《Seeker》 [Infinity Tower] - Prologue PROLOGUE
Do like stories? Stories passed from generation to generation you have to doubt their validity? Stories so great and mysterious that you care not of its implausibility so long as it¡¯s awesome? Stories that can only be described as legends? Then have you ever heard of THE TOWER? The Library of Abraham? The Infinity Tower? The Keeper of all Knowledge? The Labyrinth of Secrets? God Mind? Then let me tell you. The Tower, as they say, has many names. Its legends: unfathomable. The things inside, from books to records to every information forbidden or not: unbelievable. Its mysteries: unmatchable. Any question that will never occur in your mind, Tower has at least one answer. And if you ever wondered if such a place exist, the answer is no. The Tower¡¯s answer will always be no. Those who seek the Tower shall never find Its doors. Those who¡¯s greedy for Its knowledge shall be misled. Those who seek Its truth shall be deceived. This is the Legend of the Tower. Its irony in Its simplicity. And those who find the Tower call ourselves seekers. Yes. I am one of them. One of the simple ironies of the majestic Tower, for we seek nothing. The Tower wants us. It seeks us. But the Tower did not choose us for it has only two conditions to qualify as a seeker: the first I shall not repeat, the last I shall not divulge. The seekers¡¯ responsibility is the Tower itself. The grand, majestic Tower that even gods themselves cannot fathom! The Tower¡¯s existence shall crumble without one of us. Like the truth cannot be the truth if no one knows. The knowledge forbidden to all but us. Because we are the seekers. And we are not chosen. For the Tower do not choose Its seekers, It curses them. It rewards the brave souls who find the Tower the Truth. The One-truth. The horrible Truth that no one in the world deserve to know. The knowledge so true, it has to be a lie. A piece of information, a harmless clue, simple words that can fit in a message in a bottle: one truth. The first truth. The neglected truth. The single truth the seekers find before they enter the tower. The obvious truth. The truth so obvious, you should¡¯ve figured it out already. I have laid out the breadcrumbs for you to follow. Come, Seeker. Come and follow. Come and observe another legend now that you know the One-truth, or at least have an idea of it. But if you are still clueless, well¡­ You might not guessed it but I showed you something. Y¡¯know, like giving you a piece of my mind kind of something. But like the One-truth, YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS,SUCKA! *ehem* Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Now where was I? Ah shit, where¡¯s list again? This narrating gig really pays too low. Fucking author. Doesn¡¯t give a script, just an effing list! And it is written on Fucking TP! Tsk, oh! Found it! Hmmm, let¡¯s see. Garner the attention of the readers? CHECK! Add literary flair bullshit that somehow pass as semi-mysterious? MUHAHAHAHA! MWAHAHAHAHA! Check! Pretend to be clever? CHECK! Somehow or the other, right? Give a mystery so childish only man-children can decipher? CHECK! And it was a masterpiece! Mock the readers by giving the literary middle finger? CHECK! MY PRIDE AND JOY! Break the Fourth Wall? CHECK! AUTHOR¡¯S GONNA BE PISSED! MUUHAHAHAHAHAHA! Lie to the readers about the incompetence of said Author? *WINK* *WINK* Make a fool of yourself¡­ oh. Right. Gonna shut up now. Just let me add one more to the list so I can somehow save myself. ¡­Pretend everything happened was just being you doing the number three in the list? HEHEHEheheheee. Haa¡­. check Finish with a Bang¡­ WAIT FOR IT¡­ Come now seeker. Awaken your inner stalking skill as we witness the everyday journey of a boy just like us. Realize your hidden sadism as we watch all his struggles, hardships, wrong decisions, and inevitable betrayals that shall ¡°promote his growth.¡± Anticipate for his lucky encounters with beautiful ladies that can never happen in real life. Note: the author would like to remind readers that one of the genre of this series is fantasy. Seethe in anger as the protagonist conquer five to six angel-like girls with different specs and characteristics (cuz,duh!) just by being nice. Just jesting fellow seekers, our MC is a badass and he having a harem is not yet set in stone. I warned you, seeker. In here, knowing the truth is the worst thing that may happen. And this truth is not even I, the Grand Seeker [aka Author] Come on. This is the only chance on acquiring an awesome chuuni title! is made aware of. Only the TOWER knows. BANG! ¡­CHECK. [Infinity Tower] - Ch 1.1 Blood Thicker than Fire I
The sun was at its zenith but the boy could not feel its heat, only its blessed light. He smiled in content as he tend to his activity in his schedule: tending the flowers in the royal garden. He inspected all the flowers since he lived here for three years. All 24 kinds of them. More than half was from his own personal backyard. Each of them beautiful on its own. From the passionate red of Blood roses, to the majesty of Silverweiss, to the mysticism of the Metalkisses. Each of them beautiful. Each of them dangerous. How? Only the boy knew. His name was Arthur. A fifteen year-old boy with sharp onyx-colored eyes, ash-grey hair and an unapproachable atmosphere wafting around him. His face advancing to the first stage of adolescence. His face becoming more angular, his jaws stronger, and his body build that was toned from his childhood surviving in the streets, was getting more developed. He was getting taller too: barely below six feet. If he strolled in the city, one would assume he was a noble, and they would be right. Half-right anyway. He hummed a lazy tune: his tune. The melody rose and fell at his predicted command. The notes followed the odd arrangement. It was not a beautiful song, but it was oddly pleasing to the ear. The song is the only memento from his mother he never knew. He was just a toddler, less than his first Wakeday, but he still remembered what his mother do to lull him to sleep. And he shall never forget. He can never forget. ¡°Milord,¡± A feminine voice called out to him, breaking out of his stupor. ¡°Hmm?¡± As he faced the owner of the voice. What greeted him was a pair of eighteen year old girls with dark-purple hair combed in ponytails, roundish lavender eyes and thin, childish lips. They had pointed ears and light-chocolate colored skin, indicating their race. Both of them were wearing maid outfits. The pair, despite being older, were a foot shorter than the ¡®young lord¡¯. They were unmistakably twins: Every little detail between them were so shockingly similar everyone in the castle would be confused. The thing is, the twins liked to keep it that way despite of heavy persuasion of the staff and the head handmaiden. The two girls had a peculiar habit that earned the confusion of the palace: they intentionally tried to make themselves uncannily similar to each other. They would walk in eerily perfect synchronization, would never separate for more than five meters, and would speak at the same time. Seldom, they even finished each other¡¯s sentences. Moreover, their template ¡®ice-princess¡¯ fa?ade they publicized did not do them any favor. For Althea and Astraea Morador, they were one. This troubled the maids and servants at the beginning of the twins¡¯ employ but then accepted it as their eccentric quirk. Crazy servants for the crazy lord, they said. ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± one of them spoke. ¡°Thank you, Astraea,¡± he stated nonchalantly, making the maid flinch. ¡°Let¡¯s go then. You and Althea coming with me?¡± ¡°¡°It is our duty.¡±¡± Both replied at the same time. ¡°Hahaha, don¡¯t be so stiff! It¡¯s a great day today!¡± he said as he started to walk leisurely. The twins followed at his sides. Due to their lord¡¯s bizarreness, he ordered them to always walk alongside him instead of behind him. They tried to ask the reason why but he just said in jest that he just want them in arm¡¯s reach, literally. Never did they knew that it was the truth. ¡°But lord, today is your Inheritance rite. And even though it should normally a great day for an Ashchiemvierre¡­¡± Althea, the younger twin hesitated ¡°Hmm?¡± his trademark smirk present on his face. His smile widened as if the twins delivered a joke and he¡¯s waiting for the punchline. ¡°Many parties and individuals are against of your inheritance and few may voice out their displeasure. Some might even result to violent confrontations,¡± Astraea finished. ¡°Exactly!¡± He exclaimed causing his faithful maids sigh in defeat. His eyes sparkled with mischievousness. ¡°Those old backstabbing good-for-nothing leeches going to be there and they¡¯ll seething in anger!¡± ¡°Yes, milord, they will. But¡­¡± ¡°But nothing Astraea!¡± he interrupted with great vigor. ¡°It¡¯s their last chance to impede my growth! It is already a certainty that they will do everything in their pathetic power to stop me from growing more powerful! Don¡¯t you see? It has come! The great confrontation! The bastard son of the Archduke of Fire versus the nobles of the Crimson City! Hahaha! It will be legendary!¡± ¡°No it won¡¯t, milord. It would just be an annoyance at worst. It certainly won¡¯t be filled with your delusions of grandeur.¡± ¡°Aww, such a killjoy, Astraea. Why won¡¯t you be like your little sister here? She¡¯s so cute and adorable.¡± ¡°Hwuah~??¡± The twin in question let out a strange sound as her attention was called. She nearly tripped but recovered instantly. Years of training as a maid in the highest ranking noble house in the kingdom paid off. This caused the Astraea involuntarily twitch her brow in annoyance. Seeing this, the young lord burst in laughter. ¡°Muu~~~¡± Althea pouted. ¡°Master, I believe I already told you to stop teasing me!¡± ¡°Hahahahah!¡± he quipped. ¡°I¡¯m not teasing you Althea, I¡¯m teasing both of you! You sooooo insist on being so similar so this great lord Arthur Azaleus Regalius Von Ashchiemvierre have to resort to drastic measure to differentiate you! I say you deserve it!¡± Althea was stunned for an instant then seemed to remember something. Her face puffed up accusingly. ¡°But master! Didn¡¯t you already notice that it was sis that called you minutes ago!?¡± ¡°Huh? Did I?¡± His trademark smirk, full of mischief and wonder, widened. ¡°Mou!!! Master!? You did! You did!!! You totally did, didn¡¯t you!?