《Songs of Legacies: Cavaron [Complete Draft]》 Chapter 0 - Prologue(?) Walking down a dirt road is a man wearing blue armor and a red cape. He looked like a powerful person from his equipment. His blue armor revealed craftsmanship that would give kings and emperors a run for their money, his red cape seems to be made from mystical cloth, and both give off a brilliant radiance upon closer inspection. On his waist are two short swords that don''t appear to be worn out or is either well-maintained that make the man appear inexperienced at first glance. Further along the road, the man was blocked by a group of armed men. ''Bandits?'', the man mused to himself as he slowed to a stop. "Drop yer stuff and git outta here, else we''ll skin ya while ya breathe!!", the bandit in front bellowed to the man. ''Typical.'', the man thought as he lifted his hands. When he did so, two long figures appeared in his hands and further materialized into two swords of equal length. In his right was a blade that radiated a crimson glow, and in his left was a blade that radiated an azure light. Both were leagues different from the swords on his waist. " Wuh! Magic swords! Boys, we''ve got a Magic Knight! Kill''im and loot''im!", the bandit leader spoke. ''Not even deterred by this sight? Fine. I''ll kill you all.'', the man thought as he stabbed himself with the red sword. "Da hell''s with him!? Bah, makes our lives easier. Finish him off!" After the man stabbed himself, his red sword let out a baleful aura as if it got stronger after wounding himself. "I so very much hate coming across your kind for the past weeks." Finally, the man spoke as he let out bloodthirst. "Do me a favor and die." Charging into the group of bandits as the man bled, one bandit fell after another. The sight before those who still stood was akin to watching a blade dancer, only this was a blade dance of death as the man beautifully swung his swords around decapitating all who drew near. Even the most skillful in fighting would stare with mouths agape at the scene before them. The man''s red sword appear to be glowing ever more brilliantly, and his blue sword shone as bright as its counterpart. With each kill, the red glow became stronger and his bleeding lessened, while the blue sword maintained its radiance. His armor, despite how bulky it looked followed the flow of his body as though he was wearing nothing at all. His cape, with its ever crimson radiance, fluttered mesmerizingly in the wind. Out of the forty or so bandits that blocked him, 14 remained. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "By the gods, those swords... its a bloodsword and a mana sword..!", One of the living bandits screamed in fear as he fell back. The other bandits looked at the fallen bandit then at their leader then at one another. As if their souls were screaming at them, they ran away without warning leaving those left behind to the mercy of the man including their dear leader. "Git back here ya fools!", the bandit leader yelled as he uselessly defends against the bladed onslaught. After a few moments the man stopped and looked around himself. More than thirty bodies of dead bandits lay strewn around the immediate area. In front of him was the bandit leader who has now dropped to the ground begging for mercy. "Hm... what should I do with you?" the man said as he approached the bandit. The bandit leader, seeing his approach, couldn''t help but shake in fear and hold his breath as he didn''t want to further offend this man and get himself killed. "I really hate dealing with people like you since you''re all so damn stupid. Maybe I should kill you and do the world a favor." "Hiiii!! P-please, s-spare me!" the bandit begged as his voice shrank and looked up to the man before him. The man has already lifted his blood sword preparing to finish of the bandit, and the sword radiated even more in anticipation of more blood. Just as he was about to swing down his sword, a magic circle appeared below him and a bright light flashed. "! A summoning circle!? No! Not agai-!" As the light faded, the man disappeared along with the magic circle, and the bandit was miraculously spared. "Eh? W... what happened?", the bandit sat there dumbstruck at the disappearance of the man about to finish him off. "I... I live? I LIVE!!! YES!!! I''M ALIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!" The bandit shouted with happiness for his fortune. Moments later... "Grrr...", a growl came from behind him. "Huh?", looking back, he was met by a large wolf that rushed in to kill him. "NOOOO~" And that was the last of the bandit as his head was bitten off. Next Chapter ==================================== At the moment, I''m typing all of these on my mobile until I get enough cash to buy a new PC. So, if there are any errors, feel free to point them out. Chapter 1 Since I already finished quite a few chapters, might as well add them in. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ladenras Kingdom A powerful kingdom well known for its skillful magi. Currently, they are at war against a certain race, the so-called Demon Race. How this war started was due to their king proclaiming all non-humans as demons. The proclamation even included the peaceful fairies and the detached beast tribes. Ladenras was able to raise a large army through the king''s charisma and wit giving themselves a large advantage in the first few stages of the war. Because of this, and the abilities of their generals, they were able to annihilate all surrounding territories: the Great Emerald Woods of the Beast Tribes, the Grand Azure Waters and the Argent Mountain Range of the Fairies. In response to this, the Fairies woke up the sleeping Fire Elementals within the Scarlet Volcano of the Argent Mountains. The successful awakening of the Elementals was able to grind the progressing war into a stalemate. Despite the powerful magi of Ladenras, they were unable to defeat the raw power of the Elementals. After two years of no results, the weak-willed members of Ladernas'' leadership suggested a peace treaty. However, the ambitious and stubborn king put them all to death, and commanded the magi to delve deeper into ancient magic to help them. In desperation, the magi scoured the ancient texts to find whatever it is that can help them win the war. They found many arcane magic that fit the criteria, but the cost was too great and may leave them powerless after performing it. In the last stretch of desperation, they found something deep within the Arcane Library. It was a spell to summon a powerful being to aid them with just the blood sacrifice of twelve virgins. Thankfully, they were able to capture many prisoners that fit the description giving no burden to Ladenras. After a week, the preparations of ritual were finished. Within the Magus Grounds was a summoning circle where its design followed the instructions of what they found to the most minute detail. Lined up around the edges of the circle were the captive virgins that the spell required. Looking into their eyes, one can conclude that they have resigned themselves to their fate. Eyes devoid of life looking down on the ground. If it were any other person, they would give shame and pity but this Ladenras, a human supremacist kingdom. When they were ready, an evil light shone from the eyes of the magi, and the circle shone as well. Upon the appearance of the light, screams were heard as the twelve sacrifices burst into purple flames and began feeding the circle. The magi surrounding the area began chanting a chant so long and complex, they had to read it from the copies they made beforehand. Nearby, the king was seated while anxiously awaiting what would appear before them. Despite being bright as day, thunder and lightning burst from the heavens and struck the center of the summoning circle which made everybody near it fall on their backs. Fearing that the ritual was disrupted, the king asked a nearby magus if everything is alright. The magus gave their king peace of mind by saying that it was part of the ritual and it was a sign that the summoning was successful. Where the bolt struck, the dust scattered, and took a while to settle. When it did settle, in its place stood a man with brown hair wearing blue armor, a red cape, and two short swords. It was a success. --- The man, exuding an aura of power, made everybody present speechless. It was only when the king stepped forward and spoke did the silence break. "Hero! We have summoned you in dire times! Please grant us yo-" "Blah, blah, blah. Get to the point old man." The summoned man interrupted the king. "I already know this pattern. So, where''s the Demon Lord?" "Huh...?" Dumbfounded, the king became confused. The man before him was indeed powerful yet to be able to guess their intent meant that the man was not ordinary. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "Shameless!" One of the guards shouted. "You are before his majesty, King Rotter Ladenras IV! Show respect!" The man looked at the guard and released bloodlust while staring into his eyes. "W-what? Y-you want to fight!?" The guard stuttered as he drew his sword. "Enough!" King Rotter commanded and looked at the guard. "Leave now!" "Sire..." The guard reluctantly left. King Rotter faced the man and offered his apologies, "I''m sorry for that, every one of them is tense from the war. As you have heard, I am King Rotter Ladenras IV, the king of the Ladenras Kingdom. Right now, we are at war with the demons but are in a stalemate. May we have the honor of knowing your name, hero?" The man silently looked at King Rotter, ''Hm... the mana signature feels familiar.'' the man thought to himself before he spoke. "My name is Cavaron, and that is the only name I''ll tell you." "Sir Cavaron, it pleases me to meet you. I have to ask, have you already been summoned before?" ''I doubt harm will come if I just say yes...'' "Sir Cavaron?" "... To answer your question, yes, I have been summoned forcefully multiple times already that I tire of it." Despite Cavaron''s calm voice, everybody felt as if the surrounding temperature dropped. King Rotter forced himself to calm down, and concluded that the man they summoned is never to be trifled with. "Sir Cavaron, many apologies, but we were so desperate to win the war that we had to do this." "..." Cavaron just looked at King Rotter then smiled after a few seconds. "Fine then, I''ll lend you my power for the time being." "Sir Cavaron, thank you." "I have a question." "Yes, sir Cavaron, anything you wish to know?" "I could just head straight to the Demon Lord and get this over with so... what does this thing look like?" "Ah, luckily, this Demon Lord was often seen on the frontlines so we were able to identify him." King Rotter then looked at the nearby servants, "Bring us the portrait we found in one of the skirmishes!" The servants left and returned after finding the portrait if the Demon Lord. When they brought it in, ''What the... that looks like...'' Cavaron was shocked at what the Demon Lord looked like. The demon was a large muscle-bound humanoid clothed in flames. Its face was covered with scars, its eyes were blood red, and on its head was a turban instead of a crown. ''I had doubts, but this... one way to find out...'' Cavaron faced King Rotter, "This... demon, do you know its name?" King Rotter answered, "The Demon Lord''s name is Culverin, sir Cavaron." ''Culverin!?'' Cavaron was shocked. "Haha..." Cavaron laughed leaving the others confused, "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" "Sir Cavaron, what is the matter?" King Rotter asked in confusion. Cavaron just ignored King Rotter and continued laughing like a maniac. "HAHAHAHA! BY THE GODS! THIS IS HIS HOME! NO WONDER THE MANA FELT FAMILIAR! HEHEHEH HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Cavaron''s exclamation shocked all those around him. "Sir Cavaron!" "SHUT UP!" Cavaron yelled at King Rotter and released mana. The space around Cavaron ripped and he commanded, "Passionate flames of the ever burning Scarlet Goddess! Grant upon your lover gifts of eternal power! I summon your greatest champion to aid me in my ordeals! <>!! Culverin, get in here!!!" A large flaming humanoid appeared through the cracks in space. It looked just like the Demon Lord in the portrait. All the people present in the Magus Grounds froze at the scene before them. The man, Cavaron, that they summoned brought forth their greatest enemy in the war. "Demon Lord!", one of the magi screamed. Next Chapter Chapter 2 "Demon Lord!" a magus screamed. Indeed, a nightmare becoming reality. The hero they summoned shattered their dreams of victory and dropped them into a hellish nightmare by bringing forth the "Demon Lord" Culverin deep into their territory. "I come at your command, mas-" Culverin spoke but stopped as he realized where he was. "Ladenras!?" "Hey, Culverin." Cavaron spoke to Culverin. "Master, this place..." "Yeah, I got kidnapped again. Didn''t think this is your home." "Another summoning?" "Yeah. Now then, care to explain this demon business?" Cavaron and Culverin had a dialogue with each other and effectively ignored all Ladenrasians. "Sir Cavaron, what is the meaning of this!?" King Rotter bellowed. At this time guards rushed in when they heard the magus scream. "I have to ask you the same, Rotter. What is the meaning of this?" Cavaron replied without respect. All the guards drew their weapons, and the magi began casting barriers and spells. "Culverin, how did this war start? I remember you being the most peaceful Elemental." Culverin then explained how the king of Ladenras declared that all non-humans were demons, including the fairies and beasts. How the king used his charisma to raise a powerful army and attacked all surrounding non-human territories. How they were able to take the Forest, Waters, and Mountains. How the Fairies awakened the Elementals to stop the war. Culverin then proceeded to how the grinding halt of the war led to the stalemate. That was all he knew regarding his side, and knows nothing about what happens in Ladenras. And that led to the event of Cavaron being summoned by Ladenras to kill Culverin. "Rotter." King Rotter flinched. Cavaron''s voice was filled with death. "Rotter, I have to refuse helping you now. I hate people like you." "Sir... Cavaron..." King Rotter stared in disbelief. After a minute, "Guards and magi! Cavaron has presented us an opportunity to kill the Demon Lord! We will win this war!" "OOHHH!!!" *Sigh* Cavaron facepalmed at the King Rotter''s command, looked at Culverin. "Let''s dance, Culverin.", and summoned his blood and mana swords. "With pleasure, master.", said Culverin as he brought out a flaming maul. Like with the bandits from before, Cavaron stabbed himself. This made the others drop their guard thinking Cavaron is committing suicide. The blood sword shone a baleful red radiance. "Kill them!!!", the Ladenrasian forces attacked. With Culverin, the swords of Cavaron were coated with flames. As Cavaron''s blades danced, the soldiers burned and died. Culverin, however, went on a rampage with his maul blasting and smashing everything around them to bits. "Ugyaa!!" death throes filled the Magus Grounds. Even with the soldiers'' heavy armor, Cavaron''s swords ripped through like a hot knife through butter and Culverin''s flaming maul smashed everything it hit. A display of of pure power and carnage unfolded before all who stood witness to it. The magi are in no better shape despite their efforts in erecting barriers and firing magic attacks. Everything they did was a futile effort before a Magic Blade Dancer and a Fire Lord. A few managed to cast Ice and Water spells, but before they could launch their attacks, Cavaron rushed in and obliterated them while Culverin covered his master by taking care of the soldiers, Cavaron''s swords, in this type of battle, are the most ideal weapons. His blood sword becomes stronger from whatever blood feeds it; the owner and the enemy. The mana sword is most effective when fighting against magi. Normally the mana sword becomes stronger by leeching off the owner''s mana, but here in a battle against magi, it can just use mana steal and drain the enemy''s mana. Adding the fact that Culverin''s flames coat Cavaron''s blades, the damage delivered and the power received are potent enough to last against an army. Cavaron, as a Magic Blade Dancer that focuses on pure attack, this battle is his favorite as he becomes capable of being a one man army while receiving support from Elemental Contracts. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. King Rotter, on the side, fell on his back as he watched the carnage before him. 10, 20, 50, 100, 300 Ladenrasian soldiers and magi have died in the hands of Cavaron and Culverin. Culverin''s flames cauterized the wounds of the soldiers explaining the lack of the sea of blood. In exchange, the smell of burning flesh filled the air making anybody unaccustomed to it nauseous. "Hiiiiii!" King Rotter shuddered. It is clear that his legacy will end here and thought of running away, but his fear took the strength from his body and just looked on at the massacre. The Ladenrasian soldiers only stopped attacking when they have lost over a thousand in merely just an hour. Many figured that this battle was lost and the weakest began to run away. The wisest of the magi have already fled for their lives leaving the rest to their deaths. When the soldiers stopped pouring, ""GRAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"", Cavaron and Culverin let loose a battle cry that shook the hearts of all who survived the hellish ordeal that made everybody else run for it leaving their king at Cavaron''s mercy. Cavaron then looked for the king to finally end the stupid war. ''Where''s that idiot king?'' Looking around he realized that the king''s body was among the corpses. ''Huh? I don''t remember this idiot entering the fray.'' Cavaron went to the King Rotter''s "corpse" to see if he really did die. King Rotter, being unable to run, decided to play dead. ''I''ll just hide amongst the corpses... Huh? Damn! Don''t come here!'' The "corpse" of King Rotter just stayed in place not moving as Cavaron approached. ''Is he really dead? One way to find out.'', Cavaron thought as he arrived. "Master..." Culverin spoke. Cavaron turned to Culverin to and saw his face telling him that King Rotter is still alive. ''Heh... an ambitious yet cowardly king.'' Cavaron then drew his leg and kicked King Rotter hard enough that the "corpse" was flung to a wall. "Geho!" The impact made King Rotter cough out breaking his act. "What should I do to you, Rotter?" Cavaron''s voice was sinister. "Should I kill you here or do I bring you out for a public execution?" "W... why... *cough* why do you... help them..?" King Rotter asked. It seems Cavaron''s kick broke a rib or two. "Why? Because you are the cause of this war." Cavaron replied. "You started this. You led innocents to their deaths. You even sacrificed virgins to summon me." King Rotter became wide-eyes when Cavaron mentioned the virgins. "H... how..?" Cavarob smirked. "Because I was summoned multiple times that I became familiar with all sorts of rituals. Enough experience that I am able to create my own to travel to any other world. How did I become so strong? It''s strange, actually. For each successful summoning ritual used to summon me, a portion of the power used gets transferred to me and is added to my already existing power." King Rotter paled at this. "Hmm... what should I do? Culverin, what do you think?" "Master, although I am part of the aggrieved party, I am unable to bring down judgment as your <>." "Hmm... I''ve decided!" Cavaron showed an evil grin which made King Rotter fear for his life further. "Let''s have a grand public execution!" King Rotter paled and attempted to run. However, Culverin fired a spell at his legs preventing him from escaping. "Naughty, naughty, Rotter. You should resign to your fate just as you made the captives used for me resign to their fates. Be glad, however, that your death will be clean and swift." As Cavaron approached to pick King Rotter up, an arrow pierced King Rotter''s head and killed him. "What the hell!?" Cavaron yelled as he turned to the source. What he found was a woman in her 20''s carrying a great bow. Next Chapter ---------------------------------- Last one for the day, I''ll add more on Friday or next Monday +8GMT Chapter 3 I said that Chap 2 was the last for the day. I lied. So bored that I''m procrastinating my homework. Have some chaps. ---------------------------------------- A woman carrying a great bow finished off King Rotter. She appeared somewhere in her 20''s. She had flowing light green hair that reached her waist. Her eyes were deep blue, and her overall body was slender. She was wearing what appears to be a cuirass and faulds of unknown materials, yet the designs give off a feeling of either nobility or royalty. "Who are you?" Cavaron asked the woman. The woman approached Cavaron as she put her bow away. Seeing this, Cavaron unsummoned his swords but just called for Culverin at his side just in case. "No need to be on alert, Sir Cavaron." The woman spoke. "I just want to see who the ''hero'' was." "Like I said, WHO are you?" "Hmph. I am the third child of Rotter Ladenras IV, and the First Princess. My name is Ritna Ladenras. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." "Princess? And the reason you finished off your old man is?" "To stop this stupid war." "Really now?" "If you don''t believe me, you can kill me right here." "Nah, I don''t kill without a proper reason." "Is that so?" Ritna then approached Culverin, "Lord Culverin. I would like to.propose a peace treaty." "Wait a sec." Cavaron interrupted. "How do you have power to propose a treaty when you''re the third child?" "Because my eldest brother died in battle, and my second eldest ran away. With those two gone, I am the next in line to the throne. You may unofficially address me as *Queen* now." "Okay." "Now, to the matter at hand. Lord Culverin, what do you say?" "I am sorry." Culverin replied. "At the moment, I am under master''s command as a <>. Until master releases me, I am unable to make decisions even if I am the leader of the non-human races." "Just that?" Cavaron spoke. "Well, let us get on with it. Ritna, tell us where you want the signing to take place then I''ll release the <> I have with Culverin." Ritna blinked twice before she spoke. "Then, let us meet where the foot of the Argent Mountains and the edge of the Emerald Forest converge." "Got that, Culverin?" Cavaron asked. "Yes, master." Culverin replied. "The meeting shall take place in two days." "Alright, <>!" A rip in space appeared and Culverin disappeared within. "Now then, what shall I do." Culverin sighed as he looked around the field of death. "If it would be alright, sir Cavaron, please rest in the castle. I will have my men clean up this... mess... before I announce my claim of the throne. At least that way, the peace treaty will have more credibility." Cavaron tilted his head and spoke, "I have to ask, why did you want to stop the war?" Ritna was silent for a while before she answered Cavaron. "Would you believe me if I said that my lover was a non-human?" "Hmm... is that so? Where is he now?" "... He was the first casualty of the war..." "Oh..." "No matter. I have to thank you for giving me the opportunity to stop my father." ''I think you should thank your stupid father instead, though I shouldn''t say that. A long silence lasted between the two until Ritna spoke again. "Anyway, sir Cavaron, I''ll have some servants assist you to your room." "Before that, do you mind if I see the sights of your kingdom?" "Well, there shouldn''t be any harm. I''ll assign someone to escort you around." "No need, Ritna. I want to go around on my own. Just have someone at the gates to escort me to my room." "If that is your wish, then so be it, sir Cavaron." --- Hearing from the guards that he met at the gates of the castle, this place is called Lavinia City, capital of the Ladenras Kingdom. Lavinia was the name of the first queen four generations ago. It appears that the first king loved her so much that he dedicated an entire city to her name. The city is built within the Ladenras plains and is surrounded by hills to the east, forests to the south, mountains to the west, and marshlands to the north. Past the marshlands is the Haliga Sea. ''I wonder why she was named Ritna instead of Lavinia?'' Cavaron thought. ''I''ll ask her next time if I remember.'' Lavinia city is home to 300 thousand civilians, 100 thousand soldiers, and five thousand magi. The civilians are split among the aristocrats, merchants, industrial guilds, and simple commoners. Lavinia city is designed like a five-layered ring. The core and the first ring is where the royalty reside. The second ring is where the aristocrats and merchants reside. The third ring is where the industrial guilds and commoners reside. The fourth ring is purely an agricultural area. The final and fifth ring is where all military personnel and assets are housed and located. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The Ladenrasian military is divided among the Knight Order, the Magi Circle, and the Guardsman Corps. The Knight Order contains the bulk of their military might, they are also responsible for invasions and occupations. The Magi Circle is where the very rare magi learn to control their powers and grow stronger. The Guardsman Corps is responsible for policing the local areas. Currently, Cavaron is just wandering around the city. ''Maybe I should have asked for a map instead... I didn''t think this place was HUGE...'' Cavaron is just along the main southern road within the third ring looking around the shops. The third ring, where the industrial guilds and commoners live, is lined with shops that yell out the merchandise they sell. "Fresh poultry from the farms! Only 23 Tyuls per dozen!" "Freshly harvested fruits! They are very crunchy and sweet!" "Hey there, lady! We have some seafood newly delivered from the northern villages! Only 14 Tyuls a piece!" "Gorogan axes for sale! Made by the master himself! Only 10 Croms!" ''These people are oblivious to what happened to their king.'' ''Hm... I realize that I don''t have this world''s currency. I wonder if I can sell something. Oh right, I have those gems from the world before.'' The currency of this world is divided into four denominations. Tyuls are the smallest. Croms are equivalent to 100 Tyuls. Sorns are equivalent to 100 Croms. And Delns are equivalent to 1000 Sorns. A small family of three spends around 2 Croms a day to live. The cheapest grain of wheat costs around 2 Tyuls per five-inch iron plate. They use standardized iron plates to weigh items from five-inch plates to 25-inch plates depending on the size of the item. ''Let''s ask someone where I could sell gemstones.'' Cavaron approached a random merchant to inquire a place to sell gems. "Excuse me, where do you suppose I could sell gemstones?" Cavaron asked a middle-aged merchant that is selling random items. "Huh? First time I''ve seen you here. You a traveler?" The merchant replied. "Yes sir, I just arrived here today. So, about that shop." "Gems eh? If I remember correctly, the old woman who lives along the southeastern side street is a jeweller. Do you have a map of the city with you? It will be easier." "No, sir, I don''t have a map." "Really? Hmm... I know, I''ll give you this." The merchant handed Cavaron a map of the city. "Err... I''m sorry, sir. I don''t have money on me. I was planning to sell the gems to get money." "Oh, don''t worry about it. Maps are commonplace in this city because newcomers get lost often." "Many thanks, sir. That shop was where, sir?" "Right, right. Here, this is where we currently are..." After receiving directions from the merchant, Cavaron headed to the Jeweller''s shop to sell his gems. ''I wonder if these gems are even worth something. Do these even exist here?'' As he thought about it, he arrived at the shop. ''Myrn''s Jewelries, huh...'' Entering the shop, he was greeted by an empty counter. "Eh?" There was nobody to greet him. "Uh... hello~?" As Cavaron came closer, a little girl popped her head out from behind the counter making him jump a bit. "Hello, mister." The little girl spoke. "How may I help you?" The little girl appeared no more than 12 years old with blond hair tied into a braid, with light blue eyes. She was wearing a red cap and red overalls with a bit of dirt here and there. "Uh... I was told this is where I could sell some gems for money." Cavaron replied. "Though I was told that an old woman lived here." "Oh, that''s my grandmother. She''s inside having a rest while I take care of the shop." "I see." "Dontcha worry, mister. I was personally trained by her so my skills are good. So, what are these gems mister?" "Here they are." Cavaron produced a myriad of gems of different colors and luster. "*Gasp*! I haven''t seen these kinds before. Hold on a bit, mister." The little girl brought out equipment for appraising jewelry. "Hmm... I''m sorry, mister. I don''t know what to make of these. Maybe grandmother knows about them. Would you mind waiting for a bit?" "Go ahead. I''ll wait." The little girl ran inside with a gem. A short while later, "AAHHHHH!!! GRANNY!!!" The little girl screamed. Next Chapter Chapter 4 Okay, this is really the last one. I have to do my assignments and essays. Viva la Finals! Thanks for the support! ----------------------------------------------------------------- "AAHHH!!! GRANNY!!!" Upon hearing the scream, Cavaron rushed in their home. He was greeted by the panicking girl and an old woman collapsed on the floor. "Ahh... Mister! Help!" The little girl cried. "What happened?" "Granny...Granny was just inspecting your gem... then... then... she suddenly froze and... and she suddenly had seizures and collapsed!" Cavaron drew near the old woman to feel her pulse. It was weak and faint but he could feel it. Next, he drew his ear next to her mouth to catch some air being breathed out. A small amount of air could be felt. Stepping back, he checked his items to see if there was anything that may alleviate the situation. Cavaron opened up a rip in space and pulled out a vial of brilliant red liquid. ''This is so hard to get, but really gets the job done... but... I have to dilute it first. Too much might shock her instead.'' Cavaron then faced the little girl. "Um, little girl..." "Yes! Ah! Please call me Dita." "Right, Dita, I need some water. Just a glass will do. I have some medicine that may help but I have to dilute it first." "Yes!" Dita rushed off to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and immediately returned. "Here you go, mister." "Thank you." Cavaron proceeded to pour three drops of the red liquid into the glass of water then stirred it a bit. ''Hmm... I can''t force someone unconscious to drink this... guess I have to do that.'' "Dita." "Y-yes?" "Please leave the room for a while. I need to concentrate." "But..." "Please, Dita. Do you want to save your grandmother?" "Oh... okay..." Dita hesitantly left Cavaron and the old woman alone. ''I wouldn''t want to let such a young girl witness what I am about to do.'' Cavaron drew one of his swords from his waist and cut one of the old woman''s veins on her left arm. After opening the wound, he immediately poured the mixture onto it. Upon contact, the wound absorbed the mixture as if it was drinking it. When the glass became empty, the wound immediately closed. ''Here''s where I have to stay alert.'' Cavaron looked at the old woman''s face for any signs of effects or discomfort. Moments passed and Cavaron could see the color of the woman''s face return to normal. He then called for Dita to prepare a place where her grandmother could recuperate. "Is she going to be okay, mister?" asked Dita full of worry. Cavaron just placed his hand on her head to assure her. Strangely, Dita liked it when he did that without him noticing it. Minutes passed and the old woman woke up. "Hng... oh dear... my back..." "Granny!" Dita dive bombed into her grandmother. "Oof! Dita! Behave yourself!" "But... granny..." "Yes, yes. I feel fine now." The old woman then sat up and finally noticed Cavaron sitting across her. "Who?" "Ah, good day, madam. My name is Cavaron. I am the owner of the gems that caused you to faint. Sorry about that." "Gems? Oh! That gem!" The old woman suddenly jumped up and rushed at Cavaron despite her age and earlier mishap. "That gem! Where!? Why!? How did you... Who in Kaldra are you!?" Cavaron was taken aback by her. ''I guess that medicine was still too effective...'' "Granny! Take it easy, you might collapse again!" Hearing Dita''s voice, the old woman forced herself to calm down. Afterwards, she apologized to Cavaron. "I''m very sorry about that, mister Cavaron." "Just Cavaron is fine, Madam Myrn." The old woman looked shocked when he said her name. "You are the owner of this shop, right? ''Myrn''s Jewelries''?" "Ah, yes, of course. My excitement got the better of me." "Madam, maybe you should rest first before we get down to business." Cavaron stood up and was about to leave. "I will just wait outside until you are ready." Dita suddenly ran up to Cavaron, "Waaiit! Please... stay here... for a while... please... have lunch... here with us!" and hugged his waist pulling him back. Cavaron, who found her action endearing looked at Myrn for consent. Myrn nodded. "Alright, Dita, I''ll stay for a while." said Cavaron as he patted her head. Satisfied, Dita let go of him and went to the kitchen to prepare the food. Cavaron sat once more across Myrn, and Myrn spoke. "It seems Dita took a liking to you. I also noticed that she liked the head pats you give her." "Hn... she reminded me of someone from my past." "I see. By the way, how did you wake me up?" ''Hm... should I tell her?'' Cavaron paused for a while thinking of how to answer her. "If you don''t want to tell me, it''s okay. I figured you to be the type with rare and unknown items like the gem you brought." "Dang, I guess those don''t exist here?" Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "On the contrary, they do but are rarer than the magma dragons." Myrn inspected Cavaron for a while before speaking again. "Cavaron, you... you''re not from here, no?" "Well, yes. I just arrived here earlier today." "Not that. I meant you''re not from this existence." Cavaron was shocked. "How..." "Call it intuition and the wisdom of the aged." The silence that permeated only lasted until Dita came in with the food. "Here''s the food! Eat up, mister! You too, granny!" Dita brought in plates of food enough for all three of them, although Cavaron has a noticeably bigger share. Neither the adults minded, though. Taking a bite, Cavaron smiled and praised Dita to which she smiled as well. "Ehehe." They continued eating in silence with Dita occasionally glancing at Cavaron. When they finished eating, Cavaron helped Dita clean up and put away the plates. Afterwards, Myrn called Cavaron over to her personal workshop to discuss about the gems. "Cavaron, I would like to know something." "Yes, madam?" "How did you get here?" ''Hm... should I tell her?'' "To be honest, I suppose that these gems are easily obtainable where you came from." "Ah... well... I got kidna-- er, summoned here from another world." "Summoned? So that explains the mana fluctuations around the castle earlier." "You can sense the mana?" "Oh yes. Despite being a jeweller, I also work as a small time enchanter. Here, take a look at this ring." Myrn handed Cavaron a silver ring inlaid with a ruby. Cavaron focused mana into his eyes to see if there is anything strange on the ring. Although slight and weak, his mana sight let him see faint runes enveloping the ring. "These runes are?" "I''m surprised you could see the runes, I expected you to just feel the effects." Cavaron wore the ring, and upon wearing it, he felt his skin becoming tougher the next second. "Woah." "Haha. That ring I gave you contains a small Stone Skin rune. A lot of soldiers become my customers because of that little trinket because it saves their lives. Anywho, let''s get back to my questions. Did someone from the royalty summon you?" "Er, yeah. You could say that." "And? What happened after? It was a long time before you came here." "Erm, for that, I think you should wait until later." "Why?" "It''s a surprise...more or less..." Myrn stared at him for a little while longer before she dropped the issue figuring she won''t get any other answer. "Fine. So, why did you want to sell these gems." "Frankly, I need money." Myrn went silent for a bit before speaking again. "Eh, well. You did just get summoned here. Hm..." Myrn thought for a while about how much money he could get. "Let''s see. These gems are called Pyrocite here because they can only be found deep within volcanic areas... yet they are abundant from where you came from..." "Madam, you don''t need to pay me the exact amount... Um... how much is it, anyway?" "The cost? Around 18 Delns for the most perfect Pyrocite." "Uh... huh..?" 18 Delns! That''s 180 million Tyuls, enough to feed a commoner family for a lifetime! "You could buy six or seven houses in the second ring." The average industrial guild worker earns around 15-30 Croms a day, and that includes special orders. Merchants, however, earn around 20-40 Sorns a day depending on the sales. A perfect Pyrocite is enough to buy half a Dukedom. "And... my Pyrocites are perfect?" "Yes. I think I might have to refer you to a friend in the second ring to get the intended amount." "Erm, I don''t really need that much money." "No! As my benefactor, I need to pay you back fully." Myrn then stood up and went to a table to write a letter. "Here, give this and your Pyrocite to a merchant named Max. He owes me one and I''m sure he has enough money for it." Myrn then shoved the letter to Cavaron and made sure he accepts it. "Er, alright, alright. I''ll go to the merchant... um, do you know how I could get there?" "Okay, let me have your map. To go to Max, you need to..." After receiving directions from Myrn, it''s time to say goodbye to the jewellers. "Mister, will you come back?" Cavaron crouched down to the little girl who got attached to him in that short time. "Honestly, I''m not too sure of that myself. I''ll try to if I have time." "Promise?" "Hm, promise. Here, have this as a token of our friendship." Cavaron opened a rip in space and pulled out a small gemstone. It was a smaller Pyrocite than the one he intended to sell. "Waahhh... so pretty!" "Keep this a secret from granny, okay?" "Yup!" "Well then, until we meet again." Dita gave Cavaron a tight hug before letting go and saying goodbye. Cavaron waved off as he headed to Merchant Max. Next Chapter Chapter 5 Took a short break from my school work. philosophy does things to your head... in more ways than one. Anyhoo, have a chapter I whipped up during that short break of mine. ---------------------- Meanwhile, in the Argent Mountains, within a large cave... "AAHHHHHH!!! WHAT DO WE DO!?!?!?" "LORD CULVERIN!!! LORD CULVERIN HAS GONE MISSING!!!" "AAHHHHHH!!! HE DISAPPEARED!!! THE LORD DISAPPEARED!!!" The fairies of the Argent Mountains are running amok from the disappearance of Culverin. "Everyone, calm down!" An elf bellowed. "Running around panicking is not helping!" Everybody who was going nuts suddenly dropped and looked at the elf. "Grarrrr... He''s right." A wolf-man spoke. "We need to calm down to think of what to do, ruff." "Huff... I too itch for battle." a draconian spoke as well. "A clouded mind does ill for our future." "Volg, have you heard anything from your scouts?" The elf asked the wolf-man. "Grr... still nothing, Alrus." Volg replied. "Darn it. Klem, deliver orders to the Avians and Wind Faes to increase the search radius. S''rok, do the same with your wyverns." Alrus issued a command to a nearby Wind Fae and the draconian. "By your command, sir." replied the Wind Fae as it flew away. "ROOAARRR!!" S''rok roared as if delivering orders. After issuing the command, Alrus took a seat and massaged his head. ''Lord Culverin, where are you?'' he thought. Volg also took a seat nearby. "Grr... I doubt that Ladenras has thought of a way to eliminate him." "Huff... Stop, Volg. Those thoughts don''t really help the current situation." "Rrr... but what can we do? He just suddenly disappeared without warning." "Not entirely without warning. The mana in the air fluctuated a bit before we found out his disappearance." "Grr? Do you mean to say..?" "It''s possible that a magic powerful enough to overpower an Elemental is at fault here... but... Argh! I can''t help but think of that possibility." "Grrmm..." "Huff..." Moments pass and an Avian entered. "Lord Alrus, Lord Volg, Lord S''rok." the Avian greeted them. "Speak." Alrus commanded. "Lords, the Earth Faes near Lavinia City reported a massive fluctuation of mana within the castle. The Wind Faes also reported a faint stench of burning flesh." Alrus, Volg, and S''rok went wide-eyed at the Avian''s report. "Alert the army!" shouted Alrus. "We storm Lavinia City now to aid Lord Culverin!" "Sir!!" affirmed the Avian. "Volg, how many can you commit?" "Grr... All of the tribes are ready and waiting." "S''rok?" "We are forever prepared!" "Good. We march, now!" As the non-human army was organizing itself at the base of the base of the mountain preparing to march, a rip in space appeared on a cliff face. The Fire Lord, Culverin appeared from within. "Ahh, it''s good to be ba--" Culverin paused as he saw the number of non-human soldiers at the base. "What'' s going on?" The army was busy tending to themselves to notice the return of their lord. ''Must be practice.'' he thought, until Alrus, Volg, and S''rok spoke before the army. "Warriors! Our scouts have reported a fluctuation of mana within Lavinia City, the capital of Ladenras!" Alrus shouted. "Grarr! The Wind Faes also reported the stench of burning flesh, there is only individual able to scatter that much!" Volg bellowed. "ROAR! Lord Culverin has, for some reason, disappeared into Lavinia! We march to his aid!!" S''rok roared. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more."We march, or we die trying!!!" "OOHHH!!!" ''Uh oh...'' Culverin thought as he heard his subordinates. ''I need to stop them.'' Culverin''s eyes started to glow a fiery red and orange color. The intensity grew as he absorbed and compressed the mana in the air. Finally, he let loose a large pillar of flame giving away the location of where he stood. "<>!" Culverin''s shout, and the intensity of his flames drew the attention of everybody present. """Lord Culverin!!!""" After the flames dissipated, Culverin leapt towards the front of the army and landed beside Alrus. "Ahh, apologies for disappearing like that." Culverin spoke as he faced the army. Everyone present kneeled in his presence, even those in the sky landed. The three commanders kneeled before Culverin. "Lord Culverin! We were worried for you!" Alrus spoke. "At ease, all of you." Only then did they all relax. "Grr... Lord, where have you been?" Volg asked. "I was in Ladenra--" "Were you alright, Lord!?" Alrus spoke out with anxiety. "I''m fine, Alrus. I was summoned via a <>." """<>?""" the three commanders spoke in unison. "Ah, hm... my Master was summoned into this world by Ladenras as a champion against me." The three just stared in disbelief. "Huff... the-then what happened, Lord?" S''rok asked. "The war is over." "Um... huh? W-what?" Alrus was dumbfounded. "Rrr? Lord... how?" Same with Volg. "My master and I killed the-- er, we just killed around a thousand soldiers and magi. Then, the First Princess, Ritna, killed King Rotter." They all just looked at Culverin like he just said something crazy. "Anyway, we will be signing a Peace Treaty with Prin-- Queen Ritna in two days. Now, everybody, go back home to your families." Culverin finished by dismissing the army. As the army dispersed, they were left confused by the series of events. First, their lord disappeared. Second, they were ordered to prepare marching against Ladenras. Third, their lord returned after a while. And lastly, their lord brought news about the end of the war and a Peace Treaty with their enemy. "Queen Ritna, huh?" Alrus muttered. "Ritna... wait..." Alrus'' eyes became wide as he repeated her name. ''Gods! Ritna! Brother Alrik! Ritna was Alrik''s lover!'' Alrus was shocked at this thought. ''I thought it was weird for that king''s daughter to kill him.'' Alrus suddenly knelt and cried as he remembered his brother''s happiness before the war. "Huff... Alrus?" "Grr... are you alright?" "I... I''m fine, the news only hit me now. The war is over, finally." Alrus kept weeping as his comrades stayed by his side. Only then did their cries of relief and happiness resound across the forest and mountains. Culverin approached Alrus and crouched down next to him. "Alrus." "Lord?" "Always remember that nothing is worth dying for. EVERYTHING is worth living for. Never forget that." "Huh? Y-yes, Lord. I will." "The same goes for you two, and everyone else as well." Culverin looked at Volg and S''rok, and the two nodded firmly. "Let''s go home. We need to prepare for the Queen''s arrival for the treaty." Culverin walked side by side with his three subordinates. ---------------------- I wrote all of these on mobile, so if you find mistakes, feel free to point them out. Thanks for the support and, if possible, rate and review my work. Chapter 6 Last one before I sleep. ---------------------- Back in Lavinia City... It took Cavaron almost an hour to arrive at the Merchants'' Quarters in the second ring. Here, only the most affluent of Lavinia''s citizens are allowed to take up residence. The directions he received from Myrn led him to a ridiculously decorated shop filled to the brim with expensive trinkets, clothing, and other merchandise. ''Maximum Import Center? This it?'' Figuring that he arrived at the right place, he entered the shop. *t-tring* the doorbell rang as he opened the door. "Greetings, dear customer! How may I serve ye?" a fat man spoke. "Are you Max?" Cavaron asked. "Why, yesiree. I am he who you seek." Max was a fat man at a height of five feet and five inches with a purple beret on his head and a face full of hair. He was wearing a typical merchant''s attire that helps identify him as one. He looks like he''s around 40 years old, and despite his age and build, his voice''s pitch is fairly higher than normal. "Do you know Myrn from the third ring?" "Oh, yes, yes, yes. Is she well? Does she need something?" "Erm, I was told to give you this letter, first." Cavaron handed Max the letter from Myrn. "Ooh, I see. I see. Excuse me for a moment." The letter was rather short and it only took Max around a minute to read through it. As he read the letter, his face dynamically changed from happiness, to disbelief, then to horror, and lastly, his jaw just dropped. Cavaron raised a brow as to what made Max do so. Putting away the letter neatly into his breast pocket, Max then inspected Cavaron carefully making him flinch at how fast Max became serious. "You have a Pyrocite?" Max asked in a serious tone. Cavaron silently nodded. "Come." Max went further inside the shop, and Cavaron followed. They walked downstairs into a basement with a locked door made of metal. As Cavaron saw the metal, he was surprised. He was familiar with the material so very much that he almost always encountered it in the other worlds. Adamantium. This merchant has an underground vault made out of the hardest metal ever found. Whatever is behind that door must be extremely important for a merchant to spend that much to protect it. Max then pulled out a key, but it was no ordinary key. The key had no teeth and was just a metal rod. Max inserted the rod into a hole and produced mana from his body. Cavaron went wide-eyed at the merchant before him. Even in the other worlds, he has yet to meet a merchant with this much capability. The door silently opened despite its size and material. When it fully opened, Cavaron was able to see how thick the door was. A seven-inch thick adamantium door. Not even a meteor could punch through it, you need to rip the space to cut through... which he could do but he has enough ethics not to do so. "Enter with me." said Max as he went inside, and Cavaron silently followed. After passing through, the door shut itself in place as it was before. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Within the room was a table and two chairs. "Sit." said Max as he sat on a chair. Cavaron sat across Max. Max just stared at Cavaron making him uncomfortable. "It has been a long time since Myrn wanted something from me." Max suddenly spoke. "Are you familiar with blood contracts?" Cavaron nodded. "A Pyrocite costs a lot of money, and this money is hard to earn. What we will do is to undergo a blood contract that will have both parties sign an agreement of silence regarding the flow of money. I will keep silent as to where I got the Pyrocite from, and you will keep silent as to where you got the money from. Deal?" Cavaron thought for a while before answering. ''Hm... blood contracts are powerful in any world I have been to. Neither of us will get hunted down by curious people...'' "Alright. I''ll agree." Cavaron affirmed Max. "Good. Now hold out your hand over the center of the table." Cavaron and Max held out their hands over the center where a magic circle was found, and Max released some mana. When his mana touched the circle, it glowed bright red and tore open their hands for their blood. Although the wound was big, it was painless and immediately closed after it was enough to fill a bowl. Their mixed blood then became a crystal and flew to a nearby wall making the end of the ritual. "Contract signed and completed. Here is your 18 Delns." Cavaron received the money and produced the Perfect Pyrocite. "A pleasure doing business with you." After that, they both backtracked to the shop, and bid farewell. --- ''I should probably head back to the castle.'' After leaving Max, he headed off to the castle gates where one of the guards recognized him and called for the escort. His escort led Cavaron to the West Tower where the sleeping quarters for the guests and royalty were. After two floors, his escort brought him to his room where Cavaron dismissed and thanked his escort. ''This is a nice place. Ooh, it also has a bath.'' Seeing that a personal bath was available, he wasted no time to magically remove his equipment into a rip in space. Buck naked, he took a bath. "Ahhhh... ooh yeeaahhhhh... that hits the spot." It seems that the bath was heated as his fatigue gave away and made him relax. ''How long has it been since I''ve had a hot bath? Ahh... so heavenly~'' It took him 30 minutes to bathe and get dressed. Instead of his armor, he wore casual clothing: a silk shirt and cotton pants. Utterly defenseless. ''Nothing beats silk clothing.'' After a while, he heard a knock on the door. Opening the door, he was greeted by Ritna. Nope. It was a servant who just came to tell him that the Queen is inviting him for dinner in the dining hall. ---------------------- As usual, thanks for the support! Chapter 7 Another chapter that I made when I woke up. Thanks for the support! ---------------------- After receiving the invitation, the same servant who delivered it escorted Cavaron to the dining hall. The dining hall was between the West Tower and the Central Building, and is able to accommodate hundreds of guests while enabling easy access from the sleeping quarters and the audience room. As they headed to the dining hall, many guards wondered as to who the man wearing the silk shirt was. That is until the servants mentioned that he was the same Cavaron that their late king summoned. It would appear that they only recognized the armor and not Cavaron''s face. "That was him?" a guard whispered to another. "Yeah, I didn''t recognize him without the armor." another whispered back. "He looks so... different..." the guard whispered again. "And handsome, too." said one more guard. ""Ha?"" said the two previously whispering guards and backed off a bit. As the guards were chatting with one another, Cavaron arrived at the dining hall. Within is a long table able to seat around 12 guests on each side. The queen, Ritna was seated on the left in the middle, so Cavaron sat across her. "Greetings, sir Cavaron." Ritna spoke. "I see you have made yourself comfortable." Ritna, like the guards from before, was surprised to see the massive difference between the armored Cavaron and the one before her. "Eh, well, I never expected that there would be personal baths." "We make sure to have basic hygiene necessities available for good faith with our guests and... benefactors." While the two of them chatted, servants from the kitchen brought in the food, and placed it in between them. The food brought was small enough to accommodate two people, but large enough to not be seen as stingy. A large roasted fowl, a bowl of salad, a plate of bread, a basket of fruits, and each with a glass of wine. "I hope the food is appetizing for you, sir Cavaron." "It is, to be honest. I make appreciating food to be a virtue." As he took a bite, he faced the servants on the side and said with a smile, "Compliments to the chef." His smile made some of the females slightly blush and look down to avoid his gaze. Ritna noticed this and just let out a giggle which made her look unbecoming of a person of royalty. Cavaron didn''t mind and continued eating the food before him. After dinner, Ritna spoke. "Sir Cavaron, what do you think the contents of the treaty be?" "Why are you asking me?" "I suppose that your knowledge from other worlds would help, especially since you''re a third party." Cavaron crossed his arms and thought for a while. Ritna just patiently waited for his answer. ''Hmm... Ladenras is the party at fault, even if there was a change in authority...'' "Ritna, what do you know about the other races?" "Huh? Ah, hm... the fairies and beasts, I know. Nothing much about the draconians and the real demonic races." "Then tell me about the fairies and beasts." "Alright. The fairies live within and around the Azure Waters and the Argent Mountains. Specifically, they are made up of elves, dwarves, and elemental faes. ''Fairies'' is just the collective term for them. The beasts are made up of tribes. These tribes are the Wolf, the Tiger, the Hawk, and the Rat. The wolves are the most cunning, the tigers are the strongest, the hawks are the fastest, and the rats are the sneakiest. In times of war, they are the hardest to defeat when they band together. Although magically weak, their physical capabilities make them out to be a force to be reckoned with." "How about their way of life? Their culture and economy?" "I know that the beasts are hunter-gatherers. The fairies, however, are similar to humans albeit of a smaller scale since they just assimilate with nature to regain lost energy." ''Hn... for reparations, the one at fault must give... huh? Reminds of that Terran country who lost a war yet continues to give aid even after half a century has passed.'' "Ritna, I assume you don''t want another war?" Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "Yes, if possible. No more wars will be fought, at least while I live." "Alright, I have some ideas, but feel free to modify it to your ideal conditions." Cavaron listed down some ideas he had gathered from his past travels. Taking inspiration from a Terran world, he suggested opening trade routes between human and non-human territories. Other than that, for the sake of reparations, Ladenras must give up the territories they took during the war, and give aid for rebuilding the lost settlements. Afterwards, if possible, open the borders for all races to be able to travel to and fro freely. Of course there will be guards stationed at the borders, however, they will be of mixed races. Anything else could include exchange programs, a mixed race educational institution, or a police force coalition to patrol the settlements. "Thank you for the suggestions, sir Cavaron. I will take this up with my diplomatic ministers to write up. Let us part ways for now as I need to prepare for the crowning ceremony and proclamation tomorrow morning." "Alright, good night, Ritna." "Good night, sir Cavaron." As both stood up, a window broke and an assassin entered. "For the human race!! Death to the traitor princess!!!" Cavaron wasted no time to magically summon his equipment. In just a split second after the window broke, he was fully armed for battle. He rushed to Ritna''s aid with speed unnatural for the size of his equipment and deflected the assassin''s attack with his short swords. Instead of summoning his blood and mana swords, he used the swords on his waist. Sparks flew as he and the assassin parried each other''s attacks. During this time, Ritna pulled out a shortbow and a quiver of arrows from a nearby pillar, and provided long range support for Cavaron. "Guards! Get in here!" Ritna commanded as she notched arrows. This time the nearby guards have entered and eased Cavaron''s burden. The assassin, not expecting Cavaron''s skill pulled out a bomb. "Oh no, you don''t!" yelled Cavaron as he coated his swords with mana and launched it at the bomb. The blades of mana was an invisible force to the untrained or non-magical eye, and made the assassin think Cavaron swung at nothing. Only, the blades of mana hit the bomb as intended making it useless. "No!" the assassin screamed. Cavaron used this moment as a chance to rush in and cut off the assassin''s joints, like how you easily cut up a chicken by slicing the joints. The assassin, unable to dodge in time got both left limbs cut off and sprayed blood. "Argh!" the assassin screamed in pain. Cavaron looked to the guards and said, "Lock him up for interrogation." The guards followed without a second thought and bound the assassin. After the guards have left, five remained to guard Ritna. "Hm, this might be a restless night. I should stay by your side, Ritna." Cavaron spoke to Ritna. "Please, sir Cavaron. You need rest. You have done enough. Leave it to the guards." Ritna replied. Cavaron stared at Ritna for a while, then opened a rip in space to pull out an item. It was a ring. "Here, wear this." Cavaron said as he handed the ring to Ritna. This made Ritna surprised, and the surrounding guards look away. Cavaron, noticing their reaction, followed up, "It''s not what you think. This ring has a barrier spell that protects the wearer from attacks. It can deflect most attacks, but cannot defend against a behemoth or something stronger." Ritna, realizing her mistake, reddened as she took and wore the ring. "Thank you, sir Cavaron." Ritna smiled. "Well then, good night." "Good night, Ritna." Cavaron left for his room as Ritna went in the meeting room. While walking back , Cavaron thought of what to do next. ''We still have a day or so until the meeting with Culverin. Might as well go to the dungeon to... interrogate... that assassin.'' Cavaron changed course to a nearby guard to ask where the assassin earlier was brought to. Chapter 8 Should I add the ''Mature'' tag for this chapter? ------------------------------- Cavaron went to the dungeon after receiving directions from the guards. After passing through the steel gates signifying the dungeon entrance, he figured he was in the right place after he found a trail of fresh blood on the floor. Following the trail, he went deeper into the dungeon until he arrived at what appears to be a torture room. Inside there were the assassin bound by chains on the wall, a torturer trying to get answers, and a magus casting healing spells whenever the assassin attempts suicide. "Speak! Where are the others!?" the torturer yelled as he whipped the assassin. *spit* The assassin just spat out blood at the torturer''s face. "Why you little..." As the torturer brought out a hammer to break the assassin, he was stopped by Cavaron. "Hold. I have a better idea to get answers." Cavaron said to the torturer. Everybody else present in the room just looked at Cavaron as he ripped open the space and pulled something out. It was a worm. Cavaron faced the magus, "You, no matter what happens, keep healing him." The magus just nodded in fear because Cavaron''s voice and eyes were filled with evil. Cavaron then approached the assassin, and the assassin spat out blood which Cavaron evaded easily then countered to knock out the assassin. When the assassin became unconscious, he placed the worm next to the ear and the worm entered the assassin''s head. A few seconds later, the assassin started to convulse and shake violently making the torturer smile and the magus shrink back in fear. "Magus! Healing spells!" Cavaron commanded. The magus frantically casted healing spells because of the scene before him. The assassin, as he shook, started to drool uncontrollably. His eyes were rolling back and forth letting them see his iris and whites alternating crazily. Despite all this, the assassin was silent making it seem harsher than with the presence of screaming. "Sir, do you have more of those worms?" the torturer asked Cavaron. "Sorry, these worms are bred by me and only follow my commands." Cavaron replied. "Oh... pity..." the torturer was saddened. A few minutes later, the assassin lay still. "Can you hear me?" Cavaron asked the assassin. The assassin looked up peacefully at Cavaron and said, "Yes, master." The other two were shocked at the change by the assassin. Cavaron looked at them and said, "Neurax Worms. Little critters that control the host''s mind aside from other functions." The magus just ran away in disbelief from what Cavaron did. The torturer just smiled. "Sir, does that mean we can get any and all information he has." the torturer asked. The one who answered wasn''t Cavaron but the assassin, "Yes, what do you wish to know?" The torturer displayed a massive grin and proceeded to bombard the assassin with questions, "How many more of you are out there?" "We are still a thousand men strong." "Who are your leaders?" "Minister of Finance, Lipra, Minister of Agriculture, Tusco, General Ferngar, General Solon, and General Menger." "Where are you hiding?" "We are located in..." And so on, and so forth. After a fruitful night in the dungeon, Cavaron left and went back to his room while the torturer went to Ritna to deliver the information. "Hnngg... ahh..." He stretched to relax himself. "Back to sleep... or not." A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Cavaron went and followed after the torturer. --- Meeting room. After the torturer left the dungeon, he headed to the meeting room with some guards, and arrived fully armed. "Your Highness." They greeted Ritna. "Speak, why do you have guards with you?" Ritna commanded. "Milady, we have gotten answers from the assassin earlier." the torturer replied and faced the ministers. Sweat formed on the ministers'' heads as they awaited the report. "Milady, please grant me policing powers for tonight." Ritna just stared at him for a while then granted authority. "Thank you milady. Guards! Arrest Ministers Lipra and Tusco, and Generals Ferngar, Solon, and Menger! They are the leaders of those who rebel against our Queen!" The guards rushed in and chaos ensued in the meeting room. The ministers were duly arrested without resistance, but the generals were another matter. Wearing armor and having skills that were tested and hardened after so many years if battle, the ordinary guards had trouble putting the traitors down. This was when Cavaron joined the fray and assassinated Generals Ferngar and Menger by decapitating their heads with each of his swords. Thus, leaving General Solon to fend for himself as guards surrounded him. "General Solon, it would be in your best interest to surrender now." Ritna spoke. Solon, eyes filled with hatred, faced Ritna. All of a sudden, he threw his sword at Ritna leaving others no time to block it. Of course, Cavaron didn''t bother since the Barrier Ring activated and nullified the attack having Solon pale, and get ganged up and arrested afterwards. Having brought the traitors out of the meeting room, Ritna faced Cavaron and thanked him. "Sir Cavaron, thank you once more for your help." "Eh, I''m used to these things. I witnessed them so much that others praise as some sort of prophet, which I''m not." "Still, thank you." Ritna approached Cavaron and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Instead of blushing, he just smiled and left Ritna to her work. --- The next day. In the throne room, a ceremony is taking place. Ritna is now being crowned as the Queen of Ladenras. "Upon the presence of the first king, King Rotter Ladenras the First, and the first queen, Queen Lavinia Ladenras, may you be granted the wisdom needed to lead this country to a better future." A sage said, "From this day forth, you are now Queen Ritna Lavinia Ladenras." ''So that''s how they inherit her name.'' Cavaron thought as he witnessed the ceremony as he remembered his earlier question. Applause erupted in the room as Ritna, or Queen Ritna, faced the people present. "Glory to Her Majesty!" "Glory to the Queen!" "Glory to Ladenras!" After the ceremony, Ritna called for Cavaron to discuss how the treaty will proceed and to smooth out the details. "What do you think, sir Cavaron?" Ritna asked him about the treaty contents. "Queen Ri--" said Cavaron as he got interrupted. "Ritna. Just Ritna. No titles needed." "Okay, Ritna. As for the treaty, I didn''t expect you to put all that I''ve suggested in it." "Well, for other concerns, we''ll leave it for the future. For now, we must officially stop the war." The two of them then prepared for the trek to Culverin''s home territory. Chapter 9 Learning about Philosophy does stuff to the mind. Both Western and Eastern Philosophy. ------------------- Back at Myrn''s... "GRAAAANNYYYYY!!! WHEEERREEE AARRREEE YOOOUUU!!!???" Dita ran around the area looking for Myrn. "Hey there, little Dita. What''s up?" a neighboring woman asked. "Ma''am, have you seen Granny?" "Myrn? I haven''t, sad to say. She isn''t at home?" "Nuh-uh, she disappeared when I woke up." Seconds later, an old woman was approaching Dita. It was Myrn. "Dita! Were you looking for me?" "Granny! Where did you go?" "Goodness, Myrn. What happened to you?" The neighboring woman looked at Myrn''s current state to find her sweating as though she ran through town. "I just came from the clinic on the other side of Lavinia. I don''t know why, but I''m fit as a fiddle!" Indeed, you would think that a woman as old as Myrn would stay at home resting most of the time. But for Myrn, she became able to walk long distances without rest. "Granny, breakfast is ready. Let''s eat." "Alright, alright. Let''s go home, Dita. See you, Julie." "Bye, Myrn." Myrn then picked Dita up and placed her on her shoulder, and left Julie baffled at the sight. Whatever medicine Cavaron gave her was too effective. --- Outside the city. A carriage was being prepared for departure. Within were Ritna and Cavaron, along with the Minister of Diplomatic Affairs, Iliuha, and a maid servant. Outside the carriage are the escorts of 50 elite knights and ten magi that will accompany them on the way to the meeting place. The place where the treaty will be signed is called the Verdant Cliff where the edge of the forest and the foot of the mountains meet. That place was chosen because a significant number of non-humans live nearby; fairies, beasts, draconians, and demons. "General Rowena, are we ready?" Ritna asked the general leading the escort. "Your Majesty," Rowena saluted. "we are ready to depart. Just give the order." "Sir Cavaron," Ritna turned to speak to him. "are you certain you no longer have anything left to do?" "Yeah, I''m good to go." Cavaron replied. "Very well. Let us depart!" Ritna commanded. "Alright! Ten squads of five knights and one magus each! Box formation with the magus at the center! Three squads up front, two on either side, and three at the rear! Double time people, move it!" Rowena threw out a command one after the other. "We''ve got a treaty to sign!" *whistle* Cavaron whistled at what he saw. ''Nice...'' "She''s newly promoted." Ritna spoke. "I had her take over the spot Ferngar vacated." "Newly promoted, yet commands enough respect, and displays skills needed to lead." Cavaron smiled. With that, the convoy proceeded as planned. --- Along the route... "Is that accurate?" "Yes, sir. The traitor queen will be going through here to reach the Verdant Cliff." A group of hooded figures were discussing among themselves. "Anything else?" "Sir, she has an escort of fifty knights and ten magi being led by former Colonel Rowena." "Former?" "Yes, sir. She was newly promoted to be a general." "Hrm... she''s still green if she believes she could lead such a mission. Alright, prepare the ambush. We kill the traitors today." This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Sir!" The hooded group then hid within their traps to kill Ritna. --- Somewhere on the road, in the carriage... Ritna was asking Cavaron about his past adventures to prevent themselves from getting bored. "So, sir Cavaron. Since have been summoned on multiple occasions, I assume that you have been very powerful since the beginning?" "No. The first time I was summoned, I was weak. Very weak." "Really? How did you survive for so long?" "Honestly, I won''t tell you grand strategies nor stories about my rise in power. In truth, like all the rest, I had to work hard even when I breathed out blood. So many times that I nearly died, so many times that I''ve lost so much. So many companions that I''ve made and left behind. So many enemies killed. So many civilizations saved or forsaken. I''ve encountered so many that it became too much. I tend to ask myself, ''Why do I persist?'', that question resounded in my mind that I nearly went crazy. Even when I inherited the power to form <>, I haven''t found the answer. That is until I met someone who showed me what it is ''to live'', ''to exist''. That person showed me what was beyond the pain and evils of living. Rather than refusing the pain, that someone taught me how to accept the pain that comes with life. That someone taught me one thing, and I will share it to all of you just as I did with my companions... ''Nothing is worth dying for, everything is worth living for.'' When you die, that''s it. You''re dead, your life is finished with no continuation, no resets. I may be strong now, but I have always been weak. So very weak. Truth be told, I still am. Even after over 800 years of pseudo-immortality due to all those rituals, summonings, magic, and the like being poured into me, I still have no idea when I will die. So, I live. I live so I may continue. I live so others will continue. I live to show this damned universe that it can''t put me down. I live to be alive." Silence permeated the carriage after Cavaron spoke his piece. It lasted until they arrived at a village where everybody can rest. Cavaron left the carriage, went to a nearby river, and sat there. Ritna remained in the carriage to ponder on what Cavaron told them. ''To live... to exist... nothing is worth dying for... everything is worth living for..." these words kept occupying Ritna''s mind. An hour passed, and Rowena went to gather everybody back to continue the journey. When she arrived at the river to find Cavaron, she found him with a basket of fish. "Are we leaving now?" Cavaron asked Rowena. "Yes, sir. Those fish?" "Ah, I went fishing to calm myself. Here, distribute it to the others to cook and eat." Cavaron handed Rowena two baskets filled to the brim with fish. ''Where and how did he catch so many?'' Rowena thought as she looked inside the basket. Cavaron rejoined the convoy, and re-entered the carriage. Ritna was still silent for the rest of the journey. "Everybody, move out!" Rowena''s voice was heard outside. The convoy to the Verdant Cliff resumed. --------------------- Ageless Mortal. Chapter 10 After the convoy has left the village, they have arrived at the southwestern border base that signifies the edge of Ladenras'' territory. To the south, one could already see the Great Emerald Forest. To the west, the Argent Mountain Range spans over the horizon. "After we pass this base, we will be in Lord Culverin''s territory." Ritna finally broke her silence. Just when they were about to enter the base, "Wait." Cavaron spoke. "Something''s wrong." Ritna, noticing the change in his atmosphere, told Rowena to halt. "General Rowena, stop the march." "Company, halt!" Cavaron suddenly jumped out the carriage and summoned his blood and mana swords. "Damn, we''re surrounded." The knights and magi escorting them became tense at Cavaron''s words. "<>." Cavaron then spread out a blast of mana all over the surrounding area. ''500? That''s a lot.'' Cavaron used <> to determine the number of enemies surrounding them. The downside is, he can''t determine their locations. <> is a spell he developed that can reach a range of one kilometer. Without warning, Fire and Ice spells flew over an arc in their direction. "Magi!! Barriers, now!!!" Thankfully, the magi escorting them were elites and were able to erect the barriers in a split second. After the spells were nullified, "Attack!!! Kill all of the traitors!!!" Four hundred soldiers and a hundred magi emerged to attack the convoy. "Battle formation! Protect the queen at all costs!" Rowena commanded as she pulled out a halberd. ''Damn, I can''t call Culverin, my mana''s not enough.'' The ambushers were well coordinated. The hundred magi split into groups of ten and bombarded the convoy with concentrated fire. Half of a squad got decimated as a result. "Magi! Pull back and erect a concentrated barrier around the carriage! Armor! Protect the magi from melee attackers!" Rowena commanded. "Cavalry! With me, time for a hit and run!" "I''m jumping in as well." Cavaron said as his swords were screaming for blood and power. "<>!" Cavaron coated his swords with violently vibrating energy, increasing his damage potential. This time, he didn''t see the need to stab himself, and just jumped into battle. He first targeted the magi at the far back. They were still bombarding the barrier protecting the carriage. The cavalry escorts and Rowena were running around the battlefield eliminating the enemy. The heavy armor escorts stood their ground as they got pelted by arrows, and hit with swords and spears. Two by two, the enemy magi fell before Cavaron''s blades as he ran through their ranks. The chaos he delivered made the enemy panic as the split their forces to protect their magi. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. After taking out around sixty enemy magi, he was able to lift the burden off of the escorts. However, he got surrounded by enemy Armored Knights, Cavalry, and Rangers. He could deal with the knights and cavalry on his own. The rangers, however, require him to parry or dodge the arrows and bolts cutting his offensive potential. Even worse, 20 of the remaining enemy magi started firing spells at him. Although his blades get stronger with each kill, his body may not necessarily be able to keep up. ''Urgh, I should not have recklessly ripped space and used mana blades too much. Gods, I hope I get sleep after this... if it succeeds.'' After killing fifty or so knights and cavalry, he decided to take a gamble. ''Grr... I need to get rid of them fast!'' Mana started to fluctuate around him. Instead of space getting torn, his eyes became crimson red, and his body became enveloped in darkness. "GRRAAAAAAHHH!!!" As he shouted, a dark shockwave erupted and blew all those around him away. All those who got hit also became enveloped in darkness. "AHHH!!!" "WHAT IS THIS!?" "GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF ME! HELP!!!" Whoever got hit were immediately devoured. He effectively wiped out 300 soldiers and the remaining magi in one blast of pitch black darkness. All those beyond his reach forgot the battle as they stared at the darkness that is Cavaron. After a few minutes, the darkness dissipated, and he collapsed. "Cavaron!" Ritna screamed. Over the distance, to the south, they saw flying humanoids. Avians. "Brothers! Eliminate the ones attacking the carriage!" The avian leading them commanded. Swiftly, like hawks, they preyed upon the remaining enemies. The leading Avian landed near the carriage. "Queen Ritna." the Avian greeted. "Forgive our lateness. We were sent by Lord Culverin to escort you." "I don''t mind it, but first, please help Cavaron!" Ritna pointed towards Cavaron''s fallen body "Master Cavaron?" the Avian looked, saw, and flew over while avoiding the enemy. "Great Lords, what happened here?" the Avian was shocked as he noticed the dead earth. Thankfully, the darkness has already disappeared and allowed the Avian to pick Cavaron up and fly back to the carriage. "Queen Ritna, I don''t know what happened but he lives." the Avian said to Ritna who was on the verge of tears. "Good, good. Here, let him rest." said Ritna as she freed the carriage. After finishing off the enemy, the Avians were added to the escorts and headed off to the Verdant Cliff. ----------------- I have a feeling I missed an important detail but I can''t remember what it was... tell me if you notice a gap. Thanks for noticing that bit about his mana. Chapter 11 Last one for now since I made this before I sleep. ----------------- Back in Lavinia City, "Did you hear?" "What?" Two people were chatting between themselves as they walked through the third ring. "King Rotter died and was replaced by his daughter, Prin-- I mean, Queen Ritna." "Seriously!?" "Yeah." "Why the hell do we not know something as important as that!?" "Because our information dissemination sucks?" "Oh, right. Always wondered how we were able to keep living without knowing what the royalty does." "The war also ended, by the way." "There was a war?" "Uh, yeah." "How the hell do you know these?" "I work in the castle, remember?" "Gods, I hate this city." Their voices soon disappeared as they turned to a corner. On the side was Myrn, and she heard everything. "Cavaron!" Myrn spoke out loud. "This was what he meant by a surprise." --- Inside a hut somewhere were seven people. Seated on a chair next to the bed was Ritna. Standing by the door were Volg and S''rok. Across the two, seated at a table, were Rowena and Iliuha. Standing by the bed was the Fire Lord, Culverin. They were all anxiously looking at and waiting for the man laid on the bed. Cavaron. When they arrived in the Great Emerald forest, they immediately put Cavaron as top priority after Culverin greeted them. Culverin, recognizing the spell his Master used from hearing Ritna''s story, immediately placed a Fire-type purification spell on Cavaron. "<>" chanted Culverin. "For now, we wait until Master wakes up on his own." Ritna, on the side, just anxiously watched Cavaron recover. --- He laid in a field of white and blue flowers. Beside him was a young woman with silver hair, but her face cannot be seen. The woman looked down at the man laying on the field and spoke. "---------" The man opened his eyes and saw the woman above him. He opened his mouth but his voice never left him. The woman stood up and left, leaving him behind. The man stood as well, and tried to follow her. Sadly, each step he took brought him farther and farther away. Running after her, the world dissolved into darkness. He dropped to his knees and screamed at the darkness. Again, no voice came out. Dropping on all fours, he screamed once more and pounded on the dark ground. The silence was deafening. "-----!" A sound penetrated the darkness. "-----r!" Again, he hears something. He turns to look for the source. "-----er!" He chased after the voice. "-----ter!" "-----n!" The voices became louder as he got closer. "Master!" "Cavaron!" A ball of flame appeared within the darkness, and the man, Cavaron, grasped it. Immediately, the darkness disappeared and he awoke. "Guah! *pant* *pant* *cough* *pant*" "Master! <>!" "Cavaron!" Culverin restored Cavaron''s strength, while Ritna hugged Cavaron. "What... *pant* where am I? gahaa..." Cavaron asked. "Master, we our in my home territory. Your convoy arrived safely with few casualties. I ordered some Avians to patrol the area to greet you. We never thought you''d be ambushed undetected." "Ah... Culverin... yes..." Cavaron then looked at the Queen crying below him. "Ritna..." "Cavaron... we were so worried. After all you''ve said, why did you that!?" Cavaron was stunned by Ritna''s scream. "Even after you told us that ''nothing is worth dying for'', why did you still do something dangerous!?" Everyone was silent at Ritna''s outburst. "I... I''m sorry." Cavaron apologized. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Hearing his apology, Ritna stood up and went outside, followed by Rowena. Silence lasted for a while and Culverin looked at the others. His two present subordinates understood it, took Iliuha, and went out as well leaving Culverin with his Master. "Master, did you see it again?" Cavaron faced Culverin and nodded weakly. *sigh* "Well, rest for a while. The signing is postponed for the time being until you get your strength back." Despite being in a Master-Contract relationship, the way they spoke to each other shows how friendly they truly were to each other. Culverin then left his master to recuperate. As Cavaron was left by himself, ''Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!'' He was angry, not to the others, ''Damn my weakness!'' but to himself. ''Dammit all!'' "I''m sorry... Aisha..." Cavaron quietly muttered as he fell back to sleep. --- Outside the hut where Cavaron rested was a small beast tribe settlement. Beast tribe settlements have no identifying names. They just are. Surrounding the settlement were the massive trees of the Great Emerald Forest. The trees both form as a natural defense and a home to some tribes, like the hawk-tribes and other avians, and some rat-tribes. The largest tree in the settlement served as the place where the chiefs and warlords meet. At the moment, however, it is being used as a guest house for Ritna and the others. Ritna was currently sitting on a large tree root. By her side was Rowena who merely executed her duty as her guard. "I never thought that after losing Alrik, I would be able to love again." Ritna spoke to the air, not minding Rowena. ''Your Majesty...'' Rowena, too, knew Ritna''s late lover, Alrik, and still remembered the way their previous king cut him down in front of his daughter. Ritna, with tears in her eyes, momentarily looked up. However, she was shocked at what she saw. Before her, Alrus approached from inside the tree. "Queen Ritna." Alrus greeted. "A...Alrik..? No... It can''t be..." Ritna covered her mouth in disbelief. "Pardons, Queen Ritna. Alrik is my twin brother." Alrus solemnly spoke. "I came to give my respects to the woman he loved, and to the one who wished to end the war." Alrus bowed before Ritna, "May I sit next to you?" and asked. Ritna nodded. "Thank you." Silence lasted until Alrus spoke. "Brother always talked about you." Ritna listened as he spoke. "He always told me about a human woman he met by a river. Whenever he does, there was always a smile on his face." Alrus looked up to the sky as he remembered his twin. "Almost always, at the end of the day, you were on his mind. Anything else were about his adventures." Ritna remembered the past. About the elf she met. About how both were attracted to each other''s beauty. About how they spent their lives meeting one another each week when she was allowed to leave the city. "Brother, I hope you have found peace... wherever you are." Ritna''s tears flowed once more as she remembered her late lover. Alrus paused for a while then spoke to her, "Queen Ritna, thank you." then stood up and left. Ritna remained where she sat as the earth received her tears. ------------------- The next chapters will be slower since I have finals. Anyway, feel free to point out mistakes. Would be also nice if you gave some constructive criticisms/reviews regarding this fic. Thanks! PS. You might notice that I put a lot of "Silence" in here. Silence is good, let''s you see and hear things you normally would ignore in this noisy world. Chapter 12 Only one chapter for now. Student + Dying = Studying ----------------- In a village nestled between a valley, the people lead fairly ordinary lives. Holding a small population of 50 families, their days pass by without incident. Beyond the village lay verdant fields and cliffs. Their fields give life to various flora and fauna they use for agriculture. The valley cliffs serve as natural protection from strong winds that may uproot crops and destroy their homes while being rich in minerals that become part of the village''s production of tools and equipment. Thankfully, there is also a river that ran through the valley giving the village a source of water. At the riverside near the edge of the village, a large tree can be found. Underneath it, a group of children sat around a woman with a book, a storyteller. The children around her listened with smiles and lively eyes. The storyteller told the children many stories filled with adventure. Stories of a young hero saving a princess, a young woman who rose up to save her country, an old magician who visits children to teach them, a benevolent god who gave mercy to the people by gifting a champion, a dragon who gave gifts of power to those it deemed worthy, and many more. The story being told now was about a young boy who grew up witnessing an empire''s injustices and rose up to be an influential person in an oppressed colony who served as the spark for his people to rise up and declare independence. When the storyteller finished, she had the children go home because it was getting dark. Within that group of children, a boy, who looked around ten years old, remained. "Little one, it''s time to go home." the storyteller said. "I wanna know something, first." replied the boy. "Yes?" "When will you come again?" "Ah, hm. I''m not sure, did you like the stories?" "I loved them!" said the boy with a big, happy smile. The storyteller smiled as well. "Little one, would you like to read books?" The boy''s face changed. "I... I would love to, but..." "But?" "I... I can''t read... mother hasn''t taught me." "Hm... how about this, I will teach you." The boy brightened at her proposal, but froze when he realized something. "But, aren''t you on a journey?" "Oh, it''s fine, little one. Staying in many places, and passing down knowledge is part of what I actually do." The storyteller then pulled out an emblem. "Do you know what this is?" "That... that''s a Sage Mark!" The boy was surprised that the storyteller was a certified sage. Anybody with the Sage Mark is authorized to teach others and deliver newfound knowledge. "Storytelling is just one job of mine. I primarily teach. I know, gather more of your friends so you''re not alone." "Yes!" "Go on home now, little one. The night is not a time when little ones are outside." "See you, ma''am!" The boy then ran back home. The next days came and went fast. During those days, the storyteller, now known as Sage Shiue, lived in the village elder''s home while she taught the children how to read. First were the letters, then the numbers. As the days flew by, the sage grew attached to the village and set up a permanent school. Anybody interested was taught languages and mathematics. Any other advanced topics such as sciences and history can be requested for another time. Years passed and the ten year old boy grew up to be a fine fifteen year old young man. "Teacher Shiue! Good day!" the young man greeted while cleaning their yard. "Good day, little one." Sage Shiue greeted back. "Little one!? Come on, stop calling me that." "Why not? I''ve been calling you that since five years ago." "I''m grown up already." "I don''t know, people who still need to say that they''ve ''grown up'' haven''t really ''grown up'' to others. Besides, it''s cute." "Ahh! Just stop calling me ''little one'', the others are ridiculing me." "Oh? Fine then. I''ll call you ''little man'', better?" "Buh!? Better!? It''s worse!" "Then, what do you want me to call you?" "Call me by my name!" "Why?" "You call everybody else by their names." "But, I want to call you by your nickname." "Nickname?" "Little one." Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "GAH! For real!?" "Hmhmhm~" "Aww... nevermind." "Don''t worry, you will always be my little one." --- The night sky has covered the Great Emerald Forest. Creatures of the night have now woken up. The nocturnal settlement sentries are now on full alert for wild monsters. The nocturnal avian females began singing their beautiful songs spreading them amongst the settlement reassuring their safety in the night. Cavaron awoke in the middle of their songs. ''Hm... such beautiful whispers.'' he thought as he listened and sat up. Checking his body''s condition, he took up a comfortable position to meditate. He began sensing the mana within his body to know if he recovered enough while he slept. ''Hn? That''s a lot... about 6 hours of continuous <> at most... Is it because of the forest?'' Figuring he has recovered enough, he left the hut where he rested. Stepping outside, he met a tranquil settlement lit by campfires. The avian females were still singing while the others just listened. Cavaron joined the others around a campfire. When the tribesmen noticed him, he just put his finger on his lips telling them to be quiet, and he motioned the avian females to continues singing. After they finished their song, Cavaron ripped space again and pulled something out. A harmonica. The tribesmen were puzzled since it was their first time seeing such an item, so they asked what it was. Cavaron just said, "You''ll see." and started playing. (AN: here are the tabs for one of my favorites). Part A : -5 +5 -5 -6 +5 -4 +4 -4 -5 +4 -3'' -3" -3'' -5 +5 +4 -4 +5 -5 -6 +6 -5 +5 -5 -6 +5 +4 -4 +5 -5 +6 -6 -6 +6 -6 +6 -5 +5 -6 -4'' +5 -4 Part B : -4 +5 -5 +6 -6 +6 +7 +6 -6 +6 -5 +5 -5 -4 -4 +4 -3'' +4 -4 -5 +5 -5 +6 +5 -4 -4 -4 +5 -5 +6 -6 +6 +7 +6 -6 +6 -5 +5 -5 -4 -4 +4 -3'' +4 -4 -5 +5 -5 +6 +6 -6 +6 -5 +5 -4'' A B A Legend : '' : half tone bend '''' : one tone bend : overblow (AN: Sorry if many of you don''t know it. Let us just say it''s sort of a tribute). As he played, the tune resounded even more than the avians'' songs. The song was sad, as though he was longing for something. More tribesmen came closer to listen to his song. Even the Ladenrasians and the non-human leaders came. Ritna just stood beyond the fire''s light as she listened. ''Why? Why are you beyond my reach? Why do you make me remember him?'' she thought as she grasped her chest. ''Master...'' Culverin was concerned because he knew. ''It is difficult to believe he was the same man before.'' Rowena thought in disbelief. ''Brother...'' Alrus was reminded of Alrik. The only ones who didn''t come were the sentries tasked to ensure the settlement''s safety. Some of them, however, had acute hearing and paused their patrols to listen. Cavaron played for a whole two minutes. When he finished, silence filled the settlement. The only sounds present were the crackling of flames, and the wild beasts beyond the settlement. Ritna, on the side, approached Cavaron from behind, knelt down, and hugged him. Cavaron didn''t resist because they both knew that this is the last time she will be able to do so. The others left, and gave the two privacy. "I''m sorry, Ritna." Tears never formed when she let go. On her face, however, was regret mixed with resolve. "No, it''s my fault. I hoped to heal this broken heart of mine with you. Your song, it made me remember who I truly loved. I was probably just envious of your power." "Power, huh? Well, at least you have power now. As a queen, of course." "Maybe, but it wasn''t possible without you." "Hm... Ah, I have something for you." Cavaron pulled out 17 Delns from his pocket, gave them to her, but kept one for future use. "This will be my final gift. Use it to help the non-human races." "How... how did you get so much money?" "I just sold some things, that is all I can say." "Hm, then, I gladly accept your gift." ------------------- Wonder if anybody will realize what the story told and the song were? Little by little, some, if not all, questions will be answered. Point out mistakes if you see them, please. Thanks! Chapter 13 - Ladenras Epilogue + Belfron Prologue You want worlds? I give you worlds. -------------------------- The next day, on the Verdant Cliff... In the middle of the cliff stood Ritna, Rowena, and Iliuha. Opposite of them were Alrus, Volg, and S''rok. On their sides were Cavaron and Culverin and were facing each other. "All who are present here with us stand witness to the signing of the treaty. Ladenrasians and non-humans, now bound by blood, are at peace as friends, brothers, sisters, and comrades!" Iliuha, the Minister of Diplomatic Affairs, announced. Applause erupted from both the Ladenrasians and the non-humans. "For a bright future!!!" "For a prosperous future!!!" "As friends!!!" "As brothers and sisters!!!" "As comrades!!!" "HOORAH!!!" They continued for a while before dying down. "Let us work hard together from now on." Ritna brought her hand forward and smiled. "In memory of those we loved." Alrus shook her hand. "Now what, my Queen?" asked Rowena. "Now, we return to Lavinia. We need to reform the place and the army to adhere to the treaty. Sir Cavaron, what will you do now?" "Me? No idea." Cavaron replied and shrugged. "I would probably stay here for a while and regain my mana to travel on my own... or wait until I get kidnaC erm, summoned to some other world." "Alright, well then, we''re off." However, just before Ritna climbed the carriage... *glow* "shaaaa" A magic circle appeared below Cavaron. "I did say I would wait, but I never mentioned anything about right now!!!!" he yelled and managed to jump off the circle. Yet, contrary to his expectations, the magic circle chased him... so he ran around the area. "Kuh!? A direct summoning!? Argh!" "Sir Cavaron!?" When Cavaron passed by a tribesman, the magic circle evaded and continued the chase. "Gah! Ritna! When you Chop!C return to Lavinia Coof!C go to Myrn''s Jewelries Chaa!C and deliver a message for me! Chyo!C There''s a little girl Cgaa!C tell her that sooner or later Coomph!C I will keep the promise!" Cavaron then concentrated a large amount of mana in his hand, and threw it on a tree nearby. "<>!" After doing so, he stopped running, bid farewell, "See ya, everybody!" got caught by the circle, and disappeared after a bright flash. Everybody else who remained was stunned at the sight, while Culverin had his hand on his face sighing. "General Rowena?" "Yes, my Queen?" "Where is Myrn''s Jewelries?" "The third ring, milady." "Guide me, we have a message to deliver." "As you wish, my Queen. All troops, lets head back home!" Ritna faced Culverin and Alrus, and gave a respectful nod to both. Culverin and Alrus nodded back in return, and watched as she left. "Lord, what will you do now?" Alrus asked Culverin. "Now? Hm... I''ll stand by for a year or two before going back to sleep." he replied. "Come, changes will be made and the three of you may know no rest for the coming days." """ Yes, Lord. """ his three subordinates saluted. ---------------------------------- The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.~Interlude~ Your shadow, like the stars, will dissolve into the morning sky and disappear. I have lost your whereabouts, but my thoughts of you are overflowing. My heart was able to face both strength and weakness. As long as I''m with you, I won''t fear tomorrow no matter what it''s like. Please believe in the times when the two of us were walking together. ~Whereabouts of Light ---------------------------------- Belfron Federation A large entity spanning over an entire continent that was once a multitude of small kingdoms. Their victory over the Lich Shunga twenty years ago as an alliance gave them a foothold in conquering the continent and effectively merged into become one federation. What differs them from others is that they have a supreme leader who has the final say on decisions. This leader, as of now, is Premier Tania. Twenty years ago, Tania was a princess of the Rusvich Kingdom who was at the forefront of the Undead War. During that time, her father valiantly led their kingdom along with the others to victory with the help of a champion. She was a cute child back then, always trying to attract the champion to play with her, despite her father''s persuasions and a bit of scolding. After the war with the defeat of the Lich Shunga, the champion bid farewell leaving her alone. After that time, she worked hard in the alliance even after it became a federation in ten years. Her services to her people gained her a lot of supporters, and made some enemies, but she never gave up. When she eliminated the corruption within the federation, she was chosen to be the next premier. Now, as the Belfron Premier, their lives are fairly peaceful but, to her, something is missing. That is, she longed for the champion who made her happy during her childhood. She would do anything to bring the champion back. With that in mind, she went into the Federal Library, deep into the restricted area. One year, two years, three years. She kept looking for something to help her while not shirking off her duties to her people. After five years of searching, she found it. An ancient magic that feeds on emotions to summon someone. All she needed to do was draw the magic circle, have some mana crystals to channel the magic, and just think of the person she wishes to see. The downside of the ritual is the consequence of failure. She will lose all emotion and become an empty husk. Believing that her love will not fail, she proceeded with the ritual. It only took her three days to finish the set up. Activating the magic circle with her blood, she thought of the champion years ago. She thought strongly about the champion. So strong that the mana crystals cracked from the pressure. After five minutes, no one came out. Despair filled her face but she shook her head and thought even more. After another five minutes a loud explosion was heard and the mana crystals shattered. Her guards rushed in to see what happened, but were greeted by a bright flash of red light. The shards of the mana crystals floated over to the center of the circle and disappeared. In its place was the champion she held dear. "Cavaron!" ----------------------------- Hoo... this one was a whoozy. I figured that the epilogue was too short so I added in the next one. Chapter 14 ''Hmm... It has been around... 32 years..?'' Pondered Cavaron as he was being pulled by summon magic. ''Long time no see, hub space.'' Currently, he is flying through a place he called "hub space". What it is he has no idea, but time flows ridiculously fast inside. Spending an hour inside, will have one second pass outside. Within hub space lay various portals and holes that lead to other worlds. Thirty two years ago, he had enough mana to rip the space-time barrier and enter here. The other times were dependent on the type of summoning ritual used. Ordinary summoning rituals that do not use sacrifices are slow enough for him to pass through hub space. Rituals that do use sacrifices, like what King Rotter did, are nearly instantaneous depending on the magnitude. ''Where am I going now?'' He helplessly thought as the magic pulled him to their destination. Half an hour passed and the destination was still nowhere in sight. ''Guess I''ll sleep.'' And so he went to sleep as he flew through space since he just left it to the magic to finish its task. As he slept, another half hour passed and his destination was in sight. The magic pulling him brought him through the portal to Belfron. --- Cavaron appeared on the summoning circle. The shards of the mana crystals that floated to him were instantaneously absorbed by his body. "Cavaron!" a woman yelled and ran up to him but slowed to a stop when she noticed something strange. "Cavaron?" The federal soldiers guarding the place were dumbstruck at what they saw. The woman, their Premier, set up a magic circle without them realizing it. "Premier Tania... this..." one of the guards spoke in disbelief. However, Tania was too focused on Cavaron and ignored the guards. "Cavaron?" she repeated his name. "ZZZzzzz *snore* Zzzzzz..." he was asleep! At this, Tania fell to the ground and the guards ran to her aid. "Premier!" they yelled, "Wha-!? Who!? Huh!?" and woke up the sleeping man. Tania beamed when he awoke and jumped to hug him. "Cavaron! I missed you!" she screamed in happiness. "What the!? Who are you!?" Cavaron yelled in surprise. The guards, upon hearing the words their Premier said, accidentally tripped and fell. Crash! Bang! "Get off, you lot!" the guard at the bottom screamed. There was so much noise that the other ministers of the Federation, and the former kings and queens came in. "What the hells is happening here!?" the minister at the front of the group bellowed. The guards, having scrambled to greet them said, "Sir, Premier Tania used a summoning circle!" "A summoning circle?" the ministers then looked at the place where Tania was hugging Cavaron. "By the gods! That''s Cavaron!" "What''s he doing here?" "Are we at war again?" "Tania what''s going on!?" The ministers and former royalty became noisy. Cavaron, recovering from shock, pushed Tania away. "Who are you? What do you... Oh... damn... Rusvich..." Cavaron recognized the mana signature of the woman before him, Tania Rusvich. "You remembered me! Oh, but it''s Premier Tania Rusvich now. Welcome to the Belfron Federation!" "Belfron... Federation..." Cavaron repeated while shocked. "Wait... Tania? That little-princess-who-kept-clinging-to-me Tania?" Tania blushed and hid her face when he said that last one, and nodded bashfully. "Good gods..." Cavaron was stunned at the woman in front of him. Height around 5''8", with a head full of flowing red hair. Her body can''t be recognized since she was wearing a full-body cloak but it appears slender, especially her arms. Her face was so beautiful that it can put Ritna to shame. The cute little princess was now a full-grown beautiful woman. "Stop staring at me." Tania cried out cutely. "Huh?" *SLAP* Cavaron''s right hand slapped him out of the trance. ''Damn... too dangerous...'' The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "You haven''t changed." said Tania. "You still look the same." "Tania! Cavaron! What''s going on?" This time an old man came to the front and demanded answers. "Papa! I summoned Cavaron back!" Tania answered without a care. "Papa?" Cavaron looked back and forth at Tania and the old man. "That means... King Rusvich?" "It''s just Rusvich now, Cavaron. Pietr Rusvich." Pietr replied. "I have long forsaken my status for the good of the Federation." ''Okay... need to get some getting used to...'' "So... Uh, Premier, what did you summon me for?" Tania smiled and said, "Just call me by name." "Okay, Tania. Your reason for summoning me is?" "I wanted to see you." "That... that''s it?" "Yeah. Oh, and, um..." Tania was obviously fidgeting trying to get the words out of her mouth. Everybody in the area leaned closer in anticipation. "And?" Cavaron motioned her to continue. "Cavaron..." "Yes?" "... MARRY ME!" CRASH!! "No!" "Why not!? I love you!" "Just no!" "Marry me!" "No!" The people who fell around them were dumbfounded by their exchange. "T-A-N-I-A!!!" Pietr bellowed in anger, "Eep!" and Tania fell kneeling to the floor. "I would not have minded if you asked Cavaron for help... BUT THIS!? YOU SUMMONED HIM FOR THIS!? YOUR SELFISHNESS KNOWS NO BOUNDS!" Pietr is definitely angry now. "Papa, keep calm. Your health..." "DAMN MY HEALTH! YOU ARE ON PROBATION STARTING TODAY! IS THERE ANYONE DISSATISFIED!?" All of the ministers shook their heads frantically because they knew who Pietr was, Pietr Rusvich the Gentle Demon. Gentle to his family, a demon to his enemies. "GOOD! GUARDS, TAKE HER AWAY AND LOCK HER UP IN HER ROOM FOR A MONTH!" It would appear that even the most powerful person in the Federation cannot do anything against her father. "Noo~ Cavaron~ Papa~" she yelled as the guards fearfully dragged her away. "Cavaron." Pietr said as he prostrated himself to him. "Please forgive my foolish child and this father of hers." "Ah... *sigh* it''s alright, uh, Pietr." ''I need to get used to this.'' "Thank you. What will you do now?" "I can''t say, since I was kidnapped... oops, I mean summoned, I suppose I could stay here for a while until I get enough mana to leave on my own." "Then, will you be staying here?" "I think I will travel around Belfron for a while. It has been... how long since I left?" "About twenty years, Cavaron." "Yeah, I''ll see the sights. I could use a break from all the fighting." "As you wish. You know, you haven''t aged. You still look 25 years old." "Magic is weird, you should know that." "Indeed. Ah! Do you have money?" "Did it change?" "Yes, we now use fiat money called Bels." "Then, I''m willing to trade in some of my treasures for money." "No, Cavaron. No need to trade." "I insist... Pietr... We wouldn''t want to break the balance now." "Fine." Cavaron ripped space and pulled out an item. It was a small jewel. "I''d like to get the equivalent of this." "Just that?" Pietr went wide-eyed. "Yes, just this much." "Alright." Pietr then pulled out a pouch and produced 24,000 Bels. "Here, 24,000 Bels for a piece of Luminite." "So that''s the market value for this now?" "Yes. Luminite jewels are rare and expensive. It''s only natural to pay this much for a piece the size of three fingers." "Thank you for the transaction." ------------ Welp, that was fun. Procrastination ftw. Would be nice if you peeps rated my fic even if it''s just the overall rating. Thanks for the views and support! Chapter 15 Stepping out of the building known as the Federal Administrative Complex, he arrived in the middle of Volya City, former capital of the Rusvich Kingdom now the central administrative region of the Belfron Federation. Before him was a plaza and a fountain can be found right at its center. When he came closer to the fountain, he felt a chill down his spine and heard, "CAVAROOOONNNNN!!! I WILL FIND YOUUUU, AND I WILL HAVE YOUUUU NO MATTER WHAAAA-geho!!" behind him. ''I should get out of this place, fast!'' he thought as the citizens looked at the source of the shout. "The hells with the Premier?" "Cavaron? Isn''t he the champion twenty years ago?" "Seriously? The hero? That means he has come back." "Wait, if that is so... oh no, is it another war!?" "Shut up, man! Don''t even think about it." Volya''s citizens were in a panic. ''That stupid little girl.'' Cavaron thought as he hid himself. Yes, he thinks that the Federal Premier is a "little girl". ''If the city hasn''t changed, the gates should be...'' Following the map in his memories, Cavaron weaved through the city to find an exit. After an hour of avoiding people, passing through alleys, and ducking under carriages and push carts, "Hey, what are you doing?" a guard tapped his shoulder and got caught. Cavaron quickly faced the guard and said, "Nothing, just..." "Big brother Cavaron?" "Ha?" "Big brother Cavaron, it''s yo-fff!" "SHHH! Silence. I know a lot of you know me since I haven''t aged. Now who are... baby Lucas?" Like how Cavaron recognized Tania, he recognized the man before him from his mana signature. Lucas Osfort, a child he once played with during the Undead War. Now, that child is a strapping 25-year old soldier of the Federation. Lucas removed Cavaron''s hand off his mouth, "Hey, I''m not a baby anymore. It''s good that you remember me, though." "How would I forget about the brat that shat on my boot when a ghoul appeared?" "Argh! Forget that, please!" "Sorry, hard to forget things lately." "Bah! So, what are you doing back here? Don''t tell me the rumors of the undead are true." "*sigh* Baby Lucas talks like a big boy now." "Oh, shush! So?" "Nah, nothing of that sort. Your beloved Premier went nuts and kidnapped me." "Tania? Oh dang, her love for you is... can it even be called love?" "Don''t even bother. Stop thinking about it." "*whistle* Wynn will be happy to see you, though." "Wynn? Your sister?" "Yeah, she works south of here as an archaeologist. Digs up a lot of stuff from time to time." "Hm... interesting. Has she found anything noteworthy?" "None that I know of. She usually keeps to herself unless something big happens." "Like?" "I dunno, finding relics of ancient civilizations?" "Heh, good point." "So, Big Bro, where are you going?" "*sigh* Now he calls me ''Big Bro''." "..." "Kidding. No idea, honestly. Guess I''ll see what''s changed." "Then, do you mind going south?" "South? To Wynn?" "Eh, yah. She''s in a place called, Kintab''s Recluse digging stuff up." "And?" "Can you deliver a message to her?" "I don''t see why not, sure. What is it?" "Reply to our letters from time to time. Ma''s getting paranoid from her silence." "Oh, sure. Got a map to the place?" "Sorry, no, but you can get a carriage to take you there. They should know since some merchants go there to buy junk to sell." "Mmkay." While they were talking, Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "CAVAROOONNNNN!!!" "Oh hells. Well, see ya, Baby Lucas." and Cavaron ran off to the gates. "Dammit, Big Bro!" "Hahaha!" --- Lavinia City. Third Ring. "*gasp* Her Majesty!" "What is she doing here?" "There wasn''t an announcement regarding a personal visit, right?" "Queen Ritna! You''re beautiful!" "Kyaa!! The Queen is here!" The residents of the Third Ring were in an uproar at the unexpected visit of their queen. "General Rowena, are we there yet?" "After this corner, my Queen." Ritna''s entourage arrived in front of a jewelry shop. Ritna went off her horse and entered. "Welcome to Myrn''s Jewelries! How may I... *gasp*! THE QUEEN!" the girl tending to the counter shrieked. "Dita, what''s going... Your Majesty!?" Myrn scrambled into the shop upon hearing Dita''s shriek. "Greetings." Ritna said as she curtsied. "Myrn and Dita, correct?" Myrn and Dita frantically curtsied as well. "Yes, yes. We are, Your Majesty." "Please, be at ease. I am visiting on behalf of a mutual friend." "Cavaron?" "Mister!?" "Yes, I have a message to deliver." "Erm, Your Majesty, if it would be alright, would you like to come into the living room for some tea?" "I gladly accept your offer." Myrn then led Ritna into their home, and had Dita prepare the tea. Rowena just stood outside, next to the counter, guarding the area. Seated comfortably while drinking tea, "Your Majesty, Cavaron... is he well?" Myrn asked to initiate the conversation. "Yes, he is very well. Although, he had me deliver a message before he abruptly left." "Did he... did he get.summoned?" "You know?" "Yes, I sensed a mana spike to the south west yesterday." "And how were you able to sense this?" "I also work as a small time enchanter, Your Majesty." "Really? May I see.some of your works?" "Of course." Myrn then pulled out a ring from her pocket. It was the same ring she showed to Cavaron. Ritna then wore the ring and felt its effects. "Oh? Stone Skin?" "Yes, Your Majesty. Just a minor rune." "Hm... interesting." Ritna then pulled the ring she received from Cavaron off her finger to show to Myrn. "This ring, do you think.you could reproduce it." Ritna handed the ring over, and Myrn inspected it. "Your Majesty, this ring?" "He gave it to me as a gift." "I see. No wonder... I''m sorry, Your Majesty, but the enchantment used here cannot be found in this world. At most, I could decipher it but not to the point of mass production." Myrn said as she handed back the ring. "I see." "Then, Your Majesty, what is the message he asked to deliver?" "Ah, yes. It''s for Dita." This time, Dita who was just listening to their conversation, perked up. "Yes?" said Dita as she faced Ritna. "Cavaron... he said before he left to tell you, ''sooner or later, I will.keep the promise.''" "Oh..." Tears welled up on Dita''s face realizing that Cavaron left but she wiped her tears off her face, and said with resolve, "Then, I will wait for mister to come back." Ritna and Myrn smiled at the little girl before them. ''Cavaron, I kept my end. You better keep yours.'' Ritna thought of him one last time. -------------- Made a poll because "why not?" Was listening to this when I wrote the chapter: https://youtu.be/iKs7JQCohWA Chapter 16 On the highway, Cavaron managed to get a ride on a merchant caravan going south. The merchants who were in charge were nice enough to even give him a job of protecting them seeing his equipment. "Erasyl!" a mercenary shouted. "Wake up, and have some grub with us." Cavaron, wanting to hide his identity, took up the alias "Erasyl" while going south. "Right, thanks for giving me a share." he said going down the carriage. "No prob, yer one of us now." Cavaron took a serving of stew and sat on a nearby rock. "So, Erasyl..." the mercenary captain said, "What''s yer story, eh?" "Nothing, really, Cynwrig." Cavaron replied. "You sure? My eyes never lie to me. You look like a veteran." Cynwrig, the merc captain inspected Cavaron carefully, "Even if yer wearing a cheap looking leather cuirass, yer body tells me something else." "Woah, easy there cap''n. I''m not gay." Cavaron jokingly said. "HAHAHA! That''s a good one, lad!" Cynwrig laughed. Currently, Cavaron is not wearing his signature equipment but a set of leather armor and two iron short swords. Donning the identity of Erasyl, he is going as a simple adventurer. "Cap''n! Bandits on the road!" a merc shouted. "Welp, time to work. Erasyl, let''s see what you can do." Cynwrig said as he stood up and hoisted his great axe. Cavaron followed after finishing his food. Wasting food is not good, after all. Before the caravan stood bandits, the typical kind. "Ta get through, ya needs ta pay the toll: yer stuff or yer lives!" a bandit bellowed. "How about you scram and we''ll forget this happened, eh?" Cynwrig replied. "Screw ya!" the bandit retorted. Cavaron picked up a stone and threw it at a bandit. "Argh!" a bandit screamed. The rock hit an eye. "Kill them!!!" A fight between 46 bandits against 20 mercenaries. Cavaron, not wanting to expend mana and blowing his cover, just threw rocks to distract the bandits. "Dammit! Archers, aim for that rock thrower!" This time, a volley of 10 arrows flew over the sky to Cavaron. "Erasyl!!" However, when they looked again, Cavaron wasn''t in his spot anymore. He was up front still throwing rocks to annoy the bandits. "This slippery bastard!" "To hell with it! Finish that guy first!" This time, 27 bandits converged on Cavaron while the others made the mercenaries busy. "Erasyl!" Cynwrig was concerned. "Cynwrig! You want to see my skills? I''ll show you my skills." Cavaron drew both swords and started to dance a whirlwind of blades. Cavaron, ignoring the