.", Elder Flock nodded. He had nned for Haera and the five children to protect Eluard and Emilia, but the magical monsters were more powerful and versatile than them, making it much safer than his original n.
"If there is nothing else, High King Garron, please.", he gestured.
The high king turned around and faced his lined-up army in front.
"The magical beasts are with us now! They were under the spell of the demonic creatures earlier such was the reason for their havoc!"
The warriors let out gasps one after another. High King Garron let it run for a while before continuing, "The demonic creatures are our true enemies! They have devastated ournds with their powerful demonic beams! They have ravaged our homes and left nothing but ruin in their wake!"
Anger welled up in the army. Many were gripping their weapons tightly and shivering in ce. Thoughts shed in their minds in the blink of an eye.
The demonic creatures did such a thing? Did they destroy and killed everyone but us? The magical beasts were used by them as well?
Their ears perked up as they continued to listen to their high king''s speech.
"But do not worry, my dear men! Together with the magical beasts, and an elder from the League of Wizardry, we will march back to our capital, the Arsolo Stronghold, where the damn bastards holed themselves and bring justice to our homnd by killing the interlopers that havee to ournds uninvited!"
At the end of his speech, the warriors valiantly shouted and raised their arms into the air.
High King Garron stared at his men, ''Damn you, demonic creatures! I will not let you off from what you have done!''
"Everyone, prepare yourselves and march!"
¡
Arsolo Stronghold.
Erik Siegfried walked to the wooden balcony of their n''s mansion, overlooking the rising smoke in the far distance. His eyes were now devoid of any impurities, yet for some reason, he was emitting a cold and strong aura equivalent to that of a demonic creature.
"Ah, our lords have given us a huge help today. Don''t you see it, my dear ve?", he said while dragging the brown hair of a female demi-human whose face was bruised all over.
She was no other than Akane, Emi''s big sister.
"You-!"
"It''s strange.", Erik drew his face closer to Akane, "You are somewhat resistant to the lord''s essence after all this time. I wonder why?"
"It''s because I''m not a piece of shit like you!"
Erik chuckled before pushing her away and leaving the balcony. Akane quickly scrambled to the corner, hugging herself and hoping that this nightmare would soon end.
A demon''s draconic roar pierced her ears and nearly knocked her out. Akaney on the floor for a few moments before regaining control of her body and slowly making her way to the railings.
Her head popped out, revealing a massive dark dragon glistening in a scarlet aura, with a pair of simrly colored eyes frantically looking around. This dragon''s mouth was open wide, letting out steam fumes and dripping hot saliva.
Akane could tell from the growl that the ''lords'' of Erik had summoned a terrifying monstrosity.
It stood hundreds of meters tall and had two sets of ck silvery wings as sharp as the tip of a de. When their eyes met, Akane shrieked and hustled to the inside.
She stumbled on Erik''s body on the way and thetter asked, "Have you seen our lord''s pet, haven''t you? My dear ve?"
"Y-you won''t get away with this!", Akane shouted, "Killing innocents, enving other people, and cooperating with warlocks or whoever they are!"
"Don''t think that the League or the Knights or any other faction would let you get away with it!"
Unbeknownst to her, nobody else but the people inside paid any heed to whatever was happening in the northern cial continent.
"Why would I worry when there is nothing to worry about?", Erik proudly proimed, "ve girl, you will bow to me sooner orter, and to our lords as well. That strange protection of yours won''tst forever. I know it won''t."
Even though the undead essence has taken over his mind, Erik still couldn''t bring to himself to kill this useless demi-human for some unknown reason. Otherwise, he could have given Akane to Mahiista earlier as part of the ritual''s sacrifice.
"Impossible! The scale of this event will surely attract the attention of the higher-ups! Don''t act conceited, criminal! Your days are numbered!", Akane stubbornly argued.
Erik had enough of it and pped her face. The force from a tier 9 knight put her in an unconscious state.
"You don''t know how well our lords have nned for this to happen. Even our enemies won''t know what''s about to hit them."
"As for Norva Assili''s throne...", Erik clenched his fists, "It''s no longer a major issue. Our alliance with the greater lords will undoubtedly bring me far more than the ruler of a small and disintegrating continent."
"The elders, my father, uncles, and siblings, have passed on the responsibility to me, and I will dly ept it."
"Sooner orter, Aludia will be entirely in my hands, and mine alone! And Olivia, you bitch! You won''t get away from my grasp this time, no matter where you are right now!"
As the situation in the northern cial continent began to heat up, arge demonic creature crept to the top of a mountain which was facing the border of the volcanic grassy ins and the snowynd of Norva Assili.
When he arrived at the mountain peak, he noticed a humanoid crow gazing peacefully at the scene in front of him.
"Allustro, I don''t know what you''re trying to do but isn''t this a little too early?", therge demonic creature questioned.
He thought that things were supposed to go off at the same time the incident in the Vortex Ascendancy started but this sly crow demon was rushing things ahead?
"This premature execution of the first step is all on Mahiista''s impatience, Der Henderral. But it doesn''t mean that it won''t work as well."
"What do you mean it will work just like any other day, Allustro?!", the man referred to as Der Henderral narrowed his demonic eyes in intrigue.
"I thought I have already discussed it but all the other factions are way too busy to handle whatever is happening here in the northern cial continent. Each one of them has their problems to attend to and even if they send someone, it will only be a group of nobodies that won''t threaten us at all."
Therge demonic creature harrumphed, "Such as?"
"The impending civil war in the Sanctuary prevents the elves from acting out despite being neighbors with the northerners."
"The Morning Star Empire is being riddled with that strange disease we have started spreading for a while now."
"Their rival empire, Moonbeam Empire, is on the verge of dering another war on them."
"The League is busy taking care of other business, particrly on what happened recently in Dulrak''s ruins."
"The Knights are busy investigating the cases of disappearances around Aludia."
"The Oriental Oceanic Empire is also busy preparing for the funeral of their deteriorating current ruler."
"The Sandmen are being stressed out by the poisoned water in the desert regions."
"Also, the secr families won''t make a move until the League or the Knights asks them for assistance."
"Lastly, the smaller kingdoms and countries won''t do a thing, and would likely stay put unless it directly affects them."
The demonic creature interrupted, "Which leaves¡"
And Allustro added, "The Heavenly Magic Academy, Der Henderral. Since nobody is looking in this direction, and with such a huge disturbance, our actions here will grab their attention."
"Even if Mahiista fails, it will allow us to nce upon our enemies'' strength and theposition of their force."
The demonic creature realized what Allustro has done, "Don''t tell me you have nted some of the Broker''s experimental tools back at the Dominion?"
Allustro only let out a smile, confirming therge demonic creature''s assumptions.
"Mahiista won''t be able to handle the Heavenly Magic Academy''s strength but that''s what I want. Once they are over with him, they won''t necessarily seek us directly but rather, liberate our grasp from the nearby regions."
"Now that they know the Otherworld is on the move, they will go to the Sanctuary, insist that a demonic creature is present in the area, and stop the civil war as soon as possible."
Therge demonic creature was in doubt, "Howe they would go there first? Is it because the civil war is worsening at a quick pace? Or is it because it is the closest to the northern cial continent?"
"Your answers are part of the truth, Der Henderral. Not only that, I tasked Minjax to curse one of the secr families'' prodigies who might still be alive inside the northern cial continent."
"If I am the Heavenly Magic Academy, I would go in the Sanctuary and ignore the rest, for the time being, giving us a leeway to elerate or improvise our ns in the other regions as quickly and reliantly as possible.", Allustro concluded.
"You don''t want to help Minjax?", therge demonic creature was surprised.
"She is too prideful of herself. She won''tst long under the siege of the Heavenly Magic Academy, but ironically, that seems toplement my other ns as well."
Therge demonic creature became wary of Allustro. He knew that this guy wasn''t tantly spouting lies.
"Allustro, you crow demon. Just how loyal are you to the Otherworld?"
Allustro chuckled, "With every inch of my body, and every drop of my demonic essence, Der Henderral.", he said before disappearing into the air.
Chapter 94 Arrival, Counterattack Starts
"My lord, is it really wise to let your son lead the opposition against the throne?", a middle-aged man with a slightly pale face walked alongside an old man with sharp white hair standing straight like a pole.
Their eyes glinted scarlet, showing that they were possessed by the demonic essence.
"Are you a moron? Being the high king is a hindrance to my ns. Erik is driven by ambition and greed. He is unaware of the constraints that will be ced on him once he bes one."
The elderly man came to a halt and yelled at the middle-aged man.
"How do you think the Elder Council came to be? People see it as an extra hand to dethrone a high king should it be necessary. Little do they know that the elders wield the most influence and power in Norva Assili."
"My lord, you mean-"
"Erik will be a puppet to anyone. To the demonic creatures, or to us so don''t be too worried that that ambitious fool will take the throne.", the old man snorted before walking again in a hurry.
"Garron was only able to suppress us due to his status as a radiant knight. The only one that could contend with him is his other brother and god knows where that man is now."
They arrived on top of a guard tower upied by two guards equipped with bows and arrows. The two saluted before making way.
Narrowing his eyes, the old man stared at the army of northerner warriors stationed in the distance.
"Talking about the devil, they sure are quick to react.", he sniggered, "How long have they been there?"
"They have just arrived, my lord.", one of the guards replied.
"Everyone was gathered here, right?", he asked again.
The guards nodded.
"Good, stay here. I''ll walk out and have a little talk with our high king."
¡
Garron stood alone a hundred meters from the southern gate of Arsolo Stronghold. His broadsword was stuck on the ground to his right, and he was crossing his arms and staring at an elderly man who was slowly approaching his position.
"How does it feel to be the high king for once, old man Flinthal?", Garron asked with a hint of anger from his tone.
"I don''t know.", Flinthal shrugged, "Maybe we will after your death, High King Garron."
"Bastards from the Siegfried n, how dare you cooperate with those wicked creatures of the Otherworld!", Garron shouted, "I will have every member of your n, direct or not, repent for their sins once everything is over!"
"Ooh, what a terrifying threat, High King Garron, but you ought to do better than that.", Flinthal cackled.
"Oh, I am about to."
Immediately following the conclusion of their brief conversation, High King Garron picked up his broadsword and dashed to the old man, swinging his weapon with brute strength.
Flinthal raised both of his hands and blocked the attack, shocking the high king.
"This is the power of demonic essence, my dear high king! Something you will never attain for the rest of your life!"
Flinthal pushed the broadsword to the sides and let go of it, sending a punch to Garron''s face.
Thetter reacted quickly and let go of his weapon, channeling the might of the frostal pr war bear from his chivalric core and enhanced his retaliating punch against Flinthal.
Their attacks shed with one another, cracking the earth 50 meters around them.
"Hah! Even if I''m just at the reality realm, I can already match up to a radiant knight as weak as you!", Flinthal was ted after seeing the results.
Garron snorted and ignored the old man''s insanity.
''Let''s see you keep up with this.''
An ethereal figure of the frostal pr war bear emerged behind his body, "Chivalric Assimtion!"
Thick white fur grew out of Garron and his eyes turned red. The bestial instinct and savagery of the frostal pr war bear took over him.
Garron roared, sting Flinthal a meter away, "Bring it on, be-!"
A swift kick shut him up. The transformed Garron picked up his weapon again and charged it up using his chivalric will, throwing the weapon at Flinthal''s face like a spear.
The immeasurable power of the broadsword ripped the air apart, sending chills up Flinthal''s spine. He was well aware that if he faced this attack head on, he would be severely injured.
He couldn''t move freely because he was still in mid-air, and channeling his chivalric won''t save him in time.
Three figures rushed to the scene just as the attack was about to hit him, "My lord!"
They collectively blocked Garron''s attack but the might of the pr war bear roared in the sword, sending a shockwave that sted the three figures and the weapon away.
Garron leaped high up, catching the stray broadsword and readying another attack. The three warriors quickly recovered and channeled their chivalric will to defend.
However, Flinthal noticed the slight grin on Garron''s face, alerting him of the iing danger.
"No, get away, the three of you!", he shouted but it was toote.
Garronnded fiercely in the center of the three, sting another powerful shockwave to the earth and conducting its power to his enemies'' feet.
"Bear''s Earth Pounding!"
The three felt like they were grounded by electricity as immense pain swelled inside their bodies. They wriggled around and died soon after.
The darkened earth caved a few meters down, forming a hundred-meter-wide crater around the impact''s center.
Garron raised his head and saw that Flinthal had already escaped.
"Run like the weakling you are, coward!", he shouted to the heavens, "What demonic essence bullshit?! I will enforce justice to those who were betrayed by the likes of you, Flinthal Siegfried!"
Pointing his sword at the gate entrance, Garron empowered his voice, "Army of the Norva Assili, attack!"
The army stationed on the mountaintop roared in fury before igniting their chivalric wills and charging straight at Arsolo Stronghold. The ground quaked at their mere presence and running.
The bell from the guard tower not far away rang in distress, alerting its defenders to ready themselves for an assault.
Elder Flock and the two dragonsnded beside High King Garron.
"High King, I remind you to not kill all of them. The Heavenly Magic Academy might be in need of the traitor''s knowledge or memories at the end of this incident so do not get carried away by your emotions and waste such an opportunity.", the elder repeated.
"Don''t worry, elder. I won''t forget an easy task like that.", Garron grinned and joined his army on the charge, leaving the three behind.
Arahon and Harrtugg Naaw jumped high in the skies and transformed into their original bodies. They roared fiercely and flew to the northern side of Arsolo Stronghold where a powerful demonic aura resided.
"I hope you don''t chicken out, my dear friend. Are you ready to kill the foul creature that has corrupted your dragon eggs?", Arahon asked.
"Enough with the talk, I just want to kill and kill some more!", Harrtugg Naaw pped his wings and breathed out a cold wave of ice.
Elder Flock silently observed the two dragons in the skies, wondering something in his mind.
"Elder.", Haera and the five youngsters approached him from behind, "Please, let us in on this as well."
Elder Flock turned around and shook his head, "I thought that I have told you-"
"My big sister is in trouble, Elder Flock, and I don''t think those northerner warriors will differentiate a ve to an enemy of theirs.", Emi interjected.
"Elder, we won''t bother the northerner army of their business, but unless we get to my junior sister''s big sister on time, I''m afraid they might kill her off before she could negotiate with them.", Jinmu added.
This barbaric army was so crazy about exercising their vengeance that it has clouded their minds to a great extent. Yes, they could withdraw their swords if the army saw them but not Akane who had inadvertently be a ve under Erik Siegfried, a member of the current northerner army''s number one enemy.
Olivia could have the possibility to persuade them otherwise but Jinmu wasn''t willing to take such risks.
Elder Flock sighed after hearing their arguments. He knew that this bunch of youngsters were in the hot-blooded stages of their lives.
"Fine, but let me analyze the situation inside first."
The old man closed his eyes and moved his mana around, "Where is the Siegfried n located, Princess Olivia?"
"They should be in the eastern part of the stronghold, at the outer edges near that mountain cliff.", she pointed at the huge wall of earth blocking the path eastward.
Elder Flock managed to locate using pure mana sensory alone. As an archmage, manipting the mana in the surroundings was the most basic thing to do.
Jinmu, on the other hand, observed Elder Flock''s movements and traced how he was controlling the mana under his will.
''His experience is simply what drives the mana to move wherever he desires. Nothing more than years of umted exercise that his body had long ingrained such results, and it became natural for Elder Flock to do.''
He expected some secret skill to be involved in their expertise, but to his surprise, Jinmu discovered that anything other than continuous practice and improvement crafted Elder Flock to be what he was today.
Shifting his focus away, the old man opened his eyes and ryed the information that the six of them needed.
"There isn''t any strong fluctuation of aura inside this¡ mansion of theirs. The most powerful of them is someone at the higher-de of the imprint realm.", he turned at Solordo and nodded, gesturing that his superhuman strength will be greatly needed by his acquaintances.
"I won''t be giving you a free ride. The leader of the demonic creatures may notice my aura nearing that ce and I don''t want that to happen.", he reminded them.
The enemy might take it as him needing someone or something inside that ce which will force the enemy to react, preventing Haera and the five students from acting at all.
"And don''t put yourselves in immediate danger. You should be aware that if something bad happens to the five of you, I will bear the brunt of your academy master''s wrath."
They understood and bowed, "Thank you, Elder Flock. We will be right back."
Chapter 95 Entering The Siegfried Mansion
Haera and the group strolled along the cliff''s edge, moving around using a rolling patch of earth she conjured using her earth magic.
"It''s too fierce out there.", Lucan broke a sweat, ncing at the bloodied stronghold full of people fighting at every corner.
He saw a northerner warrior grabbing his enemy''s head and throwing it to the building''s rooftop, crashing the entire thing from top to bottom. Another one endlessly pounded the body of a traitor, turning him into meat paste.
Olivia couldn''t bear the stress of seeing the people of Norva Assili killing one another. The fact that she was about to confront Erik made her nervous feeling worse.
''Did it have to resort to this¡?'', she knew that her father wouldn''t allow such betrayal unpunished. However, something ticked off deep inside her once cold heart.
Perhaps it was her realization upon experiencing the casual rifts of reality. When people were drowning in their mundane life of theirs, a sudden disturbance, no matter how big or small, would cause them to copse all over.
Jinmu nced over her figure and noticed her unstable emotions.
''This girl¡ is on the edge of viting the fourth t¡'', making him sigh and shake his head.
Emi saw his actions and looked over, "Big brother Jinmu, is something the matter?"
"Nothing, Emi."
Haera overheard their conversation and interjected, "Say, you must have a n on how to rescue this girl''s big sister, don''t you?"
She only persuaded the elder to get them onto the battlefield but she didn''t expect that these young fellows would use it as an opportunity to voice out their ns.
"I do have, sister Haera.", Jinmu replied, "The four of us will hold the enemy while Olivia and Emi charge further inside and rescue Emi''s big sister."
"Why do you not want me to go inside with them?", Haera wondered. She was the second strongest amongst them and could deal with any situation.
"Oh, sister Haera, I would rather let you be outside so that you can take a look out of any dangering towards us.", Jinmu answered, "You have a better sensory than everyone else here, so you could respond faster and get us out of there before tragedy strikes."
He told half the truth rather since he nned to mend the rtionship between the junior and the senior sister.
Emi will have no choice but to cooperate, fighting alongside the woman she hates. Meanwhile, Olivia could seize this opportunity to help Emi save her big sister.
Haera doubted Jinmu''s reply but since he was the man here, she had to oblige his wishes.
"I see. We''re nearing our destination. Ready yourselves."
Just as she finished, Solordo dashed out and jumped high at a 200-meter drop,nding in front of the mansion is a very alerting manner.
"Hey, prickheads! Stop cowering behind these walls ande out to fight me!", Solordo shouted, brandishing his halberd in front of the stupefied Siegfried n guards.
He was aching for some action after not being able to participate in the northerner army''s assault against the traitors.
Two warriors lunged at him, hacking their swords towards this arrogant nobody who came crashing on their doorstep.
"Die!"
"Hmph!", Solordo pulled back his halberd and fiercely shed at the two warriors. Both of their attacks were countered, sending them flying back. They collided with the wooden gates, smashing them into ruin.
The other warriors were alerted and rushed out, confronting Solordo who was all alone. Thetter smirked and gestured for them toe at him.
Jinmu and Lucan palmed their faces at the sight.
''He''s no damn different to those northerner warriors!'', Jinmu cursed but he let it go for now. He would be needing that muscle-headed guy''s strengthter on.
"Uh, sister Haera, I think we should descend now¡", he embarrassingly advised. Haera was taken aback as well and followed right after Solordo''s lead.
Lucan prepared himself, casting several fireballs andunching them toward the approaching guards.
Jinmu remained at the back, analyzing the situation as best as he could.
The three girls were thest to join, only to see bodies of beaten-up warriorsying on the ground, unconscious.
"They¡", Haera was speechless. She was unable to measure how talented the students from the Heavenly Magic Academy were but she didn''t expect that they were this talented.
She had no idea how advantageous it was for the students of Heavenly Magic Academy quickly adapt to the nameless spell casting system. After all, the people of Aludia would normally expect youngsters of their level to use magic circles in order to unleash magic spells.
This was the edge that chivalric will cultivators, or otherwise known as warriors, had over any magic cultivator in the earlier stages. Thetter would be immobile, giving the warriors an opportunity to kill them before they could cast anything.
But seeing Lucan easily cast spells now and then without dy terrified the guards. The tables had turned against them and the previous advantage they had was lost.
"Fire Whip!"
A long whip extended out from his right hand. Lucanshed it on the fleeing guard who was slow to react, inflicting a severingsh upon its left shoulder.
The guard shouted in agony but Solordo kicked his face and knocked him out.
"Ah, no good at all! These opponents are too weak!", Solordoined, making the five other members cuss at him with extreme silent verbality.
''Too weak my ass! Does he want a radiant knight to fight him off instead?!'', Lucan felt that bringing this muscle-headed guy with them was a mistake. He should have carried on with the northerner army instead where he could let off freely and ughter every opponent he didn''t like.
In the middle of Solordo''s mncholy, a spear shot out to his position.
Solordo grinned, moving his halberd as quickly as he could, flinging the spear to the sides.
"Oh, good reaction.", a young voice remarked. Six figures walked out, bringing an oppressive aura to the scene.
Olivia shivered upon catching a glimpse of them.
"How?! This couldn''t be!", she pointed at them.
"Oh, isn''t that the prized daughter of the high king, Olivia Winterice?", the burly person besides the leading man drooled.
His words incited lust upon his acquaintances, beckoning Olivia toe over and surrender. The group ignored them and worried for their safety instead.
"Olivia, what happened?", Lucan and the rest looked at her.
"Elder Flock only said that the strongest aura he felt was someone at the higher de of the imprint realm. These guys¡ are someone at the consolidation and the enlightenment realm!"
The leader of the neersughed at Olivia''s bewildered response.
"Hah, you fools! You think that you can bypass our lord''s great illusionary techniques?!"
He caressed the spine of his saber while talking to them.
''An illusionary magic array formation that even the system couldn''t detect?'', Jinmu was confused. The system should have been able to recognize such hidden threats but now¡
''I hope that this case rings only when facing the Otherworld or else¡'', he shook his head, ''They sure are sneaky bastards.''
"Olivia, who are they? And please try to be brief as possible.", he called out.
"The-they are one of the special guards of the Siegfried n, tasked to protect the heir to the throne, Erik Siegfried, and are known as the Band of the Six Cold-Blooded Brothers here in Norva Assili.", Olivia stuttered in reply.
"Band of the Six Cold-Blooded Brothers, huh? So it is them¡", Jinmu recalled all the information he gathered about this infamous mercenary group.
Scarface, the leader. He was the leading man, with a de scar spanning from his right lip to his cheek. This warrior was skilled but cruel in his strikes, carrying a light saber made of frostal ice.
Brickman, the right-hand man. This guy was the definition of a brick, sturdy, and packs a punch. The tallest of the group, sometimes people would underestimate his speed due to his physique. It costed many people their dearest lives.
Scypher, the eagle-eyed bowman. His sharp ranged attacks never fail to amaze his brothers and enemies. Rumors about his incredible flexibility gave him the ability to strike at any body position, whether it was upside down or stretching his muscles to the extreme. Moreover, he seemed to be able to control the trajectory of his arrows even when they were already shot out, making him a dangerous threat to mages and wizards.
[ Author''s Note: Pronounced as Cipher/Cypher ]
Llurrello, the dual swordsman. He was carrying two chipped swords of varying lengths, causing one of them to be shorter than the other. Despite this, the swords were fatal because the edges were rusted, and a slight scar could threaten the life of anyone who was scratched by him.
Carruva, the trapper. He was noted for being deceptive, making a trap room appear as if someone was wandering through a normal room of sorts, only to find themselves surrounded by traps a minuteter.
Andstly, Bulfrang, the scavenger. He was so skilled in his job that nothing remained of the corpses of their victims, or in the treasuries of their clients. If he hadn''t been a part of such an infamous group, the League could have recruited him to harvest the corpses of demonic and magical beasts instead.
These individuals were famed for their brutal crimes of massacring their clients if thetter did not give a dependable reward for their efforts. They would then raid their clients'' homes for any resources they could find and additionallymit other wicked deeds.
They had no tolerance for differences and were instantly angered by any minor dispute with them.
Many spected that the ''brothers'' didn''t care about one another and instead kept the sword to themselves and their enemies because they understood that the extra hand would allow them to target bigger targets and get more resources.
As for the authoritying over to confront them, Jinmu snorted and stopped thinking about it. Some underhanded tactics were in y, allowing them to continue living off in this world.
Regardless, these people were now working under the banner of the Siegfried n. As for how they managed to employ a bunch of degenerates, Jinmu was rather interested in knowing.
"Jinmu, what should we do?", Lucan worried.
The six cold-blooded brothers were out of their league considering that all of them were in the higher de realms, a rank where only master wizards and above could contend against. Worse, there were seven of them, and they only got Solordo topensate for theirck of strength, which was greatly insufficient.
Jinmu remained silent while nkly staring at the air. Lucan and Olivia saw his actions and were enlightened.
''He is using that messaging function now?'', Olivia wondered. After all, his message recepient was the dumbest of them all and she wouldn''t be surprised if something different happens.
Scarface overheard the question earlier, mocking the group.
"No matter what ns you bratse upon with, you aren''t going to leave this ce in one piece, dead or alive. And you, our dearest Princess Olivia. If you want to not die, surrender now. Lord Erik is awaiting for you upstairs."
"Hah! He can wait there for eternity!", Olivia retorted, "I would rather die than live in agony under their rule!"
This short exchange distracted the six brothers who were angered by Olivia''s reply. Scarface suddenly felt a presence behind him.
It was Solordo, grinning from ear to ear and readying his attack.
"Tail of the me Dragon!"
Chapter 96 Brain And Muscle (1)
Solordo was gleefully staring at the six people in front. He was wondering if he could spar with them by utilizing his fullest power.
''That stupid dragon lord didn''t say anything to me after I finished my short seclusion.''
He was still unsure how far his strength had progressed, and relying on the information provided by the system wasn''t something he could quantify.
A system prompt alerted him, forcing his attention onto his system panel.
[ You have received a message from Jinmu Lin. ]
''A message? Since when did this function appear?''
Thest time he remembered, the system could only show them their rtive position on the map.
He analyzed further and saw that a ''Messages'' tab appeared on top with a count of ''1'' on the right side. Solordo quickly adjusted the system panel, aligning his sight upon the six brothers to prevent them from noticing something amiss.
He ignored the system''s introduction of the Messages tab and went on to read Jinmu''s message.
[ Jinmu Lin: Hey, muscle guy, let''s team up and hold these people off for as long as we could. ]
[ Additional Note: You can reply by thinking your message in your head. The system will automatically do the rest. ]
The system, knowing that Jinmu ignored it, passed on a shorter note and reminded itself to be as brief as possible when interacting with him.
''Ah, there''s such a convenient messaging function?'', Solordo was taken aback.
This could prove a handful of times when they were put in simr situations to what they were currently on. They could secretly brew ns without the enemy ever noticing.
[ Solordo Luchador: But why should I team up with you? I feel like you''re going to slow me down instead. ]
Jinmu controlled his anger after receiving Solordo''s reply.
[ Jinmu Lin: Just do as what I say. I''m only going to support you in the back, you will be the one doing the hard work. ]
[ Solordo Luchador: Fine, don''t go blocking my wayter! ]
[ Jinmu Lin: Olivia will distract them for a bit. At that time, fling them high into the sky. I will trap them briefly and the rest will follow. ]
Solordo blinked his eyes several times in the process of closing his system panel. When Olivia and the six brothers argued, he gathered his chivalric will on his feet and propelled to the back of Scarface and the rest.
Thetter reacted, but it was toote.
"Tail of the me Dragon!"
His halberd was covered in mes and carried incredible strength, knocking the six brothers high into the air.
They coughed out blood due to the sudden intense strike and screamed soon after realizing that their backs were being scorched by the leftover mes. Scypher and Carruva had it worse due to their fragile physique, almost breaking their backs into two.
Jinmu calcted their trajectory, invoking water sphere traps right where they were being flung out. It quickly swallowed them like a raging wave in the ocean.
Once inside, the pressurizing water that endlessly rotated around messed with their ability to move and sense things.
The water almost boiled because of the mes, emitting sizzling sounds that worsened the burn in their skins.
''What-?!'', Scarface was dumbfounded.
When were these traps set up? Howe he didn''t see anyone conjuring magic circles or setting up paryus scrolls?
As they struggled inside the traps, Olivia and the rest entered the mansion. They thanked Jinmu and proceeded inside.
"Big brother Jinmu, please be safe!", Emi said before waving goodbye.
"Sister Haera, change of ns. Please carry on with my fellow brothers and sisters. Solordo and I shall take care of everything here!", Jinmu told her.
Haera nodded and followed.
"Solordo, punch them away!", Jinmu shouted while sliding towards the mansion''s entrance. His underwhelming water sphere trap won''t be able to hold them much longer.
Solordo jumped to Bulfrang who was at the rightmost side, empowering his right hand with the strength of the me dragon before sending a punch. The air whistled, generating a small shockwave as his hand passed through.
Jinmu retracted the water sphere trap timely, lessening the water barrier''s influence in reducing the impact of Solordo''s hit.
Bulfrang, who was still confused about what was happening, suddenly felt a painful sensation on his right chest. The next thing he knew, all six of them were horizontally stacked on one another, smashing into the stone wall on the far side.
The impact shook the ground, shaking off the snow thatid peacefully on the tree nearby.
The six brothers scurried away from their humiliating and unpleasant situation.
"Fuck, get off of me!", Scarface was livid. How dare these brats retaliated and injured him?
Before they could recover, Solordo dashed again, heading towards Scypher who was still dizzy after taking a hit.
''Damn, that Jinmu is surely increasing my speed with his wind magic! How convenient!'', he was ted.
Even though his speed was already quite high, he would have to elerate from zero to nothing, which would take some time. Also, his skill at using both his magic and chivalric will at the same time regressed especially now that their power had been boosted.
However, with Jinmu''s assistance, he was able to attain his top speed faster than ever before. If Eluard were here, he would be astounded at Jinmu''s understanding of wind resistance.
Jinmu was simply pushing the air out of Solordo''s way. After battling with demon beasts and running around now and then, he realized that the air could drastically affect one''s speed the faster they were going.
Brickman saw Solordo''s figure, blocking him from reaching Scypher by catching Solordo''s fist with his own.
Solordo was surprised that this bald man could defend against him.
"Carruva, trigger it!", Scarface shouted.
Ropes burst out on the ground where Solordo stood, grabbing all of his limbs and locking him in ce.
"Don''t try to fight back, brat! It''s futile! These ropes are made of tough frostal-enhanced fibers!"
Brickman sneered, narrowing his eyes and assimting his body with the cial scorpion''s blood, his imprinted beast.
He extended his right hand which had now resembled that of a cial scorpion''s tail. Frostal venom oozed out of its opening, striking Solordo''s unguarded abdomen.
Thetter''s eyes widened, causing the four brothers to grin with delight.
"Serves your right, brat! Who told you to fuck with us, the six cold-blooded brothers!", Scarface licked off the saliva that trickled down his scarred mouth.
On the other hand, Llurrello understood Solordo''s intentions. Seeing that Brickman and the rest were now in control of him, he fled toward Jinmu with a crazed expression.
''An apprentice mage dares to show himself and support a knight at the higher de? What wishful thinking!''
"Brat, surrender now and I will kill you mercifully!"
He took out his chipped swords and brandished them in the air.
"Your friend is already within our mercy. If you don''t want him to suffer more, act sensibly and kneel!"
Jinmu remained calm, "Are you talking about him?"
Hmm?
Llurrello was taken aback, ''How could this brat remain calm despite how dangerous his situation has be!''
Before he could ponder for long, a figure crashed into the other wall he was facing. He heard shouts of panicing from behind him as well.
"Impossible! How can you survive the strong numbing frostal poison of the frostal scorpion?!", Scarface''s expression was ghastly.
He and the other four stepped back from Solordo, whose upper body had transformed, now covered by crimson dragon scales and surrounded by wild mes. It heated his body and burned the poison flowing inside and the ropes that were binding him.
"Well, the blood of a divine dragon flows inside me, you know.", he replied.
"me dragon imprint? Shit!", Scarface cursed. Going against a knight whose imprint was arguably one of the most formidable existences in Aludia was seeking death on their part.
Solordo grinned and dashed again, "Tail of the me Dragon!"
The searing heat stressed the four brothers.
''Howe this brat can attack over and over again!''
Solordo''s tail strike was devastating, and Scarface guessed it came at a high cost, but looking at the young man who continuously unleashed one assault after another, he was at a loss for what to do.
He dodged Solordo''s attack, but Scypher and the rest weren''t as lucky as him.
''His imprinted beast is savage! This brat''s fighting style is brutal and tough! Only Brickman could spar against him!''
Solordo grabbed Scypher and pummeled his face onto the wall andpletely took down that section. The bowman was so helpless that he was knocked out immediately with blood pouring out of his disheveled face.
Seeing his monstrous strength once again, Scarface reconsidered.
''No, not even Brickman cane out unscathed against him! This is a dragon imprint we are talking about!''
[ Author''s Note: In the world of Aludia, the terms knights, warriors, and chivalric cultivators are interchangeable. ]
He knew that having a higher realm didn''t always provide him an advantage. When determining who would win inbat between knights, additional factors such as the rarity and type of beast imprinted were considered.
"Hey, why are you running! Come and fight me, infamous cold-blooded brother!", Solordo gestured.
"You think your strength can keep up with my speed?!", Scarface decided to go all out. He was hesitating since his imprint beast was the white sh hunting fox, an extremely agile magical beast. It got its name due to people only seeing a sh of white light whenever it encountered danger or when it wanted to leave.
''My beast imprint may be weaker against yours in terms of strength, but don''t you dare forget why we were infamous in the first ce!''
Solordo thrust his halberd into Scarface but thetter moved to the sides. He then thrust his saber into Solordo''s face.
Thetter enveloped his right side with crimson dragon scales, protecting his bare skin from being scratched by Scarface''s saber.
With a dark face, Scarface cursed once again.
''Tsk, what a pestering defense!''
He jumped aside, noticing Llurrello staring at him nkly.
"What the fuck are you staring at! Kill that brat!"
Llurrello was jolted awake and bolted in the direction of Jinmu. He was so astounded by the development that he almost forgot to deal with the youngster who was staring at him calmly.
"Die, brat!"
His body spiraled mid-air, holding both of his chipped swords reversed. He didn''t see the smile appearing on Jinmu''s calm face who was muttering something inaudible.
Llurrello passed over Jinmu. He thought it was blood when he heard the sound of fluid sshing around.
"Hahaha! The smell of blood always-!"
He looked at both his chipped swords and found no blood but water instead.
"What? Howe-!"
When a small water droplet fell from his sword to the smooth wooden floor, his entire surroundings changed.
The mansion was gone, and so did Solordo and the rest of his brothers. What became of it was an endless horizon of tranquil water and clear blue sky.
Llurrello gulped, wondering what happened.
''Is this... an illusion?! But how? He''s just an apprentice mage! I felt it!''
A cold voice echoed all around him.
"Wee to my Myriad Water Mirror Formation."
Chapter 97 Brain And Muscle (2)
Jinmu''s reflection freely floated below Llurrello who carefully readied his chipped swords in case the brat attacks him.
"Bastard, what kind of apprentice mage are you to set up such arge formation like this?!"
"What a fool you are to underestimate an apprentice mage like me then.", Jinmu mocked him instead of answering his questions.
"You think this formation can keep me locked up all day? You are wrong!", Llurrello threatened.
"Be my guest."
Challenged by a lowly apprentice mage, Llurrello gathered his chivalric essence into his upper torso. His hair stood out on end, transforming into sharp spikes.
"Razor Spike Boar: Erupt!"
The spikes were sted around, raining on the area like endless arrows.
"Hah, let''s see your formation crumble into ruins!", Llurrello grinned while wiping off the saliva that dripped on his sweaty face.
His eyes widened, however, seeing that his special technique didn''t do anything to Jinmu''s Myriad Water Mirror Formation at all.
"Fool," Jinmuughed coldly, "You think those razor spikes can do anything to my formation?"
A razor spike boar''s specialty was shooting spikes from its fat body. Aside from that, it was just prey waiting to be in.
Whenpared to Solordo''s dragon or Brickman''s cial scorpion imprint, the raw physical strength it could provide on its assimted knight was akin to none.
Otherwise, Jinmu would not have dared to set up the Myriad Water Mirror Formation if his opponent''s beast imprint was savage.
If it was Solordo, he could just tear this formation apart, let out a powerful roar, or burst out an intimidating aura.
"My formation is capable of absorbing your weak attacks as if they were nothing. You will never get out of this, no matter how hard you try, and once all of your other friends are finished, my muscle-brained ssmate will take care of you shortly thereafter."
"Lies! I''ll keep on shing and attacking! See how long you''llst, brat!", Llurrello was now on edge, something that Jinmu purposefully wanted to happen.
Unlike the rest of his peers, his battle style could be considered cowardly by some, but he was indifferent to their judgment.
An opponent can be defeated in various ways, and Jinmu''s tactics leaned on harassing their mentality and perception of reality. This was equally fatal since most individuals aligned their training and battles in the context of physical improvement rather than their mental health.
Added to that, his expertise in the domain mana synthesis technique allowed him to recycle and gather the used or wasted water elements in the surroundings to sustain his formation for as long as he wished. He could create countless illusions that will drive Llurrello to insanity the longer he was trapped inside.
"Your tactics are too boring.", Jinmu sighed.
Llurrello heard it and tried to sh at his figure reflected on the water stream but to no avail.
"Come out, you coward! Fight me head-on!"
He only heard a snort and nothing else after that.
Llurrello incessantly shouted, cursing Jinmu and his entire family, hoping that he would be irritated and lose his temper.