¡± His only answer was an amused chuckle. ¡°Milord, this one humbly ask what manner can you tell~~~¡± Astraea, ever-so-serious, started to ask flatly but¡­ ¡°Now let¡¯s go! To the Burning Tower!¡± She was completely ignored. She has no other choice but to follow her idiot master. She sighed looking at her company; one has a face was brimming with anticipation and eyes glowing with curiosity the other was trying to do an angry face and failing. She sighed again, shook her head ruefully and picked up her pace. The three¡¯s exchange was almost a daily ritual and Arthur always made sure to savor it. He liked the way Althea tried to glare at him but her eyes swims erratically after their gazes met. He enjoyed the moment Astraea reveals one of her rare smiles after her occasional defeated sighs. It was like taking a sip from a pair of rare wines just for the near-subtle sweet aftertaste. Being with these girls would make Arthur fulfilled and still want for more. Having thought of that, he unintentionally smiled serenely. The unfortunate girls, due to their habit of always looking at the boy to make sure he wouldn¡¯t do something odd again, didn¡¯t miss the change on his lips. Obviously, their breath were stolen away, their knees became weak and their eyes lost focus as they try to control their reddening faces. ¡®So unfair!¡¯ they thought as they try to catch up to him. Althea¡¯s face was still beet red as her eyes swam around except to his general direction and Astraea could barely maintain her ice-cold face fa?ade because of the hardly noticeable pink flush on her cheeks. Of course, Arthur noticed their reactions without even turning but wisely decided to ignore it. ¡®So cute¡­¡¯ he kept his thoughts to himself as he walked. Arthur Azaleus Regalius Von Ashchiemvierre. Considering the petty arrogance and the holier-than-thou attitude of pretty much most nobles in the world, they decided that longer names brings prestige and glory. Well, Arthur didn¡¯t have that posh name from the start. He was Arthur Iglesias until three years ago; named after the orphanage he was found. Preferably, he liked the Iglesias name better; after all it was simple, shorter and most of all¡­ It¡¯s so cool! Yes. That¡¯s his reason. Should¡¯ve known. Changing his name from Iglesias to an Ashchiemvierre was supposed to be impossible. Many among other nobles were opposed and the populace expressed their displeasure that a mud-eating, infamous problem child of the slums rise up to the ranks of the wealthy. However he was very lucky, was all that he could¡¯ve explained the happenings that happened three years ago. During the festival that only happens every ten years, there was a martial arts/swordsmanship competition aimed towards the newbie adventurers and mercenaries. Our MC participated purely for the reward money but no one expected that the gears of fate turned for him that day. To sum it up: He won. And he won spectacularly. During the finals, he was against the heir of the Ashchiemvierre House that participated after that latter¡¯s coming-of-age ceremony. In truth, the competition was supposed to be a demonstration of the burning might of the next generation of Ashchiemvierre to the fiefdom¡¯s subject. Well, the demonstration succeeded. Just not in the way anyone would have expected. Arthur, in his desperation to win, subconsciously activated an Arts that only an Ashchiemvierre could do. He did that, in addition with his bizarre flame, as a finisher in front of every spectator and the Duke himself. Because of that instant, the House decided to keep the boy as its new addition. Many was against the decision, claiming that such bastard did not deserve such position, the child was a vagrant thief, etc. etc., but the Duke¡¯s decision overruled them. Unexpectedly, the Duke¡¯s ruling was not an impulsive one. His reasons are: [1]He is without an Ashchiemvierre. The blood of the ancestor was without doubt running through his veins. [2]He was just a child. Complaints against him would earn the ire of some people. [3]He was powerful. His last opponent was the rumored one-in-a-millennium prodigy and he beat him, even though it was a very close call. Securing such a talent was a priority. [4]His prowess was seen publicly. He was expected to be a pillar for the House¡¯s fame. And he can¡¯t do it if he¡¯s dead. Or assassinated. And lastly: [5] His flames. Ashchiemvierre¡¯s fire magic superiority aside, Arthur¡¯s flames was bizarre. Instead of an intense red, his fire was metallic gray in color. His fire also lacked the heat attribute of a real fire; his was only lukewarm. As a consequence, his fire was dubbed as a fraud earning him the moniker the Fake Flame. However, the reason his odd fire was feared was mainly because of its three features: [1]His fire was ceaseless. Arthur, despite being a child, could make his fire for an indefinite amount of time. While it was possible to achieve this, one has to be a mage of the Fifth Circle or an Elder-ranked Ashchiemvierre. It was then discovered that its eternal attribute was a default setting. [2]His fire was cursed. The instant the gray fire made contact to a target, the target would be weakened. Sap his strength, decreased his speed, shoot his concentration, and drain the opponent¡¯s stamina. Various hexes could be activated. With the indistinguishable fire, this attribute¡¯s efficiency was multiplied tenfold. [3]His fire was the Firebane. Strangely, his fire, for a lack of better word, was a cannibal. His gray flame absorbs all fire, no matter if it¡¯s from a normal fire mage or a Flame, and make it its own. In this manner, the gray flame can imitate the scorching heat and the intense light that a real fire could have and more. Because of its eternal and cursed attributes, the product became deadlier; poisonous. A fake more real than the real. Imagine him orchestrating an attack with other Flames: Eating their fire and making it stronger and making the resulting fire¡¯s essence more mysterious and complicated in nature. Thus, Arthur the Fake Flame became the crimson city¡¯s trump card. Surprisingly, Arthur didn¡¯t mind his title. In fact, he secretly liked it. A fraud more genuine than real: The Fake Flame. Compared to the other names people spout in hushed whispers and subtle glances such as The Bastard, Chaos¡¯ Child, GrayFire, and That-Crazy-Fucking-Son-Of-A-Bi-guwaahhh!gck! ... yeah, go figure. As he walked in silence, looking at the flowers at the garden, he couldn¡¯t help but to smile wryly. Ahh¡­¡­ figures. ¡°Milord?¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Hmm?¡± He turned to Astraea quizzically. ¡°Is the Inheritance really necessary for you? Weren¡¯t you strong enough without it? Why risk getting caught up with this city¡¯s politics just for it?¡± ¡°Cuz it will be more fun that way!¡± ¡°Hahh¡­¡± ¡°Relax, I''m reckless but I¡¯m not stupid. I¡¯ve properly thought this through. Hmmmm¡­. How to explain it¡­ ah, yeah! This is the perfect time to purge them all in one swoop since the Duke is present. They could now only fight me head-on instead of scurrying in the shadows because for them this is most opportune moment to oust me! No way they¡¯re gonna pass it up!¡± ¡°Then doesn¡¯t make that a trap?¡± ¡°Yup, but what of it~?¡± He smiled innocently, but the twins knew that the smile he showed was anything but. ¡°Right now, the nobles¡¯ oppositions against me is in its last hurrah, so I plan to end it magnificently! And there¡¯s no grander stage than the Burning Tower! Told you it¡¯s legendary!¡± ¡°Haaaahh¡­ So you¡¯re saying ¡®they¡¯re becoming annoying that it¡¯s not fun anymore! Yosh! Let¡¯s end it!¡¯ right?¡± ¡°Wha! A-as expected of my maid, you¡¯re so competent! H-hahahaha!¡± ¡°Haaaaahhh... Very well, this one understands.¡± ¡°Good! Then let¡¯s go!¡± he suddenly smiled devilishly. Ah, Astraea mourned. I¡¯ve got a bad feeling abou-¡°Kyaahhh?! Milord!?¡± ¡°Wawawawawawa!?¡± ¡°[Flicker!]¡± Fire appeared on the soles of his shoes as he ran. Each of his step covered more than 20 meters as fire erupted from his feet. Due to his speed, petals from various flowers flew with them creating a surreal scene. She was surprised when she was lifted off the ground. She then realized that Arthur¡¯s hand was on her hip and his arm was on her back. She noticed that her sister was on the same situation and flailing cutely while letting out questionable cry. She then prepared her most vindictive glare she could muster but when he met her gaze, her breathing stopped. Even if the Ashchiemvierres, and all Duke Houses, were revered and regarded as quasi-gods by the populace, they weren¡¯t exempted from the dark rumors and stereotypes that the people place on them. Stereotypes like: volatile attitude, limited patience and the sudden urge to solve all problems by burning everything in sight. Astraea, as a personal maid of a Flame from the main house, snorted every time she heard those whispers in passing. She would smile smugly and would think: if only you¡¯d know. This time, Astraea wanted to slit the throat of her past self as she recalled one prevalent rumor: the males of Ashchiemvierres are excellent in¡­ excellent in¡­ umm¡­ excellent lovers. Some say that their gaze will melt you, their touch would make your knees weaken and their kiss will¡­ their kiss¡­ kiss¡­ Her thoughts were swirling in an unbelievable speed that she didn¡¯t notice her arms mechanically wrap around Arthur¡¯s neck much like her sister. It was only the smell of flowers and the rushing winds that make her wake from her reverie. Seeing her situation, she smiled dreamily. She was floating mid-air. With Roses and Carnations and Red Gerberas swirling around her like they were dancing. And her lord holding like a lover. She knew she was not a girl who dreams of dashing prince sweeping her off her feet but now that she experience the sensation, she couldn¡¯t blame those dreaming girls. In the corner of her mind, she recalled that fateful night. His figure shone with moonlight, as if he was the moon¡¯s conqueror. His eyes so black, darkness couldn¡¯t compete. And his smile¡­ She remembered their Oath to him and his Promise to them. She remembered that in that forest deprived of soul and sound, there¡¯s only them, him, the moon and his gray flame¡­ Ah, this truly is bliss. She strengthened her grip around his neck and closed her eyes bashfully. She let herself be swept away with dreams and delusions she never brought herself to think before. With the escorting wave of red petals, she let herself dream. Dream. In his arms. Safe. And in love. Arthur and the ladies¡¯ jog toward its destination: the Burning Tower at the foot of the Ruby Mountain, took about 25 minutes. It went without saying that Arthur refused the normal way of passing to the Burning Tower using the NewCarriages with escorts and all that regalities. He successfully ditched his entourage, even making the twins forget it even though they were the ones told to pick him up and shamelessly run toward his destination with the twins in his arms. His behavior would likely earn the ire of the guards and the disappointment of his instructor but like always, he didn¡¯t care. He simply ran without stopping to his goal. This time, his goal is the Burning Tower The Burning Tower got its name from red glow it emits from the fire crystal that it was made up of. Those crystals shed crystal dust in proximity and glows dim red around the building that creates the illusion of a forever-burning tower. It was situated at the center of the Flame territory which marked the location of the Ashchiemvierre main house. After 12 minutes, his two passengers were bewildered of his strange mood. His hold over them was near painful, outright possessive, his smile became a little stiff, and when they looked at his eyes, they can see under the sparks of mischief and amusement, they can see glimmer of doubt and worry. Then it hit them. Concern poured over them like cold water as they hugged tighter to him seeking more warmth. They almost forgot about the dangers of the inheritance rite. Because of Arthur¡¯s indifference every time the topic of the inheritance rite was raised, the twins paid it no matter. Their absolute trust to their master blinded them of the risks that he had to take. Firstly, because of his not-so-few enemies, the sisters were sure that the first part would be sabotaged and tampered that his rate success would be greatly diminished. They knew by sneaking around that the Courage Test was a hoax and a scheme that could eliminate him. Spouting such lines like ¡°prove if he¡¯s worthy¡± and ¡°it¡¯s the will of the ancestor¡± Then after that, a voting would be held if ¡°he was ready.¡± This time, the twins knew that Arthur prepared some countermeasures, they even helped him a few times, but they were skeptical if that¡¯s enough. But the one they were most worried about was the rite itself that would proceed at the ancestral chamber. It was said that the participant will bathe in golden ancestral fire and swim in the lava where the Ancestor vanished from. There you will gaze upon a star that was hotter than any other. And then you pray. The two knew that most of it was made-up to make it seem grandiose and foreboding (they knew the Flames¡¯ love for drama) but what they were scared about was the mortality rate of those who come into that chamber. Out of 20 Flames¡¯ (or any who carry the Aschiemvierre blood) only 15 came back alive. Moreover, 3 of those would be magically crippled for the rest of their lives and another 3 would be deem unworthy. Of course all of the main house and most of the major houses would succeed considering all the near unlimited resources, undivided attention, continuous support from their family and the fact that they dedicated their whole life just for that moment. But Arthur had none of that. Worse, he was a halfblood; any chance of success, however small, would be halved. And that was thinking optimally. Worry and fear was etched on the faces of the dangerously-dependent, frighteningly-obsessive maids as they squeezed harder. They eyes were locked to his face, looking for comfort. They clearly saw his laid-back attitude as they hovered through the air. The split second darkness in his eyes were gone, only replaced with warm consideration and cozy gratitude. They sighed a breath of relief. And their eyes were full of joy and accomplishment. Even if small, they knew that their master was as dependent of them as they to him. After all, it really felt good to be needed. Arthur, on the hand was nervous. But not because of the rite itself. In fact, he had this sinking feeling that there¡¯s a chance that he might die even before he go inside the tower. During his trip to the Burning Tower, he had not seen any guard around, let alone other people. Even the gardener mister Gardener (his name was Gardener) that should be tending the gardens daily was out of sight. His gut feeling came true when he used [flicker] so glide through the air towards the tower. There should be patrolling guards along the cobbled road and around the cherry trees but he found none. He sighed in defeat followed by a dark chuckle. ¡®No choice then¡¯ ¡°[Burst] [double flicker]¡± [Burst] was like an explosion generated from his legs that catapulted them 15 meters off the ground and [double flicker] enabled him to jump on air like they¡¯re platforms. The off-road then led to an uphill slope covered with red crystals around. Again, no guards, let alone people. He chuckled grimly, further narrowing his lists of suspects. As expected¡­ After 5 more minutes, they arrived at the top of the hill, gawking at the 50-meter burning crimson tower. Flickers and orbs of fire revolved around like moths but the temperature didn¡¯t change; still cool. Red grasses that looked like dried blood were abundant; covering the ground except from the areas a few fire crystals were clustered together. The tower itself was almost symmetrical if not for a few crystal shards protruding the left side(their POV) of the tower. To Arthur, it looked majestic. It looked intimidating. It looked¡­ ...like a big red dick. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ [pim pom paam!] the Narrator is unavailable for the moment. Please wait [pim pom paam!] ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Breathe in. Hahh. Okay. Let¡¯s fucking continue. He released his twin maid hostages form his embrace and smiled faintly when the sisters refused to budge for a few seconds. Althea aside, he didn¡¯t expect Astraea would be this clingy. The last she was like this was¡­ ¡­the night they met. He smiled. Then kissed her forehead. She shivered slightly and released him. The other one, seeing her sister separated, pouted slightly and followed. The two stepped back two steps so that they would be diagonally behind him. Their heads lower to hide(and failing) their red faces. Arthur frowned. He closed his eyes and scanned with his superior senses and [Heat pulse]. He expected 50 mercenaries, 100 assassins and even monsters attacking him but he only sensed one heat signature. It was indistinct, somewhat hazy signature. He would have failed to notice if that one didn¡¯t accidentally looked at his direction and let out bloodlust. His frown deepened. He would gladly fight 10,000 assassins than to fight the one hiding behind a two-meter fire crystal 20 meters behind him. He sighed deeply. His contemplation was disturbed by the melodic voice behind. He turned around and froze. Looking at Astraea, cold realization hit him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to enter Milord?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± The would-be-assailant didn¡¯t attack him when he baited it with a slow-moving air-gliding target that made him stupidly vulnerable to attack but that one didn¡¯t take it. Looking at his companions, he realized. That one wasn¡¯t an enemy. Well, it wasn¡¯t an ally either. ¡°Milord?¡± ¡°Hmm???¡± With a subtle tilt of her head, Althea¡¯s voiced reached him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going in?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ Yah. Oh, before I forgot, the two of you shall prepare for tonight,¡± he nonchalantly said. Astraea was confused for a moment. ¡°Pardon? Oh! As you command, we shall prepare for a sumptuous supper for your lordship. As we are aware that the Rite is mind-exhausting, strength-depleting and stamina-draining event, any delicacy that milord would need---¡° ¡°You.¡± ¡°---shall be prepared. Whaaza?¡± ¡°I want you for supper,¡± he said. Astraea was frozen. She looked at her side and saw that her dear twin sister was so red, she¡¯s smoking. That added to her confusion until a breeze touched her body and she shivered. She slowly, ever so slowly, turned her eyes back to the young master. And he was inches for her. He was smiling like he used to. But the way he looked down upon her, his hand on her chin, and his eyes perceiving like she¡¯s prey waiting to be devoured took her breath away. All she could do was to take a single step back and to widen her eyes as he neared her. Then, unsurprisingly, he kissed her. At first. It was just a peck in the lips, but it was enough to send mind into chaos. Then the slight glitter in his eyes that seemed to say: but wait, there¡¯s more! made her reactions to his advances all but futile. His lips brushed against hers and his t-t-tongue(oh heavens beyond!) invaded her mouth easily. Pleasure assaulted her as fear and anxiety crept in her like a hundred ants crawling but she knew she could not to anything but submit. ¡°Hmm?! Fumhhm! HHfuhmm!? Fuwwaa!¡± Her mind was a mess. She couldn¡¯t make coherent thoughts, she failed to realize that she was kissing him back. Her hand that she assumed to be paralyzed was on the back of his head as his wandered around the back of her waist and thigh. Even though her kisses were a bit inexperienced, as expected of a prim and proper elf, the glazed-almost-hungry glint in her eyes was prominent as she tip on her toes. ¡°Hmm¡­ Huwahh¡­ Fuhmm! Wuhh-Hiyahnn!!¡­¡± Before she knew it, her ear was being caressed. She broke off from him and panted roughly, eyes glowing slightly. Before she could get her bearings, she saw for a second his smile as he bit her ear. ¡°Hyihmm¡­ hmm¡­¡± And licked it. ¡°Hyahh!! HmmpHH! Mufuhmm?? Fuwhaa¡­ ahHwa?