Unfortunately, Jinmu''s magic root prevented such things from happening. Rather, it gave him a slight amusement before turning his head around and observing the fight outside.
He opened his system panel and sent a message.
"Solordo, don''t you dare waste time fighting. We still have a long road ahead of us."
¡
Meanwhile, Solordo was having fun while fighting against Scarface and the rest of the brothers.
Knowing his behavior, the system didn''t prompt Jinmu''s message at the middle of the fight.
He pursued Scarface, never letting go of him no matter how fast the enemy was.
Solordo raised his halberd and hit the ground, missing Scarface''s nimble figure by a quarter of a second.
Thetter turned around and shed his saber multiple times only to be met with a hard dragon carapace enveloping Solordo''s body.
Annoyed, Scarface circled around Solordo multiple times in a second, trying to find any opening for his swift saber strikes. If he kept hitting the difficult spots, his saber might be the one to lose out first and render him useless.
''The gaps are too small! My saber won''t fit on them!'', quickly backing away as Solordo shed his halberd around.
"You''re fast! I like it!", he grinned, sending chills on Scarface''s spine.
''What the hell did he mean by that?!''
"Tempestal Breeze.", Solordo muttered.
The air suddenly thickened, making it hard for him to breathe or move. Scarface widened his eyes, realizing that this brat intended to slow him down and catch up.
''Is his imprint that of a wind dragon? But he is spewing out intense mes for each of his attack. His beast imprint is definitely that of a me dragon or something simr, so it''s impossible.''
He saw Solordo dashed again but this time, a gust was forming on the tip of the halberd.
''Wind sh!''
Scarface snorted and stepped aside. However, when the turbulent air passed through him, his eyes widened again in utter disbelief.
''M-mana! This is magic!''
"You''re a dual cultivator!", he shrieked in fear.
Although knights couldn''t sense mana when they were in the lower helm realms of chivalric cultivation, assimting a beast''s blood and imprinting the same beast into their chivalric cores grants them the ability to do so.
After all, the demonic and magical beasts have the ability to sense and manipte mana.
The knights, however, cannot manipte the mana to cast magic due to theck of magic root, or even if they had, it would conflict with their chivalric essence and cause internal implosion.
That was why Scarface became frightened when he knew that Solordo could do both chivalric and magic cultivation at the same time.
It was already stressing enough to face his dragon imprint. With the addition of magic and the fact that he didn''t know much about Solordo''s expertise in it put him in an even worse position.
"So what if I am?", Solordoughed before jumping, pulling his halberd back and sending out a thrust.
Scarface gritted his teeth. Evading and counterattacking was useless. The thick carapace of a dragon was more than enough to stop him fromnding even the simplest strike upon Solordo who was now covered from head to toe.
Relying on Carruva and Bulfrang were out of the question as well. Although Carruva could dig around by utilizing the ability of a grounder worm, he didn''t ce hope in it since Solordo may have the ability to sense the disturbance in the earth.
Bulfrang wasn''t even a fighter of both their levels. He was a coward who liked to pick fights that were in his favor.
''And where the fuck is Brickman? He looked like he''s been bricked for centuries!'', Scarface cursed.
What aughable name that brother of his had. That loser fell out the moment Solordo struck him with a punch to the sides and was sent crashing into the walls.
''Does he know that he won''t win against this brat after knowing that the poison won''t work?'', Scarface assumed.
It seemed like he was the only person remaining that was fighting against a formidable opponent.
''If I fall out now, this fucker will definitely kill me off. Ah, fuck it!''
He was about to dash further away when he felt that his feet were stuck on the ground. Dumbfounded, he nced below his feet and found that the earth has molded with his lower body.
''This is magic?!''
"But when-?!"
"Boring, and I thought the so-called six cold-blooded brothers were this challenging."
An uninterested voice sounded in his ears before a halberd severed both of his legs.
Scarface shrieked in anguish as his upper body dropped, drenched with blood spurting from his cleanly cut legs. Then, the halberd''s tip dropped on his be, killing him without a doubt.
Carruva and Bulfrang witnessed everything and became speechless. For Scarface to die just like that without even scratching his enemy''s skin, it had to be his worst battle of all time.
He was known to be quick and leave his enemies with endless wounds on their bodies, yet he was helpless upon meeting someone with a dragon imprint.
They then saw Solordo shook his head in disappointment, angering them.
"I thought that he would be fast enough to react as well, but¡ I guess it''s too much for him.", the bratmented, "Or rather, I''m too much for the six of you."
Carruva and Bulfrang ignored him. They only wanted to get out of here as soon as possible and not die under Solordo''s hands.
"You''re not going anywhere. Earthen Copse!"
He stomped the ground, caving the entirend, 50 meters in front of him. However, the two brothers had already leaped high in the air, evading his spell.
"What an idiot."
Solordo used his halberd''s tip and picked up the rubble in the copsed earth before throwing it into the backs of Bulfrang and Carruva.
Bulfrang noticed it and tried to grab Carruva''s thin arm but Carruva reacted faster. A was already on its way to catch Bulfrang.
"Carruva, you piece of shit!"
Carruva utilized his chivalric essence and pulled the heavy Bulfrang with all his might to block the iing rubble.
Bulfrang''s body collided with the rubble, breaking his spine and shattering his bones and organs. The bloody sight stered an ted expression on Carruva''s face.
"I''m sorry, Bulfrang my brother. You have to die for me."
However, his happiness was short-lived as another rubble was sent on his way.
Carruva, with no time to react or prepare, turned into meat paste, dying in vain and throwing all of his futile survival efforts into nothing.
"So that was why they were called cold-blooded brothers, huh?", Solordo touched his chin in wonder. He thought that their infamy was coupled with strength and skill as well.
Much to his dismay, it appeared that these brothers primarily targeted the weak and exaggerated their achievements, creating a false image in the minds of the easily fooled popce.
Scarface couldn''tnd a hit on him and Brickman couldn''t endure a hit from him. Bulfrang, Carruva, and Scypher were nothing else but prey waiting to be killed.
As for Llurrello, he didn''t know where he and Jinmu went.
"Oh yeah, there''s that Brickman still, right?", he turned around but saw nobody else but him.
"Damn, he must have escaped while I was distracted by those two goddamn brothers."
Chapter 98 Elder Flocks Worries
Solordo scratched his head, wondering what would he do now. Although he could feel a demonic aura emanating from inside the mansion, it was weakerpared to Scarface and his band of cold-blooded brothers.
''Strange. The demonic auras of those dead brothers vanished out of nowhere.''
He stared at Scarface''s dead body, then at the three others in the distance. He opened his system panel and thought.
''It is said here that I can sense demonic or divine aura due to me assimting with that stupid me dragon.''
''Well¡ maybe my strikes aren''t imbued with divinity¡? But that''s impossible.''
''I''ll find an answer to thatter.''
A loud shout distracted his thoughts, turning his head to the entrance of the mansion.
"Oh, there you are, Jinmu. Where the hell have you been?"
Jinmu casually walked out while pointing at Llurrello''s pale figure, "Deal with him. We''ll go inside now and assist them to the best of our abilities."
"But¡ those guys are too weak¡", Solordo hesitated, "Their demonic auras aren''tparable to those brothers earlier¡", he said with a weak voice.
"Ju-, what? What did you just say?", Jinmu turned around in surprise.
"I said that their demonic auras are too weak.", Solordo waved his hands in dismissal, "I don''t want to be known as a bully who only fights those weaker than me, you know."
"How can you detect demonic auras when you''re not even an ascended being yet!", Jinmu was confused.
"Eh? I thought you knew that my assimted beast is the divine me dragon.", Solordo showed his information to Jinmu who carefully looked at its contents.
[ Name: Solordo Luchador ]
[ Age: 16 years old ]
[ Race: Half-human, half-elf ]
[ Status: Alive ]
[ Affiliation: Knights of Aludia, League of Wizardry, Heavenly Magic Academy ]
[ Magic Power: Master Wizard (Lower Ring) ]
? [ Magic Root: Harmonic Duplex Magic Root (Mythical) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 7.8/10 (Master Wizard) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Darkness, Wind, Earth, Fire ]
[ Chivalric Core Grade: SSS ]
[ Chivalric Will Power: Higher de ¨C Condensation Realm ]
[ Assimted Beast: Divine me Dragon ]
[ Imprinted Beast: Divine me Dragon ]
[ Additional Effect: Divine Assimtion, Divine Imprint ]
[ You have gained the ability to sense demonic and divine auras. You can also gather divinity as earliest as possible. ]
[ Additional Effect: Assimtion and Imprint Ability Synchronization ]
[ Due to your unnatural magic root, you have gained all the magical abilities of your assimted and imprinted beast, including their magic affinity. ]
''Divine me Dragon!'', Jinmu shouted in his mind, ''No wonder this muscle-brain can sense demonic auras.''
He touched his chin, contemting his newfound knowledge.
The capabilities of a dual cultivator were just too good. One could switch their battle style depending on the situation and can adapt to any circumstances without being at a disadvantage.
The only problem was that they would have to do double the effort but for someone like Solordo, that could be drawn out.
"Hey, hey. Stop thinking about it too much!", Solordo pulled him out of his daze, "If you want to think about something, help me know why did their demonic auras vanish?"
"Their?"
Solordo pointed at the dead brothers, then he noticed that Llurrello was still there. His continued futile attacks exhausted him of his strength.
He could only re at Jinmu and Solordo, ''How dare they look at me like that!''
"That''s impossible, Solordo. You should know that anyone afflicted with demonic auras is nearly unkible unless struck with a divined attack."
"You think I don''t know that?", Solordo snorted, "That''s why it is unsettling."
"Although I could sense demonic auras due to my ability, it doesn''t mean that my attacks are imbued with divinity as well. That''s why I was confused that they died easily rather thaning back to life like how demonic creatures are supposed to be."
"Maybe it only works on true demonic creatures and the aura returned to its source.", Jinmu answered.
"Oh!", Solordo hit his open palm with a clenched fist, "Look at this, Jinmu! This guy has some demonic aura in him. Do you feel it?"
Jinmu stared at Llurrello and realized that he was rather strange. The mana elements consciously retreated from the space where thest brother was.
''If these people were enhanced with demonic aura, shouldn''t his attacks from then ruptured my magic array formation from inside out?''
''And Solordo shouldn''t have an easy time fighting with them. A demonized creature''s strength is roughly increased by at least 50% of its original.''
Something didn''t add up ording to Jinmu''s deductions.
"I do feel a little ufortable. Solordo, is this the demonic aura you were talking about? Are you going to kill him now?"
"Uh, yeah¡ Ah, anyway, about that¡"
"Hey, brats. Where the hell is Scarface and the rest, eh?!", Llurrello asked.
"Heh, don''t worry. You will meet them now, in the afterlife.", Solordomented, beheading Llurrello whose spurting blood drenched his mage robe in red.
His robe lit up. The blood stains slipped out of the robe''s fabric and dropped to the ground.
Jinmu and Solordo were unfazed by the sight. The two of them had killed enough to be desensitized over simr asions.
"It should vanish any moment now, Jinmu.", Solordo reminded.
Jinmu carefully observed the flow of mana around Llurrello''s dead body.
A minuteter, Jinmu jolted after sensing a strong prating sight originating from Llurrello''s body.
[ Warning: Due to your heightened mana sensory skills, the system detected a powerful surveince technique executed nearby. Please be on guard. ]
''A powerful surveince technique?!'', Jinmu was taken aback, ''Was it because of that demonic aura from Llurrello?''
He focused his mind and saw that the mana elements from Llurrello had stabilized.
''It truly did vanish! Don''t tell me that was what the system meant by surveince technique?''
''And what did it look at? My mind? My physical appearance? Or my¡''
He didn''t dare to imagine that the academy''s secret was seen.
''Just what are these demonic creatures up to?!''
Jinmu thought they were sent here to settle some business against the Otherworld, but he didn''t expect it to run that deep.
''Is this how the two legendary factions battle it out with one another?''
"Ah, how cold! And damn unlucky! It did vanish from my senses!", Solordoined, "Hey, Jinmu. Did you notice anything strange? It''s been a minute already and the demonic aura is gone."
Jinmu was pulled out of his daze, in hesitance on what to answer.
''Should I tell him? But there''s no telling if they are still ncing in this area or not, and what are they looking at. If the enemy knew that I sensed it, how would they react?''
''The system should have eluded their senses, I am sure of it.''
He eyed his system panel and sent a message to Solordo. After sending, he massaged his temples and finally answered.
"No, nothing. I felt cold too just like you."
"O-oh, i-is that so? Hehe, how disappointing then.", Solordo scratched his cheek.
"This is strange. Maybe senior brother Kai might know something about it. Regardless, this is way too difficult and we won''t be finding any answer soon.", Jinmu turned around.
"We''ll continue with the n. Follow me inside the mansion."
"We don''t know where the rest of the enemies are so it''s best to group up.", he advised, "And don''t be too overconfident. Those demonic creatures might have set something up."
Solordo shrugged at his warnings, "Whatever you say, leader.", grinning in anticipation.
"I''ll take point.", Jinmu and Solordo went inside.
Meanwhile, an elderly figure gradually appeared right outside the mansion. It was Elder Flock, gently caressing his chin as he thought about Jinmu and Solordo''s strengths.
"Impressive. So it was that young brat from the Luchador Family who assimted blood of a divine being, particrly the divine me dragon."
"No wonder that Arahon Agui hase here."
He could still remember that bright column in the night sky emerging in the direction of the dwarven mountain pass several months ago.
Many wizards, archmages, and knights were disturbed by the overwhelming power of the aura. It became an interesting incident, attracting the attention of many curious people who hurried towards that location, hoping to connect with this fortunate one, unaware that the culprit had already fled the scene.
"I wonder how that father of his will react after knowing that his exiled son assimted and imprinted with a divine me dragon."
Elder Flock chuckled.
"''They'' will surely be taken for a surprise."
As for Jinmu, he didn''t give a remark. Knowing that these youngsters were students of the Heavenly Magic Academy, they could do anything that defied the logic of the existing magical system in Aludia.
"There''s no use idling here any longer. That demonic creature and his spawned demonic dragon seemed to have vanished for some reason. Did they¡ use another concealment technique?"
Not only did the enemies vanish, but Elder Flock couldn''t find any trace of their aura either. With how domineering the rift and that final dark beam''s aura was, hiding it would prove to be rtively tricky.
"And those bodies too. What''s up with that strong prative sight I''ve been feeling ever since one of them has died?"
"Is this one of the ploys of the Otherworld? To incite a disturbance, and see how the Heavenly Magic Academy fares?"
He couldn''t get a grip on what was happening here. The demonic creatures not only have powerful concealment techniques but powerful surveince techniques as well.
Thinking about it drove Elder Flock mad.
''Damn, we''ve been idling for too long, and little progress has been made while those damn demonic creatures seem to be getting better and better each passing day.'', he cursed in his heart.
''The League keeps on imposing rules, rules, and more rules, like a damn puppet under the different factions. It''s time to stand up for ourselves.''
''I will ask the supreme elder and the other elders to talk with the ''duly concerned'' nobles andmon citizens sooner orter. These ignorant idiots need to know that restricting ourselves will only put us into perilous situations.''
He noticed Arahon and Harrtugg Naaw hunting for the demonic dragon in the distance, ignoring the mayhem below.
"Battling the enemy this time might be a little tricky. I hope that they would find whatever they are looking for before the enemies show up¡"
Chapter 99 Confrontation At The Great Hall
Brickman hurriedly ran away from the Siegfried Mansion, fearing Solordo''s monstrous strength.
"Damn those brats. Howe they''re so powerful?!"
It didn''t matter now if the brothers would remain intact after this incident. He only wanted to survive and live his life away from all troubles. Unfortunately, that wish of his would never be bound to happen.
"Hey, hey. What''s this?!", a mocking tone resounded in the distance.
Three warriors dressed in armor walked out, holding their bloodied weapons as they red at Brickman''s sorry figure.
"Aren''t you Brickman of the Six Cold-Blooded Brothers? What the hell are you doing here in the middle of nowhere?!", asked one of them.
"Hey, haven''t you heard? The Siegfried family hired these goons under their wing."
"Don''t tell me¡ We''re going to kill him now!"
Hatred red in their enraged eyes. Anyone involved with the Siegfried n was bound to die today.
"And it seems like he''s running away from something! That means that the rest of the brothers might be in deep trouble and this guy is all alone! It''s time to kill this fucker!"
Angered by their words, Brickman covered his body with the thick carapace of the frostal scorpion.
"You think I''m going to fall that easily?!"
The three warriorsughed.
"Hoho, we know you will!"
Brickman gritted his teeth. Faced with the threat of the three warriors, he was left with no choice but to fight.
''I knew that being taken by them was a wrong one! That Scarface! And curse you, Siegfried n!''
''I hope you all fucking die!''
¡
The atmosphere inside the Siegfried Mansion grew colder.
Bloodied bodies became a testament to the recent shes that resulted in the quick victory of the three students of Heavenly Magic Academy, apanied by the weakened yet enduring woman elf.
"We''ve been running around in circles, Olivia.", Lucan protested, sweating hard, about the ice princess''s inuracy in guiding them to the Siegfried Mansion''s grand hall.
"Are you sure about this path?"
He turned around and worriedly looked at Haera, "Look, even the big sister over there is having a hard time catching up to us."
The elf appeared to be in distress, though Lucan was unaware of the reason. The only thing he observed was that Haera''s breaths were colder than usual, which made him suspicious.
She leaned her body near the wall, grasping her chest as she calmed herself.
''Howe the curse is acting up again?! I thought that Kai has fixed it¡''
Haera nced at the three, noticing a glimpse of anger rising from Olivia.
"You shut up. We''re already in front of the great hall."
Her slender fingers pointed at the ajarrge wooden doors. At the top center was the emblem of the Siegfried n, a burly hand clenched with the imprinted elongated figure of a dragon.
Lucan stretched his neck, curious about the identity of that dragon figure.
''Aren''t you an imperial son? Howe this dumbhead doesn''t recognize that symbol.''
Olivia crossed her arms and grumpilymented, "That''s the emblem of the Siegfried n, the basking frost dragon. They were originally the rulers of the northernnds, a servant of the frost dragons for years untold."
"Well, not until the barbaric confederation grew restless of their tyranny and asked assistance from the nearby empires and kingdoms. With the power of the elves, the then infant Morning Star Empire, and other mercenaries, the Siegfried n were quickly put out of their ce."
Lucan could feel the contempt behind her words.
"I don''t know why they were spared, but because of that stupid decision, this n has struck once again and caused countless lives to be lost.", Olivia snorted.
She couldn''t bear to imagine the families that died under their ambitious ns. Should she have had the ability to turn back time, she would''ve killed all of them given the chance.
"Disappointing, isn''t it?"
A familiar voice echoed from inside the great hall, alerting the four of them.
"Who''s there?!", Lucan took the lead and opened the wooden doors.
"Be careful. This voice¡ it''s Erik''s.", Olivia warned.
Jolted, Lucan almost staggered, "Wait, it''s that guy? Finally?"
Amidst his surprise, Emi rushed and violently entered the great hall.
"Hey, Emi- wait!", Lucan tried to grab her but he failed, ''I forgot about this little girl!''
Emi was solely responsible for all those deaths after they entered therge mazelike Siegfried Mansion. Her demeanor has been cold and merciless ever since.
Longing for her big sister was the only thing that remained on her mind.
"Are you Erik Siegfried?"
She asked with clenched fists, ring at the tall figure that stood in front of a high chair made of frostal ice.
"And what if I am?", Erik grinned, his right eye turning scarlet.
"Give me back my sister! How dare you enve her!"
"I''m afraid you are in no position to order me like that.", Erik retorted.
"Erik, you better listen to her.", Olivia warned. Though the sight of him disgusted her, she was forced to do so to check his information using the system.
[ Name: Erik Siegfried ]
[ Age: 22 years old ]
[ Race: Half-human, half-elf ]
[ Status: Alive, Demonized (Mark of Asura) ]
[ Affiliation: Siegfried n, Otherworld ]
[ Chivalric Core Grade: A ]
[ Chivalric Will Power: Lower Helm ¨C Ascended Knight ]
[ Assimted Beast: Frost Dragon ]
[ Imprint Beast: Demonic Deathly Dragon ]
[ Additional Effect: Demonized, Mark of Asura ]
[ This user''s strength is increased considerably, promoting his power into the higher de realm. ]
[ Degradation Effect: Chivalric Pr Opposition ]
[ The demonic powering from your imprint beast shes with the assimted blood of the frost dragon. Continued exposure may result in unwanted incidents. ]
''What? He''s demonized, but it is causing mishaps within his body?''
The three students held their shock within themselves. They had to act as if they were in the unknown about Erik''s newfound power.
Thetter waved his hands in ridicule, trying to hold back theughter that was forming in his dry mouth.
"Ah, Princess Olivia! When have you ever stooped so low to protect such amoner like her?!"
"I''m not amoner!"
Anger welled up within Emi, forcing her to attack, "Earthen Bullet!"
A huge chunk of rock was thrown at Erik. He smiled, extending his hand and grabbing it effortlessly.
"Magic? Are you trying to entertain me with your silly tricks?! You think a lowly mage like you can fight against me?!"
He pulled back his hand and threw it back to Emi with greater force. Olivia stomped her foot and erected an ice wall, blocking the rock.
Erik observed and was slightly humored, "Well, I guess I''ll give you four a chance!"
He grabbed the great axe beside him and brandished it like a madman. Fear struck Olivia after she saw this sight.
"He''s using only one hand!", her shriek caught their attention.
"One hand? What''s wrong if he''s using only one hand?!", Lucan asked, ''Don''t they wield their weapons with one hand?''
"I thought you are a part of the royalty but aren''t you not reading books enough?!", Olivia reprimanded, "That glowing deep blue de of his great axe is frostal ice. It''s heavier and sharper than you think."
"Because of the frostal ice''s natural coldness, the usual materials can''t be used to forge its handle. I think that''s¡"
"Furzeine.", Haera added, "It''s a¡. cold metal which has a high cold and heat resistance and can only be found here¡ in the northern cial continent."
"Because of its special nature and essibility, it is usuallybined with frostal ice to make capable weapons like that man''s great axe."
"However, furzeine is heavy as well. If he can brandish such weapon using only one hand, he must be someone who assimted with a beast that has high raw strength, or he''s already at the higher de realm."
She gasped while attempting to exin. The cold feeling inside her heart has started to activate again.
"Hey, big sister. You don''t look good.", Lucan went to her side and checked her out.
"Uh, thanks, but I think you should worry about that man first."
She pointed at Erik who hystericallyughed at their conversation, "Oh, you are pretty intelligible as well. But¡ knowing what my weapon is made of still won''t make any difference!"
He jumped towards the group while brutely swinging his glowing great axe. Haera noticed the slight details in which a scarlet aura enveloped his towering weapon.
"Watch out!"
Lucan manipted the earth and pushed each other away.
Erik missed but he remained unbothered, "Running like cats¡ You''re just like that ve of mine!"
"How dare you!", Emi was enraged, "Pierce him! Grounded Puncture!"
The earth shook under Erik''s feet as several roots and branches emerged with ferocious intent to swallow him whole. He was rather excited than afraid.
"Heh, a form 3 spell! If you want to save your sister, you have to do better than that-!"
He swung his massive axe and noticed that the roots wererger and tougher than usual. Suspicion grew upon his heart, warning him that something was wrong with Emi''s magic.
''What sort of tricks are they ying now?!''
Erik snorted and shed his way out, "Whirlwind Axe!"
Turbulent winds formed around him as he spun quickly, destroying all the roots and branches that Emi sprouted.
As he enjoyed his short charade, his axe suddenly hit Olivia''s ice walls. He noticed that it was thicker and more durable, just like what he observed about Emi''s magic earlier. Worse, a tingling sensation emanated from the ice wall and crept toward both of his hands.
''This is¡ lightning!''
He channeled the demonic power within himself and smashed the wall while neutralizing the lightning effect that was about to electrify him.
Olivia felt disappointed that Erik managed to get out of her trap on time.
''He must have noticed it. No, it''s not about him noticing that. It''s¡''
"Tsk.", Erik sounded irritated, "You fuckers. You forced me to use my trump card this early!"
He was supposed to y with his prey, not the other way around. But it seemed like he was the fool thinking that way. Driven by his rage, the air turned violent and an ominous aura burst out from his body.
Olivia and the rest grouped up again. This time, however, they could feel the increasing pressureing from Erik himself.
Feeling the demonic power surge through him, he cackled without restraint.
"Our great lords have given me this power, the power to seize all of thesends as my own, and soon, Aludia itself!"
"The League of Wizardry, the Knights of Aludia, the Morning Star Empire, even the elves and the Orients at the far east!"
"They will either kneel before my great power or die in resistance!"
He turned around and grinned, letting the radiant light of the Morning Star pass through the broken roof andnd upon his demonic figure.
"And you, the four of you, shall have a taste of what''s toe!"
"Now, let''s bring it on, shall we?!"
"Chivalric Assimtion: Demonic Deathly Dragon!"
Chapter 100 Intense Battle (1)
The sky turned ominous as the overbearing aura of the deathly demonic dragon befallen Arsolo Stronghold. The winds picked up their pace, forming a vortex at the far end of the Siegfried Mansion.
Everyone became worried. The intensity of this new incidence tamed the bloodlust that affected the warriors under High King Garron.
The change in their behavior paves the way to the timely retreat of their enemies while leaving a difficult trail for the high king and his warriors to follow.
He snorted and ordered, "Forget about the traitors, search for any remaining civilians first!"
They had found stragglers along the way and were quite ted to know that some of their people survived the apocalyptic incident that recently happened. With such discovery, he was hoping that the other viges and strongholds had survivors as well despite the chance of it happening.
"Yes, high king!"
The warriors moved led by the allied n heads. They were also worried about their family''s safety, hoping that the traitorous Siegfried n holed them up somewhere as their hostages.
Amidst the chaos, Xerga approached him with a sweating expression, "Hey, Garron! Have you found Misha?!"
"What? I thought he was with the scouts a while ago. Have they not yet returned?"
"No, they haven''t. The other groups didn''t say anything about noticing him as well. Don''t you think that¡"
His unfinished question bade a worrying feeling within their hearts. Misha was their youngest and had a lot of potential. They didn''t want such a young skilled warrior to die, moreover their sibling.
Dilemma fell upon the high king, wondering who should he tend to first. With clenched fists and gritted teeth, he spoke out.
"Damn it! We''ll search for Mishater. We''ll worry about that thing in the Siegfried Mansion first."
Xerga was taken aback after hearing his words, ''Garron¡ have you¡ forsaken them already, your other family?''
stered with a worried expression on his hanging face, he continued.
''Even though your wife and your younger son could have been implicated, your hate for them is something that won''t vanish even if it hase into this.''
''Can''t you spare them of your hatred for once? The queen is your wife, and the prospect warrior is your son.''
Despite Xerga''s inner thoughts, Garron''s actions hinted otherwise that he will persist with such an arrangement towards his family.
He closed his eyes and hoped that this younger brother of his would somewhat show a little more conscience to the rest of the family as well.
''Maybe it has something to do with Princess Olivia. After all, that niece of mine¡ is very special.''
His eyes observed the growing scarlet column that soon surpassed the skies. Opposite of it were the two dragons, Arahon and Harrtugg Naaw.
"Hey, this energy¡", Arahon breathed out mes.
"It''s ominous, purely demonic in nature.", Harrtugg Naaw added, "And I can feel a trace of my children''s aura as well. This might just be that summoned demonic dragon.", anger hidden beneath his analytical words.
Narrowing his eyes, Arahon asked, "Should we go over and check it out?"
"No, we''ll stay here as a precaution. We don''t even know where that huge summoned creature is right now. But hey, don''t you think this phenomenon is too familiar?"
The two shrunk into their humanoid forms.
"Familiar?", Arahon pondered, "Ah, you mean that time when some brat assimted with my blood? I remember a bright column of light dashing to the sky that probably alerted those old fools.", he snorted before realization struck him, "Wait, don''t tell me¡"
A smirk formed on the frost dragon''s face, confidently speaking out.
"Someone nearby has assimted¡ no, maybe even imprinted that summoned demonic creature into their chivalric core."
Arahon was speechless. Has the Siegfried n''s hunger for power returned?
"If this is the way the Siegfried n handles their matters, I don''t think they will survive for the years toe."
Harrtugg Naaw chuckled, "You think I don''t know that? But I guess I could understand their desperation. After all, we were once allied with them for some dubious cause."
"You should realize how pissed they were when our rtionship with them was lost after some foreign intervention. I suppose having my mind bewitched earlier was a part of their revenge n of some sort."
"The lure of a dragon''s divine power is something that a feeble mind of an ant could barely resist. Haven''t your alliance with the dwarves taught you that?"
"If they cannot get the desire of their hearts, they will find another way to do it. And in this instance, only the demonic creatures could grant them their wishes."
Arahon sighed, knowing the meaning behind Harrtugg Naaw''s words.
"Fine, but regardless, that brat''s going to take care of whoever imprinted themselves some demonic creature in their chivalric core."
"Oh, is your ''disciple'' that special?", the frost dragon was intrigued.
Arahon grinned, "Heh, he''s more than that."
¡
The group of four palely watched as Erik''s body was covered by a scarlet carapace full of spikes protruding outwards. They could see the demonic power flowing between the spaces that the carapace purposely didn''t cover.
Erik turned his head, revealing a dragon mask with red and blue eyes. Nobody had the time to wonder about such peculiarity as he immediately grabbed his great axe and rambled once again.
"You damn ants. Feel the intensity of my demonic power!"
A powerful aura burst out, sting the fragile wooden pieces thaty around.
Erik grinned after seeing the result, pumping excitement into his demonized body. He grabbed the great axe and pounced on Emi and Olivia, the two girls whom he hated the most.
Fear-stricken, Emi wasn''t able to react on time.
"Stay away from her!", Olivia shouted while sending outrge sharp ice spikes.
Erik was forced to halt his steps, smashing the iing attack and giving Emi the time to get away.
"You can''t run away!"
"Ice Stinger!", Olivia relentlessly pushed him back. Four scorpion-like stingers made of ice sprouted from the ground and attacked Erik''s nks.
"Impossible! How can you cast magic quickly?!"
Erik frantically stopped and defended. The four stingers were attacking him from all sides and he couldn''t, for the best of him, able to destroy them quickly.
One of the stingers managed to scrape his carapace armor, ringing a worrying sound in Erik''s ears.
''What? She managed to damage my demonic armor?!''
Worry filled his heart, prompting him to get rid of the ice stingers as soon as possible. He narrowed his eyes and released his great axe. He grabbed the right stinger in front of him and pulled it out of the earth with great strength.
To his shock, the stinger elongated instead of breaking into two.
"You can elongate, huh? How about I break you now!"
A punch destroyed the stinger and fell to the ground, inanimate.
Olivia grinned, mocking Erik''s naivety.
''You think I can''t control the structure of my magic? I''ll show you what a wizard is capable of!''
The downed stinger exploded into several smaller ones. Caught off guard, he was struck in the abdomen and pushed far away.
Before he could recover, the stingers slithered through the ground like a snake in pursuit of their target. Seeing the danger approaching, Erik abandoned his ego and called for help.
"Guards!"
"Yes, young master!"
Voices of various people resounded within the great hall. Two figures jumped out from the shadows and destroyed the stingers in front of their young master.
"Elite guards!", Olivia alerted.
"I''m sorry, Princess Olivia, but you should surrender now, knowing that your group is of no match to us.", a tall and slender man with long ck hair that covered his right face coldly advised.
"Grimmold Usvald!"
[ Name: Grimmold Usvald ]
[ Age: 44 years old ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Status: Alive, Demonized ]
[ Affiliation: Norva Assili, Siegfried n (Elite Guard) ]
[ Chivalric Core Grade: B ]
[ Chivalric Will Power: Higher de ¨C Enlightenment Realm ]
[ Assimted Beast: Frostal Shadow Hound ]
[ Imprinted Beast: Frostal Shadow Hound ]
[ Additional Affect: Chilly Bite ]
[ All attacks mixed with the frostal shadow hound''s essence will produce a random ice effect. ]
[ Additional Effect: Shadow Bite ]
[ All attacks mixed with the frostal shadow hound''s essence will generally ignore the target''s defenses, magical or physical. Does not work in certain situations, such as attacking a divine or demonic defense. ]
[ Additional Effect: Demonized, Mark of Asura ]
[ This user''s strength is increased considerably, promoting the effects of their assimted and imprinted beast. ]
''This is bad. His beast imprint just has to be that.'', Olivia thought with gritted teeth.
Frostal shadow hounds were elusive beasts that could ignore one''s defenses using their chilly attacks. It was a rare and dangerous magical beast only found within the dark and deep taigas of the northern cial continent.
[ Author''s note: Taiga is another term for a snow forest. ]
Grimmold managed to catch one due to his status as a prospect warrior back in his younger days and soon inherited some of the frostal shadow hound''s characteristics such as being a reclusive and nocturnal creature.
"Hey, hey, Grimmold. Don''t discourage the young ones like that. How are we going to have fun if we just let them surrender that easily?"
A mocking voice resounded beside Grimmold. It was a woman with long arms and legs, almost four times her height in total. Her snake-like eyes glowed in scarlet, sending a re upon Olivia and Emi, the two closest to her.
[ Name: Miriana Taya ]
[ Age: 39 years old ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Status: Alive, Demonized ]
[ Affiliation: Norva Assili, Siegfried n (Elite Guard) ]
[ Chivalric Core Grade: B ]
[ Chivalric Will Power: Higher de ¨C Enlightenment Realm ]
[ Assimted Beast: Winter Rattlesnake ]
[ Imprinted Beast: Winter Rattlesnake ]
[ Additional Effect: Contagious Venom ]
[ The user''s weapons are automatically coated with the winter rattlesnake''s venoms. It is required for the weapon''sponents to be mixed with the rattlesnake''s essence, either using blood or one''s chivalric essence. ]
[ Additional Effect: Snake Body ]
[ Your body is simr to a snake. ]
[ Additional Effect: Demonized, Mark of Asura ]
[ This user''s strength is increased considerably, promoting the effects of their assimted and imprinted beast. ]
Olivia''s expression worsened after seeing Miriana''s information.
This situation was more precarious than the previous six cold-blooded brothers they met back at the entrance.
''I don''t know if Jinmu and Solordo are done with their business outside, but regardless, this seems like a dead-end for us.''
There was absolutely no way they could fight off against elites who were battle-hardened after years of torturous fights and hard training.
"How annoying!", Emi cursed behind her, shocking Olivia, "I don''t care if you are some elite guards or such! I will get my big sister back, even if I die trying!"
"Oh, this girl is brave. I''d like to break foolish people like you!"
Without a warning, Miriana dashed in front of Emi and wielded two short swords made of frostal ice, cutting her skin 35 times in three seconds.
Emi shouted in agony and soon realized that her entire body was numbing as if she had lost control.
The crazy womanughed, "My short swords are coated in winter rattlesnake''s venom! You won''t live for another day!"
Emi became hopeless and teared up, "No, it can''t be! I have to get to my big sister! You won''t-! Ah!"
Miriana lodged her right short sword deep within Emi''s chest, spurting out a fountain of blood unto the floor.
"You act brave, but youck the strength to back it up!", Miriana remarked, "I would call someone like you¡"
Just as she was about to deliver the killing blow, Olivia finally reacted and seized Miriana with her ice stinger.
"I won''t let you harm her!"
Thetter saw through it and stretched her body at an insane angle, dodging the ice stinger''s grab. She ''slithered'' around it and went beside Olivia, about to deliver another attack.
"Huh? Did you say something, dear Princess Olivia?!"
Just as the de reached her neck, a tanned hand grabbed Miriana''s left hand, stopping the lethal thrust.
"She''s agile. What an interesting enemy.", a rough voicemented, "But can your bones endure?"
Chapter 101 Intense Battle (2) - Fire And Shadow
"You''re an interesting enemy, but just to be sure¡"
The grip on Miriana''s hand tightened.
"Can it endure?!"
The snapping sound didn''te, forcing out several gasps from Olivia and the rest.
Miriana sneered and mocked the neer, "Of course, it can."
"Then I''m d to hear it!", the young man replied and sent out a punch.
She crashed into the wall, tearing it down and forming a wide hole. Blood dripped out of her nose and wiped it out, recovering from the sudden blow.
"You pack a punch, brat!", Miriana said with a wide grin.
The young man stepped in front of Olivia, carrying his halberd upon his back.
"So-Solordo! Howe you''re here?!", she asked in surprise.
"What? You don''t want me here?!", Solordo felt betrayed, "You girls¡ Really, just when did this soft little sister dare to act courageously in front of others? Doesn''t suit her well, doesn''t suit her well."
Emi''s weakened eye managed to catch a glimpse of his dashing figure.
"Brother¡ Solordo¡"
Jinmu arrived and knelt over, gently lifting her upper body and checking her condition.
"Ah, brother Jinmu¡"
"Shh.", Jinmu gestured, "She''s okay. The winter rattlesnake''s venom won''t kill her."
Mirianaughed at his words, "What a joke! Do you know how potent my venom is?!"
Solordo advanced, "All I know is that her healing ability is more potent than your venom."
"Even that fatal strike of yours won''t kill her off anytime soon."
Miriana looked at Emi and was uncertain as she noticed a swarm of green lights surrounding her body. She was able to detect the distant radiation of dense life energy.
''Self-healing? Since when did wizards gain such skills?''
Grimmold also took notice of it and remarked on his mind, ''These weirdly dressed mages and wizards all have some mysterious abilities.''
''And that brat carrying a halberd, is he some fool? What kind of wizard brings a halberd to a fight?''
He usually saw wizards condense magic weapons and throw them around, but never would they wield them with their bare hands.
''No, he''s not a wizard. He managed to grip Miriana''s hand and almost broke it in half. A wizard can''t possibly do that.''