¡± And then her moans were sealed off with another kiss. ¡­ Astraea Morador was never a romantic. Those who met her was convinced that her heart was made of ice and her bearings was nothing but pragmatic. Her working ethics were so precise and efficient that you would question if she was really a living being. However, what most didn¡¯t gleam was that compared to her sister, she was more pure and na?ve. She was a dreamer. Despite her heavy anchor on reality, she let herself delude of scenes and scenarios she didn¡¯t think would happen in her at all. Because she strongly insisted that those preposterous events would never-ever-ever happen to her, her delusions were more vivid in comparison to those ¡®maiden-bitches¡¯ she loathed so much. But she never dreamt of anything like this before; or anything close to for that matter. What she imagined was only a chaste kiss, followed by¡­ another kiss and a hug. She dreamed of being alone with him, under the two moons¡¯ lights cuddling contently, sharing a wonderful memory. She imagined having a family with him, with two kids (both had pointed ears) in her home in that forest where the sun didn¡¯t shine. But she didn¡¯t dream of this. This¡­ THIS!!! Their¡­ activity¡­ took about 10 minutes and she gradually lost her consciousness and went limp. Her breathing deepened as hey eyes fluttered to sleep. The remaining vestiges of her mind was only thinking of how good it felt. ¡­ Meanwhile. Althea, the self-proclaimed little sister was frozen solid, sporting a strange stiff smile unable to tear herself from the spectacle in front of her. Everything happening around was so foreign, weird, and so hot. Without noticing her arousal, she stared intensely to her master and her sister doing¡­ things. Unspeakable things. WAWAWAWAWA!! They¡¯re kissing! Wah, they¡¯re kissing! Sis, you okay? You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re okay? WAWAWA, so intense! WAAWAAWAA! Wow, Sis is kissing back! Kyahhh! Do me too! Do me toooo!!! Sis, you know I love you so much, but right now you look like a bitch! Sthap! WAWAAAWAWWA! Althea was always the imaginative, colorful, and childish of two dark elves. Errant thoughts swiveled around her mind as she stared at her sister getting¡­ ravaged. Because of their parallel looks, it wasn¡¯t a stretch that in her mind, she was the one being eaten as dessert. She didn¡¯t realize that her breathing became rougher and her eyes became unfocused. After 10 minutes, she shivered in a mixture of fear and excitement as her master lowered her sister and looked at her direction. His gaze here fierce and foreboding, masked with unbridled desire and dark cunning. But, she didn¡¯t mind one bit. In fact she welcomed it. Instead of stepping back and running away, she stepped closer as she lord flickered towards her. ¡°Your turn,¡± he said. ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Arthur didn¡¯t like the Ashciemvierres¡¯s special disposition but he deemed it necessary for just this instance as he turned off the [Melting Hearts] skill. His two retainers were lying in the red grass, in deep sleep with slackened grins and pinkish blush on their cheeks. He chuckled, then he sighed. Then he turned around and said softly, ¡°Come out, we have to talk.¡± And she did. [Infinity Tower] - Ch 1.2 Blood Thicker than Fire II
[Arthur Iglesias] ... GOGOOOON!!! ¡­ The double doors closed loudly as I magnanimously entered. I wasn¡¯t surprised in the darkness that permeated inside. Nor to the sudden light brought by the torches that lit up sequentially a few seconds later. I definitely wasn¡¯t surprised in the slightest from the twenty-foot tall azure flame at the end of the passage less than a hundred meter away. Instead I sighed as if giving up. Figures. This family sure loves the dramatics. Hahhh¡­. Hai! It¡¯s Arthur! I don¡¯t know why but I have the sudden urge to explain everything I experience here to the minute details but whatever. Ohh! I think Aniki mentioned this before! If I somehow wanted to narrate something in minute details for no apparent reason I must not break some four walls or else I will be smited by the great god named Ottor! Yeah! Absolutely no idea what it means! Oh well, I just have to make sure that if I have to break walls, three is enough! Moderation is the key to success! Hyahahh! Come to think of it, I have never heard of a god named Ottar before¡­ Back to my soliloquy, I¡¯ll have you know that walking in this ¡®mysteeeeeerrriiiiooouuus¡¯ corridor lit up with torchlights is really boring. Torch to the right, torch to the left and the creeping darkness everywhere. I heard that this was supposed to be a trial where the partaker¡¯s martial strength and resolution was to be tested but I somehow don¡¯t get it. I¡¯m pretty sure I wasn¡¯t being tested. Maybe the shadows of various grotesque creatures that slips between the walls or the unnerving feeling I feel a few times when I wasn¡¯t shone by the torches was involved but I digress. They¡¯re not doing anything to me, just walking (or phasing? Slinking?) with me instead of attacking. In fact, I can already feel a friendship blossoming! Hahahaha! ¡°HAHAHAHA!¡± Ahh! I was supposed to be quiet! I can already hear the countless jeers and sneers that those nobles and elders would endlessly spout such us my ¡®disregard to the tradition of the family,¡¯ ¡®insolent attitude,¡¯ and ¡®disrespect to the sacred grounds of the Ashchiemvierres.¡¯ Well they always do that in every opportunity available so those remarks didn¡¯t faze me any longer. Really, how immature! What Mr. Weird Shadow People? I¡¯m not the one to talk? Iyaah, how embarrassing? *blush* Okay, now that we¡¯re friends, come accompany me here! It¡¯s really boring without a conversation partner in this dark and dreary place so let¡¯s talk! What? Who were the cuties on the outside? Hmm, I have no idea what you are talki--- Oh! You mean Astraea and Althea!? Hahahahaha! Shadow-san, I know that we really hit it off very well, and you were thiiiiisssss close to be accepted to my sworn brother, but *killing intent* HANDS OFF, THEY¡¯RE MINE. *killing intent* Ohh, you were just asking? You just find them irresistibly cute that you just had to bring it up. It¡¯s not like you can do anything with that shadow body of yours??? Iyaah, sorry about that shadow-san, you should know that I¡¯m really protective when it comes to those two because of our circumstances in the past. You don¡¯t want to know how many fights I had to win, perverts I had to castrate, scums I had to kill, and nobles I had to ward off to make sure the twins stay safe. After all, they really were rare and beautiful. Did you know that I¡­ Wait. Is it just me or did my distance to the weirdly dancing blue fire tower at the end not change at all? Huh? It really didn¡¯t change? Wow so strange¡­ But now, we can talk for a little bit longer! Well, enough about my twins, shadow-san, I could tell you about this house! After all, you live here! *ehem* The House of Ashchiemvierre is one of the four Ducal Houses of the Eclectic Kingdom of Alshana. Like the other Houses, they serve the throne occupied by the Alshana royal family loyally and undisputedly. The fiefdom that it governs, the Crimson city and various towns and villages around its borders, along with the whole Aryanna Mountains was located to the west of the capital. Possessing three forts, the Ashchiemvierres (also known as the Flames) along with another Ducal House located slightly up north, served as the vanguard of the kingdom. We boasted the greatest military might in the kingdom with 35000 soldiers, 1500 knights and 150 mages (30 Flames included). Furthermore, because of our high affinity with fire and our ancient arts, the blacksmithing industry of the dukedom is leagues above the standard that it stand toe-to-toe against the dwarven technology! We also control the roads to and from the kingdom so we are in charge of the land trade and the transportation economy internal and external. Awesome, right!? Y¡¯know, this really getting boring. Sorry shadow-san, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like your company but I really want to get this over with. See yah! ¡°[Flicker]¡± Hyahhah! It¡¯s slightly intriguing that even though I accelerated considerably the air resistance of this place is somewhat nil. Whatever, I just had to¡­ Oh shadow-san! You really don¡¯t want to let me go! And you brought the other weird shadow people, too! I know!!! You people are so bored too that you want to race me, right!? You¡¯re on! Hyahhah! This great one never backs out on a race, y¡¯know! I¡¯m super awesome y¡¯know!!! ¡°[Double Flicker]!¡± Bwahahaha! Now I don¡¯t have to wait for my foot to touch the ground for me to touch the ground, I could just walk on air! Fumu, as expected of me, I¡¯m awesome no matter what I do. Don¡¯t you agree, shadow-san?!! *Raise right arm to block, then use [double flicker] backwards with a backflip. Ensure sight on all possible angle of attacks when landing. Stomp ground to use an Area-of-effect magic with a knockback effect to buy a few seconds of respite. ¡°[Crimson Ring]!¡± *Reaction commendable. Checking for injuries: Right arm uninjured. Subconscious use Aura to block damage was assumed. Pain negligible. Continue to use Aura, follow with Aschiemvierre¡¯s [Blood boil] and [Adrenaline]. Observe the situation. ¡®Eh!!?? Shadow-san?!?! I thought we were friends!'' That sucks, my FORMER friend shadow-san overtook me for a second that I thought ¡®wow, he really want to win this! What an admirable shadow-person!! Truly a shadow among shadows!!!¡¯ but then he spun and swiped his oversized claw to my head! Well, I could¡¯ve dodged that but because of my excitement to finish a race and the sudden betrayal of my friend *sniff sniff* I hastily chose to block instead. *Codename: shadow-san unharmed. Unacceptable. 7 shadows were knocked back, 5 shadows disoriented, 16 are dealing with the gray flames clinging to their bodies. Good. AOE Crimson Ring yields effective damage. Use Crimson Ring as a catalyst to a higher tier magic. Input mana to the circumference. Guide fire spirits to alter third aria. Prevent risk of backlash by generating counter-revolution mana ring. Add spin factor. Exclude the [crimson ring] area. Activate gray flames. ¡°[Crimson Storm]!¡± Weird, even in my battle mode, the strange urge to explain everything didn¡¯t come off. Meh, whatever goes, I guess. [Crimson ring] was a third tier magic that applies burn and knockback damage in a given area with the caster¡¯s position as the center (but with my fire, burn damage is zero). It gives the caster ample time to use another magic or change the flow of battle. Furthermore, crimson ring enhances all fire-based attacks by 50% as long as the caster stays inside. [Crimson storm] on the other hand was an AOE field that attacks outwards from the border of the prerequisite magic using the inside a haven to prepare for another attack. Normally, the catalyst magic [crimson ring] should disappear the moment [crimson storm] was activated, but for this great me, nothing is impossible! Mwuhahaha! With a little tweak and bit of addition, I created a gray-colored whirlpool-rotating storm that becomes stronger with time as long as its eye, the [crimson ring], is present! As expected of me, I¡¯m awesome no matter what I do. Now, I just have finish it my-style! *Command acceptable. Constructing appropriate mana sequence. Establishing seven aria modules. Eliminating unnecessary variables. Copy {burn hex} from the gray hex module and install to new faux-model sequence. Overwhelm with mana and capture appropriate fire spirits¡¯ mana. Kneel and put hand on ground to harmonize with existing spells. Convert gray flame to red fire. Cast with impunity! ¡°[Synchronize ¨C Imitate flame]!!!¡± SHHHHHRAAAAHHHHH WHUUSHHHHH¡­.. Nyahahaha! Shadow-san, you should know that even if I may be a bit (?) reckless I¡¯m not an idiot. A test created for an Ashchiemvierre would definitely be immune to fire, or at least has a high resistance. Although I admit your numbers may be a problem for an ordinary Flame, but I reckon this cheat number that spell doom was designed for me only. That¡¯s a given! After all, as expected of me, I¡¯m awesome no matter what I do that I have to be killed! The hardship of all popular men is unending! Fumu fumu! *Calculating damage: 6 shadows incinerated. 15 shadows caught inside the storm range; burning. The rest are taking distance. Dissmiss experiment. Variables calculated. Requirements met. Activate virtual calculations for [Wisp King Summoning] But as expected of a hikiki? hikoko? moroco?... As expected of a shut-in, you don¡¯t know me at all! My fire is fake y¡¯know. It¡¯s not real y¡¯know? It eats any source of strength with time y¡¯know? Even resistance y¡¯know? Especially resistance, y¡¯knoooowww!? *Resume calculating damage: 13 shadows incapacitated. Codename: shadow-san included. Calculations over. Use clockwise flow of [crimson storm] as anchor and absorb [crimson ring] in a sphere matrix above caster with fire spirits¡¯ assistance. Use [crimson storm] as magic coat while injecting mana and ashes to core. Increase revolutions while decreasing mana flow outwards. Expel excess fire. Because of the gray [crimson storm] that turned to crimson [crimson storm], your resistance was greatly diminished that I could say that it was easier to burn you than any other attack. Well, doing that was a little bit tricky but considering how awesome I am, it¡¯s a piece of a cake! Simply put: I cheated. Hyahhah! Teehee. Nothing complicated. I just isolated that {burn hex} factor from the gray flames, then overwrite it to every other factors without destroying the magic sequence and altering the flow of mana while maintain the synchronized [crimson storm]. However, my fire was still fake. It just had a tremendous amount of burn hexes that it looks real. Even the mana is deceived: perceiving the fire as a red color. Mwuhahaha! Anyway, time to end it. Bye shadow-tan. ¡°[Alter Magic - Wisp King Summoning]!!!!! Go destroy them!¡± *Add mana signature. Home in to codename: shadow-san as target. Release! Burn Motherfucka!!!! *ehem* *ehem* Rectify impulse control systems. BOOOOOBOOOOMMMMM!!!!!! *Calculate damage: all enemies evaporated. Tar-like substance as proof/corpses. Calculate collateral damage: Floor is melting. Ceiling undamaged. Strange but irrelevant. Two walls broken. Mwuahahaha! As expected of me, I¡¯m¡­ What!? Two walls broken?! *Deactivate [blood boil] to recover rational judgment. Continue using [adrenaline]. Moving instead of staying dormant recommended. Activate [double flicker]. *Run. Damnit. I blame you shadow-san!!! Wahhh! Calm down, Calm down. It¡¯s okay! It is still okay! I only broke two of them! Wahahaha! As long as I moderately do moderate actions in moderation, I will be okay, moderately. Yeah, anyway time to continue running and end this creepy adventure. *Combat mode terminate. [Arthur Iglesias] Wow. I¡¯ve being running for half an hour, maintaining [double flicker], [adrenaline], and the ever famous summoning Flames¡¯ magic [Wisp King Summoning] but my distance was to that blue fire tower was still unchanged. On the other hand, I met with four more groups of shadow-friends but it all ended in less than 3 seconds. Fully exploiting the big ball of gray-red flame hovering above me aka ¡®Wisp King¡¯ to melt all shadows before they get to me and compounding it with [Trailblazer] and [When there¡¯s Smoke, there¡¯s Fire] to scout ahead and burn them all WAY before they get to me is really a method only a genius like me can think of! Nyahahaha! As expected of me, I¡¯m a genius no matter what I do!Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Anyway, after that, I cancelled the [double flicker] and [adrenaline] and just decided to walk leisurely. Well, I still maintained the manaflow to feed to the [Wisp King] so my mana was still depleting in a slow but constant rate but I pay it no matter. After dealing with five groups of shadow-thingies, I noticed that the fire at the distance was changing colors every time I deal with a group. From Sapphire to navy blue to green to yellow to orange. Hmm, let me think. I have a straight corridor with infinite distance guarded by groups of shadowmajigas loitering randomly. Hmmmm¡­ Yep, burning them all in one shot seems a perfect idea. Genius. ... [Navicer Ceilo Saccaron] My name is Navicer Ceilo (shi-ye-lo) Saccaron, firstborn of the Hand of The Duke of Fire: Rene Asmetuz Saccaron. The House of Saccaron was a minor house that serves as butlers and retainers for the main House of Ashchiemvierres for at least 7 generations. We, as the old man would like to remind in every opportunity he gets, ensure the safety of our lords and the prosperity of the land our lords govern. We serve as their right hands and there is no greater glory to serve them except, (of course) die for them. Yes, my Dad¡¯s crazy. Let me be clear, I was not the kind of person that likes to bend my head down and follow orders like a mindless golem but I knew that I was not the of person who was suited to give orders more. I am 100% normal noble, with slightly good head, fair control of my magics and slightly fairer face than my peers, I could do everything I want with passable results. However, I would never be great. Everything I do is mediocre. Oh shit. Sorry about the monologue. It¡¯s just that what I am seeing is so surreal that my brain forces me to think of something not relevant. It¡¯s a bad habit, I know. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Fuck, that boy¡¯s a monster. Today was the ¡°Bastard¡¯s¡± inheritance rite and many interested parties came to observe the so called City¡¯s trump card. There are those who supports the motion, (not many, of course) those who objects, (i.e. almost every major noble house) and those who are just in it to see the conflict between the two factions. I¡¯m on the third category while Dad on the first one. Honestly, I failed to understand my father¡¯s decision to support someone with clear disadvantage and questionable origins and when I asked him about it, he just smiled mysteriously and replied, ¡®you¡¯ll see¡¯. ¡­ Fuck, that boy¡¯s a monster. ¡­Ehem, sorry about that. Everyone but the participant was in the upper floor gathered to look (with the scrying crystal of course) at the Trial of the Courageous to decide if the young man ¡°deserve to drink the blood of fire¡± but I call bullshit. This is just a roadblock from the nobles to eliminate what they did not want to become stronger by installing Fire-immuned Phantom golems and massacring the hell of anyone dared to. I still did not know why the Duke four generations ago implemented it. The moment the young master came in, he had a nice smile and calm eyes that didn¡¯t fit the surrounding. As if he was just there to sightsee. And for the first five minutes, that was exactly what he did. With unhurried footsteps and sunny smile, he watched the shadows creeping between the torches and neglected to strike them at their weakest. The younger generation sneered at his idiocy and laughed mockingly while the experienced ones felt something was amiss. It was an inexplicable aura around him. It was like¡­ ¡°¡­like he absorbs danger to himself to make him the deadliest predator in the vicinity.¡± My head swiveled to my right and looked that the face who let out that surprised whisper. She was beautiful. Golden-colored doe eyes that projects vague innocence to those who catch her gaze, Straight vermillion her that signifies her majestic grace and cherry-red lips that was downright sensual. Her presence and charisma was overwhelming, like a single candlelight in the middle of the dark room, forcing all to look at her became moths willingly. She sat gracefully, her porcelain-ish legs crossed, and subtle smirk graced her lips as she watch with amused concentration. She is Lilianna Amalia Effilii Ashchiemvierre. She was the current successor of the Ashchiemvierre household and the young man¡¯s older sister. Ah! So beautiful! Because of her charisma, the populace adores her and every--- Uwahh, sorry! Bad habit, bad habit. Anyway, what she said was very close to what I¡¯m sensing that I dare not refute her. She was the girl I admire the most and I hoped to become her aide but that bitch from the Regnez got it first! That bitch! I swear when I~~~ Oh, sorry! Sorry! My bad habit¡¯s acting up again. Where was I? Oh yea, that crazy bastard! Oh! He¡¯s running now! With a crazy smile on his face! Followed those phantom golems¡­ using his [flicker] then [double flicker] to gain more speed. ¡­then¡­ Then¡­ Fuck, that boy¡¯s a monster. The alpha shadow golem used [phantom swipe] that should have been invisible but that bastard coated his arms with aura used the force to distance himself and effectively counterattacked with a [crimson ring]¡­ ¡­all of it in one second. As if it wasn¡¯t enough, he proceeded to demolish the shadow golems with an ingenious use of [crimson storm] without negating the [crimson ring]. Around the hall, shouts like ¡°Impossible!!!¡± and ¡°W-what!?!