''Rather than him being wizard acting like a fool, it must be that he is wearing a wizard robe to fool others.'', Grimmold concluded.
"I-impossible!", a stuttering voice rang nearby.
Grimmold turned his head and watched as Erik slumped to the ground, pointing his trembling fingers straight at Solordo.
"Young master, what''s wrong?", Grimmold was confused.
"That guy. He-he has divine assimtion! M-my demonic aura could feel the divine energy flowing within him!"
Divinity was the bane of demonic energy.
Erik, who usually enjoyed a high status and solitude at the top, felt immense danger as he sensed the vibrant divine me dragon''s aura dwelling within Solordo''s chivalric core and blood.
More than that, Solordo''s assimtion and imprint wereplete aspared to Erik who resorted to a demonic contract that provided him limited strength.
Grimmold was reminded of an event months ago, "Divine assimtion? He''s that brat who managed to assimte with a divine beast?"
Ignorant of their chatter, Solordo closed his eyes and channeled his chivalric essence, "Enough chatter, let''s fight! Chivalric Assimtion!"
A domineering thump burst out of the great hall, shocking the three Siegfried n members.
Grimmold''s hands shook, "This is¡", and both Miriana and Erik widened their eyes, "A dragon''s might!"
"No!", Erik screamed in anguish as his mind broke.
"Divine me Dragon!"
Fiery mes surrounded Solordo and his ssmates, protecting them from any harm during his spectacr transformation.
Then came a deafening howl that deafened the ears of those who were unfortunate to hear it. The sheer loudness forced the wind to surge violently, forming a treacherous tornado within the messed-up great hall.
The two elite guards and Erik grunted in pain. This was drastically different from thetter''s chivalric assimtion.
The voice''s pitch and raging atmosphere peaked, almost breaking down their consciousness into the void.
A burst of powerful aura smothered the great hall into ruins while also sting the three of them away.
It revealed Solordo fully covered in dragon armor. His wizard robe adapted to his new form, creating new openings for the dragon tail.
The mes were still gathering to form thest bits of his transformation but Solordo didn''t intend to give his enemies any room to breathe.
He gathered strength from his legs and dashed at Miriana''s face, shing from below without a warning.
Mid-air, Miriana agilely twisted her body and dodged his attack. She sent out a few thrusts from her short swords but were blocked by Solordo''s thick dragon carapace, ringing loud grazing sounds.
''My short swords can''t cut that deep!''
She then noticed fire brewing from Solordo''s mouth.
''Dragon breath? I can''t dodge on time!''
Amidst her panic, a hand materialized below her shadow, pushing her hapless body to the left.
Solordo breathed out the umted fire, roasting the ground below and ckening the entire surface. The wooden pieces turned to dust while the metals melted under extreme heat.
His senses pricked up, alerting him of a dangerous presence from his right. He used his small dragon tail and struck out, hitting nothing but the air.
His eyes widened in surprise after seeing that ck phantom hand phasing through the tail. It took a slight turn and hit him right in the gut.
A thought shed through his mind, analyzing this peculiar scene.
''His attacks can pass through defenses, huh? Another interesting enemy!''
"You may have a thick carapace, but it''s nothing in front of the shadow hound!", Grimmold proudly dered.
"Your punches are nothing to this young master either!"
Before Grimmold could phase out, Solordo countered by covertly enclosing his hand in dark mana and grasping hold of it.
''He managed to grab my hand! What is this?!'', worried about the sudden turn of events, he bluffed, "It''s useless! No attacks can harm me!"
Solordo grinned, detonating a huge explosion between him and Grimmold. Thetter didn''t expect it and was sted away.
''I was affected by that?''
Grimmold''s heart raced. Rarely did someone manage to inflict a hit on him.
''Wait, I remember him saying divine me dragon earlier. Is he¡ someone from that secr household?''
His interest piqued knowing that the members of that particr household were allied to the me dragons, having the freedom to assimte with a me dragon''s blood as they wished.
Grimmold''s eyes ckened, "Humor me, brat!"
''Shadow Phase: ck Hand!''
He plunged his hands into his shadow which then appeared beneath Solordo''s feet. He grabbed them and immobilized them.
''Although the range is limited, I can immobilize you from a distance! But I have to be careful. If he disrupts the image of his shadow with fire, it might be distorted in the process!''
Grimmold noticed Solordo struggling in ce.
''Good, he hasn''t realized it yet! Time to finish this!''
"Shadow Phase: Pack Bite!"
Grimmold''s body released a dark-colored chivalric essence that passed through his shadow before appearing beneath Solordo''s feet.
Several hounds materialized after, howling straight at Solordo''s ears. Their bodies were bathed in a scarlet aura that gave off a demon beast''s scent.
Solordo found it disgusting but he couldn''t defend himself on time as each one bit his limbs, his chest, and his head.
Grimmold and Miriana eased, knowing full well that the brat won''t be able to escape from this attack unharmed.
Solordo snorted, revealing a trace of shock from both Grimmold and Miriana. The armored helmet resembled that of a draconic face with its domineering red eyes ring around in contempt.
"You call this an attack? You''ve got to be kidding me!"
An intense dragon aura erupted from Solordo''s body. It disintegrated the hands that bound his feet and the hounds that clung to and bit him.
"I-"
The two elite guards froze in ce. Their chivalric essence became chaotic while their imprint shook in despair.
A dragon was so mighty of a beast that just their auras could prove devastating to the spirit of other lesser beasts.
Witnessing the dragon''s might first-hand, Solordo was satisfied with its results though unhappy somewhere in his heart.
''Damn it. I didn''t want to rely on this heavily but I''ll guess it''ll have to do for now.''
''Mother, I''ll make it up for another time, okay?''
Despite the bloody mess inside his armor caused by the shadow hound''s sharp bites, the sensation of pain thrilled his numbed muscles. He charged out, dragging the heavy halberd behind.
Solordo traversed the messy terrain. The obstacles seemed to not have slowed him down a bit.
Grimmold managed to release himself from Solordo''s frightening burst of dragon aura.
He gritted his teeth and threwrge pieces of debris toward Solordo. The brat only smiled and readied his halberd to pulverize the iing projectiles.
''You think I''m going to hit you with that?!'', Grimmold channeled the chivalric essence within him, focusing on the shadows underneath each debris.
''Shadow Phase: Perilous Darkness!''
The shadows of the projectiles trembled slightly, prompting Solordo in realizing Grimmold''s true intentions.
Dark beams started to form in each shadow. Therger they were, the stronger the dark beams became.
''What an interesting source of power!''
Solordo extended his free left hand and casted a spell, ''Dark Vortex!'', forming a palm-sized dark ball spinning on its axis from left to right.
Grimmold suddenly felt a part of his body and soul being torn from him. He felt mana emanating from Solordo and grew pale in terror.
"This is-!"
"Dark magic!", Miriana added, ''Chivalric essence versus dark magic! This won''t end up good!'', rushing to help her acquaintance.
The shadows trembled once again, but this time, Solordo was fiercely absorbing the beams.
In retaliation, Grimmold started a brawl of tug-of-war.
''So he was a dual cultivator all along?''
Solordo''s appearance was deceiving. Either one thought that he was a warrior pretending to be a wizard or the other way around but never would they expect that he was actually both.
''This brat must not get ahold of my power or else, that absorbed power will be the death of me!''
He increased his focus and strength, going all-out.
Solordo grinned, ''He fell for it!'', changing his stance into holding the halberd like a spear and channeling his dark mana once more, ''Weapon Enhancement: Dark Halberd!''
Dark mana surged from within the gaps of his dragon armor and covered his halberd with an additional darkyer.
Grimmold was aware of the brat''s intentions and could feel the strong prative power of his next attack.
''He used my tactic against me! What a cunning brat!''
He nced at the tug-of-war battle and quickly analyzed it.
''If I let go now, I can escape that halberd but the subsequent empowered attacks may down me.''
''And if I don''t, the halberd will surely get me! My shadow phase won''t work if he enhances his attacks with dark magic!''
Grimmold grinned, ''But¡ I''m not fighting alone!''
"Shadow Phase: Pack Bite!"
He targeted Solordo''s limbs and locked them in ce, preventing thetter from throwing the spear-like halberd.
''You either absorb the dark beams or the shadow hounds!''
''And even if you st them away, Miriana will follow up to finish you!''
"Miriana! I have him pinned down! Attack now!"
Miriana arrived. Her body had long since changed into a resemnce of a winter rattlesnake but had four extra limbs, making it more lizard-like in appearance.
With her skin blending almost wlessly with the surroundings, Solordo did not notice her subtle advance.
Now that her target was within her reach, she pounced with great speed, extending one of her hands as she struck a fatal blow.
"Die!"
The short sword whistled through the air with precision and speed. Miriana could already see Solordo hugging his torn neck.
Right before her eyes, a huge shadow fell upon her.
''Tail? Oh no-!''
Solordo''s dragon tail whipped her face and sent her crashing into the ground, hitting a hard metal.
He ignored her sorry state and infused dark mana into his dragon tail before striking the closely-clinging shadow hounds. They were immediately eliminated, releasing his right hand.
"You-! How can you still move after all the injuries you have sustained?!", Grimmold couldn''t believe the unwavering will of Solordo.
A distant memory shed on Solordo''s mind, "Heh, you wouldn''t understand even if I tell you!"
"You still can''t move that heavy halberd with that crippled hand of yours!", Grimmold sneered.
"Oh, did you forget about my other hand?!"
Solordo controlled his dragon tail and firmly grabbed the halberd. He raised it high, pointing at the paling Grimmold.
A wave of scarlet aura stopped theirbat just as the halberd was about to thrust into Grimmold''s chest.
Solordo lost control of his dark vortex, releasing the restricted dark beams which caused havoc when they fired out. Some of it struck his armor, tearing holes upon impact.
Miriana had it worse and was now bleeding all over. Unconscious, she could not react to the dark beams and was ruthlessly bombarded.
Grimmold was unscathed but he wasn''t any better either.
''I''ve lost most of my energy. I can''t continue to fight like this!''
He turned his head around, feeling the sporadic rise of demonic essence in the distance.
''That location. It''s the young master. So he has finally made up his mind about helping us?!''
Another pir of scarlet light shed to the skies. Grimmold widened his eyes in shock.
''This power... It''s too-!''
"Finish them, you fool! What are you but my demon ve?!", a loud demonic voice proimed impatiently, "Cowering from behind. Why do you think I gave you that fragment of power for you to use, huh?!"
Erik shivered in fright, "But my lord... He... someone has a divine assimtion!"
"How shameful! There''s no helping it! Lust of the Demon Asura!"
The scarlet pir thumped like a heart, pouring demonic essence into Erik''s mind and body and corrupting his rationality and entire being.
"AH!", Erik screamed.
His dark veins bulged, erging his already huge body to greater heights. The once partially demonized eyes were now fully red, revealing a trace of demonic intent filled with bloodlust, hatred, and rage.
Coupled with his boiling blood that reddened his skin, Erik stood up like a towering brute.
He grabbed the great axe that was now also bathed in scarlet aura. His evil nature took over and all his mind could think of was blood and more blood.
Miriana''s blood caught his attention and near that ce...
"The brat with the divine assimtion..."
"Your blood will be mine!"
Chapter 102 Intense Battle (3) - Solordos Downfall
Olivia and the group huddled together after experiencing the sudden surge of demonic aura from Erik''s recent demonic transformation.
With a clouded face, she asked, "Is it over?!"
"Must be. Things have gone silent.", Jinmu walked out of the great hall and arrived outside.
His eyes narrowed after seeing the debris of the earlier conflict.
"Look at the impact of their battle. It may just be a small battlefield but the destruction¡"
''The students of the Heavenly Magic Academy are truly one of a kind. Even battles of this level could already be destructive.'', Haeramented.
Her heart beat unnaturally, but not as violently as it had in the past. She believed that Solordo''s prior mes caused it.
They were uncontrobly being absorbed into her body as if the treatment from Eluard and the number of mes stored weren''t enough.
''But I guess that is something that could be expected when he is the one who imprinted with a divine dragon beast, right?''
In general, warriors in the early stages of the higher de realm were unable to fight with such intensity. Only those with particrly violent beasts imprinted on them, whose battle methods resulted in wide-scale devastation, were an exception.
Lucan sighed, "I wonder how far has Solordo cultivated. Two months passed but the difference in power is already this high."
"Don''t lose hope.", Jinmu cheered up, "You''regging because your magic root has yet to mature. And don''tpare your speed with others. Haste will only slow you down."
"I know. I''m just envious.", Lucan retorted though epting Jinmu''s points, "I''m still stuck at being a trainee mage and that guy''s already two major levels above me."
Olivia could sense the underlying self-disgust in hisments. This was the third time she felt concerned for others.
And for the previous one¡
Emi softly grabbed Jinmu''s robe and peeked.
The little girl gasped, catching everyone''s attention, "Oh no, brother Solordo is gravely injured!"
Emi hurried to him. She was deeply worried that this senior of hers was at death''s door.
"He-hey! Wait for us, Emi!", Lucan, Olivia, and Haera ran while Jinmu remained, on guard for any suspicious ambush.
''I don''t know why brother Solordo did all of that. Maybe it was for my sake, or maybe it was for all of us.''
''But I need to help him regardless! Pay him back for the effort that he gave to me and my seniors!''
''It''s the only thing I could do!''
Getting struck by Miriana earlier woke her up from her cold fa?ade. That was a front she set up for herself after naively thinking of the dark side of the world and ''adapting'' to it.
Emi thought that with a change of personality, she could face the challenges unhindered by emotions and nonsensical words.
Thus, started her behavior of practicing all alone, hunting demon beasts with a cold personality.
She even imagined the day she would rescue her big sister by herself while standing on top of Erik''s decapitated body which bled profusely.
She would then gaze at Olivia and leave her stupefied senior sister agape.
You are all to me yourself, senior sister. Your misguided desire to leave your home behind forced that evil bastard to pursue you and along the way, enved my big sister out of my reach.
Do you still not understand? I waited for days for your exnation but that didn''t happen.
I waited for you to redeem yourself and see if you could help me bring her back to me.
But¡
But that illusion of her unfounded strength remained a fantasy.
Miriana proved her wrong, instilling the vicious woman''s mockery deep in her memories. She remembered how the vicious woman told her¡
You act brave, back the strength to back it up!
¡ showing a look of disdain for someone who was foolish enough to think that they were stronger than they actually were.
"Emi!", Solordo bent his head to the side and watched as his junior sister knelt down andid her shaky hands on his worn-out body.
"What are you doing here? Stay back inside!"
He tried to push her away but the little girl remained stubborn, "No! You''re still injured!"
"Fine, little girl! But if you want to heal me, drag me inside first!"
The outdoors was a dangerous area for him to recuperate. There was still that ominous demonic aura from earlier which aggressively approached their position.
''That Erik must be here to deal with me. Demonic creatures loathe those who smell of divinity!''
Solordo reckoned that although the traitors were ''demonized'', they were drastically different from the likes of Erik who contracted with one of the pure demonic entities.
That, however, wasn''t something he would ponder deeply for now.
The rest of his ssmates arrived and he ordered them to move him out of danger''s reach.
"You won''t get away from my young master!", Grimmold coughed out blood as he channeled his nearly empty chivalric essence.
''Shadow Phase: Entangling Darkness!''
Shadow vines uprooted and immobilized the four of them.
"He''s still up after all of that?!", Solordo gritted his teeth.
"Don''t think I''m easy to drop on you all brats!"
Grimmold bluffed. He knew that a minor hit would knock him out. Using all sorts of skills inherited from the frostal shadow hound required a substantial amount of his chivalric essence.
That was why these beasts were extremely elusive as they did not want to mess with others unless it was necessary.
''I hope this works! Get here and finish them, young master! I can''t hold them for long!''
Unfortunately for him, Olivia arrived and she knew how these people usually behaved.
"Stop fooling around, Grimmold!"
"Princess Olivia?!"
Hearing her voice almost ckened his sight.
Seeing his reaction, Olivia smiled and created a massive pir of ice. It swung violently like a bat, sending Grimmold flying off into the distance.
The dark vines retreated, releasing them from its firm grasp.
Solordo was about to ask for additional help when the winds surged and a demonic shout resounded.
"You won''t get away!"
Eriknded from up high, blowing all of the snow away. He quickly rotated his great axe and vertically swung it towards Solordo.
A destructive wave of demonic power traversed the ground, cracking it into two.
Solordo used his remaining hand and sted his ssmates away from danger using wind magic. He then used his dragon tail and transferred it to his left hand now infused with fire.
''Weapon Enhancement: me Halberd!''
He sent out a me wave of his own and shed soon with Erik.
Their simultaneous attacks caused an enormous shockwave that plowed through all of the snow within a hundred meters.
Amidst the smoke, Erik advanced and caught Solordo off guard. He grabbed the fully-armored knight by the neck and spat on his face, "You''re weak!"
He punched Solordo''s face and was thrown quite a distance. Solordo was knocked unconscious,ying undefended under the deep cave-in of snow.
"Stay away from brother Solordo! Greater Vine Entanglement!"
Emi sprouted severalrge tree roots that soon encircled Erik.
''She wants to absorb that guy''s life essence but he is in a demonized form!'', Lucan realized what she wanted to do, "Wait, Emi! Don''t do that!", smacking her hands away before any self-harm was done.
"Brother Lucan! What are you doing?!", Emi was dumbfounded. Was this senior brother of hers helping the enemy?
"Idiot! He''s demonized and you absorbing his life essence won''t do any good!"
Erik snorted when he heard their arguments.
"Pathetic weaklings! Demonic Implosion!"
His body lit up as he gathered demonic essence.
"Don''t be too impulsive, Emi! Oh no,e here. He''s going tounch an attack!"
Lucan grabbed Emi and tore off a small section of earth before propelling away to escape Erik''s sudden retaliation.
Emi''s tree roots were quickly destroyed by a loud explosion. The remaining pieces instantly were submerged in demonic essence and rapidly decayed.
"I''ll deal with youter!", Erik gestured at Solordo and turned his body around, "As for you brats¡ Your humiliation of me cannot go unpunished! I will y with you little folks until you feel despair deep within your hearts!"
Olivia became numb to hisints and emotionlessly sent a barrage of sharp ice spikes right into his face.
''Let''s see how long you can endure against my attacks!''
She had received a message from Jinmu earlier, prompting her to incessantly assault and irritate Erik for as long as she could.
[ Jinmu: You don''t have to worry about your mana usage. The environment is to your advantage and your mana will be replenished long before you realize it. ]
[ Jinmu: Lightning is very effective against demonic essence, second only to light and divinity. Make use of your magic root''s characteristics and wear him down. ]
[ Jinmu: Your distraction will give Emi ample time to heal Solordo back up. ]
Looking at the long logs of Jinmu''s messages, Olivia felt hopeless.
''Tsk. He didn''t even bother to exin why but I have no other choice now, do I?''
"Hmph! Useless!", Erik grasped his great axe and smashed her ice spikes.
The lingering lightning effect affected his demonic essence, inducing a weak electrocuting effect within Erik.
"You-!", he gritted his teeth, ''Why does her ice magic electrify me?!''
First was the ice wall and ice stingers. Now, even a simple ice spike contained a small trace of lightning magic?
Olivia sent a few more ice spikes, annoying Erik to the core.
"That''s it, Princess Olivia! If you won''t lower yourself under my service, I shall force you to do so!"
With crazed and lustful eyes, Erik dashed in front of Olivia.
She grinned in tion, knowing that Jinmu''s n worked out. She then imbued her entire body in lightning, giving her the speed to outmaneuver her enemy.
Erik tried to grab her neck but widened his eyes after seeing a glimpse of a lightning figure where she stood.
''This is-! An adept wizard''s partial magical metamorphosis!''
He stared in stupefaction, wondering how powerful Olivia was.
''She- she does have lightning affinity! I thought she was just ying tricks with me!''
Just as he began to unravel a part of her mysterious magical background, the lightning crept on his armor, engulfing his entire right hand.
Olivia grasped her hand and detonated her trap, "Lightning w!"
Chapter 103 Intense Battle (4) - Eriks Downfall
Olivia''s lightning trap crawled into Erik''s armor.
"Lightning w!"
The trap activated, electrocuting Erik and burning off part of his skin. His body shivered for a while until the lightning went out.
He was forced to kneel on the ground, panting slightly. This particr scene ticked him off even further.
"You damn bitch!"
His right hand which was gripping his great axe trembled in agitation. Never had he once knelt when fighting against other people.
Rather, it was them who knelt under him instead.
The demonic essence surged within his body once more, removing the effects of lightning that affected his body. It emboldened his mind and refreshed his thoughts, giving rity to his senses.
Olivia noticed the changes and worried, ''That burst of demonic essence relieved his body of negative effects, huh?''
''It seems that I have to take time inflicting lightning attacks against him.''
She saw Erik standing up with his head high, staring at her.
"Your demonic essence is truly miraculous, Erik. No wonder a loser like you sumbed to such temptations.", she mocked.
Erik brandished his great axe and rebutted.
"And only na?ve people like you, Olivia, dare to not take the risk because you want to remain mediocre for the rest of your lives. Could you not give me that pathetic argument? My ears do not like to spare time on such nonsense!"
Olivia''s eyebrows raised, "Oh, then prepare to be destroyed by this na?ve person, Erik!"
''Lightning Strike!''
A powerful barrage of lightning strikes shot out from Olivia''s hand and bombarded Erik. He was slowly being pummeled by her attacks, even denting his tough demonic armor.
''This woman¡ dares to suppress someone like me?!''
Demonic essence burst out of him, sting all her lightning strikes away. With this chance, Erik dashed to Olivia''s position and still, only found a trail of her lightning figure.
"Argh!"
Olivia activated her trap again. The electrocution this time was worse, scorching most of Erik.
''Her speed¡ I can''t keep up with it! I''ll let her attack me and use my demonic essence to take all of them! Once her tempo slows down, I''ll retaliate!''
He grinned underneath the nightmarish demonic armor, formting an evil n to subdue Oliviater.
"Hah! You think your lightning can do anything to me?! Go ahead, I''ll let you see how futile your attacks are!"
Olivia saw through his tricks, mocking him instead, "How about catching me, Erik? Can''t keep up with my speed?!"
"Is that all what your demonic essence can do?! Pathetic!"
She sped both of her hands with one hand channeling the ice element and the other the lightning element.
"Summon! cial Lightning Bear!"
The winds turned cold and roared together with the lightning that cracked around the space in front of Olivia. Ice spikes protruded from the ground, copsing the earth.
Beneath the hole, a bear-like figure formed. It howled a deafening roar while standing on its hind legs.
''She knows summoning magic too?!'', Erik couldn''t understand how Olivia managed to learn what was rumored to be aplicated magical skill over a short period.
"Hah! How hypocrite of you, Princess! It seems that I''m not the only one who sought strength between the two of us!"
"How about you shut up and fight, Erik?! Bear, attack!", Olivia ordered.
The bear crawled out of the hole in the ground and charged at Erik. Thetter snorted, wondering why she changed her tactics.
Regardless of her reasons, Erik found it going alongside his ns, ''Summoning magic takes arge toll on their body! She needs to continuously control the elements of this elemental beast!
''And once it breaks...!''
Erik epted her challenge and fought against the cial lightning bear, shing his great axe at the bear''s sharp ice ws covered in lightning.
Every time they shed; Erik would chip away some ice fragments from her summoned beast. This ted Erik, knowing that her beast wasn''t as formidable as it looked like.
"You call this a summoned beast?!", he asked after decapitating its two front legs, "Die!"
He jumped high, preparing to demolish this useless thing in front of him. His great axe fell upon its fragile head, bursting it to pieces.
Eriknded on the ground and struck it once again. The bear''s ice body was halved and its entire body was pulverized.
Much to his amazement, Erik noticed something off.
''Wait, this ice is way too fragile! This isn''t how strong her usual ice magic is!''
"Too bad, Erik. You''re one step toote!"
"Taste the result of my practice!", Olivia gritted her teeth and put all of her focus and strength into her next spell, ''I won''t fail. Academy master could do this, and so shall I! What purpose would his teachings be if I can''t reach this standard!''
A small lightning ball formed between her two hands, "Lightning Descendance!"
The lightning ball flickered, now surrounding her entire body with lightning.
At the same time, all of the ice shards left by the summoned bear turned into lightning bolts.
Their gradual conversion startled Erik.
"S-spell retraction and spell transmutation! Impossible, who in the heavens is your master?!", he shouted in aghast, ''I fell into her trap once more!''
This was something that only experts in magic should know of. Even some magisters in the League couldn''t aplish this. What more of Olivia who was just a countryside apprentice mage a few months ago?
"You don''t have the right to know who they are!", Olivia coldly replied, "Feel the power of a mage!"
The lightning bolts bloated under hermand and a thunderous roar echoed, striking Erik with hundreds of them. It brightened the area, temporarily blinding everyone who was nearby.
"No- argh!"
Erik wailed in agony as his armor and body were roasted by the lightning bolts. Despite the protection of his demonic essence, it couldn''t keep up with Olivia at all.
Thest lightning bolt shed, striking Erik''s head and pushing his body back to the ground.
Olivia also knelt at the same time, gasping for breath after executing such a powerful spell.
"Heh¡ heh¡ serves you right, bastard-!"
Blood dripped off her mouth. Her eyesight wavered and she started to be dizzy, ''Damn it. At least he''s knocked out!''
Right as she shouted those words in her mind, she saw the previous still body of Erik suddenly rise from the ckened ground.
When he stood upright, the upper half of his armor was gone, showing his roasted bare skin. His chest heaved up and down as he breathed deeply.
"What a burn! You''re truly strong, Olivia! You''re far from that na?ve girl I knew before!", he hoarselymented.
Olivia could feel the excitement in his widened red eyes. She couldn''t bear to see the sight, forcing her head down while coughing out more blood. Her mind was about to go nk as she covered her mouth with trembling hands.
"I see. That''s all you''ve got! It looks like I win this time, Olivia!", Erik walked slowly into her position, staggering from time to time.
He didn''t appear to be much better, but because of his warrior mentality, inhuman physical strength, and the vitality given by the demonic essence, he remained alive.
"Stop right there, you scumbag!", a more na?ve young voice called out to Erik. He turned his head to the left and noticed a pompous male mage running.
A small fireball formed on his hand andunched toward Erik.
"Fuck off, you lowly mage! You want to stop me with your weak fireballs?!", he gripped his right hand infused with demonic essence and punched the small fireball.
It was immediately destroyed, "It seems like you''re just like this bitch right here that doesn''t know their limits!"
The great axe was no longer restricting him, giving him more agility and speed when moving around.
"Lu-Lucan! Don''t-!", Olivia tried to warn him but it was of no avail.
"Toote now, Princess! This prince charming of yours won''t get away!", Erik dashed towards Lucan.
He then saw thetter casting more fireballs. He could only sneer and ignore Lucan''s idiotic actions.
After all, what could several fireballs of various sizes do to him?
He continued with reckless abandon and punched at the fireballs that were sent to him.
"Hah!"
"Hrmph!"
"Hah!"
He struck three small fireballs consecutively and was rooting for more. Just as he punched the fourth one, the impact staggered him and put a halt to his advance.
''What? What the hell just happened? Did that fireball just staggered me?!''
Doubtful of his mistake, he punched again at the iingrge fireball. This time, not only was he staggered but he was blown several meters away.
The scalding heat worsened the burns left behind by Olivia''s lightning bolts. Erik cried in pain again and almost clutched his torso to alleviate the pain.
Fortunately, he resisted this temptation and held onto the ground, digging it with his fingers.
Lucan ignored Erik and rushed to Olivia, "Olivia! You''ve overworked yourself again!"
This wasn''t the first time that this girl pushed her limits. On the days they spent training over thest months, she had been passing out almost every day without a care.
Her reckless training made Jinmu assign Lucan into looking out for this talented yet careless girl.
"D-don''t worry about me! Where''s Jinmu and the rest? Are they okay?", she asked, ignoring her serious bad condition.
"They¡ Emi and that big sister elf are looking out for Solordo. As for Jinmu¡ I don''t know where that guy went. He just vanished from our sight, but the map says that he''s here somewhere."
He took out his system panel and showed it to Olivia.
"Possibly underground. There''s a down arrow right under this one."
"He must be searching for something out there.", a thought formed in her mind.
Lucan shrugged, "Maybe that guy knows what Jinmu is up to.", knowing what Olivia meant.
"Go back to Emi, she''ll heal you up. I''ll talk with that guy."
"No.", Olivia held his hands, prompting him to jolt in shock and blush his cheeks, "Wh-what are you doing?!"
Olivia shouted unabashed, "I''ming with you! Do you not see how tenacious Erik is? After all those attacks, he''s still breathing."
"Who knows whether he is thinking up a scheme to lure us to him and ambush us when we get close.", she reasoned.
"Fi-fine. Then stay behind me.", Lucan couldn''t persuade her anyway, ''From the looks of it, aren''t the two of you the same?''
This thought somewhat irked a part of his heart and mind, though such feeling didn''tst for long.
Erikid out, basking under the sun. It was as if the roasted skin wasn''t of any hindrance to him.
"Hey, bastard. You must have kept any hostages here, right?"
Erikughed, "Hostages? What hostages?"
"ying dumb?", Lucan raised his eyes.
Although he kept himself out of trouble during his days as the crowned prince, some of his friends would do the ''deed'' whenever someone asked for it. Thus, as an observer, he was able to gather knowledge about it from time to time.
''ming Lasso.'', a fire whip formed on Lucan''s right hand and whipped it right at the center of Erik''s chest.
The intense heat re-awakened the searing pain, causing Erik to wail loudly.
"Where are they-!"
He was about tosh again when an enraged voice sted in their ears.
"You damn scoundrels! How dare you torture my dear son?!"
Chapter 104 The Final Storm Begins
A thunderous shout rang in Lucan and Olivia''s ears.
"How dare you torture my dear son?! Die!"
They felt their bodies being sucked into a perilous vortex. Lucan held Olivia''s hand and tried to use the earth to stop their advance but their feet were already hanging in the air.
They shouted in fear after seeing a raging old man dashing with his fist pointed at them.
"You won''t touch my daughter, old man!", another shout resounded.
High King Garron arrived, covered in the figure of an ethereal frostal war bear. He grabbed Olivia and Lucan first before tossing them away, then charged his fists with chivalric essence and met Flinthal''s.
Their collision created a massive shockwave that pushed everything aside. The neighboring buildings were blown to smithereens, revealing horrifying scenes of dead bodies being thrown high into the air.
Flinthal grinned, "Keh, I hope you brought your army with you, High King, or else I''m gonna butcher you with mine!", channeling the demonic essence inside his body.
Every bit of his skin darkened and turned his eyes scarlet when it passed through his head.
"You should be the one hoping that your demonic essence will serve you well, Flinthal!", Garron firmly grasped Flinthal''s hand, preventing the other from moving. He charged his other hand, generating lightning cracks as it veered upon Flinthal''s jaw.
Flinthal expected this and widened his mouth in advance, preparing his counter.
"Frost Breath!"
The surge of cold wind stopped Garron''s punch, shocking him, "Lesser Frost Dragon! Impossible, how did you manage to re-assimte and imprint your beast!"
Flinthal readied his other arm and grinned, "What else can I say but that demonic essence of mine seems to be serving me pretty well, high king!"
"Watch out, brother!", Xerga threw his great axe which seemed to have a mind on its own when it swerved mid-air like a snake, "Great Karpic Strike!"
"Tch! How annoying!", Flinthal retracted his strike and jumped out of Garron''s reach. Xerga''s attack may not hurt him but it could distract him, giving Garron an opening that he could not defend against.
"Where are my damn elite guards? Why are you so slow?!", Flinthal cursed at the ipetence his followers had shown.
"My Lord, we are trapped here!", a loud reply forced Flinthal to turn his back on Garron. Behind him were familiar-looking old figures which he thought were supposed to be locked down somewhere.
They were with the army, engaged in a fierce fight against the Siegfried Guards and hired mercenaries.
"The Elder Council! How the hell did they manage to escape?", he was utterly shocked at this sudden turn of events.
"Hah, the world is turning on against you, Flinthal!", a half-naked brute old man heavily stepped on the ground, generating small tremors.
Both of his hands held crystal-like frostal swords that glistened as the brute crossed it and pointed towards Flinthal.
"Garron, Xerga, we''ll deal with this traitor altogether! I want him to suffer just as we did!", the brute ordered.
"Yes, Elder Harald!", Garron nodded and the three of them attacked Flinthal from three different sides.
"You can''t stop me, Flinthal Siegfried! Chivalric Assimtion: Lesser Frost Dragon!"
Flinthal was encased in a thick ice dragon carapace. He appeared to be a dual-element dragon of ice and fire due to the demonic energy streaming throughout his body.
"Demonic Frost Burst!"
Ice force filled with demonic essence erupted and collided with the attacks of Elder Harald, Garron, and Xerga.
A war bear screamed in rage behind Elder Harald''s half-naked body. He infused his swords with chivalric essence and deflected Flinthal''s strike.
"Trampling Bear Strike!"
Garron sent out a punch on his own but staggered. Xerga was pushed back as well.
Seeing them step back meters away, Elder Harald grinned, "You brothers still have a lot to learn!"
Flinthal opened his mouth wide and charged a dark beam, "Demonic Frost Beam!"
They shot out, aiming at Elder Harald. Thetter snorted and prepared his des. He shed and deflected Flinthal''s strike, carefully redirecting their trajectories onto the Siegfried n members.
Those who were struck had their bodies ripped apart.
"Is that all you can do, Flinthal?! Traversing Bear Strike!"
He struck the ground with both his swords, creating a fissure that went straight to Flinthal.
Flinthal lost his bnce and quickly sprang out two scarlet-silver wings before flying away.
"Coward, get back here!", Elder Harald was about to pursue when he vomited blood, "Wha-what?!"
Flinthal hovered right above him, cackling, "How na?ve, Elder Harald. Were you too excited about being released from the cold underground that you forgot you were poisoned?"
"You''re a shame of a warrior! How dare you result to such lowly tricks!"
"I''d rather be shameless than idiotic like you bunch of the Elder Council!", Flinthal argued.
Elder Harald threw a fit, "Imbecile! Ungrateful! Traitor!"
He pointed at Flinthal and cursed, "We should have dealt with you Siegfried''s a long time ago! You are the curse of the northernnds and your kind should have ceased to exist the moment you were put out of your high and arrogant ce!"
"Your threats are nothing but the barks of a hopeless and wounded dog, Elder Harald. Too bad you-!"
"Shut up, Flinthal!", Garron punched Flinthal, sending him flying into the icy cliffs hundreds of meters away.
"Ga-Garron!", Elder Flinthal and Xerga both gasped.
"Elder Harald and Xerga. Go help the army! I will deal with that traitorous bastard myself!"
Garronnded on the ground and rushed after Flinthal, catching up to his writhing body. Flinthal collided hard with the earth and was buried deep, cratering arge portion of the cliff and triggering a massive avnche.
It wasn''t enough to stop Garron, who sted the storming snow away with his palm, revealing Flinthal below.
Flinthal managed to rise before Garron couldnd his next punch. Another tremor struck the cliff, this time copsing more than ten meters of the earthen column near the point of impact.
Garron jumped high into the air and evaded another wave of a terrific avnche. Meanwhile, the warriors below ran away in panic.
"Garron has gone crazy! Damn it, move and get out of here! Carry the helpless and the wounded, and protect them against the Siegfried n members!", Elder Harald quickly ordered.
"You''re a madman, my dear High King! Do you have no conscience left for your dear warriors? For your dear Norva Assili?!", Flinthal nodded in satisfaction while dodging Garron''s uppercut, "Wanting to catch up to me? Unfortunately for you, you can''t fly!"
Garron remained calm, stepping on a square golden tform that appeared out of nowhere. Flinthal was bbergasted by this and flew away in fear.
''What was that? Where did that stepping stone of hise about?''
"What''s the matter, Flinthal? Can''t fly any faster?", Garron beckoned. Flinthal stared ahead and saw a clenched fist striking his nose, sending him down to the ground.
Flinthal''s figure was obscured by the rising dust. Several dark beams emerged from it, going directly for Garron.
Flinthal intended to test Garron''s strength, but it seemed impossible for him to outrun the high king even when flying.
"Damn you, high king! Begone already!"
Garron channeled the frostal war bear''s strength and covered his entire body with a dense dark-blue aura. The dark beam struck him, generating sparks and sending him flying higher.
This gave Flinthal a breather tounch his next move.
"Taste this! Demonic Frost w!"
He glowed in scarlet and looked like a descending demonic creature from the Otherworld. The avnche and all the snow within a kilometer spiraled around Flinthal, forming a vast tornado-like structure of pure white snow.
This upheaval he had caused seemed to have angered the heavens. Lightning and thunder showered down on Arsolo Stronghold, and the great buildup of pressure halted the hostilities urring below.
Everyone was awed on the scale when two powerhouses battled with one another.
"Are you sure you should let that demonized human do as he wishes?", Arahon stared from afar.
Harrtugg Naaw beside him remained silent and only observed whatever was happening.
"Then so be it. We''ll wait for that demonic dragon to show up.", Arahon shook his head. For Harrtugg Naaw, exacting vengeance upon his unborn children was the most important thing.
As such, he needed to conserve his strength for the uing battle. The impression of a lesser frost dragon was the least of his worries.
Meanwhile, the swirling snow formed into a giant dragon hand corrupted by demonic essence. An eye was imnted in the middle of its backhand, staring at Garron with murderous intentions.
''I can''t hold back now! Everything will matter with this final move!'', Garron thought with gritted teeth, "Chivalric Assimtion: Divine Frostal War Bear!"
Another world-shattering phenomenon urred. The lightning from the skies turned golden, hitting Garron every time it shed.
Golden light shone from his transforming body, showering him with both divinity and lightning.