¡± rang wildly, only few people remained calm. The woman beside me, the general, a couple of Elders, the chief handmaiden (she doesn¡¯t have expression), my father with his proud smile, and of course the Duke looking passively. The younger generations (those plunged themselves in debauchery) looked confused and lost. On the other side of the room, I could see the patriarch of the Redmoldr House (Military and Knighthood House) grinding his teeth and the scion of the Vermillana House (in-charge of Magic crystal mines) paling gradually while whining ¡°my babieesssss¡± repeatedly. Well, I cannot blame them. Seeing that crazy monster boy melted the golems down like they¡¯re made of wax was really surreal and justifiably ironic. Oh, I can see the patriarch of the Christamere gritting his teeth as the cool fa?ade of his handsome face breaks slightly. That boy did something unbelievable. He used [C. ring] as a catalyst for [c. storm] without demolishing the magic circle from the former that the effects off the latter increased tenfold. A combination of 3rd and 4th tier magic with the power of a 6th tier because of his gray flames was created. A Flame¡¯s M.O. was to deal everything with overwhelming firepower and if that¡¯s not enough, more overwhelming firepower. A Flame¡¯s nature of being loved by fire spirits made it possible with his/her near unlimited mana reserves and efficient spirit-mana-material conversion that he/she neglects mundane spellcasting. But that boy didn¡¯t study the Flame way. Before he came to the Crimson Castle, his spellcating was of the normal mages. Precise, controlled and measured. He followed a step-by-step system that made it easy to follow in contrast of the Flames way of bypassing processes to practice spells. Now that he knows to control fire spirits, he successfully mastered spirits arts to bypass complicated arias and combined it to mundane spellcasting resulting of a more efficient synchronicity in fire magics and more cohesive and sturdy magical foundations. ¡­he did it in three years. And in that time, he ---- WHHAAATTTT!!!! ¡°WHAT!¡± His fire is red! His fucking fire is fucking red!!!! What. The. Hell. Shouts and howls and roars of bewilderment was heard throughout. Chaos brewed and exploded in near comical manner. I can see the twin houses of Razzelias and Garmett that pioneers in magical theologies and theories drooling in anticipation. Despite my shock, I can recognize the man¡¯s plan to show-off and garner more votes for him and unexpectedly it is working. Curiosity of the unknown entices such powerful figures. Anyhow, how is his fire red?! ¡°It¡¯s not real.¡± My seatmate stated prudently. Her voice was quiet, but despite shouts and gasps of the viewers and the sound of the red storm below, it was clear. It was heard. 3 seconds of silence followed until my honored father¡¯s voice boomed. ¡°Princess, this one does not understand. Can you elaborate for this old man?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not real. His fire is still fake. It¡¯s just red.¡± My father frowned, half understanding but the princess did not state more, focused on the revolving storm and the smiling boy drawing spirits at the center. More people were confused but my father looked at me. Sigh, I knew this was coming. I closed my eyes for a few seconds then chanted¡­ With my eyes, I see the world. With the world, I see myself... [Truthsayer] Dull headache followed. It took 10 seconds to calm my head as I listed to the swush and wush of the firestorm. It was oddly calming. Then I opened my eyes. My viridian eyes. I hate the headaches but the glitters and purple sparks it produces was pretty cool. I could faintly hear sighs of amazement around me and I can see a smile of amusement from my idol, Miss Lilianna. I could not help but smile widely Then I look at it. I looked at him. It was chaos. A controlled chaos of fire and magic. It¡¯s like he was playing with the rules of the world, bending them slightly and giving them more colors and the spirits loving the thrill, were helping him. The intricacies of the spells laid bare before him and he toyed with them with expertise; obtaining only what he wants and discarding what he didn¡¯t and the rules of magic obeyed furtively. Simply put: a cheat. A beautiful cheat, nonetheless. ¡°Wow¡­¡± I could feel all eyes on me. I gulped nervously and think of an answer. I could not just tell what I saw. I would sound like mad. Deep breaths. ¡°He broke down his fire in module level, isolated {burn hex} function and bulldoze it to his fire the Flame way. The fire was still fake, but with immeasurable {burn hex} curses, his flame was more effective than any other. An ordinary fire or even a Flame¡¯s fire should be ineffective to those fire-immune abominations but his fire was deteriorating their fire resistance then cursing them with burn hexes, melting them like right now.¡± Amazed whispers and the sound of gritted teeth permeated around the room. Got to give it the young master, he sure knows how to awe the audience. Truly an Ashchiemvierre. I closed my eyes, but still rejected to stop my spell. I instead listened to the hushed voices. ¡®Damn that bastard!¡¯ ¡®Ah, I see. It was more effective that real fire. How ironic.¡¯ ¡®Hmmmmm¡­.¡¯ ¡®My precious!!!¡± ¡®He¡¯s useful.¡¯ ¡®All according to plan¡­¡¯ ¡®Fufufufufufufu¡¯ ¡®Hm, that boy could be the chosen one¡¯ ¡®Fufufufuwhahahahafufu¡¯ ¡®I need to duel with this guy¡¯ ¡®He¡¯s so cool¡¯ ¡®my babiessssss!!!!¡¯ Then the spirits quivered, as if anticipating a new game. I opened my eyes and looked at the only source of all things crazy. ¡­ Fuck, that boy¡¯s a monster. My eyes were so wide it could pop out of their sockets. My mouth was opening and closing like a drowned fish. I was sure that most of the people here watching that monster demonstrate that thing was in a similar state as I am. I could not look away. It was beautiful, whatever he was doing. It was like he was painting using the spirits as brush and fire and mana as paint. The vortex of red and gray collided in an artistic sphere and materialized in this world. Using the [C. ring] as a stabilizer and [C. storm] as fuel added by the variables collected from the earlier battle. Beautifully, the storm caved and closed like petals of a flower and the [Wisp King] was summoned. It was ingenious. At least one must be a Master-ranked Flame to summon the [wisp king] and if they succeeded, it would most likely be unstable. However, with the use of a methodological, timed, and controlled spellcasting, the young master summoned it almost effortlessly. And I can see that it was stable. Calm even. With a little bit of sadistic desire to burn those unburnable. Of course the young master humored it gladly. And it burned them like the wrath of the sun. Everyone was stunned. The sheer firepower it showed was outstanding. Those battle-junkies and pyromaniacs among us were giddy like six-year old children finally found a new game. Those Elders opposed to his rite were left confused and lost: clearly they see the advantage of having such genius. The Marquis of Redlake was staring daggers at the young lord¡¯s visage, hoping to kill him with his stare. The princess was smiling wider. I¡­ I was just there. Looking at him. Looking at his magic. I didn¡¯t notice the passage of time as he demolished every single phantom golem there; using the [wisp king] as a morning star to throw around, blazing through the golems and teleporting back inside the weird ring of grey smoke above the young master¡¯s head. I could not fault him. It was effective. But what grate my nerves is the audacity of the admins here to station more phantom shadows. Minutes passed and I counted more than 200 already! I was about to stand and curse at the Vermillianas and Redmoldrs but the sudden stop of the young master made my pause. His smile just gotten more sinister. As if a devilish prank just formed in his head. What happened next was something I could never forget. He raised his left arm forward, concentrating with his palm toward the azure fire illusion. Oddly, the [wisp king] floated a few inches from his hand and hummed erratically, like a beating heart. Or a time bomb. The halo of gray smoke above the young master followed and served like a corona to the sun-like [wisp king]. It revolved around the sphere like an orbital ring. I gasped as the young master poured in more and more mana, not to the sphere but to the smoke orbit. That monster¡­ is going to do something crazy. Confused looks towards me was ignored as I fervently watched the sphere pulsed uncomfortably because of the choking pressure from the orbit. Young master Arthur used the smoke like a chain to control the wisp king for what he planned next. He planned to use the self-destruct skill of the [wisp king] but channel it like a concentrated attack forwards. When the [wisp king] could not take more pressure, Lord Arthur used the opportunity to tweak the arias inside it and grasp the self-destruct sequence to his liking. He closed his hand abruptly and balloon wisp king crumbled within and deflated but the heat and fire inside it still remained. He shouted: ¡°[Alter Magic: Wisp King Nova]!!!¡± on the top of his lungs. It may just be me but I thought I heard a rancorous childlike laugh coming from the wisp king as it deflated. In a split second, using the corona smoke that became a spirit-clad magical circle, he pulled back his arm then punched the air forward, releasing all red heat, gray smoke, and cursing light outwards. With the control of the revolving spirit-clad corona, no excess flowed backwards. ZzzzuuuuUUUUUUPPPP¡­ Ting! DOOOOGOOOOOOMMMM BOOOOMMMM!!!! A beam of angry red devoured everything in a straightforward manner. It lasted for 20 seconds; melting everything in its path. Truly, only an Ashchiemvierre would only be this hot-headed. After a minute of dust and smoke, we could see the young mater chuckling; obviously proud of his work. The ground floor was destroyed. All of the walls were melted. The floor become uneven, half of the floor were downed 5 meters almost like a cliff. And the illusion of the azure flame was gone. Destroyed. But all I could see is the young man breathing heavily while giggling innocently. His face laced with sweat but his smile was still present; contagious. I knew that looking at him, I was mesmerized. To him, and to the fire in his eyes. That fire is genuine. [Infinity Tower] - Ch 1.3 Blood Thicker Than Fire III