"Hah!"
Thunderous roar with a blinding sh of light followed soon after, slightly pushing away the floating demonic dragon hand.
Garron''s transformation was evident after the sh. He''d grown into a six-meter-tall frostal war bear.
Frostal spikes protruded from his back, and lightning crackled on the ends from time to time. His golden fur shined brightly, and whenbined with his thick hide, he had increased defense against both physical and magical attacks.
His ws gleamed, showing its sharpness no lesser than a de.
"Bring it on, Flinthal! Let''s end this!"
Chapter 105 Garrons Rage
The deste frozennd oozed out an ominous aura. The zing demonic essence was burning it into the deepest of hell.
A loud shockwave boomed out, sting the top of a small mountain into fragments. A figure dazzled mid-air, trying to regain his bnce while controlling therge demonic hand floating atop him.
"Demonic Frozen Fist!", Flinthal yelled.
The fist dazzled in crimson, punching out to the fast-approaching Garron covered in lightning cracks.
Garron grinned, charging his fist with divinity and shing against Flinthal. The world slowed down for a bit before another explosionpletely obliterated the small mountain.
The dead trees were pulverized into ashes and thend below the impact cratered 50 meters deep.
Flinthal and his demonic hand were both thrown back, stupefying him, ''Is this the strength of a true radiant knight?''
"You''ve grown weak!", Garron mocked in his divine assimtion form. He propelled into his enemy, pulling another charged punch.
Flinthal snorted and dodged to the sides. Garron missed his target, sliding for several meters before stopping.
He heard the air whistle as dark beams rained down. He punched them in quick session, generating sparks while deflecting the dark beams away.
"Deflect this, high king!", Flinthal sent out the demonic hand.
Garron retaliated. He wanted to measure the strength of the hand.
He then noticed that the scarlet glow surrounding it intensified, ''The demonic essence is gathering and it''s empowering the demonic hand!''
It was toote for him to retract his punch as both of them shed against each other. Garron was thrown away, wavering his confidence after that short bout.
Garron worriedly thought, ''The assimtion might be divine but I still need to gather the divinity before it works. I''ll try it again!''
"Haha! You''re no match, high king! Surrender!", Flinthal said whileunching out additional dark beams.
"Don''t be too full of yourself, traitor!"
The lightning on his back was energized and lit up, shattering the earth beneath him. He jumped out, divinity and lightning powering his fists while encasing his skin in frostal ice armor.
Garron felt the surge of demonic essence flowing towards the demonic hand again, ''It is going through the back. Is it the eye from before?''
He shed with the hand and was pushed away the second time. Flinthal became overjoyed after seeing the results.
A wide grin shed behind the distorted dragon helmet.
''The eye of demonic strength will always overpower your attacks no matter how charged up they are! It may use a huge amount of demonic essence but the density of demonic essence in this area and the surrounding areas will give me the capacity to do that almost infinitely!''
Flinthal had Garron push him back so that they could move away from Arsolo Stronghold and utilize his demonic hand in this manner. He worried because Garron might see through something that obvious but it seemed that it was for naught.
"It''s all useless, high king! How many times should we sh again for you to know the futility of your actions?!"
Garron stood up and spat the blooding out of his mouth. The sessive defeats agitated him and thought of ways to develop this battle in his favor.
''Sly old fool. No wonder he was acting weak earlier. I fell under his scheme.''
He took a deep breath and calmed his unnerving mind.
''Unless I can deal with that eye, that demonic hand will continue to overpower me.'', he paused and continued, ''No, I don''t have time to deal with it. My divine assimtion isn''t going tost for an hour and the demonic essence may work both ways in offense and defense.''
''I would just waste a lot of opportunities if I put all my focus on that hand.''
He knuckled up and readied, ''I''ll ignore the hand and see if it could catch up.''
The demonic hand gripped its fists and punched at Garron. Thetter jumped away and evaded the hand.
He used his chivalric essence to increase his weight,nding quicker back to the ground and dashing upon Flinthal.
''This brat! Fuck, I can''t move the hand on time!'', Flinthal was taken aback and pped his wings away from Garron.
He then spat out dark beams, elerating his retreat.
Garron deflected them as usual until thest strike. He utilized his divinity and lightning, banishing the demonic essence flowing around the beam. He followed by hitting it at an angle which returned to Flinthal, now covered in divinity and lightning.
Flinthal reacted slower than the beam, causing it to tear arge hole in his left wing. He soon lost bnce and fell defenseless on the ground, ''The demonic hand! Use the hand!''
Garron noticed a dark shadow looming above his head. It was the demonic hand aiming to tten him to death.
''You have mistaken greatly, Flinthal!'', he celebrated over the back of his mind.
When the demonic hand encountered Garron earlier, it exhibited no signs of weakness and gave Garron a hard time. However, now, Garron could observe that pressure point located below its wrist.
He charged up his divinity and shone with brilliance, powering his next strike aimed at that specific ce.
The demonic essence surged again but halfway through, Garron struck the pressure point before it couldpletely gather.
"As if I''d let you do that again, old man!"
The hand jerked a bit before being blown away.
A crack emerged at the point of impact and Flinthal could feel his loss of connection with the demonic hand. Desperate, he gathered a huge amount of demonic essence and mixed it with his chivalric essence.
A strong gust of cold wind shivered the air and the ground. Garron was being pulled in the direction where a massive ball of frost slowly formed.
''A distraction?''
The howling of the winds annoyed him, ''Tsk, you want to see who''s louder than the other?!''
He inhaled a mouthful of air, erging his chest and filling it up with divinity.
"Rargh!"
His scream was so loud that the sound waves created ripples and lines along their path. The frost ball broke and was blown backward instead.
Flinthal, who was behind, was bombarded with ice shards. He couldn''t react because his ears were ringing intensely, preventing him from taking action.
''This is bad!''
Garron dashed forth and grasped Flinthal''s head, smashing it to the ground. He then tossed the old man''s body, making that he skidded continually.
Garron pursued Flinthal, echoing a thunderous roar for every step he took and leaving a trail of craters.
He kicked Flinthal into a charred mountain and kept pounding him. His strikes were so powerful that they shook the ground. Even the clouds in the sky dispersed away in fear.
The demonic handy on the cold barren wastnd, far from Flinthal''s reach. Every arsenal that he had were thrashed solely by Garron.
"How dare you betray Norva Assili? Was it not enough that we let your n survive despite the atrocious acts you havemitted?!", Garron yelled.
Unfortunately, Flinthal didn''t reply which angered him further. Flinthal had already lost his sense of bnce and reality. A simple miscalction like that was too costly, and he was now paying the consequence.
He was jolted awake, however, when Garron abruptly grabbed his wings and pulled with immense strength.
"Ahh! You-! You cannot do- this!", he begged for mercy.
"Tell that to the billions of northerners you killed!", Garron tugged the final stretch.
The wing''s bones and muscles snapped, forcing it to detach from Flinthal''s body and leak out a huge amount of blood.
Flinthal agonized, breaking his voice. He was so frustrated by the pain that he didn''t know what to do or how to react to it.
Garron grunted, channeling the lightning on his back. He then targeted Flinthal''s open wounds, frying the skin down until his epidermis.
Coupled with divinity, all the demonic essence inside Flinthal''s body was purged as it coursed through his corrupted arteries and veins.
Flinthal no longer wailed. His body spasmed uncontrobly and his eyes were about to pass out.
"Time to confess, Flinthal! It''s not like I''m forcing you, but it''s better to listen to my demands unless you want to suffer a more painful experience than this!", Garron threatened.
He still remembered Elder Flock''s instructions not to kill any significant person who might have direct involvement in this uprising.
"You cannot threaten me with words, my dear high king.", Flinthal readied his small sword but Garron saw through it.
A lightning bolt crashed upon his hands, rendering them crippled. Garron picked up the small sword and crushed it with his bare bear hands.
"Damn it, what do you want?! Kill me! There''s no way I will confess!", Flinthal argued.
Garron shook his head, knowing that this was the best he could do unless he told Flinthal about something.
"Very stubborn?", He went over to him and grabbed his head then whispered, "How do the words, Heavenly Magic Academy, feel like to you?"
Flinthal''s eyes widened in shock, "He-Heavenly Magic-! No! That can''t be!"
"You can''t say they don''t exist, Flinthal. I''m pretty sure you had your suspicions about my daughter''s master and that strange mage robe she was wearing earlier."
Garron''s words were too cold for Flinthal to endure, "Don''t take me to them! Don''t take me to them! I will confess but kill me thereafter, promise me you damn of a warrior!"
Flinthal knew the immense rivalry between the Otherworld and the Heavenly Magic Academy. If he was caught in the firefight, things would not end up good for him.
"You are in no position to demand something from me, Flinthal!", Garron stepped on his feet and crushed it. Flinthal grunted but didn''t scream.
s, Flinthal knew it was useless. Regardless of what would happen now, it was certain that the Heavenly Magic Academy would take custody of him. As for what would happen after that¡
He soonughed with tears pouring out of his weakened eyes.
"So this is how the great Siegfried n falls! How saddening!"
"Our downfall, caused by you father and daughter duo!", Flinthal cursed.
"What does Olivia have to do with this? Is it about her magic talent? Are you that despicable to keep the lineage of us northerners only to the path of a warrior, sacrificing the lives of millions in the process, Flinthal?", Garron angrily asked.
"You na?ve high king. Do you not understand that your subservience and alliance is nothing but a mere front to weaken us?!", Flinthal argued, "The Norva Assili has grown dependent. Every day, we seek riches in the distantnds!"
"We havee far, truly far from when we were known as the warlords of the north!"
"Is that so?! And what about you and the frost dragon tribes, huh? Was the fun of torturing people too hard for you to not experience anymore?!", Garron countered.
"I''d rather rule over my people than be ruled by somebody else!"
"You''re talking in circles, old man. Wasting me some time?!", Garron pressured Flinthal''s other hand, "How does Olivia fit into all of this?"
Flinthal snorted, realizing something about Garron.
"So you didn''t have any ns at all? Or are you acting dumb?", he turned his head away, "No matter what your reasons are, that is just as expected from a dense high king like you."
"Don''t test my patience, Flinthal!", Garron spat.
Flinthal gritted his teeth and started narrating.
"We thought you were up to something when you let Olivia venture outside!"
"How deceitful! Your stupidity seemed to have given you an advantage!"
Flinthal regretted green lighting their move. If they behaved until Olivia returned, they could have understood the situation more and not botched the entire operation.
Garron stomped on his hand and shouted, "Stop there, Flinthal! Don''t take me for a fool."
"I''m telling you the truth, Garron!"
"Then tell me first about that wizard entourage that visited Norva Assili back when Olivia was just a child?! It seems that you have a part to y in their disappearance, don''t you think?"
"Someone like you won''t easily give up like that."
Garron chuckled while shaking his head, "You crazy old bastard, plotting against us for a very long time now."
Flinthal stuttered, "Wh-what disappearance?! I don''t know what you are talking about, high king."
Garron wanted to punch him to death, but he restrained himself. The old man was putting his patience to the test, and he wouldn''t be able to hold back if it persisted.
"Talking to you might identally force me to kill you. Enough about this rubbish, Flinthal."
"Sleep well because the next time you wake up, it won''t be pleasant for your taste.", Garron advised and knocked out Flinthal in the head.
Chapter 106 The Demonic Creature Arrives
The Siegfried n and the Norvas Corps continued fighting on the wrecked Arsolo Stronghold.
"Surround them! Surround the bastards! Let none of them escape!", ordered a bare-chested warrior to his subordinates.
"Listen to Elder Garrold''s orders! nk those shitheads over there! And you, back that squad at the far front!"
The warriors from each side shed head-on, banging their shields and striking their swords upon their adversaries.
One of the Siegfried n members sneaked out of the entrapment and made his way to the southern exit.
"Shit, catch that rat!"
The warrior was nimble and traversed the pathways while eluding the pursuit of his enemies.
''Can''t catch up with me!'', the warrior thought until he heard a loud growl from a beast. Thest thing he saw was a white-striped feline beast pouncing on his frozen figure.
"Ahhh!", he shouted as it bit his shoulder and left a huge gaping wound.
The beast then continued munching on his face while he was alive. This scene horrified even the battle-hardened warriors.
A few more feline beasts jumped out from their hiding spots and ambushed their unsuspecting prey.
"Wh-what are those beasts doing here?!", Elder Harald was frightened. Dealing with the Siegfried n was exhausting. If the beasts came here to wreak havoc as well, they might die under their ferocious assault.
"Don''t worry, Elder Harald!", Xerga patted his shoulder, "The beasts are with us."
He jumped atop the roof of a broken stone house and shouted, "Everyone! The beasts have arrived and are here to help us! Do not be afraid and coordinate with them as much as you can!"
His short message enlivened the exhausted will of his subordinates. They shouted in unison before charging back against the traitors.
"Your subordinates sure took their time.", Arahon sniggered from the sides, "Are the beasts in the northernnds this clumsy?"
Harrtugg Naaw snorted, "I''ll teach them a lesson in the future."
The arrival of the beasts under Harrtugg Naaw drastically shifted the bnce of power to the utter disadvantage of the Siegfried n.
Filled with howls from both humans and beasts, the stronghold showered in blood once again.
"Whew! Good thing they were distracted by their fights!", Lucan merrily walked while princess-carrying Olivia back to the Siegfried Mansion''s great hall.
He was trying to uplift the mood because the cold girl was ring at him.
''Hey, hey now! I''m trying to get you to safety and this is what I get in return?!'', her response annoyed him.
He then realized that the longer he ignored her, the angrier she got.
''Come on, why are you looking at me this way?! I need to get to where Emi and the rest are before she loses her temper for whatever reason it is!''
He opened his map and located their position.
"Emi!"
Emi was tending to Solordo who was sitting on the floor with his back on the wall. His dragon armor was long gone and a trace of it could be found sticking on his skin.
She turned her head and the two of them, "Oh, brother Lucan? Sister Olivia?"
Haera went over to Lucan and gestured for him to put her down. She put her fingers on Olivia''s right wrist and checked her vital signs.
"How is she¡ uhm¡ sister Haera?", Lucan worried.
Haera sighed in relief, "She is exhausted of mana and passed out but don''t worry. She will be fine. Passing out is amon symptom when mages as young as her lose all the mana inside their bodies."
Lucan and Emi were both relieved as well. There was nothing to worry about for now except for the chaos outside.
"It looks like everyone here has gathered.", Jinmu''s silhouette showed up from the dark.
"You-!", Lucan jumped in fright, "Please, don''t do that again! You''ll scare me to death!"
''Heh, now I know this bastard is scared of the dark.'', Jinmu silently mused.
"Brother Jinmu, you''vee back!", Emi stood up in excitement.
"Not only me.", he shrugged.
A tall figure of a brte demi-human appeared from Jinmu''s back and ran towards Emi.
"Emi!"
"Bi-Big Sis!", Emi stuttered as the figure of her big sister Akane shed right before her eyes.
Akane stopped and slowly took her steps and carefully stared at her little sister and the other one had done the same.
This was a scene that neither of them thought would happen in the slightest of chances. Tears streamed from their eyes before Akane''s emotions erupted and she ran away.
She embraced Emi without hesitation, gripping her little figure tightly, and hoped she wouldn''t disappear.
Jinmu silently appeared beside the rest of the group and said, "Hey, let''s not interrupt their reunion. Pack up because we''re going back to the entrance after this."
The three nodded subconsciously. Haera carried the sleeping Olivia on her back and they silently exited the great hall.
"Big sis¡"
Akane let go of Emi and smiled, wiping off the tears from her little sister''s face.
"Emi, you''ve grown bigger and more beautiful. Big Sis is proud of you.", she remarked.
"Big Sis, that doesn''t matter now. I was worried when I saw what happened back home. I thought you died. I thought I won''t be able to see you again."
Emi''s tone was a little muddled because she kept sobbing while staring at Akane.
"It''s alright now. I''m here, okay? You don''t have to be worried."
Emi nodded and hugged her again.
"Shush, you''re always a crybaby, you know.", Akane patted her back coupled with some chuckles.
"You can''t me me, big sis. I just can''t bear to not see you again¡"
tion filled Akane''s heart, "Okay, okay. Big Sister won''t be away now, hush¡"
They embraced each other for a while until their emotions stabilized.
"Big sis, these injuries¡ wh-who did it? Don''t tell me it was that man named Erik?", Emi was angered.
Akane''s fair skin was filled with scars ofshes and cuts. With trembling hands, the big sister grabbed Emi''s head and forced it to look straight back at her.
"Emi, listen to me. Whoever did this, they will pay soon for what they have done. Okay? Now, let''s go where your seniors are. They might be waiting for us.", Akane insisted.
Emi wanted to argue but her sister''s firm grasp of her hand stopped her from doing so. They exited the great hall and went into the passageway where they saw the rest of the group waiting.
Jinmu turned his head and asked, "Is everything done?"
"Yes.", Akane nodded, "Thank you again¡ for saving me."
"Don''t worry about it.", Jinmu waved his hand, "You''ll have more chances to talk with one another after this chaos is finally over."
"Say, Jinmu. Why do you want to move outside of the Stronghold?", Lucan asked, "Shouldn''t we gather together with the people of Norva Assili?"
"Look, those people might be looking for us and our answers to our presence in this incident.", he added.
"Don''t be a dumbass. We still haven''t seen the presence of that demonic creature who is the mastermind of this incident.", Jinmu coldly replied.
"Well, isn''t that even a greater reason to join them?", Haera backed up Lucan, "If we split up, the demonic creature may target us knowing that you are part of the Heavenly Magic Academy. Nobody would be there to defend us when the timees."
Jinmu shook his head, "The demonic creature won''t bother going after us. Even if he did, Elder Flock will protect us from harm. You shouldn''t underestimate an archmage like him."
"Moreover, that demonic creature''s time is running out. It won''t be long now for him to show up any time soon."
"And at that point, he will want to wreak as much destruction as possible before he is taken down. If he still wants to pursue us, it will only be a waste of time and he won''t get whatever he wants.", he answered with great confidence.
They arrived outside the entrance when the system prompted.
[ Warning: A powerful sound wave is approaching. Please go back inside and cover your ears tightly. ]
Jinmu''s eyes widened and quickly turned around, "All of you, get back and cover your ears!"
"Wh-what happened?", Haera was confused.
"Don''t ask, big sister! Just, ah damn it!", Solordo grabbed everyone and dashed to the inside of the mansion.
"Someone cover Olivia''s ears!", Jinmu ordered.
"On it!", Solordo engulfed her ears in dense dark mana.
A secondter, a loud shout shook the entire stronghold, putting everyone down to their knees and feet.
Many bled in their ears, unable to protect their eardrums on time.
''Wh-what was that shout? It shook everything including my damn soul!'', Jinmu cursed with blood dripping on his mouth and ears.
The group tried to recover but the sound hurt their bodies badly and their muscles couldn''t even twitch.
"Tha-that might be¡ Olivia''s father!", Lucan spoke in anger. This careless father of hers had implicated them for the second time.
"Can¡ anyone else move?", Solordo managed to get up.
"You think we can?!", Jinmu''s face darkened.
"Oh, it seems that you can''t."
Seeing the muscle-brained idiot shake his head worsened Jinmu''s expression. However, the next scene terrified them to the core.
"Hehehe¡ What a surprise indeed."
A low demonic voice echoing from the heavens fell to the ears of everyone present in Arsolo Stronghold. The intimidation and horror etched on its words were powerful enough to demand subservience from those who heard it.
"I-I can''t- move!", Solordoined while gripping tightly on the handlebar.
"ying with these petty humans never would give me the satisfaction I need! You''re all useless, utterly useless!"
The demonic voice echoed again, now emitting a strong pressure that ttened everyone to the ground.
"Are your teeth only made for barking, demon dog?", an elderly voice mocked. It was no other than Elder Flock.
The demonic voice interrupted and rapidly threatened, "sphemous old fucker! You want a taste of my bite?! Here, have a piece of it!"
Tworge dark beams fell from the heavens, warping the space around them. One headed to the battlefield while the other headed to the location of the wounded warriors of the Norvas Corps.
The mightiest of warriors couldn''t fathom blocking nor dodging the attack. The pressure from the dark beam itself was too powerful for them to contend against.
"Som-somebody do something!", Elder Harald was aghast.
Unfortunately, nobody could gather the courage to move.
Right as he thought he would die, time slowed down to a crawl.
A small petal of light shed a few meters above his eyes before quickly expanding into the shape of a hexagon and wholly epassing the size of the approaching dark beam.
Despite the thinner size of this shield made from light, it shed full force against the demon''s attack. The shockwave from the impact downed the remaining warriors who were standing and the result exasperated the demonic voice.
"You can''t hide forever!"
The dark beams that were stationary in its direction of attack suddenly changed their trajectory in hopes of bypassing the light shield.
The shield followed the dark beams wlessly, as if it had its brilliant mind, and proceeded to block the beam''s advance wherever it went while leaving a trail. The dark beams attempted to split into numerous smaller ones, but the light shield held to it like glue.
From above, it appeared as though the ck and white lines were racing against each other, with thetter having the advantage.
The witnesses to this spectacr phenomenon had their mouths gaped wide open. Utter awe and shock ran through their na?ve minds.
''Is this¡ the power of an archmage?!'', Xerga was lost. Even his brother couldn''t dare do this in scale, speed, strength, and precision, much worse against a true demonic creature.
The demonic voice snapped and withdrew the dark beams.
Elder Flock grinned and continued mocking the demonic creature, "Your teeth aren''t sharp enough demon! Try again!"
"So I will until you die!", the demon replied.
A few secondster, the skies darkened and the air shook ferociously. The sky above the entire Arsolo Stronghold formed into a vortex and within it, fell a humungous dark beam.
"Doomed! We''re doomed!"
The sight of the beam itself knocked many unconscious. There was no way they could get out of this alive.
''Can he do it? Can that archmage do it?'', Xerga clutched his heart in hope.
"Petty tricks! Can''t you act more authentic, demon?!", Elder Flock''sment shocked everyone, "Greater Divine Shield!"
The space warped again.
The trail of lights that Elder Flock left behindbined into a singlerge shield, epassing the same size as the dark beam. Its brilliance shone brighter and those who lost hope felt their minds uplifted and brimming with optimistic thoughts.
With an upward flick of his hand, therge shield rammed into the dark beam and shed. The divine and the demonic essence fought each other in a life and death battle.
It kept on a stalemate until Elder Flock channeled the divinity in his body and chanted loudly.
"Divine Repellence!"
The shield shed brightly, blinding everyone.
Under themotion, thest thing they heard was a progressively loud warping sound, and when they opened their eyes, the sky had already cleared up and everything returned to normal.
Chapter 107 Clash Of Blue, Red, And Black
Elder Harald knelt, gasping for breath. Everything that had happened so far felt surreal.
The destructive dark beams were followed by surging waves of defensive bright lights. It urred too quickly for them to react on time.
"Wha-¡ what just happened?"
"I-I am unsure, Elder¡", Xergay on the ground in a worse condition, "Th-that elder from the League must have stopped¡ the aggressor¡"
"Is that so¡ the League, huh?"
Elder Harald was surprised, "Where they sent here¡ or just a coincidence¡?"
"I¡ forgot, Elder. I think we should askter.", Xerga replied.
"Alright, search for everyone and gather around. We''ll wait for Garron toe back.", Elder Harald ordered. He raised his head and noticed dust rising above a cliff far away, "Is that¡"
"Damn old bastard. Didn''t think that an archmage was this strong!", a low demonic voiceined. Within the dust stood the bulky silhouette of Mahiista, gripping his trembling hands.
Not long after, a monstrous figure descended from the sky with such force that a kilometer-wide swath of earth on the cliff crumbled under the pressure. The Arsolo Stronghold trembled violently, toppling the worn-out buildings and any remaining structures.
From the smoke emerged the head of a demonic dragon. The horrible scarlet eyes gazed across Arsolo Stronghold with arrogance. Then its scaly jaw opened wide, showing razor-sharp white teeth, and screamed furiously.
Its twin head sent out another wail. Despite its shorter length and smaller size, it was fiercer.
This couple of sound waves worsened the ears of those who were unconscious and the ones who remained such as the king-level beasts shuddered and knelt in fear, not daring to look up after hearing this deafening roar.
"Silence!", Elder Flock shouted.
He enchanted his voice, which acted like a, capturing the aggressive sound waves andpressing them to the shape of a massive boulder before sending them flying back into the vulnerable faces of the twin-headed dragon.
Both heads were startled and thrown backward. They were struck down and rolled for hundreds of meters on the ground. Their roars from earlier rang chaotically inside their ears, forcing them to wag their heads crazily.
Mahiista wasn''t spared with his figure flying together with his new-found pet though he was able to protect his ears from the raging sound waves.
He brushed the earth aside and raised his voice, directing it to Elder Flock, "Hideous old man! How dare you not use this when that ear-shattering voice rocked this ce earlier?!"
"Oh, about that¡", Elder Flock floated in the air, uncaring of Mahiista''sints, "I just wanted to test your patience, demon."
"Test my patience? You damn of a human test a demon''s patience? You¡! Argh! Unthinkable!"
Mahiista''s small body glowed intensely in scarlet before bulging several times his original size. He transformed into a twenty-meter demon, grabbed his now-erged demon pitchfork, and charged straight at Elder Flock.
"Test my patience? Nobody tests a demon''s patience, human! Die!"
Mahiista traversed tens of kilometers in half a second, arriving right in front of Elder Flock. The old man grinned, shocking Mahiista, ''He reacted? Must be a fluke! This human dare to make a mockery of me!''
"Let''s take this somece else, shall we?", Elder Flock flicked his left hand and therge demonic creature was flung far away to the west, generating a soft shockwave in the process.
Mahiista''s figure became a dot and disappeared.
"I''ll leave the rest to you two. Don''t underestimate that dragon and deal with it as soon as possible."
Arahon and Harrtugg Naaw arrived beside him.
"You don''t want to deal with that demonic creature directly and want to y with him a little bit more?!", Harrtugg Naaw was quite displeased.
If this elder knew that that demonic deathly dragon was unmatched, why would he waste time on an opponent he could easily take care of?
"Ohoho, where''s the determination before, frost dragon? Did you forget what you said to me a while back?", Elder Flock raised his eyebrows, "I have ns with that demonic creature. He seems to be hiding a lot of things and I want to investigate it while he''s still acting dumb."
"Can''t you let the academy do that task instead?", Arahon argued, "I''m sure that they wille up with a way to look into that guy''s mind. Well, assuming that he would survive after your beating."
Elder Flock shook his head, "You''re still too na?ve, fire dragon. We''ll talk moreter, I''m going now."
His figure trembled and vanished in ce, leaving the two of them to face the demonic deathly dragon.
"Let''s get to work, shall we?", Harrtugg Naaw knuckled his fingers and transformed back into his original dragon form which was several hundreds of meters long.
Arahon didn''t transform and instead, distanced himself to the right while carefully staring at the much bigger demonic dragon.
It was angrily looking for the person responsible for its embarrassment earlier. The two heads only found two disgusting dragons who stared at him as if they were challenging him to a battle.
''Lowly dragons! Do they not realize this master in front of them?!''
The demonic dragon opened both its mouths and channeled a dark beam.
"Won''t let you!", Harrtugg Naaw fired off an ice projectile that sted the smaller head and disrupted its channeling.
Arahon dashed towards therger head and punched it with his small hands.
Their quick attacks knocked the demonic dragon again.
It howled in anger and tried to bite off Arahon''s tiny figure. He evaded the lethal strike and went for its abdominal section.
The demonic dragon realized his intentions and ignited his body with fiery ck fire, forcing Arahon to back off.
"Demonic Fire! How annoying!"
In the middle of hisints, the deathly dragon struck out with its bulky and spiky tail and threw Arahon far away.
With the slight distraction, Harrtugg Naaw rained down cold-biting freeze beams that slowly extinguished the demonic fire surging on the demonic dragon''s body.
Itsrge sharp ws tightly grasped upon the earth, crumbling it down into fragments while narrowing its angered eyes.
Dark clouds formed above Harrtugg Naaw and struck dark lightning in his wake. It put him into a defensive position, using ice blocks to defend against the sudden attacks.
The demonic dragon fired a dark beam, wanting to demolish the frost dragon but thetter sent off freeze beams of its own. Harrtugg Naaw had no choice but to multitask or else he won''t be able to survive against the incessant assaults of his enemy.
Seeing the seriousness forming on the frost dragon''s eyes, the demonic dragon''s smaller head smirked and was about tounch another dark beam whenrge searing chains propped up from the ground and pulled it over.
The other head who was busy fighting off against Harrtugg Naaw was carried down as well. Its dark beam traversed vertically to the sky, piercing it with unfathomable power.
Taken down, both heads roared in agitation.
Far from their battlefield, Arahon crawled out of the crater and cursed.
''If I haven''t used that Cataclysmic Meteoric Firefall earlier, I would have toppled down that demonic bastard this instant.''
Despite the thought crossing his mind, he knew that it would be impossible to do if he wanted anybody in this area to survive.
''Killing this thing isn''t worth it. The academy master might have use of him soon.''
The species that resided in the Otherworld were too vast and most of them were unknown to the specifics as to how these species managed to survive and multiply. Although Aludia''s inhabitants wanted to research the anatomy of the Otherworld''s demonic species, the demonic aura they exuded was far too potent for anyone to resist.
Arahon knew that only the Heavenly Magic Academy had its ways on how to deal with such problems.
"Hey! Don''t try to kill him! Remember what we agreed upon earlier!", he shouted to Harrtugg Naaw.
"Don''t tell me what to do!"
With the distraction gone, Harrtugg Naaw pointed his freezing beam towards the dark cloud. It instantly froze the moment it contacted his beam before shattering it into pieces.
The two of them charged after the demonic dragon who stumbled to the ground. Arahon increased the number of searing chains that bound it.
The demonic dragon tried to use its demonic fire to break the chains around its body to no avail.
''Fool! I''ve learned my lesson earlier! Don''t think that your demonic essence is stronger than my divinity!''
Arahon wildly punched at the abdominal sections of the demonic dragon, emitting unnaturally pleasing meat-pping sounds. The entirety of his punches was focused on the demonic dragon''s inner organs and not on the exteriority of its body.
As a dragon, he knew how difficult it was to pierce through the scales and the hide of their species by brute force, let alone a demonic one. Knowing a technique like internal attacks could give someone the ability to deal with species with strong exterior defenses.
"Gragh!", the demonic dragon struggled. It couldn''te up with a solution to deal with the pestering small humanoid dragon violently pounding its body.
The smaller head wanted to vent its rage but the searing chains bound its mouth shut and its head fixed at a dangerous angle.
Upon its enraged eyes, it saw a pair of huge white dragon ws walking toward it.
"You damned of a dragon. How dare you use my sons as your essence?!", Harrtugg Naaw''s face became fierce.
"Your eyes, your skin, your scales¡! I can''t help but think of what my children would have be!"
He shouted on its face. Since it couldn''t take, Harrtugg Naaw''s anger rose and he violently pummeled the smaller head using its limbs and tail.
"Don''t go too far or else you''ll kill it!", Arahon reminded again.
"Stop reminding me!", the frost dragon reprimanded and started venting his frustrations.
"All of you should die!"
"I will tear you from the inside out, you damned demon! Do you hear me?!"
He babbled on and on, and beat up the two heads without a care.
A whileter, Harrtugg Naaw noticed that the smaller head didn''t yield. Rather, it expressed its distaste and bared its sharp teeth on him.
"You-!"
His uncontroble rage led him to sting a freezing beam on it.
It tried to resist by gnawing its teeth and gathering a huge amount of demonic essence. However, the other head wanted to use the demonic essence to protect its body and internal organs.
This conflict gave rise to their impending doom and soon, the smaller head was encased in thick ice.
"Tsk. Even in this state, your despising face annoys me!", Harrtugg Naaw used his ws and crushed the brittle head.
The loss of the smaller head inflicted a fatal injury on therger head. Its mind nked out and fell unconscious.
Dust rose again but Harrtugg Naaw remained indifferent to it. After the dust settled, he saw Arahon approaching him who was shaking his head in dismay.
"My dear friend, that is not how you torture your aggressors. This is like bringing mercy to them."
Chapter 108 Toyed Demon
A demonic figure harshlynded on the ckened ground and continued rolling for several hundreds of meters, colliding with small hills before hitting a hard section of a cliff.
The space from afar warped as a ray of light was shot out, heading toward the hanging demonic figure.
It suddenly raised its head and gathered a huge amount of dark essence upon its hand, swiping the attack to the left.
The ray headed to an inconspicuous mountain followed by a blinding sh of light and a huge explosion, obliterating thendscape to nothingness. Fortunately, most of the resulting shockwave traveled in the direction where the ray of light was headed.
Otherwise, the demonic figure wouldn''t be able to dodge the sessive attacks of magical spells thrown at it.
"Coward! Come out and fight, old man!", Mahiista cursed.
"Hahaha! Aren''t you a demon? Weren''t you supposed to be stronger and faster physically?", Elder Flock mocked, "Come and get me, your grandfather!"
"Impudent human!", Mahiista shouted while dodging a fast-approaching fireball, then blocked the strong gust of wind that pushed him farther, hundreds of meters away.
''I need to ignite more of my demonic essence! I don''t care if I end up dying, there''s no escaping this damn archmage!''
"Demonic Carnation: Asura''s Empowerment!"
Demonic essence imploded from his body. Along with it were the demonic howls of ancient demonic creatures that crawled on his erging body. It looked like they were chanting some demonic sutras of unknown origins that quickly and heavily enhanced Mahiista''sbat abilities to a higher level.
"This is your demise, archmage!", he grinned, ''With the empowerment, the explosive power brought by my demonic symbols inside my demonic core is multiplied a hundred times!''
If Eluard was here, he would notice that Mahiista''s previous 734 demonic symbols now became 73,400,parable to a graferhar which could battle archmages or radiant knights.
From a small karagero to a bigshot, one could imagine the effect of Asura''s Empowerment on someone like him.
"That''s more like it!", Elder Flock wasn''t afraid and became ecstatic instead, ''A noble demonic carnation, huh?! And what''s more, it''s from the ancient bloodline of the legendary demon, Asura!''
His eyes narrowed while his aura slowly changed, ''If I remember correctly from the scribbled records that were retrieved from the ruins, Asura was a bloodthirsty demon who sought unfathomable strength and conquered the many dimensions that exist in this universe.''
''Just his entire presence crippled warriors alike, and all mystical powers were nothing to him.''
''To think I''d meet a descendant from that demon''s bloodline. This one''s going to be exciting!''
Mahiista noticed that the old man was deep in thought. Thus, he shouted and interrupted him, "Old fool, you''d think I''m still someone you could toy around?! Do you still dare underestimate my power?!"
Elder Flock''s eyes widened in joy, "Definitely not! But I know you won''t win this regardless!"
The old man was confident of his skills, "Allow me to present to you what a true archmage is!"
His archmage aura was fully unleashed, releasing a huge wave of pressure that restricted Mahiista''s movements and froze the wind.
"Magical Metamorphosis!"
Elder Flock underwent a transformation.
Divine gold-colored fire erupted from his body, engulfing it and changing into a floating humanoid-shaped fire surrounded by glowing golden lights transfixed on the edges of the raging mes.
Mahiista snorted and dashed, thrusting the erged devil fork, enhanced by demonic essence, straight out of Elder Flock''s chest.
Elder Flock smiled under the raging mes and let his body explode outwards, dodging Mahiista''s strike.
''Escape? You''d think it''s easy to escape my grasp?!''
Mahiista passed through the gap and his figure blurred in ce, shing or thrusting in all directions a thousand times in a second. It reached out to the surroundings, tearing the earth and air apart.
The demonic essence also tried to tear the divined fire elements but he could only do so much until Elder Flock shouted.
"Divine Roaring Fire Dragon!"
Mahiista''s eyes widened, ''Impossible, that didn''t inflict damage on him?!''
He turned his head around and saw multiple fire streams burst out of the old man''s body that headed toward him.
The devil fork on his hand trembled as demonic essence flowed.
"Demonic Embrace!"
The demonic essence on his devil fork was released. A huge umbre-shaped nket covered him against the fast-approaching fire streams. Not long after, he felt that something collided with his shield.
"Heh!"
Much to his short-lived arrogance, he noticed that the exerted force of the impact fell out of ce.
''Wait!''
Mahiista''s eyes darted upwards and saw multiple fire streams falling from above which soon covered the entire sky.
''Shit! He retracted his magic spell and re-directed its path around the shield?!''
From a distance, it would look like a flood of fire devouring Mahiista''s demonic shield. He then heard sounds echoing from the fire streams.
"What''s the matter, demon?!"
"Tch! Demonic Slicer!"
Multiple sharp and thin slicers formed around him and shot them out, targeting the fire streams. It sliced through and cut them in half. Some were extinguished due to the inhibiting aura exuded by the demonic essence.
Just as he was about to celebrate, the branching fire streams seemed to have a mind of their own and continued on their trajectory that was him.
"Useless! How about doing something that will boil this old man''s blood?!"
Triggered, Mahiista gritted his bloodied teeth and chanted, "Asura''s Foul Karmic Strike!"
Huge scarlet arrows burst out of his body, leaving a trail of scarlet fog behind. The arrows emitted an ominous feeling but it didn''t hinder Elder Flock''s advance.
"Good gracious! Something of a challenge!"
"Divine Dancing Firebirds!"
Screeches of firebirds rung on Mahiista''s ears. Five of them extended out of Elder Flock''s elemental body and dove straight at the arrows with extreme ferocity.
They left a trail of divined gold-like fire that scattered around, countering the scarlet fog that tried to take control of everything.
At thest moment, they screeched again before exploding which pushed the scarlet fog back. The two different forces fought but the scarlet fog couldn''tst for long as Elder Flock drowned it with both the screeches and explosions of his firebirds.
Hundreds of meters of the area ofnd were devastated. Worse, the lingering heat of the firebirds permeated, creating a strong fluctuation of winds in the atmosphere.
"What in the actual¡ Fuck it, that was just his primary spells and not the big ones!"
Mahiista had long moved from that dangerous battlefield. Both his hands were scorching hot, left by the scalding effects of the screeching birds.
''Even at this level, I am beaten down! No wonder Der Henderral nor that crow demon didn''t mess around directly! Their power is stronger than what we, na?ve ones have thought!''
The resoluteness in his eyes intensified, ''But that doesn''t matter if I lose! Allustro told me something new about demonic reincarnation. I have no choice but to hand it to that thought now.''
He grabbed hisrge pitchfork and taunted the old man, "Come ''ere you damn old bastard! Can you not take good care of a demonic shit like me?! Haha!"
The pitchfork was pointed at Elder Flock before trembling in ce and conjuring a small dark sphere that warped the space around it.
''Deathly Demonic Beam!''
Mahiista shot it out straight at his enemy. It didn''t matter whether they dodged it or not. He wanted to experience as much as possible before he''d die. There was no way a lowly demon like him couldst long, especially against a true expert.
Elder Flock did as he predicted and the two exchanged attacks with one another, moving from one battleground to somewhere kilometers away.
Even a group of magical beasts that were far away who were heading to Arsolo Stronghold trembled in fear at the remnants of their unending shes.
"This is...?"
A heavily-feather flying beast gasped before its eyes widened at the presence of the divine and demonic essence traveling outwards.
"The bigshots are fighting over there. Move further away and regroupter!", the beast alerted.
It turned its head in the direction of that world-shaking fight and thought, ''Is the culprit finally being confronted? I hope the Lord is doing well.''
The beast pped its wings and vanished from its previous location.
Meanwhile, Elder Flock noticed the sudden change in Mahiista''s behavior. His mockery intensified and was bent on agitating him to kill it.
''This demon is nning something. I don''t know what it is but keeping this fight won''t end up too good.''
"Hmph! Making a fool of me, demon?!", he extended his right hand and pointed at the ground where Mahiista was about tond.
''The old man caught up!'', The demon couldn''t redirect his trajectory on time and was stuck in the air.
There were huge invisible chains that bound everything on his body. With the additional presence of divinity coursing through the chains, he was unable to gather the demonic essence within him.
"Heh, a restriction spell?! Old man, you truly want to give me to those people, huh?!", Mahiista remained unyielding.
His grin almost hid the fact that he was about to self-destruct. Unfortunately, Elder Flock saw through it all and snorted.
Mahiista suddenly felt his mind lightening up, ''Th¡ is¡ no¡'', and soon lost consciousness.
"What a fool of you to think that I can''t see through your head, demon."
Elder Flocknded in front of the knocked-out Mahiista and slowly extinguished his transformation. This warm-up was nothing to him but due to the strange feeling earlier, he had no choice but to prematurely end their short confrontation.
He waved his hands and undid the restriction on the demon. He kicked Mahiista''s head and vented his frustration.
"We''ll get to know more of your ns soon, Otherworld. Tsk, these demonic creatures are sly enough to remain unnoticed until they have wreaked havoc."
"I wonder what happened with those dragons. I hope they didn''t mess things up and identally killed that demonic summon."
He raised his head and felt the space vibrate.
As time passed, a huge tear in the sky appeared and the dense aura of demonic essence permeating the entire northern cial continent seemed to have lightened up and was diffusing quickly.
"The spatial anomalies that they have set up are loosening. That escaping demonic essence will definitely alert the various factions and will investigate what happened here."
While talking on his own, several thin golden needles struck the vital points of Mahiista andpletely halted the flowing of demonic essence around his body.
"I don''t know if the Heavenly Magic Academy wants their presence to be known this time. I''ll presumably think first that they want to remain hidden. For now."
He grabbed Mahiista''s body and made his way back to Arsolo Stronghold, ''I''ll warp the memories of the lowly warriors and keep those of the Elders and High King Garron intact.''
The air boomed as his speed went supersonic. A sh of glint appeared in his weary eyes.
''Just like what happened at the ruins.''
Chapter 109 Resolution, 1
Elder Flock arrived back at Arsolo Stronghold. He gazed at the recent battle between the two dragons and the demonic dragon and nodded in satisfaction.
''The dragons did their job. Now, it''s time to take care of other things.''
He went down andnded at the dpidated Siegfried Mansion entrance. He stepped forward and saw the group of students from the academy.
''They''re still alive and well. I''ll put them with those beasts carrying Mr. Kai. This shouldn''t be a problem in the long run, right?''
Elder Flock extended his bony right hand and twirled his index finger around before the space trembled right at the group''s position, then they disappeared.
''I will ask that frost dragon to hide their whereabouts for now. It wouldn''t be good if too many people saw them.''
He said this for the fact that he would have to expend more effort in warping memoriester on if it happened.
''Until I get a final confirmation from Mr. Kai, this is how it should happen.''
Thinking about it, he nced in the direction of the ruins. He wondered how the investigation of the upper echelons of the Morning Star Empire and other interested factions were doing about the recent incident involving Dartex, the Creed, the League, and the academy.
Soon, he passed through the wrecked great hall and stumbled upon the encirclement of the weakened Elder Council and high officials of Norva Assili.
Among them was High King Garron, who was discussing with the Elder Council what to do against the Siegfried n.
"Garron, why the hell did you not kill this bastard of a traitor? Do you still hold pity upon their n after everything that they have done?", Elder Harald ruthlesslyined.
He could not understand Garron''s decision.
Garron scratched his head and thought of a way out, "Elders, everyone, it''s not like I don''t want to kill him. I know for a fact that such crimes are punishable by death. However, someone has taken an interest in them, and unless¡"
"Someone has taken an interest? You mean those lousy wizards in the League of Wizardry?", another elder remarked.
"Yes¡ it''s best to hand over Flinthal and the rest of the Siegfried n''s members to them¡", Garron''s voice became timid after sensing the pressureing from the various elders and high officials.
"Impossible!"
"What nonsense!"
"You know we can''t do that, high king!"
"So what if they helped us? They still don''t have the right to hold any decision about the lives of these traitors!", Elder Harald was livid.
Many of them voiced their contempt. They knew what the League was up to.
Research. And a great failure of a research one at that.
For years unthinkable, the League had struggled to dissect demonic creatures and examine their bodies so that they maye up with options on how to oppose the demonic essence without relying on divinity, fire, light, and lightning magic.
And now their High King wants to hand it over to them? What was the point? Would they still be able to receive justice once they were given away?
Who knew what sort of excuses would the League throw out after a series of failed experiments¡
Moreover, how could they, warriors, leave things for the wizards to work about? It was both a matter of face and pride.
Garron was slowly being drowned in their shouts and curses.
At this moment, Elder Flock''s aura resonated which caused many of them to shiver and kneel on the ground.
"What''s the matter, High King Garron? I thought we had already discussed this a while ago¡?"
"E¡elder¡", Garron also knelt out of fear and respect. He knew the reason why he had to hand over Flinthal and the rest to this old man.
And that was because of the legendary academy that both supported Elder Flock and the one that had taken his daughter in.
Seeing this behavior from the High King, the rest couldn''t help but curse inwardly.
With their backs faced to him, Elder Flock threw Mahiista''s unconscious demonic body where itnded beside Flinthal.
This scene shocked many, wondering how could a wizard deal with a demonic creature that easily.
"You warriors of the north are always full of talk butck sufficient strength to back your words. Do you not have some decency to be grateful to the people that assisted you during this hardship?"
"And you dare to voice your dissatisfaction on my back¡ Do you think you are capable enough to fall it out with me?"
Elder Flock increased his pressure upon the warriors, even extending it into the entire Arsolo Stronghold.
"Remember this deep in your minds, you damn barbarians. If not for my and some people''s help this time around, you wouldn''t havested this long to talk crap about your saviors¡"
He raised his hand and grasped the air. The entirety of the people in Arsolo Stronghold felt lightheaded and was knocked out.
High King Garron witnessed all of this and was speechless to react. Just grasping something in the air and Elder Flock could make people like them useless.
If he intended to destroy Norva Assili, nobody from their group could even stop him from doing it.
"E¡elder¡ please forgive them for their rash actions¡", he stuttered, afraid of muttering words that would anger Elder Flock.
"Hmph, you better discipline this bunch of ungrateful bastards. Or else, you won''t know how your entire history of warriors would die out.", Elder Flock warned.
He was already on the edge of trying to curry favor with the academy. Why would he let them foil the ns he hadid out for long?
"Yes, yes¡ I know¡", High King Garron nodded, "Also, Elder¡ may I know how is my daughter holding up? Is she okay? Can I still meet her in the future?"
He noticed that the Elder''s left hand was wriggling his fingers around, shing some faint lights now and then.
Oblivious to his gaze, Elder Flock answered his sessive questions.
"Olivia is doing fine. She''s just unconscious. You should try to control your shout at some point or else you''ll end up implicating a lot of people in the worst moment possible.", Elder Flockmented, "The Heavenly Magic Academy has its rules as to how their students can interact with the outside world."
"Whether you can see your daughter in the future is a matter of luck and the mood of the academy master."
He coldly advised as if he was a member of the academy.
"And don''t try to spread information that the Heavenly Magic Academy was here, nor would you tell other people about your daughter''s current situation. Keep it to yourself."
High King Garron was confused, "But¡ didn''t that young wizard announce his identity earlier? Why would you¡ go back on your previous actions and try to hide things now?"
"He only revealed his identity to you lot. You should understand what that implies, right?", Elder Flock didn''t waste his time and grabbed Mahiista and every member of the Siegfried n, dead or alive.
"As for those who unnecessarily knew something, I have already dealt with it."
His figure disappeared, leaving High King Garron alone a group of unconscious old men and womenying on the ground.
"How troublesome. He already dealt with it, huh?"
High King Garron had a suspicion that those shing lights were the process of Elder Flock warping everyone''s memories to his will.
The high king stood up and looked around, "Misha is still not here. Just where the hell did my younger brother go?"
"Tsk, I''ll search for his whereaboutster. I have to n out how to recover Norva Assili from this cmity."
He sat on a wooden chair and held his head with both hands, "The other factions wille here to investigate what happened."
"I see it now. When the timees, I''ll just fabricate some stories."
He stopped for a moment and realized, "No, that Elder already warped their memories. I''ll go with whatever he had put in on their heads so that those people wouldn''t get suspicious."
High King Garron raised his head and looked at the skies. The spatial anomaly was bing unstable and he could see the otheryer of the dark sky protruding.
''Has it been that long? Damn, every day here felt like infinity.''
''Olivia¡ It seems that I won''t be able to spend much of my time with you for now. I''ll be looking forward to when we meet next time.''
''Don''t try to surprise your father too much. I''m bing old. I might die of shock if I find out you have be someone stronger than me in the years toe¡''
Tears flowed out of his eyes as he let his suppressed feelings and emotions out for a while.
¡
"What a lovely scene, don''t you think?", Arahon smiled. He and Harrtugg Naaw had been observing High King Garron from a far distance.
Behind them was the deathly demonic dragon slumbering in pain with Elder Flock checking its condition and other things.
"Don''t you think you were too harsh, old man?", the frost dragon asked. He had transformed into his smaller humanoid form.
His clear blue eyes couldn''t hide the deep emotion he felt when he saw the high king alone like that.
"Oh, don''t you think I should also be harsh to you too?", Elder Flock tried to remind him of his crimes.
Harrtugg Naaw''s mouth twitched. Can''t this old man be a little understanding?
"Anyway, is it really fine to warp their minds like that? Aren''t you afraid that someone might discover your actions and protest?", Arahon asked.
"They canin to the Supreme Elder and the Heavenly Magic Academy''s academy master.", Elder Flock harrumphed.
The two dragons were instantly stupefied. Who would darein if that was the case? The Supreme Elder was the leader in terms of authority, prestige, and strength in the world of Aludia.
The only one who could match up to him was the mysterious legendary figure in the Elven Sanctuary, and the demonic general scouring The Wastes.
As for the academy master, there was noparison at all.
"Then do you want to stay in my abode for the time being? I can give those groups of children a peaceful time while they recuperate.", Harrtugg Naaw offered.
Now that a chance to pardon his sins and to curry favor had arrived, he wouldn''t let go of such opportunities.
"Oh, how thoughtful of you. We won''t excuse ourselves then.", Elder Flock nodded. At the very least, he wouldn''t have to request help which would somewhat lower his status.
"Tsk.", annoyed, Harrtugg Naaw deliberately changed the topic, "Isn''t it time for you to tell us what you n to do? This concerns a lot of things not only Aludia itself but the Otherworld and the Heavenly Magic Academy as well."
Elder Flock shook his head, "What do you think I can tell you? If anyone has a n, it''s either the Supreme Elder, the academy master, or the demons in the Otherworld or at The Wastes."
"I''m simply a pawn going with the flow of whatever the higher-ups want to do.", he emphasized.
His answer died out the mes of ambition that sprouted in the heart of Harrtugg Naaw.
''This old man. He''s too cunning. Damn it¡''
"We know that. But at least give us some outline of whatever in the heavens is going on here in Aludia.", Arahon stepped up, helping his agitated friend.
Elder Flock sighed and gathered his thoughts.
"Clearly, the demons are up to something. If not for the fact that you were approached by the academy master, nor was I obedient and sensitive enough to realize the strangeness here in the northern cial continent, this ce might have fallen under the demonic creature''s control and we would be in a huge disadvantage of the following events."
The two dragons nodded in agreement. Thinking about a different ending was too terrifying. They inwardly shook their heads and perked their ears up, willing to hear more.
Elder Flock was amused by their reaction. Still, he continued.
"The next blow-up might happen in the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary."
"Their civil war is a little too strange. As far as I recall, it was caused by a simple crimemitted by a general that came from a lower origin. Something about trying to kidnap some children."
Elder Flock seemed to have caught a hint and narrowed his eyes, ''Don''t tell me those children are¡''
He shook the thought away and continued.
"There are a lot of details that are missing but I still suspect that a demonic creature is behind this."
"Not only that but there is also a cause of concern about the poisonous water sources in the Sandmen Kingdom. And some people reported that it originated from the Oriental Oceanic Empire."
"I have a strong belief that m-¡ Dartex is involved in this escapade. But until someone investigates further, we won''t be arriving at any concrete conclusion soon."
Chapter 110 Resolution, 2
Eastern border of the northern cial continent.
Several knights were patrolling on a cliff and observed the beautiful prairie below. They were led by a silver-caped knight embedded with seven me symbols.
His countenance was serious, looking at the space in front of him.
"There was a magic disturbance felt here earlier. Why is it that we can''t seem to pinpoint the exact location of the said disturbance?!"
They had been walking around for hours to no avail. A huge barrier seemed to have prevented them from going further past the cliff''s highest point.
Just a few more kilometers ahead of it was and of eternal winter. The varying weather between the two adjacent areas created a line, separating the vibrant flowers from the withered ones.
They were immersed in the sight. After all, this ce was famously known as the Northern Frontier Prairie.
"Captain, we should inform the High Commander quickly. I feel like something is wrong in the area in front of us.", suggested one of the brown-caped knights.
"It''s not like we can''t go to the High Commander for help.", the silver-caped knight sighed and shook his head, "The High Commander is busy investigating the sudden disappearances of people in the nearby areas. There have already been leads of this incident."
"The worst of it all, it was suspected that the demonic creatures were behind this."
The atmosphere became tense.
Demonic creatures.
What their captain said made them shiver in fear.
"Then¡", a timid knight suddenly gasped. He had a bold imagination in his mind, "Captain¡ what if¡", pointing at the winternd in the distance.
"Don''t even think about it.", the silver-caped knight reprimanded, "I''m pretty sure the League is already investigating what we are investigating right now. Hell, I bet they''re even almost finished."
"We''ll just stay still here and wait for further¡"
Their discussion was disturbed when they noticed that the space a kilometer away from them seemed to have twisted as if something was about toe out of it.
"Ca-captain! Look-!", shouted the timid knight from before.
Everyone turned and raised their heads.
A crack appeared right between the line that separated the two areas, which was then followed by a huge pressureing out from the other side of that crack.
Alongside it was the heavy yet nightmarish demonic essence, paling the expressions of the entire knight squadron.
"Shit, demonic essence! Run!"
They turned around and started running away. When one of them looked back, he noticed that the crack had grown vertically, with the other cracks emerging from the branching sides.
It didn''t take long before they felt that the pressureing from the diffusing demonic essence lessened.
A knight covered in bright light appeared in the sky. His aura alone suppressed the raging demonic essence that was pouring out from the crack.
"Hi-High Commander!", the captain and his squad knelt down.
"What has happened here? Why is there a sudden outburst of demonic essence from the northern cial continent?!", he sternly asked.
"Commander¡", the captain felt miserable. He didn''t know what to report exactly, "¡We were still patrolling the border when the demonic essence burst out of there."
"The demonic essence suddenly burst out?!", the highmander replied in shock.
In fact, he wasn''t the only one surprised by this shocking event. Many people in the Morning Star Empire, and even the elves in the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary, were dumbfounded about the series of events happening in the northern cial continent.
First, there was that suffocating pressure from the skies as it trembled fiercely. Many experts felt that a huge impact would happen in the next moment.
However, that pressure suddenly vanished and never returned again.
Suspicious, many factions sent their experts to investigate the area only to be met with a dumbfounding experience.
Nobody was able to enter the boundary of the northern cial continent.
Many asked a deep question in their hearts.
What sort of trickery was this?
The factions were rmed and increased the personnel assigned to investigate this strange phenomenon. Then, just as they were getting some results, a crack appeared in the sky followed by a strong gust of demonic essence.
Everyone instantly retreated far away.
They observed the cracks in the space fragment out into nothingness, revealing a nightmarish scenery not long after.
"Thi-! This is-!"
The once winter wondend became another version of the Wastes. The demonic essence went rampant, polluting thend as it poured out of
"Alert the Elders from the League!", ordered a magister to his subordinates.
The rest followed that man''s steps as well, sending messengers to inform their leaders about what happened. This kind of catastrophic event managed to go under their ears, eyes, and noses.
The grandmaster wizards present quickly set up magical formations to stop the demonic essence from spreading.
Soon, the higher-ups of each faction arrived, discussing with one another how to deal with this situation.
"The Otherworld managed to strike the northern cial continent, at arge scale at that, without us even noticing at all.", an elven Elder from the League sighed in distress.
Thispse in their attention and intelligence will surely be made fun of by theirpetitors.
"It doesn''t matter what they had done. What we need to do now is to reinforce the Norva Assili and any remaining survivors.", a valiantly-looking general from the Morning Star Empire argued, "It would be best if there is news from the other side.", his eyes darted to a corner of the makeshift meeting room.
A dark green-hooded woman walked out, "My scouts have found something."
"Oh?", everyone raised their eyes and looked at her.
Her despondent purple eyes could not be hidden from view, yet they contained a profound mystery to whoever stared at them. She raised her left hand and approached therge wooden table with a map of the northern cial continent resting atop.
"There''s a long trail of clean areas around here.", she pointed near the spot of the Sokovo Stronghold, then dragged both her hands in opposite directions.
One headed east that neared Arsolo Stronghold, and the other on the deep territories of the magical beasts.
"Not only that, there were traces of battles and remains of unknown beasts, most probably demonic based on the aura that came out from their corpses."
"Lastly, there are magic disturbancesing off from ice and fire-based magic. As for the source, my scouts didn''t manage to find any evidence of magic circles being conjured.", her eyes suddenly curved downwards, implying something to the rest.
"A long trail, and instantaneous spell casting, huh?", the elder from the League went into a daze and thought for a moment.
"The two sides, both man and beast, must have felt threatened by the demonic creatures and worked together to subdue theirmon enemy."
Everyone affirmed his conclusion, though were rather baffled by the presence of fire magic reported by that woman in the dark-green hood.
As if reading their minds, she pursed her lips and shook her head, "Several days ago, the great fire dragon Arahon Agui seemed to have left hisir and headed west."
Her answer enlightened them.
The fire dragon''sir was located originally on the east where the Dwarven Mountain Compass was situated. Going in a westward direction and the presence of abundant fire magic implied nothing but his participation in this recent battle.
"I don''t know what caused that arrogant fire dragon to go out, but many spected that he might have brought his ''disciple'' out for an adventure.", she added.
"Enough about the dragon. What about Norva Assili? The High King? Is anyone left alive?", the general of the Morning Star Empire quickly brushed off the topic.
The woman''s eyes narrowed and her voice went sullen, "Only a handful of them is left, mostly in the Arsolo Stronghold¡"
The general''s fists bumped into the wooden table, pulverizing it into fragments. His expression was unsightly, and nobody knew what was going on in his head.
The elf Elder shook his head in dismay and sighed again, "How pitiful¡"
"Tsk! Tragic!"
Many voiced their concerns.
"So¡ what''s next?", a timidly dressed person asked.
"My army will provide a long chain of outposts to both act as a line of defense and supply.", the general said and walked out, mobilizing the army under hismand.
"Then the League will provide additional assistance to any of you.", the elf Elder didn''t put out too many words.
The rest talked with one another and arrived at some agreements.
Soon, the northern cial continent was filled with boisterous noise as peoplee and go by, carving a path towards Arsolo Stronghold while scouting the nearby areas for any threats and survivors.
¡
A small crow perched on top of a tree while ncing at the marching soldiers with its head tilted to the right.
Whatever its two eyes could see was disyed on a rectangr object found deep in the underground caves of The Wastes.
If Eluard was here, he would recognize these bunch of objects standing on top of roughly made tables with clicking and nking sounds resounding around.
"Was this the result you wanted, you damn crow?!", a huge demonic creature bellowed.
"Well¡ not exactly Derr Henderral.", Allustro opened his sharp beak, "But this will suffice. After all, it still created a disturbancerge enough to attract many of the faction''s attention over this incident."
"Our subsequent ns remain feasible. There is nothing much to worry about."
"Hmph! I just hope that any trouble we''vee across this is worthy of everyone''s efforts!"
The huge demonic creature snorted and left the room. Allustro stood there alone with a cold red glint in his eyes.
He stared at the demonic creature''s departing figure and turned his head back on the rectangr object in front.
"Oh, it will be very worthy of everyone''s efforts, Der Henderral. It will be¡"
Chapter 111 Recovery
A strong cold wind breezed past a calm shallow valley deep in the mountainous regions of the Northern cial Continent.
Groups of magical beasts slowly trotted around, looking for something to eat. The trees have slowly regained their luster as twinkling snow drizzled from the sky.
Deep inside a cave abode was a young man strolling around the glorious scenery.
''This is¡ truly fascinating.'', Eluard was in a trance as he stood atop the edge of the cave''s opening.
It had been a week since he woke up from that strange dream. A lot of things had happened to which he was told by his students.
''I wonder what happened to that Primal Viin guy. The Fragments of Chaos, huh? Sounds mysterious. I wonder why I dreamt of that, though. Doesn''t really fit into my current situation.''
He stared at the snowke that glided through the air.
Although sceneries like this was abundant in his world back then, the experience in seeing them in person was simply too different.
He felt the cold breeze of the north sweep past through him. It was both refreshing and chilling at the same time.
"Ah, what a wonderful feeling. No wonder many people wanted to go out and look at the world."
A bright smile shed on his pale face. He had to do it to distract himself from his recent ''disappointing performance'' with regards to the task ced unto him by the system.
[ Special Task: Righting the Wrong]
[ Subtask 1: Dark and Deste North (Completed)]
[ Erik Siegfried, alongside his henchmen and one ve, Akane, were afflicted by the undead corruption and has returned to the Norva Assili. It is imperative to deal with them first due to the erupting civil war caused by the increasing rivalry between the Royal Family and the Siegfried n.]
[ Task Result]
[ Despite the disastrous results of this task, you have managed to react on time and helped the northern barbarians in fending off the Siegfried n and the surprising involvement of the Otherworld. However, it is imperative that the host must be proactive in dealing against any future threat.]
[ Rewards: None.]
Eluard did not have any remarks. After all, he was an important factor in this incident.
He was genuinely surprised about the Otherworld''s presence in this area. He mused that they were simply waiting for something to happen, and his ''undead spell'' provided the enemies with a signal to fire off their ns.
''What bad luck. If it weren''t for those demonic creatures appearing out of nowhere, this would''ve gone better around.''
There was no point wallowing in regrets now. He could make use of this as a lesson to learn about.
As for the demonic creatures they captured, Eluard tried to use his Eye of Veracity, but it didn''t work. The feedback he received was that there were powerful restrictions set up, preventing him from looking inside.
''It seems that I have another reason to strengthen my magic power again.''
He opened his left hand where a ball of me slowly floated.
"Senior brother Kai¡", a youth with long ck hair distracted him from his thoughts.
"Jinmu.", Eluard extinguished the mes and turned around to face him, "How is everyone? Have you all finally recovered?"
"Everything is okay for us, senior brother Kai. We''ve moved from hunting in the northern cial continent to the heavily forestednd south of the Morning Star Empire, inside its Southern Seas Region."
"I see. How about Emi''s sister then? Did aca-¡ master ept her into the academy?", Eluard sounded awkward while asking this question.
He already knew what happened, but he had to act as if he did not.
"Academy master epted her without any problems, senior brother.", Jinmu replied.
Emi''s sister, Akane, was currently working as a maid in the academy.
Since there was literally nobody who cleaned the halls and rooms and other ces, it could get a little messy at times. Akane''s presence not only brought them liveliness in this nearly deste academy, but it also gave way for some umted dirt and dust to be driven away.
Moreover, Eluard easily epted her since she was more innocent than a particr person after inspecting her with the Eye of Veracity. At that time, he managed to recall that he had an almost-omniscient ability.
''Damn, I could''ve used my eye on that old man before¡ but maybe the disparity of our magic powers could have prevented that from happening.''
Emi had also urged him, under the identity of a ''senior brother'', to persuade the ''academy master'' to let her sister into the academy so that they wouldn''t be separated once again.
Her pitiful face lowered his resistance, and he was bound to do as she wished.
"What about¡ Olivia?"
Jinmu took a while to reply, "She is still processing the events that happened, senior brother. It might take a while for her to move on."
"I see. We can''t do anything much about that. I would''ve wanted to let her out for a while to take a breather here, but I guess that that will have to wait.", Eluard sighed and turned his back to Jinmu, ncing at the beautiful scenery in front, "Beautiful, isn''t it? Don''t you wish to share this scenery with other people?"
Jinmu''s eyes narrowed, "I would love to, but sadly, they''re probably all gone."
"Master told me that you came off from a distant vige. Did something happen?", Eluard acted curious, though knowing the answer to it already.
"Yes¡ On the day that I received the letter from the academy, that soiled prince from the empire rashly entered our vige without even knowing that he was followed by a bunch of assassins."
Eluard felt a small anger in Jinmu''s tone.
"I could only watch as they killed each member of the vige, and I, supposedly a genius, could do nothing about it. I felt too bad for myself because I couldn''t do magic unlike before! I wanted to save them, but I can''t!"
"And it was because of that man''s fault. Again¡ and again!"
"Did he want to p it into my face about how I became I cripple? Did he have to do me like that?! Unforgivable!"
"I have barely kept my anger at bay, knowing that the two of us would be ssmates in this academy. But every time I nce at his stupidly helpless body, I can''t bring myself to ever pity him!"
Jinmushed out, bringing an untold side of him ever since he started studying in the academy. He realized that he had gone too far and stopped making a fuss, snorting in disdain, and shaking his head continuously.
"Please forgive me, senior brother Kai¡"
Eluard sighed, "It''s okay. Whatever you have been through must have been rough. It''s not bad to let it go once in a while.", tapping Jinmu''s shoulder.
Eluard thought for a moment before asking, "What about a-¡ master? Is he still in the academy?"
"No, he seemed to have gone somewhere else again. We don''t even know where he went this time."
''Of course, you don''t.'', Eluard replied to himself sarcastically.
"Senior brother Kai, will you not reallye back with us to the academy?", Jinmu worried.
"It''s no use worrying, Jinmu. Elder Flock has made his decision, and I agree to it.", Eluard smiled.
A few days earlier, a group of highly ranked wizards visited this cave abode where they were resting and interrogated Elder Flock and Emilia. One of them was even more eye-catching since his eyes were glowing in golden rays.
He realized that Elder Flock''s behavior changed the moment he saw that person, quickly telling Eluard to go out and present himself as Elder Flock''s ''seed'' disciple.
Although things went smoothly, the investigating parties insisted that he must be brought back to the League for questioning, and to register himself as a wizard of Aludia.
"What about Sister Haera? Was she really taken by Elder Flock into the Tower of Arcanus?", another worry sprang on Jinmu''s heart.
"Yes. Elder Flock said that they will study the curse first and find countermeasures against it in a while."
Eluard sighed. He did not have any confidence that the researchers assigned on that task would be able toplete it in time.
He could only depend on Elder Flock, whom he assigned as an affiliate to the academy. As for putting him directly into the internal system, that would have to wait for a while.
In fact, it was Elder Flock who suggested doing it for the time being.
¡
Elder Flock had a serious look on his face, ''There are dubious changes in the personnel of the Creed of the Morning Star. I heard that they are protesting in front of the League''s Towers, demanding exnation from what happened in the Ruins a few months ago.''
''Well, isn''t that a logical reaction from them, Elder Flock?'', Eluard raised his eyes in confusion, ''That was a high-ranking cardinal dead on the spot.''
Elder Flock shook his head, ''No, it would be more logical if they weren''t protesting every hour every day. It''s as if they have nothing else on their hands at the moment but that.''
''Their recent attempts are bing increasingly presumptuous. If the League officially announces its affiliation with the Heavenly Magic Academy, those damn patrons might brainwash the public and make it look like we are the selfish ones. That oue wouldn''t be too good.''
Eluard had a bad premonition and spoke out, ''Then isn''t it also bad for me toe out at a time like this? Won''t the Creed suspect my origins and link it to the academy? After all, I stupidly announced my identity that day¡''
Elder Flock snorted, ''Hmph, you think I didn''t have a contingency n for that? That''s why I wiped their memories and changed it to something else.'', he angrily berated, ''At the very least, not one, unless an archmage, could see through those things.''
''You can identify yourself as a wandering wizard who got lost in the northern cial continent and was thrown into the chaos without your knowing. That''s what you''re going to do, and that''s what I''m going to validate sooner orter.''
''How about your affiliation with the academy? I would feel bad to not reward you with anything after what you had done...'', Eluard sighed, almost forgetting the fact that he had to act differently from his identity as an academy master.
Elder Flock''s eyes twitched , ''Fool! I''ve already told you it''s not time for me to be affiliated with you at the moment! Furthermore, I don''t think I am really that capable to be an internal part of the academy. I''m already old and my talent is severelycking. Your academy master has shown me the hard truth.''
''Anyway, Emilia will take my ce for that matter. She will go over with you once things have settled down in the Morning Star Empire.''
¡
Remembering Elder Flock''s previous words, Eluard couldn''t help butugh inside, ''That old man is really something. It seems that that previous encounter with me shook something within his heart and soul.''
He was looking forward for Elder Flock''s performance in theing days. Of course, he had to look out for himself too. Otherwise, he would be regarded as the most ipetent andziest academy master in the histroy of the Heavenly Magic Academy.
Jinmu stared at Eluard''s absent-minded countenance, "Well then¡"
Loud pping sounds resounded in the distance.
Eluard was pulled out of his daze and hurried, "The pontiffs. They are here."
"Jinmu, go now. We''ll talk more in theing days. Master is gone somewhere, so you might have to act autonomously for now. The system will arrange things for youter, go, go¡"
Jinmu hastened and teleported back to the academy.
Eluard went back inside his cave room and changed his clothes, wearing a ragged set of brown robes that suited his identity as a wandering wizard.
The pping sounds became louder until he felt the entire ce tremble.
"Harrtugg Naaw is here, along with the pontiff wizards from the League. I guess it is time to go."
Eluard didn''t dislike this arrangement of him going to the League of Wizardry for a round of investigation.
He found it to be more beneficial to his growth as he could gather more information about the many things here in this new world. He could also experience the different magical systems of the wizards, the inhumane training of the warriors or knights, and see some sceneries he wouldn''t even dare to see before.
"Heh, we''ll know eventually if this is a blessing or not. But either way, that woman¡ What a crazy woman.", Eluard shuddered at the thought of Emilia.
She seemed to have a disdainful look at him every time they bumped into each other, uttering curses here and there.
Walking across the glossy yet smooth frostal tiles, Eluard soon met with the pontiff wizards. They wore fiery red wizard robes, with a hint of arrogance shown on their faces.
There were three of them led by a tall middle-aged man with bald hair, thick beard, and a suave-looking moustache. His eyes were clear coupled with brown luster.
"Mr. Kai, thank you for your cooperation this time. I hope you understand.", the leading pontiff approached him and lent out his hand.
"It''s my great pleasure, Pontiff An.", Eluard received it and shook hands.
"Shall we be on our way then?", Pontiff An gestured.
"Yes, I have nothing to carry with me. We are good to go.", Eluard obediently followed the three pontiffs on the way out.
"Kid don''t do anything rash out there.", Harrtugg Naaw, in his humanoid form, advised.
Eluard replied with a smile. He had a good impression of the frost dragon after hearing his contributions in the earlier battle.
As such, he had promised that they would soon be given entry to the academy. He made it sound that way since the function to store and rear beasts in the academy grounds was still not yet avable.
Moreover, Harrtugg Naaw''s prowess in transforming the deste northernnd back to its natural wonder was too awe-inspiring. For a single legendary frost dragon to wipe out the trace of demonic essence in a huge block ofnd, it required power, skill, and stamina to do so.
However, Harrtugg Naaw''splexion stayed the same without the trace of exhaustion, physical or mental. The people wondered what this frost dragon was made of, and whether the archmages had equally powerful abilities.
Eluard noticed Pontiff An gesturing at his subordinate to prepare a magic array formation.
"Mr. Kai, since your body has long recovered, we will be using this method to quickly arrive at the League''s main base, the Tower of Arcanus.", Pontiff An said.
"Teleportation?", Eluard recognized several lines in this magic array formation, ''There are some swirls here and there, and an x-mark probably appointing either the array formation''s start or end. Interesting¡''
"Pleasee over, Mr. Kai. We will activate the magic array in a moment.", Pontiff An reminded.
Eluard went beside him and prepared for a wild ride.
Pontiff An''s subordinate gathered his mana and performed hand signs which caused the magic array formation to be lit up.
"Activate!"
Chapter 112 Recovery
112 Past Untold (2/?)
''Whe¡ where am I?''
Eluard''s head was buzzing, and he could not understand what was going on.
Everything around him was fuzzy and his bnce was so poor that he fell on the ground way too many times for him to remember.
Helpless, heid down on his back and waited for that ufortable feeling to vanish.
''This is like¡ exercising in a special military camp¡'', he thought while slowly catching his hurried breath.
''I remember being trapped inside the northern cial continent¡ and that strange rift in the sky¡ Was it eventually closed?''
''Were the demonic creatures defeated? Did those five students make it in one piece?''
He tried to call the system, but nothing happened, ''It didn''t work? I must be exhausted. I need to calm myself first.''
The strange sensation went away after a while, and he regained his usualposure. His eyes fluttered a few times and realized something different.
''Huh? This is-?! Something like that dream from before!''
He was jolted awake and abruptly stood up, curiously looking around. No wonder the system call didn''t work. He could not dare to forget the familiar hazy atmosphere and slightly ''tanned'' surroundings.
It was a marketce filled with people wearing thick and tall robes, resembling those of the mage and wizard robes he had seen before.
''There are a lot of people here, but they can''t see me. Is this an ancient city of magic? Is this the old world of Aludia?''
They were murmuring things in anguage he could notprehend. There were a lot of vendors on the sides, selling things that were probably magic artifacts or other items.
Eluard lingered on watching for a little more and became bored. Then he noticed arge statue at the center of the marketce.
It was 4 meters tall. Carved on top of the circr tform was the figure of a hooded person wearing a luxurious wizard robe whose cor reached as high as its head.
On its left hand was a brown book where multiple mysterious runes were embedded. Then on its right hand was a wooden staff half a meter taller than the carved figure.
There was a shining diamond embedded in the spaces in the middle of the staff''s hole. It emitted a dazzling light that tranced many passersby who looked up to it.
"Strange. I''ve seen this robe before, but I cannot remember where.", Eluard mused.
He was about to approach the statue when haughtyughter resounded in the skies.
A cold robotic voice resounded from the skies, carrying a hint of disdain towards the prized statue, "How beautiful! So, this is the figure of the Primal Lord of Magic! It''s worthy of its name! And worthy to be destroyed!"
A bright light shed, causing everyone to cover their eyes in shock. Eluard felt a huge disturbance in the atmosphere, but he couldn''t manage to identify its source.
''What sort of twist is this?!'', he cursed inwardly.
"Impudent! How dare you destroy my Lord''s image?!", another voice resounded, reprimanding the person who spoke earlier.
"You think you can block this?! Die!", the arrogant person replied.
A secondter, a powerful st took off right above the marketce where Eluard was situated. Luckily for him, who was in a special ethereal state, he remained unharmed and stood in ce.
The others, however, were sent away by the st with some casualties in the fray.
"Ah!", a sorry figure fell from the skies towards the area not far away from the statue.
"Fool! Only a Primal Lord can defeat me! And even if they were, they will bleed and die!", the haughty person boldly dered, "This universe has had enough of you, you arrogant lifeforms! It''s time for you to feel what it''s like to be a mortal being!"
His loud voice echoed in the distantnds, making sure that many people could hear his words.
"Hmph!", a cold snort resounded, blowing all the chaotic dust away.
Eluard raised his head and saw two figures confronting each other in the skies.
''Isn''t that the overseer guy from before? Is this another dream that that divine pathfinder told me about?''
He then nced at the aggressive party and was shocked after seeing him.