[Arthur Iglesias] Epic. I am so proud of my work, I barely noticed the glow around me. Motes of lights appeared and blurred vision became apparent as I apparently would be transported to the ¡®next stage¡¯ as Aniki called it. Even so, I couldn¡¯t care less as all I could think of was how awesome was I during that final attack. Who¡¯s awesome? I¡¯m awesome! Kukuku! ¡°Kukukuh!¡± Anyway, after a few seconds of lightshow, the magic circle below my feet rotated like unlocking a doorknob and glowed slightly brightly. Then I was teleported to another place. Well, the floor above. Apparently, my ancestors didn¡¯t know the concept of ¡®stairs.¡¯ Anyway, I was in the center of a room. With red-and-white checkered floor with no ceiling or walls(Yeehee!), all I could see were globes of fire around me. They surrounded me with the nearest ones floating 10 meters from me and the farthest about 60. They were spheres of different sizes and presumably different shades of red(who the hell would know that!) that I concur were the viewers of my new gig. I could see the holy-shit class of fireball 40 meters in front of me that somehow I mistakenly assumed to be the sun was the representation of my father, the Duke of the Crimson City and nearby Domains. I could infer the balls(teehee) of Princess Liliana, 3 of the generals, 5 aides from the Saccaron and Regnez families, 8 patriarchs and 3 rising Scions of the noble houses, and 4 Elder Court magicians. The rest are extras. Oh, I counted 82 fireballs. Of them, 30 have voting rights to accept or deny my ¡®claim to be with the fire goddess, etc.¡¯ Anyway, here I am. Waiting for those losers to make a move as I steady my breath and calm my speeding heart because of [adrenaline] usage. When I could feel that I was okay and steady, I decided to concentrate to the matter at hand: Thee Voting. Well, it was simple really. It was just a system for those in power a chance to fuck someone over by vetoing the right(or claim, they say) to proceed to the ancestors¡¯ dwelling to receive the blessing from our bloodline. Well, the main House and all major noble Houses passes this no-questions-asked because of the power they hold and no one crazy enough to counter their ¡®claim.¡¯ The minor Houses depended on favors and bribes to issue their ¡®claim.¡¯ Sometimes, those who wanted to try even forfeited their freedom and Vowed to serve the noble house just to get their vote and protection. Well, many things did and could happen and various complications aroused but the Houses looked at them only as minor inconveniences. But, enough about that. It is about me. Everything here, at least at this moment, is all about me. Wow, even if I¡¯m such an awesome guy, that line is a tad too arrogant for me. Anyway, what¡¯s taking them so long? It¡¯s been 3 minutes since I was here but no one dared to speak? ¡°Hey guys, are you th---¡± ¡°A-Arthur Azaleus Regali-lius Von A-Ashchiemvierre-e!¡± Old man, your voice suspiciously cracked, y¡¯know. It sounded like a bit forced in contrast to your gravel-like voice that always sounded loud and a bit oppressive, y¡¯know. Even if you¡¯re the castellan, you should take of your voice, y¡¯know. Whew, I did admit that it seemed my performance was tad bit extreme that they were still shocked. Well, considering that I annihilated more-or-less 400 shadow-shadows when only 40 of them should be present using FIRE was, yeah, overkill. Despite that, I needed every vote I could get, even from those battle-junkies and pyromanic crazies. Especially from those people. ¡°Yes!¡± For the moment, let¡¯s act appropriately. ¡° *ehem* YOU HAVE PASSED THE TRIAL AND THE COURAGEOUS PROVING THAT YOU ARE INDEED WORTHY! YOU HAVE PROVEN TO ANYONE AND TO THE GODS THAT YOUR BLOOD IS THICKER THAN FIRE!!!¡± ¡­yea, as I said, Aschiemvierre dig this kind of play. Hahh¡­ oh, it¡¯s time to reply. Hahh¡­ I sure hope they wouldn¡¯t notice my embarrassment for this charade. ¡°PRAISE THE ANCESTOR!¡± ¡°INDEED! PRAISE INDEED! GWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!¡± ¡°¡°¡°¡°PRAISE THE ANCESTOR!!!!¡±¡±¡±¡± I¡¯m surrounded with crazy people. Ah Aniki, I understand now why you left! Those motes of swirling balls of heat blazed brighter that I had to shield my eyes with my arm. After a few seconds, those balls of fire were replaced by people wearing different expressions. Some was bewildered, most of the younger guys were a bit scared, a few were burning with desire, oh! I can feel battle-lust from guys over there and the rest were somehow amused. Of course, there are people with indifferent masks, but they couldn¡¯t conceal those piercing stares. They were sitting around me; I felt like I was a gladiator from those arenas these leeches liked to visit. And of course, they¡¯re elevated position really helped on looking down on me. Well, no worries. I¡¯m in the halfway point. ... ¡­ ¡­ Dafaq old man, continue your speech. I really want to go back to my--- ¡°Lord Arthur!¡± There ya go! For the moment, let¡¯s kneel on one knee. Y¡¯know I¡¯m pretty convinced that bullying was part of this clans customs. ¡°YOU ARE HERE BEFORE YOUR KIN AND THIS PRESTIDIOUS FAMILY TO ASCERTAIN THAT YOU, MY BOY ARE NOW READY! THUS THIS VOTING PROCEEDS. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD!!! Old man, I''m glad that you got your punk back but your voice really, really is too loud, y''know. it really made my ears hurt. And not even counting those scolding during my spearmanship training. Y''know, one of these days I''ll~~~ "LORD ARTHUR!" Crap. "Yes! this young master understands!!!" "Very well." He then looked around the viewers in an overbearing yet intimidating manner that suggested the seriousness of this proceedings. That look that practically screamed: I dare you to do something inappropriate and i''ll burn you like a fucking pig in a fucking Morella festival!!! But after literally exposing my existence to that glare rendered me preeeeeeetty much immune to it. *eye contact* Hyiii! W-well, maybe only high resistance...*gulp* Right right. "*ehem* TO ALL GATHERED HERE TODAY, YOU HAVE WITNESSED THIS YOUNG MAN''S VALIANT STRENGTH AND INGENIOUS MAGICAL PROWESS AND UNDENIABLE PROMINENCE! TO ALL ASHCIEMVIERRE PRESENT IN THIS GLORIOUS , YOU HAVE LAID EYES UPON THE CURSED GENIUS'' OVERWHELMING SUCCESS! I BELIEVE THAT IT IS AN UNDEBIABLE PROOF THAT THIS YOUNG MAN IS WHOLEHEARTEDLY, UNDISPUTEDLY AN ASHCHIEM---" "I object!" Someone interfered. Unsurprisingly, the old man castellan wasn''t angry that his speech was cut off. after all, it was supposed to be like that. Thus, the voting shall begin. Aiya, popular men sure had it rough. ... ... ... "I object! That bastard cheated! He cheated! It is impossible for this mudlike bastard to be worthy of our noble blood!!!" a young voice practically screeched. When I looked at my left, I saw my first prey. He was beautiful, in a weird way. his red hair was long enough to touch his lower back and his eyes would be mistaken for a girl''s because of their long eyelashes if his face wasn''t so scrunched in anger. In the first glance, you would mistake him for a girl. If I remember correctly, he was the heir of the eastern side Earl. I never got his name but that androgynous appearance and somewhat calming aura could not be imitated. Let''s call him Gender-chan for now. Well, Gender-chan seemed to glare at me menacingly as he strode towards me with his lackeys. Two of them came from lower baronett hose and the other two was from one of the knight families on our eastern borders. I remembered that those at the eastern front were good at bows but Gender-chan didn''t have one as he had a rapier on his rather-slim waist. Hmm, Oh! I predicted that he practiced the Waving Sunlight Sword Arte. Wao. Privilege of the rich, indeed. "Yo, Gender-chan! Aiya, didn''t see since the party two years ago!" I laughed amicably. Meanwhile, he was staring daggers to me again. "It''s Ganderr, you imbecile! GANDERR!!!" he was metaphorically seething as he made his way towards me. He jumped off his pulpit, jogged unhurriedly off the seats and walked at my direction. I didn''t know why, but whenever I greet my fellow comrades of this weird family, they always wanted to blow me up.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Straaaaange. "Ouh, close enough. Gender-chan, So? Whatyawant?" "Huh? Ah, You peasant! You dare?!?! You cheated, you arrogant bastard! You don''t deserve to be here!!!!" "Cheat? Me!? I-i would never!" I answered with mock surprise. I had known that my performance a few minutes ago would be criticized just like all of my actions so far, but I didn''t expect that this small fry would point it out. Just kidding, I totally expected that. Haha! Losing one of the cards they can play, those adults backstabbers glared at the idiot with the same intensity they would glare at me. Well, whoever provoked this idiot so that he narrow-mindedly charge at me and allowed this birdbrain to attend this Inheritance to serve as a pawn was seriously a BAD person. Kukukuku... KAHKAHKAH! BWAHAHAHAHA!!! "The Valiant Trials is so sacred that your filthy fire fire had tainted it! furthermore, it is a trial to test our martial Arte! You doing magic was against the rules!!!" he shouted. I could see nods of assent around those from younger generation but those adults were sighing as if it couldn''t be helped. In the same time, a short somewhat pudgy yet stocky kid waddled through the center without care with his little army of followers. I counted nine, including that piggy. "Well said, brother Ganderr" he said grandiosely, as if he owned the world. "Truer words can not be said. This young master Isham Avamazze le Malava Ashchiemvierre supports you wholeheartedly!!! GweheheHEHE!" Arere? Is it just me or is my half-baked plan going on too smoothly? Wow, I must really be a genius. I didn''t paid attention to little Isham''s burning speech as I weighed my circumstance. I indeed planned to provoke Gender-chan to come down here to vehemently antagonize me so that the adults with slightly more head than this idiot would lose their turn, or at least hindered their attacks. And with Gender-chan their unfortunate and unknowing representative pawn, the jabs to me would be limited. "-believe that-" On the other hand, this pretentious, can''t-read-the-mood dipshit was something I only hoped to fish. He was the second son of the Malava which boasts of their high explosive power of their magic. Believe it or not, this fatty here is more than just decent Flame. However, even now, he wasn''t stopping ridiculously long and pointlessly annoying speech that served him no favors. I could see at the corner of my eyes that few of the major noble houses were shaking their heads in frustration and glaring at that sheep with irritation. I couldn''t fault them either, what they''re hoping to be an intellectual match of loopholes and deceit has turned to an ole good kid''s brawl. And they couldn''t stop it, considering the power that these two idiots'' backing. So they let us be, just like I planned. So then, all I have to do is to en- "THAT''S RIGHT!!" a shrill yet slightly jarring voice interrupted my scheme. as I looked upon the owner of that voice, I saw another actor in this stage I made. This one however, I didn''t put on the list of casts. "This peasant dared to destroy my creations! My masterpieces!!! MY BABIES!!!" the young master of the Vermillianas basically howled without restraint, pointing at me agitatedly as if I killed his own children. Between his fit of rage and his murderous