''I-is isn''t that some futuristic mecha suit?! What the hell is going on?!''
He could understand if the other party was a warlock who opposed the orthodox party and wanted to prove themselves against their adversaries.
However, this sudden twist of events crumbled his previous worldviews.
''If this is a world of magic, where in the heavens did that mecha suite from?!''
The mecha suit was made of unknown glowing metallic elements, with weird energy fluctuations flowing around the suit''s body frame. It was suitable for a bipedal species, and with transformative wings, thrusters, weapon ports, and otherponents Eluard could not identify.
This was simply a product of science fiction in the past. Now, he would have to experience first-hand the true beauty and power of science and technology.
"So you are the Primal Viin, a product of the Otherworld created to oppose us, the Primal Lords?"
The overseer asked in curiosity. He did not feel any threat from the Primal Viin''s existence whatsoever.
The mecha suit glowed in excitement, "And you must be the true Primal Lord of Magic?! Your brothers and sisters are too weak for me! I''ve longed to battle it out with you! Come and taste the power of my mortality!", the Primal Viin shouted, and arge mechanical cannon quickly transformed from the small mecha suit,unching a powerful beam attack.
With the beam attacking him, the overseer flicked his fingers and casually redirected it to the heavens.
Seeing the fireworks above, Eluard''s mouth was left agape. Everything happened so fast that he couldn''t react to their swift movements.
The Primal Viin suddenly used his thrusters and moved out of the way. A millisecondter, his previous position was filled with world-shattering explosions, warping even the fabric of space itself.
"Useless! Your surprise attacks won''t work on me!", he snorted while flying past the speed of sound. Despite his superhuman velocity, the uracy and frequency of his attacks were rather high.
Countless energy beam strikes, warhead missiles, and a bunch of other projectilesnded upon the overseer and produced powerful explosions. The Primal Viin used many arsenals to fight against the overseer.
Amidst all the ruckus, the overseer simply stood in ce and gazed at the figure of the Primal Viin in the far distance.
"You have dedication, power, and talent, young mortal. I admire you of it, greatly," the overseer calmly uttered.
"Trying to waste time? Want to curry words with me?! Stop it with your sweetened phrases, I''m here to draw blood out today!", the Primal Viin roared, incessantly attacking the overseer.
"Hmph, why are your attacks so clumsy and weak? Afraid to endanger the lives of the innocent people below?!", a red glint shed under the overseer''s hood, "I thought you battled it out with my brothers and sisters. This¡ nonsense is your so-called capabilities?"
The Primal Viin stopped in ce after hearing the overseer''s words. He seemed agitated as he roared even louder, "Don''t underestimate, Primal Lord!"
A violet sh appeared extremely high up in the skies. Eluard felt a massive surge of power fluctuating from space. If this attack was toe down, he knew that it would bring unimaginable destruction to the hugend area he was standing upon.
''Is this a superweapon? Something from those games I have yed before?!''
A violet-rayed particle beam was fired from space which elerated to almost the speed of light.
Even at the sight of the imminent threat, the overseer snorted coldly in response and raised his hand with wide open palms. A transparent barrier formed at the tip of his hand and instantly widened by several hundreds of meters.
The violet particle beam crashed into the barrier, emitting loud grinding sounds while the city below remained intact.
"I-Impossible! This is myary death ray that is supposed to destroys in one go!", the Primal Viin was shocked.
"This toy is supposed to be your trump card?!", a sneer came out from the overseer, "It''s nothing space. Dust and debris propelled crazily everywhere.
06:54
Some of it surged down like an avnche, terrifying many people who were watching from afar.
much."
He lightly tapped his hand, and the particle beam was reflected where it came from with twice the power.
Another powerful st shook the entire as the particle beam hit the metallic object floating in space. Dust and debris propelled crazily everywhere.
Some of it surged down like an avnche, terrifying many people who were watching from afar.
The overseer raised his hand again and circled his index finger clockwise. The dust and debris started revolving around the center of the city and soon disintegrated into nothing.
Up until now, the Primal Viin had yet to react to what had happened.
"Your bravery is unmatched. Truly, one day, you might be able to oppose a fraction of us, Primal Lords.", the overseer coldly remarked, "However, you are too weak and na?ve. Don''t think that just because you can injure the weaker brothers and sisters of mine means that you can challenge me, the Primal Lord of Magic!"
"Na-na?ve?! A mere Primal Lord dares to say that I am a na?ve mortal?! You think I haven''t seen enough of your ipetence?!", the Primal Viin shouted.
"You call yourselves the guardians of this Universe?! Countless ignorant lives pray for your salvation of them! And what did they get? Nothing but the whisper of death!"
"Only an ignorant fool would say that they have seen everything.", the overseer shook his head in dismay.
"Do you think that the Otherworld is enough of a threat to our existence?! It''s time for you to understand what it means to be a Primal Lord."
A sharp fragment of unknown origin appeared on his left hand and flicked it in the direction of the Primal Viin, hitting his durable mecha suit but didn''t leave a dent in it.
The sharp fragment broke into many pieces, dumbfounding the Primal Viin. He did not feel the strong pulsation of waves originating from the broken fragments which were soon, flying outwards to the vast void of space.
"You want to scare me with that useless rock?!"
His mock stopped midway, confusing Eluard.
"You don''t know what that is, don''t you?", the overseer asked indifferently. The Primal Viin wanted to answer but time suddenly stopped.
Everything in this world remained still, coloring it ck and white.
''Th-this is-?!''
Although Eluard could still move around, everything except him and the overseer remained in ce.
A myriad of chaotic voices rang everywhere, intensifying the atmosphere, though the air remained still.
Then, Eluard saw the Primal Viin''s figure darken, starting from the point of impact where the unknown fragment hit his suit, and soon spread all around his frozen body.
Looking closely, it wasn''t that his figure had truly darkened but rather, countless abominations of hands gripped him and seemed to be dragging him somece far away through a portal that Eluard could not see,prehend, or even feel.
The overseer continued with his eyes flickering under the hood. Eluard felt that this man was a true god, someone who was no longer bounded by the naturalws of the universe, as even time itself could not do anything to stop him.
"That, my child, is a Fragment of Chaos. It is a powerful artifact that will allow you to understand more of the mysteriousness of this universe."
"I hope that you would remain alive in doing so¡ because once a fragment is destroyed, you will be marked by the Children of Chaos."
"They, the creation of that man himself, birthed from his insurmountable power, the untimely death of this Universe."
"Insane, unintelligent, but equally wrathful creatures that know no end."
"You can escape from them. You can hide from them. But know this, deep into your heart, mortal."
"That all that is marked by the Children of Chaos... are all bound to be dead."
Thank you for your continued support, dear mighty readers!
Mister_Writer
CREATOR''S THOUGHT
Chapter 113 Tower Of Supraxo Merrio
The countless lines in the magic array formation lit up, shing Eluard''s eyes which forced him to back down a bit and cover them in dismay.
''This crude teleportation magic is¡'', he was inwardly speechless and cursed the pontiff wizards for their recklessness.
He suddenly felt his body turn weightless as they passed through the vacuum of space and soon arrived inside a circr stone room filled with countless runes.
"We have arrived. Please open your eyes, Mr. Kai.", Pontiff An said.
Eluard raised his right eyebrow and asked, "We''re in¡?"
"The Tower of Supraxo Merrio, one of the League''s Towers of Magic. It is based here in the Morning Star Empire and manages all magic-rted business within the area.", Pontiff An narrated while leading the way out.
There was a stone door blocking their path and a smallpartment that could fit one''s hand was located at the center between. Pontiff An inserted his hand and infused some mana into the stone door.
It lit up and several clicks followed, opening their way outside the room.
"Underground?", Eluard wondered as he took his steps which echoed within the basement.
"Teleportation is a lost art that the League has long sought to understand andpletely utilize. As much as we would like to move the teleportation circle up above, we do not have any capacity to do so."
"It has already been like this forever since the League founded it, so please forgive us if you feel ufortable. We will be reaching the ground floor after a while.", Pontiff An exined.
"You seem to be exining things to me in a rather direct way. Is it because of my association with Elder Flock?", Eluard mused.
Pontiff An only nced in his direction and didn''t utter a reply.
They went up a rounded staircase and arrived in front of a wooden door guarded by two purple-robed wizards. Their shoulder pads had four blue orbs instead of the usual red me, and they didn''t wear hats, unlike the pontiffs.
"Pontiff An.", the two wizards saluted.
Pontiff An nodded and exited the basement, "We will be meeting with the Tower Master directly. Your identity is quite special, so the usual processes are omitted."
Just as he was about to take another step, an astounding youth appeared in his sight.
"-! Magister Urrell!", Pontiff An stiffly greeted and bowed.
Magister Urrell closed the handbook he was reading and raised his head, "Oh, Pontiff An. You have returned, I see.", he calmly spoke, ncing at Eluard''s figure with a look of surprise, ''This man¡ is not ordinary.''
Eluard also locked his gaze and viewed Magister Urrell''s attribute panel.
[ Name: Urrell Ervetta ]
[ Age: 57 years old ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Status: Alive ]
[ Affiliation: Ervetta Secr Family (Main Branch ¨C Second Son, Second in Line), League of Wizardry (Magister), Tower of Supraxo Merrio (Chief Magister''s Assistant) ]
[ Magic Power: Grandmaster Wizard (Median Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Aqua Mystique (Legendary) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 9.1/10 (Grandmaster Wizard) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Ice, Water ]
[ Aqua Mystique Magic Root (Legendary) ]
[ Additional Effect: Mystical Waters ]
[ Water Magic Spells with healing effects have increased effectiveness by 200%. Unaffected by water phenomena such as maelstroms. ]
[ Additional Effect: All ice/water magic spells casted by the user have an increased effectiveness of 125%. ]
[ Additional Effect: Pervasive and destructive ice/water-based magic spells have decreased effectiveness by 25% when targeted against you. ]
[ Additional Effect: ¡ ]
[ ¡ ]
''Damn, a legendary magic root right off the bat!'', Eluard inwardly eximed. He had already checked Pontiff An''s attributes days ago and it was simply nothing in front of Magister Urrell''s magic root.
"Is Chief Lumina in her office¡?", Pontiff An rigidly asked.
"Why are you so stiff, pontiff? I''m just going out for a walk. And yes, auntie is in her office. You can go look for her there."
Magister Urrell shook his head in amusement and walked away, reopening the handbook, and continued reading it. He headed towards a more seclusive area where people rarely went.
He didn''t even bother about the suddenmotion that rang out in the main hallway where a group of priests rushed inside and protested. They wore long white robes with a four-pointed star on their backs.
"Heretics from the League! How dare you not respect the lives of us believers of the holy god?! Youmbast us with the death of our high cardinal, and you didn''t even bat an eye in giving us an exnation about it!", the leading priest eximed.
His loud words gathered everyone''s attention. Even Pontiff An''s face wrinkled in dissatisfaction.
"These idiotic Creed Priests! Get those bastards out of here! Who do they think they are?!", he coldly ordered, "Let''s go. Don''t bother with those fanatics."
Eluard wanted to view their attribute panels, but they were quickly pushed out by the guards.
Pontiff An led him to the end of a wall with a huge open space at the top. He then saw several people wearing robes of various colors, standing over the ground and gathering their mana. Their figures started floating around. Moments after, they flew upwards like an arrow released from its bow.
''Hmm? Is this some sort of magical elevator or something?'', Eluard was amazed.
Understanding Eluard''s confusion, Pontiff An took the initiative to exin, "This is the Flight Stairway. You can use this to go up and down through the many floors of any Tower of Magic."
"There is a special magic array formation where we can then use our mana to gain the ability to fly and reach higher floors or slow down our fall when descending. Since you are still injured, you won''t have to expend your mana for now."
They went into the open space, alerting everyone who was present in the area. Seeing the fiery robe of the three pontiffs, the rest made way and gazed at them with respect, though they were rather curious about the identity of the ragged man who was escorted.
"You think he''s another wandering genius?"
"Probably. No ragged man like that is taken away by the pontiffs for fun. Moreover, those pontiffs look at that man with curiosity like us too. Maybe he''s going to be another bigshot we should not trifle against."
"Remember his face and keep a lookout. Also, inform the rest of the members."
Eluard heard all their chattering and was rather satisfied with the oue.
Pontiff An lightly tapped Eluard''s shoulders, causing him to float. He guided Eluard and the group continued their way to a certain high floor inside the tower.
Theynded inside a short spacious hallway leading to an open arch that was filled with ruffled smoke, covering the area behind it.
"You may think that everyone can go up high in the tower but let me remind you that the Flight Stairway is guarded by various magic array formations, constantly checking your authority wherever you go."
"If you want to act stubborn, don''t me us for what would happen next.", Pontiff An warned.
He stood in front of the arch and gathered a wisp of his mana. Eluard realized that the pontiff was sending cryptic messages through the mana medium in the atmosphere.
''What''s this? Shouldn''t the waves be normally invisible and undetectable?''
Then he remembered that he had the Eye of Veracity, shaking his head from his own forgetfulness, ''System, please alert me at some point if you''re going to use my abilities here on out.''
[ ¡ ]
Eluard was at a loss after looking at the system''s empty prompt. Nevertheless, he deactivated his Eye of Veracity and focused on the task at hand. He didn''t want to identally expose his powerful abilities to others.
After all, the world of Aludia was big and there might be unusual figures out there who were peerless like himself.
One was his student, Solordo, and his dual cultivation ability.
Another was Haera with her star power magic.
Then came Emilia with her spatial magic ability.
And finally, this mature woman who was standing with her back facing him. He could feel some foul stench emanating from her, like what he felt when he faced Dartex in the Ruins.
[ Name: Lumina Merrio-Ervetta ]
[ Age: 77 years old ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Status: Alive ]
[ Affiliation: Merrio Family (Main Branch ¨C First Daughter, Third in Line), Ervetta Secr Family (Main Branch ¨C Adopted Daughter), League of Wizardry (Chief Magister), Tower of Supraxo Merrio (Tower Master) ]
[ Magic Power: Grandmaster Wizard (Full Ring) ]
[ Magic Root: Undying Grave Hallow (Mythical) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: 9.5/10 (Grandmaster Wizard) ]
[ Magic Affinity: Dark, Void ]
[ Undying Grave Hallow Magic Root (Mythical) ]
[ Current Revival Counts: 0 ]
[ Special Effect: Quasi-Divine Magic Root ]
[ This magic root is bound to your spirit and will continue to exist until it is forcefully expelled or you experience ''true death''. ]
[ Special Ability: Grave Misconduct ]
[ You can attempt to transfer your spiritual manifestation to another organism that has been dead for no more than three days. The chances of reviving depend on yourpatibility with the new creature. Some creatures have special attributes that may prevent this action. If the attempt is sessful, any other abilities and special attributes of the creature will be utilized, and your memories will be retained as much as possible. ]
[ Detrimental Effect: Death''s Mortal Enemy ]
[ Your sessive attempts to escape death have angered the Incarnation of Death. You will continue to earn the Incarnation of Death''s ire until you experience ''true death''. ]
[ Additional Effect: Mncholic World ]
[ Due to your unusual magic root, you are more ustomed to gloomy and dark environments. Cultivation speed is increased, ranging from 25% - 100% depending on the dark environment you are settling in. Your magic power is also increased, ranging from 50% - 200%. ]
[ Detrimental Effect: Destitute Self ]
[ Your magic root is severely suppressed under the presence of any holy light or anything that is an adversary to darkness or void-type magic. Magic power is weakened by 10-80% depending on the severity of the suppression. ]
[ Additional Effect: ¡ ]
[ ¡ ]
Eluard was dumbfounded by the long list of negative and beneficial effects of Chief Lumina''s special magic root. However, he reminded himself of the current situation and would review themter.
Pontiff An went to the sides and gestured for Eluard to go in, "Chief Lumina is waiting inside. We will stay here until you are done talking with her."
"Also, don''t be disrespectful of her, Mr. Kai. Try to control your emotions as much as possible.", he lowered his tone and told, "Chief Lumina is a rather¡ peculiar person."
''Who would dare to disrespect a chief magister?'', Eluard''s face almost twitched, "Yes, Pontiff An. I will be very careful in front of her."
He could somewhat understand the peculiarity of this Chief Magister Lumina. Her magic root''s status exined almost everything about it.
The fog from before had decreased and once he passed through the tall arch, the fog returned.
''Where have I seen this thing before?'', he felt his mind ringing d¨¦j¨¤ vu.
He looked around the office and noticed that the structure resembled a huge dome. The light of the Morning Star could be seen passing through the hole at the top while there were vivid pictures of wizards and mages fighting against demonic beasts and humanoid beings.
Eluard couldn''t help but reminisce the spectacr ssical and renaissance paintings put on the ceilings of some buildings back home.
On the floor were various sections ranging from a kitchen, an entrance to a bedroom, office desk... It was all-in-one office packed with everything.
"I assume you are Elder Flock''s seed disciple, Kai?", Chief Lumina asked while attending to the corpse of a northerner warriorying in a stone bed.
"Yes¡", Eluard was unsure of what to say next. The woman in front of him was a Tower Master and he was unustomed to the pleasantries that these people exchanged with one another.
"Do you recognize the corpse I am handling right now?", she asked.
He nced at the corpse and realized that it was a member of the Siegfried n in Norva Assili.
[ Siegfried n Member Corpse ]
[ Status: Dead, Demonized ]
[ ¡ ]
''Huh? She''s meddling with a demonized corpse?! Won''t she be infected in that case?''
Eluard used his Eye of Veracity to assess his suspicions. The haunting demonic aura seemed to not have affected her at all. In fact, there was a trace of cowardice from the demonic aura itself.
''Is it caused by her magic root? Or maybe her affinity to the void itself?''
He couldn''te up with a proper exnation, so he let it slide off his mind. Nevertheless, Chief Lumina was a professional and a highly-ranked wizard at that. There should be no problems in the long run.
"I¡ am not sure, except that he should be someone from the northern cial continent?", he answered doubtfully.
"Correct. He is someone from the Siegfried n that was recovered from the recent disaster in that area.", Chief Lumina exined, "Well, I didn''t ask the pontiff to bring you here and start some interrogation about what happened there."
"Elder Flock had already exined the rest. So you don''t have to worry about anything."
She turned around, presenting her beautiful face to this immature-looking young man. Her short curly red hair bounced softly, while her dark eyes gazed with probing intentions unto Eluard.
"You look older than I expected."
''Well, I''m sorry if I disappointed you.'', Eluard cursed inwardly.
"But at the very least, you are alive.", she smiled mischievously, "Something some younger wandering geniuses like you don''t share about."
She went back into the corpse and operated again.
Eluard frowned after hearing her words. It seems that he has misunderstood the peculiarity that Pontiff An said earlier.
Chief Lumina continued with her bbers.
"I guess you could say that you are a lucky wandering genius indeed. If you haven''t known yet, the man named Elder Flock is a legend amongst many legends here in Aludia."
"How manymoner geniuses have sprung out in the past, only to see themselves buried six feet under the ground many yearster? Elder Flock was supposed to be one of them, but he miraculously survived all of that, and now, he became an archmage whom every mage and wizard look up into."
"Do you think that as his seed disciple, you can be as sessful as your master?"
Eluard noticed the disdainful tone in her words but he didn''t take it to heart. He was rather bored of her advances which he had heard far too many times back on Earth.
Moreover, his emotions were rarely stirred now.
"It doesn''t matter. We''ll get to know sooner orter.", she washed off her hands and started exining, "Since Elder Flock will be busy for a couple of days, I am given the task to handle your presence for the time being."
She strutted in front of her wooden table and stood there with arms crossed, imposing her serious nature.
"I am the Tower Master here. You can call me Chief Lumina."
"You will be under my jurisdiction until Elder Flock returns. And during this time, I will teach you about everything you need to know about the civilized world and the structure of the various factions in Aludia."
"At some point, you may also have to apany me to visit some magic academies or people with high statuses."
"You might be wondering about why this and that, but it is a standard procedure that all wandering geniuses like you have to undergo so that you won''t be as ignorant as you are right now the moment you step into society."
The two looked at each other and fell silent, causing Chief Lumina to narrow her eyes.
"If you don''t have any questions, you may leave. Come back here every day after the Morning Star rises. Pontiff An will guide you to your temporary room."
Eluard bowed, "Thank you, Chief Magister Lumina. I will take my leave now."
"Oh, wait.", she threw a small brown sack with several bottles inside, "Take them. Those are medicinal pills. I heard that your magic root was injured during your stay in the northern cier continent. These few should be enough to return you to your optimal condition."
[ Spring Root Pill (Rare) ]
[ Slowly heals the damage sustained by the user''s magic root. Due to the excellent alchemical processing and processed ingredients, the efficiency of this pill is increased by 25%. ]
Eluard bowed again, "I am grateful, Chief Lumina. I will not forget this sincerity."
She waved her hands and went back into her seat, gazing at Eluard''s departing figure while full of thoughts.
Chapter 114 The General Mana Theory
Pontiff An carried Eluard to a floor several levels lower than Chief Lumina''s office. Eluard was designated to a spacious guest room with a bed, shower, and many other necessities.
It proved convenient for him, and he couldn''t ask for more.
"My friend here will guard the door outside your room. If you have any requests or questions, you may direct them to him. A servant wille over to give you food. Don''t waste a single bit. The League doesn''t take kindly for those who waste its resources.", Pontiff An reminded him onest time before leaving the premises.
His job as a tour guide was done. He had more pressing matters to attend to and bootlicking Eluard wasn''t part of it.
Meanwhile, Eluard walked across the room and checked everything, "This is way more generous than I thought. With this arrangement, I can slip out and continue handing out lessons at the academy."
Several months passed and he diligently studied and offered knowledge to his students day after day. From magic cultivation, spell casting, to their adaptation to nameless spell casting to learning some magic history, and other important concepts, Eluard delivered them all without a problem.
If not for the dy caused by his month-longa, causing him to miss four important ss sessions, he and his students would have progressed further from their current selves.
At some point, he doubted himself due to the smooth progression of his teachings. He asked the system if it had any ''indirect involvement'' about that unusual oue.
Unfortunately, the system didn''t bother to send a proper reply, nor did it reprimand him for his inadequacy in teaching. Thus, he was left to study on his own and trust that whatever he taught was sufficient for the students at their current stage.
He sat in front of a wooden table and took out his notes about the current situation of himself and his students.
Eluard learned it the hard way about keeping track of his student''s magical cultivation. Long before he started, he skimmed through most of the details and blindly followed the system''s teaching requirements.
Now that his students were bing better and stronger, ncing and guessing their progress was no longer enough. Thus, he had to procure a notebook to remind himself of things. As for using the system panel as a note app, Eluard wasn''t confident that he would be able to remember.
He would be distracted by the system panel and forget things instead.
''Jinmu will master all the basic foundations of magic in no time. Although his mana maniption is a little unique, his magic control is iparable.''
''Just through in definition, he won''t be an adept wizard since he needed to obtain the partial magical metamorphosis to bebeled as one. He is utilizing external mana without letting it run through his body, so that would be a problem.''
''I''ll assign him to learn alchemy, but if I do that, I will exhaust myself to death if I would personally teach him from scratch. Doing it by himself won''t do either. It''s better to have a good master that he could use as a guide.''
Eluard wrote down something on Jinmu''s profile.
''He''ll have to assist his ssmates for the time being.''
He noted down the need to find a wizard who excelled in alchemy with hopes of poaching that person into the academy.
Then he proceeded to Olivia, whom he regarded as someone whocked experience and magic control. Her emotions were also unstable, and it could prove disastrous if left undeveloped. Jinmu had long told him about the many opportunities she almost vited the five ts of the academy, and Eluard couldn''t let her doom herself in the future.
As for Emi, she needed to learn a few more spells and engage more in lone battles where she had to depend on herself to increase her self-confidence about her power.
Lucan didn''t need any improvements on his magic foundation except for the fact that he had to find a way how to deal with his troublesome magic root.
''Mages born from nobility rarelyck the knowledge and foundation about magic.''
This was Eluard''s remark on Lucan''s past and present situation. Solordo need not to be mentioned. He was a special case and was currently under the tutge of Arahon.
''Wait a minute. There''s still that Tower of Ascension lurking in the academy. Should I utilize it to point out the weaknesses of my students?''
He ruminated the pros and cons of this decision. The Tower of Ascension was a very mysterious ce that suddenly appeared in the academy.
''If it''s really able to attack their weaknesses and provide opportunities to fix them... There''s no doubting this decision, Eluard. Either the students progress or regress. We''re short on time here with the demonic creatures on the move. They''re nning something, I can feel it.''
Eluard continued writing his ns until night shadowed.
[ Custom Tasks ]
[ These tasks are custom-made by the host and do not provide any direct rewards. ]
[ 1. Find a suitable alchemy teacher for the academy. The system suggests procuring a nonmissioned wizard from the League. ]
[ 2. Finish Chief Magister Lumina Merrio-Ervetta''s daily lessons. ]
[ 3. Set up the task to let the students enter the Tower of Ascension. ]
Chomping on the gracious food given to him by a servant, his thoughts drifted to the discussion tomorrow. He didn''t understand the nonmissioned wizard part, but hopefully, he would after Chief Lumina teaches him a thing or two.
''I wonder what type of lessons Chief Lumina will teach me.''
¡
Chief Lumina handed over arge stack of papers containing lessons about basic magic cultivation, mana instition, magic circle conjuration, magic spell activation, various magic spell forms, and more.
Eluard was rather confused about the addition of some subjects like the magic circle conjuration and magic spell forms, ''There''s such a subject here? I didn''t even bother teaching my students about the magic circle conjuration because we don''t need to conjure them to cast spells.''
''As for magic spell forms, they are simply magic circle structures that adhere to a specific magic spell. There''s also no need for it since our thoughts drive the formation of our magic spells.''
But he froze on the spot and realized that this was the magic system of Aludia. There was a need for him to undergo this.
[ Please work hard host. Understanding the magic system of various worlds will prove helpful to youter on. ]
''Right¡'', Eluard inwardly shook his head and attentively listened to Chief Lumina''s lectures.
"These aren''t in-depth courses about the magic foundations in Aludia. Otherwise, you would be under me for several years."
Eluard nodded and continued listening.
The moment they started with lessons, Eluard realized the huge difference between his teaching methods and a grandmaster wizard, specifically someone who was a chief magister.
It had been thirteen days since Eluard was under her tutge and found it incredibly eye-opening in experiencing her teaching approach.
Right now, Chief Lumina was holding a long chalk while standing in front of a movable green board.
"The Wiles Mana Theory, also known as the Universal Elemental Mana Theory, states that the mana in our surroundings is as pure as water. The attribute of mana itself changes whenever we force our magical will unto it."
"The concept is simr to adding dirt or other soluble things to water, and the property of the water changes based on what was added. The only difference is that the soluble object in the General Mana Theory is us, magical cultivators. Our affinities can shape the nature of mana itself."
"That is why whenever we sense our surroundings through our special meditation, each person has a different perspective about mana."
Eluard grasped the theory quickly, ''But the mana I sense is transparent. It''s like air itself. Is that the color for someone with universal affinity?''
Chief Lumina interrupted his thoughts as she raised her right index finger.
"But herees an interesting question. It is a famous and known legend that archmages can cast any type of magic that is outside the range of their natural affinities. Why do you think they can do so?"
Chief Lumina awaited Eluard''s answer to which he said, "I think it''s about understanding how the different magical elements work. Dark magic users can cast dark magic because they have an affinity to it. If someone wanted to do the same without the corresponding affinity, then they need to undergo some sort of¡ experiments until they can do it."
Chief Lumina''s eyes narrowed, "To sum it up, it is the wizard''s elemental exposure."
She started drawing a stick figure of a wizard andbeling out some parts, "Tell me, what differentiates a wizard from a mage?"
Eluard thought for a while and replied, "The partial magical metamorphosis?"
"Correct, but what is the process they needed to obtain before achieving it?", she asked again, starting the most anticipated part of the discussion, the question and answer portion.
He knew this was a trick question. If he used textbook knowledge to answer, he would be up for a beating, "Based on my experience, I cast magic spells frequently and I soon noticed that my body could adapt to the pressure. Then one day, it just dawned on me that I can apply magic to the external part of my body, enhancing it one way or another."
Hearing his answer, she went over to the other side of the board and drew another stick figure,beling it an archmage.
"Then I suppose with these inferences, you can now conclude why archmages can cast different elemental spells, yes?"
Eluard let out a gasp, finally realizing the answer to this confusing question, ''If that is the case¡ then how is my mana different from the rest?''
He drove the question off his mind and gathered his thoughts, "I think instead of using the elements to expose their body to it, they are exposing their magical senses to understand the nature of the different elements that exist here. Once they can understand its underlying causes, the archmages can then finally obtain affinity to that element."
"This can be achieved by utilizing the concept behind Wiles Mana Theory, where they observe the changes in the nature of mana itself as someone influence it with their magic will."
''It seems like Elder Flock''s seed disciple didn''t disappoint.'', Chief Lumina felt happy inside, but her facial expression remained stern.
Eluard noticed a slight problem, "But, isn''t it a bit weird, Chief Lumina? If there was such a thing, shouldn''t people of lower cultivation practice this first?"
"Do you think the archmages can do it without the prerequisite knowledge and experience?"
Her answers knocked Eluard out of his daze, ''She''s right. What a stupid question that was. There''s no point having affinity to many elements if one can''t use it properly.'', saying those words equated to attacking himself.
Chief Lumina mused about the subject and added, "But of course, that''s not the only reason why archmages undergo this tedious process. However, I suggest you seek your answers to your Elder instead. He will have a deeper understanding of this and can clear your doubts in one go."
Eluard raised another question, "Chief Lumina, if the foundation about the archmages is true, why is it that many mages and wizards aren''t able to progress further into the magical world?"
She smirked widely and returned, "What do you think?", shrugging her hands while doing so.
"The League is generous as it is when ites to providing knowledge to any aspiring magical cultivator, assuming that they are worthy of receiving its generosity. Talent is one thing. Perseverance and one''s indifference to the materialistic world are another."
Her voice turned cold and her eyes darkened, "Many are blinded by their greed and are simply wishing to be adept wizards or master wizards for the sake of imposing themselves upon themon people and use it to their nonsensical wish. Do you think people like them are worthy to receive this precious knowledge?!"
"If they get a hand on it, who knows what might be of Aludiater on? Even most magisters aren''t qualified to know of this knowledge."
Eluard despondently stared at her. He knew what she was trying to imply as he experienced simr things in his previous world.
Seeing his expression, Chief Lumina sighed in her heart, ''What a naive young boy. But it''s eptable. At some point, I was very heroic like him.''
''Reality is as cruel as it gets.'', biting her lips without Eluard''s attention.
"Alright, that''s enough for today. You have already learned a lot of things in the past few days. I think it''s time for you to go out and socialize with the others.", Chief Lumina ended the discussion.
"Go out?"
A stalwart figure appeared from the smoky screen that covered the arc.
"Urrell, you''re finally here. I heard you will be visiting the Morning Star Academy for a round of assessment?", Chief Lumina asked.
''How the hell did auntie know in advance? Wasn''t she preupied with this young man over thest few days?'', Magister Urrell was at a loss, "Yes, auntie. I am. Do you want me to bring him over for a change?"
"Just don''t put him in a troublesome position. I don''t want some old fogey charging in my office for some small matters.", Chief Lumina went back to her desk and closed her eyes, "You may go now, young man."
This unfounded behavior stumped the other two.
''Well, there goes my chance. I guess I''ll babysit this one for a while.'', Magister Urrell sighed in his heart.
"Young man, meet me three days from now. 7 at the entrance of the Tower. We''ll do some field trips to broaden your horizons."
Magister Urrell shed an enigmatic smile as Eluard left the office, "You seem to have grown fond of that boy, auntie."
He sat on afortable couch and extended his arms wide.
Chief Lumina snorted, "Heh, I''m simply realigning his views in life. If he bes another sucker like those wastrels, I''ll make sure he''ll taste what hell is like."
"Don''t be too harsh on him. He''s just a wandering genius so there might be someplications in the middle of it all.", Magister Urrell fanned himself, "Also, I wonder why the Elders put you into this position. A magister or even a pontiff wizard could have done the job and the results would be the same."
Chief Lumina''s face darkened, wondering when did this nephew of hers turn stupid, "Do you think geniuses like them, with their egoistic selves, will listen to a mere pontiff or magister? He has the backing of an Elder and everyone is concerned that that young man might abuse his identity. A chief magister is more or lesspetent and daring enough to temporarily look after him until Elder Flock is avable."
The joyous atmosphere turned eerie, "I heard they are purifying Chief Norton''s daughter in the Tower of Arcanus?", Magister Urrell was curious.
"Yes, her curse has some demonic background in it. The elves were very angry when they learned this and demanded an exnation from Elder Flock. I don''t know what happened thereafter but the tension died down after some peaceful talks.", Chief Lumina absent-mindedly talked.
Magister Urrell shook his head in amusement. This woman was never that interested in politics and spent most of her days confined within this office.
If anything, her information was based on rumors from her ''secret intelligencework'' and it could be factual or falsified.
"Alright, cut the crap, Urrell. I know you''re not here to gossip about some old men shouting at each other.", Chief Lumina sternly probed.
Magister Urrell creased his eyebrows and reported, "The Creed fanatics aren''t backing out anytime soon. At this point, they might charge into the hallway and cause wide chaos within the Tower."
"Stubborn, huh? Can''t help it. Ants like them bark the most.", Chief Lumina was disgusted by their inappropriate behavior, "I don''t care if our public image is stained by this action. Push them out by several kilometers away. If I see another Creed fanatic lurking nearby, I''ll personally and publicly execute them!"
Chapter 115 A Trip To The Morning Star Academy
Eluard was unable to sleep that day. The dilemma of his mana not being so different from an archmage made him anxious.
''If this goes on, my mind will waver, and I won''t be able to progress smoothly. Damn it¡''
''System, can''t you help me understand more of my magic root?''
[ Host, please do your best in unraveling the mysteries about your magic root. ]
''¡''
After tossing around for a while, a sudden realization struck him.
[ Divine Nebr Magic Root (Divine) ]
[ A magic root that shares the mysteriousness and freshness of nebs found in the universe. It is still in its infancy stage and requires tremendous effort to cultivate and develop over time. ]
[ Additional Effect (under Infancy Stage): Magical Nebr Transmutation ]
[ You can alter elemental natures to any other element without restriction ]
[ Formeds: 1 (Iplete) ]
[ Formed Satellites: 0 ]
[ Augmented Magical Elements: Fire (Imbnce) ]
[ Heavenly Star Level: 1 (Infancy) ]
There was additional information disyed on his magic root.
''If mana is somewhat like water, then diluting it, or in this case, altering the mana''s elemental nature would prove incredibly challenging to an archmage. But if it''s me¡ Ahhh! It is useless to overthink things.''
He scratched his head, tossed a few times, forcibly closed his eyes, and miraculously put himself to sleep.
In the next few days, Eluard put all his focus into studying and reviewing the information he had received over the past weeks. Chief Lumina was very amodating and direct, resulting in Eluard quickly finishing her customary lessons for the so-called ''wandering geniuses''.
He wondered why she didn''t get practical with him, nor talk anything about his admission to a magic academy, ''Maybe it''s Elder Flock who has thest call for that. I''ll ask himter.''
Just as he left, he noticed Magister Urrell entering Chief Lumina''s office again. Eluard wondered what his purpose was this time.
"Tomorrow is the day we will set off, but before that¡"
Eluard opened his system panel and initiated a new task for his students who were at the academy. He did not feel the need to ask the system since it would just vaguely answer his inquiries.
[ Special Task: Ascension to the Tower ]
[ Your academy master has tasked you to enter the Tower of Ascension andplete as many levels until the tenth. Be wary as the Tower will exploit your weaknesses to an extent. ]
[ Time Limit: Until the academy master returns. ]
[ Reward: 10 Blue magic crystals per levelpleted ]
[ Note: As the saying goes, whatever doesn''t kill you makes you stronger. ]
Jinmu read the special task while scribbling something on the paryus paper. It was a magic rune filled with bluish mana floating around it.
The magic pen was his reward for finishing the Special Task: Cold North a few weeks ago. By utilizing the 100 blue magic crystals, he was able to conduct various experiments about magic array formations and runic formations for his future use.
"A new task from the academy master? It''s been a long while."
"Writing runic inscriptions has be a tedious matter. My current level in the domain mana synthesis is still in the beginning stage. I can only utilize it to an extent of shaping basic magic spells and some low-level activities. But it''s not for naught. The amount of mental energy it requires for me to put all my focus in writing the runes has greatly expanded my capacity and further understanding about how to utilize mana around my surroundings."
"If this goes on, I might be able to increase my level in the domain mana synthesis, increasing the range that my magic will can reach mana upon, and the dynamicity of the shapes of magic spells and my magic control as well."
He closed the system panel andid back on thefortable chair, "I should still prepare, though. That previous special task was something far from our reach. To only act as a spectator on the sides isn''t too good of a feelinging from a student in this academy."
"It''s just that this time limit is too vague.", Jinmu narrowed his eyes and was feeling a little weirded out. What did the system mean by when the academy master returns?
What if he returns now and they all failed? That shouldn''t be the case, right?
[ ¡ ], the system was speechless about Eluard''s time limit duration as well. Who knew if he was plotting against his students?
Jinmu tidied everything up and went back to his room. The rest of the students also received the new special task, except for Solordo, and were preparing for their ''ascension''ter.
"Alright, this should keep them busy while I''m out here.", Eluard said while also preparing for his trip tomorrow to the Morning Star Academy, "I wonder how good the students in the Morning Star Academy are. Their facilities, their staff, and other things, I should look out for it too."
Tomorrow came and Eluard went downstairs and met with Magister Urrell early in the morning. There was barely anyone in the Tower then, giving the entire party a breath of space.
Otherwise, seeing a magister in action would undoubtedly attract everyone''s attention.
Eluard was astonished that at least 30 people were on this trip alone, ''Wasn''t this just a visit? Shouldn''t half of them be enough?''
Someone tapped him on his shoulder, waking him out of his daze.
"Kai, what are you spacing about in there so early in the morning?", Magister Urrell called out, "Come, follow me into the horse carriage."
"There''s no briefing?", Eluard was confused.
"Everyone is already briefed about this assessment schedule.", Magister Urrell entered arge wooden horse carriage. He held the door and stared at Eluard, "As for you, follow behind me and observe everything."
Four horses shared the trouble of pushing it, making Eluard wonder how heavy this carriage was.
Everyone got on board and departed to the city proper.
¡
Eluard frowned while slightly massaging his temples, ''This is too bumpy! Why can''t they pave the roads just like how the elves did it?!''
For some reason, the road from the Tower of Supraxo Merrio, and eastward to the city proper of the Morning Star City was underdeveloped.
Eluard could not fathom finding a reasonable exnation for this peculiar situation, but he didn''t dare question the League, or rather, the Tower Master assigned in this area about that matter.
Magister Urrell had long realized his difort, but he didn''t say anything about it, ''If you want to me someone, me auntie.''
He kept his attention on the small book he was reading.
Eluard became uninterested and started looking out the window to slightly relieve himself.
Looking at the vast clusters of concrete buildings standing far, he couldn''t help but recall the megacities on Earth. What these buildingscked was the neck-breaking heights exhibited by those skyscrapers and such.
In the northeast direction stood a huge castle under a small mountain. Its unusual grand disy interested Eluard, ''Must be where the royalty of this empire resides.''
The carriage continued its way and went past the gate and security check.
The inner part of the city was no different from Eluard''s past world. Countless people roamed the streets either in high or low spirits.
Eluard''s difort from earlier rapidly vanished as they finally rolled over the smooth bricked streets which could fit three carriages at once.
He quickly covered the window with a blue curtain, hiding his identity from the people whose attention was focused on their caravan.
Eluard''s senses were suddenly alerted. He used his Eye of Veracity to see who dared to harbor evil intentions upon this caravan.
At the same time, Magister Urrell closed his book and nced at the window beside him with an enigmatic smile, "The rats havee out.", muttering to himself.
Everything returned to normal, and after an hour, the caravan made its way to the eastern part of the Morning Star City where the academy was located.
"Remember to follow behind me and observe only.", Magister Urrell reminded as they went out of the carriage.
Eluard got out and saw an arch with the words, ''Morning Star Academy'', ced evenly on it. The walls on the sides were 2.5 meters high and made of concrete mixed with magic array formations for further strengthening.
An entourage of twelve people weed their arrival. The person in the lead was none other than Emilia herself. She red at Eluard and quickly returned to her normal expression, greeting Magister Urrell and the rest of the assessing party.
"Emilia wees Magister Urrell to the Morning Star Academy. I hope that you would be satisfied with your stay here."
Magister Urrell waved his hands and beckoned everyone to go inside.
"Magister Urrell, to where should we start with your assessment?", Emilia asked.
"We''ll simultaneously start with your equipment and facilities, lessons and activities, and the student performances.", Magister Urrell replied.
"Understood.", Emilia bowed and started introducing the leading personnel in the academy, "Professor Brine and his colleagues here will lead us to the equipment and facilities. There were some recent changes to the faculties and staff here, so they may have to introduce themselves once again."
She pointed to a pensive middle-aged man whose eyebrows were creased. His somewhat old hands saluted Magister Urrell, revealing the tanned skin hidden by the dark-purplish magic robe.
Professor Brine bowed and introduced himself, "Good day, Magister Urrell. I''m Professor Brine and oversee the logistical affairs at the Morning Star Academy."
The rest of the personnel followed after Professor Brine.
After the short interlude, Magister Urrell divided the assessing party into many groups. His main group was tasked in looking out thetest research development in the Morning Star Academy.
Eluard followed them into the deeper parts of the academy while observing his surroundings. The area of the Morning Star Academy looked boundless. He guessed that it wasrger than some prestigious universities back on Earth.
On the sides were flower beds and trees for the students to gather and rest. Several gardeners tended to the flowers'' and nts'' well-being, making the spacious area livelier.
The ground was paved with seamless concrete blocks and were pleasing to the eyes. The concrete paths led to various buildings, small andrge, that popted the academy.
The facilities ranged from simple magic ssrooms where lectures were done, to some training rooms for different types of magic and scale of battle, storage rooms for equipment and materials, canteens that provided meals and snacks for students, and other areas that were useful for the daily operations of the academy.
Eluard noted them all down on his ''system notes''. After a while, he realized that he didn''tck any of these facilities in the Heavenly Magic Academy. Rather, what hecked were people who would handle them.
''I need to find suitable people to handle these things soon. It won''t be good if I keep on ying around by myself.'', he muttered to himself while Magister Urrell and the group finally reached the research area at the southeastern part of the academy.
"Magister Urrell, this is our new magic analyzer equipment which can both identify and analyze the magic talent and power of any magic cultivator. Even grandmaster wizards can use this if they want to examine their magic abilities.", Emilia introduced a somewhat podium object with an elliptical stone standing in front of it encircled by a dense manifestation of transparent mana.
There were various lines engraved on the stone and at the top of it was an embedded purple magic crystal that emitted mysterious energy from within.
Just in front of it were two stone handles that resembled steel railings which floated harmonically as mana linearly surged from the magic analyzer towards it, before returning to the base of the magic analyzer.
[ Magic Analyzer ¨C Version 2 ]
[ A newer version of the magic analyzer derived from the previous magic analyzer version 1. It includes new features such as transcribing the user''s magic talent and magic root, albeit unable to fully give out the details. Furthermore, due to the utilization of the purple magic crystal supported by various magic array formations, this magic analyzer can handle users up to the Grandmaster Wizard level, unlike the previous version which could only take upon adept wizards or lower. ]
[ Usage: The user grabs the two handles and tightly grips it as mana from the purple magic crystal will surge unto the user. With the presence of variousplex magic array formations, the mana will quickly and sequentially examine the structure of the user''s magic root. It is best used on environments where there is no unusual surge of external mana, or not in the presence of nearby demonic aura. ]
[ Note: The purple magic crystal must be artificially created by a Grandmaster Wizard or is harvested frommander-level magical beasts. Purple magic crystals frommander-level demonic beasts may result in energy fluctuations and cause unpredictable behavior. Purified magic crystals has mitigated effects and may not necessarily produce the intended results. ]
[ Warning: There is a small trace of demonic aura present from this purple magic crystal. ]
Thest system prompt jolted Eluard awake, ''Demonic aura!'', leaving him tranced for a second before activating his Eye of Veracity.
Scarlet demonic aura permeated from the purple magic crystal. Although the trace was minimal, Eluard couldn''t afford to underestimate the implication of this sudden twist.
He nced around the room and saw that some of the wizards also had a trace of demonic aura emanating from them. The only exceptions were Magister Urrell and Academy Master Emilia.
''Don''t give me this! I haven''t uncovered the mystery behind their attack in the northern cial continent and now this?!''
A new system task prompt was disyed in front of him but hepletely ignored it. Leaving this magic analyzer alone would deal a lot ofplicationster if people were to use it wantonly.
However, him speaking nonsense in front of these people would earn their ire and possibly even attract the demonic creatures'' attention.
He verified the identities of each personnel again and found no demonic creature impostor among them.
''I just hope this is all a coincidence but if it is not...'', he turned off his Eye of Veracity and chose to observe in the shadows for now.
Meanwhile, Emilia''s words surprised Magister Urrell.
"I presume this is just a testing version?", Magister Urrell asked.
Emilia shook her head, "This is a stable version of the equipment, Magister Urrell. We haven''t announced its existence yet as we are still considering its potential and value to the public. But due to the recent changes, we opted to introduce this under your assessment schedule instead."
"Oh, is that so?", his interest was piqued, "What about the purple magic crystal?"
"This is derived from a grandmaster wizard''s creation ability. Of course, we tried using those frommander-level demonic beasts but things didn''t go too well. As for the magic beasts, it''s almost impossible to get it from them.", Emilia exined.
Magister Urrell didn''t bother asking why they didn''t use the purified magic crystals of the demonic beasts. The purification process was tedious and the efforts were inefficient for the time being.
"And its testing results?", Magister Urrell added.
"We mainly used grandmaster wizards as our testing subjects for this magic analyzer. There was no need to test it on the weaker ones."
Magister Urrell shook his head at her exnation, "That''s not how research works, Academy Master Emilia. You may have based this version on the previous one, but that doesn''t make it certain that it will work all the same."
Emilia gritted her teeth and spoke before he could add additional words, "Magister, how about this? We''ll demonstrate the capabilities of this new magic analyzer in thebat grounds right now. The graduating ss of the Morning Star Academy is also conducting their preparatorybat ss there. We can use this opportunity to showcase the talent of our top students and assess their performance at the same time.", she suggested.
Eluard heard her words and formted a n on how to deal with the magic analyzer and the demonic aura all at once, ''I might have to let Magister Urrell know about my secret identity.''
Magister Urrell waved his right hand and ordered two people to carry the magic analyzer into thebat grounds. It was located at the center of the Morning Star Academy, duly made so that it would have arge area to upy and that everyone from anywhere could ess it almost equidistantly.
Magister Urrell slowly approached Eluard and patted his head, "Kai, you will demonstrate your magic talentter. Some of the students may even challenge you."
"Do I have to worry about anything?", Eluard was concerned.
"Nothing, just do your best if the students seek for your guidance.", Magister Urrell walked away and followed after Emilia.
"Seek for my guidance?", Eluard acted confused, though he inwardly nodded and went with the flow.
Emilia noticed their discussion and asked, "Magister Urrell, Do you intend to make him fight against those prodigies?"
"I just want a good show, Academy Master Emilia. I hope that your students are very capable indeed.", Magister Urrell smiled, leaving Emilia wondering about his thoughts.
Chapter 116 Shocking Incident
Eluard followed the entire group into an arena-like training ground that closely resembled those ancient Roman amphitheaters. The only exception was its unusuallyrger size but seeing the numerous stone tforms on the ground filled with students fighting against one another answered his confusion.
There were several poles stationed on each side of the training ground, with round crystals on top of it. Eluard reckoned that those might be magical screens disying the fights on each tform upon the audience.
When the instructor in charge noticed their sudden arrival, he halted his students'' actions and ordered them to gather in the center to wee Magister Urrell and Academy Master Emilia.
He bowed, followed by the students behind, "Good morning, Magister Urrell and Academy Master Emilia."
"Instructor Wales. I believe they are the graduating students who will participate in the Vortex Ascendancy in theing year?", Magister Urrell nced at the group of youngsters huddled behind the built instructor.
"Yes, many of them are already at the peak of the trainee mage realm. Some are even closer to ascending as a true wizard.", Instructor Wales proudly spoke.
Emilia approached him and ordered, "Pick five of your best students and have them check their current magic power through the new version of the magic analyzer. After that, we will proceed with the final student performance assessment."
"The performance assessment?", Instructor Wales wondered who Magister Urrell would use to challenge these top students behind him.
His eyes darted around and found this seemingly na?ve-looking young man staring back at him with intensity, sparking his interest.
"Will the rest of the academy be hereter?", Instructor Wales asked.
Emilia only stared at him without answering his question, forcing him to move and gather his best students.
There were four boys and one girl, all at the full ring of the trainee mage.
Instructor Wales introduced them while Eluard individually assessed their attributes. The results dumbfounded him.
[ ¡ ]
[ Magic Root: Profound Magic Root ]
[ Warning: A faint trace of a demonic aura is detected. ]
[ ¡ ]
[ Magic Root: Profound Magic Root ]
[ Warning: A faint trace of a demonic aura is detected. ]
[ ¡ ]
It repeated five times, worsening Eluard''s worries. He scanned the rest of the ss and came up with a conclusion.
''Most of these students have a faint trace of demonic aura within them, and even more so from that Instructor Wales. Is the foundation of the demonic creatures in the Morning Star Empire already that deep?''
Doubt rose in his mind. The people from the League barely had any trace of demonic aura emanating from them.
''Was it caused by the corpse of the executed Siegfried n members? Or is someone working with them¡ I must get to this as soon as possible.''
''My strength won''t be enough. It is unthinkable for me to skyrocket myself to the level of an archmage within a few months.''
He nced at Magister Urrell and reformted his ns, ''I guess I will have to let him in unto my secret and have Academy Master Emilia work with me as well. I could only hope to recruit other capable people to the academy as soon as possible.''
As for Elder Flock, his status with the ''academy master'' was in an awkward position. It wouldn''t feel good to just let the old man in after what happened between them.
Eluard reopened the system and read the new task offered by the system.
[ Main Task: Dangers Within ]
[ You have recently encountered the strange presence of demonic aura on the citizens of the Morning Star City. It is imperative to investigate their causes as they may be rted to the Otherworld''s ultimate n in conquering Aludia. ]
[ Requirements: Investigate the following areas; (1) Morning Star Academy, (2) Tower of Supraxo Merrio, (3) Justicar Knights Academy, (4) Temple of Consecrated Radiance, (5) Crowned Pce, (6) ¡ ]
[ Additional Requirement: Imprison people working with demonic creatures. The more important they are, the bigger the rewards. ]
[ Additional Note: Rewards for each imprisoned individual will only be given after the host has a clear justification of their involvement in the Otherworld''s ns. ]
[ Rewards: Additional system functions unlocked, Time alteration for Heavenly Magic Academy (3:1 time difference ratio using Aludia as reference) ]
[ Current Task Status ]
[ Investigated Areas ]
[ (1) Tower of Supraxo Merrio: 2%, (2) Morning Star Academy: 1% ]
''This is a lot of areas to cover. System, will third-party investigation work?'', he asked.
[ As long as they are affiliated with the academy and their results are reported back to anyone who ispletely assimted with a system panel from this academy. ]
Eluard smiled. Although the process was slow and the results might be inurate, it was better than doing it himself who was aplete beginner.
''Now, time to end this before things get out of hand.''
Magister Urrell was now nning to send the five prodigies to test the capabilities of the new magic analyzer. Just as he was about to say something, Eluard stepped forward and announced, "Magister, let me take this opportunity to showcase my talents and abilities."
His bold deration caused everyone except Emilia to frown.
"Who is this arrogant guy?"
The students gossiped with one another.
¡
"Careful, I remember my dad saying that some wandering genius arrived in the tower not so long ago. That guy might be him."
"A wandering genius? Isn''t he a little older to be here in the academy?"
"Shh¡ I heard that wandering geniuses are a little special. Some say that they are the disciples of those great grandmasters. We should step aside and let Maris and the rest deal with him."
"Are you saying that we should let his arrogance go?"
"What else? You want to infuriate his master? Go ahead, I''ll see how your noble family can stand against him and his master."
"Silence!", Academy Master Emilia sternly reprimanded, "We will have Kai use the magic analyzer and disy his talent in front of everyone."
Her words alerted everyone in the field. A genius like Academy Master Emilia showed humility in front of this young man. They were instantly curious about his mysterious identity.
"Kai? His name sounds like someone from the Oriental continent."
"Academy Master Emilia must be aware of his identity. Do they have the same master, Elder Flock?", the gossip didn''t stop which further Emilia''s cold demeanor.
Magister Urrell nced at her as well with a calm expression and mentally formed some conclusion in his mind.
Everyone stared at Eluard''s young figure slowly approaching the magic analyzer. He was internally stressed and tensed up after hearing their gossip, ''System, can I overload the magic analyzer?''
[ The host only has to supply enough mana into the crystal to create a reaction. The divinity and demonic aura do not blend well and will result in an explosion if an interaction between the two forces is not properly managed. ]
Eluard rubbed his hands and grinned while looking at the magic analyzer in front of him. Just as he touched the handle, he felt his hands turn heavy as if they were bound to some solid gravitational force.
The difort quickly vanished and was reced with a peaceful sensation of his mana streaming towards the handle and into the connections that led to the magic crystal embedded in the magic analyzer.
''Now!''
Eluard turned mad as he wantonly poured mana into the equipment. The entire magic analyzer tform shook intensely as the magic crystal became unstable.
The professors who worked on it turned pale, "Someone stop him! Or else it''s going to blow up!"
Magister Urrell and Academy Master Emilia noticed the changes and acted, "Move out of the way!"
She transported everyone a few hundred meters away while Magister Urrell nketed Eluard with a water sphere that blocked the resulting explosion. Fragments of the magic crystal sted but were stopped by ayer of a magic barrier.
Dark clouds diffused out from the explosion, alerting the academy master and the magister.
"Get those students out of here, now!", Magister Urrell coldly ordered. His demeanor terrified the students as they crept out of the field in an orderly manner.
The unconscious Eluard wasn''t dragged away but was meticulously checked by Magister Urrell in case of any hidden injuries.
"Impossible, how can the magic analyzer be blown to bits? We have tested it so many times yet now¡", one of the professors pointed with shaking hands.
If Magister Urrell reactedte, Eluard would have been injured by the st.
He retracted his hand after examining Eluard and sighed in relief. Academy Master Emilia wanted to say something but was met with his cold gaze, "I will deal with your foolishnesster."
He stood up and faced them, "It seems like someone will have to be punished for this. You lots wait here before judgment arrives."
He turned around and tasked his subordinates.
"Close off the academy and do not let anyone enter or leave without approval from the League. Detain these incapable individuals until I say otherwise and capture anyone rted to the development of the new magic analyzer, including those who supplied both the mary funds and material ingredients.
"If they resist, beat them to submission. No one is excluded, no matter what their identity is."
"Set up a perimeter around the school premises and station pontiff wizards on some vantage points."
"Alert the tower and send additional reinforcements here. And if possible, call the tower master toe over here. Tell her it is of great importance."
He nced back at the destroyed magic analyzer. He could hear the sizzling noises produced by the exposure of the encasing magic barrier to the demonic aura.
''Demonic aura. What sort of monstrosity is this?!''
Chapter 117 Hidden Crisis
[ Detecting that the host has returned, and the area is clear. Host is now being awakened. ]
"Ah!", Eluard jolted out of the bed and slipped on the floor,nding butt-first. He scratched his butt and looked out the window.
Darkness has already engulfed the empire with the twinkling stars above illuminating what little it could on the dense forest around the Tower.
On the ground below, dozens of people were marching to and from the Tower. Some wore exquisite clothes and were probably nobles, while others were those from the Creed, crowding in front of the tower. Although their voices were low, Eluard could hear theirints and disdainful tones from several floors above.
He shook his head and sighed, then noticed the shing lights in the depths of the Morning Star City, ''Are they purging the demonic aura now?''
The spectacle almost led him to believe that the Morning Star City was celebrating the new year.
Eluard''s trance was interrupted when raging footsteps echoed outside along with the voice of an old man vehemently shouting with no regard.
"You damn fools! You can''t even foresee such dangers and the League is paying you for this ipetence? Get out of my face before I smack you all out of my sight!"
"But Elder¡ your disciple is still asleep¡", a weakened voice interrupted, "¡ and several masters would like to meet him¡"
"I said get out of my sight! What meet him?! These masters you said, who do they think they are?!"
The air outside vibrated and several thuds were heard from the distance, "Y-y-yes! I will go now! Sorry, Elder!"
''Damn, that old man is scary when he''s angered.'', Eluard took note on his mind.
''Elder Flock must''vee because of the incident, and the matter about the demonic aura should have been exposed.'', he thought while slowly standing up and rubbing his pained butt.
The door handle turned, and Elder Flock strode inside, harrumphing in disdain. Following behind him was Emilia who had an ashen look on her face.
The door was tightly shut, followed by the fluctuation of mana as a magic barrier engulfed the entire room.
The old man was startled after seeing Eluard awake. He quickly set up another magic barrier before straightening his posture, "Brat, are you okay? Did the demonic aura from the crystal invade you?"
Eluard smiled, "Elder, you don''t have to worry about anything. I already felt the trace of demonic aura long before I decided to st it away with my magic. Also, with master''s protection, no demonic aura will be able to harm me.", confidently replied.
"You have already felt it?", the old man was shocked, "I see.", dismissing Eluard just as he was about to speak, "Keep it to yourself, brat."
Elder Flock furrowed his brows, wondering about Eluard ''feeling'' the demonic aura, ''His master must have given him some other protection, or maybe it is his pure talent?'', then lowered his hand holding his chin and waved it, "Regardless, the entire empire is alerted by the sudden emergence of demonic aura deep within the Morning Star Academy."
"The Creed has already started their denunciation of the League, using this incident to further their agendas and whatnots. Most of the nobility are already disappointed by our recent actions, and there are rumors that they are flocking towards the Creed instead, drowning in their religious chants and boring sermons."
Eluard felt the anger within Elder Flock''s words, "Elder, do you not think that the Creed has something to do with this?"
"Until we have the evidence to prove their involvement, discussing it won''t lead us anywhere.", Elder Flock snorted.
Eluard nodded, "Is there a chance that we will be involved?"
"Not for now. Lumina will do her best to investigate this matter in our ce. I bet that stinky girl is up to something.", Elder Flock waved his hands while chuckling, "The League has assigned me to observe the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary and the impending civil war between the nobles and themoners."
His eyes narrowed, "There are also reports that the Manor is amassing forces, ready to attack the chaotic Sanctuary under the right opportune."
"I will act as a strong mediator between these various parties. However, that is not all."
"There were already sightings of the presence of demonic creatures within the Sanctuary. The Elders are worried about this information, especially after everything that transpired in the northern cial continent.", Elder Flock stared out the window, "They do not want our forces to be divided due to internal unrest and be taken advantage of by a third-party who may or may not be the perpetrator of all these coincidental incidences."
"I was looking for a chance to have Emilia be relieved of her designation from the academy so that she coulde with us but¡", he nced at the gloomy Emilia and shook his head, "I don''t know if I should call this being fortunate or not."
"Master¡ it''s not my damn fault!", she crossed her arms and retorted, "We were already close to the final development of that magic analyzer! How could everyone in that group not notice the presence of a demonic auraing from the magic crystal?"
She pointed at Eluard, "In any case, this guy is also a suspect. The professors are worried that he might have been corrupted by the demonic aura and injecting his mana into that magic crystal corrupted it and resulted in that explosion!"
"You dare point at him?!", Elder Flock held her hand and quickly put it down, "You don''t know what you are talking about!"
"Do you, master? The entire League is now troubled because of that incident.", she swatted her hand away from Elder Flock, "The nobles, the Creed, even the Knights themselves. They are looking for answers and he is the key!"
"Let them investigate him then!", Elder Flock waved his hands, "As if they are going to find something about Kai''s background."
Eluard sat on the side, listening to their bickering. How did he be a suspect? Did they ignore Elder Flock''s assessment of him? Was Elder Flock that gullible to be fooled by a youngster?
''Someone out there is causing trouble for me. It seems as if everything that I am doing is going against my wishes.'', Eluard thought.
He stood up and interjected, "Elder, I don''t think that would be possible. As innocent as I am, desperation will drive those people to do whatever is needed. Regardless of my actions, they will insist on their opinions. It would be better to focus on the task at hand instead."
Elder Flock calmed down and ignored Emilia, "If that is what you wish then. But do note that the longer we ignore them¡"
"I know¡ Elder.", Eluard smiled, "When do we set off for the Sanctuary?"
"After we return to the Tower of Arcanus.", Elder Flock answered.
"The Tower of Arcanus? The main magic tower of the League?", Eluard was confused.
"Someone wants to meet you.", Elder Flock turned serious and gestured to Emilia, "Follow me."
¡
Somewhere in the inner area of the Morning Star City.
An ordinary-looking wooden carriage passed through an alley and stopped at the back of a huge cathedral. There were two guards dressed in red armor and white clothes stationed at the two wooden doors that led to the cathedral itself.
Someone alighted from the carriage. It was a tall person wearing a hooded dark-red robe. The back of the robe showed two curving ck lines extending from the long cor down to the bottom. In the middle where the two lines curved at a sharp angle was the figure of a crow with dark-red eyes. It felt life-like as if everything in the vicinity was within its sight.
The two guards noticed this person''s arrival but they didn''t say anything. They only nced before returning to their usual posts.
The back doors of the cathedral opened and a young-looking golden-haired man whose face was covered in a golden mask came out and greeted the mysterious guest.
"You have finallye. I have been waiting for hours now.", the golden-haired man said with wide open arms. His body was bent backward, implying his ''courteous'' greeting.
"No rush, you silly prophet. You and I both know that we are surrounded by petty eyes everywhere. One does not easily elude from their contemptuous gazes.", the dark-red-robed person calmly replied.
The two walked together, followed by several guards dressed in golden armor.
"Hehe, you talk as if that is true for you¡"
A re was released from the dark-red-robed person, shutting up the mouth of the golden-masked man. He quickly turned his head away while sweating profusely, ''Damn it, for all the times¡ it had to happen now?!''
They walked through the spacious hallway where the path was carved by an extremely long smooth carpet with red inline and golden outlines. On the sides were statues of holistic figures with wings behind their backs and a floating golden halo on top of their heads.
The halos illuminated the hallway, giving the atmosphere a warm yet creepy ambiance. It shone under the hood of the dark-red-robed person, yet it could not prate through the hood.
"I heard about the explosion at the Morning Star Academy. Was this your doing?", the dark-red-robed person asked.
"You must be joking, my lord. I wouldn''t dare set off the n prematurely like that. I am not that demon from the northernnds.", the golden-masked man panicked.
"So be it then, but this must not happen again!", the dark-red-robed person emphasized, "The young ones are already ripe for the taking and we can proceed with some of our ns."
"I hope your side is ready too, despite the losses this time."
The golden-masked man chuckled nervously, "Of course, of course, we are. My bishops are doing their best to convert the public to our side."
"With that earlier incident, the losses are non-existent. The League might go down faster than what you might have expected, my lord."
The dark-red-robed person didn''t reply and continued walking to the altar while the golden-masked man continuously reported the progress of their ns without a halt.
"Also, my lord¡"
The dark-red robed person raised his hand, shutting the golden-masked man''s mouth.
The huge altar was decorated with countless expensive paintings that were immersed into the high ceiling, depicting the holiness of the Creed as they worship the Morning Star above.
Below were countless rows of wooden pews whose luster shone under the bright halos. Everything was horrific already horrific yet was worsened as the wind blew from the openings in the wall and the ceiling, gathering in front of the dark-red-robed person.
Red lustered on their paths, bringing an audible grin from the dark-red-robed person, "Heh¡ What wonderful progress, indeed."
Alune, one of Aludia''s satellites, shone fully through the gap in the ceiling where the Morning Star should be.
On the rarest of asions, the silvery-white ball turned slightly red and the dark-red-robed person couldn''t be happier than his resounding cackles.
"To think that your Light would blind them into the Darkness."
Demonic aura burst out of his body and his head slowly nced at the golden-masked man, "You truly are the Imprudent Prophet. Indeed."
Chapter 118 The Supreme Elder
It was already on the edge of the year, yet the lushness of the forest didn''t fail to amaze Eluard who grew within the embrace of the city in his past life. Despite the darkness in the middle of the night, he could feel the vibrance of the nts and animals residing within.
They were now somewhere on the outskirts of the Eastern Seaboard, the border that separated the Morning Star Empire from the west, and the Oriental Oceanic Empire from the east. It was said that the Eastern Seaboard was the most peaceful region in Aludia despite being surrounded by the ruins of ancient civilizations.
"We''ve arrived.", Elder Flock stopped, raising his right hand with his index and middle finger extended, "Unlike the rest of the magic towers, no one else but the Elders know about the precise location of the Tower of Arcanus.", Elder Flock slowly exined.
Mana channeled throughout his entire body and gathered it into his right hand, then pointed both two fingers into the space. The entire surroundings instantly changed, shocking Eluard.
"The direct disciples of other Elders also know of it, discreetly.", Elder Flock added.
The three of them were currently inside a spacious room with high ceilings and long slender windows that light could not pass through.
"Listen, the supreme elder can only say so much so listen carefully to his words. I''ll guard you both with my magic but don''t be too negligent.", Elder Flock warned. He raised his head and expectantly looked at the central inner balcony above.
Eluard followed Elder Flock and saw a person standing on that balcony. His hair was non-existent. His eyes were drooping low, and his skin was wrinkled at worst.
If not for the overflowing magic emanating from his old body, he would be as good as dead.
The supreme elder slowly opened his mouth and strong sound waves surged out of his mouth, "Flock¡", the hunched supreme elder murmured, "Sanctuary¡ Zumfiel¡ Must not fall¡"
The supreme elder continued yet Elder Flock, Emilia, and Eluard all knelt under the suppression of his voice. The young man and woman were instantly shocked and quickly increased the output of their magic protection.
Eluard didn''t know if it was coincidental or not, but he knew that if the supreme elder talked more, then they would vaporize under his undting voice.
"Demons¡ Stars¡ Chaos¡ Gods¡ Doom¡"
Beads of sweat rolled down each of their faces. Each word felt like a punishment from the heavens, damning them for their irrevocable sins. Eluard could already feel the sweet sensationing out of his mouth.
He raised his head in difficulty and saw the supreme elder resting his eyes as if he was exhausted, "Good luck¡ Kai¡"
The sound waves stopped, giving the three a huge breathing room to catch their hurried breaths. The most affected were Eluard and Emilia. They were panting heavily and did not want to listen to the supreme elder any longer.
The supreme elder turned around while waving his hands to them. The three felt their bodies turning weightless and not long after,nded on some soft ground.
They were dragged out of the supreme elder''s room and were now on some foreignnd.
"We will not disappoint, supreme elder."
Elder Flock was the first topose himself and adjusted his bearing, curiously assessing his surroundings.
"Master, I think that the supreme elder has transported us inside the Sanctuary region.", Emilia concluded after using her space magic.
"The supreme elder did not want the Otherworld to be alerted of our arrival.", Elder Flock nodded. "Your space magic may be powerful, but its resonance can be easily detected by the enemies especially when it is used on very long distances."
He turned around and faced them both, "Brat, I know that there are a lot of questions in your mind right now. Speak up before we go."
"Uh, yeah¡", Eluard slowly massaged his head with his right hand. That wave of magic earlier made him nauseous and vomit blood, "I''m just wondering about the supreme elder''s condition¡"
Eluard guessed that he could have known a bit more had the supreme elder not had that kind of condition. His ramblings were too vague for the usual person to hear. Worse, his voice could even kill them.
[ Name: Zeno Greyses ]
[ Age: ? ]
[ Race: Ascended Elf ]
[ Status: Alive, Magic Atrophy (Fatal) ]
[ Affiliation: League of Wizardry, ? ]
[ Magic Power: ? (Level is too high to be properly assessed) ]
[ Magic Root: ? (Unable to assess) ]
[ Magic Aptitude: ? (Unable to assess) ]
[ Magic Affinity: ? (Magic waves too profound to be categorized) ]
That was the first time Eluard saw a lot of question marks in somebody''s system panel description. Even Elder Flock did not have the specialty to render the system useless.
The only thing he was able toprehend was the supreme elder''s fatal status, Magic Atrophy.
[ Magic Atrophy (Fatal): User has suffered fatally dangerous injuries caused by excessive magical-based cell fever. Causes range from unwanted magic exposure to unrestrained magic power surges. ]
[ usible Remedies: None of the current situation. ]
[ Other Remedies (unattainable):
1. Concoction of Magic Parity Pill ¨C Supreme Grade. Equalizes the rampaging magic inside the user''s body.
2. Internal Magic Massage. Manually equalize the user''s body. This may prove extremely risky and can cause unforeseen incidents. Can only be done with water and light magic affinities. Must be paired with divinity.
3. ¡
]
Elder Flock and Emilia were surprised. They thought that Eluard was to ask something about the mission at hand. Though that didn''t stop Emilia from wanting to hear the answer too.
"Of all other things, you ask that?", Elder Flock sighed, "The supreme elder is known to be the most powerful wizard here in Aludia. s, it didn''te with some risk."
After contemting his mind, he decided to turn around and walk, "The elves are one of the most primitive creatures that have roamed on thisnd. And through the unpredictable years, their culture and tradition have developed."
"And the most notable of them all is this."
Elder Flock gestured for Eluard and Emilia to walk through first.
Far ahead was an open area where a stillke could be observed. They could feel the dense presence of mana surging beneath the darkke.
Alune''s gentle moonlight streaked across theke''s surface, virtually splitting it in half.
"Elder, thiske is¡?"
"Alune''s Spring. It''s a specialke for the elves.", Elder Flock strolled on the side, "It is rumored that the bottom of thiske will glow faintly whenever a chosen person who will lead the elves approach or even bathe in it."
Eluard nodded and was astonished by the magical way how elves elected their next ruler, ''Truly a civilization who adores magic.''
Just as he was about to touch theke''s surface, Elder Flock warned, "Hey, brat! Don''t go touching thatke now or you''ll anger the elves¡"
Disappointed, Eluard retracted his hands. Then, he vaguely noticed that the silver moonlight turned crimson for a glimpse, ''Was that an illusion?!''
He wanted to alert Elder Flock but realized that thetter was preupied with the previous topic.
"As I was saying¡ hmm¡ where was I?", Elder Flock scratched his beard, "Ah yes, Alune''s Spring. The supreme elder, in the most warring days, had no choice but to utilize theke''s dense aura of magic to forcefully ascend and resist the countless waves of demonic creatures attacking the old Sanctuary."
"The heavens cried in anger that day or so. Nobody but the chosen rulers should dare use that power. In the end, he was severely punished for it."
Elder Flock shook his head and sighed, "Although the demonic creatures retreated, the supreme elder''s life was almost extinguished. If not for thebined efforts of the other elves healing him at that time, he may have died pitifully."
Eluard felt the mncholy in Elder Flock''s voice.
"Let''s not dawdle in this matter any longer.", they left the area in a hurry and proceeded to the nearest city.
Eluard took another nce at theke''s surface. The silver moonlight remained there but he noticed that it was no longer as calm as before, ''Something must have happened. Demons, huh?''
He trailed after Elder Flock and joined them shortly.
"The supreme elder talked about the Zumfiel Household. It seems that they are the key to unlocking the mystery of this uprising.", Elder Flock muttered, "Eluard, you were acquainted with that girl, Haera?"
"Yes. Our first meeting was rather confusing¡", Eluard said distractedly.
"Confusing? In what way?", Elder Flock asked.
"Well, for some reason, she managed to uncover the truth of my identity with very few details. I don''t know if that was luck, or maybe I was too na?ve then¡", Eluard embarrassingly answered.
He didn''t want to linger in the details of the past any longer.
"That is indeed strange. The elves do not have a strongwork of passing information with one another.", Elder Flock surmised, "What else?"
"Oh, she also helped me sell the materials of the remains of the demonic creatures. If I remember, I sold it at some weird bar whose owner was a minotaur or something, and the rest from a man named Wyn Qinric¡", Eluard tried to recall them as best as possible.
"A bar?", both the master and female disciple were shocked, "What kind of crazy situation is that?"
Eluard was at a loss as well.
Elder Flock tried toe up with a conclusion of his own before things became awkward, "Haera must have set up that bar to further prove that you are really someone from the Academy. It seems you fell for her trap."
It was unheard of that some random barman would be interested in buying raw materials directly from the source itself.
"Heh, I bet he fell for her beauty.", Emilia sneered, "That''s what lofty guys like you always fall from. Thinking as if you''re different from any¡"
Elder Flock smacked her head, "Shut up, damn girl!"
Eluard scratched his head and quickly changed the topic, "Anyway, that was how I got acquainted with her during my time here in the Sanctuary."
"I see.", Elder Flock nodded.
"I bet there''s more to that¡", Emilia devilishly butted but Elder Flock red at her, shutting her to the fullest.
"Elder, won''t the people back at the Morning Star Empire be suspicious of our sudden disappearance?", Eluard was worried that things might go worse.
"The supreme elder''s task is far more worrying than that, brat. Those cultists can go around and spread their ''holy words''. Only fools would listen to them.", Elder Flock snorted in disdain, "Even then, they can try and challenge an Elder like me inbat. Let''s see which daring idiot would try."
Eluard''s face twitched, ''How domineering...''
After a while, Emilia asked, "Master, shall we remain discreetly, or should we openly operate in this mission?"
"We''ll do it discreetly. The mastermind of this uprising may be alerted and immediately stop their operations. Well, if there is any.", Elder Flock assessed, "We can use the Zumfiels as our temporary hideout."
He nced at Eluard and cheekily smiled, "He will grant us face with you around."
Eluard shivered, ''This master and disciple duo¡ There''s something wrong about them¡''
"Emilia.", he gestured, "Open up a rift."
Emilia concentrated on the open area in front.
"Eh? Elder, I thought that using her space magic might be conspicuous.", Eluard was confused.
"Only when used on long distances, brat.", Elder Flock replied, "The closer it is, the better she canpose herself and stabilize the fluctuation of her space magic. Don''t worry, she''ll manage."
9 transparent magic circles emerged, and she chanted, "Spatial Rift!", opening a small vertical chasm that led to the indoors of someone''s house.
¡
An elf with long ck hair draping over his broad shoulders was yfully spinning a stick in his left hand.
"Brother, why are you this carefree?", Veron asked coldly. His injuries were still lingering around his body and seeing his brother Norton dawdling around angered him.
"Veron, why are you so exasperated? You are more worried about Haera than me.", Norton replied while lying around the wooden recliner.
"Brother, this is the demonic creatures we are talking about! A deadlock spell inserted into a curse!", Veron angrily retorted, "Do you not ever think of your child at all?! She''s your damn daughter!"
They had been quarreling about this topic for days now and Veron could not push Norton to take it very seriously.
"You are too paranoid, Veron.", Nortonzily replied, "The more you act like that, the deeper we will fall into the enemy''s trap."
"Then what do you suggest we should do? Lie here and wait?!", Veron couldn''t take it anymore. His niece was dying so how could he stand by and let that happen?