eyes was supposedly the calm and patient scion of the leading inventors and golemancers in all of the fiefdom. His handsome face with his cropped-up red hair was supposed to sport of a calming smile that made those who see that you could instantly trust him even if he''s covered in blood hacking your wife with you watching. Maybe even help him bury the body. His slender arms and almost-feminine hands were rumored to be the origin of the famous paintings and high-functioning golems circulating lately throughout the kingdom. Randell Evenell Vermilliana Ashchiemvierre was a genuine great guy and now I pissed him off. But who told him to splurge all of those shadow-shadows to me?! It was as if he was begging to turn them into ashes! I didn''t expect it at all but now that he came down here (alone if I might add) and decided to side with those two idiots, I could not just spare him. Using Aniki''s words: He now entered my killzone; he can''t leave unless I said so. Haa... Anyway, it seemed whatever tirade my three preys were over that they''re drilling me holes with their stares. Also, the old man must may been talking to me considering his deepened frown in his scarred face. "Ehh, pardon?" He sighed heavily, knowing I pretended to play dumb. "The young masters of Vermilliana, Remiller and Malava claimed that you have cheated at the Valiant Trial. How do you plea?" "Eh, Hahh cheat? I''m pretty- hahh- sure I passed that one, " I acted dumbly between my ragged breaths. It really paid off that my "chara" as the great Aniki liked to dub it was an oblivious genius with a tendency for destruction "Don''t play dumb, you ignoble bastard! Using fire magic was against the rules. Only Valiant strength and martial skills allowed!" Curses and sneers flew to me as my peanut gallery of ''opposition'' agreed unanimously. unintelligent shouts light ''That''s right, that''s right'' rang through the air. Honestly though, what they complained about was almost a valid reason. For generations, young members of this house and a very few exceptions had been testing their martial skills and weapon Artes so finishing the trial of the Courageous with magic was unheard of. Afterall, against an army highly-mobile, fire-immune magebanes that was very adaptive and cooperative, launching fire magic was considered to be suicide. However, it wasn''t against the rules. "Eh, rules? I''m pretty sure I followed them as I mowed down those smallfrys. Didn''t the door just said to kill those and walk towards the light?" There was an inscription at the double door of the Burning Tower that said, "The Brave must win Against His own Shadows to Walk the Path of Light" that served as a rule. Nothing more. And arguably, I followed them word for word. What the three spoiled young masters'' arguments were just a tradition. A custom. An outdated system we didn''t bother to replace because it was still convenient. However, if they somehow didn''t use the excuse that I ''cheated'' and accepted that but attacked me using the ''tradition of the Ashchiemvierre that I grossly neglected and trampled to mud in front of the whole family and the Duke himself'' card, I might''ve taken political damage. And if they used that card with caution and cunning, using delicate and stabbing questions after question, cornering me gradually but surely... the passing mark for the first test might have been vetoed. If they only let the adults politically mudball on me... But they devolved the fight into political equivalent of a drunken bar fight. So guys, thank you! ... Explaining that defeating all those shadowfies with any method was considered an immediate pass and me using fire magic was a legitimate tactics was easier said than done. After six minutes of cursing, shouting and arguing, that old man decided to give it my win to stop the disgrace those three young masters were accumulating. But it is seem Moodkiller Isham was a bigger idiot that I let on. "This great me can not accept this!!! In the first place, using a cursed-base fire to those golems was unfair! It was as if you had the right tools to pass!" That was surprisingly a good reason so validate that I cheated. But. "And how was that my fault?" It was not my miss, It was the admins here. Those higher ups should''ve known the quirks of my magics that they should''ve adjusted the tests. They should''ve known the capacity and genius of this great me because that''s the only card I had: I was strong. Too strong. Incidentally, Isham''s House was one of them. So seeing him attacking his own was really funny. But I stifled my laughter and settled for a smug condescending smirk. Which irritated him further. His red face was getting redder like a volcano as I tested the limit of his minuscule patience. This was the one last push to direct him to the scene I need to play... "That does it, you pathetic philistine! If you were so above us that you your word is the law then you have no qualms proving it by defeating us in a duel!" Hook. "This young master shall participate as well. I could not fund in my noble heart to let my comrade to be bullied by monster!!! Come peasant, prove it to me!" from Gender-chan Line. "You shall pay for the sin of destroying my works!" Sinker. Now now, don''t judge me here. The recipient of my weirdly long and painfully unnecessary monologue(bless you, by the way *wink*) might think that fighting these numbnuts when we were having a battle with brains was a heinously terrible idea but dear, you overestimate this family. "Very well, I agree. But then dear cousin, if I did win against all of you, that would mean I am Worthy and Ready, aren''t I?" I asked with a smirk. In other words, ''if I win give me your votes.'' Oh, judging by their frowns, they immediately realized my hint. Gender-chan was hesitating, Randell-dino looked pensive but his bloodlust wasn''t diminishing but my new buddy Isham... "This great one accepts!!!" ...never disappointed me. Kukukuku... Now both of the slightly rational idiots can''t back off without slightly damaging their reputation. For Gender-chan, It seemed like a big deal but Randell-dono just wanted my genius head on a pike. Now now, The imaginary recipients of my ridiculously long and pointlessly dramatic monologue (you''re awesome btw!) might''ve questioned the drastic change of the mood -from a political argument to a brawl- but this scene here, as seen with the glittering eyes and the almost-manic grins of at least 60% of the viewers, was tolerated and even welcomed. One thing about this family that I loved other than its fondness for dramatic flairs was its hot-bloodedness. Members of the Ashchiemvierre basically adhered to three unwritten laws. (1)Overkill is a legitimate kill (2)If you can''t burn it, well fucking try harder! and (3)Any complicated problem can me solved with a simple solution: WITH FISTS. Normally, issuing and accepting a duel during this time would be frowned upon but considering my preparations: riling up the young masters, grandly showing off to make the nobles'' blood boil, and dettering those realist nobles from speaking out their dissent, it could be done. Anticipated even. "This one accepts." Now dance, fire spirits. It''s a festival. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [Arthur Iglesias] There were three enemies infront of me. One was an adept swordsman with a straightforward but deadly Arte. Another was an accomplished mage with food sense of space. The last one was a genius inventor and golemancer. Defeating three of them with my almost empty mana reserves would be so... awesome. This is bad. I could already feel my ''terribly-fatigued-yet-futilely-determined'' look cracking as the edges of my lips quirked up. I could already felt my blood boiling against an impossible adversary before me. I''m sure now- "Reynoll, Freyn, Narlord." Gender-chan started rollcalling his retainers. "Pin him down and never let him draw too much fire spirits. Dreyfus, you''re with me. We''re focusing on speed now that we have Malava house''s famous FlameRingers." Eh? "Eh?" I was dumbfounded. Before I knew it, Gender-chan''s retinue started to form into a party formation as Randell-dono used this time to summon three flaming golems wielding custom-made Hecate series halberds. Those halberds had a hidden property that was disliked by most elemental spirits that they disperses the latter''s effect in a magical phenomenon. On the other side, I could see Isham commanding four of his lackeys to take the standard magic artillery formation and the insisted the five ladies on his entourage to go back up the stands. One surprising thing about Isham Malava that he was a gentleman. But hold on... that''s not the problem here. "Eh, they''re fighting me too?" I was really puzzled. It wasn''t in my plan to include those extras because I knew how prideful Ganderr of the eastern territory was but to swallow it in public earned him shocked gasps and renewed respect. It was indeed an overkill; one thing Ashchiemvierres were fond of. "Of course you nitwit!" Gender-cha replied with a sneer. "We said to duel US didn''t we? It obvipisly means all of us!" Hahh, what a pain. My planned from here goes to drain. Haaaahhh. However, I knew that this sudden change of his views was not his own idea. I spent almost three months of observing his behaviors and patterns that I deemed this change inconceivable. A sudden sweep of the viewers, I could already see the culprit as she flashed me her angelic smile. Tsk, this devil of a half-sister really wanted me to die! I was surrounded. A half-squad of competent archers commanded with an elite swordsman backed with 3 latest anti-personel golems on my front and a chorus of first-class (for young adults) mages lead by a noble with reckless tendency to cause mayhem at my rear was something I didn''t plan for. I only considered the two young masters of Remiller and Malava to fight but now it came to this, I could feel my heart beating fast as I activated [adrenaline]. I almost didn''t notice the old man shift his stance as he boomed "Then Begin!!!" On cue, my preys zoomed into action as they dashed to my direction, readied their bows, and absorb mana in almost frightening amounts. Time slowed as activated the frenzied [bloodboil] and the risky [manaburn]. I almost laughed in hysteria when they added their numbers thinking that they alleviated their odds against me but they couldn''t be more wrong. Bwahahahaahahaha!!! Increasing their numbers worked exactly in my favor. Come, oh lost children. Come and play with this great uncle. Kuhkuhkuh