"Of course. We should make them the impatient ones¡", Norton''s eyes darted to the back of the entire household where the courtyard was located, "Hehehe, they''re already here.",
Veron was alerted, "Who?", trying to sense his surroundings but couldn''t find any abnormalities.
Norton felt annoyed as he stood up and stretched before walking into the courtyard. He waved his hands and said farewell to Veron.
"Nothing. Keep watch here and for my return. Or rather, our return."
Chapter 119 Nortons Confrontation
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Norton stepped through the spatial rift and arrived on the outskirts of Alune''s Spring.
"I knew it was you, old fart.", he pointed at Elder Flock, "So what is it this time around?"
"A task. We need a new identity.", Elder Flock tossed out a few paryus to Norton.
"A covert mission, I see.", Norton read the contents of the paryus and creased his brows a little after digesting it into his mind, "These are a little tooplicated as I would be requiring at least a form 7 illusion magic spell to handle your needs. Also, that young man on the back. I''m not even sure if my ''concealment'' spells would even work on him.", Norton pointed at Eluard.
There was a slight aura of magical deterrenceing from him. Illusion spells were said to be formidable, but wizards who dabbled in the confusing world of illusionary magic like Norton knew that a little bit of deterrence force against magic would crumble an illusion magic master like him.
Elder Flock turned around and curiously re-assessed Eluard once again, ''No wonder he was able tost that long under the supreme elder''s barrage¡ But why didn''t I know of this?''
He faced Norton again and scrutinized his words, "Then is there anyway we can go around it? I don''t want to waste a bit more time that has already been."
"I can use a form 8 illusion magic spell, but that would be costly for you.", Norton gave him an answer he did not like.
Elder Flock slowly walked towards him and uttered in a demanding tone, "Nothing is too costly under the name of the supreme elder, Norton. Or do you have any say against his?"
Norton''s response was quite calm, "Then how about this instead? You''ll act out as three newly hired servants under my household. In that way, nobody would even notice anything at all."
Eluard was dumbfounded, "Would¡ that even work?"
"It''s not a problem for him.", Elder Flock nced at Eluard as if he was an idiot, "I thought you have read all the materials that that zombie girl has given to you. Perhaps you should have recognized him as the Illusion Master and the Dream Walker, Norton Zumfiel."
"The¡ That Norton Zumfiel?!", Eluard''s eyes widened in surprise, though admitted on his mind that this legendary figure would be the one whom they would be meeting today, "Is it true that you can walk through somebody''s dreams?!"
Norton smirked and didn''t return an affable reply, "You will revel on my legends eventually, brat. But for now, let''s take you all somewhere safe first, shall we?"
Emilia nced at her master once again and thetter nodded. She gathered her powers and opened another spatial rift leading to the same destination as before. Norton stood at the sides and bowed, gesturing everyone toe over to his simple abode. Eluard had to carry Emilia over and was thest to pass through the spatial rift.
The courtyard was as tranquil as theke from earlier. Green sharp-ded grass upied almost the entire area. There were several trees on either side of the courtyard, bringing a darker shade especially under the shelter of Lumine.
Emilia released her magic and closed the spatial rift. She pushed herself off Eluard and dusted her clothes calmly.
[ Warning: You are currently inside an illusion magic array formation. Level is at the upper ranks. ]
Eluard guessed, ''No wonder Elder Flock didn''t disagree right away when he said we he will take us somewhere safe. I can see that Sir Norton is an extremely cautious person. I just wonder why he didn''t follow Haera and Veron into the northern cial continent.''
''System, do you think anybody else can detect the presence if this illusion magic array formation?'', he asked subconsciously.
[ The illusion magic array formation isposed of numerous enchantments and the sophistication involved is tooplex for the system to understand in a short period of time. ]
Eluard inwardly nodded at the answer. Higher level magic array formations were called such due to the increased number of enchantments that wizards would inject into the magic array formation itself, resulting in either a better performance or worse.
Moreso the fact that enchantments were illustrated as symbols, usually in circles and lines with aplete magical circuitry such that the magic array formation itself would run on its own after the creator inserted a bit of his or her own mana into the core of the formation.
''What about the coverage of the magic array formation? Can you determine it?''
[ The illusion magic array formation''s coverage is indeterminable. ]
Eluard shook his head and smiled inwardly, ''This is... not too much, right?'', and didn''t bother checking the magic array formation any longer. They stood right where they were as Norton turned around and narrowed his eyes, "Let''s do it here."
"Do what?", Eluard asked.
"Your transformation.", Norton closed his eyes and gathered his mana, "My magic array formation will cover the remnants of the energy produced by my magic spell so do not be so worried that anyone will be able to sense us."
"I will be using your bodies as a medium for a magic array formation. I will put several enchantments to conceal your identity, turn you into another person, and even change your body''s structure to a huge extent."
"There will be pain and blood might ooze out of your bodies during this process but please do not pass out. The might of my magic might just overwhelm you and your consciousness would be¡ erased. I don''t want that to happen to any of you."
He suddenly put his arms in front of him and pped his hands together, then slowly turned the other hand upside down with them meeting at the slight edge of the wrist. Eight whitish-yellow magic circles appeared on both sides, brimming with intense life magic.
Norton''s hands moved quickly as he brandished several hand signs at once ending with a loud p before pointing his wide-open palms unto the three of them, "Thousand Face Fa?ade!"
Bright sparkling lights flooded out of the eight magic circles, wildlyunching themselves into the bodies of Elder Flock, Emilia, and Eluard. As the lights contacted their skin, their bodies slumped while they writhed in agony as it was forcefully reshaped.
Eluard gritted his teeth until it almost broke into pieces. He could feel his bones cracking and then reforming at the next microsecond. His muscles twitched, snapped, and reconnected again. The pain stabbed him and went away quickly as if nothing had happened. He could not understand what was happening anymore and subconsciously ignored the barrage of messages the system was throwing at him.
Meanwhile, the trees and grasses on the side of the courtyard withered quickly in the blink of an eye. Wrinkles formed in Norton''s face as his countenance fell greatly.
The processsted for a while before Norton released his magic spell and staggered backwards. His buttnded at the edge of the elevated wooden floor while holding tightly on the beam which cracked under the strength of his grip.
A transparent barrier copsed at the same time as Norton did. Hurried footsteps resounded from the adjacent halls, bringing in a chaotic rhythm to the silent night.
Veron with several elven guards rushed to the scene.
"Brother! What have you done to yourself?!", he knelt and slid to Norton''s side.
"Fool! I''m fine. Go check our guests over there.", Norton patted Veron and pointed at the three convulsing bodies on the courtyard who were covered in blood.
Veron stood up and slowly approached, "They are?!"
"Some help from the upper. They were ambushed by the enemy but thankfully, I saved them on time. Go make a room for them to stay in. They''ll be here for a while.", Norton struggled as he made way back to his room. His breathing was rough, and he almost fell again after turning to a corner.
Veron nced at Norton''s back, muttering to himself, "Why are they in such a sorry state? Didn''t brother just go out for a few minutes? Was the enemy too formidable for him to battle against?!"
He would never guess that Norton lied to him and that one of the three was as powerful as his brother. Veron shook his head and ordered the guards to carry them safely out of the courtyard.
Meanwhile, an unnoticed eye watched as the three now unconscious bodies were being carried away. The person''s soft hands slowly touched the edge of the wooden sliding door. There was an aura of frost emanating from the person''s body, chilling the frame to a visible degree.
A rasp feminine voice spoke out, "But I just felt something remarkably familiar earlier, and now it is gone¡ This feeling¡ I have felt it before. Just who was it, and when did I felt it¡?", closing the wooden sliding door once more.
Veron heard the mutter and turned his head to the room opposite of where he was, ''Is Haera still not yet asleep? Did she see what happened earlier?''
He shook his head and let it go. Why would he dare to listen to whatever his niece was doing?
''Damn it. If this goes on for long, I wouldn''t dare say that Haera would remain alive. I hope that this help that my brother said is useful.''
His mind trailed off into the depth of the dark night.
¡
Bang!
A forceful explosion opened the locked door back in the Tower where Eluard stayed a few hours ago. Several wizards barged in and searched every corner of the room.
"Where is he?! Where is that damned wizard from earlier?!", a bald old man angrily shouted in the middle of the empty room, "Chief Lumina, I didn''t think that you are this type of person to help some traitor escape in the nick of time!"
Chief Lumina leaned over at the wall, ncing at the foolish bald old man sideways, "Oh, I didn''t think that a lowly magister like you would dare to talk to their superior like this. Elrick Benzene, it seems that that hard ''shiny'' head of yours requires some softening and further polishing...", smirking at the end of her mockery.
Magister Elrick''s eyes widened, "You bitch da-!"
His countenance immediately fell as he felt his soul almost leave his body.
"You dare talk to me like that again, I''m going to make you a mindless puppet that knows how to obey their superior.", Chief Lumina snorted and walked back to her office followed by Magister Urrell. She was indifferent as to what Eluard was up to. After all, his backer was an Elder which most of the people in the League did not know yet. Magister Elrick''s response was understandable, but he should''ve known to whom he was talking to just a little bit earlier.
"Auntie, are we letting them cause some issue just like that?", Magister Urrell was speechless and powerless about the chaos that was about to happen.
Chief Lumina rolled her eyes, "Let them do whatever they want. Even if I am to be pushed out of my position right now, it doesn''t really matter to me anyway.", yawning in the middle of her uncaring response.
Magister Urrell''s eyes twitched, ''You do not care, but I do!'', he yelled in his mind then whispered upon her, "Then what about that young brat, Kai?"
"What do you think? We don''t even know what happened back there¡", Chief Lumina waved her hands and flew back to her office, "Anyway, if they want to investigate, just tell them what you know. They can waste their ''truth'' magic spells or whatever. They won''t get anything from us in the long run."
Meanwhile, back on Magister Elrick''s unfavorable situation¡
"Magister Elrick, there is no sign that that young wizard used magic to escape earlier. We can only see traces of crumpled bedsheets where he was supposed to be sleeping from.", a pontiff wizard apologetically reported.
Magister Elrick crushed the cup he was holding and spouted, "Doesn''t matter! He won''t hide for long! I knew there was something wrong with him the moment that incident happened in the academy earlier in the morning!"
"The rest of you, go out and investigate everyone and everything surrounding that damned young wizard! I don''t care what you will do, I want results!", Magister Elrick ordered.
One of the wizard teams quickly set off and exited the tower. They went deep into the nearby forest when one of them raised his sleeves, showing the mark of a crow on the wrist of his right hand.
After gathering his mana into the wrist, the crow''s eyes lit up in red and he whispered something into it.
"Tell the lord that they have escaped¡"
The once inanimate crow turned into a living being, pping its wings out of the man''s wrists and flew into the nearby capital city.
Chapter 120 Tower Of Ascension
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While Eluard was recuperating in preparation for his operation in the Alderian Terrestrial Sanctuary, the students back at the academy slowly entered the mysterious Tower of Ascension situated north of the academy''s grounds.
Jinmu spared another nce at the towering mass of a building before approaching the tightly shut metallic door filled with magical symbols all over. Emi, Lucan, and Olivia stared at his stalwart figure. They decided that Jinmu should enter the Tower first.
When he was 5 meters away, dark fog mixed with white light diffused within the Tower to the outside world, slowly enveloping Jinmu until he lost his senses and let his body be dragged to the void.
A system prompt rang in his mind.
[ Warning: You have entered the Tower of Ascension. Here is the challenge issued by the Tower of Ascension:
In the ruins of knowledge lies the fate of your origins. Explore it out, na?ve young man. Your destiny awaits. ]
[ Note: The Tower of Ascension has no corresponding ''exact'' floors. The challenger will experience varying challenges depending on their current situation. Consider each challenge as a ''floor'' to your ascension to greatness. ]
[ Note: The use of system resources is heavily limited. The creature analysis function is temporarily disabled while inside the Tower of Ascension. ]
[ Note: Passage of time in the Tower of Ascension is always slowed down. The ratio is at a constant 7:1, where each week spent inside the Tower of Ascension is equivalent to one day in the Heavenly Magic Academy. ]
[ Note: When multiple people challenge the Tower of Ascension regardless of their timely inclusion, some challengers might be put in the same challenge with varying tasks issued by the Tower itself. ]
[ Note: The duration of a challenge will remain unknown to the challenger. Several factors will affect your progress, and some might cause you to fail immediately albeit not purposefully at the start of the challenge. Regardless of failure or sess, the challenger will be prohibited from entering the Tower of Ascension for an unknown amount of time. In case of any failure, the previously failed challenge will have a chance to be reinstated to the challenger but with more dire odds. ]
After reading the description, he felt the weight of his body return to him. The prompt was long gone. Jinmu opened his eyes and saw a lifelessnd. The ground was purplish brown riddled with pulsating magma which flowed freely below.
He suddenly heard a hoarse yet wicked voice shout in delight, "I can smell the flesh of something delicious!"
A small imp jumped andnded on a cliff not far away from Jinmu. Its eyes were zingly golden, spitting out fire endlessly. His small yet sturdy red wings with sharp edges pped slightly in excitement. He wasn''t holding any cold weapon, but Jinmu could feel the suppression from the demonic creature.
"You are weak! A being with a damaged magic root! This will be easy¡"
The imp smirked and raised his small left index finger, quickly conjuring dozens of crimson balls above his small head with small protruding horns. He extended his hands and pointed them at Jinmu, sending the crimson balls to attack him quickly.
Jinmu''s eyes stared widely as he could feel the strong repulsion forceing from those harmless-looking crimson balls. They passed through him effortlessly, sting huge holes in his abdomen and chest. The imp grinned but waster shocked to find out that no blood spurted out of the human''s body.
Jinmu''s ''corpse'' turned into water and became a puddle on the ground. The imp felt mana fluctuate underneath him and wanted to jump out, but he was toote. The magic runes lit up and water violently gushed out underground, sting the imp high into the sky.
''Impossible! When was this magic trap set up?!''
Before he could think of a solution, sharp wind des whistled in the air and hacked at him from all directions. His body was immediately riddled with countless de wounds. Despite his grievous injuries, the imp remained confident, ''Fool, you cannot kill me unless you have divinity!''
Amid his rejoicing, he suddenly found himself being pushed off towards the magma river on the edge. He tried to p away using his wings, but the winds were too chaotic for him to fly through. Furious, he let out the crimson balls again and tried to cancel out the effects of Jinmu''s wind magic traps.
Some of the wind des were cancelled out but he did not find the effect he was looking for. The wind des felt endless, disorienting his senses to a degree. The ground and the air felt the same to him and his eyes almost rolled to his back. The crimson balls he sent out were soon drowned in wind des and lost connection to him.
Helpless, the imp could only curse at that human to hell as his voice trailed off to nothingness. His small body fell into the magma river and melted at a rate faster than one''s eye could blink. Such a disturbance did not manage to thwart the impending flow of magma at all.
"Strange¡"
Jinmu''s aloof voice sounded out, appearing right at the cliff near where the imp fell to his demise.
"My body feels different, as if I am lighter than my usual weight.", he nced at his rather rough hands which were once soft and supple. Something felt different about him after the start of the challenge, especially on where he was at right now.
"This ce¡ I know it is supposed to be surreal, but I get the feeling that all of this is happening somewhere out there in time.", he nced at the starkly bright Morning Star above the sky. However, he could only feel its brightness, not thefortable warmth it usually brought when one basked under its holistic grace. He didn''t know if it was because he was in another dimension, or because the ce itself was lifeless for anyone to consider anything to befortable.
"Is this Aludia itself? I thought I was going to be transferred to a different world¡", he was slightly disappointed about it but didn''t linger on for too long.
He opened his system panel again and re-read the challenge issued by the tower, ''The fate of my origins, huh?''
Jinmu''s heart throbbed in both excitement and worry. His foster parents never knew anything about how he hade to be in this world. The only thing they remembered was that he was found on a small woven basket miraculously floating on top of a raging flood during a storm. If not for the presence of a protective spell covering him from danger, the basket would''ve capsized and the small baby drowned in distress.
''The ruins of knowledge¡ Don''t tell me it''s somewhere in the Ruinated Region. That ce is a burial of most ancient civilizations.'', Jinmu recalled some information he had gathered back when he was still in the Morning Star City, ''But why there? That ce is far from where the vige is, as what I have remembered¡''
''No, there are countless rivers and streams in the Ruinated Region. It is also and elevated higher than where the vige is. There must be at least one river that leads from that ce to where I was found.''
Jinmu shook his head and stopped contemting the matter, ''What''s the hurry? It''s not like I don''t have enough time to know all of this once I get there. The system specifically said that several factors will exist to either hinder or help me in my challenge. I guess being far away from my destination could be considered as one.''
He surveyed his surroundings and the Morning Star above. He waited for two hours to see which direction was north. Going south was a death trap, he was sure of it.
''The Morning Stares over from the west to the east. As far as I have observed, the north is in that direction.''
The north was in the opposite direction of where the imp fell earlier. He followed his intuition and went from one ce to another.
Although there were hostile creatures around, Jinmu didn''t want too much trouble just for the sake of investigating where he was. These creatures would be uncooperative, so he sneakily maneuvered around them and remained hidden from their sight.
It took him a few hours to arrive in a peculiar part of the region, "This is¡"
Further away was a huge crevice whose depth remained unknown to him. However, the purplish-brownnd stopped right at the edge of the other half of the crevice where he was. On the other end was the normal brown soil though cracked and dry. There were countless bones of various speciesying peacefully on that cracked patch of earth, chilling the back of Jinmu despite him already being desensitized to such a magnificent sight.
Some were small, while some looked like an entire mountain range. There were ''arching pirs'' resembling the ribs and other bone structures of a once behemoth of a creature. No living creature dared to cross over it. Even the birds above followed the crevice on the sides and painstakingly avoided the dreading area itself.
"The Burial Warzone¡ Arkiles''s Tomb should be nearby¡ Was the ce I just came from the outskirts of Vaha''s Dominion?", Jinmu couldn''t believe that he was put somewhere extremely dangerous at the start of the challenge. He nced behind him again and felt confused. Why did the Tower put him so far away from the Ruinated Region?
"The Ruinated Region should be to the east or northeast. The crevice that separates the Burial Warzone and the outskirts of Vaha''s dominion extends from southwest to a northeastern angle, then to the east. If I follow this path, I should arrive at the Southern Seas region of the Morning Star Empire, and from there is a straight journey to the east, right where the Ruinated Region is located. Still..."
The distance was too far and might take him months to even arrive at the Southern Seas region by himself.
"Hopefully, I am on the eastern edge of this border. If not, very near it. I don''t want to walk that far with the limited time I have."
This dimension''s timeline was in ce, and he didn''t want to gamble on failing the challenge just because he took too much time wandering around.
"If things go to the worst, I might have to tame some horse or arge bird."
He took off and headed into the east, full of anticipation of this so-called challenge from the Tower of Ascension.
Chapter 121 A Tale Of Two Brothers (1)
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The enticing smell of the sea woke Jinmu from his dreams. It didn''t feel like he was on a different dimension at all. The boarded wood, though quite roughly built, was more than enough for someone like him to walk through as the boat rose and fell together with the waves of the sea.
"Ah, young master Mu Jin, you''re awake.", one of the crew greeted him. He seemed to be busy dealing with their harvests and went back to his own business. Jinmu didn''t mind it and trailed off to the side of the upper decks. He was enjoying the view of the sea from this side.
The rest of the crew didn''t bother to make a conversation with him. They seemed afraid to disturb this young man at any cost. Some of them stared at therge mast above engraved with a magic array formation. Winds whistled assionally, boosting the speed of the vessel by a huge margin. This brought a chill down their spines and drooped their heads very low, afraid that they might gather Jinmu''s attention.
"Liking the sea, eh? Young master Mu?", a bald and rugged middle-aged man approached him. His clothes were damp and filled with the stink of fishes. Despite his rather rough outlook, he was quite respectful to ''young master Mu''.
"Yes. The calm setting is reminiscent of what one may see in the mountains. At the least, it is refreshing.", Jinmu let out a smile.
"A''h see. ''em master Mu''ve been into the mountains plenty times, yes?", the middle-aged man perfunctorily asked.
Jinmu only nced at the old man but didn''t answer. Talking about it brought him some memories back to when he was just a child. Hunting, foraging¡ all sorts of trouble that he and the vige encountered together. If not for that moment when his talent for magic was discovered by some travelling wizard, he would not have gone to the capital city.
He wouldn''t be known for his extraordinary magical skills.
He wouldn''t have gathered the ire of the many nobles who were envious of his talent.
He wouldn''t have damaged his magic root.
He wouldn''t have lost his entire vige.
Thinking about all this further ignited his desire to know what happened in the past. How did hee into this world and who his parents were. His mind calmed after taking a few deep breaths.
The middle-aged man solemnly stood by the side, not daring to speak a single word, ''The young master must be thinking of something¡''
Far into the horizon, he could see the blurry figure of a small ind. Realizing what just happened, the middle-aged man cleared his throat and started speaking again, "Almost forgo'' to tell yah, young master. We''ll be do''ing somewhere deeper in the Southern Seas Region. W-we have hauled a lo'' o'' things thanks to you so¡ I hope that ''em master Mu wouldn''t mind¡"
"I don''t. I n to shorten my journey anyway. Your n this time will greatly help mine.", Jinmu waved his hands, "Do you know the shortest route from the Southern Seas Region to the Ruinated Region in the east?"
"The Ruinated Region?", the middle-aged man gasped, "Eh¡ do know of few but it''s tricky one yes."
Jinmu raised his eyebrows in interest.
The middle-aged man was startled and raised his hands in dismissal, "It''s no'' like I can''t help the young master, but we aremon people¡"
"Well¡ them smugglers have it here and there, but it won''e cheap. There'' a special channel for people like ''em master Mu, but I don''t know much ''bout it¡ Only heard rumors that some no''le families and the governor in the region have something to do ''bout it."
"I see.", Jinmu nodded his head and continued staring at the horizon.
"May ye know why the young master wants to go o''er there?", the middle-aged man shivered when he asked.
"Is there something wrong about me going there?", Jinmu retorted.
"Ah, na¡ not scolding the young master. It''s just some''ing going on with the royal family and some assassins in that area. I don''t know if this would''a concern ''em master Mu¡ it''s better for you to know if you have not¡"
"Assassins?", a dark feeling swelled up in Jinmu''s heart. He did not have a good impression of such things.
The middle-aged man nodded. Finally, he could be of use to the young master.
"Yes, ''said they were responsible for killing the secon'' an'' third prince inside the capital city. Ruckus almost flipped the capital city around. The royal family was furious. Not many dared to touch them, worse kill ''em."
"The Ruinated Region is a hot ce for you right now, ''em master Mu. The royal family might mistake you as one of the assassins. That won'' end up good for ya."
"I see. The second and third prince, huh?"
Jinmu nodded in understanding.
The infamous Royal Culling.
Deemed to be the most ruthless act of someone in royalty usurping the power for themselves. Or so the rumors said. Even the nobles did not talk about it privately, only beggars and such dared to.
Jinmu recalled it clearly on his head the words that braggart from some inconspicuous street told him.
¡
"Ah yes, the pce drowned in the blood of royalty, or was it? What assassins, what killers, what murderers?! It was all a great fa?ade! A great drama for power! For which fool would dare go against the golden ones? The destined ones? The chosen ones?! The fool who was courting death!"
"Shouldn''t they have noticed the familial bond of their tearing eyes, the torn flesh of their kin? Yet they did not because they were blinded by power! Driven by power!"
"The young crown prince, oh the foolish young crown prince. He had sacrificed them all in the name of power. I hope that he himself do note over at such fate eventually, or the souls of the two damned brothers, no! The two damned princes! They would surely revel in the realm of Death."
¡
''The Royal Culling, huh? What does it have to do with my fate? Don''t tell me one of the princes was my parents. Impossible. Maybe my parents were implicated in their strife. Let''s just hope it stays that way.''
The Morning Star Empire was the root of all Jinmu''s resentment. To think that another fuel was poured into his burning hatred against them.
Seeing the young master pondering, the middle-aged man bowed, "Then I won'' bother young master Mu. You can call this old man a''ytime.", he left and went back into ordering his subordinates to hurry up.
Jinmu took another nce at the sea and went back to his cabin on the lower deck. Four weeks had passed since the start of the challenge, and he was already this nearer into his destination. If not for the vagueness of how this fishing vessel drifted far away near the shores of the Vaha Region, who knows how long it would take him to go from there to the Southern Seas Region?
Jinmu arranged his bed and calmly waited for three days to arrive at their destination. Early in the morning, he heard the rm bell from the upper deck, signaling the crew to prepare for docking.
Half an hourter, the fishing vessel was sessfully docked. The crew couldn''t contain their excitement anymore and quickly unloaded the countless barrels filled with fishes out of the vessel.
The middle-aged man from before approached Jinmu again, "''Em master Mu! I see you''vee!"
Jinmu stared at the sack of coin the middle-aged man was holding on his right hand, "That is¡"
"A token o'' my gratitude an'' respect. That not much. Ain'' nothingpared to you saving usmon people."
He was a little emotional after thanking Jinmu, "There'' dozens of gold an'' silver coins there. I hope you could''a use it."
Jinmu smiled at the middle-aged man''s generosity, "You didn''t have to but¡ thanks."
"If you want them smugglers, go to the marketce. It''s in the central area here. Can''t miss it. Ask for George, he knows the way. He''s got a long cut on his nose. Tell him, this old fart, Forve, called out.", the middle-aged man bowed and nced at Jinmu''s departing figure. He shook his head and turned back to dealing with his business in this city.
Jinmu felt the weight of the small sack and could hear a lot of coins tingling inside. He smiled in satisfaction. Valuable goods indeed. He could bribe the smugglers for it, and even buy rations of food for his trip.
Not like the genius himself didn''t hunt long ago, but it was quite a burden to both hunt and search for someone at the same time.
This ce was rather convenient for him to travel around with all the wooden signs here and there on every other corner of the streets. Jinmu soon found the marketce and started buying all the necessities for his journey. Fortunately, the system''s storage space was still avable. Otherwise, a wooden cart wouldn''t fit all the goods he had bought.
"Now, where do I find that George guy. Forve told me that he''s somewhere here in the marketce. Should be somewhere spooky, I hope."
He looked around for a while and found a short grumpy man sitting with a long cut on his nose. His slithered eyes nced at Jinmu then turned it away, ignoring him.
''Hmph, typical.'', Jinmu approached him which made him raise his head and grumpily asked, "What do you want?"
His immature voice was strikingly contrasting to his rough looks.
"Forve, he told me I could do something here.", Jinmu casually replied.
"Oh.", George''s eyes narrowed and went into the narrow alley. He handed Jinmu a small paper and a pencil. He gestured with his head and uninterestedly answered, "Go write where you wanna go. Come back here this evening or tomorrow for some news."
"Okay¡", Jinmu wrote something on the paper and handed it back to George. Aplicated expression fell on the short grumpy man''s face, "This¡"
Jinmu became anxious, "Too hard?"
"No, but¡", he raised his hand and let out his entire palm, "In golden terms."
Jinmu snorted, "See you tomorrow then."
The price was to his understanding. After all, the Ruinated Region was a dangerous area, worsened by the recent drama in the Royal Family. He guessed that these people were going to hire a few masters for their safety and it definitely didn''te that cheap.
After Jinmu left, George sighed and clicked his tongue in wonder. Who the hell was this rich young boy from somewhere?
Chapter 122 A Tale Of Two Brothers (2)
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It was a gloomy day in the Ruinated Region. With the dark clouds slowly approaching from the distance, this day was about to turn even gloomier for the group of wizards traversing through the deep forest.
"Prince Philip, we haven''t found any trace of these assassins. It''s been two months since the search! If we continue any longer, we will incur the resentment of the searching parties and the court¡", a wizard apologetically advised. Despite the damp environment he was in, his purple wizard robes remained dry.
"Do you think I care about that? They can stuff all their unhappiness to their familiester!", Prince Philip angrily retorted, pointing his finger at his subordinate, "I will not let this treachery rest that easily. Those who mess with the Royal Family shall suffer its wrath! This is my brothers we are talking about so stop dilly-dallying and start searching, you stupid ingrate!"
He showered the poor young wizard with both his anger and saliva, forcing him to cower and immediately resume his search for the so-called ''assassins''.
Not long after, another subordinate arrived with a conflicted expression, "Crown prince! Someone''s found some tracks!", his eyes glistened with faint scarlet underneath.
Prince Philip''s anxiety settled for a while, "Hm? Lead me to it!"
The subordinate led him southeast of their current position. Near them was another wizard dressed in purple wizard robes with two blue orb symbols on each of his shoulder pads. He was tending to a makeshift camp with an extinguished campfire in the middle.
He noticed the crown prince approaching and stood up, "Ah, Prince Philip!", saluting in respect.
"Report."
"This campfire''s recent, only 8 hours or so. They should be near.", the wizard replied.
Prince Philip circled it and noticed something strange. His nose throbbed and tried to sniff out the smell in the air.
"This smell¡ is fishy. It''s not them. Which fool would dare set up a campfire here in the Ruinated Region and eat some fish?"
The purple-robed wizard from earlier scratched his head in embarrassment. Prince Philip ignored it and thought of another thing, "Try to track this one down too. Maybe we can get lucky from it.", a cold glint shed in his eyes.
The two wizards nced at Prince Philip with a hint of scarlet underneath their eyes. They then received his order and quickly left the area.
"Ah, my dear brother Ruwel. Don''t me me for this. Father and I just cannot stand how genius you are.", he chuckled, "How long will this cat-and-mouse drama of yours continue? Your third brother is missing you already and the rest of your ungrateful brothers and sisters in both name and blood."
Prince Philip''s eyes locked on the sky above. The dark clouds had now loomed closer than they were minutes ago, "It seems that this will be harder than I thought. Father won''t be too pleased."
¡
Raindrops rapidly fell from the sky, sting the earth and quenching its long thirst. The mosses were the happiest as they could ''gather their supplies'' and continue encroaching on the massive blocks of buildings who have fallen for an unknown amount of time.
But Jinmu didn''t think the same, ''This will make us easier to track.''
When a group of knights and wizards work together, theirbined physical and magical prowess makes it simple to locate a target. The wizard can track the magical residue left behind by casting and performing magic spells, whereas the knights can easily see through the physical changes to the environment and detect one''s scent. It was a dangerousbination for hunting people regardless of their nature.
''These¡ assassins must be really good to avoid detection for a while now. It has been two months since the Royal Culling, yet the perpetrators haven''t been caught.''
Bang!
An earth-shattering st shocked the entire forest. Dozens of beasts ran out in fear and the birds pped their wings away from danger.
Another huge st echoed, followed by a long trail of red smoke ring to the sky vertically straight. Upon reaching the highest point, it sted into an evenrger smoke visible through the downpour.
''A signal! I need to hurry before the rest can get there. They must have been found out!''
¡
"Finally found you, damn assassin!", a knight holding a sword and shield gruntingly let out. His grayish metal armor was almost worn out from the multiple cracks caused by something sharp, yet the fervent look in his ck eyes didn''t falter.
"Don''t waste any time talking! Just hold this one off, I''ve already sent a signal!", a purple-robed wizard reminded, standing a few meters behind the knight.
"You think this one can escape from my clutch?!", the knight charged bravely to the front, attacking the man in dark-purple wizard robes. Seeing this, the purple wizard conjured two magic spells at once, one for a distraction, and the other for augmenting the knight''s offense.
"A talented master wizard. Not many could do that at this early stage, hmm. Too bad you have met me¡", the dark-purple wizard smiled as he raised his left hand, flicking his finger and thumb at the same time.
The knight who was charging under the thick curtain of rain suddenly found himself too heavy to lift any part of his body. He fell to the ground with his muscles twitching, trying to resist the weight that was being pressured upon his body.
"Wh-what is this?!"
His expression turned aghast when he noticed that his armor was crushing his body. Every metallic part slowly caved in, terrifying him helplessly, "No! Don''t! I-!"
His neck''s armor bent inward, crushing the muscles inside. He wanted to end it badly, but the armor seemed to have taken its time well. Watching this horrific scene made his wizard buddy stand in ce with his throat stuck. The magic circles he had conjured before were long gone. Only the trails of dissipated mana remained in the suffocating air.
"This is the Second Prince''s-!"
With eyes as wide as a blooming flower, he fell to the ground deted like a balloon. The dark-purple wizard nced at the cold corpse, "They can still retain their memories somehow. This demonic spell or whatever it is isn''t too bad. But there''s nothing useful to him, or this one either¡"
"First brother is too ambitious to even have sought the help of the demonic creatures. I wonder if the third brother and the rest made it out alive. Some of them are too young to be involved in this. Who said that the life of a royal was paradise?", a sigh left his wet lips, "Even the heavens have shared my weeping."
Just as he was about to leave, anothermotion gathered his attention. Not far away from him was a young, tanned man fighting off the two-man party of a knight and a wizard. He observed the massive number of magic array formations that were being swiftly ced throughout the area, hidden from the opposing party.
"A nameless spell caster?", the dark-purple wizard was dumbfounded, "Interesting. I''ve yet to see someone who could live up to me."
He strolled along the deep forest with hands on his back, calmly observing the intense sh from the other side. As for the two corpses earlier, they had long vanished under the rain.
¡
''Activate!''
With bloodied eyes, Jinmu activated the nearest magic trap from the knight, trying to st him off his momentum and trajectory. The knight remained emotionless, ignoring the gush of watering at him. A transparent magic barrier suddenly appeared, deflecting the gush of water from enveloping the knight.
However, the knight sensed some disturbance in his surroundings, quickly tapping his foot out of the tree branch he had just stepped onto. This time, a water explosion erupted from the magic trap, sting the sturdy wooden branch into pieces.
The knight then upped his guard and coated his armor with his chivalric essence.
Zoom!
Several wind des appeared from the top of the tree, shing the armor, and leaving a dent despite the heavy defense. The knight frowned, clearly displeased.
"Can''t you set up your magic barriers faster? Look, you''re being beaten by some nobody. And a brat at that."
A wizard in purple robesnded not too far away. Displeasure was written on his face too, "Fool! This brat''s definitely not your regr nobody. Can''t you see that he''s not using magic circles nor incantations to cast spells?"
The knight snorted, "What''s so special about that?! Shouldn''t all wizards be like that too?"
The wizard inwardly cursed this stupid knight, "Do you think we did not want to have that kind of ability too? If being a nameless spell caster was easy, then every wizard in this world wouldn''t have dabbled in using magic circles and incantations! Don''t act too conceited, you damn muscle-brain maniac!"
The knight ignored his remarks, "I don''t care about your excuses! Liven up or else this brat will escape! I don''t want to be an embarrassment because of your ipetence!"
''Tsk!'', the wizard conjured four light green magic circles under the knight''s feet, "Darting Wind."
The knight felt his feet be more robust and flexible after this augmentation.
Jinmu scrutinized them from afar. He was hidden by the thick vegetation, giving the knight and the wizard a hard time searching.
''That wizard is augmenting his speed. Even if I put up a water mirror clone of myself, this guy will react faster long before I could generate another one¡ His assimted beast must also be from the cefilera beast family. How troublesome.''
He nced at the fast-approaching knight who was hopping around the trees like a grasshopper on a prairie.
"There''s nowhere to hide, brat!", the knight channeled greenish chivalric essence into his sword and shed in front of him multiple times. A 100-meter area of vegetation was mowed down, finally revealing Jinmu''s previous spot.
The knight snorted and jumped another hundred meters forward and continuously shed everything in front of him without care. Not long after, he found Jinmu''s figure hurrying off to hide again, "Found you!"
The wizard instantly buffed the knight''s speed. Thetter then brandished his rapier,nded on the side of a sturdy tree, and gathered strength into his legs before leaping directly behind Jinmu. He grinned as his rapier deftly pierced through Jinmu''s stomach. The force was so strong that the trees further in front had fist-sized holes.
"What?!", the knight was taken aback when Jinmu''s body receded like smoke. He shed the smoke away in fury.
The wizard arrived and stood above a tree branch not far away, "What happened? Did he disappear?"
"That''s my question to you. What do you think, dumbass?!", the knight responded in displeasure.
The wizard ignored the unkind remarks and scanned his surroundings, "Strange¡ The only magical residue left is the augmentation spell I have applied¡ This is ridiculous."
"So it''s not his magic spells?", the knight was confused.
The wizard shook his head, "No, somebody must have helped him. It must be the assassins! Their strange methods will prevent me from tracking the mana disturbance around us. Worse, if they are water magic users, this rain is going to further cover them under this thick forest."
"Unless a grandmaster or an archmagees over, they will remain in the dark¡"
The knight gripped his fist and struck down a nearby tree, "Damn it! Why didn''t we send out some grandmasters or archmages?!"
"The League recalled them due to some mission¡"
The knight brushed off and ignored the wizard, "Tsk! Prince Philip won''t like this!"
The wizard turned his back, "Save your bitternesster. The demon beasts must''ve been attracted to the noise. Let''s regroup with the main party and report our findings to Prince Philip."
"What about the red smoke?!", the knight hesitated.
"Ignore it. It must''ve been a trap and those two were lured to it. Now, they must be dead. No use sacrificing our lives for that...", the wizard waved his hands.
"How could you be so sure?", the knight asked.
The wizard snorted in disdain. How could these knights be so stupid? Was every knight like this guy?
"Do you think these assassins who have been hiding for too long would be easily caught like that? With how everyone is so scattered and with the rain falling either coincidentally or not, sending red smoke around won''t be that efficient. They must''ve taken advantage of this downpour and lured a two-man party. Worse, they might be attempting to lure some more."
"And look, it took us almost two minutes to arrive here. The battle at that point would''ve already ended. If not, the assassins either got away or they killed our men."
"Let''s just go back now and warn off the rest on our way. We don''t want to lose more while we''re inside this dangerous area."
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