others, swung his swods beautifully through the air. One sword parried while the second countered, after which it continued again and again. From 26 bandits, he cut it down to 10. The only attacks that get through were the arrows from a distance, but with his speed, he just evaded all of them. "Era...syl..?" Cynwrig was amazed like the rest of the mercenaries. The other bandits also stopped attacking as they watched their comrades fall one after another before that whirlwind of death. "Come on lads! Let''s not fall behind Erasyl!!" Cynwrig commanded with renewed vigor after seeing Cavaron. "OOHHH!!!" The intensity of the attacks delivered by the mercenaries reached the next level. The bandits were getting cut down one after another, even the weakest began to retreat. "Screw this, I''m out!" a bandit screamed as he turned tail and ran, and the others followed suit. 12 out of the 46 bandits ran away with their lives. "HAHA! VICTORY!" If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. The mercenaries cheered seeing that they had no casualties except for a few minor injuries. "Erasyl!" Cynwrig approached and slapped Cavaron''s back. "You''re good! Really good!" "Thanks, just don''t hit on me." Cavaron replied. "HAHA!" Cynwrig just slapped his back harder. "Is it safe to move on?" a merchant asked. "Hm? Ah, yeah. It''s safe. Right, lads, let''s get a move on!" --- Volya City. Residential Area. "Close the gates!" "Seal all exits!" "Send hunters down the sewers!" Federal soldiers are barking orders left and right. "What''s going on?" "Is it an enemy attack?" "No, please. Not another war!!" The citizens are panicking. "Close the gates! Premier Tania escaped!" "Say what?" "The hell''s with the premier?" "Is it that thing earlier? The one with Cavaron?" This time, Pietr went outside. "Citizens of Volya, hear me! My daughter and your Premier has escaped! We wish to ask for your aid in recapturing her!" Pietr announced. "Successful capture by any of you will receive the bounty of one million Bels!" """ Capture the Premier!!! """ A party is going wild in Volya City. ''Hahaha... you will never find me.'' Tania snickered as she climbed a sentry tower. "Excuse me, what are you doing here?" a guard grabbed Tania''s shoulder. "Hyaa~!" Tania jumped and shrieked. "Oh, Tania." "That voice, Lucas?" "Hey." "What are you doing here?" "Looking for you." "Oh, okaC uh-oh..." Tania noticed Lucas'' uniform. A Federal Army uniform. "NOOOCgefu!" "Yes, Tania. It''s yes." Lucas said as she knocked Tania out and brought her to Pietr. "Young Lucas, for this service, you shall receive the bounty of one million Bels." Pietr formally annoumced and gave the money. "NOW, LOCK HER UP." --- "Brr..." Cavaron shivered. "Sup, Erasyl?" a merc asked. "No idea, a chill went down my spine." he replied. "A woman?" "I hope not." "Hehe, so you even have problems." "Yeah, whatever." The caravan continued until they arrived at a town called Teman. "Well, we''re here." a merchant announced. "Erasyl, thanks for your help." "Sure. So, know the way to Kintab''s Recluse?" Cavaron asked. "That place? Any pariticular reason why?" "An old friend wanted me to deliver a message to someone there." "I see, I see. Hm, see that stable over there?" the merchant points to a stable to the south of town. "Yeah?" "You can get a guide to lead you there. Not sure about the cost, though." "Eh, I have enough money. Guess I''ll go now, bye." "Thanks again, Erasyl." Just before Cavaron left them, "Yo! Erasyl!" Cynwrig called him. "Need anything?" "Join my band." "Hmmmm nah. I like to be free." "Oh, pity. We could use someone like you." "I''m sure you''ll find someone like me." "HA! I''ll prolly be long gone by then." "Cheer up, cap''n. You''re still young." "Heh, being told that by you feels weird." "I''m not hitting on you." "BAHAHAHA! We''ll miss ya." "Yeah, yeah. See ya." "See ya, Erasyl." Finally, Cavaron went off to find a guide to Kintab''s Recluse. ---------------------- Not sure when next chap will be up since I want to bomb our ISP for shit service. Chapter 17 When there is a will, there is a way... BY HIJACKING CORPORATE WIFI. Sup, peeps? Have a chapter. ----------------------- The Southern Rusvich Kingdom, now known as the Southern Rusvich District, was home to innumerable amounts of ancient ruins and labyrinths making it home to the Federation''s archaeologists and treasure hunters. Archaeologists and treasure hunters both have their respective guilds and, from time to time, are at odds with one another. Like how they each call themselves, archaeologists dig for knowledge, and hunters dig for money. Fortunately, the Federation lets them do as they please as long as it doesn''t spark a war. One such archaeologist is Wynn Osfort, Cavaron''s friend from twenty years past and Lucas'' elder sister by eight years. Cavaron, after getting a guide from Teman Village, is en route to Kintab''s Recluse, a dig site where Wynn is currently located as said by Lucas. On the way, Cavaron and his guide went through the Southern Volshik Plains. The plains spread out as far as the eyes can see and has scattered patches of small forests here and there. His guide, named Timothy, was one of Teman Village''s teenagers looking for work seeing opportunities such as guides and pathfinders being profitable. Cavaron paid Timothy a hundred Bels as a guide to Kintab''s Recluse, and an extra two hundred for two horses for both of them to ride on. Cavaron''s generosity to Timothy gave him a favorable impression. As the two went through the plains, "Hey, Timmy, uh... can I call you Timmy?" Cavaron asked his guide thinking that calling him "Timothy" gets tiring after a while. "Sure, Mister Erasyl. I don''t mind since that''s how me folks call me." Timothy replied lifting the burden off Cavaron''s tongue. "Hm, in that case, just drop the ''Mister'' and just call me ''Erasyl'' instead." Cavaron didn''t want to be the only one to be called properly. After living a few hundred years, he got tired with the difference in treatment, since his past especially. "No can do, Mister. It''s part of the job." Timothy replied as such. Seeing the sense of professionalism in the youth''s eyes made Cavaron not say anything else and went on with it. After a while, they see dig site over the distance. A fairly huge dig site spanning over a few kilometers over the horizon. Passing by a sign, Cavaron read "Kintab''s Recluse C 2 km south" and headed for the entrance with Timothy. Upon arrival, they were greeted by Federation soldiers that were posted here as guards in case of a raid or theft. "Halt! Names and nature of business?" a guard interrogated Cavaron. "I''m Erasyl, and this is my guide from Teman Village, Timothy. We''re here to deliver a message to one of the archaeologists, and probably do some sightseeing afterwards." Cavaron answered honestly. The guard looked at his side and saw Timothy waving at him. "Hey, Pa. How''s work?" said Timothy. Bewildered, Cavaron looked back and forth between the soldier and his guide. "Oh, so it is you, Little Timmy." the soldier replied, "The Captain here treats all of his men well." After their exchange, Timothy''s father looked at Erasyl, "Seeing you hired him and paid for both horses gives you an OK from me. Take care of my son, ya hear?" Cavaron nodded affirmingly. "Now, off you go, and don''t cause trouble." Passing the gates, Cavaron was greeted by the hustle and bustle of commerce as he saw hundreds of merchants, archaeologists, and hunters buying and selling their wares. "Timmy, do you know how to navigate this place?" Cavaron asked seeing that his first idea of just randomly walking looking for Wynn was bad and futile. "Yessiree. I just need to know where you want to go." Timothy answered proudly. "The archaeologist I''m looking for is a woman named Wynn Osfort. Do you know her?" Timothy shook his head and said, "Sorry sir, best we ask one of the locals here." and suggested asking someone in the mess before them. Looking for a not-so-busy person, they found a lone man sitting by a bench reading a book. ''Eh, better than nothing, I suppose.'' Cavaron, thinking so, approached the man and asked, "Excuse me, sir. May I borrow some of your time for some directions?" The man reading a book looked up and replied, "Well? Out with it. Where do you intend to go?" Cavaron almost stepped back from the man''s attitude and had a vein pop out but calmed himself thinking of the stress of work. "Sir, we would like to know if you know someone named Wynn Osfort and where she would be located." This time the hustle and bustle stopped and everyone around them looked at Cavaron. The silence, fairly deafening to him, he said, "Is... is there something wrong?" The man he was asking closed his book, stood up, and said "First, come and follow me." and left towards a large building in the center of the dig site. Cavaron and Timothy, followed quietly after him while the people surrounding them watched. Silently following the man before them, ''Why do I have a feeling something bad happened to Wynn?'' Cavaron can''t help but think so. Timothy on the side felt fairly uncomfortable as he felt the seriousness in the air surrounding them which made Cavaron say, "Timmy, feel free to go back to your father for a while. This might take some time." Hesitatingly, Timothy nodded and left while occasionally looking back. Cavaron just smiled and urged him to go. The large building that he was being led to looked like a spiral tower made out of blue rock. Feeling something, Cavaron used <> to know why. The tower before him slightly glowed and sent out a pulse wave every minute. His eyes became wide when he realized what it was. "Mana... Pylon..." he said in disbelief. This time, the man before him stopped and turned to look at him, "How did you know that?" and interrogated him. Not knowing what to say, he kept his silence while sweat poured down his cheek. ''Dammit, I need to be more careful.'' The man just resumed going to the Mana Pylon, "Hmph, not an ordinary person, huh?" and muttered under his breath. At the base of the pylon was an entrance, and the man before him beckoned to enter with him. Within, lay numerous beds with immobile people. "Don''t worry, they are still alive. The Mana Pylon ensures their vitality while they sleep." and continued walking down the hall to a door. The man knocked, "Yes?" and a man''s voice was heard inside. "Lady Osfort has a visitor." the man replied and opened the door. Inside the room was an old man seemingly past the age of ninety, has unkempt hair, and is wearing a light gray tunic with silver designs. On his chest was a crest signifying the guild he belongs to, the Archaeologists'' Guild. The old man was seated behind a desk filled with papers, scrolls, books, crystals, and other junk all the while looking at his visitor. Recognizing who his visitor was he ordered the man before to leave and close the door. Cavaron met with the old man''s eyes and said, "Long time, no see, Teacher Agrithos." --- Agrithos Osfort, one of The Sixteen Sages of Belfron. He is the guild master of the Archaeologists'' Guild, and is the grandfather of Lucas and Wynn Osfort. His wisdom and knowledge, accumulated over the years and published in books paved the way to the development of the past kingdoms and the present Federation. Twenty years ago, during the Undead War, was the first time he met Cavaron. Back then, King Pietr Rusvich requested him to aid the champion by providing information and arcane equipment. Agrithos, however did not comply and ignored the request. The only time he did so was when Cavaron requested wholeheartedly to teach him about this world. Agrithos, seeing the fire in Cavaron''s eyes, budged after being convinced that his time will not be wasted on him. It was also after their meeting did Cavaron increase his contract arsenal when Agrithos taught him the ancient texts. Cavaron was reading glyphs in a ruin when he inadvertently opened a rip in space, summoned, and contracted with an elemental. After that event, Agrithos surmised that Cavaron had the capability to learn all that he can teach, and so they went on learning more. Five months passed and Cavaron learned all that he could learn from Agrithos at an alarming rate. It was as if the gods blessing his mind to be an eternal sponge absorbing one knowledge after another. From time to time, Cavaron played with Agrithos'' grandchildren, Wynn and Lucas Osfort. Nostalgia swept through the eyes of Cavaron and Agrithos as they met once more. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "Long time, no see Teacher Agrithos." Cavaron greeted with a soft smile on his face as he remembered the times with his teacher. "You too, my best and dearest student." Agrithos replied with misty eyes, "Did you come back or did you get summoned?" and asked because of the visit. "Teacher, Little Tania summoned me." Cavaron frankly replied. Agrithos'' eyes went wide from surprise and asked worriedly, "Is there another war?" as he stood up. Cavaron urged his teacher to calm down and sit down, and said, "Don''t worry, teacher. The only problem was her obsession with me. She kidnapped me and asked me to marry her." Agrithos dropped to his chair in disbelief at what their Premier did. "*sigh* Seeing that you''re here means you refused her." "Of course, teacher. You should know the pain of having a family only to be summoned abruptly without my consent." "Well, sit down and rest while I prepare some tea." Agrithos stood and went over a counter with tea and biscuits, while Cavaron sat at a nearby sofa. Bringing the tea over and handing a cup and plate to Cavaron, Agrithos sat across the table and asked his student, "So, you''re looking for Wynn? May I know why?" "I was asked by Baby Lucas to tell her ''Reply to our letters from time to time, Ma''s getting paranoid from your silence''. Since I had nothing to do, I accepted his request. It also gives me some way to see the sights after twenty years have passed." Cavaron replied while munching on a biscuit and sipping tea, "Hey, this tastes good." "Thank you, I baked and brewed them myself." Agrithos smiled at his student''s praise. "Anyway, I''m not sure you''d like to meet Wynn right now." Cavaron tilted his head, raised an eyebrow, and asked "Why, Teacher? Did something bad happen?" Cavaron remembered the bad feeling he had and the people on beda outside the room, and started to get worried. Agrithos took a deep breath and sighed deeply, "I don''t know how to say this, but I think it''s better if you come with me." He then stood up, approached a wall, and pressed his hand afainst it. The part of the wall he pressed went in deeper and the part beside it opened revealing a hidden passage going down. "Come with me, Cavaron." Cavaron placed his cup of tea on the table and followed his teacher. The corridor past the wall was composed of the same material as the Mana Pylon. With each step he took, a wave of mana blanketed him. ''I could stay here for a while and absorb the mana for my own use. I wonder if Teacher will allow me?'' Cavaron thought as he felt the waves of mana. The two of them walked in deeper for almost half an hour before arriving at a massive door. "Teacher, this door..." Cavaron hesitated as he read the glyphs on and around the door. The door, being sixteen meters high and twelve meters wide was filled from top to bottom with arcane glyphs. The glyphs were so many that Cavaron was overwhelmed and had to rack his brain deciphering all of it. What he understood, however, that whatever is behind the door is a relic of an ancient and very advanced civilization. "You''ll see, Cavaron. Just follow me." Agrithos then waved his hand over a pedestal by the door, and a low rumbling noise followed. The door soon opened to reveal what it hid. Inside was a cryatalline altar with three small Mana Pylons surrounding it. The small Mana Pylons constantly emanated a soothing blue glow different from the giant Mana Pylon. The altar was square, a meter high, and three meters wide on all sides. Above the altar, suspended in the air, was a woman. Cavaron recognized who this woman was. "No... that... Wynn! What happened!?" Cavaron yelled in surprise. Wynn Osfort was unconscious as she levitated above the altar. She was wearing the typical archaeologist attire and appeared normal but, "Teacher, what happened? Where is her soul?" Cavaron, still using <> saw something missing in her body. Cavaron''s <> not only allows him to see mana itself, but also allows him to see souls due to his mastery with it.over hundreds of years. "So, I was correct. Cavaron, I don''t know if fate brought you here but I was right in letting you see her." Agrithos spoke as he clenched his tunic while looking at his soulless granddaughter. "I surmised that you may be able to help her." Cavaron approached to grab his teacher, "Tell me, how did this happen?" and asked as he remembered days long past. "I will do anything to revive her." Agrithos turned to look at his student and was surprised with the look on his eyes. Cavaron''s eyes was filled with both regret and resolve. "Cavaron, did... did something happen in your past?" When Agrithos asked him, Cavaron took a step back and said, "Yes, something like what happened to Wynn. I don''t want that to repeat again." and looked down. Agrithos took a deep breath, made a long sigh, ''It''s good that you are still the same.'' and thought. "I''ll tell you..." Agrithos told Cavaron of an ancient ruin they unearthed near the dig site. From their studies, they surmised that it belonged to the ancient Felrok Empire. The Felrok Empire was well-known for their necromancers and was the root of the Undead War years ago. Agrithos, as the guild master, thought to close down the area to prevent anyrhing like the war back then from happening again. However, Wynn, who was still conscious persuaded to continue the study to learn how to actually prevent it further just in case other ruins pop out. Wynn built a lot of support from other archaeologists, and was able to have the expedition continue. Two years ago, they were able to find out a lot about the Felrok Empire and were able to fomulate strategies and magic that can counter the undead effectively from deciphering the ancient necromantic magic. It all changed a year after, however, when they arrived at the inner sanctum of the ruin. Inside was a still living necromancer. The necromancer, angered by the appearance of Wynn and her expedition summoned a small undead army to kill them. Wynn and her party were able to survive.long enough because of what they''ve learned. Sadly, it was all for naught. The necromancer threw a spell at Wynn while they were making their eacape to warn the others. Wynn got hit and spectral chains shot from the ground, and bound her soul. With her soul bound by the necromancer, her party could not do anything else but bring her body back. When they surfaced, they immediately reported to Agrithos and put the ruin on absolute lockdown. Agrithos then ordered to put Wynn in suspended animation via the Mana Pylons to prevent her body from decaying. After the incident, the other members of Wynn''s expedition fell unconscious, what resulted were the people Cavaron saw laid on the beds. "Assuming that her soul is still intact after a year, there is still hope." Agrithos concluded his story with a hopeful face. "Teacher, why didn''t you report this to the Federation?" Cavaron asked. Indeed, it would have been solved if the Federation mobilized it''s army, considering that they have strengthened beyond what he remembered twenty years ago. Agrithos then looked at Cavaron with a stern face, "Absolutely not. Can you imagine the chaos that will be born from that? If they find out that Wynn was the one responsible for it, I cannot imagine the consequences it will bring." and said as tears formed on his eyes. "I don''t want to lose my beloved granddaughter, ever!" "Then, how did you silence the others?" Cavaron asked about a possible leak of information. Agrithos looked at him and said, "I didn''t have to. Everybody here does not trust the Federation except Premier Tania, and you know how Tania and Wynn are friends with each other, thanks to you." Because of Cavaron''s relationship with the Rusvich royalty and his studies with Agrithos, Tania and the Osfort siblings became friends. "The others also know of her friendship with the Premier and would not want to have Tania get sick with worry. So, we''ve kept it secret for over a year." "Then, where is the entrance to the ruin?" Cavaron asked Agrithos as he summoned his usual equipment displaying his decision to save Wynn. Agrithos smiled, "I will lead you there." and left with Cavaron to the Felrok ruin. ------------------------ Longer than usual, and fairly a pain on mobile, but hella worth it. Elemental will be next chapter. Chapter 18 Yes, I''m tapped into corporate wifi. No idea how it reaches my place but it does. So, have a chapter. --------------------- A battlefield filled with corpses of humans, angels, and demons. Fires raging on all sides. Angels flinging holy spears and magic, demons summoning monsters and beasts, humans pouring over one army after another. Screams of pain and death. For honor. For glory. For victory. For a wartorn future with endless grief and suffering. A three-way war with angelic beings obliterating both humans and demons, demons devouring angels and humans, humans suffering at both sides with nothing else but their stubborness to live. Lightning fell all over, flaming rocks flew everywhere. No one is spared. Men, women, children, nor the elderly. Indiscriminate carnage. Nobility, common folk, royalty, religious folk. None are spared in this war. "You must fight!", a voice within the battlefield. ''Do you really have to fight?'', a voice from years long past. "Take up your sword! Slaughter our enemies!", another voice echoes in the battlefield. ''Is it really the only way?'', another voice echoes from an age long forgotten. "KILL THEM ALL!!! Pave the path to our peace!!!", someone cried blood. ''Can''t you find another path?'', a voice from buried memories. """FOR HONOR! FOR GLORY! FOR VICTORY!""", voices resound all over. ''What about your life?'', a treasured memory. ... .. . --- Agrithos brought Cavaron to the far east end of Kintab''s Recluse where the unearthed Felrok ruin was located. Dozens of guards carrying the emblem of the Federation, and both guilds were guarding the area to prevent any unauthorized person from entering the ruin, and to prevent any undead from leaving the ruin. The guards, upon seeing Agrithos, immediately saluted but raised their guards when they saw Cavaron. "Be at ease." Agrithos told the guards. "This man will help us in dealing with the undead threat." Many of the guards were doubting Agrithos since it was their first time meeting Cavaron, but had to trust the Archaeologists'' Guild Master since they, too, will accept any help to purge the ruin. "Erasyl, this is the entrance to the ruin." Cavaron talked to his teacher regarding the need to hide his identity. The reason being, he did not want chaos to erupt further in the already peaceful Federation. And so, Agrithos now addresses his student as "Erasyl". The ruin entrance was a decrepit temple. Decorating it were pillars of bones and skulls, and its lamps were made from skeletal hands. The relief on the door was a massive black and green skull with red fiery eyes, albeit faded through time. There were arcane glyphs on and around the entrance that were glowing with a soft blue light. Cavaron, attempting to read the glyphs, did not understand anything except the word "life" at the top of the entrance. Agrithos, who noticed his student trying to read the glyphs, said "These glyphs are new, it''s only natural that you can''t read them. This is a barrier made from studying ancient Felrok magic that opposes the necromantic arts. I suppose that this should be credited to Wynn because of her dedication to her duty." Cavaron, nodding to what his teacher said, replied "All the more a reason to save her.". Saying so, Agrithos asked his student, "Erasyl, how is your mana reserves? Do you think you have enough to fight against a small army?" Cavaron thought for a while before answering his teacher, "... I''m not really sure. I just recently used <> on another world but I''ll try to find a rough estimate." Closing his eyes, Cavaron focused within his body and his soul to measure the mana he currently holds. ''Huh? That''s weird, I gained more than I lost? How did this happen? The Mana Pylon should not have given me THIS much mana...''. Questions popped up one after another in his mind when he noticed that he regained a large amount of mana even aftwr expending so much back in Ladenras. ''What''s this? Did my capacity increase again? Does Tania''s summoning have something to do with it?'' Indeed, he never notices it, but whenever mana crystals are involved in a aummoning, these crystals fuse with his body giving an upgrade to his innate mana capacity. Opening his eyes, he stared at his teacher which made Agrithos ask, "Is there something wrong?" "Teacher... I don''t exactly know how it happened, but I have enough mana to sustain mana blades for three months but not enough to bring me to hub space." Cavaron replied to his teacher with a confused face. "Do you remember anything when you got summoned here?" Agrithos asked another question thinking he might be able to figure it out. "None that can count as abnormal, I did absorb some mana from the pylon but it shouldn''t amount to this." "What about the ritual Tania used?" "The summoning ritual? Hm, not sure. I didn''t really get a good look at how it was constructed, but it was a direct summoning since the target formation chased me back in the previous world, it did take a while for me to go through hub space so I can count that Tania didn''t use sacrifices." "If nothing else, the ritual she used is your only lead. Maybe if you decipher it, it may let you understand how you got stronger. Now then, onto the matter at hand. How will you approach this?" This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Cavaron thought for a while then asked a question, "Teacher, their weakness should still be the same, right? They are still weak to Life Magic?" when he looked at the glyph atop the entrance after thinking. Agrithos nodded, "Yes, they are. It''s also one of the keywords in this barrier formation." and said when he saw his student looking at the Life Glyph. "Well then, excuse me while I make a call to a friend." Cavaron went to an open space. The soldiers guarding the ruin were curious at what the guild master''s visitor was doing and came to watch forgetting their duties. Agrithos just let it pass since he knows that what his student is about to do was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Cavaron raised his hands and spoke to the heavens, "Warriors of ancient light, I convoke thee bearing the glory of life. Bless thy servant with thine everlasting protection." A pillar of light appeared and bathed Cavaron, and a 7-meter radius circle appeared below him. The onlookers were amazed at the divine sight before them as though a holy man descended. "Thou, whom thy servant made an eternal promise, deliver thy champion to aid thy servant. Let the <> descend, <>!!" This time space did not shake and rip, but a magical formation appeared above them spanning over fifty meters. Even those who are far from them were able to see the descent of the <>. The magical formation opened a gate in the sky, and a four-winged divine being came through. After the whole body came through, the gate closed and the Elemental spoke, "The <>, Shamira, delivers the promise. Long time, no see, Cavaron." a beautiful voice left the angel''s lips having everyone become mesmerized. Her voice even resounded throughout the entirety of the dig site which one can notice due to the lack of distant noise. Indeed, this Elemental was an 8-foot female-like angel. Female-like since <> take on the opposite form of their contractor''s sex for some reason that she won''t reveal to Cavaron even after being asked so, previously. "D-d-did that angel just say Cavaron?" one of the soldiers trembled. "By the gods, he really does come in our time of need." another soldier spoke. Cavaron, hearing what they said, can only say, "Oops..." since he just blew his own cover. This time, Shamira flew down next to him and said, "Is something amiss? Art thou not happy to see this one?" Cavaron just looked at Shamira with blank eyes and laughed dryly, "Hahaha... it''s... nothing, Shamira... Just... nothing... ha..." Agrithos then took this chance to step in and calm everybody down. Infusing mana into his voice, "Everyone, calm down. I apologize for hiding the truth, but believe me when I say that it''s better that none of these leave the area. I trust that you all can keep a secret?" His voice at the end became threateningly scary that a cold wind blew through the area. The onlooking soldiers nodded franticaly and left to resume their duties. As for the others who were far away, chills ran down their spines. Shamira, thinking nothing of it, spoke "So, what dost thou need this one for?" Cavaron just shook off his blunder and told Shamira, "We''ll be cleaning out a ruin with undead. I trust that you''re willing to do so?" "Undead? Of course!" Shamira beautifully bowed, "This one shall assist thee in thine endeavor." and summoned her spear and shield. Shamira''s spear was as long as her height and was made formed from light. Her shield was crystalline that an ordinary warrior would not think twice of equipping something else, but don''t let its crystalline appearance fool you, her shield can deflect any attack that threatens her and her summoner. Cavaron, taking a look at the entrance, looked back at Shamira and said, "Shamira, do you think you could shrink a bit? I don''t think you''ll fit in there." Shamira looked at the door and nodded, "This one shall oblige." and shrunk by two feet smaller to have a height of six feet. Even her weapons decreased in proportion to her new size. Thinking that they''re all set, Cavaron faced Agrithos and said, "Alright, Teacher, we are good to go. Please open the entrance so we can get some cleaning done." Agrithos nodded and went to the side of the entrance to release the locks. A loud rumbling noise was heard after he waved his hand over a Lock Glyph, and the door soon opened. However, a surprise was awaiting them. A small party of skeleton soldiers burst forth from the entrance. Just as the guards scrambled for battle, Shamira let loose a flurry of light bolts to bombard the undead. "Well, didn''t expect a welcoming party." Cavaron said jokingly. The guards around them remained at full alert if there will be another wave. "Come on, Shamira. Time for some spring cleaning." Cavaron said as he entered the ruins with his Elemental. ---------------------- I wasn''t kidding when I said that I was doing all of these on my mobile. Chapter 19 Felrok Temple Ruins. A remnant of a lost and dark age, and a sad yet bountiful part of Belfron''s history. The ancient necromantic arts that is said to have deep roots within the Felrok Empire was born from one of their emperors wish for immortality. The only path available to them was, sadly, through dark magic. Historically, the first Felrok Necromancer was their 33rd emperor, Arch Magus Athanasius. Athanasius'' drive to find the way to immortality went as far as breaking his mind and led him to create the first necromantic ritual that lets him consume the souls of others. This led to the mass sacrifices held against those who opposed him, even his own children. When he consumed the soul of his own daughter, that was the trigger that spread his infuence all across the empire. The minds of the other magi were infected by the blast of dark energy, and they too began feeding themselves with the souls of living people. One would think that this would have been the cause for the Felrok Empire''s downfall but no. The corruption of necromancy enveloped all of the empire and, after consuming more than half of their population, waged war against the other kingdoms by raising an undead army. The Belfron Continent is one of two continents in this world, the other one is called the Ramsuth Continent and remains unknown due to the volatile weather found between the two continents. The ancient Belfron continent was home to hundreds of small kingdoms that were mostly at war with one another, and the Felrok Empire controlled the western quarter. When Athanasius declared war against the entirety of the continent, even the previously warring kingdoms had to ally themselves to deal with a larger threat. This war was known as the Thanatos War named after Emperor Athanasius, lasted for two hundred years, and only ended when a kingdom succeeded in convoking a divine being to banish the undead. The remnants of the Felrok Empire were either hunted down or had gone into hiding to recover their strength. Over four hundred years passed, the Felrok Empire was forgotten, and the kingdoms went to war against each other once more. This small and nameless war lasted for another hundred years until a foolish king stumbled upon a record that contained the events of the Thanatos War. Seeking power for his own use, he ordered the search for one of their many temples. A year after, this king found one and reawakened a nightmare long forgotten. Consumed by his greed, he became the catalyst for what was now known as the Undead War. Hundreds and thousands of cities fell to ruin. The scholars who knew of Belfron''s history rallied the kingdoms against an old foe. Pietr Rusvich, a young prince and, at the same time, a scholar, persuaded the Rusvich family to form a strong alliance with the other kingdoms. Thus began a repeat of the Thanatos War. Sadly, the knowledge to summon the divine being was lost to the flames of their foolish skirmishes, and they were left to the mercy of time. Thirty years passed and the alliance magi had a breakthrough, with the help of the Sixteen Great Sages, including Agrithos, they were able to formulate a ritual to summon a champion from another world. It involved the use of one''s emotions with mana crystals used to mix emotions and mana. Their dire need and desperation to live and forever abhor war led them to summoning their champion, Cavaron. "And that''s all I can say about a part of this world''s history." said Cavaron as he conversed with his Elemental, Shamira. Currently, they were walking through a stone corridor lit with eerie green spectral lamps. Their trip through the ruin was fairly uneventful aside from the small bands of Skeleton Soldiers here and there who immediately attacked anything that was living. That is until Shamira asked him about what he knows about this world. Shamira was floating by his side like a guardian angel but, as a <>, she had a role greater than mere protection. She was adept in not just the field of protection but also in the fields of healing, purification, and combat. Even if she has a spear and shield, her innate abilities allow her to rain holy light against her enemies, especially against followers of the dark arts. "Then, Cavaron, what happened after thou were summoned?" Shamira asked her contractor just to have some form of entertainment aside from purifying the walking mangled bodies of the undead. "Eh, I studied under Teacher Agrithos, learned to read glyphs, got another contract, used the glyphs to power some of my equipment, and went off to fight with the Alliance Army against the undead." Shamira blankly stared at her contractor''s ridiculously summarized sequence of events, and nearly hit a pillar, "Uh, then, who was the new contract?" and asked to find out more. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Cavaron stopped walkibg, faced Shamira, and smiled, "You know her, she''s your polar opposite." Shamira blinked twice at his response then realized who he was talking about, "Her!? That wench!?", words unimaginable to be heard from a divine being escaped her lips. It sounded weird when she said so with her heavenly voice as it resounded through the ruin. *Rumble* A low rumble was heard as it echoed through the corridor. With each second, it grew louder. "Haha, I understand her personality is a tad bit questionable, but you have to agree that her abilities are on par with yours. Now then, looks like your scream attracted some more undead from deep within." Cavaron said as he concentrated his <>. *cough* Shamira coughed and breathed deeply to regain her composure, "This one apologizes for the sudden outburst." and hoisted her spear and shield to welcome the incoming undead. "This one shall take responsibility by eliminating the threat." "Hahaha." Cavaron laughed, "Feel free to do so, I have enough mana to last us for a month." and unsheathed the swords on his waist. He couldn''t possibly use the blood and mana swords since it is only effective against those with blood and mana flowing within their bodies. Thus, he resorted to using ordinary weapons, but these swords are not merely "ordinary" if it had lasted with him for so long. Shamira, who noticed his swords, asked "Thou art still using those?" "Can''t help it, the craftsmanship is superb but only next to the blood and mana swords." "Where didst thou acquire them?" "Ahm... from a kingdom of dwarves in one of the worlds I have been to." "Dwarves? Masters of technology as usual." "Compared to humans? Not if it is from a science and technology world where magic and ancient arts are nil. Damn, the engineering of those worlds was very eye-opening to be able to last for thousands of years without mana." "Huh? This one wishes thou to tell a story about those science and technology worlds after this endeavor." "All right, I''ll sate your curiosity after this." Finally, by this time, a horde of undead flooded the corridor. Skeleton soldiers were up front leading the charge, while some of them were carrying what appear to be ghouls." "Oh, great. They have ghouls." Cavaron whined, "I hope you have something that can burn through their stiff and rotten flesh. Skeleton Soldiers were just a pile of walking bones wearing some rusted or tattered pieces of armor, thus were easy to subdue. Ghouls, however, had high defense due to their tough, rotten flesh. Ordinary weapons might do well against them but fire is preferred to burn them down to ashes. Additionally, catching a slight whiff of their rotten flesh can make one sick and stun them for a while. The fact that they still had flesh, they also have powerful muscles that add damage to their attacks albeit slower than skeletons. "Worry not, this one shall cast a blessing upon thee." Shamira said as she raised her spear over his swords and bathed them in holy light without saying a word. "I placed <> upon thy swords that becomes stronger from your vitality." Cavaron then jumped forward an tested it on a nearby ghoul. A single slash was brought down and cut the target into two, and burned the corpse with holy light. "Wow..." Is all Cavaron could say seeing the power of the blessing. "That blessing won''t be cancelled until thou says so or until the divine power wears off. It should last for an hour or two depending on the intensity of thy vitality. If thou loses enough blood, it will release a blast of holy energy that covers thy immediate surroundings and may blind an enemy with eyes." "This... this is a bit overpowered... don''t you think?" Cavaron was stunned at the benefits of <>. Shamira only shrugged at his comment and replied "It''s only natural against the followers of the dark arts. Anything else will only have half the current effects." Indeed, the power that he received should be very effective against the undead and not entirely that powerful against other enemies, say neutrally aligned enemies. It shouldn''t even be said that the effects would be reduced against an enemy with the same element. "Well then, may I ask you to be my partner in this dance?" Cavaron asked Shamira and bowed. Shamira smiled and bowed back, "This one gladly accepts thine offer." And thus, a dance of holy retribution rained down the army of undead. ------------------ Yep, he loves to dance. Such is the life of a Blade Dancer. Chapter 20 On a quiet meadow stood a small cottage. Around it were fields of blue and white flowers, they swayed and softly danced as the gentle wind blew past. To the east was a small stream that fed the flowers their much needed water. Right behind the cottage was a lone apple tree, and a small farmland that bears wheat. Inside, the cottage was as simple as the outside. Beyond the door was a small living room, enough to fit three or four guests. A small wooden table sits right at the center surrounded by two long sofas made from animal leather and fur. From the door, past the living room, is a window that views the apple tree, and a rocking chair. To the right of the window is a one-person bedroom and to its left, a small kitchen. Facing the bedroom to its right is a bathroom that contains a large tub of water and some pails. "Hm~Hmhm~" There is a woman on the rocking chair, humming along as the day goes on. In her hands is a book. As time flows, the pages turn. Slowly and carefully until the final page. Finishing the book, the woman placed it by the window sill and she stood up. The sunlight peering through the window illuminated her silky silver hair that reaches down to her waist. *Knock* *Knock* Knocks on the door caused her to turn, and allowed her amethyst eyes to be seen. Her face can remind one of a beautiful mother to a young child, and her lips are as clear as the pure white snow. "Who is it?" she asked the visitor with her gentle voice that can sooth one''s soul. "It''s me, I''ve come to visit." a man''s voice came from behind the door. The woman went to and opened the door to allow him entry, and welcomed him. A young man with a basket of fruits was at the entrance "Welcome, have a seat." she said as she led him inside. The two of them went to the living room, and the young man placed the basket on the table as he sat on a sofa. "Gifts, for you." he told her as he pushed the basket her way. The woman smiled and said, "Thank you." and accepted it. After a while, she asked him, "How''s life?" ... .. . --- Cavaron and Shamira blazed through the corridor annihilating every undead they came across. Cavaron, with the blessing <> that he received from Shamira, plowed through even against the toughest undead. Occasionally, they would come across a Death Knight commanding a larger unit of undead, yet it wasn''t able to do anything against Shamira''s holy attacks. So far, they have eliminated 432 Skeleton Soldiers, 65 Skeleton Magi, 87 Ghouls, and five Death Knights. Just as Cavaron finished the last undead blocking their way, they arrived at a massive door emblazoned people being killed, and their souls being fed to a gigantic undead monstrosity. A Death Titan. "Ugh, not.those things again." Cavaron said as he grimaced at the sight of it causing Shamira to turn to where he was looking. "A Death Titan? Thou hast encountered it, no?" Shamira asked him as she remembered the events twenty years ago. "I hated those things. They''re similar to golems, except they run on the souls of the dead." he said as he was reminded as well. "Hard to kill unless you find where the <> is, and it''s usually behind something that needs to be hit numerous times to be penetrated." "Thankfully, thou hast mastered <> from thy <>." she added. "Thy abilities were able to cut through any defense thou may go against." "Heh, that went without saying that I had to go and hug the damned things." Cavaron''s grimace became worse as he thought about it. "Ugh, the stench of rotten flesh nearly knocked me out, the bony ones were fine, but the fleshy titans? Ugh, I''d rather have Culverin finish them off." "Why didn''t thou summoned him, then?" Shamira asked. Cavaron looked at her with a frown, "Because I already summoned you and I had to conserve my mana since we were up against a massive undead army numbering to near three million." Shamira just smiled at him and said no more. "Hm, now then... let us see what''s behind door number one." he said. However, instead of immediately opening the door, he intensified the concentration of mana in his eyes and strengthened <> to see beyond the door. Behind it, what he saw made his jaw drop. Shamira, noticing it, had to ask, "What is it? What didst thou see?" Cavaron slowly turned his head to the Elemental and spoke, "I don''t know why, but I see a MASSIVE congregation of souls behind this very door." "Spread out or in one area?" she followed up. "... One... Area..." he replied. "Damn, if what we see emblazoned on this damned door is in actuality the thing behind it..." Cavaron then looked back, "Shamira, did you notice any other way around this?" Shamira shook her head and replied, "No, This One found no other passages aside from the corridor we went through." Cavaron groaned, "Ahhh! Dammit all!" and slapped himself. *PAK*"Alright. This is for Wynn, and nothing will stop me from saving her." He then faced Shamira and ordered her, "Shamira. Give me a run down of all of your abilities and their effects." Shamira nodded, "Alright, thou hast already known about <>, <>, and <>..." Shamira listed down all of her available abilities as succintly as possible. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. <> coats the weapon/s with holy energy and intensifies with the owner''s vitality. When the blessed owner loses enough blood, a powerful blast of holy power explodes from the weapons fatally damaging dark enemies and knocks them back. The range decreases over time while it is active. It disappears when it runs out of power. <> is a last resort revitalizing elixir that comes from a Shamira''s eyes. Revival is possible as long as the soul has not left too far from the body. If the soul is in a container, as long as the body is intact, revival is also possible. <> is a massive AOE healing and offensive ability that is used as a last resort as it automatically dismisses the contract because it wholly uses up the <>''s energy. Upon invocation, all targeted friendlies are fully healed and all targeted enemies receive substantial damage in proportion to the <>''s remaining energy. <> envelops the target with a holy barrier that hinders any attack that may come. The intensity of the barrier depends on the amount of mana poured into it. That said, a large amount of mana can be given to it and be left alone allowing the <> to focus on other tasks. <> is a binding ability that immobilizes the target. Its strength also depends on the amount of mana poured into it. However, it should also take note of the target''s inherent strength as it can break free if the mana is not enough. If the target is a follower of the dark arts, it also takes damage from the chains. <> is sung by the <> and provides any ally that hears it increased strength, speed, and vitality but leaves the singer immobile until the song stops. If it fully finishes, an additional effect is gained giving the audience a blessing similar to <> albeit at a lower intensity making it effective in many vs. many battles. <> is the most basic holy attack and the most versatile. Like the other abilities, it increases in intensity with the amount of mana but a large amount can be cast at one time. This allows a salvo of low power bolts or just one tightly packed missile to be fired at the targets. Aside from magic, Shamira is also adept in close physical combat as it can be seen from her spear and shield. If the situation is in need of it, she well dive down and engage an enemy in personal combat. "And that is all This One can tell thou." Shamira concluded her explanation. Cavaron was listening attentively and nodded as he thought of a plan. "Everything varies according to the mana given..." He murmured from time to time as he walked around in front of the door. "Okay, this is how we''ll do it." Shamira went closer to hear his plan. "When we open the door..." Basically, Cavaron and Shamira have two plans. Plan A involves a Death Titan, and Plan B involves an ordinary congregation of undead. If the opponent is a Death Titan, Shamira will bind it with <> and will bombard it with medium strength <> after Cavaron zeroes in onto the location of the <> with his <>. Afterwards, when the core is exposed, Cavaron will rush in to break it with <>. If it''s not a Death Titan, Shamira will just fire a volley of low-power <> and Cavaron will finish off the stragglers. "Ready?" Cavaron asked Shamira. "Yes, This One is ready to deliver judgment." she replied. With one mana-infused kick, the massive door shattered, and what greeted them left the two of them stunned. "Um, Cavaron. Dost thou have a Plan C?" the Elemental asked the Champion. "Plan C? What Plan C? I didn''t see the others so I only made Plans A and B, so why not combine them both?" he replied to her. Cavaron''s <> let''s him see not only the flow of mana, but also the locations of souls. Thus, he is unable to see concrete materials and other things behind another object. What greeted them was indeed a Death Titan... if you ignore the 25 Death Knights, 600 Ghouls, and over a thousand Skeleton Soldiers accompanying the Death Titan. "Okay... hopefully the big lunk over there is slow enough..." Cavaron said as his mind raced through other alternatives. "Eh, do you think you can bombard them all with low-power bolts to soften them up? After that, I''ll cut them down two by two." "Seeing as This One has enough mana, it is possible." Shamira replied as she began casting over a thousand <> shaped like a piercer to increase efficiency. "<> should hold for a while longer." While they were conversing, a Death Knight commanded his battalion to attack the two. "Well, see you on the other side!!" Cavaron yelled as he plunged into battle. At the same time, Shamira release a volley of over a thousand piercing bolts thay flew faster than Cavaron cutting down a large number of undead. --------------- Don''t you hate it when things don''t go your way? This chapter was inspired by a game called Tales of Maj''Eyal and its room full of high leveled dragons that nearly raped my party if I hadn''t closed the door and ran. Chapter 21 Sorry for the delay, had to get my phone fixed. ---------------------- *FFFFFSSSHHHHNNNGGGG* *BABABAAM* Explosions of holy power enveloped the room. Dozens of undead at the very front fell as they were pierced by Shamira''s <>, and those behind them got caught in the blasts when the bolts detonated. "ORYAAA!!!" Cavaron cried as he jumped in the middle of the chaos. Two undead, four undead, six. Two by two, one for each sword, the undead fell. The Skeleton Soldiers scurried to contain him, while the Ghouls and Death Knights tried to hit back. So far, the Death Titan is not moving giving Cavaron some time to clean up the undead army before him with his <> enchanted swords. "Shamira! Switch to medium-strength bolts and take out the Death Knights!" he commanded his Elemental. Shamira didn''t need to reply as she casted over a hundred <>, a lesser number than the first volley. In just a second, she barraged the Death Knights. A few of the Death Knights used the other undead as meat shields to intercept the bolts, but it was a futile effort since the bolts were piercers and punched through any obstacle before detonating. Explosions larger than the first ones now covered the battlefield as it swallowed up a huge number of undead. By now, Cavaron has annihilated around 200 undead, while Shamira took out twice his amount. Cavaron''s blades howled as it cut through the air and every undead it met. Each slash bisected the Skeleton Soldiers and Ghouls from their heads down to their waist. <> sung a soft hymn with each kill. "Cavaron! Evade!" Shamira shouted as she saw what''s about to happen. The Death Titan moved and immediately threw a bundle of Ghouls at Cavaron. Cavaron, noticing the cluster of undead flying at him from the corner of his eye, immediately dashed away and used a Ghoul as a stepping stone to launch himself into the air. Executing a spin in mid-air, he launched two <> at the incoming cluster. The cluster got split into four as Cavaron''s attack hit it scattering the cluster of Ghouls far from his location. "Shamira! Try to control the Death Titan, but don''t use too much power! Just distract it with some bolts!" This time Shamira flew high and flung a dozen of low-power bolts at the Death Titan. Since the Death Titan is made from the Dark Arts, even a low-power <> can deal significant damage. The Death Titan turned around as it got hit by Shamira''s attacks and effectively ignored Cavaron. Seeing this chance, Cavaron used a Blade Dancer technique, "Blood of my masters, guide your disciple through his ordeal. <>." Cavaron said in a low voice and raised his blades into a cross. "HaaAAAHHHH!!" Cavaron was enveloped in a bloodthirsty red aura while his eyes glowed red as well. Surrounded by undead from all sides, he danced the blade dance of death with greater intensity than how he previously was. Spinning into a whirlwind, each rotation took out dozens of undead, and his speed and power increased with each kill. By now, only the most trained eye can see the flurry of blades tearing through the mass of undead. This time, Cavaron has annihilated at least a total of 800 undead. Ignoring his defense, bones and rotten flesh got sucked into the shredder. Shamira, busy with the Death Titan, occasionally launched a few bolts to cover Cavaron as he lost himself in his <>. The Death Titan, noticing the reduction of the numbers of undead on the other side, switched back to Cavaron and charged straight at the hurricane of death. Shamira used this chance to fire a high-power crusher bolt that will explode and spread all over the Death Titan''s body, and launched it. However, right before the bolt hit the Death Titan''s back, the huge enemy leaped with ridiculous agility and evaded the bolt making the attack hit the wall of the room leaving a massive hole. "Argh! Cavaron, look out!" Ahamira cried as she saw the damned thing jump. Cavaron, still under possession, did not notice the big pile of bones coming straight for him in the air. When he did notice it, he futilely tried to evade but was hit by its landing effectively making him fly by the shockwave into a wall. "Guha! Urgh..." Cavaron, at the very least, was still holding onto his blades, and tried to stand up. The shockwave, coupled with being blasted into a wall, gave him a concussion. Shamira flew by his side and lifted him away, far from the Death Titan. "Cavaron, art thou well?" she asked him. Cavaron tried to focus his eyes on Shamira, nodded, and slapped himself out of it. "One word: ouch." Shamira smiled and healed his injuries. "Now what?" She asked as she looked at the remaining undead. Around 4 Death Knights, 40 Ghouls, 300 Skeleron Soldiers, and one massive Death Titan were left. "Hm, Shamira. How effective is your <>?" Thinking of plans, he asked the Elemental. Shamira stared at her contractor, and replied, "Thou art not seriously planning to..." On Cavaron''s face was a grin as he heard Shamira. "Yes, it''s all or nothing. We are taking too much time here and I am pretty sure that necromancer heard the battle here." Shamira stared into his eyes before giving him the answer he needs, "Alright, This One will stay back and support thee. However, This One shall give thee a blessing." Shamira went behind Cavaron and wrapped her arms and wings around him. Shamira gathered mana, and bestowed a blessing, "<>." White pentagons encased Cavaron as she let go of him. "That should last a long while, Cavaron." Feeling the holy power around him, "Thank you, Shamira." Cavaron thanked her, and faced the remaining undead. Unlike before, the undead were now in a defensive formation as if having some semblance of inteligence. Shamira flew high up beyond the Death Titan''s reach, but low enough for Cavaron to receive support. Shamira opened her mouth and began singing. <> provides buffs to the audience''s strength, vitality, and agility. As her voice resonated, holy light enveloped Cavaron''s body, and he immediately felt its effects. ''This will be fun.'' he thought. He, then, dashed straight into the wall of undead blocking his way to the Death Titan. <> still brimming with energy, sung alongside the Elemental, amplifying its effects. 100 meters. 50 meters. 20 meters. 10 meters. 1 meter. Contact. "GURYAAAAAA!!!" Cavaron let loose a battle cry upon contact. The undead at the front engaged him as well and the Death Titan flung rocks hoping to hit him. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Contrary to the Death Titan''s efforts, the rocks missed their mark. Cavaron, under the effects of <> received a physical power spike giving speeds greater than before, easily dodging any attack as he counters with his own. The surrounding undead dealt no damage as well because of the <> protecting him from all manners of attack. With each attack received, the pentagonal barrier glowed and stopped everything dead in their tracks. High speed, high power, high defense. Two by two, more and more undead fell until only the Death Titan was left. Shamira was still high up, singing. She had to finish the song to provide the most optimum effect. Further into the song, her voice became louder and louder signaling the nearing end of the song. Cavaron used his <> to locate the <> of the Death Titan. After a few minutes of dodging its attacks, he found where it is hidden. The core is at the back of its neck, covered by an armor of massive bones and a thick layer of rotten flesh. "Great, I have to climb up and have a whiff of its stench just to destroy it." he whined. "Ahh, now or never... HERE I COME, YOU MASSIVE PIECE OF SHIT!!!" Cavaron bolted, still under Shamira''s blessings, at the Death Titan while zigzagging to avoid its attacks. When he got close enough, the Death Titan let loose a powerful kick tha flung rocks and debris away. Cavaron was able to evade by a haiir''s breadth but was still shaken by the following air pressure dropping his speed. When the kick missed, the Death Titan attempted to stomp him with the same foot. This time, Cavaron leapt forward to dodge while closing the distance. The stomp misses but left a massive crater behind. "Woah!" he exclaimed as he thought what would happen if the attack connected. Shamira, who was still up in the air, finished the song and unleashed a wave of holy power to Cavaron. Cavaron''s blades, still under <>, received a boost on power amplifying it. *Hoong* *Hoong* His blades now radiated enough holy power to make it howl through the air. Shamira then dove down with her spear to attack the Death Titan. "Shamira! The core is at the back of its neck!" Cavaron shouted as the Elemental drew nearer to the Death Titan. Shamira focused a lot of holy power at her spear''s tip. The Death Titan, busy with Cavaron, had its nape wide open for an attack. Shamira used this openinf to dive bomb and strike it. The holy power burned through the flesh and exposed the bones that served as the core''s armor. After that, she flew around the Death Titan looking for another chance to attack until Cavaron, "Shamira! <>, I''m climbing up!" Shamira flew down to the Death Titan''s legs, and shot forth chains of white light to tie them up. Cavaron, amazed by her idea, distracted the Death Titan by flinging <>. The Death Titan, caught between Cavaron''s and Shamira''s attacks became confused. Shamira completed binding its legs with the chains and launched a medium-powered crusher bolt at its back to push it down. Unable to evade, the Death Titan got hit and fell forward exposing the back of its neck. Not wasting any time, Cavaron climbed up the monstrosity to its back, and used one sword as an anchor to keep him in place while he attacks the core. Shamira''s chains shone brightly as it dealt continuous damage to the Death Titan. A minute after, the Death Titan began to struggle getting up. Little by little, the chains around its legs began to crack. "Cavaron, hurry!" Shamira shouted as she barraged the face with low-powered bolts. Cavaron sat on the back of the Death Titan''s neck and repeatedly slashed, stabbed, and bashed the bone armor protecting the core. *Rumble* Despite the binding, the Death Titan broke free and began to flail around trying to reach Cavaron. Shamira flew back up to avoid friendly fire and used her spear to dive bomb into the Death Titan while avoiding its arms. Cavaron was still pulverizing the armor, "This! Damn! Thing! Won''t! Break!!!" Cavaron looked at his blades and thought of a way to break the armor. Freeing his anchored sword, he stabbed it into an area near the armor, and with his other sword, he stabbed himself repeatedly. "I hope this works!" Little by little, Cavaron''s blood poured out like a broken dam, while the glow of <> became dimmer and dimmer until faded momentarily only to release a massive blast of holy power. If <> was depleted from its first application, the power may have not been enough. However, since Shamira finished <> until the very end, <> received a boost, amplifying its power. *rrrrnnnnnnggggg* *sssssshhhhhhhnnnnnnnnngggggggg* <> released a blast. The results were more than what was expected. The bone armor disappeared and, along with it, the <>. The Death Titan stopped moving when the light disappeared, its limbs the fell off one by one until it collapsed entirely. Shamira, who already noticed what Cavaron was attempting before the blast, flew in and had a healing spell ready for him. "Cavaron, here." Cavaron, exhausted, almost fell off when the Death Titan collapsed. Jumping off and landing smoothly, he received Shamira''s healing. "Thanks... phew. Could really use Culverin''s <>... oh, wait... forgot I had that." Cavaron opened a rip in space and pulled out a bottle of crimson liquid. The same liquid used to revitalize Myrn back in Ladenras. Shamira''s eyes went wide when she saw the bottle. "That..." He looked at the Elemental with a grin, "Yup, Dragon Blood." and drank a quarter of it. Immediately, Cavaron felt its effects. "YAHAAAA!! WHOO YEAH!! Good stuff." while jumping up and down, and shaking his body like an addict on the high. Shamira''s jaw just dropped and remained quiet. After a while, she shook her head, "Alright, This One won''t bother anymore." "Haha, well, good to go?" He just laughed it off and asked Shamira. "This One is always prepared." Shamira replied to him. "Right then, off to the final boss!" Cavaron excitedly said. "Sigh... this isn''t one of those Terran games." Shamira just sighed and followed the fairly hyper Cavaron. ----- I was listening to this wonderful music from a wonderful game: https://youtu.be/J5yCftqnQrE while writing this chapter. Chapter 22 Volya City, Federal Administrative Complex, Administrative Quarters. The first three floors are dormitories for the general staff. Each floor has a mess hall, a public bath, a common room, and a training room. The fourth floor of the Administrative Quarters is home to the highest echelons of the Belfron Federation. Each of the rooms here is fully furnished to be like a home, it has a living room, a kitchen, a bath, an office for administrative work, and a bedroom. Currently, Pietr Rusvich is walking along a corridor on the fourth floor. He was on his way to check on his daughter, the Federal Premier, Tania along with his personal attendant "Have our intelligence network found anything regarding Cavaron?" Pietr asked the attendant by his side. The attendant was a young bespectacled man with suave light brown hair combed to the side. Fixing his glasses, he read out a report from his hands, "No, sir. Ever since his disappearance two days ago, we haven''t heard an thing. However, the captain of the team dispatched to the south mentioned that the Archaeologists and Treasure Hunters seem to know something but cannot figure out what it is. Also, the residents of Kintab''s Recluse are not cooperating with the investigation, they always try to avoid the topic." Still walking, Pietr rubbed his bearded chin, "Hn... Agrithos should know something, but as I am now, I can''t touch him." He knew Agrithos was very close with Cavaron especially since Cavaron became his best student. "Pass on the order to keep looking for answers." "Yes, sir." Pietr''s attendant jotted down everything Pietr ordered on a notepad. A few more minutes, Pietr came to a heavily guarded door. There were six lightly armored soldiers wearing the Federal Army uniform in front of the door. When Pietr came into view, the soldiers tensed up and saluted. "At ease." Pietr ordered. "How is she? Any problems?" Apparently, this was the door to Tania''s quarters. The soldier nearest to Pietr answered the question, "No, sir. The Premier has been quiet for the past few days. The only time she spoke up was when she asked to have some administrative papers delivered to her as she said she still needs to work. Other than that, everything is fine since she also eats the food delivered to her. The guards and rangers posted outside her window also reported nothing out of the ordinary." Pietr nodded, "Alright. Step aside for a while. I''m going inside to check on her personally." The guards did as they were told and opened the way to Pietr. Opening the door, Pietr arrived at an office and Tania was in the middle working on some documents. She was so busy working that she didn''t even notice that her father entered. This scene brought a small smile to Pietr''s face as he watched her confined daughter attend to her tasks as the Premier. Taking care not to disturb her, he went closer and stood behind her chair to watch what she was doing. Tania was currently reviewing and fixing some documents regarding the tax collection and the distribution of funds to each administrative department. The pile of papers on her left side was filled with reports regarding the Archaoelogists'' Guild. Pietr, seeing the reports on the very top of the pile became alarmed, "T-this..." and startled Tania. "Kyaa!", Tania nearly flew from her seat when her father suddenly spoke. The guards outside ran in when they heard her shriek. "Is everything alright!?" Pietr turned to the guards and told them what happened, then he ordered them to go back outside. "Papa, what are you doing here!? You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Tania was fuming since she was disturbed in the middle of work. "If you have something to say, please do so. I still have work to do." Pietr listened to his daughter''s words and said, "Sigh... can''t a father visit his daughter?" Then he looked up, "Oh mama, up high. Our little Tania is grown up now." and said sarcastically since he still remembered the incident with Cavaron. Tania just stood there silently with her arms crossed. "No need to be that mad. Anyway, what are those?" He pointed to the pile of documents about the guild. Tania looked at where he was pointing and said, "I was worried about Wynn, Wynn Osfort. The elder sister of the soldier that caught me, Lucas Osfort." While looking a bit sullen, "She disappeared over a year ago. It was also the time I stopped receiving letters from her. The last sighting of her was at Kintab''s Recluse, a guild dig site." Pietr was shocked as he thought about Cavaron, ''Could it be? Cavaron went to look for Wynn given their relationship?'' Tania spoke again, "The spymaster that I sent to investigate wasn''t able to get any leads aside from my missing friend. It appears Sage Agrithos ordered to put a lid on all information regarding his granddaughter." ''It''s the same with Cavaron... something must have happened.'' Puetr thoglught as he listened to Tania speak, ''Hn... should I tell her about Cavaron? But that might send the Federation into a panic.'' Tania noticed her father''s silence, "Papa, is something wrong? You are awfully quiet. Your voice would usually be booming at any time of the day." and asked half in jest. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Pietr ignored Tania''s smirk and just said, "No, nothing''s wrong. Hm, should we dispatch a search party for Wynn?" Tania shook her head and replied, "No, there is probably a reason why Sage Agrithos didn''t report her disappearance to us." She looked out the window, "Supposing that nothing too grave happened, I think Cavaron could easily solve this problem, don''t you think so?" and looked back at Pietr with a grin. Pietr''s jaw dropped when she mentioned Cavaron, "How... how did you know?" Tania just shrugged and said, "I didn''t become Premier just by luck, Papa." She approached Pietr and hugged him, "If something very bad does happen, I can mobilize a portion of the army without alerting the citizenry." and smiled at her aging father. Pietr just kept his silence and sighed, ''She really does take after you, Natalya.'' and thought of his late wife. --- Deep within the Felrok Ruins. Cavaron and Shamira ran through the corridor after beating an army of undead and eliminating a Death Titan. Cavaron, having drank a quarter of Dragon Blood, received a surge of energy and practically busted through the hordes of undead blocking their way to the inner sanctum where the necromancer reportedly resided in. Shamira had nothing to do but let the hyper-Cavaron run out of excess energy and just flew behind him as he busted one barrier after another. <> has already disappeared due to the last resort he did against the Death Titan. All that was left were the effects of <> and the Dragon Blood. Shamira just used this as an opportunity to recover mana no matter how small just to prepare for the battle against a necromancer. Despite having previously annihilated a large number of undead, the undead they encoumtered as they went in deeper. "Cavaron, art thou still under Dragon Blood''s effect?" Shamira asked the fairly high-strung undead killing machine in front of her. Amazed by the number he killed, she had to wonder if expending that much energy was able to calm him down. "NOPE!" Cavaron excitedly replied, "I DRANK A QUARTER SO THIS SHOULD LAST FOR AN HOUR OR TWO!!" He bolted again towards a group of Ghouls and initiated another shredding session. "Sigh, then why did not thou use that in the first place?" she asked him figuring their fight would have been easier if he drank the Dragon Blood against the Death Titan. "TO BE HONEST!? I CAN''T THINK STRAIGHT! WEE~!!" He replied as he minced another Ghoul. "WAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!" ''Note to self, confiscate the bottle.'' Shamira thought to herself as she rested her head on her palm. "Heads up, more dead men walking!" Skeletons and Ghouls poured out one after another. If this were a game, Cavaron would be raking in precious EXP, but as this is (this story''s) reality, only broken bones and rotten flesh are left. After some time, a group of Death Knights on skeletal mounts appeared and charged against Cavaron. "Hrrraaaahhh!" the Death Knights released a ghostly cry as they approached. Cavaron faced them with a grin, undeterred by their charge, and met them head on. Shamira panicked at his recklessness and flew in with her shield to parry any attacks. Even with the blessing of <>, due to the time that has passed, it wouldn''t be surprising if the attacks got through. Contrary to her expectations, Cavaron went low and attacked the mounts instead. With the physical boost he received from the Dragon Blood, the skeletal mounts were smashed to bits from the impact. The Death Knights who lost their mounts flew forward from the inertia and met with Shamira''s shield bash. The force of the inertia plus the opposing force and holy power of Shamira''s attack destroyed the Death Knights. One by one, another massacre took place along the corridor as dead pulverized undead littered the area. Another hour later, Dragon Blood''s effects were fading as they got deep into the ruins. "Phew... that was fun!" Cavaron, lifted from the drug''s effects, said as he sat on a defeated Death Knight. "Oh, be silent." Shamira shot, "This One was filled with endless worry due to thy reckless behavior!" Cavaron flinched at the angry elemental and apologized, "Sorry, I guess a quarter was still too much." Shamira just stared at him before sighing, "Well, art thou prepared to face the neceomancer and save Wynn?" Cavaron stood up and stretched before replying, "Of course. Now, lets go." and went deeper followed by Shamira. --------------------- Have a look at my sad attempt of trying to show what Tania looks like through an app called Avatar Maker on the Google Play Store: Just imagine her having red hair. I''ll probably swap the first two for Ritna or Dita (when she gets older). Chapter 23 Felrok Ruins, somewhere very deep inside. No matter how much undead they kill, its numbers keep increasing. Fortunately, due to the mana regained by Cavaron and Shamira''s inherently vast mana reserves, they can last for a week or two without rest aside from sitting down to eat. This happens to be that one time that Cavaron had to take a break as his stomach began grumbling for food. Sitting down at an open area, he ripped open space and pulled out: a pile of firewood, a spit, a pit, some kitchenware, and some flint and tinder. Shamira was surprised, "Thou will be cooking? In this place?" Turning to the elemental, he grinned and nodded. After that, he pulled out the ingredients: a bottle of cooking oil, a long and green prune-like vegetable, a chunk of pork, some eggs, five cloves of garlic, and bottles of salt and pepper. After setting up the makeshift kitchen, he began by peeling the garlic and chucked them into the pot with cooking oil. Then, he sliced up the bitter melon into strips, and cubed the pork. Going back to the pot, he sauteed the garlic until it was brown and put the cubed pork inside until it was cooked. After the pork was cooked, he then dumped the slices of bitter melon into the pot and let it simmer for a minute or two. While waiting, he beat an egg then poured it in after a minute to stir, and added some salt and pepper to taste. After another whole minute, he lifted the pot of the spit and laid out the plates. "Time to eat!" he exclaimed while pulling out a bottle of yellow liquid. Shamira was curious about what Cavaron cooked, came closer, "Cavaron, what didst thou cook?" and asked. Cavaron swallowed the food in his mouth before answering, "Gulp... it''s a recipe I learned from one of the Terran worlds some years ago, want a taste?" and offered a plate. "No need. This One is an ethereal being, thus This One does not need to eat to survive." Shamira replied. "But, can you eat and taste food?" "Hm, This One can if This One wants to." "Then, have a taste." Shamira hesitated for a bit but after seeing Cavaron happily eating, she gave in to her curiosity. She took a bite but, near instantaneously, she spat it out. "Hey! Don''t waste food!" Cavaron said after seeing what she did. "What is this!? So bitter!" Shamira complained while looking at the food. "Oh, that''s the bitter melon... I guess I should have washed it first. Here, eat this instead." he said and tossed a wrapper at her. Shamira looked dubiously at Cavaron so he added, "Don''t worry, that should wash away the bitter taste. Just open the wrapper and eat what''s inside." Not wanting to have the bitterness remain on her tongue, she opened the wrapper and out came a red crystalline object. Surprised, she glanced at Cavaron and saw him nod so she popped it into her mouth. Shamira''s facial expression changed into bliss. "So sweet~" she said with her palms stuck to her cheeks. "What is this?" Cavaron smiled, "It''s called a ''candy''. This one also came from a Terran world, though there are others that can make it, Terran candies are the best. Just don''t bite it, just let it melt in your mouth." and answered the blissful elemental. "Hey, can This One have more of these candies?" Shamira asked with a happy expression. Cavaron was surprised, "Huh? Ah, sure. Here." pulled out a variety of candies, and gave them to her. There were five candies, aside from the first one, given. A red one, a yellow one, a purple one, a green one, and a brown one. Shamira''s eyes glowed with anticipation of delight as she received the pieces of candy. One by one, in a span of five minutes, she finished it all and was in, figuratively, in heaven. Cavaron, who was finished eating and was watching her, ''Hm... this might be bad. I think I made her addicted.'' and thought. Shamira looked at Cavaron like a predator that made him flinch, "Cavaron, dost thou have more?" and asked. Sweat poured from Cavaron while thinking of an answer, "Uh... no. No more... at the moment..." Shamira smiled at his answer and said, "Don''t lie, Cavaron. A <> can detect lies." while flying in closer to him making Cavaron step back on reflex. This made her charge at him with an intent to devour more candy. "Alright! Alright!" Cavaron screamed as he tried to tear off the elemental away from him, "I''ll give you more candy BUT only AFTER we take care of our current business!" Shamira let go of Cavaron after that, "Promise?" Cavaron nodded frantically, ''Damn! What the hell did I get myself into!?'' and thought to himself. Shamira retreated from him and prepared for the continuation of the journey while grinning at Cavaron. ''Dammit all... my precious candy... eh, well. I could get more.'' Cavaron put away everything back into his rip in space, and continued deeper into the ruin. --- After the scuffle with the candy, the two of them arrived at a door. A ridiculously massive door. "That... is one big ass door. Big enough to fit two Death Titans, one on top of another." Cavaron said as he stared at it. "I''m guessing this is the Inner Sanctum. That really took a while." The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. He went closer to the door and activated his <> to see what was behind it. "By the great ancient gods of my own gods..." he said while taking a few steps back. "I think I should finish that bottle of Dragon Blood for this." Shamira became alarmed, "No! No more drugs!" and shouted, "Anyway, what was behind the door?" Cavaron turned to her with a pale face, "Souls, pitch black souls, LOTS of it." and replied, "There is a shit ton of necromancers inside." Suddenly, the door before them opened and skeletal arms shot forth from the ground grabbing Cavaron''s legs leaving him no chance to react. Shamira, however, smashed thr bones that nearly bound her, and flew to Cavaron to free him. Before she could do so, another wave of skeletal arms came, this time successfully binding her, albeit weakly due to her holy aura thus she was encased with layers upon layers of bones. The necromancers inside the room turned to look at their visitors. All of them have lost their flesh, and only have bones and the black flame of their souls left. Instead of eyes, there was a dark and eerie glow coming from within. Although they were all made up of bones, they were also wearing cloaks that hid their bodies. There were around a hundred necromancers inside, and there was a massive figure at the center of them all. A Lich. This Lich then stood up from his seat and went to the two at the door. "Welcome, old foe..." a ghostly voice left the Lich, "I never thought that you would return. Pray tell, what is your reason for this visit? Heh heh heh..." Cavaron was wide-eyed when he heard the Lich''s voice, "No... It can''t be... I KILLED YOU!!" and screamed. "Heh heh heh..." the Lich laughed, "As long as my soul is intact, and there is a worthy vessel, I AM IMMORTAL... HAHAHAHAHAH!!" Cavaron struggled to get free, "Dammit! Thanatos! Damn you!" and cursed the Lich, Thanatos. Thanatos'' ghostly eyes met with Cavaron''s, "Heh heh heh... so good of you to remember my name, Cavaron." and said, "So? What brings you to my refuge? I doubt you knew I was here." Bloodlust emanated from Cavaron, Shamira felt it to as the bone cage encasing her was rapidly being decayed, "Grr... Where is Wynn''s soul!? What did you do to the soul of the woman who arrived here a year ago!?" Thanatos stood up straight and placed his bony finger under his bony jaw, "Wynn? A woman? Excuse me for a while." and said before turning to a necromancer, "You were guarding this place a year ago, what is he talking about?" The necromancer bowed, "There was an expedition here a year ago. I ordered my minions to capture them for our ritual, however they were able to fight back. Before they got away, I bound the soul of a woman and sent it off to the others." and replied. Thanatos nodded at the necromancer, "I see, I see." and turned back to Cavaron. "Well, it would appear that her soul was used as fuel for a <>." Cavaron paled as he remembered the previously defeated Death Titan, "No... that Death Titan..." "Heh heh heh..." Thanatos laughed, "Worry not, old foe... the Death Titan you defeated was not the one she was in. Heh heh heh... The <> she was put in was more special." Thanatos then left Cavaron and returned to the congregation of necromancers. However, he didn''t sit down. Instead, he went to the other end of the room. Arriving there, he turned back to everyone, "Brothers and sisters who defied death with me! The time of our reckoning has come! Our empire shall rise from the graves once more as we wreak havoc upon our enemies!" "-------------!!!" Ghostly wails erupted from the congregation as numerous undead rose up to fill their ranks. "Hahaha... HAHAHAHAHA!!!" Thanatos began to laugh like a maniac, "THIS SHALL BE OUR IMMORTAL LEGACY!!!" A pitch black magic circle appeared on the wall behind Thanatos, and opened a gate. "HAHAHA!! MY OLD FOE!! WITNESS THE POWER OF OUR DEATH GOD!!!" After Thanatos screamed, a Death Titan came from the gate. However, its size is incomparable to the previously defeated one. The one before him was as big as the room they were currently in. Cavaron then used his <> and was appalled by what he saw. "WYNN!!!" Wynn Osfort''s soul was inside the Death God''s <> along with many others. --------------------- Have a look at my attempts to visualize some of the girls/women with the Android App, Avatar Maker. Ritna Ladenras Tania Rusvich (just imagine her having red hair, damned templates) Wynn Osfort No Dita yet, wait until a few years in the story''s future because I don''t have a loli generator. Chapter 24 Have a chapter. I wrote this immediately due to a rude awakening. Also, I was listening to Innocent Primeval Breaker and To Make the End of Battle while writing this. ------------------------ "WYNN!!!" "Hahahahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! COME FORTH, DEATH GOD!!! COME FORTH AND LAY WASTE TO OUR ENEMIES BEYOND THIS DAMNED PLACE!!! BREAK US FREE AND WREAK HAVOC!!!" Thanatos has gone crazy and directed the gigantic monstrosity to get out of the ruins. Cavaron, still bound, wasn''t able to do anything but struggle. Shamira frantically tried to burn through the bone cage but was useless as each burned layer was replaced by a new one. "Grr... Shamira, I am going to do something stupidly reckless." Cavaron said to the Elemental. Shamira stopped burning the cage as she figured it will never end, "What will thou do? Dragon Blood?" and asked. "Yep, but I can''t use my hands," he replied, "So, I''m going to mentally rip space in my stomach and pour the contents of the Dragon Blood directly into it." "No! Hast thou even done so before!? Thou might kill thyself!" Shamira screamed. "Only one way to find out, just do it." Cavaron resolved himself in this deadly endeavor. Closing his eyes, he focused mana to form within his body, to open a rip in space. He sweat profusely as it was more difficult than seeing it with his eyes. He seems to have a general idea of the anatomy of the human body because of the countless corpses he has seen and produced over the past few hundred years. Willing the mana, he visualized the opening of space and thought of the drug-like liquid pouring inside. Success. He felt the cold liquid hit his stomach. He had no idea how much he poured but he immediately closed the rip as soon as he felt it. Immediately, he felt the effects. "Hrrrr...HRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" Cavaron let loose a cry of absolute madness, broke free from the binding, and grabbed his head due to the power overwhelming. "HRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" Cavaron screamed with power. "Cavaron!!!" Shamira screamed with worry. Thanatos, who was still busy with the Death God, heard Cavaron''s cry, "Haha... huh? What is going on?" and turned to see his old foe free from the binding going crazy. "Cavaron!!!" Shamira frantically tried to burn the bone cage faster to help him, "AAHHH!! STUPID BONES!!!" "HHRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" Cavaron suddenly unsheathed his two swords. The other necromancers began to sense dread from the screaming madman and sent their undead to deal with it. A group of Death Knights rode forth to kill Cavaron but, right before their weapons reached the target, Cavaron disappeared. The necromancers and undead were bewildered by his sudden disappearance and began searching for him. Suddenly, a loud explosion erupted from within their ranks. *BBAAAAAAAAMMMMM* "HHHHRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Cavaron reappeared and slaughtered the necromancers and undead. The necromancers'' souls left their vessels and searched for a new body. However, due to Cavaron''s instincts kicking in within the carnage, he attacked the souls with overpowered <> that, instead of howling through the air, were screaming pain, death, and eternal damnation. As a soul got hit by his attacks, it disintegrated due to the extreme application of mana. The other necromancers who witnessed this began to panic and had their undead attack from all sides instantly. A storm of bones, flesh, and a screaming madman ensued. Contrary to what was preciously witnessed when he drank a quarter of Dragon Blood, his speed, strength, and vitality reached even greater heights to the point it affected his mind. More than a mllion undead poured in like a tidal wave against Cavaron yet, dozens by dozens fell to his berserk fury. Looking closely, one can see the nerves appearing on his face, and his eyes were bloodshot red. His eyes, hunger for absolute destruction. Each time he reached time he reached a necromancer who turned to flee, his speed made him able to catch up and send the poor sod into oblivion. Thanatos, who was still by the Death God''s side, grew frantic over the loss of his brethren, "Grrah!! Death God, continue on your break for freedom!" and went over to take care of Cavaron by summoning his own special undead. A magic circle appeared above the room and enveloped the necromancers and undead with a dark glow. Afterwards, the strength of the undead increased tenfold, and the necrmancers were able to summon more powerful undead. Thanatos then took his time to summon his own minions. Beside him, a large, black magic circle appeared and brought forth a giant skeleton. A Bone Dragon. "ROOOAAAAAAARRRR!!!!" The Bone Dragon let loose a powerful roar that shook the foundations of the ruin, and charged into the mess where Cavaron was. The powered up necromancers and their undead parted to give way to the Bone Dragon. While the Bone Dragon was approaching, Cavaron obliterated another mass of necromancers, killing the control over a huge chunk of undead, and leaving the derelict undead to either rot on their own or have their controls transferred to another necromancer. The Bone Dragon arrived and attempted to take a bite out of Cavaron but, he easily evaded it. In fact, his speed became so insane that not even a blur could be seen. Having no idea how much he poured into his stomach, one can surmise from this situation that he dumped the whole bottle. If a quarter made high like an addict, and the remaining three quarters turned him into a berserk killing machine, one can imagine the effects of a full bottle. Absolute speed, absolute power, absolute vitality. Demon-like results. Most likely, with another drop, he will turn from an enraged madman into a world destroying, god eating dragon. The raging Cavaron then confronted the new enemy and began his own assault against the bony adversary. Unlike the brittle undead before, this Bone Dragon was literally a dragon as it came from a dead species from ages long past the era of humanity. The strength if its bones was enough to rival adamantium, and its attack''s raw power left others with shock and awe. However, to Cavaron, it didn''t make a difference. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Through his reckless usage of mana, his repeated attacks against the Bone Dragon resulted in a small crack appear on its skull. This small crack began to grow larger at an alarming rate, and sent the other necromancers and Thanatos into a widespread panic. "NO! MY SPECIAL UNDEAD!" Thanatos cried at the sight of his undead being one-sidedly destroyed. "HHRRRR... CAVARON!!" Thanatos charged together with the other undead to peraonally take care of Cavaron. The Bone Dragon, who was panicking to defend itself, finally broke down from the unrelenting onslaught of overpowered mana. Its skull finally gave way, revealing its core which resulted to Cavaron completely crushing it effectively make its body collapse entirely. "ROOOoooooOoOOOOO..." The Bone Dragon, with its death throes, was immediately defeated. Cavaron, still enraged, turned to the other necromancers who were fleeing the area and hunted them all down. Shamira, who was freed from the bone cage that lost control, was unable to do anything but watch in worry and fear for Cavaron. Cavaron literally just took out over a hundred thousand undead on his own. Having taking out so many, Shamira resolved herself to support the berserker with her bolts. A hundred piercers flew across the battlefield and hit the stragglers cutting down more of the undead''s numbers, and went to distract the escaping Death God. Right in the middle of the carnage, Thanatos arrived, and his appearance changed. He was wearing ancient Imperial Felrok armor, as dark as the darkest, moonless, and starless night. "CAVARON!!! YOU WILL DIE TODAY!!!" Thanatos cried out an ultimatum and launched his own attacks. Contrary to any of Thanatos'' expectations, Cavaron evaded EVERYTHING. His speed and power have reached high heaven, and his vitality was second to none. "How!? How have you become this powerful!?" Thanatos bellowed not knowing about the Dragon Blood, "Twenty years ago, you were not this impossible!?" "HHRRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!" Cavaron cried as he focused all of his attention on Thanatos. Cavaron recklessly delivered punishment against the Lich, and the armor that wasn''t able to hold on, eventually broke away to reveal the Lich''s undefended body. Suddenly, one of Cavaron''s swords disappeared, only to be replaced by a beautiful blue sword. The Mana Sword. Enveloped with an overpowered <>, he delivered the final blow against the Lich, this time along with the black soul. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Thanatos cried as he faded from reality. The other necromancers saw the death of their glorious leader and ran, only to be intercepted by the raging Cavaron and sent to oblivion. After dealing with the rest of the undead army on his own, the battlefield was littered with bones and rotten flesh. An astronomical number of over a million defeated undead lay before him. Cavaron, still under Dragon Blood''s effect ran around looking for more things to destroy until, "Cavaron!!" Shamira called for him. Cavaron followed the voice and saw the elemental trying to impede the still moving Death God from escaping. He immediately charged against the Death God, and attacked its legs. However, contrary to his expectations, his attacks bounced off. The body of this monster was incomparable against the other undead, and befits the name of a Death God. For an hour or two, Cavaron and Shamira tried to stop the Death God from escaping. Within this time, Dragon Blood''s effects were lifted and Cavaron returned to reason. "SHIT!" Cavaron cursed, "If, even with the Dragon Blood, I was unable to even deal a scratch... Dammit all!!! Wynn!!!'' Another half hour of fruitless struggling, the Death God broke through and reached the surface. ""No!"" Cavaron and Shamira cried. "-----------------!!" A powerful deathly cry erupted from the Death God. --- Kintab''s Recluse. Agrithos was inside the Mana Pylon attending to his duties. "-----------------!!" He immediately stood up and looked to the direction of the roar, with a pale face, "That... is very bad..." he said to himself and immediately ran to its direction. Arriving outside, he saw innumerable soldiers directing evacuation and others running for their lives. Agrithos grabbed a panicking soldier and ordered a report. "Sir! A Death Titan, larger than the previous ones, has emerged!!" the soldier reported. Agrithos lost even more blood from his face, "Cavaron!!" and screamed as he dashed of to the Felrok Ruins. --- Volya City, Tania''s room. Tania was still busy with administrative work until a shadow appeared in her room. Without turning around, "Report." Tania ordered the shadow. "Lady Rusvich, the situation in Kintab''s Recluse has escalated." The shadow said and made Tania turn. Tania was waiting for the shadow''s continuation. "A Death Titan has surfaced from a ruin, but this Titan is larger than the previously recorded ones. The champion, Cavaron, and his elemental is fruitlessly engaged with it as we speak." Tania''s face immediately paled, but snapped herself out of it before giving an order, "Activate the cells outside the city and send reinforcements to Kintab''s Recluse. Also, prepare a fast escort, I want to take care of this personally." "Ma''am!" the shadow saluted and disappeared. Tania went over to her wardrobe and changed her clothes, ''Cavaron. Stay safe.'' and thought of the person she loves. --- Volya City, Pietr''s Room. Pietr was leisurely reading a book, until a guard ran inside nearly giving him a heart attack. "Sir! A Death Titan has appeared down south!" Pietr''s eyes went wide when he heared the soldier, "Does Tania know about this!?" and asked. "Sir! The Premier has already left her room and disabled the guards who stopped her!" Pietr barely managed to hold a chuckle, "Well, what are you waiting for? Prepare to move out, but do it quietly!" "Sir, yes, sir!" and the soldier left to gather the forces. -------------- AN: Don''t do drugs, unless you''re in a losing battle and need that extra push to attain victory. Don''t do it for fun. Chapter 25 Hmm... ten pages... Also, have a poll. ------------------------- The Southern Volshik Plains. An army of 100 thousand Federal Soldiers are running to Kintab''s Recluse to intercept the reported Death Titan. Since a Death Titan was reported, there were no melee-type soldiers, and were made up of 70 thousand rangers, 15 thousand healers, and 15 thousand mages. In such a short time, this army was formed from the numerous cells outside of Volya City that were created in case of emergencies by the Belfron Premier, Tania Rusvich. Tania was riding on her horse, leading the army''s charge. She was wearing a Federal Officer''s uniform instead of her Administrative Uniform. A ranger who was riding with the army, approached Tania on horseback. "Lady Premier!" the Ranger said. Tania glanced at the Ranger, "Speak." and said. "Lady Premier! Lord Pietr''s own forces are following behind us!" This made Tania grin, ''Oh Papa, you never change.'' and thought of her father leading the army like the past war. "Tell everyone to slow down! Our forces will merge with father''s forces when they catch up!" "Yes, Lady Premier!" the Ranger affirmed and went off to deliver the orders. It took no more than ten minutes before Tania''s army and Pietr''s army merged. Pietr''s army had melee-type soldiers such as Heavy Cavalry and Large Weapon soldiers. Back during the Undead War 20 years ago, Pietr Rusvich was not only known as the Gentle Demon, but also as the Tyrant of the Battlefield due to his skill in wielding large and heavy weapons along with commanding the same type of soldiers. As such, he was wearing his old Royal Armor and was carrying a massive war maul. His war maul was leagues different from the other Heavy Weapons units because his maul is made of pure Adamantium and its head is enchanted with explosive magic that detonates with each hit crushing anything that meets it. Pietr was also riding a war beast. War beasts were specially-bred monsters that serve as mounts to the Heavy Weapons units. The war beast that Pietr was riding happens to be a muscular bear-like monster. Pietr directed his mount to meet with Tania. When he arrived, he was literally looking down on her as his mount was massive, bigger than Tania''s horse. Tania looked at her father, "Papa, why did you bring your army? We will be up against a Death Titan." and asked, "Anything that gets close to it will perish." Pietr looked at his daughter and laughed, "Hahaha! Oh, my dear. You should know that we all itch for battle." he said to her. "Look at our comrades! They all want to serve and protect our beloved Federation valiantly!" "OORAAAAA!!!" Cheers erupted from the army. "Hahaha! Come, my dear! Let us charge into battle and help our champion!" Pietr yelled as his bear ran like there was no tomorrow. "Alright, Papa. All forces! Be swifter than the wind and defeat our enemy!!" she bellowed to the rest of the army. """ FOR BELFRON!!! """ --- Back at Kintab''s Recluse. "Cavaron!!" Agrithos arrived at the location where the Felrok Ruins were. Far beyond the entrance, he found Cavaron engaged in a fruitless battle with the Death God. While trying everything to interfere with the Death God, Cavaron heard his teacher call him. "Teacher! Wynn! I found Wynn''s soul!" he shouted, "Her soul is in this thing''s core!!" and jumped away to evade the Death God''s kick. "--------------!!" the Death God wailed in fury. After losing its master, it went on a rampage destroying everything. *FFFSSSSHHHHHHHNNNGGGGG* *BABABANNNNG* Shamira delivered a near endless torrent of <> everywhere on the Death God. Flying in the sky, she immediately noticed the approaching army from the north. "Cavaron! There is an army to the north!" she shouted. Cavaron looked up at her, "What are their colors!?" and asked. "Red and white, with flags carrying the symbol of a dragon with a lion''s head!" she replied. "" Rusvich!! "" Agrithos and Cavaron shouted at the same time. The heraldic symbol of the Old Rusvich family, and now known as the Rusvich Army. "Shamira! Fly towards them and guide them here! Also, tell them about Wynn!" he shouted to her, while dodging the Death God''s attacks. Without the need to nod, Shamira immediately flew towards the Rusvich Army. --- A scout arrived before Tania, "Lady Premier, an angel is headed towards us!" and said to her. ''An angel? Must be one of Cavaron''s contracts.'' Tania immediately thought. " Alright, guide the angel to my location." and told the scout. The scout immediately left and waved at the direction of Shamira. Shamira took notice of the scout and saw him pointing somewhere. She followed where he was pointing and found a beautiful woman on horseback beside a ridiculously armored man riding a massive bear. Tania saw that Shamira was flying to her direction and waved to come closer. "Welcome, angel." Tania greeted Shamira, "Are you one of Cavaron''s contracts?" Shamira made a bow in mid-flight, "This One is named Shamira, and yes, I am of Cavaron''s." and replied to Tania. "This big man here is my father, Pietr Rusvich." Tania introduced the big guy next to her. "A pleasure meeting thee." "A pleasure as well." Shamira faced Tania and told her everything Cavaron said, including the events in the ruin as well as the near resurrection of the Felrok Empire. "Wynn... no..." Tania wept as she heard her friend''s predicament. "Worry not, Cavaron has an idea on how to save her." Shamira consoled Tania. "Come, we must help him so we may also help your friend, Wynn." Tania nodded and looked at her father. Pietr met with Tania''s eyes and gave an order, "ALL TROOPS!!! FOLLOW THE ANGEL AND CHARGE FORTH!!! REINFORCE OUR CHAMPION AGAINST THE DEATH GOD!!!" """ OORAAA!!! """ Shamira then flew high and led the Rusvich Army to Cavaron. --- Meanwhile, back in Kintab''s Recluse. As Shamira went to the approaching Rusvich Army, Agrithos thought to be useful and attacked the Death God with his own magic. He launched fireballs, ice shards, and lightning bolts at the Death God. Every attack he delivered was openly received by the Death God without much damage aside from.burning flesh. "By the gods, this is no ordinary Death Titan..." he paled when he saw how his attacks did nothing. "Teacher! This is Thanatos'' so called legacy! He poured all of his resources into creating this Death God!!" Cavaron shouted. Each second and each minute that passed had Cavaron merely evading attacks, leaving no time to spare to counter with his own even if his attacks dealt no damage. ''Dammit! I wish I had enough mana to call another contract.'' he cursed in his thoughts. A large amount of his mana was spent from fighting against the Felrok Remnants and Thanatos. Then, he noticed the spells his teacher was using, ''Hm? Fire and Ice? ... That''s it!'' and immediately thought of a way to attack. ''Hopefully there are a lot of mages in the Ruavich Army...'' The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. It took a full hour of fruitless combat for the Rusvich Army to arrive at their location. "Cavaron!!" Tania screamed. The reinforcing army saw the size of the Death God. It was colossal, reaching the height of nearly 70 meters, twice the size of previously recorded Death Titans. "Good gods, that thing is HUGE!!" "WE ARE FIGHTING THAT!!??!?" "May I go on leave for this battle? I don''t feel so good." "OH, MAN UP YA SISSIES!! WE WILL FIGHT TO WIN OR DIE TRYING!!!" "Um, that''s just it, I don''t want to die." Chaos spread amongst the soldiers, that is until Pietr got tired of it. "GRAAAAAHHH!!! SILENCE YOU IMBECILES!!!" Pietr, with his ever powerful voice, shouted at the panicking army. " YOU ARE MEMBERS OF THE VALIANT RUSVICH ARMY!!! I WILL SPARE NO COWARDS THAT WORMED THEIR WAY INTO THE RANKS OF MY GLORIOUS COMRADES!!!" Immense anger was felt from the Tyrant of the Battlefield, and the army was immediately silenced. "Pietr!" Cavaron shouted, "Can''t you do anything else other than shattering our ears to oblivion!?" Pietr turned red at Cavaron''s comment, and Tania let out a chuckle. "Come, Papa. Let us help him." Pietr regained his composure and said, "Alright, my dear. Stay here and command the troops, I''ll personally lead the charge." "Tania!" Cavaron shouted again making Tania turn to him, "Do you have mages!?" and asked. Tania responded, "We have 15 thousand elite mages!! What do you need!?" "I need your mages to bombard the Death God with alternating Fire and Ice magic!! Burn and freeze and burn and freeze and so on and so forth until I see the intended results!!" Tania and Pietr realized what Cavaron wanted to do, he wanted them to make the bony armor of the Death God brittle by subjecting it to fast temperature changes. Tania turned to the army and called for the mages to come up front and told them everything about what Cavaron wanted. A few minutes after, a large volley of fireballs flew over with a high arc towards the Death God, "Shamira! <> now!! It doesn''t matter if it breaks as long as it stuns the damned bastard!!" Cavaron yelled as he ran for cover. <> immediately wrapped and bound the Death God as it helplessly received the 15 thousand fireballs. Immediately before the fireballs landed, 15 thousand ice shards flew behind the fireballs. With a gap of 10 seconds, the Death God was buffeted with alternating Fire and Ice magic. This continued on for nearly five minutes. "Ooh, pretty lights." The other soldiers on standby were watching with awe at the fireworks produced by the mages. After another minute, Cavaron heard something crack. He immediately looked at the source and saw a crack forming on the Death God''s chest. Using his <> he looked for the <>, "Found it!" and exclaimed. The core was coincidentally, right behind the crack on the chest. "Tania!! For the next sixty seconds, focus fire on its chest!!" he shouted to the woman commanding the mages. Immediately, Tania dispersed the order. For sixty seconds, fire and ice flew towards the stunned Death God. After a minute, a large crack appeared on its chest, and Cavaron immediately shouted, "Tania!! All attacks on its legs!! We need to knock it down!!!" "You all heard him! Concentrate fire on the legs!!" Tania yelled. "Papa, prepare your men to knock that thing down." Pietr hoisted his war maul over his shoulder and laughed heartily, "HAHAHA! TODAY IS A GOOD DAY!! MEN, FORM UP AND PREPARE TO MOVE OUT!!" Fire and ice flooded the Death God''s legs. The <> binding it were still in effect but was losing strength. Immediately after the third fireball wave landed, the chains broke, and the Death God roared. "-----------!!" "NOW!! CHAAAAAARRRRGGGGEEEE!!!" Pietr cried and led all remaining soldiers to attack. The Death God couldn''t effectively move to attack them due to effects of extremely changing temperatures. Its body became stiff and and parts broke off whenever it tried to move. """ OORAAA!!! """ Pietr arrived at the legs and immediately unleashed a powerful swing. *BOOOMMM* His explosive-tipped war maul hit the leg and detonated, crushing one of the Death God''s legs. The other soldiers also delivered their own attacks at the other parts of its body that they could reach. The melee soldiers aimed for the other leg and tried to crush it. Unfortunately, some of them got crushed themselves by the Death God''s falling chunks. However, even those did not deter the madmen rushing to destroy it. "-----------------!!" The Death God cried as it lost both of its legs, and began to fall over. "ALL FORCES!! FALL BACK!!!" Pietr bellowed to prevent any more unneeded casualties. The melee soldiers underneath the falling giant immediately scattered away from the direction where it was falling. *CRRRAAAASSHHHHH* The Death God fell on its back. When it did, Pietr and the others came back to destroy its arms. "Everyone!!" Cavaron shouted, "Leave the chest intact!! I need to extract the <> to save Wynn!!" then he ran up to the fallen Death God and climbed to the crack. The crack was big enough for him to slip inside. Immediately, he entered the Death God''s body to look for the core. However, right after he entered, he found it. The Death God''s <> was huge, bigger than his body. ''Okay... that didn''t go like I expected.'' he thought to himself. ''Gonna need help.'' He went back outside and saw that the Death God was completely immobile, and the soldiers were standing around waiting for him. "Cavaron!" Pietr saw him get out and called for him. "Pietr! Lend me some of your physically strongest men, I need some help!" "What for!?" "I''m going to extract the core to revive Wynn but the core is too big, it is bigger than me!" Pietr turned to his elite soldiers and ordered them to lend Cavaron a hand while he also joined them. They arrived inside the Death God with Cavaron and began to smash open the chest so the core can get through. Cavaron used his <> to sever the core''s connection with the Death God. After being severed, the Death God froze up and stopped moving. Pietr and the soldiers brought out the massive core from the chest. The core, illuminated by the setting sun, shone an obsidian luster as it was being hauled off to where Wynn was resting. ------------------------ Anybody know of a good map maker/editor for Android? Chapter 26 Hmm... Aisha, and glossaries, eh? I''ll be doing the top three. How to tell her story... hm hm hm... Wee~hee~hee~ --------------------------- Kintab''s Recluse, on the way to the Mana Pylon. Cavaron, Pietr, and a group of ten burly men were carrying a large obsidian-like core across the dig site. Tania suggested using a carriage but it broke down when they did so being unable to carry the weight. Seeing that it needed 11 physically exceptional men plus a mana-reinforced champion to carry it, one can assume that its weight needs a specially crafted metallic carriage. However, they don''t have the time for it so they hauled it off with their own strength. "How much further until the Mana Pylon?" Pietr asked the person leading them. Agrithos was in front of them having the crowd of onlookers part to give way. Agrithos, without looking back, yelled, "At this pace? Around fifteen minutes!" In fact, the speed of the group carrying the <> was relatively faster compared to when an ordinary person carries something heavy. The <>''s weight was evenly spread amongst the twelve men. Cavaron mustered enough strength to speak, "Teacher, we only need to bring it close to the pylon. There is no need to bring it inside. We just need to bring the afflicted outside at the same time within the pylon''s area of influence!" Cavaron is steadily draining his mana to achieve this task, and has no idea how much more he can safely expend. No more than fifteen minutes later, the group has arrived at the presence of the Mana Pylon. "Quite a sight." "How did the Archs build this thing?" "Ahh... I feel my powers returning." "This feels soothing. I want to stay here." The other members of the Rusvich Army followed to see what Cavaron will do to the <>. Tania was right by the entrance to the pylon and was curious about the inside. "Okay. Lets set it down there." Cavaron said as he pointed his head to a flat, open area. The group of twelve set down the core, and had Pietr and the soldiers back off to give the afflicted space to lay down on. Cavaron turned to Agrithos, "Teacher, you can bring them out." and said "Lay them around the core and we will begin." Agrithos called for the other Archaeologists to help him. One by one, the afflicted people whom Cavaron saw when he first came into the pylon, were brought outside and laid around the <>. After the last one was brought out, Agrithos came with two other Archaeologists with the soulless Wynn. "Wynn..." Tania gasped her friend''s name with worry. Pietr was by her side and put his hand on her trembling shoulder. "Worry not, my dear. I am sure Cavaron is about to do something that will save her." Pietr eased his daughter''s heart and looked at Wynn and the <>. Shamira flew down next to Cavaron, "Is her soul still inside?" and asked him. Cavaron reactivated his <> dost not need to be shed per person. It can be invoked as heavenly rain." <>. It is one of the many abilities of a <>. It is a revival elixir-like ability that can resurrect intended targets. As long as the body is intact and the soul has not gone on too far away, soulless beings can be revived. This was what Cavaron aimed to do when he first heard of Wynn''s predicament and summoned Shamira. Agrithos had Wynn''s body next to the core. After that, "Everyone! Please step back for a bit so Shamira can do her job!" Cavaron shouted to the others. Immediately, Tania, Pietr, Agrithos, the onlooking Archaeologists and Rusvich Army form a circle with a radius of 50 meters. Right in the middle was the <> and the afflicted. Shamira once more flew up, directly above the core. The moment her voice left her throat, white clouds covered the area. Shamira sang a powerful song of life that nobody could understand yet they were able to feel the effects. From the pearly white clouds, clear rain fell and drenched the area around the core. As the song continued, its effects were immediately witnessed. For those without magic, they were unable to see anything. However, mages and healers alike, as well as Cavaron, Agrithos, and some Archaeologists, they all saw it. Orbs of colorful lights left the core and began drifting towards the bodies. One by one, each of the orbs entered the body of an afflicted until only one orb remained. The last orb was glowing and drifting weakly. The direction it was headed to was the body of Wynn. Cavaron still using his <> was silently praying, ''Come on, Wynn. Don''t give up...'' as he is unable to intervene and help her soul return to her body. By his side, Agrithos was clenching his fists in anticipation for success. Across them, Tania was just as anxious as the rest. Shamira was still singing, as if urging the soul to return to the body. Finally, with one last push, Wynn''s soul entered her body. Immediately, her body breathed in her first breath. Silence enveloped the area, that is until Cavaron broke it. "SUCCESS!!!" he shouted with extreme joy as he jumped up and down like a kid. "TEACHER! WYNN LIVES!!!" Only then did the others get hit by the news. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. """OOOOHHHHHH!!!""" Cheers erupted all over the place. *collapse* Tania collapsed right where she stood and breathed a sigh of relief. Her strength left her legs at the thought of her friend being revived. Pietr sat next to her and brought his arm around her. "I told you he was going to do something, my dear." he said. However, this was not yet a time of celebration, "Everyone! Let us not celebrate just yet!" Agrithos announced, "Only until the undead around the area has been cleaned out, and the afflicted have woken up, then we shall have a grand celebration! I trust that Lord Pietr and Lady Tania will attend to the former, yes?" and smiled at the Rusvich leaders. "HAHAHA!! Of course! My comrades will surely keep this place safe, and will not tarnish the Rusvich name!" Pietr heartily said. """ OORAAA!!! """ the members of their army cheered at what Pietr said. ''Huh?'' Cavaron suddenly felt something, ''Uh-oh...'' "Urgh..." and collapsed, breathing heavily. """Cavaron!!!""" everybody around him ran to his side. "What happened!?" Tania asked. As the looked at Cavaron, he was profusely sweating. It took Cavaron a while to muster enough strength to speak, "Huff... Huff... Mana... Huff... Rebound... Urgh... I used... too much mana... gahaa..." and struggled to speak, "I... just need to rest... geho! Teacher... haa... mind if I sleep... in the pylon..?" Agrithos was in a daze and had someone slap himself out of it, "Huh!? Ah, yes, of course! You! Carry him inside, now!" and ordered a nearby guard to bring Cavaron inside the pylon. Tania was torn between Cavaron and Wynn, and didn''t know who to attend to. In the end, Pietr had to settle it for her, "Tania, attend to Wynn Osfort. Her condition is worse than Cavaron''s. As he said, he just needed sleep." Tania hesitantly nodded, and went off to Wynn to bring her inside the pylon. Upon arrival, Cavaron asked the guard to bring him to the place where Wynn''s body was put. The door in Agrithos'' office was left open giving them easier access to the area. After arriving at the altar surrounded by smaller pylons, he slept. Cavaron took a full day''s rest to recover his mana. Once he woke up feeling refreshed, he meditates to feel his mana reserves. ''Haha... I was right to sleep here. I have more than a week''s worth regained...'' Because of the mana being bombarded at his sleeping body at regular intervals, he was able to absorb more than the usual amount in a day''s rest. *tap* *tap* *tap* Cavaron heard footsteps headed his way. Breaking from his meditation, he opened his eyes towards the corridor to Agrithos'' office and waited for the visitor. A few seconds later, the visitor was his teacher, Agrithos. "I see you''ve awoken. Pray tell, how do you feel?" Agrithos asked his student. A grin appeared on Cavaron''s face, "Haha! If I sleep here for a week, I could gather enough mana to leave here on my own. With just this rest, I have a week''s worth!" and replied happily. Agrithos smiled at his answer, "Well? Shall we go see Wynn?" and offered to visit his granddaughter. "Has she woken up?" Cavaron verified her condition. Agrithos shook his head, "Sad to say, even a full day''s rest in the pylon, she has yet to wake up." and replied. Cavaron placed his hand on his chin, "Let''s go, then. Maybe I could do something to help... er, where''s Shamira?" Hearing her name, Shamira flew down from the ceiling, "Yes? Dost thou need something?" and asked. "Oh, good. I suppose you also recovered mana from staying here?" She nodded, "This One recovered quite a lot. This Mana Pylon is an interesting construct." Agrithos smiled at Shamira''s comment, "Thank you. Want to know how it does so?" This question made Shamira and Cavaron turn their heads making Agrithos smile even more. "Mana Pylons are special artifacts from an ancient empire. Cavaron, you should have known this from our lectures before. Anyway, who made them is of no issue, but how it was made and how it works is the bigger question. These massive artifacts have a sort of core that absorbs a large amount of mana in our surroundings. This core happens to be the one you slept on." Agrithos explained and pointed at the altar where Cavaron slept. "That core has complex circuits that we have no knowledge of and was once used as a weapon. As you can see, Kintab''s recluse is fairly barren. This is due to it absorbing vast amounts of mana from the surroundings that it nearly killed the land. Fortunately, we were able to tone down its settings preventing the Volshik Plains from turning into the Volshik Wastelands. After absorbing enough mana, it sends them back out to whatever it may hit." Agrithos concluded his explanation. Agrithos looked at Cavaron to receive praise but found him tinkering with the altar. "Cavaron! What are you doing!?" Agrithos said angrily, "Stop doing that!" Cavaron stepped back and faced his teacher, "I was curious." Agrithos sighed, "Haa... you never change. Anyway, we don''t know how to make more of these, and we have no idea about the effects of its other settings. So, leave it alone. Just feel free to sleep here, but that''s it." "Of course, Teacher. Shall we visit Wynn?" "Come on, my dear student." The three of them left the altar and headed to where Wynn was resting. ------------------- If you''ve properly read the previous chapters, one of them mentioned Angel Tears. Chapter 27 Hm... didn''t expect it to be this short... eh, well. I have 10 weeks of summer left, aside from looking for a part-time job. Have a chapter. ------------------------- Inside the Mana Pylon. Agrithos led Cavaron to the room where Wynn was recuperating. Inside were a team of medical staff tasked with taking care of the patient. Other than the medical staff, Tania was also there, seated next to the bed where Wynn is sleeping. Agrithos knocked on the door before entering and leading Cavaron inside. Tania stood up, "Cavaron, are you well enough to walk?" and asked as she came closer. Cavaron gave Tania a head pat and smiled, "I''m fine, Little Tania." This made Tania blush and tried to hug him, only to be pulled away by her father who just arrived. "My dear, control yourself." Pietr said to his daughter. Cavaron just shrugged it off and went to Wynn, while Tania was flailing around to get her father to release her. Cavaron used <> to inspect the condition of Wynn''s soul. Her soul was glowing weakly but steadily regaining strength. Turning to the others, "Her soul is just weak. Give it some time and she''ll wake up on her own." he said. "Hm... Shamira, come inside." Cavaron called for the elemental outside the room. Shamira shrank herself a bit more and hid her wings to fit inside the room. Now, she looks like an ordinary human aside from the fact she emits a faint golden glow. "What is it, Cavaron?" she said. Tania, seeing Shamira''s beauty outside of battle, couldn''t help but fidget uncomfortably. Cavaron faced the elemental, "Do you have an ability that may help in recovering a soul''s vitality?" and asked. Unfortunately, Shamira shook her head without a second thought, "Many pardons, This One''s abilities can do nothing outside of revival. Revitalization of the soul itself is left to others, mostly by the self. Although, it may be best to call for Culverin for his <> to strengthen the body." and replied. This made Cavaron frown a bit, "Hm... not sure if a week''s worth of mana is enough to summon him. I may have to do nothing for another day or two." Agrithos then cut in between them, "Cavaron, how about this, we will both wait for Wynn to wake up and have you regain your mana to summon a contract. Whichever comes first will be the priority, either Wynn wakes up first or you call another summon. Is that better?" and proposed an idea. Cavaron looked at his teacher then at Wynn, "Well, it is possible that she may wake up before I reach Culverin... okay. Whichever comes first will be the priority." and accepted his teacher''s proposal. Thus, days went by waiting for either Wynn to wake up or Cavaron regaining enough mana. Tania, however, took this as a chance to get closer with Cavaron. During these days, Cavaron closed himself up within the altar area to absorb large amounts of mana. The only time that he leaves the place was to eat or take a bath, of which Tania tried to ambush him during bath time forcing Pietr to accompany Cavaron. Pietr was soaking in a tub next to Cavaron''s, "So, Cavaron. What do you think of Tania?" Cavaron, who was relaxing in a tub of hot water nearly slipped down deeper at Pietr''s question. "You ask me that now when you were against having her come closer to me!?" he retorted. "Well, during your summoning, you wholeheartedly refused her offer and, well, I do think that was a bad time since everybody was very busy with work. Then, suddenly, my daughter, the Premier, summoned you out of nowhere and proposed to you." Cavaron''s mouth went agape at Pietr. "Well?" Pietr followed up. Cavaron was silent for a while before answering the question, "I don''t think I could bear loving someone again, even if the person in question loves me more than I do to the other." and looked up to the ceiling, "Tania... Tania is very beautiful, now that twenty years have passed but..." "But what?" "I can''t help looking at her like a little sister that clings to her elder brother. I have told you before, right? Twenty years ago, I told you about my life 800 years or so long ago before I became a champion. About my family, my beginnings, and how when I returned to the place I was from, they all disappeared." *Splash* A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Cavaron splashed some water on his face before continuing, "I can''t bring myself to love a person whom I know will be gone before me." Pietr went silent for a while and thought about the past, "Then, what about that person you met a hundred odd years ago?" Cavaron lazily turned his head towards Pietr, "My final mistake." and just smiled before getting out of the bath. Pietr just sat in his tub as he watched Cavaron leave. When Cavaron passed the door leading to the corridors, he found Tania standing nearby with tears falling down her face. "You heard it all?" he asked her. Tania just nodded silently while looking into his eyes. Cavaron brought his finger to wipe away her tears before saying, "I''m sorry." and left the Rusvichs behind. --- A week has passed and Wynn has yet to wake up. Cavaron has now regained enough mana to call a summon. As planned, he will summon Culverin to aid the healing of Wynn with the <> to hasten her recovery. Everybody was in the altar room awaiting the summoned contract. Shamira was just standing at the side, and was not dismissed because she was also tasked to eliminate any remaining undead with the Rusvich Army. Cavaron stood at an open place and gathered mana to summon Culverin. Tania wasn''t with them and was with Wynn instead. Pietr was out with the Rusvich Army to patrol the area. Cavaron now began the chant, "Passionate flames of the ever burning Scarlet Goddess!" but, right in the middle of the chant, Tania came running inside, shouting, "She''s awake!! Wynn has woken up!!" and made Cavaron cut the chant short by freezing the mana flow. "Urgh! Phew... Cut off chants really hurt..." Without a second thought, Cavaron, Shamira, Agrithos, Tania, and the other Archaeologists went to where Wynn was. Back inside Wynn''s room, there were the medical staff were running tests on Wynn to make sure she was well. Wynn, who was sitting up straight, was being bombarded with questions about how she feels. Tania, seeing the panicking Wynn, ordered all of the staff to leave. When the last one left, only Cavaron, Agrithos, Shamira, and Tania were left inside. This time Tania dived into Wynn and hugged her in tears. "Waaaaa!! Wynn, you''re safe!!!" she cried. Wynn winced when Tania hugged her, "Ow! Tania, get off me!" and tried to push her off. While she was struggling, Cavaron approached. Wynn noticed the familiar blue armor and red cape. She stopped struggling against Tania and went for her glasses which was in her inner breast pocket, still intact. Upon wearing her glasses, her sight became clear enough to see him. "It really was you..." she said, covering her mouth in disbelief as tears fell from her eyes. "Hey, Little Wynn. Long time, no see." Cavaron waved at her. Tania stopped hugging Wynn, stood up, and left for a seat, "He saved you, you know?" and said. Wynn looked at her friend, back to Cavaron, "Yes, I know. I mean, I shouldn''t but I felt him. I felt his power while I was gone..." and stood up. Wynn came closer to Cavaron and placed her hand on his cheek, "It really was you. Thank you." then hugged him. "Sniff... ahh... waaaa... thank you! Thank you for saving me!" she cried and cried in his arms. Cavaron just caressed her head and let her cry all she wants. After a long time of crying, Wynn parted from Cavaron and sat back down on the bed. "You should go back to sleep and rest some more." Cavaron said to her, "Don''t worry, I won''t leave yet. Just take your time, and I''ll take mine. Hm... maybe we should call for Baby Lucas?" Wynn let out a chuckle when she heard the last one, "Come now, we''re all adults now, and stop calling us ''little'' or ''baby'', okay?" "Compared to me?" Cavaron pointed to himself, "Heck, with my age, I should be calling Pietr and Teacher ''little'' as well!" "Ahem! Okay, let''s have Wynn rest." Agrithos interjected, "And don''t even think about calling ME ''little'', my dear student." Everybody in the room laughed, and left to let Wynn recover in peace. ''Cavaron...'' Wynn thought of him once more before going to sleep. ---------------- Okay, it''s final. Aisha arc after a chapter or two. You peeps wanted Aisha, I give you Aisha. Chapter 28 - Belfron End Kintab''s Recluse, around the Mana Pylon. A day after Wynn woke up, a grand celebration took place. Despite the presences of Tania and Pietr Rusvich, it was not strict but was very lax. In fact, the celebration even invited the members of both the Archaeologists'' Guild and the Treasure Hunters'' Guild, along with the stationed Rusvich Army. So, one could imagine the chaos that could take place. In the middle of the celebration, a soldier arrived on horseback and went straight to the persons being celebrated for. "Sister!" the soldier shouted as he jumped off his horse and catapulted towards Wynn. Sadly, Wynn took a step to the side, evading the said soldier making him kiss the ground. "Lucas, behave yourself." Wynn said to the soldier, Lucas, that faceplanted himself. Lucas stood up and faced her sister with a dirty and tearful face. Despite being younger than her by eight years, he was a head taller than Wynn. Lucas knelt down and hugged Wynn''s waist. "Uuu... sister... I didn''t know... I''m so... so very sorry." Lucas cried on his sister''s cloak before being pulled away by Cavaron. "Alright, Baby Lucas." Cavaron said, "Be glad that you told me to look for her. Heck, we should be glad Tania summoned me, too. If it wasn''t for the both of you, Wynn would have really died." "Uuu... big bro..." Lucas'' dirty face looked at Cavaron. "Easy, there. Don''t get your snot on my armor." Cavaron said with a smirk, "You really are still a baby." Tania and Wynn let out a chuckle at the exchange of the two, armored men. Frankly, when the two of them smiled, it released an aura of mature beauty that made the bystanders stare at them. If it weren''t for the facts that Tania is the Premier and Wynn is the granddaughter of Guild Master Agrithos, a lot of suitors would be vying for them. So, one can imagine the stares of envy directed at Cavaron. Lucas wiped off the tears and dirt on his face with a cloth in his rucksack, "Hey, no more of this ''baby'' thing, please?" and said, "I even joined the military to change that." "Whatever, you''re all ''babies'' compared to me." Cavaron replied with a grin, "I''m older than all of you combined, after all." "Sure, an ageless champion with an eternal appearance of a delicious twenty five year old man." Tania interjected while licking her lips, "I can live with that." and followed up seemingly undeterred by the previous encounter. Wynn just blushed at what Tania just said, "Tania! B-b-behave yourself!" and scolded her. Tania looked surprised at Wynn, "What? It is true, isn''t it?" and revealed an evil smile, "Also, don''t even bother lying to me about the fact that you daydreamed back then about being with him when you grow up." Wynn abruptly slammed her hands on Tania''s mouth, "S-s-shut up!" and looked at Cavaron. Cavaron was busy talking with Lucas and some other soldiers while displaying some sword skills. "Phew..." Wynn let out a sigh of relief. "Tsk..." Tania let out a bit of irritation. Wynn stared angrily at her, "Dammit, you..." and Tania just smiled mischievously. Despite Cavaron not hearing about their talk, others did, especially Pietr and Agrithos. "Hahaha! It would seem they are rivals in love." Pietr laughed, "Even after Tania heard about his past, she did not waver." Agrithos drank a glass of wine and nodded, "Indeed, I already expected Wynn to be like that, and this incident made her love blossom even more." and said to Pietr, "Hm... I would suppose that my dear student was the reason that neither of them are married, eh, Lord Pietr?" "Oh, just drop the ''lord''. We are equals as the guardians of people in love... though I can''t help but think of the others that had fallen for this champion of ours." Pietr said solemnly. "Haa... it can''t be avoided. We should already know the nature of his job." Agrithos sighed, "Being summoned here and there, from worlds unknown to worlds revisited. Such a chaotic life for one such as him." "If only there was an easy way, no?" Pietr proposed. Agrithos raised a brow at what he said, "Don''t tell me you''re open to the idea of providing him with a harem?" and asked. "Well, the universe is vast." Pietr replied, "Ideologies can only hold true to the restrictions of the immediate society. It may happen in the near or far future that all of our worlds will become interconnected." "Hahaha, we will be long gone by then." Agrithos said, "Though, with the existence known as Cavaron, there may be others with the same ideas. After all, as you did say, the universe is vast. No surprise if we find others thinking of the same thing." Pietr and Agrithos continued to chat with one another while taking bites and drinks of the local cuisine. Shamira who was still in the area, flew down next to Cavaron startling Lucas. "Woah, Lucas. Don''t tell me you shat your pants again?" Cavaron jokingly said. "Grah! Shut it, big bro!" Lucas retorted. Cavaron looked at the elemental who was glowing in the dark night, "What is it?" and asked. Shamira was fidgeting in her place, a very unlikely action that made the others turn to watch. "...dy..." Shamira inaudibly muttered. Cavaron tilted his head, "I''m sorry, I didn''t hear. What did you say?" This time, Shamira became red-faced which attracted even more attention, especially from Tania and Wynn. "Uuu... Thou made an oath about after this endeavor..." Shamira answered. Her demeanor was very different from usual. Despite her previous appearance of pride and dignity, the Shamira before them was similar to a young woman asking a loved one. Warning signs flared within Tania''s mind as she went closer, followed by the curious Wynn. Cavaron crossed his arms and closed his eyes, "Oath? I made an oath?" and wondered. Not being able to take it anymore, Shamira pounced on him. This made Tania and Wynn cry in alarm, "" Cavaron!! "" and tried to pull the elemental away. "CANDY!!! THOU HAST MADE AN OATH!!!" The elemental cried as she ravaged the champion, which made the other two trip and fall. "BY THE GODS! THAT WAS A MERE PROMISE!" Cavaron shouted from being pinned on the ground. "I GIVE! I GIVE! HERE ARE YOUR CANDIES!!" He ripped open space and candy flowed out like a busted pi?ata at a children''s party. At this sight, Shamira let go of Cavaron and dove at the pile of candy. "Candy!!!" the elemental roared. Cavaron got up and fixed himself, "Gah! What a time to be alive..." commented, "Want some?" and asked the others around him. The rip in space was still pouring out candy like a broken dam. Before long, there was a massive 4-foot high pile of candy in front of them with an elemental swimming in it. "Candy!!!" The onlookers were stupefied and were hesitant at his offer. Seeing a proud and dignified angel get reduced to a candy addict made them think of the consequences. Cavaron shrugged and got a piece from the pile, ate it, "Ah, so sweet.", grabbed some more and threw it to Tania and Wynn. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. The two women looked at the candies in their hands, and hesitatingly opened it. Similar to what Shamira saw, the candies were crystalline. Not seeing anything wrong, they both ate it. Immediately, when the candies melted in their mouths, the faces of doubt turned into faces of complete bliss. "So sweet." Tania commented while holding her cheek with one hand. Wynn was happily eating her candy in silence. The others who saw this were tempted to have a piece of their own. One by one, a piece of candy disappeared from the pile until there were none left. Shamira was lying underneath it all with absolute satisfaction on her face. As everybody ate their piece, their doubta disappeared and were replaced with happiness. "This is wonderful. Cavaron, where did you get these?" Pietr asked. Cavaron smiled, "Just from one of the Terran worlds. There are other worlds that are able to make it, but the Science and Technology worlds make the best ones." and answered. Thus, the people of Belfron changed the name of their Federation to Belfron Candy Lovers. Not really, but the knowledge of candies spread far across the world. --- After the celebration, Cavaron remained within the vicinity of the Mana Pylon to recover enough mana to leave Belfron. Tania stubbornly remained in the area despite the pending administrative tasks waiting for her back in Volya City saying, "I don''t want to be parted from my friends!". Contrary to everybody''s expectations, Pietr said nothing and went to return to Volya City, "I''ll handle the Federation''s affairs for a while. Have fun, my dear." and said. Wynn was still recovering within the Mana Pylon due to her weakened soul as she read the books in her library, and the books Cavaron lent to her. Lucas defied all orders and stayed with his sister, paranoid for her safety thus Tania had to make Lucas an official bodyguard for Wynn. Shamira was dismissed after finishing Cavaron''s remaining candy. She was reluctant about going home to her world, and was saddened by the fact that Cavaron ran out of candy and cannot bring some home to share with the others like her. Therefore, three nearly uneventful weeks passed by, aside from Tania and Wynn making moves on Cavaron during his breaks which forced him to have Lucas accompany him to the baths. Lucas was standing by the door while Cavaron was in a tub. Lucas then initiated a conversation with Cavaron. "So, big bro, you will leave soon?" Lucas asked. Cavaron was still soaking in the hot water, "Yeah, three weeks of continuous bombardment of mana gave me enough to enter Hub Space twice." and answered, "Three weeks, with no one summoning me, is very refreshing." Indeed, three weeks passed by. It was enough time to be suddenly kidnasummoned to anither world. Yet, he was able to regain a large amount of mana. If a day''s rest was enough to regain a week''s worth, three weeks were enough to regain twenty one weeks or more than five months'' worth of mana. "So, you''re just gonna leave just like that?" Lucas asked again, "Do you even know how the two feel for you?" Lucas also knows his sister''s feelings for Cavaron, and, being a brother, wanted her to be happy. Aside from Tania''s obsession, of course. The two in question also happen to be present on the other side of the door, listening in. Cavaron just sat in his tub looking at the Federal soldier in front of him. Suddenly, he ripped open space, and Tania and Wynn fell out into the tub. Lucas was shocked as his eyes became round at the sight ''How did he know they were outside!?'' "" Kyaa!! "" *Splash* Cavaron held the two close to him, and Spoiler : Nope, not what you were thinking. Hehehe. Cavaron sighed, "I understand your feelings for me. I really do. I''m not like those dense motherf***ers you see in books but, until I figure things out for myself, I can''t return your love for me. So, I am very, very sorry." and told the both of them as he stood up and left the women to their thoughts. Lucas was still there, gobsmacked at what Cavaron did. Cavaron placed his hand on Lucas'' shoulder, "Take care of them, okay?" and said before leaving. --- The day after the bath encounter, everyone was in front of the Mana Pylon preparing to see Cavaron off. Tania and Wynn were present as well and, despite the incident yesterday, they were smiling. Lucas was behind Wynn and wasn''t sure about what to do, so he just stood there like a statue. Agrithos was naturally there, and Pietr came by one last time. Pietr only had a small entourage with him, although many of the Rusvich Army wanted to watch as well. Finally, the departure preparations were completed, and Cavaron came out of the Mana Pylon. *whistle* "You didn''t have to prepare so much." he commented, "What I am about to do is very boring. No need for such festivities and crowds." In fact, when one looks around, nearly everybody in Kintab''s Recluse was present for the occassion. "Mister Erasyl!!" Even his guide, Timothy, and his father were present. Cavaron just waved at the teenager with a smile and stepped into the middle of the clearing. Right before he was about to rip space, Tania and Wynn apporached him. "Hm?" Cavaron faced the two women. Without saying anything, Tania and Wynn each placed a kiss on both of his cheeks, and stepped back. Cavaron just smiled at their actions while producing a flower from a rip in space. He planted the flower right where he stood, "This flower is the symbol of our friendship. It is an immortal plant that lives on affection. A rarity that I found in one of my travels, and thought of raising more. Let this flower serve as a reminder of our relationships." and announced to everyone present. Immediately, the flower grew large, reaching his waist. It was a blue flower that danced in the wind. Facing the others once more, "Farewell! And have a good and prosperous life!" he said and created a hole in space as big as he was, and left Belfron." Only then did tears fall from the eyes of Tania, Wynn, Lucas, Agrithos, Pietr, and all the others who were there with him. ----------------------- I''ll be doing the compendium after this chapter. After the compendium, I will officially start with the Aisha Arc. Compendium Compendium of Everything Related to Cavaron. This... post... will be updated accordingly to the information revealed with each succeeding chapter. Getting lazy. I''ll probably put a final compendium.at the very end of it all. Locations Ladenras The Ladenras Kingdom is situated in the vast Ladenras Plains. The Ladenras Plains is surrounded by the Cacao Hills to the east, the Great Emeral Forests of the Beasts to the south, the Argent Mountains of the Faires to the west, and the Sable Marshlands to the north. Beyond the marshlands was the vast Haliga Sea. Its capital is Lavinia City, named after its first queen. Belfron The Belfron Federation was, historically, an alliance of scattered kingdoms during the undead war. After Cavaron seemingly defeated Thanatos, the alliance paved the way into the formation of the Federation. Many families of royalty stripped their titles in favor of the Federation including the leading family, the Rusvich Royalty. Its capital is the former Rusvich capital, Volya City, due to the efforts of an individual that led to the birth of the Federation. The focus of the story was in its southern district, within the Volshik Plains, Kintab''s Recluse. Kintab''s Recluse is a massive dig site handled by the Archaeologists and Treasure Hunters due to the fact that there were many ancient ruins and labyrinths that make the southern districts their home. Felrok Ruins The ruins where the remnants of the Undead War were hidden. Hub Space A place in between worlds that Cavaron first encountered when he was summoned the second time. It can only be accessed if the summoning ritual did not use sacrifices or if Cavaron enters it on his own. Like how he named it, Hub Space is a place where there are many portals that lead to many innumerable worlds. Time flows very fast in this place where an hour or two inside will only have a second pass outside. Edeortha A world where humans, angels, and demons coexist. This word was once ravaged by a millennium of wars that left numerous scars all over it. A century ago, a massive disaster took place and claimed the lives of nearly a third of Edeortha''s population. A hundred years after that, another war threatened the peace of Edeortha. Before the disaster, Edeortha was a super continent that spans over 150 million square kilometers. (AN: Eden of the Earth, Ede-o-rtha) Regasol The capital of the Sun Empire of Edeortha. Houses over 18 million people and sits in the middle of a valley. Characters Cavaron 25 y/o (800+ y/o) The protagonist of the story. A young adult male human with an athletic body and average skin tone with a height of 184 cm. He has green eyes and a head full of brown, crew cut hair. Outside of combat, he is an avid reader, can sleep anywhere, has a talent in crafting and cooking, and loves to dance... blade dance. Before being summoned, he was born in a tight knit, agricultural village far separated from civilization. As a young boy, his only source of knowledge was from the people who passed through the village. After the summoning, upon his return home, his home was lost in a war. This broke him and made him lose his way for nearly 700 years, until he met someone important. Skills Mana Blades - Infuses his swords with mana to increase damage dealt. Can be uses as a projectile at will. Mana Sight - Allows him to see the flow of mana. Higher mastery allows him to see the souls of others. Mana Anchor - overloads a specific area with his unique signature so he can find his way even in Hub Space. Rip Space - allows him to: access his inventory, access Hub Space, access other immediate locations. Summon Contract - allows him to call for a contracted elemental or spirit to aid him in times of need. The power of the contract depends on the chant used. Black Flame - a cursed flame that he gained control of. Disintegrates anything it touches. Causes nightmares to the user. Demonic Possession - a special technique used by Blade Dancers. It turns them into a demon that has no care for defense. Downside is that the user cannot see anything else but the enemy in front of him. Mana Pulse - lets out a burst of mana over a wide radius to detect the number of entities in the area. Cannot detect the exact location. Culverin The Fire Lord, Culverin. Cavaron first met him when he was first summoned. Back then, Culverin was the contract elemental of Cavaron''s Blade Dancing mentor. During the war in his first summoning, his mentor died in front of him because he was unable to defend himself. His mentor, his second father, passed on Culverin''s contract to Cavaron as an apology for being brought into hell. Skills Infernal Tower - A large flaming tower erupts at his location, swallowing anythinf that gets too near. Also used as a signal beacon. Flames of Vigor - increases the targets physical recovery, and relieves fatigue. Shamira The Cross Ark, Shamira. Cavaron first met Shamira as an injured sexless angel, although she wasn''t in angel form back then. Shamira was actually a War Cleric that was exiled for failing to gain enlightenment from a strict church. Her interactions with Cavaron was able to open her mind and achieve enlightenment. The other Cross Arks saw this and accepted Shamira into their ranks. Before Cavaron left, he and Shamira formed a pact that will aid him in his times of need. Shamira rose through the ranks of the Cross Arks and gained four wings, signifying their status. Sadly, Shamira became reduced to a candy addict. She still has her status, though. Skills Vita - while not explicitly mentioned, it is the healing spell she used on Cavaron. Angel Tears - a revival elixir that calls back the soul of someone who recently died. The body must be intact and the soul must be within reach. Holy Bolt - her main form of magical attack. Strength differs in the amount of mana and shape used. A very versatile skill. Life Resonance - a blessing that increases a weapon''s damage in proportion to the owner''s vitality. Increased damage against the dark arts. When the blessed loses enough blood, a blast in proportion to the remaining power is released damaging and knocking back all enemies. Heaven''s Anthem - a large AoE buff that increases all allies'' strength, speed, and vitality. Finishing the song gives all allies a smaller version of Life Resonance. Divine Wall - a defensive barrier that surrounds the target. Strength varies with the amount of mana used, and does not need to be maintained. Heaven''s Mercy - a sacrificial skill that dismisses the contract. It heals all allies and damages all enemies in proportion to her remaining power. Chains of Light - a binding skill that varies in power with the amount of mana used. Also damages users of the dark arts. Burkhard A Spirit of a shield of a once powerful king in a long forgotten age. Burkhard is not an elemental, but a spirit of an ordinary item that gained life due to the sentiments of the people around it. He was called forth to be the guardian of Aimi for the time being. Skills Aegis - erects a powerful barrier that puts Divine Wall to shame but needs to be maintained by the spirit. Avani The Lady of the Earth, Avani. She was an earth elemental Cavaron met hundreds of years ago who was trapped in a temple. Since he freed her, she became indebted to him and formed a contract. Tirta The Lady of Water. She is a lively elemental contrary to the most of her kind that were solemn in nature. Since then, she was an outcast until she met Cavaron who played with her from time to time. Eventually, they formed a contract due to their friendship. Ritna Lavina Ladenras 23 y/o The third princess of the Ladenras Kingdom, and its fifth queen. She became one of the three people responsible for ending the so-called "Demon War", and is the one responsible for the death of her father, the late King Rotter Ladenras IV. Before the war, she had a non-human lover, an elf named Alrik. The start of the war began when King Rotter killed Alrik in front of Ritna. Because of this, Ritna steeled herself to kill her father. Rotter Ladenras 55 y/o The fourth king of Ladenras. He was a human supremacist that aimed to wipe out all non-human races. Despite his personality, he was very charismatic, and was able to draft a large amount of soldiers for the war. He was born to die. Alrus 134 y/o One of the three subordinates of Culverin in the war. Alrus is also Alrik''s twin brother. Because Alrik was the first casualty of war, he rose up as the first fairy general out of hate against King Rotter. Volg 76 y/o One of the three subordinates of Culverin in the war. Volg is a wolf-man and the most powerful beastman amongst all the beast tribes, thus he became the beast general. During the war, he became good friends with Alrus. S''rok 336 y/o One of the three subordinates of Culverin in the war. S''rok is a draconian that lived deep within the Argent Mountains. He was the son of the late Draconian Chief thus he was made into their general. Aside from his battle prowess, he is able to speak with the lesser dragons such as the wyverns to aid in the war. Myrn 74 y/o A jeweler and an enchanter who lives in Lavinia City. She was first by Cavaron when he was looking for a place to sell gemstones. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Dita 12 y/o Myrn''s granddaughter who helps out in the shop and lives with her. First met Cavaron when he arrived at the shop. Cavaron made a promise to her to visit next time. Max A merchant who owns Maximum Imports. Myrn directed Cavaron to him as the person to sell the gem, Pyrocite, to because a Pyrocite is expensive. Max''s personality is happy-go-lucky on the outside, but is stern and serious when it comes to large business transactions. Such an example was when his personality switched when Cavaron brought the Pyrocite. Tania Rusvich Just imagine her having red hair, damned templates. 30 y/o The Premier of the Belfron Federation. Twenty years ago, during the Undead war, she was the Princess of the Rusvich Kingdom. The Rusvich Kingdom found the remains of a champion summoning ritual, and resulted in the summoning of Cavaron. As an only child, she often played with Cavaron, and clung to him like a little sister with a brother-complex. Years after the war, this affection turned into love (obsession) and resulted in her re-summoning Cavaron by the same ritual. Pietr Rusvich 63 y/o The former monarch of the Rusvich Kingdom. Now, he is an elder that aids his daughter in handling administrative affairs. Outside of politics, he is a powerful warrior, nicknamed as both the Gentle Demon due to the Undead War, and the Tyrant of the Battlefield due to his prowess for heavy and large weapons. Agrithos Osfort 99 y/o One of the Sixteen Sages of Belfron, and is the Guild Master of the Archaeologists'' Guild. During the war twenty years ago, he became Cavaron''s teacher in learning about their world. He was also the one who taught Cavaron to read arcane glyphs that resulted in another contract. Wynn Osfort 34 y/o The damsel in distress in the Belfron Arc. She was an influential Archaeologist outside of being Agrithos'' granddaughter, because of her devotion to her duty as an Archaeologist. She was also the leader of the expedition that led to the discovery of the undead remnants, and had her soul become fuel for the Death God''s Soul Core. Twenty years ago, when Cavaron became Agrithos'' student, she also played with him and resulted in a friendship forming between her and Tania. Lucas'' elder sister. Lucas Osfort 25 y/o A young Federal soldier that was Cavaron''s friend twenty years ago. Cavaron had a hard time forgetting the toddler that shat on his greaves when a ghoul appeared while they were playing. He joined the Federal military to change that image. Wynn''s younger brother. Timothy 15 y/o A teenager from Teman Village whom Cavaron hired as a guide to Kintab''s Recluse. Cynwrig A mercenary captain that Cavaron met when he went undercover as Erasyl, and escorted the merchant caravan from Volya City to Teman Village. Thanatos (Athanatius) The immortal 33rd Emperor of the ancient Felrok Empire responsible for the Thanatos War and the Undead War. Eventually got his soul destroyed by Cavaron. Aoyama Aimi 16 y/o A Terran Japanese girl that dragged Cavaron with her to her summoning, and became his junior. Appears like a typical Japanese shoujo. Fears Cavaron because of their first encounter. Gulfried Asonar 36 y/o Current Emperor of the human continent, Yanbaka. He is taller than the average human at a height of 224 centimeters, wears a powerful imperial-grade armor, and wields a sword and a shield. Ethra Devai Age unknown The current Queen of Palu''Angit. She is similar to Shamira but without the inherent divinity of Cross Arks, and only has one pair of wings. Like Shamira, Ethra wields a spear and shield while wearing light armor. Esserot Tassern 53 y/o The current Demon King of Pyo''ah. He is a hybrid of a dragon and a minotaur, and has inherited the strength of both beasts. He does not wear armor but only because of his ultra-thick scales that serve as his natural armor, but he wields a double hammer that can fold itself when not in use. Aldric Asonar The human emperor of the Sun a century ago. The person responsible for bring Cavaron into Edeortha. EQUIPMENT Blood Sword A sword he found from one of his previous adventures. It was made by the vampires that lived in that world, and was given to him as a gift. It is a magic sword that gains power through the owner''s blood or through its victim''s blood. Much like its name, this sword is colored red like blood. Its edge is serrated to provide maximum damage against fleshy enemies and, coupled with <> can cut through many types of armor. It''s material is unknown, but its light weight and affinity to magic makes it seem to be made from mithril or another precious metal. Mana Sword A mithril sword that was forged by Dark Elves in one of the worlds he was summoned into. This sword feeds on the owner''s mana or drains the victim''s mana to strengthen its attacks. It was a treasure he looted from one of the many Dark Elf fortresses he subdued, and a prize for his victory. In contrast to the Blood Sword, the Mana Sword is colored blue and has a sleek design making it more useful for piercing than cleaving. Coupled with the Blood Sword, and enhanced by the <>, Cavaron becomes a force to be reckoned with, especially against other Magic Warriors. Armor Cavaron wears an armor similar to the Teutonic Maximilian plate armor, without the helmet. His armor was given to him by his mentor when he was first summoned. Originally, the armor was silver in color, but due to the effects of mana and numerous enchantments that aid in his agility and dexterity to support his Blade Dancing, it became azure in color. It was said that a race of magesmiths forged the armor. Blacksmiths with the ability to imbue any kind of metal to have an increased affinity to magic, thus the birth of many Magic Warriors. Cape Cavaron''s red cape was a gift from a draconian race from one of the many worlds he was summoned to. It was made from the beards, manes, tails, and whiskers of numerous dragons to aid him in the war. At first, the cape had a rainbow like shine, but due to the many battles it was subjected to, it became blood red. The cape is effective as defense against many types of magic that may harm the wearer, thus are the abilities of the many dragons that it came from. Short Swords The two short swords sheathed on Cavaron''s waist were forged by a hermitic dwarf who lived in a volcano in another world he freely visited. These swords were forged from an alloy of three metals: mithril, gold, and silver (or two if you turn gold and silver into electrum). For some reason, precious metals such as gold have an affinity for magic. Thus, these swords get an increase in power from <>. They also deal additional damage against the undead an lycans. Consumables and Other Stuff Neurax Worm A genetically modified worm that he found in a SciTech world. This worm lives and feeds in its host''s brain, and is able to take over many of its functions. Cavaron found the plans on how to create these worms and added his own knowledge into the mix, and turned it into a MagiTech creature that follows his commands aside from its other functions. Neurax Worms are used to infiltrate, sabotage, or leak information. Sadly, its fertility rate is very low and dies off after a day of being exposed in the air or when its host dies. Dragon Blood Contrary to its name, this drug does not directly come from a dragon. Instead, it is a blood red sap from a parasitic and carnivorous tree that lives off dragons. The seeda of the tree drift in the air, similar to spores or dandelions, looking for dragons. If it lands on something else, it immediately dies. The tree receives nutrients from living dragons as a sapling, and the dragon''s corpse as a full grown tree. It looks like any other tree until you find the bony remains of the dragon underneath it or if you extract its blood red sap. No one could properly explain why the sap turns its drinkers into berserk madmen depending on the amount but one theory says that the dying rage of the dragons come in the form of the blood red sap. When diluted enough, it is used as a remedy for many ailments. Blue Flower A rare flower that only grows in mana-rich plains and meadows. Sometimes, it can be found near the roots of a massive tree. Other times, it can be found being cultivated near beings of strong magical power or mana-wells. Strangely, it never grows where evil dwells, no matter the amount of mana the area provides., and cultivates better when surrounded by affection. Despite proliferating in areas of magic, the are no known magical applications found for it yet. Cavaron merely uses it as a symbol of his love in the many worlds he has been to. (AN: agape? storge? eros? philia?) Pyrocite A rare and expensive gem that is normally found within volcanoes or close to magma deposits. Luminite A precious gem that provides luminescence on its own by absorbing mana in the air. It is often used as lighting along corridors and streets. --------------------------- Tell me if I missed something previously mentioned. Chapter 29 - Memories Start Please check the compendium for a new poll. ---------------- Hub Space. After the events in Belfron have concluded, Cavaron has gathered enough mana to enter Hub Space on his own. Looking back, he can see the hole he created slowly closing up as he floats away. Strictly speaking, despite having time flow ridiculously fast in Hub Space, one can do a myriad of forms of travel within. Be it flying, walking, floating, running, or sprinting. Since Cavaron rarely enters Hub Space aside from summoning, he prefers to float although he appears to be wading through the air. ''Now then, where should I go?'' he thought as he pondered on his next destination, ''I suppose I could go back to Ladenras and visit Little Dita...'' Thinking so, he closed his eyes to sense the locations of his <>. Within his mind, three locations appeared. When he looked at the first one, his face turned to nostalgia. The second one, regret. Finally, the third one, he headed to its direction, Ladenras. When he was pulled out of Ladenras going to Belfron, it took him an hour of travel time within Hub Space. Adjusting his speed, he preferred to take his time. Passing by multiple portals to other worlds on the way, someone appeared from one of them. "Huh? Heeyyyy!! Cavaron!!!" that person yelled and waved in Cavaron''s direction. Cavaron was surprised, "By the gods, Folceras!" and flew next to the person seemingly dragged by magic. When he arrived next to Folceras, he had to adjust his speed to maintain a conversation. "Sup, man?" Folceras greeted. He appered to be a youth around the age of 18. On his head was flaming red hair with orange streaks giving the image of a dancing flame. He had yellow eyes, similar to a demon, and has short pointed ears. His attire was a leather cuirass with a metal plate protecting his chest, a pair of arm guards, and a pair of greaves. He didn''t appear to have a weapon on him, either he doesn''t use weapons or they''re hidden. "I''m fairly well, how about you?" Cavaron replied and asked back. "Getting used to this yet?" Folceras showed an annoyed face, "Ha! How can I not get used to this?" and said back, "A hundred and twenty years of this happening to me is enough time. Heck, I stopped getting sick of it after the tenth time I was summoned!" Cavaron smiled at the response of his friend, "Haha, just give it a few more years and you might be able to control space on your own." "Oh, shut it!" Folceras retorted, "In fact, a lot of us envy you, along with Revas!" Now, Cavaron made a grin when he heard the name of someone who was almost always in Hub Space, "Revas, eh? Hahaha! It should be no surprise for him, he was born here, for crying out loud!" and replied back, "That damn guy is practically the master of space AND TIME!" Folceras smirked, "Yeah, and you''re next in line when it comes to the mastery of it." "Oh, sure. Just give a millenium or two, then we''ll see if ever I master it... damn, how old is Revas again?" Cavaron joked and asked. Folceras shrugged, "Don''t ask me, there are only a handful of you who are past five hundred years." and replied, "Revas... probably as old as time itself." "Heh, damn Ciphers." Cavaron added. While the two friends were chatting, "---------!!!" a scream was heard. The two of them looked around for the source. After a few more seconds, they found a young woman coming right at them at high speed. "Do you know her?" Folceras asked. While Cavaron was about to ask the same thing, "No idea." he shook his head and replied. In fact, due to the long time that Cavaron has been in business, it''s no surprise for him to have met some other traveler or champion other than him. "------e!!!" the girl screamed again, this time getting louder as she approached the two. Sensing the dread from the scream, the two of them, "" Must be a newbie. "" concluded so. By now, the girl was within hearing distance, "------kete!!!" The two of them looked at each other, "Know the language?" Folceras asked. "Feels familiar..." Cavaron replied. The young girl is now practically within striking distance, "TASUKETE!!!" and screamed an unknown language. Cavaron went wide-eyed, "By the gods! A Terran!" which made Folceras look back and forth between the girl and Cavaron. He was about to ask Cavaron something, but before he could do so, the girl grabbed hold of Cavaron and dragged him along with her. "HOLY SHIT! CAVARON!!" Folceras screamed in alarm, by which Cavaron, "I''M OKAAAaaayyyy..." replied as he disappeared fast into the distance with the girl. Having been separated, Folceras was still worried about his senior as he disappeared towards his own destination. --- Cavaron was helplessly dragged by the young girl with surprising strength. Fixing his posture, he turned to face the screaming girl. The young girl looked like the age of 16 and had waist length black hair. She had brown eyes, and is wearing a sailor school uniform and a short skirt, a pair of thigh high socks, and a pair of sneakers. She is also wearing a pair of eyeglasses. Looking at her, her face was dirty and flooded with snot and tears, while screaming, "TASUKETE KUDASAI!!!" If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Cavaron was staring at her as he racked his brain for the language she was screaming, ''Terran... Terran... Tasukete? Ah! Japanese!'' and finally found the answer, ''What the hell is up with the massive amount of Terran Japanese in this business!?'' The girl was still screaming at him, which made him slap her quiet. The girl was rudely snapped out of panic and looked at the man responsible for bringing pain to her soft and smooth cheeks. "Uh, how do they say it... " Cavaron was, again, racking his brain for a word or phrase, "Uh, chotto... chotto matte... is that right?" The girl''s eyes went round, "Nippon? Nihonjin desu ka!?" and shook him, getting her another slap. "Chotto matte!" and Cavaron angrily yelled, making the girl let go of him and shrink back in fear. Cavaron adjusted his speed to tag along with the girl. ''The hell am I doing?'' he reflected on his recent actions, ''Ah, whatever. She is my junior, heck, I''m free right now.'' and focused some mana on his finger. He pointed his mana-infused finger on the girl''s forehead which warranted a flinch. It seems that from the girl''s point of view, Cavaron was a demon. Heck, she was whimpering as she waited for whatever Cavaron was doing. As his finger touched her forehead, mana flowed into her mind. She flinched and held her head as though in pain, in fact she is experiencing a transfer of knowledge and had a headbanging migraine. "Don''t worry, the pain only lasts for a while." Cavaron said to the girl, "Now, do you inderstand what I''m saying?" The girl hesitantly lifted her head to look at the man who gave her nothing but pain. She processed the words he just said with some difficulty making Cavaron repeat his question, "Do you understand what I am saying?" This time, the girl became surprised and nodded. "Now, try speaking." Cavaron ordered her. The girl was opening her mouth bit by bit, "... uhh... hu... how..?" and stuttered. Cavaron shrugged, "Hm, a word. Good enough." and said, "Your name?" The girl could do nothing else but answer, out of fear from getting hurt again, "A... Aoyama... Aoyama Aimi..." Cavaron blinked twice, smiled, "Blue mountain, beautiful love?" and said, "Nice name." Aimi stared at him, unable to comprehend how he was able to undestand the meaning of her name, "How do you know?" and asked. Cavaron gave her a head pat, which made her flinch again, "I''ve been to many worlds. Soon, you''ll become like me." and caressed her head. Aimi became confused at the sudden switch in personality of the man before her, "Um, you... who are you?" and asked. Cavaron slapped his forehead, "Oops, sorry. My name''s Cavaron, I''m in the KidnaSummoned Hero business, the one you unfortunately got caught in. You can address me as senior, mentor, teacher, whatever works for you." Aimi tried to comprehend what he said, "Huh? Summoned Hero?" Cavaron nodded, "Yup! Okay, interview time!" and said, "I''m guessing you were on the way to school, home, or to some other place before this happened, yeah?" Aimi nodded. "Okay, next question! Did a hole or a magic circle appear beneath you feet?" Cavaron asked again. Aimi nodded as well. "Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner! Welcome to the fold, Aimi!" Cavaron yelled like an announcer. Aimi was stupefied at Cavaron''s actions. In fact, the looked stupid if not for the fact they were in Hub Space. Suddenly, Cavaron felt something, ''Huh? This direction.'' and closed his eyes. He sensed a mana anchor on the way where they were going. He opened his eyes again, and lost the stupid face he had with Aimi. ''I hope I''m wrong...'' Aimi sensed another change, "Is there something wrong?" and asked. Cavaron just looked at Aimi and smiled softly, "It''s nothing." and rubbed her head. This time, Aimi watched the man before her, ''Why do I feel sadness in his voice?'' and thought as her head was being rubbed. --- After another half hour, they were nearing Aimi''s destination. Cavaron''s face didn''t change during the whole trip, ''Looks like it is... damn the gods of fate.'' and cursed in his thoughts. He looked at the girl beside him, "Well then, prepare yourself for a rough landing." and advised her. Aimi was panicking when she heard him say so. After another minute, they passed through a portal, and a tear left Cavaron''s eye. The next thing the heard was, "WELCOME HERO... es?" ------------------ Revas and Folceras are two other characters for two other stories I plan on submitting here. Chapter 30 Please check the compendium for a new poll. ------------------------------ Edeortha. A world home to three distinct races: the Sky Kildera, a race of winged people who believed that they themselves are the gods of the world; the Earth Kildera, a race of beasts who roam the shadows and underground caverns of Edeortha; and the Sun Kildera, the most populous and most adaptable inhabitants of Edeortha. Their names as Kildera have been long forgotten in favor of simpler terms: angels, demons, and humans. The theories and beliefs of Edeortha''s creation is split amongst the three races but they do have one thing in common: the belief that all three are enemies and must wipe out the others. Thus, their millenium long war began. The angels follow their doctrine that they are the true masters of Edeortha due to their ability to roam freely in the skies. They who control the skies, control the battlefield. The same goes for the demons and humans. The demons believe that the fact they live within the earth of Edeortha means that they themselves have the absolute authority to reign supreme, with all its riches and minerals that can only be found deep within. As for the humans, their sheer number and adaptability to nearly any kind of environment, be it the waters, the plains, the forests, or the mountains, give them enough reason to vie for power. The fact that they are everywhere is a reason for them to be the masters of Edeortha. The Sky, the Earth, and the Sun. A three-way thousand-year war that left many places in ruin. However, its end was worse. Its conclusion gave way to an Armageddon named The Wrath of Gods. A storm of elements erupted and wiped out a third of the Edeortha''s population in a single night, and left a massive scar on the face of the world. Edeortha has four continents. To be precise, three ground continents, and a floating continent above the central continent. The four continents were one massive continent, but after the Wrath of Gods, Edeortha shook and broke apart. The floating continent is made of the destroyed earth, and was built upon the knowledge of the ancient Sky Kildera. The geound continents were split by the central, barren continent that became the stage of the Wrath of Gods. With poison marshes, dead rivers, and bottomless ravines, it separated the central continent from the Eastern and Western continents. If the floating continent became the new home of the angels, the Western continent became the home of the humans, and the Eastern continent was left to the demons. The floating continent is now called Palu''Angit, named after the final Sky King. The Western continent is now called Yanbaka, named after the first human emperor. The Eastern continent is now called Pyo''ah, named after the their god. Finally, the central continent had many names: Rascefil for the humans, Xiatric for the angels, and Furkiz for the demons. Yet, despite the three names for the central continent, they all had one meaning: Edeortha''s Scar. A grim reminder of the Wrath of Gods. A hundred years after the disaster, the three races have begun to live in peace. During that century, good relationships bloomed amongst them, and they began trading. Many of the three races'' people learned from the errors of their past, and wanted to live anew. Thus, the three races have begun dispatching diplomatic envoys to one another, and paved the way to fruitful interactions that they have never achieved in the millenia they had been at war. However, even in times of peace, evil and the threat of another war linger. And so, it happened once more for the same reason: supremacy. Splinter groups from the current governments of the three races rose up to spread their ideologies of a master race, that the current state of affairs is akin to spitting on the faces of their ancestors. Naturally, the current leaders of the three races began to subdue the splinter groups. However, even with the efforts of the three races combined they were unable to defeat them because of one reason: the splinter groups are a race of their own. A mix of humans, angels, and demons that were exiled not for their impurity, but for their radical ideals. A new demi-race that believe that the people of their kind are the new masters of Edeortha. As it would seem, a hundred years of peace is enough for the younger generation to forget the horrors of the past only because they have not experienced it. The new demi-race now call themselves as the Azual, and made Edeortha''s scar their new home. After a nearly a year of fruitless efforts, the leaders of the three races ordered their greatest scholars to delve into the past to search for ancient magic that may help. After montha of research, the human scholars found an arcane ritual of summoning a champion from another world to aid them in their efforts. The oldest of the angels and demons were then reminded of the events that happened a century ago because of the human emperor who also called for a champion. These people still remember who that champion was and were frantic about avoiding the ritual for some reason. However, the situation with the Azual grows ever more dire and pushed the ritual forward despite the elders'' warnings. A week of preparations after, within the mana-well of Yanbaka, a summoning ritual took place, and a hero was summoned... two heroes. --- The mana-well of Yanbaka. The mana-well is found within the lush Kalbata Forest. Thanks to the mana-well, the Kalbata Forest is filled with flora and fauna, and never seems to run out. However, like places with rich concentrations of mana, monsters also dwell within. Ordinary flora and fauna that are subjected to heavy concentrations of mana every day of their lives change into monsters. Around the mana-well, regiments of soldiers surround the area protecting the central point where a large group of magi are currently initiating a ritual. A summoning ritual that needed a large amount of mana to summon a powerful champion from another world. In between the magi and the soldiers, a group of influential-looking people are watching the events unfold. They were the leaders of the three races. The human emperor, Gulfried Asonar; the angel queen, Ethra Devai; and the demon king, Esserot Tassern. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Gulfried looks like a typical human if you ignore his huge build that makes him tower over his own soldiers while wearing the thick, powerful looking armor he is currently wearing. His armor is black with golden designs, with an emblem of a knight riding a dragon emblazoned on his back and his shield. He also seems to have a longsword hanging off his waist. He appears to be between 30 and 40 years of age, quite young to be an emperor due to his face, but rather unbelievable due to his height of 224 centimeters. He has short white hair and a pair of blue eyes that radiate seriousness and authority, as what one may expect from an emperor, and has lightly tanned skin. The angel queen, Ethra, has two pure white feathery wings on her back. She is also wearing some sort of armor that looks to be a golden set of: a winged helmet, a cuirass, faulds, a pair of arm guards, and a pair of greaves. She appears lesser armored than Gulfried. Her armor aside, she has a round shield and a lance, similar to Shamira''s but not of the same material. Ethra has shoulder length auburn hair that curls at the end, has a pair of green eyes, and a voluminous bust that her cuirass had to follow its shape. As an angel, she appears younger than the other two races and appears to be within 20 years of age but, her true age is unknown since they live a bit longer than humans. Despite being a figure of authority, her face and aura reminds one of a mother taking care of their young. Her skin was pale unlike someone who has been exposed to the sun all throughout their lives. The demon king, Esserot is practically unarmored but only because his pitch black skin is made from ultra-thick dermis shaped like scales that are comparable to the toughest steel. Because of his natural armor, he earned the nickname Steelskin for his powerful defense. Aside from his natural armor, he looks like a cross between a dragon and a minotaur making him bigger than the already huge Gulfried. Despite the fact that he already has his powerful scales, he carries a massive double hammer that lays folded on his back. Due to his appearance, his age is unknown, but records state that he is only 54 years old officially making him the oldest of the three leaders. "Gulfried, are you sure the ritual will work?" Ethra asked to towering human beside her. Her voice was sonorous like a wind singing to the sun. Gulfried was standing next to her with his hand underneath his chin, "To be honest, I''m not too sure." and replied to Ethra, "Frankly, I think it should work since the records show a successful attempt by my ancestors a century ago." His voice was relatively hoarse despite his appearance. Ethra looked at the floating continent, Palu''Angit, looming over the horizon, "A century ago... the so called Wrath of Gods happened then, right?" and said worriedly, "What if history repeats itself?" The demon king Esserot who was standing behind them spoke up while expelling smoke from his nostrils, "Huff, the Wrath of Gods was said to have happened due to the foolishness of our ancestors. As long as we don''t repeat the same mistakes, disaster can be averted." His voice was very deep like the chasms of his home. A mage from the middle approached the three leaders, "Milords, we are ready to begin the ritual." and reported as she knelt before them. Gulfried smiled, "Good, proceed as scheduled." and said before turning to the soldiers around them. "Warriors of Edeortha! Today, we stand witness to a soon to be historical event! Soldiers, as part of such an event, you are tasked with the protection of the ritual to summon the champion to aid us in our time of need! While the vile Azual continue to lay waste to our homes, we will fight back even to the point of asking for help! This is no longer the matter of pride! No longer a matter of race! We are one! We are all Edeorthans!!" A loud cheer erupted from all the soldiers, """OOOOOHHH!!! FOR EDEORTHA!!!""" "STAND STRONG! STAND PROUD! FOR EDEORTHA!!!" Gulfried concluded. The nearby Ethra and Esserot smiled at Gulfried''s speech. "Humans really have a way with speeches." Ethra commented and made Esserot agree, "Indeed. Their tenacity to live despite having short lives makes them a force to be reckoned with." After Gulfried''s speech, the magi around the mana well began chanting and redirected the rich mana to the summoning circle. The summoning circle glowed brightly with the color yellow and began to split into two magic circles, one on top of the other. The top circle rose and stopped at a height of five meters and emitted bolts of raw mana at the apexes of the nine-pointed star in the middle. *crackle* *crackle* As the mana bolts bcame louder, the frequency became faster until a bright flash exploded from the middle leaving any spectator blind temporarily. The bright flash, and the sudden lack of crackling mana signaled the end and success of the ritual. The first one to regain their sight was the human emperor, Gulfried. What used to be a magic circle is now a barren circle. In the middle stood a young girl and made Gulfried exclaim with great joy at the success of the ritual, "WELCOME HERO... es?" but not until he noticed the blue armored man next to the young girl who suddenly spoke, "Long time, no see. Edeortha." Chapter 31 Cavaron and Aimi arrived at their destination, the world of Edeortha. ''Uu... now what..?'' Aimi just stood there having no idea what to do next and stared at Cavaron, ''Uu... Cavaron-senpai...'' Aimi, being a Japanese, began calling him senpai. As they arrived, Cavaron stood next to Aimi with his arms crossed. A moment after, a man welcomed the two, "WELCOME HERO...es?" and made Cavaron speak, "Long time, no see. Edeortha." Aimi was surprised that he knew this world and started to look around to see a large group of heavily armed people gawking at them. The nearby Gulfried grabbed a magus, "What happened? Why are there two of them?" and ordered an explanation. The magus could not say nor do anything but shake his head in confusion at the situation. Gulfried released the magus when he saw Ethra and Esserot stare at the people they summoned. Taking the initiative, Gulfried observed the two. One of them was an armored man emitting an aura of power. The other one, by the man''s side, was a young girl with strange clothing and appeared weak. He concluded that the man was the hero they summoned, and the girl must be someone who was with him. Naturally, Gulfried approached Cavaron first. "Hero, welcome to" but Gulfried was interrupted when Cavaron raised his palm motioning Gulfried to stop, "Not me. Her. She''s your heroine." and pointed at the quivering Aimi who sank to the ground when he mentioned her. Gulfried was, of course, dumbfounded at the development of the situation, "Ah, huh? But..." The others around them were in the same state of bewilderment and had a fun time comprehending what happened. Cavaron pointed to himself, "I''m the tag along, and this girl''s senior. I''ll be supervising her development into a respectable champion." and added further with, for some reason, an indifferent tone. Then, blood rushed to Gulfried''s head, "You expect me to believe that this weak-looking girl is our champion!?" and made the nearby Ethra and Esserot pull him back to calm him down. Cavaron saw the other two races, "Hoh? So you made peace with one another? Interesting... so what kind of problems are you having that warranted the summoning of a hero? Aside from being at each others throats, of course." and interrogated the three leaders. Gulfried was left in a body lock by Esserot, while Ethra came forward to speak with Cavaron and Aimi, "Judging from your words, you have been here before, yes?" and asked Cavaron. Without saying anything else, Cavaron just nodded. Unfortunately, there was an elder nearby, "C-C-CAVARON!?" and panicked at the sight of him. It was a demon elder with a huge body, as big as Esserot''s, but looked like a cross between lion and a lizard. "Y-Y-YOU FOOLS!! WHY HAVE YOU SUMMONED HIM!!?!?" and warranted the others to stare at the panicking elder and at Cavaron. Cavaron narrowed his eyes at the elder, which made the target flinch, "Interesting, so the older ones still remember. Don''t worry, though. I''m not doing anything." he said as he smiled, "She will be the one working for you depending on how she receives my teachings." Whatever he said did not calm the elder down as he ran away. Now, the elder''s action made the others wonder even more about this blue armored man before them. Gulfried, however, immediately calmed down when he saw the elder run at top speed as though avoiding a disaster, and was released by Esserot whose arms dropped at the sight of his advisor. "Do you people love staring at others, especially men?" Cavaron frowned and said sarcastically, "Seeing as the whole lot of you are men themselves, why not stare at Aimi here?" His comment made others remember the other one they summoned, and looked at her. Contrary to her earlier behavior, she was looking in awe at her surroundings, especially at Ethra. When Ethra noticed Aimi looking at her, she smiled back and made Aimi blush. Cavaron was intrigued and pulled closer to her ear, "Are you a lesbian?" and whispered a question. From a simple blush, Aimi''s face turned beet red, "W-W-WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, SENPAI!?!??" and screamed at Cavaron. Cavaron pulled away from her, "Oh... too bad... ''Senpai''? Oh, right. Japanese do that." and commented. Aimi heard his comment and pounded fruitlessly on his armor while her face was steaming red with a mix of anger and embarrassment. Cavaron smiled at her reactions, ''So lively.'' and thought. "Um, pardon my intrusion." Ethra, who was still before the two, spoke up only to be intrrrupted by a screaming soldier, "ENEMY ATTACK!!!" Everybody who heard the soldier quickly looked to the direction of the source. Within the Kalbata Forest, there is no surprise when monsters attack, and are often quickly dealt with. However, it is a different matter if it warrants a soldier to literally scream it out. Beyond the formation of soldiers, hiding within the shadows of the trees, numerous silhouettes numbering to a force of two hundred appeared. Gulfried cried out in alarm, "How the hell did they get so many!?" because of such a huge undetected force. Immediately, he unsheathed his sword while Ethra and Esserot did the same with their own weapons. Cavaron looked around and counted the forces of the three races to only reach a number of one hundred, half of the enemy''s forces. "So, that''s the enemy?" he asked the nearby Ethra. Ethra nodded, "Yes, they are called the Azual. They are from the mix of the three races, and became their own race. Just like from the war of an age long past, they vie for the supremacy of their race." Cavaron sighed, "You Edeorthans never learn, do you?" and spoke out. This made the three leaders frown, but they can''t do anything because of the imminent threat before them. Aimi immediately hid behind Cavaron and quivered like a kitten on crack. Cavaron looked behind him, "Welcome to your new world. Welcome to our life." and sacastically told Aimi. "No no no no no... what did I do to deserve this!?" Aimi panicked, "I don''t wanna die!" Cavaron could only sigh, "Eh, I was the same as you, 800 or so years ago. I just put the blame on the people who can''t solve their own problems!" Cavaron consoled Aimi, while deliberately yelling the last sentence. Everybody around them gripped their weapons tightly and grit their teeths from their seething frustration from the truth. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The large group of two hundred Azuals emerged and came within striking distance. They were brandishing weapons, and many of were crude. That is, if one were to ignore their appearances. Demons with half a wing, humans and angels with one feather wing and one scaly wing, crossbreeds born from the mix of all three races and inheriting all of their racial traits. From strength to speed, from vitality to intellect. Cavaron placed his hand on Aimi''s head, "Since you''re still new, I''ll handle this. Be sure to watch and observe carefully what I''m about to do." and said with a smile. Cavaron left the quivering Aimi and summoned his Blood and Mana Swords. The others around them felt the raw power emanating from him and turned to look. The moment they did so, the Azual attacked. "KILL THEM ALL!!!" an Azual screamed. Gulfried, Ethra, and Esserot immediately barked orders to the soldiers. "Shields up! Weapons drawn! Let none of these Azual live! For Edeortha!!!" A skirmish between two hundred Azuals against one hundred soldiers of the three races erupted within the mana-well of Kalbata Forest. However, right before the two armies made contact, Cavaron released a pair of massive <> and took out thirty Azuals in one shot along with a large chunk of trees. His display of sheer raw power shook the hearts of all who witnessed it. ''Dammit! Why isn''t he the hero!?'' Gulfried cursed as he thought about the meeting before. Indeed, one would kill to have a hero like Cavaron, but that is only because he was standing on top of a mana-well. Cavaron stared at the ground below him and revealed a smile, ''Well, since I don''t really have a proactive role, I''ll just call that guy to accompany Aimi.'' and thought of summoning a contract. A moment after that thought, he stabbed both of his swords into the ground. He crouched down and began focusing the mana from the well into his body. "Spirits of the guardians of man! Masters of the shield, protector of the weak, I summon thee as your master to aid in my great need! Let the hearts of evil shudder at the might of your power! Come forth, Aegis of life, Burkhard!" Immediately after his chant, a shield appeared in mid-air, along with a humanoid forming behind it. "The Spiritual Aegis responds to your call, Master." the spirit Burkhard spoke. Not only does Cavaron have contracts to powerful elementals, he also has contracts with a variety of spirits. Elementals and Spirits differ only from their origin. Elementals are born from the elements of Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, Thunder, Ice, Light, and Darkness. Spirits, however, can come from a variety of everyday objects, a shield, a sword, a piece of armor, a book, an amulet. Spirits are objects that gained life through time from the sentiments of the people around them. Burkhard was born from a shield carried by a once powerful king who fought until the end to protect his people. "Burkhard, protect that girl over there until I say otherwise." Cavaron ordered the spirit as he stood up and pulled out his swords. Burkhard immediately followed the order and went to Aimi''s side. Immediately, he erected a barrier upon arrival. "Greetings, lady. My name is Burkhard, and I am an Aegis Spirit." he bowed to the girl on the ground. Aimi hurried to stand up to bow as well, like how a proper Japanese should, but was stopped by Burkhard, "No need to return any courtesies. It is part of my duty, therefore, please relax as Master finishes his task." Burkhard appeared to be a fully-armored knight and wore an armor similar to Cavaron''s, a Teutonic Maximillian complete with a helmet but silver in color. From his voice, he sounds around the age of past fifty years, an old gentleman, so to speak. Despite his voice and mannerisms, his barrier is no joke. It didn''t even shake from the stray attacks that pelted it. Truly a Spiritual Aegis that can put Shamira''s <> to shame if not for the needto maintain it by Burkhard, but that is of no consequence because of the mana-well beneath them that helps in supplementing Burkhard''s power. A group of thirty Azual broke through the lines and arrived before Cavaron, as though undeterred by his recent show of force. Right before a winged-wolf Azual struck its claws at Cavaron, its arm fell and its head was lopped off without giving it time to howl as it died. Even Aimi had to close her eyes at this scene. "Aimi! Watch closely! This is the unfortunate life these selfish bastards brought us into! There are only two ways about it, go forward and live or die without a fight!" Cavaron howled as he sliced up three more Azuals with little to no effort. Four Azuals died by his hand in mere seconds. "Be thankful to the gods of fate that you grabbed me! Otherwise, you would be dead by now!" He screamed and released an oppressive bloodlust that even affected the three races'' soldiers and their leaders. ''Cavaron-senpai... so much anger, so much sadness...'' Aimi felt it too, ''Frustrations incomparable to my own...'' The Japanese have a strange way of understanding the hearts of others. The twenty six Azuals before him evn tried to attack Aimi and Burkhard, but because of Burkhard''s barrier, they were all ineffective. This left them to become easy pickings as the Blood Sword killed them and smeared blood all over the barrier. When the last Azual near them fell, Aimi saw Cavaron''s apologetic face looking straight into Aimi''s eyes. Cavaron turned to attend to the remaining Azuals and left Aimi to the care of Burkhard. ''Master, I hope that tragedy a hundred years ago does not haunt you still.'' Burkhard thought about the well-being of his master. It seems that he, too, was there to witness everything. As per his duty, he protected Aimi until the battle ends. Gulfried and the others saw the astonishing power of Cavaron, and were still baffled by the fact that he was not the hero they summoned. By some stroke of luck, the heroine they summoned brought along a powerful potential ally. Chapter 32 After the raiding Azual has been dealt with, Cavaron clapped his head and exclaimed, "SHIT!" the people around him were wondering what went wrong. Ethra came up to him and asked about it. Cavaron replied, "I forgot to keep one alive fir interrogation." while massaging his temple in frustration. He just sighed afterwards and went back to Aimi. "Now then, what to do next?" he wondered out loud, "Okay, Burkhard. You may release the barrier now, but stay by her side just in case." Burkhard affirmed the order and became a floating shield that follows Aimi around. Aimi followed the floating shield with her gaze wth complete curiosity. "Don''t worry, Burkhard''s Floating Shield is only a level below his Absolute Aegis." Cavaron commented before turning to the three leaders. Gulfried was still frustrated after watching Cavaron fight, ''Why? Why!? Dammit! We can''t even bind him to our service!'' irritation plagued his mind. Out of the one hundred soldiers with them, only twenty died against an enemy numbering to twice their own due to Cavaron. The survivors had mixed feelings of fear, awe, and respect for Cavaron. However, this was oly because they were the most recent generation. If many of them were from the generation of the elder who ran away, only one thing would enter their lives: absolute fear. Gulfried, Ethra, and Esserot were together as Cavaron made his way to them. "So, what now?" he asked the three. Gulfried still had his mind clouded with rage, therefore it was up to Ethra and Esserot to... negotiate... with Cavaron. Esserot came forward as he sheathed his double hammer, "Sir Cavaron, with your power..." but Cavaron repeated what he said when they first met, "No, not me. Her, she is your champion. I am but her senior who will train her." Esserot had no idea what to say next. They all wanted Cavaron to aid them, but he still refused. Oft a time when a king may put hs knight to death for insubordination, but they cannot do so with Cavaron. The only thing they couls really do is put their hopes on Aimi. Ethra placed her hands on Esserot''s arm, and motioned him to make way for her, "Then, Sir Cavaron, so be it. We shall place our hopes on the girl... um..." Cavaron went next to Aimi and nudged her forward, "Introduce yourself." Aimi heaitantly went forward before Ethra, "M-m-my name is Aoyama Aimi, a p-p-pleasure to have met you! Please take care of me!" and introduced herself while stuttering. Ethra''s face changed to an endearing mother meeting a child, "Lady Aimi? May I call you that?" Aimi blushed when Ethra called her by her given name, "Um... um... Aimi is my given name... so..." clearly, she felt a bit uncomfortable. This made Ethra confused, and made Cavaron explain why. "The world and country where Aimi comes from has their family name at the beginning followed by their given name. They also have this custom of extreme respect where calling one by their given name is reserved for family and close friends." Ethra stared at Cavaron before speaking, "You seem to call her freely by her given name." and was rather appalled by the difference in treatment. Cavaron shrugged, "Because I don''t care about their customs. Besides, I am her senior. I have a right to do so." and replied to Ethra. The girl in question, Aimi, just stood next to them waiting for their conversation to end. "Seeing as you''re the eldest here, I suppose I could ask for your assistance." Cavaron spoke to Ethra. Ethra''s eyes went wide when he mentioned who the eldest was. Varon noticed this, went closer to her ear, "In fact, you''re nearing 104 years, right Princess?" and whispered. Ethra stood there in shock at his revelation. It would seem that Cavaron spoke the truth and knows her personally. Gulfried and Esserot noticed the change in Ethra, and became worried as they approached. Ethra noticed the two and turned to face them. She was smiling, "No worries, my friends. We will leave our hopes with Lady Aoyama under the guidance of Sir Cavaron." and told the other leaders to practically back off. She faced Cavaron again, without losing her motherly demeanor, "Anything you request, we will do our utmost to provide." Cavaron smirked, "Information. Give us all the information you have regarding the past century, and about the Azual." He requested to Ethra, "Also..." and looked at Gulfried. Gulfried nearly flinched at Cavaron''s heavy gaze, "We will make this mana-well our first base. While we are here, I shall train Aimi and get her ready to fight. In the meantime, no unwarranted disturbances unless absolutely necessary. Feel free to let some Azual enter the area, she could use some practice, and I could get some more information." --- The... negotiations... were concluded with Ethra, and the remaning soldiers dispersed. Cavaron, Aimi, and Burkhard were left behind on the mana-well. Aimi had her gaze wander the area and was about to ask Cavaron a question when Burkhard returned to human form and covered her mouth, "Shh, Master is about to summon more of my comrades." Cavaron stood where he felt he could absorb the optimum amount of mana from the well, he sat on the ground and had the mana enter his body upon closing his eyes. After a minute passed, he suddenly opened his eyes and began to chant. "With the goodness of the earth, you became the root of our homes! Your power of everlasting nurture, provide us, your children, with your protection! Lady of the Earth, Avani!" The soil beside him rose up. Little by little, as it was fed with mana, the form of a woman appeared until the hard soil broke off to reveal a beautiful elemental, "The Lady of the Earth greets her son. Hello again, Cavaron." Cavaron acknowledged the elemental Avani and had her accompany Aimi. She went to greet Aimi, "Greetings, I am Avani, an elemental of the earth." and sat next to her. Aimi was filled with awe at the power of Cavaron, especially at the beauty of Avani. Avani had tanned skin, akin to the brown soil, with long hair as green as the grass. Her eyes were green as well as her lips. She wore a gown of leaves that fluttered in the wind and, like the vast earth, her chest was no joke. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Noticing Aimi''s gaze, Avani just smiled at the young girl, and Aimi immediately averted her gaze as she blushed. Cavaron saw this, ''Yep, definitely a closet lez.'' and thought before continuing to summon another contract. Aimi also sneezed for some reason. Cavaron resumed to absorb more mana into his body as he prepared for another summoning. During this minute, Burkhard and Avani were chatting with each other. "Lady Avani, who do you think Master will summon next?" the Shield Spirit asked the elemental. Being spirits, their status is actually lower than elementals, but because it was Cavaron who contracted them, this disparity in status disappears. However, old habits die hard. Avani placed her hand on her cheek also wondered, "Well, you were here longer with that child. Did he say anything interesting?" Burkhard thought back to the events earlier and tried to remember some details mentioned. Aimi, who heard Avani''s question, answered instead, "Cavaron-senpai said that we will make this place as the first base when he spoke to the angel Ethra." Avani was surprised at Aimi''s answer, "Base? First base? Oh, no way. He summoned me for that!?" it seems that she knows what will happen, making Aimi raise a brow at the elemental''s reaction. "If I''m right, he might summon Tirta or Glacia next." Cavaron finished absorbing enough mana, ''Maaaannnnnn, I LOVE THIS PLACE!'' and gleefully thought to himself. After which, he opened his eyes and began chanting anew. "Water of life, your gift encompass across all beings! Your freshness, your purity, grant us your blessing as we live to forge a path in our lives! Lady of the Water, Tirta!" Dense fog appeared around Cavaron, and immediately a gate appeared. As the gate opened, a woman with blue hair popped her head out, "Hi~ You called, Cavaron?" and went through. "Oh, hey Avani, Burkhard." Tirta was a humanoid elemental wearing a blue watery slit gown. Her skin had a lighter shade of blue and her hair was navy blue, her eye color is unrecognizable because she has them closed. Like Avani, her chest is like the vast ocean. Aimi was staring at the water elemental and then back at the earth elemental, and had her hands on her chest... a typical Japanese chest. Cavaron nodded at Tirta and stood up while motioning to the others to come closer. Avani was reluctant since she correctly guessed who the next contract was and had an idea about what will happen next. Cavaron looked at Avani but before he could open his mouth, "Okay, child. How big do you want it?" Avani interrupted him with a question. Since he got beaten to the punch, "Well, just big enough to house four people. Don''t forget to add the kitchen and bath." Avani just waved her hand and left to do her task of apparently building a house. Cavaron then looked at the water elemental, Tirta, "Tirta, I need you to look for water deposits nearby. Although just having you produce water is good, I need to get Aimi used to scavenging in the wild." Tirta, like Avani, left to do her task. While Avani and Tirta were doing their respective tasks, Cavaron faced Aimi and had her sit down with him. "So, are you really a lesbian?" he dropped an abrupt question, by which she replied with a red face, "NO!" and looked at her chest. Cavaron noticed the way she was looking down, "Oh... Oh! Okay... okay... nevermind, then." and dropped the subject. Aimi was almost in tears, "Muu... senpai..." and muttered. Cavaron breathed in and let out a sigh, "Fuu... Okay. Let''s get you started with the basics. First up, have you done martial arts in your world?" and asked his junior. Aimi almost immediately answered him, "Um... I haven''t done close-combat martial arts, but I was a member of the archery club." "Ranged, huh?" Cavaron nodded as he thought of the next question, "If, let us say, we make archery your proficiency, would you like to learn magic to supplement your abilities?" Aimi thought for a while before answering, "... how would I know if I could use magic?" and asked a valid question in return. "So, you''re interested?" "Well, yes. I would love to learn magic." Cavaron nodded at her answers once more, "Okay, I need you to take your most comfortable position, be it sitting, standing, or lying down. Whatever is the most comfortable for you." Immediately, Aimi sat in a Lotus position, ''That''s comfortable for her? Whatever, then.'' and Cavaron was surprised in his thoughts. Aimi was waiting for Cavaron''s next instruction, "Close your eyes and try to feel some sort of power within your body. If we use the words of your world, it''s similar to qi." It took Aimi some time to get some semblance of feeling a power within her before Cavaron continued and activated his Mana Sight, ''That... that''s a large amount...'' and was baffled at the mana within Aimi''s body. Her mana core was visible through Mana Sight and was next to her heart should be. Compared to Cavaron whose mana is practically fused to his soul, Aimi, being a newbie, had an external mana core that formed after the summoning. ''Why is it that summoning rituals give us mana cores?'' Cavaron, even after eight hundred years, still had no idea how to explain the phenomenon. ''It seems as though the gods of fate are not that cruel to leave us hanging without the ability to cast magic but still...'' Suddenly, Aimi broke out sweating heavily making Cavarom stop her, "What happened? Are you okay?" and asked as he shook her awake. Aimi slowly opened her eyes, "I... I felt something in my chest. When I focused on it, it started to expand throughout my body." "That should be just right. Congratulations, you have mana." he congratulated her. ----------------- Still no flashbacks... but have more elementals! Expect this arc to be longer than usual. Chapter 33 It''s nice to read "Thank you" comments and replies, but I could use some constructive criticisms and the like. Well, at least there was one that did back in Chap24, and some who spotted some plot holes here and there. Aside from that, 22 users have rated my fic out of 800 (I count the least constant number of views, average views are funky), and out of those 22, two have given what they thought about it. I would love to have better/harsher feedback regarding my fic since I also plan to submit two to six other stories here and, probably, elsewhere. So, yeah. If you find the time to give it some thought and do it, thanks. "BTW, yeesh, over 80 unregistered guests reading my fic. Thanks for reading. (Though it is a far cry from the best rated fics on this site)." says the author as he laughs dryly with that last statement, "Anywho, have a chapter." ------------------------------ "That was mana?" Aimi questioned the burning sensation that spread throughout her body. Cavaron nodded, "Yup, despite the vast number of worlds, aside from the SciTech worlds, first time mana users feel like they are down with a fever." as he explained, "The first time I experienced it, I felt like someone dropped me in a tub of scalding hot water while having open wounds." Aimi noticed something he mentioned, "SciTech? Science and Technology?" and asked again. Cavaron readily explained everything to her, "There are three types of worlds: Magic worlds, SciTech worlds, and MagiTech worlds. The Terran world you came from is a SciTech world. These kinds of worlds have little to no mana. Magic worlds have a massive abundance of mana. This world, Edeortha, is a magic world as it can be seen by the mana-well we are sitting on top of." Aimi looked down on the ground and beneath her bum when he mentioned the mana-well, "Haha, you can''t feel it just yet. Give it some time and training, and you''ll eventually be able to manipulate it. Moving on, MagiTech worlds have both branches of Magic and Science, albeit less advanced than the other two. To explain, we''ll use rankings." Cavaron unsheathed a sword to draw on the ground. "When it comes to SciTech worlds, their sciences and engineering puts them at the number one spot, followed by MagiTech worlds then by Magic worlds. The rankings are reversed when it comes to magic and mana manipulation with Magic worlds taking the top spot, followed by MagiTech worlds then by SciTech worlds. Now, do you notice something?" Aimi only looked at the drawings on the ground, "MagiTech worlds are the middle ground." and answered. "That''s right. MagiTech worlds, albeit not as advanced as the other two, have the best of both SciTech and Magic worlds. Although their mana is not as much as magic worlds, and their technology is subpar compared to SciTech worlds, they have combined both and are able to handle the weaknesses of the others." Aimi processed the information she received, "But, why the need to know this?" Cavaron revealed a grin, "Because there are MagiTech worlds that can convert SciTech electricity into mana. Just in case we get stuck in a SciTech world, especially newbies like you, it is best to visit a MagiTech world and acquire that technology." Immediately, Cavaron opened the space by his side and pulled out a cube as big as a fist. It looked like an ordinary steel cube with nothing on it. That is, until he fed his mana into it and opened it up. The cube broke into sixteen equal pieces and revealed a mechanism inside. "This is a Converter. So far, I have only visited two worlds with the same idea. You place this into a source of electricity and have it converted into mana as you hold it. Useful for when you''re in a pinch, like getting blown off course into a SciTech world." Cavaron explained the cube to Aimi and gave it to her, "That''s yours." Aimi received the Converter, "Um, thank you, but..." with hesitation, "Why do you assume that I''m already part of the business?" Cavaron frowned for a while but smiled immediately, "Because once you get summoned, there is no way out even after death." and rubbed Aimi''s head, "Even after death, our soul travels worlds looking for the right one. And, with our souls, we retain everything because of our job." Aimi looked at the solemn Cavaron, "Soul? Travel? You mean, reincarnation?" and asked once more. Cavaron heard a very familiar word, "Haha, similar to that, but we keep everything. Once our bodies die, we become Soul Travelers. Essences of champions who roam worlds looking for another chance at life." and explained before having a nostalgic face, "I have been reunited with many colleagues of mine who once died years ago and were reborn in other worlds. Sadly, like I said, we cannot escape the life of being summoned champions even after death. The only plausible way to do it is to kill the gods of fate." Cavaron tightly closed fists shook when he mentioned the gods. After a brief silence, Cavaron breathed in deeply and sighed, "Well, shall we continue with the lecture?" Aimi silently nodded. "Okay, you''ve felt your mana. We''ll go into the specifics later, but we''ll need to know your strengths first. Magic is divided into Fire, Ice, Thunder, Earth, Wind, Water, Light, Darkness, Space, and Time. The first six elements are Tier 1 elements, Light and Darkness are Tier 2 elements, and Space and Time are Tier 3 elements. These ten elements make up the magic we use. However, there are some elements that are not part of these three tiers. These are magic unique to the worlds and people they belong to. We call them Tier 0 magic, and these include my mastery of mana manipulation of having no specific element aside from my mastery of Space Magic." Cavaron paused for a while to see if Aimi absorbed everything. Unexpectedly, she brought out a pen and notebook from the pockets of her skirt, "That''s good. Taking the initiative to take notes. What else do you have on you?" Aimi looked up and smiled at Cavaron before continuing to write down notes. "Okay... let''s move on." Cavaron felt something weird from her smile and decided to drop the question, "Hmm, what else? Ah, right. This one is a specialty of champions, we don''t need magic formulas to use magic." Immediately, Aimi stopped writing, "Magic formulas?" and looked up to ask. Cavaron explained, "Ordinary magic users, magicians, wizards, witches, sorcerers, whatever you want to call them have to adhere to strict magic guidelines. Not following the formulas or guidelines ends up in two ways: failure or death. It''s also the reason why the magi of many worlds have to resort to low level magic or long-winded chants. Champions, however, don''t need those things, aside from my contracts which need chants to direct the mana into calling them from another world, to cast magic. All we need is this and this." and pointed to his head and his chest, "All we need is our belief and our imagination. The belief that we can achieve anything, and the imagination to produce anything. Here, I''ll show you." Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Cavaron stood up, lifted his arm, and opened his palm upwards, "I''ll make a ball of mana." the space above his palm became hazy due to the concentration of colorless mana, "Next, I''ll make it red." Immediately, a red ball of glowing energy appeared above his palm. Aimi''s jaw dropped in amazement, "Haha, now I''ll have this red ball revolve around you and explode into many smaller green balls." Cavaron threw the glowing red ball of mana to Aimi, which made her flinch, and had it revolve around where she sat. Aimi followed the red mana ball before it exploded into a dozen dancing green mana balls of a smaller size. "Now, this takes a bit more concentration." As he said that, the small green balls of mana changed into many different colors: red, green, yellow, white, pink, orange, and many more. It''s like he made a mini disco bar out of mana. Finally, Cavaron motioned the balls of mana to converge and fly high up into the sky before exploding like fireworks before the setting sun. Aimi just sat there in silence watching everything unfold before her until Cavaron sat back down across her. Cavaron looked at Aimi, "So, what do you think about magic?" and asked happily. Still collecting her memories of the dancing mana light show, "Magic is beautiful. I would love to learn more." Aimi replied. Cavaron crossed his arms and nodded, "Yes, magic is indeed beautiful but," brought out a finger, "Magic is also lethal like what you witnessed in the battle before. So, never drop your guard and always train your abilities. Nothing beats hard work like grinding yourself to perfection. If you master mana manipulation enough, it may fuse into your soul and make you ageless like me." --- Cavaron''s magic lecture continued until the sun has set. While Aimi was learning from Cavaron, Avani erected a two storey earthen house with four bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bath. Tirta, who was tasked to find potable water, came back with the locations to Cavaron. Burkhard was in Floating Shield form flying around Aimi. Although the house had four bedrooms, the elementals Avani and Tirta preferred the outside basking in the presence of the mana-well. Burkhard, being a spirit, is able to sustain enough mana to maintain his duty to guard Aimi indefinitely. Aimi took the bedroom across the stairs next to Cavaron''s that was by the stairs. The pillows in their bedrooms were also produced by Cavaron in his inventory. He even had a variety of pillows: plain white, pink frills, polka-dots, green-white stripes, black leather, etc. He even has a massive stuff toy depicting a fat black sleeping monster. The variety made Aimi''s brow raise at Cavaron, "Always good to be prepared~" he replied to her. Aimi took the massive stuff toy saying, "I won''t ask how you got this, but I''m taking it." and left to her room. After eating dinner, they both went to their respective rooms. --- Aimi''s room. She placed the massive stuff toy on the bed in front of her, ''How did Cavaron-senpai get a limited-edition Kabigon?'' as a thought went through her mind. ''I had to line up to get one only to have it sold out.'' Apparently, the massive stuff toy Cavaron brought out was known as a Kabigon toy in Aimi''s world. ''So much has happened in a single day... is this what will happen from now on?'' she worried about her future, ''Still... the person who actually hurt me a lot in that weird place was actually this nice... is it really fate, I wonder?'' She removed her eyeglasses and placed them on a table next to the bed. Aside from the table and bed, there was an earthen rack where clothes could be hanged. The room was fairly small at 4x8x5 meters big like a shoebox room. She laid next to the toy and hugged it before going to sleep. "Good night, Kabigon." --- Cavaron''s room. Cavaron never bothered with the comforts of the bed. He just replaced his armor with casual wear: a silk shirt, linen pants, no underwear, and a pair of cotton slippers. He washed up a bit from a basin he produced and filled with Tirta''s water before lying down on the cold, hard stone bed. Contrary to Aimi''s room, his room is empty aside from a stone bed. ''How long has it been since I''ve had a proper sleep?'' he thought as he gazed at the earthen ceiling. ''I won''t even count my knockouts in Ladenras and Belfron. Ah, sleep. You really are a luxury.'' with a final thought, he turned in for the night. --- Outside. Avani was with Tirta, chatting with one another. The two of them created a small pool for them to relax in. "Tirta, do you still remember the events a century ago?" Avani asked the elemental submerged in the pool as she stared at the night sky, "Do you think that child has recovered enough?" Tirta surfaced, "You mean the disaster we caused?" and remembered the past, "Of course, it was the first time we felt so much pain transcend the barriers of space and time." "Fear, grief, anger, hate... such powerful emotions exploded from this world and brought us to that child." Avani laid back on the ground, "I don''t want him to experience that pain again." Tirta sat next to Avani, "Did you know what happened before we arrived?" and asked. Avani just shook her head, "I cannot say. The only person who knows is that child himself." and replied to Tirta, "Time can only tell when he will share it with us." While they were reminiscing the past, Burkhard flew down from Aimi''s window, "We have a visitor." and told the two elementals. Avani stood up to welcome their visitor. The three of them faced the entry where the visitor will be coming from. From the shadows of the forest, a lone individual appeared. Sky Queen Ethra. ------------------------------------------------- He washed up a bit from a basin he produced and filled with Tirta''s water. Tirta''s water. Get it? Okay, I''ll drop it. Flashback next chapter. Chapter 34 Happiness, what is that? *checks dictionary* "happiness, the state of being happy." Well, that didn''t help. *checks happy* : feeling pleasure and enjoyment because of your life, situation, etc. : showing or causing feelings of pleasure and enjoyment : pleased or glad about a particular situation, event, etc. Is gleefully massacring your enemies not happiness? Okay, I just revealed my twisted self. Well, not sure if Cavaron will ever be happy. I was even planning on having another champion kill him by destroying his soul... then again, it''s too bothersome to give birth to another child with insta-kill capabilities. We''ll see how the story goes. Also, FIRST-PERSON POV FOR FLASHBACKS, AND HELLO FOUL LANGUAGE! ----------------------- "Welcome, champion, to Regasol! The human capital of Edeortha!" An old man appeared before me wearing royal vestments. It appears that he is responsible for my summoning this time. Feh, I wonder what kind of hell hole awaits me in this world. I seem to be standing on the remnants of a mana ritual. Hmm... I''ll at least give them credit for not using sacrifices, I hate those kinds of buffoons. Anyway, looks like I''m in this guy''s castle, judging from the pillars, decorations, and the large number of guards in the area. I look at the king, probably the king judging from his attire, with an indifferent face. He seems intimidated by my silence, and the fact that I''m looking straight into his eyes. "Er, champion. May we have the honor of knowing your identity?" the old man asks me. I wonder if I should even answer, over 700 years of the same shit happening again and again makes you desensitized to everybody you meet... or that''s just probably me. "Cavaron." I just answer with my name. Too bothersome to say anything else. The old man seems taken aback, looks like this is his first time meeting someone like me. Hm? A heavily armored man is approaching. "I don''t care if you''re a champion or whatever!" he shouts while pointing a drawn sword at me, "Give respect to his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Aldric Asonar!" Gods, these little shits are everywhere. Nn? The old man, Aldric is coming forward. "Hold, General Adir. The respect of men with great power has to be earned." He says to the idiot... general? That moron''s a general? Huh? Now, Aldric''s looking at me. He''s analyzing me. This should be interesting. Aldric turns to my direction and approaches me, "Sir Cavaron, as my dear general said, I am Aldric Asonar, the Sun Emperor. We have summoned you to aid us in our war against the Sky and the Earth." he said with open arms. Sun, Sky, and Earth? I should find out more. Tilting my head a bit and crossing my arms I spoke to Aldric, "Alright. But first, I need information. All the information you can give me about this world. It should be beneficial to the both of us if I know the ins and outs of... Edeortha, right? Yeah, all the information you can give me." Aldric nodded as he listened to my request and turned to face another old man wearing some sort of cloak with golden designs on it. Must be an aide or a minister. "Please give Sir Cavaron all that he needs." With a short sentence, his aide or minister immediately left the area. Aldric returns to me afterwards, "Sir Cavaron, since this is just your first day, I suggest we escort you to your room first so you may rest. Is that fine?" Rest, huh? Damned thing''s a luxury to me. I nod to accept the offer and follow a servant who will lead me to my room. --- Leaving the area where I was summoned, I arrived at a courtyard. A massive courtyard, enough to fit two legions of a thousand soldiers each. I guess I really am in an empire, these things are the only ones that are twice or thrice as lavish as ordinary kingdoms. Hm? Looks like that huge building to the left is the keep since the servant escorting me is headed to it. By the way, this servant''s a young girl, a cute one, too. We enter the massive keep, it looks around three or four storeys high and covers an area of around 3000 square meters enclosed by four-meter thick and 16-meter high stone walls. I guess they carved an entire mountain to build this castle. The walls also have twelve 24-meter high round towers and have alternating positions of ballistae and mangonels. For those who don''t know, a ballista is a massive siege crossbow, and a mangonel is similar to a catapult that showers an area with rocks and stones. The keep, by the way, looks like one of those medieval castles from Terran worlds. Anyway, the servant leads me inside. The first floor is the grand hall. It has lavish and expensive looking chandeliers dotting the ceilings, there are stairs to the second floor on the left and another that may lead to the lower floors on the right. The stairs to the right is guarded, must be the dungeon. Aside from the chandeliers and guards, the walls are field to the brim with portraits of people and landscapes. Directly across the entrance of the keep is a huge door as high as 10 meters and as wide as 7 meters. There are two guards posted on either side so it''s safe to assume that it leads to the throne room. The servant leads me to the left staircase on the way to the second floor. The second floor is different from the open space of the first floor. Up here, its architecture is simplified to blocks of two doors each. I''m curious about this floor so I ask the servant since she was about to turn to the next set of stairs. "Hey, what''s on this floor?" She turns to face me to respond to my question, "This floor is reserved for the servants and ministers." and just answers succinctly. What? Not ordered to attend to my inquiries? Fine, I''ll just snoop around on my own. Well, I plan to do so if the information they give me is lacking. Empires have a lot of dark things to hide based from my past experiences. After answering my question, she resumes to lead me up to the third floor. The next floor has wider corridors and smaller rooms. Individual rooms, possibly for guests or important people. The servant leads me to the third room on the right and opens the door. I enter the room and she bows to me before leaving. I don''t bother with her anymore since her kind is troublesome. All work, no play makes all of them dull to be with. Eh, well. I close the door and take in the sights of what the room has to offer. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. From the door, the bed is right across to the wall next to the window. Hey, a window room, should be easy to sneak in and out provided there are no hindrances. I look around and find a closet and a mirror to my right, and a map to my left. The map has the name of Edeortha and its a super continent if the measurements of the map are correct, over a hundred and fifty million square kilometers, what the fuck!? This place is huge! I am just standing here staring agape at the revelation of this world''s super continent. Finally having the time to tear my gaze away from the map, I find a table and a single chair beside the bed, and head towards the bed to lie down. Nothing else to do but wait for the information I requested from the old man. Speaking of waiting, I should release a Mana Pulse to see the approximate population of this place. Gathering mana into a ball inside my body, I let it explode and spread across all directions. Ten, twenty five, seventy, a hundred and ninety, four hundred five... Woah, that''s a whoozy, over fifteen thousand people within a one kilometer radius from me. Not sure if they''re all soldiers or if there are some others in here. I really should figure out a way to identify their locations like the Terrain Radar technology, those guys really have nifty and useful inventions. Since I have nothing to do but wait, I decide to receive the luxury given to me and sleep. --- I wake up to a knock on my door, "Sir Cavaron, we have the information you need." I get up from the bed to open the door. The old man who was ordered by Aldric greets me, "Good evening, Sir Cavaron. I have a cart of books and records that may satisfy your request. If you need more information than what I have provided, feel free to go to the Imperial Library. It is on the first floor, across the entrance of the keep." So that huge door wasn''t the entrance to the throne room but the library? They seem to put priority in the dissemination of knowledge. I might like this place. Anyway, I receive the cart of books... That''s a lot of books, around seventy if I counted correctly at first glance. There are also boxes of scrolls stuck in between the others. I thank the old man and proceed to absorb all of the information within. Six hours of skimming and scanning, I have only finished twenty out of seventy books. I haven''t even taken a look at the scrolls yet. Goddamn, these books are thick. I may need to have a day or two to read all of them. Anyhow, I take a break from reading since it has gotten dark. My eyesight is good if I use Mana Sight, but I don''t want to make a habit out of it. Standing up to stretch my body, I head towards the window to see the night life of Regasol. *whistle* Regasol is huge. Just what you should expect from an empire. This keep where I''m in is on top of a carved out mountain terrace and, looking down, I could see zigzagging pathways that lead to the city. The city of Regasol sits right in the middle of a vast valley. I''m not sure about the size, but from the books that I have read, Regasol is home to 18 million humans. I say humans because there were also books that mentioned angels and demons, and that they are enemies of the human race. To be honest, this is the first time I''ve had angels as enemies, not surprised about the demons, though. Wow, there are even buildings and residences built on the valley faces. Now I''m curious if they have underground labyrinths and establishments. A city having to house 18 million people is no small feat to achieve, I mean, where will you put everybody? Huh? Is that Aldric? What''s he doing out so late? Hmm... I want to follow, but someone might come for me when I''m out. *knock* *knock* Ah, hell. No choice. "Sir Cavaron, it is time for dinner." A girl''s voice comes from behind the door.It''s different from the servant girl who escorted me. I leave the window and head to the door to open it. The servant girl greets me and motions to follow her. Brown hair tied to a knot with glasses, if it was me from before, I would have eaten her instead but now, these kinds of pleasures are beyond boring for me. I''d rather fight with my life on the line killing enemies left and right. The thrill you get from risking your life is elating. I leave my room and follow her to probably the dining hall. Instead of going down, we go up to the fourth floor. Whoever made this keep is weird, having your guests climb up floors just to eat. Well, whatever. Stepping onto the fourth floor, I was greeted by a lavish hall filled with gold and silver. There was a long table in the middle that seats forty people and two shorter tables on either side that seats twenty people each. Aldric, who should be down below, is right in front of me. What the actual fuck? Is it a twin or a double? Anyway, the old man spots me and motions me to sit across him. He was seated at the middle of the long table on my right, so I take the seat on my left. There were servants around us and a glaring lack of guards. Is he confident, or are these servants themselves the guards? Analyzing a nearby servant proves my suspicion, there are swords and small weapons beneath their clothes. Trustworthy, huh. Should be so if they are united against angels and demons. Having taken a seat, servants appeared from an entrance on the other end of the hall carrying food and drinks. They placed the food in between Aldric and I as well as some other food next to us within an arm''s reach. Having placed everything, the servants returned to the room they came from. Aldric clasps his hands together and looks at me, "So, Sir Cavaron. How''s life?" ----------------------- I dropped the "<" and ">" symbols. It kills my momentum. Chapter 35 Sorry for the delay, living within the range of the Ring of Fire and the Typhoon Highway leaves you to be subjected to having communications get knocked out. Also, I dislocated my right thumb after I tripped when the power got knocked out so say hello to delayed chapters. ---------------------------- Cavaron stirred as he felt the presence of another entity within the vicinity. He slowly opened his eyes, "Can''t even get any decent rest." and muttered under his breath. He got up, reequipped his armor, and jumped out of his window down to where the others, aside from the sleeping Aimi, are. Silently landing with the support if his mana, he landed next to the pool Avani and Tirta created and met with the visitor, Sky Queen Ethra. Ethra was about to speak when Cavaron placed a finger on his lips signifying silence, and motioned her to follow him inside. Avani and Tirta remained by the pool while Burkhard returned to Aimi''s side as per his task. Entering the house, Cavaron led Ethra to the living room and gave her a seat while he went to the kitchen to prepare some drinks. Ethra quietly waited for Cavaron while she looked around the room. Aside from four rock seats, a rock table, and a fireplace, there is nothing else in the living room. Cavaron returned with a tray of tea from most likely his inventory, and served a cup to Ethra. Ethra politely received the cup of tea and took a sip, "This is good and fragrant." then commented. "Where is it from?" Cavaron sat down across her and replied, "From my home. I lived in an agricultural village, and that tea was our best product." "I see." Ethra said as she put her cup down on the table. Cavaron placed his on the table as well, "So, what warrants the personal visit of the Sky Queen?" and asked as he leaned back on the chair. Ethra produced a book from her cloak, handed it over to Cavaron, "That is a magic tool we call Byblos. It can give you all of the information about Edeortha that you may require. To use it, simply feed it mana and say what you need to know." and explained. Cavaron opened the Byblos and saw blank pages, and willed his mana to enter the book. Words began to appear on the blank pages which said, "Please state your query." Cavaron, who whistled, was impressed "This is a nifty tool. Where does the information come from?" and asked a question. "The Byblos is actually an artifact that records information automatically as time and events unfold. If you were to ask it what is going on right now in this location, it will display everything that has happened or is happening at the moment." Ethra replied. Cavaron raised a brow, "And you are giving me this powerful artifact without a second thought? What''s the catch?" and doubted her sincerity. Ethra stood up and bowed before him, "Just bring peace to Edeortha with whatever means necessary just as you brought peace to my mother a century ago." Hearing this, Cavaron lost his calm demeanor and his tone changed. "I am guessing you found out from this artifact in my hands, huh?" Cavaron spoke with a hint of anger. Ethra weakly nodded as a response making Cavaron sigh, "However, you must remember that I only got dragged along by your champion. I am not your champion, Aimi is. I will, however, train her to the best of my ability." Ethra raised her head, "That is all I need. I should go now, my people will worry if their Queen is gone without notice." She and Cavaron stood up to go outside. Meanwhile, there was another person at the top of the stairs, listening in. It was Aimi. ''I thought they would talk about his past. I should go back to sleep.'' She thought to herself as she went back into her room. Burkhard was just silently floating next to her and thought as well, ''That is a dangerous artifact. Judging from Aimi''s actions, she may take an interest in Master''s history. Then again, it is not my place duty to avert her away from it.'' Burkhard silently followed behind Aimi. --- The next day. Cavaron cooked breakfast early in the morning while ordering Burkhard to wake Aimi up. The sun has yet to rise and the forest wind sends a chill to the bones. Aimi woke up and was directed by Cavaron to take a bath. Cavaron already heated the earthen tub of water with firewood he gathered beforehand. Aimi received the bath offer happily as she hasn''t taken one before sleeping and took half an hour before getting out to eat breakfast. Cavaron also tossed in girl''s clothing from who knows where he got it. This made Aimi look at Cavaron weirdly by which he responded, "Never hurts to prepare." Cavaron, being familiar with the tastes of the Japanese due to the large number of them in the business, prepared rice and omelettes for breakfast. All of the ingredients came from his inventory from his past adventures. A question that may pop up is, "How does it remain fresh?" Mastery of Space magic is a nifty ability to have. Aimi, having gotten out of bath, was wearing a leather vest on top of a silk blouse. She also wore cotton leggings and her sneakers. As for underwear, we will leave that to your imagination. Suspiciously, the clothes Cavaron gave her were a perfect fit as though he knew her measurements beforehand but she never bothered asking about it in the end as long as she is comfortable. Instead, she took a seat in the kitchen and received her breakfast, "Omurice? How do you know this?" she asked him. Cavaron turned from the stove, "Too many Terran Japanese in the Summoned Hero business to not learn about it. I don''t get why the gods of fate love your kind and a vast majority of them are kids like you. Sometimes one only gets summoned, others are as many as twenty people in one shot." Aimi was then reminded by the stories she had read in comics and novels. Having their fantasies revealed to her as reality gave an unpleasant feeling. Cavaron lifted the pan of whatever he was cooking and placed it on a plate. Fried Prawns. He placed the plate of Fried Prawns on the table and sat down on his seat. He noticed something wrong with Aimi before he took a bite, "What''s wrong? Not hungry?" Aimi was looking down on her plate as she thought of her home, "Will I ever return home?" Cavaron frowned when he heard her reply. "Tell me, Cavaron-senpai. Will I ever return home?" He leaned back on the earthen chair and sighed. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "To be honest, it''s not impossible but..." He paused for a while before answering as he thought of his own experiences. "... There are too many possibilities. Nothing is set in stone. You may or may never return to your home. At least, in your case your home is fairly peaceful unlike mine which was lost in a war upon my return. Then again, like I said, nothing is certain. Instead of worrying about the future, why don''t you live in the present? Do what you can do at the moment and, little by little, carve your future with your own hands." Aimi looked at the man before her with tears in her eyes, "But that''s you, not me!" and yelled at him out of frustration. "I was just walking home from school one moment, then I got dragged into this world in the next! Dammit! What did I do to deserve this!? AAAAHHHHH!!!!" Aimi screamed as she pounded her fists on the table. Cavaron just sat there letting her blow off steam. Aimi continued to cry in her seat with Cavaron silently letting her vent her frustrations against the world. Outside, Avani and Tirta heard Aimi''s cries and silently gazed at the sky. --- After breakfast, Cavaron left Aimi alone for a while to let her collect her thoughts. In the meantime, he went outside and sat down to absorb more mana from the mana-well. After half an hour, he called for his contracts, "I will be going into Hub Space for a while, maybe half an hour, to make use of its fast passing of time." and explained to them what he planned to do. Standing up, he tore open space to Hub Space and went inside. Immediately after, he pulled out the book given to him by Ethra, willed his mana to enter it, and commanded the artifact, "Give me everything." The pages of the Byblos began to be filled with words and information pertaining to Edeortha. An hour in Hub Space would most like have a second or two pass by outside it. Having given himself half an hour outside, he would spend 75 days in Hub Space taking in all of Byblos'' information. Back in Edeortha, Aimi has calmed herself down and went to look for Cavaron. Being unable to find him inside the house, she went outside. She looked around the area still unable to find him. Burkhard realized whom she was looking for and spoke, "Miss Aoyama, Master has gone to Hub Space for half an hour at most." Aimi heard an unfamiliar word, "Hub Space?" and asked for clarification. "It''s a place between worlds where time flows faster than outside it. It is where summoned individuals such as you go through or, in Master''s case, when you travel between worlds. Half an hour here would mean 75 days in Hub Space." When Aimi heard the length of time he had to spend, she became alarmed, "What if he goes hungry? How will he eat?" This time, Avani came as she heard their conversation, "Relax, child. The amount of mana he currently has is enough to sustain him. He merely needs to enter the portal leading here to return." and answered Aimi. Aimi, satisfied with their answers and having nothing to do for half an hour, decided to explore the immediate vicinity with Burkhard. Avani and Tirta already took care of any significant threat within the vicinity and allowed Aimi to leave for a while. --- Aimi wandered around for a while and arrived at a small stream. Feeling a bit of thirst, she cupped her hands to scoop some water. Having satieted her thirst, she stood up only to find a small animal before her, ''Aww, how cute.'' she thought. It appeared like a tailless raccoon and was instead dark blue in color. It was warily staring at her inching bit by bit farther away as if to escape. Aimi slowly sat back down and extended an open palm at the small animal inviting it to come closer. The small animal was still cautious and immediately ran away. "Aww, too bad. Hm, maybe I''ll meet it again." she felt down but cheered herself up. Turning away from the stream, she resumed her exploration. After ten minutes of walking around, she was able to identify edible fruits judging from the animals she observed. She found some small animals eating some red and black colored berries in the area that vehemently avoided blue and yellow colored berries. There were also some fruits in trees that looked safe but was actually poisonous when an unfortunate animal took a bite and died soon after. Thinking that bush berries were safer than the fruit trees, she decided to collect bushels of red and black berries. After five minutes of gathering, she decided to backtrack to the stream. Back at the stream, Aimi met the blue tailless raccoon once more. Immediately, the animal froze up. Aimi hasn''t forgotten how it ran from her thus she decided to lure it in with the berries she gathered. She placed a bunch of red and black berries on her palm and extended it to the animal. This time, the blue tailless raccoon showed an interest to the berries on her hand while occasionally looking back up at Aimi. Aimi nodded her head as though to egg it to come closer. Indeed, the small animal came closer little by little taking caution. After a minute of crawling, it finally arrived at her hand and munched on the berries. Aimi placed the berries on the ground to let the animal eat peacefully, and was tempted to pet the animal but resisted doing something abrupt as it may run away. When the animal finished eating the berries in two minutes, it looked up at her. Aimi''s gaze and its gaze locked onto each other. Suddenly, the small raccoon-like animal ran up to her and climbed up her shoulder to lick her cheek. "Ah, aha, ahaha. Stop, that tickles!" Aimi laughed and petted the blue animal. Burkhard faced the direction of the house, "Miss Aoyama, Master has returned." and spoke to her. Aimi felt a bit of regret not being able to play with the animal for a bit longer, placed the animal back to the ground, "I''m sorry, I have to go back now." and bid farewell to the animal. Contrary to her expectations, the blue animal climbed up to her shoulder again, not wanting to let go. Aimi, realizing that separation was futile, turned to Burkhard if it was alright to bring it home with her. Burkhard merely shrugged his shoulders having no idea of what to do. Aimi then decided to bring the blue raccoon-like animal home. Chapter 36 At this rate, I could get a chapter out every 2~4 days even with a fractured dislocated dominant thumb.* *subject to levels of determination+inspiration-pain I also heard that moving a wounded area repeatedly makes them heal faster, or does that only count for muscles? ------------------------ Burkhard led Aimi back to the earthen house. Aimi, all the while following Burkhard, thought of a name for the blue tailless raccoon-likea animal hanging on her shoulders. Eventually, they left the forest and arrived at the earthen home. The two, or three, of them found Cavaron standing next to the pool next to Avani and Tirta. Cavaron turned around to face Aimi. "If you want to keep that Azursa as a pet, you better take good care of it." He said as he welcomed Aimi back. Aimi broke her line of thought from thinking of a name to, ''How did he notice Aomi? No, wait... Azursa?'' Aimi glanced at the blue fur ball next to her head, she apparently had already named, and back at Cavaron. Cavaron let out a wry smile as he saw Aimi staring in confusion, "Here in Edeortha, that thing is known as an Azursa. By the way, that''s still a baby. Give it a few years, say half a decade or so, and it will grow up as big a real Terran Grizzly Bear." and explained, "You really are walking the path of the Summoned Heroes. Aside from contracts, like I do, quite a lot have made friends with multiple fauna across worlds and became their companions. Although, it is more difficult to bring them with you as you get summoned around, unlike having contracts that stay home but arrive as soon as you summon them." Aimi stood there taking in every bit of information he just said. Looking back at the baby Azursa she named Aomi, she felt an indescribable bond with it. ''Is this what he meant? I feel a bond between us when I first saw it.'' The baby Azursa looked back at Aimi and licked her face. "Pfft, haha! Stop it! Geez." Cavaron went closer, "By the way, that''s a female. The tail defines their sex, I hope you gave it an appropriate name." and said. Aimi nodded, "I already have." and replied, "I named her, Aomi." Cavaron went wide-eyed and let out a laugh. "Why are you laughing!?" Aimi angrily asked, "What''s so funny!?" Cavaron, still laughing, "Pfft... Aha... I... Kh... I never thought your naming sense would be so simple." replied, "I thought you''d give it a powerful name like Ao****ra." This time, Aimi was the one who went wide-eyed, "How do you know that? You''ve played it?" and asked in disbelief. Cavaron nodded, ripped space, and pulled out an item. It was fairly long and flat with four buttons on either end and three buttons below what appears to be a screen. It''s a portable gaming console found in SciTech, especially Terran, worlds. Cavaron activated the device and showed her a game stored inside it. He showed her a game where players hunt for monsters with other players or AI companions. Aimi''s jaw dropped, "How in the world did you get something like that!? How does someone like you who is well-versed in magic know how to use that!?" and screamed. Cavaron put away the console in a rip in space, "When you get to live as long as me, you can get to learn A LOT of things in your spare time." and replied to the girl who had nothing but questions but it is to be expected since she is just a newbie. "Anyway, let''s move on. Are you ready?" "Ready for what?" Aimi asked as she raised a brow. Cavaron revealed a wide grin, "For your training, of course." --- Aimi had already accepted her fate as a summoned hero. With her new companion, the Azursa Aomi, her resolve strengthened. Cavaron led Aimi to an open area behind the earthen house. For some reason, a training area complete with training dummies, and stacks upon stacks of weapons and ammunition appeared without Aimi realizing it. In fact, when she was looking for Cavaron earlier, the training area wasn''t there but a portion of the forest. The training area was large at 300 square meters. It was divided into two areas, one had a range and the other had wooden golems created by Avani. The range had targets at 100 meters, 200 meters, and 300 meters. Some were also mobile, moving left and right, up and down, and diagonally. The wooden golems, assumed as a melee training area, were of different sizes. Some were big, others were small. There were also wooden golems shaped like monsters or had a strange structure depicting a variety of possible enemies. Where they stood had tables and racks of weapons. The range had, naturally, ranges weapons such as bows, crossbows, slings, darts, boomerangs, throwing knives, and even guns. The melee training area had swords, spears, staves, daggers, hammers, axes, and even unorthodox weapons like metallic fans, chains, whips, and frying pans. Aimi looked strangely at Cavaron when she saw the frying pans making Cavaron reply, "It helps to prepared for any situation." and shrugged at her. Aimi, expecting to receive a crash course, was instead ordered to sit down. She was about to ask why until Cavaron explained, "We will practice using your mana first. It''s easier than immediately having you go through the gauntlet." Hearing so, she sat in a Lotus position and awaited further instructions. Cavaron called for Tirta, "Prepare to use your Water of Recovery in case she drops to a fever. We will burn the mana into her memory as it grows little by little." Aimi flinched when she heard what he said and was about to run for it. However, Cavaron grabbed her shoulders immediately, "Welcome to our life." and said with a grin. Having no other choice, she shivered as she accepted her fate. Cavaron''s instructions were simple but difficult to achieve. All she had to do was feel her mana and let it flow according to her wishes. Multiple times, she fainted from Mana Exhaustion from overuse and misuse of mana. Other times, she fell into a fever from the sporadic explosions of uncontrolled mana making Tirta cast Water of Recovery each time Aimi did so. Cavaron had Aimi undergo such torture-like training until lunchbreak. Lunch was fairly simple with if you ignore the fact that Cavaron made Bitter Melon salad and fed it to Aimi saying, "The bitter, the better. Just like medicine." Aimi was starting to think that she flipped Cavaron''s switch, from the torture-like training to even food. She began fearing for her life every time she looked at him. Tirta flowed next to Aimi, hugged her, "Oh, don''t worry so much. From his stories he told me years before, his training was much worse. Besides, what doesn''t kill you makes you stronger." and playfully said. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. After lunch, Aimi continued the grueling task of controlling her mana until dinner. At least, she had a breath of relief since there was no training after dinner and she was free to spend her free time doing something else until bedtime. --- The Azursa Aomi followed Aimi into the bath and got into the bath. Aimi sat inside with it after pouring a bucket of warm water over herself. Inside, Aimi played with Aomi for a while until she rested her head on the tub''s edge, deep in her thoughts. Aomi swam around the tub of warm water and eventually got tired of it before climbing up on Aimi''s shoulders. Aimi snapped out of her trance and decided to get out of the bath to sleep. Getting out, she found a basket of loose fitting sleepwear next to her. It was plain white and made out of cotton. It also came in two pieces, the upper garment and the lower garment. Aimi figured that it came from Cavaron and pushed away the thoughts of the pain from the training earlier. Putting on the sleepwear, she decided to retire for the night since she will have busy days ahead of her and will have to grab much needed rest at any given opportunity. Inside Aimi''s room, the big Kabigon was on the bed along with a plain white pillow. Cavaron noticed that she only took the stuff toy and none of the pillows earlier so he snuck one inside when she was in the bath. Aimi is starting to think well of Cavaron as an elder brother taking care of his new younger sister. Aomi, seeing the massive stuffed toy, launched from Aimi''s shoulders and landed on the Kabigon''s belly nestling in it to sleep. Aimi simply smiled and laid next to the two, "Good night, Aomi, Kabigon." and slept. --- After Aimi went to sleep, Cavaron was outside absorbing the mana from the mana-well. Under the moonlit night, he looked like a solemn statue guarding an area. The output of the mana-well was greater than the Belfron Mana Pylon. If the Mana Pylon was an artificial construct that absorbed and distributed mana, and was purposely designed as a weapon, the natural occurrence of the mana-well provides undiluted, raw, and powerful mana. The Mana Pylon provided one week''s worth mana a day but it is a far cry from the raw mana the mana-well provides. For each hour he spends absorbing the mana, Cavaron gains three days'' worth of mana. In fact, when one uses Mana Sight, the mana-well is not merely a "well". It is a massive geyser of magical power that erupts from within the earth. Ordinary people will feel an elating feeling in its presence, but trained magi will feel the grandiose splendor it gives off. That is the reason why Cavaron said to make this area their base. It is to reap the benefits of being on a mana-well and have him regain ten times as much as the Mana Pylon. Cavaron remained absorbed in his endeavor for almost the entire time Aimi was asleep. After eight hours of absorbing mana, Cavaron awoke from his trance to greet the rising sun. ''Three weeks average for eight hours. Hahaha.'' he thought to himself, ''The gods of fate must love playing with me.'' Ever since the beginning, Cavaron has repeatedly praised and cursed the heavens for the hell they have given him. A blessing and a curse, such is the life of the Summoned Hero known as Cavaron. --- After Cavaron awoke, Aimi was being nudged by Aomi. It seems that the Azursa has a sense of time and decided to wake her friend. Aomi repeatedly nudged on Aimi with the target responding by turning over her body to the other side. Aomi, seeing no other recourse, decided to dive into Aimi''s clothes and tickle her directly by licking her. ... .. . "HYAAAUUU!!!!" Aimi screamed. "Aomi, what are you doing!!!??? Stop it!!!!" The Azursa crawled out of the sleepwear and made a gesture like saying, ''Well, you won''t wake up. I had no choice.'' and leapt off the bed to the bath. Aimi sat up disheveled staring dumbly at the Azursa''s actions. She looked at the nearby floating shield who only shrugged, and stared out the window to see the rising sun. "Ahh!!! Morning!!!" Aimi immediately ran off to clean herself up and have breakfast before she is put under the grueling training regimen. Like the day before, Cavaron had Aimi go through mana control training while Tirta was on standby near them. It continued until lunch time where Cavaron made another Bitter Melon dish. Same ingredient, different dish. However, the only bonus it had was the presence of meat. The Azursa, Aomi, took off to the forest and brought back berries for her to eat since she noticed how Aimi''s face turned ugly at the sight of the bitter melon. Strangely, as though normal for Azursas, Aomi was able to pack thirty thumb-sized berries in her mouth and were dry when she let them out. That was a nice revelation for all of them since Aomi can be used to gather some food and store them while traveling. Aimi rubbed the Azursa who gave her respite from eating the Bitter Melon. After lunch, training changed. This time, Cavaron had Aimi pick a weapon and a type of armor she intends to use. Before Aimi lay numerous weapons with each type having varying sizes: bows, crossbows, boomerangs, darts, arrows, throwing knives, slings, guns, swords, axes, daggers, halberds, staves, hammers, scythes, whips, metal fans, bombs, and a variety of other conventional and unorthodox weapons. Next to the rows and columns of weapons, stacks upon stacks of armor covered the area: shields, bucklers, energy and mana barriers, elemental guards, light clothing with varying effects and defenses, light armor with similar abilities, large and bulky armor with robust defenses, magical equipment that augments the wearer indefinitely, and the like. If this were a video game, it would have been a debug room or a treasure trove of broken realities. Aimi could only stare at the resources Cavaron has gathered over the years in the business, ''This is definitely a cheat.'' and thought about the cheat-like existences before her. Chapter 37 Hm, a chapter every 5-7 days. Eh, good enough. Also, how do I get to change my username? I realized that KaosChild is far too common a name on the net. Okay. Got my new name! Also as a precursor to five future fics. --------------------------- Although Aimi mentioned that she practiced Archery before, Cavaron insisted on having her try a variety of weapons before finally deciding. "Even if you see me carrying swords, I am practiced with a myriad of other weapons as well." Cavaron spoke out while Aimi was getting dizzy from the number of weapons, "I had to practice using the other types of weapons so I get to have an idea on their strengths and weaknesses. I chose swords because of its perfect balance, the way to swing it, the strength needed, the speed, parrying other attacks, and the like. In your case, while your primary weapon could be a bow, you may need secondary weapons like a dagger or or another melee weapon just in case an enemy rushes past the minimum effective range of your bow. Trust me, arrows are good for melee emergencies but are useless against trained or well-armored enemies." Aimi picked up a sword. It was a double-edged sword made from mithril. Looking closely, the flat sides of the blade were covered with runic enchantments. Aimi analyzed the weapon in her hand and tried swinging it around; it was very light as expected from a mithril weapon. Cavaron watched Aimi and explained each weapon she picked up, "What you are holding is a rune sword. It is similar to the short swords on my waist, except my swords don''t have external runes. The metals used in the forging of my swords have high affinity with magic thus taking away the need for runes." Next, Aimi picked up a dagger with a pair of prongs jutting out of its hilt. The dagger was fairly light with a yellowish glow. Aimi felt something weird coming from the dagger and tried to put some of her mana into it. The moment her mana came into contact with the dagger, lightning shot forth arcing towards Avani. Avani noticed the lightning arc but merely brushed it off as it made no damage to an Earth Elemental. It surprised Aimi, "I-I''m sorry!" and she apologized. Avani just smiled it off. Cavaron still stood there like he expected it, "That''s an enchanted parrying knife. I picked that one up when it was being used as a lightning rod by some mad sorcerer. Don''t worry, it isn''t cursed." Aimi took extra care with the succeeding weapons she picked up. The next one was a metallic hexagon staff. It appears ordinary at first glance, but knowing Cavaron will make people think otherwise. Aimi was carefully eyeing each part of the staff looking for hidden gimmicks or mechanisms. Eventually, she found three equidistant lines around the staff and a button on either end. She pressed one of the buttons, while aiming it away from the others just in case, and the staff shot off to four equal parts connected by chains. It was a four-section staff. She pressed the button again and the staff reconnected with a click. Cavaron didn''t bother explaining what it was since she already figured it out. After the staff, Aimi picked up and wore a pair of gauntlets. Like the dagger from before, she felt something from them. She looked at Cavaron and he returned a nod, and loaded the gauntlet with her mana while, again, aiming away from the others. The moment the gauntlets received mana, ethereal claws grew from the back of her hands. "I received that from a clan of Martial Mages. They were proficient in both material and magical weapons, and were able to incorporate both into their art." Cavaron explained as Aimi was touching the back of the claws. While it appeared ethereal, the claws were as solid as steel. Aimi stopped the mana from flowing and took off the gauntlets. She picked up a halberd that was taller than her. However, the tip of the halberd wasn''t a spike but a hollow shaft. She became curious and tried to look at the other parts of the halberd. At its base, near where one would hold it, was a button. Aimi pressed it and was surprised at what happened, *BANG!* A loud bang came out of the hollow shaft, good thing she was holding it upright because a few seconds later, a bullet fell from the sky and hit Burkhard with a clang. Burkhard, like Avani, ignored it. Aimi was trembling at the halberd she held. Cavaron let out a small chuckle, "What you''re holding is a gunlance. It actually doesn''t have to look like a halberd, but the Combat Gunners where that came from made gunswords, gunlances, gun-everything. They were absolute gun nuts but they were powerful at any given range." Aimi stepped away from the stacks of melee weapons and skipped over to the pile of ranged weapons. Short bows, long bows, great bows, bow guns, crossbows, hip-fired ballistae, throwing knives, darts, boomerangs, chakrams, javelins, slingshots, guns, etc. For each ranged weapon Aimi picked up, its ammo came with it. Aimi picked up a bow gun that can be carried with one hand and it had a box of bolts underneath it. She tried shooting at a target, the one that''s a hundred meters away, and hit it far from the center. Aimi''s face turned into frustration but it disappeared when the bow gun automatically loaded the next bolt. "Bow guns are small, one-hand crossbows that fire smaller bolts. Its effective range is around 80~100 meters depending on the material and ammunition." Cavaron inserted another explanation as Aimi fired one bolt after another in quick succession. Finally, after a box of thirty bolts, she hit the center of the 100-meter target with her 27th shot, if you ignore that all of her shots landed inside the target. Her dispersion at 100 meters was very small as though she had been shooting since birth. Cavaron watched each shot she made with great interest. Without having Aimi realize it, he already put away a large majority of melee weapons leaving only small weapons like daggers. Aimi finished testing the bow gun and picked up a short bow with a quiver of wooden arrows. She once more went over to the range and, this time, aimed at the 200-meter target. Aimi took an oblique stance as she nocked an arrow onto the bow, taking time to aim, and released the arrow. It flew straight and true, to Cavaron''s heart, and killed him. and hit the center of the target. Satisfied, she nocked eleven more arrows and hit each of the other targets. The range had four targets at each of the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 300-meter distances. The final eight arrows were shot at the moving targets, but each were far from the center. Unsatisfied, Aimi took a larger quiver carrying 50 arrows, and shot all of the moving targets until she hit each center. On her 36th arrow, she finally hit the center of all eight moving targets. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Again, without Aimi realizing it, Cavaron put away the other ranged weapons and left the bows behind. Aimi came back and picked up the long bow, and did the same thing as before. It was also the same with the great bow, although she had a bit of difficulty due to the sheer size of it. Ultimately, she shot 238 arrows in three hours, and everything hit the targets with 218 far from the center. Aimi came back to Cavaron and noticed the other missing weapons, "Eh? Where are the others?" and asked Cavaron. Cavaron was smiling all the while Aimi was lost in her endeavor, and frankly creeped her out. Cavaron placed both of his hands on Aimi''s shoulders which warranted an "Eep!" from her, "Time to work on your agility!" and said with a sadistic grin, "We still have time before dinner." --- Cavaron had Aimi jog and do shuttle runs until dinner. She jogged and ran nonstop for two hours with short five minute breaks in between. Tirta readily gave Aimi some water to rehydrate herself, and cooled her down right before dinner. The entirety of Aimi''s body ached and became sore, "Hey... Huff... Do you... Do you have something... To relieve the pain?" and wanted some relief. Cavaron answered, "Get used to it, it is better than having me artificially and forcefully breaking and mending your muscles. You need to build up strength with your own efforts, I''m just here to guide you." Aimi could only let out an "Aww..." and ate some berries that Aomi brought for her to eat. Dinner was different with a plate of strange looking meat. It was laid on a plate as big as a shield, and the meat itself was massive, good for eight people. Good thing the table was made from hardened earth or else a wooden table might be crushed under its weight. "What is this?" Aimi had to ask what the large slab of meat was. Avani and Tirta came inside and, upon seeing the large slab of meat as big as Cavaron''s crouched body, immediately took their seats, "Hey, let''s eat up already!" Tirta excitedly exclaimed. Aimi was surprised by the two elementals actions. Cavaron pulled back from the stove and placed a bowl of salad next to the massive slab of meat, and sat down on his seat. Burkhard, being a spirit, didn''t need to eat but was affected from seeing the slab of meat. Aimi asked her question again and finally received an answer, "It''s dragon meat." from Cavaron himself as he pulled out a sword to slice the slab of roasted dragon meat. Aimi could only stand and stare with a gaping mouth at the revelation. "Dragon? As in those things that breathe fire and devour virgins?" Cavaron raised a brow at her question, "Not sure if that''s how they are depicted in your world, but sure, let''s go with that." and answered indifferently, and began to distribute the slices of dragon meat, "Come on and sit to eat already." Aimi sat on her seat and stared at the slices of dragon meat in her plate. There were two slices and each were an inch thick. Steam was still floating from the freshly roasted meat with meaty juices flowing out each time the others pierced theirs with forks and knives. The dragon meat that was left on the shield-like plate was still large enough for four servings. Unknowingly, Aimi began to drool at the sight of the meat on her plate. Being subjected to the mental and palate torture of bitter melons, she couldn''t help but be mesmerized at the sight of the red gold slices of juicy and tender roasted dragon meat. Each time she glances at Cavaron and the two other elementals, she sees the illusion of ecstasy as they devour their shares piece by piece. Not being able to take it any longer, the pangs of hunger finally won out against Aimi. She sliced off and ate a small piece of dragon meat. Expecting a weird taste, her face instead melted as the meat itself melted within her mouth. The meat and its juices flooded her senses and left her with ragged breathing after swallowing it. Piece after piece, like an unstoppable meat grinder, the two slices of dragon meat were devoured by Aimi. Aomi, who was under the table, ignored the massacre on the table and was busy eating the berries she collected but was unable to ignore the aroma of the dragon meat. Curious, the Azursa climbed atop the table and saw the four seated people in ecstasy. Cavaron noticed the Azursa on the table and gave it a small piece of dragon meat. From what was seen before, the Azursa primarily ate berries but since Cavaron is familiar with the fauna of Edeortha, it wouldn''t be surprising if Azursas are omnivores. Aomi, seeing the piece of dragon meat being offered, was curious and accepted it, and immediately took a bite. A light flashed through the eyes of Aomi as she ate the dragon meat. Little by little, faster and faster, the meat Cavaron gave the Azursa was finished in a minute. Aomi became a Dragon Devouring Azursa. After dinner, Aimi noticed something different, ''I... I don''t feel tired?'' She realized that her fatigue disappeared, ''My body is still aching, but I don''t feel tired at all.'' Cavaron noticed Aimi looking over her body, "I guess you felt it?" and asked her, "Dragon meat has reinvigorating effects. It can''t numb the pain, but you will feel fresher than before. So, are you ready for nighttime exercises?" Aimi looked blankly at Cavaron, ''Oh no...'' and realized his intents, "More training!?" Cavaron pulled Aimi out of the house, "Yup!" and happily brought her outside. ----------------------- I pushed my imagination hard for that dinner scene... I think I may have BS''ed it... Meh, the world''s a fantasy. Chapter 38 Okay, earlier today (+8GMT), the doctor said I have bone cancer, which warranted him a kick in the gut when he laughed and sneered while saying, "Juuussst kiiiddiiinnng!" and literally took the breathe away from him, knocking him out. Afterwards, we learned that he was an escaped mental patient from a neighboring city that they have been hunting for since yesterday. They didn''t ask how we knocked him out and just thanked us for the capture. The real doctor came after the incident and ignored it all to say that the x-rays were good and I just need another week just to be safe. So, a week from now, I may be able to return to having a chapter ever 18~36. Have a chapter. ------------------------- Outside, the night was cold and the chilly wind bit through the bones. Aimi wasn''t wearing anything that could effectively ward against cold winds. Cavaron pulled her back to the training area, "Now, continue jogging and running." and ordered her, "We will break your body and achieve a suitable build for fighting. For now, you will need stamina since your mana still has a core and is not completely fused with your body." To assure Aimi won''t be bored, they also had Aomi run alongside her, occasionally slipping off to grab some berries. One lap, two laps, three. Aimi continuously ran around the training area. If the training area is 300 square meters, and she ran on its perimeter, each lap is effectively 1.2 kilometers. Due to the effects of the dragon meat, she never felt tired although she slowed down a bit when she felt her muscles breaking repeatedly as she ran. Even with the pain that was brought to her body, she never stopped. If she did, Cavaron might do something worse than before, ''I should continue. He might have me eat raw bitter melons for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.'' Aimi really hated the bitter melon. After four hours, Cavaron had Aimi stop running. Aimi immediately crashed as her body screamed in pain, but even that wasn''t enough to tire her. With her fatigue at an all time low, she pushed past the limits of her body with vigor. Cavaron bent to look down on Aimi, "How do you feel?" and annoyingly asked. With a deep breath, "PAAAAAAAaaaaaiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnfuullllll..." Aimi let it all out. Cavaron nodded, "Okay, half hour break." and walked over to Avani. Aimi was still lying down in pain with Aomi licking parts of her friend''s body, "Haha, thanks, Aomi." Aomi ran next to Aimi''s face and licked it as well as feeding her some berries by placing it on her lips. Cavaron was talking to Avani, "Okay, the next part will be to practice her evasion. What do you think should the level of difficulty be?" about Aimi''s training regimen, "Her skills in archery are very good but it will be nothing if the enemy reaches her." Avani placed her palm on her cheek making her breasts jiggle a bit, "Hmm... Let us have her fight one golem at a time." and suggested an idea, "Since it will be her first time fighting, it would be best to have her fight each golem once then let the number and variety increase as time goes on." Cavaron nodded at her suggestions, "Luckily, we aren''t pressed for time. The summoning this time isn''t that alarming if what I''ve read from the Byblos is true." Cavaron then faced the training area, "Okay, for this night, we will use golems one to four. Fifty minutes each with a ten minute break in between." Half an hour had passed and Cavaron approached Aimi, "Okay, Aimi. Time for evasion training. Since you will be a ranged fighter, you need to practice your evasions." and told her what they will be doing. Aimi stood up and followed Cavaron to the wood golem area. Cavaron had Aimi stand before a wood golem that was given life by Avani''s magic, "Okay, Aimi. This golem will attack you. It''s modeled after strength type enemies so it will be a wee bit slow but it still packs a non-lethal punch." Aimi turned back to Cavaron with a disbelieving face, ''Packs a non-lethal punch!? Are you kidding me!? That choice of words is very well telling me that it will still hurt a lot!'' Cavaron noticed Aimi looking at him, "Hey! Focus! There''s a punch coming right behind you!" Like he said, the humanoid wood golem threw a straight at Aimi. She panicked and immediately dropped to the ground. The golem hit the air, but immediately pulled back its leg for a kick. Aimi saw this and rolled away before the kick connected. She was able to regain her footing as she stood up, prepared to evade any attack that comes to her. For fifty minutes, the strength type golem''s attacks never connected. Having Aimi fight one on one with this type revealed crystal clear results. Even after all that dodging, she didn''t even break a sweat. This golem alone was easy for her to deal with. After fifty minutes, they took a break and Cavaron asked some questions, "So, what did you notice about this type of enemy?" Aimi recalled her encounter and answered, "Too easy. If its that golem alone, even with its strength, I can evade all of its attacks." "Alright, keep that in mind. The next one should be more difficult." Cavaron was satisfied. After ten minutes, Aimi stood before a smaller golem. "This golem is designed after agile.enemies. It moves fast and hits fast, be sure to keep up with its attacks." Cavaron explained the abilities of the next golem. Without giving Aimi a chance to blink, the golem appeared right before her. Aimi panicked as she tried to jump back, only to receive a hook to her waist. "Geho!" Aimi coughed from the pain inflicted. Although this agility golem was weaker than the strength golem, its speed is nothing to laugh at. Cavaron stood outside, "If you can''t evade, try to block or parry the attack!" and yelled at her. The golem jumped back to its original position and waited for Aimi to recover. Aimi struggled to stand up as she still felt the pain on her waist. Steadying her breathing, she made a stance and prepared to receive the attack. Once more, the golem appeared before her but instead of evading, Aimi anticipated the jab and swung her arm up to parry it. The golem missed but delivered another jab with its other hand that Aimi sadly received. "Remember that if your opponent has another hand, always assume that they will use it!" Cavaron shouted again, "This is especially true for enemies with more than two arms or four limbs. Even their tails can be lethal weapons!" The golem jumped back again to wait for Aimi. Aomi was worried for her friend but one look from Cavaron made her freeze on the spot. Aimi stood up once more, ignoring the pain on her body, "Never think that I am doing this because you are a girl! People who scream for equality but would never receive equal pain are idiots! Be thankful you have me as a mentor, I am very lenient to all newcomers. The others would probably kill you if you failed. Furthermore, out of all my juniors, none of them died! Sooner or later, the pain you will receive will be harsher than this time! So grit your teeth and push your body past its limits!" Cavaron shouted harsh but true words. One of his juniors, Folceras, was mentored by him. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Resolve appeared on Aimi''s face. Ever since she was summoned, this will become her everyday life. Each and every waking moment, she will be subjected to unimaginable amounts of pain. Even after death, this cycle will continue until the gods of fate have died. As she grit her teeth, the agility golem attacked once more. Anticipating its attacks, Aimi parried anything it delivered occasionally receiving hits from unexpected attacks such as kicks and headbutts. For fifty minutes she received and deflected punishment. When fifty minutes were up, Cavaron had her stop and take a break. Aimi happily accepted it as she tried to soothe her aching body. Aomi became free from Cavaron''s gaze and ran up to Aimi''s shoulders giving her a berry. It seemed to be Aomi''s routine to feed Aimi a berry or two. The third golem Aimi faced was a weapon using golem. It was equipped with a whip on one hand and an auto-loading bow gun on the other. Without warning, the golem shot Aimi with a bolt. Aimi, being familiar with the bow gun, already saw the attack and jumped to the side only to be nearly strangled by the whip when she regained her footing. This time, Aimi had to watch out for the bow gun and the whip. "This golem was designed after some treasure hunters that used whips and guns. A familiar tactic for them is using the whip to bind the target and let their guns rain down ammunition." Cavaron explained the third golem. Indeed, the golem was either attacking with the whip and the bow gun or using the whip to latch around Aimi''s limbs and barrage her with the bow gun. The third golem put Aimi''s agility to the test. Anticipating attacks from both the bow gun and the whip forced her to study its attacks and look for a pattern. Aimi gasped for air for each jump and turn, and finally found a pattern. With it in mind, evasion became a breeze and lifted some burdens off her back. The three golems she was put up against all had a pattern of attack. "Having an idea how one''s opponent attacks can give one lesser burden and more freedom to formulate a counterattack." Cavaron explained as Aimi flew from one place to another avoiding the golem''s attacks. Eventually, fifty minutes passed once more and Aimi was allowed a ten minute respite. Almost three hours have passed, the effects of the dragon meat were still going strong, and Aimi still had enough energy to train. The final golem she faced was entirely different. It can walk on four legs and it had a tail that looked like a ten-section staff. "This final golem is patterned from a monster with random attacks. It should give you greater difficulty than that of the third golem." As usual, Cavaron explained to Aimi the ability of the golem. This particular golem bears resemblance to a scorpion or a manticore when it is on all four legs, while standing on two legs makes it appear like a tailed humanoid or beastman. However, as though having some semblance of intelligence, the golem produced a wooden trident. This action made Aimi look at Avani in alarm. Avani made an apologetic gesture as Aimi stared at her. This time she stared at Cavaron behind her who was grinning without a care in the world. "Strength, speed, and versatility. This golem has it all, so be careful!" Cavaron shouted, "If you pass this golem, you get a day off!" Hearing the day off offer, Aimi steeled herself and faced the final golem. The golem immediately charged and twisted its body to deliver a tail whip. Aimi ducked down to dodge, and the golem spun full circle and swiped her with the trident. Adrenaline rushed into Aimi and she immediately executed a low back flip which warranted a whistle from Cavaron. The golem, having its attacks dodged successfully, initiated a flurry of kicks that Aimi parried as she ran to its side. The golem followed her and lashed its tail against her. Aimi jumped and dive rolled to the other side while the golem tried to stab her with the trident. Aimi grabbed the trident and disarmed the golem making the others cheer for her. Having lost its weapon, the golem threw its body at Aimi and tried to grapple her. She used the trident to slap the golem as she spun around to evade. The golem got knocked away a bit but somersaulted midair and used the momentum as it landed to bounce back against Aimi. Aimi jumped to the side and ducked as its tail nearly grabbed her neck. When the golem missed, it bounced back again and aimed a kick at Aimi''s face. Aimi used the trident to parry the kick and redirect the golem''s trajectory somewhere else. Finally, to signal the end of the training, Aimi threw the trident with all her might at the golem. Sadly, the golem evaded it and grabbed the trident with its tail, and used this chance to attack Aimi with reckless abandon. Aimi saw her attack fail and was about to evade by jumping to the side only to be distracted by a feint, got grabbed by her collar, and got slammed to the ground. CRASH! Cavaron looked at the sorry state Aimi was in as he approached, "Good job. Have a well earned break." and told her before leaving. Aimi stared at the sky, ''But, I lost...'' and thought in disbelief. This time, Avani, Tirta, and Burkhard came forward. Tirta placed a Water of Recovery over Aimi, and Avani spoke to her, "You really impressed us. In such a short amount of time, you were able to move swiftly and expertly." Avani smiled at the girl lying on the ground. "Indeed, Miss Aoyama." This time, Burkhard spoke up, "It is very rare for Master to be satisfied when training newcomers. I still remember each time I was tasked to guard a newcomer, especially when Sir Folceras was put under extreme punishment for failing against Avani''s wood golem. If I remember correctly, Sir Folceras is a Pyromancer and should be able to beat her golems, but was defeated instead." Apparently, Burkhard had witnessed trials each junior faced under Cavaron''s tutelage. Chapter 39 Okay, steel cast is removed, thumb is okay, fracture is healed, and now undergoing self rehabilitation since I lost the feeling of efficiently moving my right thumb the way I want it to. Anyhow, chapters will probably be released every 2-3 days due to the drop in speed and accuracy of my right thumb, but it''s healed, so hoorah! Have a chapter. ----------------------------------- After Aimi got patched up, her day off officially started. Body still in pain, she shuddered at each movement she made on the way to the bath. Aomi followed by her feet not wanting to add some burden on Aimi''s shoulders. Avani and Tirta went back to their own business while the Floating Shield followed Aimi from behind. In the bath, Aimi tried bathing in cold water to numb the pain. She stayed in the bath until the water became room temperature. Getting out, she found another set of clean clothes in a basket nearby, put them on, and went back to her room to sleep for eight hours. The effects of the dragon meat were lost while she was bathing but she needed time for her muscles to mend themselves. Cavaron prepared breakfast as usual, plus lunch, and left a charged Pyrocite underneath the plates to keep them warm. After that, he called for his contracts, "I will be gone for a while." and told them of his plan of action, "Keep the place safe. I''ll be back after lunchtime." His three contracts affirmed the order and Cavaron went off to who knows where. Aimi continued to sleep as her body repaired itself. With the help of mana, her recovery went faster than normal and was fully healed in five hours of sleep. Like some sort of alarm, she woke up and began inspecting her body, ''I''m not in pain anymore? That was too quick.'' She got off the bed and immediately felt the pangs of hunger. Her body rapidly digested the food to use as energy in repairing itself, thus the reason for her sudden hunger. Having no other choice, she went down to the kitchen and found the plates of food Cavaron left for her. Thinking well of his deed, she accepted the food offered on the table. After eating breakfast, she wondered what to do next until she realized Cavaron wasn''t in the area. "Burkhard, where''s Cavaron-senpai?" She asked the floating shield who replied, "Master left for a while. For what reason, he never mentioned but he will be back after lunchtime." An "Oh..." left Aimi''s lips. Hearing so, she decided to wander around the area only to find a curious looking book on the living room table. Its cover was tattered, yet the designs of gold and silver were intact. Lifting the book, she opened it and saw it had blank pages, all pages were blank. However, she felt something from the book, similar to what she felt with the parrying dagger and gauntlets earlier. Her curiosity winning her over, she fed the book with mana. Suddenly, at the moment of contact, words filled a page, "Please state your query." It was the Byblos. The artifact that contains all of Edeortha''s information. Aimi remembered the conversation between Cavaron and Ethra a few nights ago, and what this artifact was. Words left her lips, "Tell me about Cavaron-senpai..." --- I was sent to deal with a dark elder dragon that the demons were using to destroy human cities. According to the information given to me, the dragon is being escorted along a valley road in Central Edeortha. The messenger who gave this information died from a cursed flame that devoured the body little by little. Fortunately, he was able to find a swift horse to run back to a human fortress and deliver the report. Having no other recourse, Aldric requested that I deal with it as per my summons. This was, after all, a war that has lasted over a thousand years. Even if I eliminate the leaders, new ones will pop out to replace them. The Sky had over 974 million in population; the Earth had around 732 million; the Sun had a whopping 2.5 billion in their population. Fucking hell, so many people in this super continent that can compare to the Terran Pangaea. I always wondered why the fuck the humans, with their vast numbers, haven''t conquered this world yet. The answer lies with them being fucking cannon fodder. For fucks'' sake, every world I''ve been to, humans are the same everywhere... Then again, I''m human, too... or "was" human... Demi-god, maybe? And now we come to me walking along a forested area within the reported valley, along with some Sun Knights and Magi numbering to merely 2000. A small size compared to their main force that is half their total population, and their so-called elite troops. Elite? I''ll be the judge of that. As we were creeping through the forest, a knight approached me, "Sir Cavaron, do you have a plan?" It was a woman. Looking at the emblem on her armor, she should be a captain but, for some reason, captains in this world command over 800 soldiers. Anyway, I didn''t bother knowing her name so I''ll call her FC. FC asked me a question so I just answered, "You take care of the others and I''ll take care of the dragon." and continued walking. FC stood in her place in disbelief. I wonder what she''s thinking right now? Well, whatever. We were nearing the target ambush location. It was a cliff that hugged the forest and was wide enough for a two platoons to march through. If the Intel was right, there should be an escort of 1500 lizardmen and the dragon coming through here any time now. The other knights and magi took up positions while concealing themselves within the forest. The others also lathered themselves with mud and dirt just in case. They''re pretty smart, I''ll give them that though it is still nothing compared to how long they have been at war. After another hour of waiting, we heard the rumble of a marching army plus the faint roar of a dragon to our east. Jackpot. Looks like these demons never thought of a possible ambush when they found that scout. They really should learn to ensure his death rather than leaving him alone. What? I''m just stating the truth in war. Two hours have passed after we first heard the roar. Finally, we see the silhouette of an army forming over the horizon, and the shadow of a giant dragon lumbering behind them. One thing I never heard was the size of the dragon. The dark elder dragon marching with the escort was half the size of Aldric''s castle and had shiny obsidian-black scales. I don''t see the presence of wings so it must be a land dragon. When I used Mana Sight to see the other parts of its body, its legs were fucking huge and powerful looking that it could smash any wall that impedes it. Not to mention that it had a cursed breath that erodes anything it hits. We wait for another hour so they could get in range of our ambush. Little by little, louder and louder, the demons came closer to the doors of death. Letting the escort pass us by, we reached their middle and immediately launched our assault. Since the enemies were reptilians, the magi delivered a barrage of ice magic then the other knights rode forth from hiding to eliminate the stragglers. The enemy became a mess and we were able to take out around 200 in one fell swoop. While they were trying to reorganize themselves, I charged towards the dragon to kill it in the middle of the chaos. However, it was a mistake, the dragon was smarter than it looks and let loose a breath of pure darkness towards my direction. Enveloping my swords with Mana Blades, I cut through the flame with minimal effort. Sadly, I couldn''t say the same for the people behind me. Around 300 knights got enveloped by the large swath of flame, including FC. The knight captain woman died in the breath. Elites my ass, they were all cannon fodder. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The other knights and magi continued their assault while I made myself busy with the dragon. Hm? Damned shit''s eyeing me, let''s see if you''ll survive a barrage of Mana Blades. I sheathed my short swords, and summoned my blood and mana swords while coating them with Mana Blades. A wall of lizardmen tried to stop me but I effortlessly cut through them. My blood sword vibrated through the air as it drank the blood of my enemies, while my mana sword shined brightly as my mana fed it. With Mana Pulse, out of the 3500 estimated total of both demons and humans currently here, only 1380 were left. Some glances here and there showed me lesser humans and even lesser lizards. Numerically, we have the advantage. However, when it comes to raw firepower, the dragon has the advantage. One breath can easily take out hundreds of soldiers. Reorienting myself, I resumed to attack the dragon leaving the lizardmen to the knights. A rain of ice covered the battlefield as the magi tried to annihilate the lizardmen. Suddenly, with a stroke of bad luck, a flying horde appeared over the horizon. Sky Knights! The damned angels took this chance to eliminate both the Sun and the Earth. Great, from their speed and distance, I have ten minutes to kill the dragon. The other magi noticed the Sky Knights and launched a flurry of thunder magic. The Sky Knights retaliated with their own magic, raining fire all around us. The dragon before me had its entire focus on me as it tried to take a bite. For a massive dragon, its bite attacks are quite fast. I had to slow down and jump to evade it. Eight minutes left, I was able to go around the dragon and attack its legs. With the help of the Mana Blades, I was able to penetrate its hard as fuck scales. The dragon winced and roared in pain, and tried to use its tail as a whip. I openly received its tail and brought down an overcharged Mana Blade to sever it. The dragon lost its tail, and I figured that its tail would be useful so I threw it into my inventory. The dragon roared hard at the disappearance of its tail and let loose another breath attack, which missed me but took out a hundred lizardmen and twice its amount of human soldiers. The dragon entered into a berserk rage and attacked me with reckless abandon. Each attack it delivered, I dodged and returned an attack of my own. With each hit it received, it lost pieces of its body until I totally destroyed all of its scales revealing delicious pink meat that I carved off, harvested, and sent off to my inventory. Three minutes left and a fireball exploded next to me giving me a slight concussion, and allowed the dragon to release its final breath attack. Launching an overcharged Mana Blade at its neck, I successfully severed it only to have another fireball explode next to me and knock me towards the cursed flame''s trajectory. Shit! I got hit on the torso as I was sent hurtling down the cliff. Damn my carelessness! ... .. . --- Darkness... Absolute darkness. I am here, alone, floating in the black oblivion. Beyond my sight, there is nothing. Nothingness is all around me. I feel... peaceful? As I thought so, I hear a voice from beyond the blackness of this space. "------------!" I feel weird. I want to know whose voice that was yet, I feel no urge to do so. "------------!" Again, the voice echoes throughout oblivion, as though oblivion itself had a form. "------------!" "------------!" "------------!" Repeatedly, the same voice calls for me. I muster all of my will to face the source. Turning my body, I see a small white dot within the void. "------------!!" Closer and closer, I approach the dot, and the voice becomes louder. Nearer and nearer, the dot becomes bigger. It wasn''t a mere dot, but a ball of warm light. When I arrived before it, the voice became silent, yet the ball moved closer to me, entering my body, touching the very essence of my soul. ... .. . --- I opened my eyes. It looks like I got knocked out with no idea where I went nor how much time had passed. I see a wooden ceiling above me, am I in someone''s house? I try to get up but felt a sharp pain on my chest, "Argh!" Gritting my teeth, I looked down to see the damage. I was half naked and a black... thing.... was festering over the center of my chest. It also pulsed together with my heart. However, there were some flower petals around it, stuck on the surface of my skin, with alternating blue and white colors. I looked around to inspect my surroundings. I was in a room, with a bookshelf across where I lay. The door was on the opposite where the bed was, and at the door was a woman with silver hair. "Oh good, you''ve woken up. How do you feel?" she asked me as I stared at her, "Hey, how long will you stare at me? It''s a bit uncomfortable, you know." She came inside with a basin of water and placed it at the foot of the bed. "I found you in the forest nearby, collapsed, and with a black flame on your chest." She started talking to me, "I guess you got hit by a Dark Fate dragon. Those petals around it ward off all sorts of dark essences." She suddenly started to explain the things on my chest. She must have noticed my gaze earlier. I look at her again and found beautiful amethyst eyes. Our gazes locked onto each other and she let out a serene smile. "Well, how do you feel?" Not having the strength to say a word, I just nodded at her question. Again, she smiled at me until her face turned into shock, "Ah! I forgot to introduce myself." She stood up and bowed to me, "My name is Aisha." ------------------------------ I realize that writing about Aisha will be hard. This will take a toll on the release speed since I will most likely write, rewrite, and revise so often that I have no idea how to write her story. Most of the time, the story writes itself and I just follow it. By the way, I already have an idea on how to end Cavaron''s story. Look forward to it after X arcs; where X is the number of planned arcs after Edeortha. Chapter 40 Insomnia hits hard... It''s around 2 am in my area and I have something to do later. Eh, well. Have a chapter that I finished during a sleepless night. ------------------------- A day has passed since Aisha found me. I''m still bedridden because of the cursed flame on my chest. I asked about the surrounding area and if she heard of any news regarding a skirmish nearby. "We are in a middle of a meadow surrounded by a forest. I have lived here since I was born and I haven''t gone to leave this place." Aisha replied to me. "As for wars, none that I can remember. I rarely meet anyone nor do I get to leave to see the outside. You don''t expect someone like me to brave the dangers outside of this place, do you?" Huh? Judging from what she said, she''s practically trapped here? Then, how does she know about the dragon? "Then, you literally have zero contact with the outside world? How did you survive for so long?" I asked her. I find it impossible for someone to live like a hermit since birth. "Speaking of which, where''s your family?" She looked down and closed her eyes. Shortly after, she looked up to me and smiled, "My mother left me long ago. " I made an apologetic face making her shake her head and smile again, "It''s alright. She was born from Edeortha, and has returned to Edeortha." That sounds like a certain religion common to many worlds I''ve been to. So many different worlds, yet their essences are the same. "And your father?" I followed up. She still had her smile on her face as she replied, except it was solemn, "I don''t know, mother never said anything." All I could say was, "I see..." so I decided to drop it. She stood up from her seat and went outside. I didn''t make a fuss since she will be replacing the petals on my chest... These things are interesting. Looking outside the window, I can see fields of the flowers where they came from. Blue and white flowers covered the land until the edge of the forest. Craning my head for a bit, I also spot an apple tree in what I''m guessing is the back yard. Ever since I got here, I haven''t really stepped out of this room. This thing on my chest literally saps my stamina and, for some reason, blocks my usage of mana. Although I can''t use my mana, I can sense a large reservoir of mana in the surroundings. I have a feeling I''m sitting on a mana well. Anyway, Aisha should be coming back with the flowers now. As if on cue, Aisha emerged from the door with a basket of petals, a basin of water, and a washing cloth. Aisha pulled off the blanket exposing my half naked body and proceeded to undo my pants. Oh, by the way, these are the pants I wore underneath my armor, along with a silk shirt. I see my armor by a table in the room so... Yeah, she stripped me to clean me. "Okay, Cavaron. Time to clean you up." She said as she pulled my pants off. Normally I would say no, but seeing as my rescuer and nurse isn''t the least bit embarrassed, I let her do her job, aside from the fact that this thing on my chest turned me into a cripple. When she pulled the pants off, I still had my underwear that she just left alone. She proceeded to clean my legs, which tickled me a bit. You know, I hadn''t really asked her why she''s doing this for me, "Hey, why are you taking care of a stranger like me?" She didn''t pause her scrubbing of my legs but still answered, "Why should I not?" Being answered with a question like that shocked me a bit. It was the first time I met someone like her. After my legs, she proceeded to scrub my torso. Despite her frame, she lifted my arm and scrubbed it easily. Watching her in silence as she cleaned my body was rather entrancing. Without realizing it, I was looking at every part of her body. She had pale skin, long waist-length silver hair, and a pair of serene amethyst eyes. Her lips looked soft and she had a rather cute nose. Her ears were hidden behind her hair. Her body was slim but, judging from her arm strength, she appeared lithe. Her chest is just right, not too big nor too small. B or C, I think? Anyway, she finished washing me and replaced my pants with a clean cloth. Afterwards, she placed the basin behind her and brought out the basket of flowers. Aisha had me lie back down, so I did, and placed a blue flower next to the black thing. One by one, she replaced the petals on my skin, that appeared to have wilted, with fresh petals of the same color. The black thing was still beating along with my heart, while giving me a slight tinge of pain. It really sucks not being able to move as I want to. Finally, she finished replacing the flower petals on my chest. Also, I realize that the circle of petals is a bit smaller than before. "The blue petals serve as a barrier, while the white petals act as a cleanser." Aisha suddenly spoke up. She must have noticed me looking at the circle. "Mother only told me these things so I couldn''t really explain it, but it just does so." Seeing that I couldn''t get any other answer, I just shrugged and nodded to her. Aside from my personal hygiene, she also feeds me. I am seriously indebted to her. I looked at the food and I realize something, an absence of meat. "A vegetarian?" I asked her, she turned to reply, "What''s that? Some sort of person?" with a question of her own. I am baffled temporarily until I turned my thoughts to ''Common sense does not apply everywhere nor does language.'' and began explaining to her what a vegetarian is. "Oh. I have a small field where I grow vegetables, and an apple tree for fruits." She told me after understanding what I explained, "As for meat, I also have some fish that I occasionally catch at a river near here. I can also harvest other fruits and some berries in the forest." This place is practically self sufficient! It has food and water to sustain it. Aside from the lack of contact from the outside world, you can literally live here forever! She stood up once more after tending to me, "Just call me if you need anything. I will be tending to the field, and will be washing some laundry." This prompted me to ask two things. First, "Do you have some books I could read?" Asking so, she went to a nearby bookshelf and pulled it over to my side. My eyes went wide when she did so, then I noticed it had wheels. "Feel free to read anything here. Anything else?" she asked after placing the bookshelf next to me. Here comes my second question, "Er, how will I go about my ''business''?" She tilted her head trying to figure out what I meant which had me follow up, "How will I urinate and take a dump?" An "Ahh." Left her mouth. She placed her palm on her cheek as she thought of a solution. She suddenly made a gesture like she had an idea and stood next to me. She raised her hands and I felt a fluctuation of mana in the surroundings. The floor of the house, that was made out of stone, suddenly opened up and changed shape. Earth Magic! She can use magic! She noticed my surprised expression, "What? Never seen magic before?" and proudly asked. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I immediately replied, "I have. I can also use magic, but none of the elements. My magic is non-elemental, but you... I didn''t expect this kind of proficiency, you didn''t even chant nor say a word!" Seriously, it took me 2 years to be able to shorten the cast time, 5 years to omit the long chant, and, finally, another 1 year to completely omit any word used for magic, and a vast majority of these were melded magic with some of my contracts, aside from contract summoning, of course. Contract summoning is too complex for me to make it chantless, especially with the amount of mana it needs. Melded magic is, by the way, an added bonus to my arsenal depending on who I summon. This young woman before me, who looks no more than twenty years of age and was able to form the earth with such ease, is not an ordinary person at all. Aisha just looked at the... toilet thing she created, "Mother told me that it runs in the family." Mother told you!? What sort of family did you come from!? I sigh at the thought and just dropped it, at least she solved the problem of waste disposal. "Just call me if you need help to sit here, okay?" She told me with a smile... Again, that smile! Seriously. How can you smile at a cripple like me!? Ahh! Never mind. I''ll just behave myself and recuperate so I just nodded and pulled a book from the shelf. Aisha left me with the books as she went to do her own tasks. --- "Is it positive?" An old man asked the kneeling knight before him. It was Aldric, the Sun Emperor, otherwise known as the Emperor of Humanity. "Yes, my liege. We saw him get hit by the black flame and fell down the cliff." The knight replied. "Alright, you are dismissed." Aldric relieved the knight and sent him away. Stroking his beard, he leaned back on his throne to think, ''Now what? Seeing that the others who got hit by the flame died without resistance, our hope is lost. Do we initiate another summoning?'' As the emperor for a race that has been at war for over a thousand years, it''s no surprise if he has a surplus of resources to summon another champion. Raising his hand and gesturing to call for somebody, a shadow appeared by his side. "Yes, my liege?" The shadow spoke, it was a woman. Truthfully, it was literally a shadow in human form. No matter where and how you look at her, all you will see is a pitch-black humanoid. "Inform the magi to perform another summoning." Aldric ordered the shadow, "Might as well call for another champion to aid us since we do have the means to do so." The shadow looked as though it bowed and dissipated afterwards. Aldric stood up and went to a balcony overlooking Regasol. "Such a waste but, at least we took out a chunk of the Earth''s assets, so maybe it wasn''t all a loss." He muttered as he looked beyond the horizon, "Hopefully, the next one will be more durable than Cavaron." --- Deep within a canyon next to a dormant volcano is a bustling city. Its citizens were running about here and there minding their own businesses. A lot of them were pushing carts filled with ore, while even more were carrying chunks of rocks on their backs with ease. This ordeal was only possible due to them not being humans, but they were a race called the Earth Kildera. They were the so-called demons and deep earth dwellers. They have no buildings, and a vast majority of their homes are dug and carved through the earth like cave dwellings. Although it may seem primitive, seeing their way of life, a home in a wall of the canyon is a luxury while a whole lot of them live underground. Within the canyon is a large clearing where the ravines converge creating a large open space for gatherings. If we look from high above, the canyons and ravines are actually a massive network more complex than a spiderweb. Looking closer, their society even digs through the volcano as they harvest precious minerals found only within the high temperature areas of volcanic regions. The land is also barren with a significant lack of greenery. As for water, it would appear that there are monsters nearby that are able to produce such needed hydration for some reason as one was killed and its blood, which did not even look like blood, was drunk by the demons. The monster looked like a cross between a camel and a hippo, and is a rock eater as one chomped down on some minerals it was fed with. Despite the vast majority of them living within the canyons, a curious structure looms over them near the volcano''s crater. It had strange crystalline designs as it looks over the others exhuming an aura of regality. It was black in color like how the volcano''s earth appeared. Although the building is protruding from the volcano, its internal structure is complexly different with massive tunnel networks threading within the volcano. On a balcony that protrudes the inner shaft overlooking the boiling magma stood a massive four armed behemoth. "The Sun achieved the summoning?" The behemoth spoke with a thundering voice. Behind him was an injured lizardman who was kneeling, "Yes, my lord. The humans have summoned an otherworldly champion to aid them." Without turning, the behemoth spoke once more, "And? What happened after the Dark Fate dragon died?" Still kneeling, the lizardman naturally replied, "The champion was knocked away by a Sky Knight''s fireball and was hit by the dragon''s final breath. The champion fell off the cliff and showed no signs of life as our hunters found no trace of his scent." The behemoth still stood at the balcony looking at the magma bubbling and bursting below him. The lizardman became anxious at his Lord''s silence and waited for a response. "Send an order to the legion. Prepare to attack another city with the other dragons while rushing the ritual to summon our father." The behemoth ordered the lizardman and the lizardman immediately left the area. With the magma bubbling in the background, the behemoth tended to his thoughts, ''So, the Sun successfully managed to summon a champion. This will make things harder for us. We need to hurry up and finish the summoning of Pyo''ah.'' ---------------------- Ah, Aisha. Why did I give birth to you? Chapter 41 The Byblos, while it was showing information, constantly fed on Aimi''s limited mana. Aimi only realized this after she felt her body become heavy and fatigued. Deciding that reading any further will most likely knock her out, she stopped supplying the Byblos with mana and went for a break. By this time, the sun was already high up signifying that it''s already noon. Any moment now, Cavaron will be back from who knows where. Outside, Avani was merged with a tree, taking a share of its nutrients from the earth. She looked like a wood nymph that made a tree its home. Tirta was nowhere within the area but was within the forest taking in the water of a nearby pond and cleansing them with her abilities. Burkhard was, as usual, by Aimi''s side and was not bothered by her curiosity for Cavaron. The Azursa, Aomi, was bored of waiting for Aimi so she went to the forest to harvest some berries to eat. While all of these were happening, Cavaron was outside the forest in the nearest city five kilometers away. He was, as always, looking for an exchange of money. In his hand was a large piece of black wood. However, the fact that he was off to sell it for money makes one wonder what it is. ''The currency from a hundred years ago has changed.'' A thought floated in his mind, ''If I remember correctly, ironwood should be a mid-tier material here. Why isn''t anyone buying it?'' The black wood in his hand was called ironwood. Ironwood is a material comparable to the metal mithril and is often used for magic tools. Like wood, it is harvested from trees but require mithril or better metals to saw or chop it down. Its toughness bears resemblance to iron while retains its wooden flexibility thus making it essential for magi who cannot use certain metals. Cavaron was in a, ironically, a trading city where people of all three races come for business. He already visited a number of woodworking and magic shops who may be interested in buying a piece of ironwiod. ''Dammit, this should already be the cheapest magic material, unless the Byblos glitched out and showed me false information.'' The facts that Cavaron knew that the currency changed and the market of ironwood was as usual were thanks to the Byblos. A god-like artifact making a mistake was unheard of. Cavaron, frustrated enough as he already is, decided to enter a bar for a break. He immediately went to the nearest unoccupied table and sat down with a groan. Seconds later, a waitress with a skimpy outfit came by, "What''s wrong, handsome? Need a drink ta get rid of yer worries?" Cavaron simply looked up to the waitress in his seat. She had a busty figure, tanned skin, and a head of waist length blond hair with red streaks. She wore a low-cut blouse and a tiny miniskirt that revealed delicious meat. "Is this a brothel? Sorry, I''m not looking for fun." he said. The waitress turned red, not because of embarrassment, but because of anger. "The hell is up wit''ya!?" She screamed and slammed a tray on Cavaron''s face, that he caught making her get stuck in that position. The other patrons including the barkeeper turned to look at the commotion. "Ey, Jalina. Dis guy messin'' wit''ya?" A patron asked as he stood and cracked his knuckles. Cavaron sighed, ''I really should check if the bar is civilized first. Damn my carelessness.'' and thought about the situation. He let go of the tray, freeing the waitress named Jalina. "Sorry about my comment, I thought this was a brothel based on your outfit." Cavaron apologized. Jalina was still red, not knowing what to say. Cavaron turned away, "I''ll just leave now, sorry for the incident." to leave but before he could do so, some patrons blocked his path. "Ey, buddy. No one messes with our angel. Got it?" A patron with bulging muscles said. He was a bit taller than Cavaron by a head, and was wearing work clothes. On his fists were steel knuckles, obviously wanting to fight. "Yeah! Anybody who makes our Jalina angry will die!" Another patron shouted. He had a small stature, but had a well-built and lean body. He was hunched forward with a knife in his right hand, and wore a set of leather clothes. "That''s right! Da''s roit! Y''all right!" The other patrons who blocked Cavaron chanted like cultists. However, to Cavaron, they were a fan club of hoodlums. "I don''t want trouble. I will just leave, so could you let me through?" Cavaron asked anyway despite the crowd''s angry glares. Still, he got an answer, but not what he wanted. "Screw you!" The knuckle patron shouted and threw in a punch that Cavaron easily evaded. Seeing this, the knife guy jumped in to stab Cavaron''s legs. The knife missed its mark while the target swung behind the knife guy with an axe-kick and flung him to the wall. The knuckle guy earlier kept throwing one punch after another, and each attack missed. This time, all the other patrons pitched in and delivered attack on their own. The barkeeper ignored the chaos in his bar and just served food and drinks like usual. Five minutes into the rumble, the knuckle guy''s attacks became slow and began to get tired. Cavaron used this opportunity to catch a fist, and throw the knuckle guy away to another group of attackers. Jalina, the victim/cause of the situation stood there like an idiot as she watched the others get thrashed effortlessly by Cavaron. After another five minutes, all of the blocking patrons were on the ground while Cavaron stood there without a scratch. Cavaron turned to barkeeper, "I''ll just leave this to you to pay for the damages." and threw something to him. The barkeeper stoically caught whatever it is without looking and pocketed it. Cavaron turned to Jalina for a while before leaving. Jalina stared at his back for a while before running to the barkeeper. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Boss! The hell was that!?" she screamed over the counter as she grabbed the barkeeper''s shoulders. The barkeeper boredly looked at her and pulled out the thing he received. It was the ironwood Cavaron wanted to sell. Jalina''s eyes went wide when she saw it. The barkeeper finally spoke, "He is a well known individual by all three races. You should know that I was once an angel, only to have my wings torn off by your ancestors a hundred years ago, and I have lived longer than all of the people in this bar." Indeed, this barkeeper was too beautiful to be a human. The only other race that was able to produce beautiful males were the Sky Kildera, also known as angels. "It seems that he still remembers the people from the war before. I owe it to him for the life I have now." The barkeeper smiled as he spoke. Jalina slumped down on a chair after learning from her boss and stood up straight again, "Wait! A hundred years!? Howzat possible!? He looks less than thirty!" The barkeeper shrugged, "No idea, he is a champion, after all." and continued to serve food. Cavaron was walking down the road while thinking, ''Never thought that slave back then would be a barkeeper now. Now, what will I exchange for money? Seems like the ironwood market is in bad shape.'' He went into an alley and ripped open space to check his inventory. One by one, he pulled out possible items to sell. "Luminite... Does not exist here. Pyrocite... Too common. Ironwood... Market''s weird. Adamantite... Could crash the economy. Gold... Too precious." For ten minutes, he stood in an alley checking his items. It would appear that he has at least one of every possible item that exists in this multiverse. Scratching his head, he decided to sell common gems like rubies off for money even if it may net him a lower price than expected. Getting back on the main road, he asked for directions to jewelers where he could sell the rubies. Within the trade city called Almina, he found that there were around thirty-six jewelers in the same business scattered all over. Luckily, there was a map of the city scattered as well and helped in his navigation. Yet, like the ironwood, he found no buyers because it was too common already. He was about to give up but decided against it until he exhausted all thirty-six shops. He really did go to thirty-six shops. Standing in front of the thirty-sixth shop, he was already hesitating to go in and ask. Looking at the ruby in his hand, Cavaron took a deep breath and released a long sigh before entering. The doorbell rang as the door swung open, and a lively voice was heard, "Welcome to Carne''s Jewelries!" A young blonde girl welcomed Cavaron from the counter. "How may I he- geh! Cavaron! The hell are you doing here!?" She yelled in surprise and pointed at him when she realized who the customer was. A more important question was how she knew him. Cavaron stood at the entrance with a dumbfounded expression while he tried to identify the woman at the counter. "Who the... Wait... Carne? And that soul signature... That little girl from Onipiliph?" Racking his mind, Cavaron finally recognized the young woman to be someone from his past due to her unique soul signature. "You... You look different so you weren''t summoned, nor do I sense a powerful core in your body so you can''t be a champion." He was literally struck dumb. Most likely, it was his first time encountering such a situation. Cavaron realized a possibility, "You became a Soul Traveler? How did you die?" and asked Carne. Carne looked away and grasped her arm, "...ber." and muttered something. Cavaron went closer, "What?" and asked again. Carne looked at him with tears in her eyes, "I don''t want to remember!" and screamed at him. Cavaron looked at her, unable to do anything else but stand in silence. Clearly, Carne remembered whatever led to her death, and whatever that was was so tragic and painful that she was reincarnated somewhere else. Cavaron waited for her to calm down. With a sniffle, Carne wiped her tears away with her tunic''s sleeve. Facing Cavaron, eyes still red, "So, what brought you here?" and asked what his business was. Cavaron breathed in deep, "I need to sell this for this world''s currency." and stated his business as he placed the ruby on the counter between them. Carne took the ruby and appraised it for a while. After that, she went back behind the store, and returned with a pouch. "Here, a pouch of 8 gold Trims, and 80 silver Trims." Cavaron received the pouch and inspected the new currency. It was an inch in diameter and was two millimeters thick. On its face, a wing, a fist, and a horn were engraved signifying the three races. "Sorry, I can only give that much due to the market price. Even if you were a friend, I don''t want to go into the red because of it. The monetary units are similar to 100 copper to 1 silver, and 100 silver to 1 gold." Carne explained the currency to Cavaron which prompted him to just nod because he already knew due to the Byblos. Cavaron nodded to her and turned to leave. Before he could do so, "Wait." Carne called out to him, "I''m sorry for my outburst earlier. It''s just a surprise to me that I met a very old friend even after I died. If you want to know, I loved him. Truly, I did." Without turning, Cavaron listened to what she said, and left with a wave of his hand afterwards. Carne just stood behind the counter as tears fell. On the road, Cavaron looked back to the past and recalled their meeting, ''Kathair, the hell did you do to make her cry? Wulf, the hell happened that led to her death?'' Shaking his head, he decided to go home for the time being. ------------------------ Oohhh... Onipiliph... A new place from his old past. Chapter 42 High above Edeortha, the floating continent of Palu''Angit watches the world. The hundred year old home of the Sky Kildera brought about by the Wrath of Gods that marked the end of the thousand year war. Its terrain, compared to Yanbaka and Pyo''ah, is mountainous with only plateaus and valleys present as flat lands. In the very center of this continent is a massive mountain that extends beyond the clouds. How the floating continent became like this after the disaster is a mystery that boggles even the most learned scholars, especially since its size is nearly a quarter of the supercontinent a century ago. At the peak of the highest mountain sits the capital of Palu''Angit, Asora, where the Sky Queen, Ethra Devai, watches and guides her people towards a world of everlasting prosperity. Asora is a city of 2 million angels, apart from the humans and demons who have migrated here, and the only way to reach the city is to ride a flying mount. These mounts could be anything from birds to magical beasts as long as they are tamed and able to lift at least one passenger. If one looks at the architecture of the continent, one will immediately see it. All of the buildings in Palu''Angit were towers. The residential areas, the market areas, even the military areas are filled with towers. Upon the highest peak, the Sky Tower is home to Palu''Angit''s royalty. A pure white structure with intricate silver designs. On the highest balcony, an auburn haired angel watches the citizens down below. It was Ethra. "Milady, the meal has been prepared." A bowing servant nearby spoke. Even as a servant, one cannot think so because they are all beautiful, too beautiful. Ethra turned to face the servant emitting a goddess-like aura, "Yes, I will be here for a while longer." and affirmed the servant. The servant straightened, and left the Sky Queen alone. Ethra was deep in thought, and whatever it was, one had no way of finding out. After staring at the cloudy horizon, she left the balcony and headed towards the dining hall. Walking down a short corridor, she arrived at a large pit. She extended her wings and took flight to two floors below. Her wings fluttered, her hair floated. Angelic beauty comparable to the Cross Ark, Shamira. Arriving at her destination, a Sky Knight opened the door to the dining hall. She walked all the way to the other end of a long table with servants bowing down as she passed. Having reached the other end, she sat down to receive her meal. Contrary to what one may expect from royalty, her meal wasn''t lavish but very simple. A plate of meat, a loaf of bread, and a bowl of vegetable stew. Ethra made it a point to be served with the same food as the others to show that even if she was their Queen, she was still the same as everyone else: mere mortals. Having taken her seat, she sliced a small piece of meat together with a slice of the bread. However, she paused right before the food entered her mouth, and suddenly summoned her spear as she stood up. ''This silence...'' she noticed the sudden silence in her surroundings and prepared for any danger. Looking around her, the servants from before disappeared. The wind also has gone silent. Figuring that even the guards will be of no help, she focused her attention towards her surroundings until... "Greetings, Princess." A voice came from behind, "Or, should I say, Queen?" Ethra spun around and swung her spear towards the source. However, with a clang, her attack was blocked by a scythe. "Easy there." The source of the voice came from a young man wrapped in pitch black bandages with only his grin bears visible to others. Even the scythe he wielded was pitch black that even light becomes lost in its void like color. Ethra stared at the youth before her, "Who are you?" and asked. The youth''s grin, although unnoticeable, somewhat frowned. "Oh dear, it only took you a century to forget about me? Naughty little girl. I can''t believe that you forgot about me yet you still remember that man." The youth grasped his heart and spoke sarcastically, "Ah, I am heartbroken. Then again, what about my voice? I refuse to believe you absolutely forgot about me." Ethra thought back to the past while she watched the youth''s movements lest she drops her guard, losing her life. After a minute, the youth spoke again, "No bells ringing? Saddening." he then placed a hand on the bandages on his head, "If not the voice, then maybe my face." Bit by bit, he unbounded himself from the bandages. Little by little, pale white skin appeared until his face was fully revealed. As Ethra watched, her face changed. From wonder to realization to fear. Seeing this, the youth laughed manically, "Hahaha! Now, you remember!" an evil, bloodthirsty, and manic grin flashed on his face as his muscles twitched and cramped. He appeared no more than twenty years old, had white hair, and a pair of blood red eyes that reminds one of a coldblooded killer. Ethra subconsciously took a step back and bumped the dining table making the tableware clatter as they shook. "You..." a voice mixed with fear and disbelief left her lips, "You''re dead! How!? How are you able to be here!?" Ethra screamed. Even with a voice as loud as thunder, silence still permeated the surroundings. The youth then approached the shivering Sky Queen. Little by little, a dark aura spread out and enclosed the two in a dark cage. Ethra watched in disbelief once more, "Dark Fate!?" and realized what this dark aura was. The youth''s grin curved up like a pervert drunk with darkness. Arriving with his face just an inch before Ethra''s face, "I have to thank him for giving me such a wonderful power." and spoke before going closer to her ear, "Tell him that... I''m back~" to whisper before disappearing with the darkness. Ethra slumped down to the floor, ignoring the discomfort on her wings, and grasped her shoulders as she shuddered. For a while, nothing else happened, except for a name that left her lips. "Azrael..." --- After an hour of running, boosted by mana, Cavaron arrived at the edge of Kalbata Forest. He was about to enter the forest when a chill ran down his spine, making him release Mana Pulse on instinct. ''Nothing?'' He hasn''t detected anything out of the ordinary aside from the flora and fauna of the forest. However, he trusted his past experiences and pulled out his swords while loading them with Mana Blades as a precaution. After doing so, he proceeded to advance towards the earthen house. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. In just a few minutes, he reached the clearing where the earthen house was erected. Avani noticed the arrival of Cavaron but immediately.became alarmed at his drawn weapons. "Child, is something the matter?" She asked him. Cavaron was constantly emitting Mana Pulse at regular intervals, and this was felt by Tirta since she also emerged from the forest with a worried expression. Without looking at the two elementals, "Did anything happen while I was gone?" he asked them. Avani and Tirta looked at each other then back at Cavaron, "Nope, nothing much, Cavvy." Tirta answered. Cavaron waited for a while longer before diffusing the Mana Blades and sheathing his swords. Avani, being a motherly elemental, couldn''t help but inquire, "Did something bad happen? Should I increase the golems?" Cavaron glanced at her, "Hm, might just be me, but... I can''t get this bad feeling off my chest. Yeah, increase security a bit just to make sure that nothing''s wrong." Avani silently summoned four more golems. This time, instead of wood, they were made of solid rock, and were more robust and powerful standing at a height of 7 feet tall. She decided to use these instead of the wood golems since it was rare for her to see Cavaron so alarmed. Tirta, having no abilities similar to golem making, stood there in silence and left it to Avani not without looking at Cavaron with worry. Cavaron released another Mana Pulse outside of the regular interval just to be safe, suddenly summoned the blood and mana swords, "Aimi! Get down here now!" and cried. Right after he cried out for Aimi, a fireball smashed against the roof of the earthen house. The fireball burnt the roof black and was able to destroy.a.part of it. Aimi ran out of the house screaming and bumped into Avani who caught her. The Azursa, Aomi, emerged from the forest upon hearing Aimi''s scream and ran all the way up to her shoulders. Seeing that Aimi got out, Cavaron ripped open space, pulled out a shortbow and a quiver of arrows, and gave them to Aimi. Aimi panicked upon receiving the shortbow and quiver, and asked out loud, "What''s happening!?" Cavaron''s, whose focus was at their surroundings, answered without looking, "Combat Crash Course!" with a loud voice, "Time to see how you handle these abrupt situations. Never mind your magic proficiency for now, and just remember the time with the golems!" Cavaron kept releasing Mana Pulse and noticed the growing number of enemies in the 1 kilometer radius. "Shit! What the fuck is Gulfried doing!? I can detect over 7000 unnatural entities in the area!" The good thing about Mana Pulse was its range, the bad thing was it cannot pinpoint the locations. 5000 plus in a 1 kilometer radius, one cannot know if they were on the ground, underground, or in the air. Cavaron also used Mana Sight to look for them. Aimi, hearing the amount and seeing the actions of Cavaron, slumped to the ground. "I don''t want to die!" making Cavaron bellow, "You will not die! None of my juniors have died, and you will not become the first one!" Tears were already falling from Aimi''s face. Burkhard had already deployed Aegis in anticipation of any attack. Tirta suddenly appeared with a Water Whip, and Avani summoned an additional golem together with the four wood golems and four rock golems. This final golem was different, it was dark green in color and exhuded an aura of absolute power. It was also bigger than the rock golems at 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide. Cavaron saw this and revealed a smirk, "Heh, Avani, why don''t you give me some Adamantium just to enhance some of my equipment? That thing''s hard to find yet you can create it on the spot." Avani replied with a frown, "Unless you want me to run out of mana, then sure, why not?" and said so sarcastically. Cavaron spun his mana blade and said back to her, "Why not? We''re on a mana well, abuse it to your heart''s content!" Adamantium, a fantastical material sought out by many. Be it blacksmiths, magesmiths, alchemists, or scholars, such a precious material can be easily made by the Lady of the Earth, Avani, with the right conditions. After a few more minutes, Cavaron finally caught sight of the enemy. "Azuals." Cavaron voiced out his discovery, "Enemies all around us, 360 degrees. Not even sure if there are underground nor are there in the skies. Maintain high alert at all times!" With his command, it became the signal for the Azual in the forest to attack. "Kill all who stand in the way of our road to supremacy!" An Azual cried out. Dozens of hybrids brandishing crude weapons and deadly body parts charged forth and immediately clashed with Avani''s golems. The wood golems all took on the form of the tailed golem that Aimi sparred with last, and used their agility to target the slower Azual. Tirta used her abilities to slow down the faster Azuals with her Water Whip and Avani''s melded magic, Swamp Field, leaving them to be easy pickings for the stronger rock golems. The gigantic adamantium golem smashed through the enemy formation and wreaked havoc whether by stomping, kicking, grabbing, and flinging. At the moment, the Azual in the forest were unable to penetrate the wall of golems. That is, until the airborne Azual arrived and started to launch magical attacks down below. "Damn! Incoming airborne assault!" Cavaron yelled as he launched one Mana Blade projectile after another dropping the intended targets. However, the sheer number of Azual on the ground and in the air divided Cavaron''s group into two. ''I don''t mind being the one on the offensive, but I really hate being forced on the defensive.'' Cavaron thought about the current situation, and noticed Aimi''s lack of action, "Aimi! Fight back, why don''t you!?" Aimi shuddered on the ground as she looked at Cavaron, "I-I-I..." and stuttered. This forced Cavaron to retreat back beside her, "If you don''t fight back, chances are, you won''t live to see another day!" and shout at her face, "I experienced the same things as you. I also wasn''t able to fight, but when I realized that enemies like these don''t care, I changed my views and fought back! If the enemy before you only sees your death, then make sure as hell that they won''t see it happen! Now, get up and fight!" ----------------- Adamantium. Free adamantium. Wasn''t expecting this chapter to turn out like it did. The wonders of writing~ The angel of death descends. Chapter 43 The human capital of Yanbaka, Solpera. A century ago, when they lost Regasol from the Wrath of Gods, the remaining humans moved their capital to the northwestern territories, which is now northern Yanbaka. Solpera is a mere shadow of Regasol''s former glory. Settled within the vast Northern Plains and the edge of the mountainous Frostlands, it houses around 3 million humans, together with migrated angels and demons. With a part of the city on the plains, agriculture is able to support the population properly. The other part on the Frostlands, having access to mountains, mining and metallurgy are prime industries. Solpera is shaped like a circle, with rings of walls separating districts and areas, and spanning over 6000 square kilometers. The central area is not the imperial keep but a massive golden spire that spirals all the way to a height of 650 meters, has a diameter of 100 meters, and seems to have 50 or so floors judging from the windows. Surrounding the spire was a ravine so deep that one cannot see the bottom, making it only accessible via the eight bridges that were 20 meters long. Beyond that was a wall that separated the tower from the imperial administrative district that spreads outwards for 3 kilometers until it reaches another wall. The imperial administrative district was further divided into three areas. If one was to view Solpera from above, the area in the 1 to 4''o clock positions housed the ministers of Yanbaka as well as the diplomats of Palu''Angit and Pyo''ah. The 5 to 8''o clock positions housed the military of Yanbaka, from the rank and file to the generals. Finally, the 9 to 12''o clock positions contained the imperial keep. The imperial keep followed the shape of its area and was only had two storeys at most. Beyond the imperial administrative district, residential areas, commercial areas, industrial areas, and agricultural areas are scattered all over. Currently, the central administrative district is in chaos. "Three hundred Azuals have gotten past Eregal Fortress!" "Lord! Four hundred flying Azuals have been spotted near Holphere City!" "Give me a damn horse now!" "Sire! Two hundred subterranean Azuals have caused the Kirlion Bridge to collapse!" "A runner just arrived and reported 2000 Azual heading south!" "Shit! What in blazes is happening!?" Soldiers and ministers are running around all over the place. Hundreds of reports suddenly flooded Solpera from all over Yanbaka. At the moment, Gulfried is within the military area barking out orders to each group. "64th Cavalry, head down to Firdo City! 87th Marksman Brigade, support Hern Fortress! 12th Magic Corps, go with the 55th Cavalry and the 152nd Artillery to reinforce Yulon City! Wyverns, hit and run!" An out of breath knight ran up behind Gulfried to deliver another report, "Lord! We found out where the Azuals are headed!" Gulfried spun out of control to face the knight, "Speak!" One can hear the stress within his voice. Thousands of Azual suddenly appearing within their borders. One would definitely panic upon encountering such a situation. "Lord! The Azual are headed towards Kalbata Forest, 122 kilometers to the south!" The knight replied almost losing his cool. Gulfried''s eyes went wide. He immediately knew the Azuals target, "Shit! Rescind all previous orders! All branches are to head down to Kalbata Forest!" and reissued new orders as he cursed forgetting his nobility as the emperor. "Those whoreson dogs plan to eliminate the champion!" Gulfried then whistled and raised a hand into the air. A while after, a wyvern appeared and landed next to him. "I really have to thank Esserot for giving me Draleka." It seems that the wyvern came from the demons. "Deliver the information to the coalition forces! I will immediately head out with the others! All the rest, defend the area! Hyah!" After another stream of orders, Gulfried and his wyvern took flight, followed by 300 other wyvern riders as well as an army of 40,000 magi and soldiers. --- Kalbata Forest. "Get up and fight!" Cavaron shouted at Aimi. The girl''s strength practically left her body, and she was completely different from the girl who performed well in training. Then again, training and real life situations are leagues different. One may not lose their life with any mistake in training, yet a mistake in a real combat situation will most likely cost one''s life. This is the truth Aimi is currently experiencing. Less than a week of training and she was immediately forced to bite the bullet. With another Mana Pulse, Cavaron''s face turned ugly, "Shit! 25 thousand!? How the actual fuck!?" 25 thousand Azuals suddenly made their way within the 1 kilometer radius. "Gulfried, if this is your carelessness, I will damn you just as your great grandfather damned himself!" He turned back to the shivering girl next to him, his face filled with fury, "Live or die? Choose." and left to take care of the attacking Azuals. Burkhard was standing next to Aimi, although contracted to Cavaron, "Lady Aimi, my Aegis will keep you safe from outside attacks. You are free to attack from within my barrier." he couldn''t help it but provide support to Aimi just like how his former owner was. "Please fight, I wouldn''t want to see any of his students die under his tutelage. Fight, support, contribute in this endeavor, and live to see another day." It took Aimi a long while to muster her will. During that while, attacks pelted the Aegis fruitlessly, some Azual even got through and assaulted the Aegis. Cavaron was busy launching one Mana Blade projectile after another dropping the airborne Azual like flies. Avani and Tirta were busy controlling the enemies on the ground with the golems and melded magic. Cavaron released another Mana Pulse, "Oh for the love of... God fucking dammit!" and immediately cursed drawing everybody''s attention. Cavaron suddenly ripped space and poured out a pile of items, "Damn! No, no, not this one, nope. Goddamn! I''m out!?" Cavaron frantically searched for a certain item. ''Fuck! Was that my last bottle!? Oh hell!'' His thoughts brought him back to a certain event, ''Damn out of Dragon Blood!'' the fight against the undead. "Cavaron! The earth is eroding!" Avani suddenly yelled. She felt destruction beneath the earth, "Subterranean enemies!" This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. This time, Cavaron''s face was filled with absolute fury, "This is the third time I''ve met a careless empire." He turned towards the rest, "I just detected 70 thousand with the last pulse. Aimi, no need to do anything for now, I''m pissed off. Avani, Tirta... <>." Right after Cavaron said Release, Avani''s and Tirta''s body glowed with power. Different from the contract ending Dismissal, it seems the whatever Release was probably meant a release of a lock seeing the sudden and powerful fluctuations of mana surrounding the two elementals. "Burkhard, Absolute Aegis. Time for the girls to let loose." Green light enveloped Avani, shining ever so brightly until the light transformed into vestments that exhuded absolute power. Tirta was the same with blue light dancing wildly around her body suddenly transforming her into a goddess. "Avatar, Terra." "Avatar, Aqua." Voice and demeanor different from the earlier Avani and Tirta left their lips. Avani became Terra, the Avatar of the Earth while Tirta became Aqua, Avatar of the Water. Avatars are highest Tier in Cavaron''s elemental contracts able to call forth godlike magic only at the price of huge mana consumption. The nearby Azual also halted their attacks as they felt the two elementals obtain absolute power. Currently, Cavaron has called forth Avani and Tirta but, he also has other contracts. Even Culverin and Shamira have Avatars, these also include the other elements of Ice, Thunder, Wind, and Darkness. Cavaron unsummoned his blood and mana swords, unsheathed his short swords, and stabbed them both to the ground, "Avani, Tirta. Go nuts." Receiving freedom, Avani waved a hand. Particles of green light blurred from her hand. Immediately after the earth shook and tore open, "Rapture." With a single word, hundreds of Azual were swallowed by the earth. The subterranean Azual were unable to do anything as well, "Compress." as they were crushed by the earth around them. The cries of the Azual that died filled the forest, and chills ran down the spines of all unaccustomed to it. Tirta raised both of her hands, "Deluge." and again, with a single word, the moisture in the air and the pockets of water in the forest erupted around them as it began to drown even more Azuals. The Azuals underground and those in the forest were wiped out by the hundreds. Those in the air were immediately stricken with fear and tried to flee but were suddenly caught up in a storm of water bullets, "Typhoon." Tirta produced a powerful torrent of rain, and each drop was powerful enough to pierce flesh. Aimi sat in her place. Shock, awe, fear. Three emotions buffeted her mind from Avani and Tirta''s show of force. Avani raised a hand once more, "Upheaval." With one more word, the earth on the ground shot up and pierced the flying Azuals. Opening her lips once more, "Shrapnel." and the earth lances exploded, eliminating more flying Azuals. This time, to take care of the of the others in the forest, Avani and Tirta held hands, "Mud Wave." and uttered two words. Earth and water melded with each other, a huge torrent of mud appeared around them, rose, and devoured everything that remained in the forest. With Mud Wave, the attacks of the Azuals ceased, prompting Cavaron to use Mana Pulse to see the results. "Out of the 70 thousand attacking, you took out around 30 thousand." Such a number would be unimaginable if one relied on what can be seen. One must take note that not all of the Azual were visible. Many were hidden amongst the trees in the forest, and even more were hidden underground. For the flying Azuals, some are likely to have escaped. However, Cavaron''s expression hasn''t changed. The remaining 40 thousand were still in the vicinity, and had no idea if they stood in place or were still advancing. The only way to find out was to either let them come within range or meet them head on. "Everyone, prepare to head out." Cavaron decided to meet them head on, "We''re wiping them out. Avani, do you detect any movement?" and asked the glowing elemental. Avani turned to face the north, "I am detecting vibrations towards the north. Little by little, the vibrations are getting closer." Cavaron nodded and enhanced his body with mana. "Let''s go." Upon his command, Cavaron shot off towards the north, followed by the elementals. Aimi was left behind to watch the house. --- Somewhere north of Kalbata Forest, Gulfried and his army were rushing down south. Gulfried was in the air looking towards the direction of Kalbata Forest. After a while, he was able to spot the forest''s edge and directed his wyvern to drop altitude. Upon getting closer, he saw the hordes of Azuals bearing down on the forest by the thousands. Alarmed, he dove back to the marching army on the ground to issue orders, "Men! The Azuals are in sight! Move faster and eliminate our enemies!" Suddenly, earth and water exploded from within Kalbata Forest. The earth tore open while a flood suddenly appeared. A storm manifested and the earth pierced the heavens. After that, the earth rose and devoured a huge area of the forest. Seeing this, Gulfried was reminded of their history, the way how the earth itself took revenge upon its inhabitants flooded his mind. "Dammit! Wyverns, with me!" With a shout, Gulfried charged down with 300 other Wyvern riders towards the forest. With their speed, it would only take them a minute to arrive. Closer and closer, Gulfried and the other wyvern riders approached the forest, "Evade!" only to have Gulfried''s eyes go wide as an attack shot forth from the forest and order evasive maneuvers. Gulfried and his wyvern crashed down to the ground, and a man shot past the trees about to deliver an attack filled with bloodlust, "AAAAHHHHHHH!!!" the man howled as he charged towards Gulfried only for the same man to be surprised, "Halt!" and gave an order to the two people behind him that eventually appeared. "Gulfried, what the hell!?" It was Cavaron. --------------------- Cavaron needs to level up his Mana Pulse proficiency to differentiate friends from foes but no, only games can do that. Chapter 44 Two rewrites and one revision for this chapter. ------------------- "Gulfried, what the hell!?" Cavaron yelled as he rushed towards the giant human. Gulfried got up and realized that Cavaron nearly killed him, and was about to say his name, "Cava-buh!" only to have his face receive Cavaron''s fist sending him flying more than ten meters. The soldiers with Gulfried were baffled at Cavaron''s strength as Gulfried''s large body flew from a punch even while wearing heavy armor. However, even with such a powerful punch, Gulfried''s face only bled, nothing on his face was broken aside from a bleeding nose. Cavaron leapt and landed on Gulfried, grabbed the collar area of his armor, and lifted him like a weightless feather, "How the hell did 30 thousand get past your borders!?" A furious Cavaron yelled, "Even your great grandfather wouldn''t allow such carelessness!" Bloodshot eyes stared at the human emperor. Gulfried could only stare stupidly at the man who easily lifted his body. Over the horizon towards the northeast, a group was approaching. It held the colors of the coalition army as it flew. Sky Knights, and demons with flying mounts. Cavaron dropped Gulfried to the ground and welcomed the incoming reinforcements. Although the word "welcomed" was used, the moment a Sky Knight landed, Cavaron grabbed hold of the poor soul by the neck, "Ethra! Where is she!?" and demanded an answer. The Sky Knight could only shiver from the strength Cavaron used. The other soldiers were alarmed from his actions and unsheathed their weapons only to be hindered as the earth formed a barricade barring their path. Avani, who was nearby, immediately used her magic. Gulfried also panicked, "All forces, stand down!" and issued an order. The coalition forces were hesitant but seeing the human emperor with unusual pleading eyes, they eventually followed the order. "WHERE. IS. ETHRA!?" Cavaron bellowed, a volume higher. His voice shook the Sky Knight in his hands and struggled to speak, "Her... Her Majesty... is in... the Sky Tower." and was released after giving an answer. Cavaron faced the two elementals at the forest''s edge, "Avani, Tirta. <> then bring the others over." and gave orders, "We''ll be having a state visit. Oh, bring the Byblos as well. That thing won''t enter my inventory being a god level artifact." The two elementals reverted to their original forms, and headed back to the mana well. Gulfried raised a brow when Cavaron mentioned the Byblos, "How did you get that? Did Ethra give it to you?" and asked a question. It seems that Ethra didn''t mention to the other two her intention of lending Cavaron the Byblos. Cavaron faced Gulfried and, without answering the question, said, "I hope you have enough mounts to bring us to the Sky Tower." with a still furious expression. Gulfried unconsciously swallowed his saliva upon locking eyes with Cavaron, and nodded as he faced a squadron of wyvern riders. "Attend to Cavaron and his companions. Escort them to the Sky Tower." The chosen squadron could only accept the order out of fear from being potentially killed by either Cavaron or Gulfried. Immediately after the elementals have fetched the others, Cavaron dismissed Avani and Tirta, leaving only Burkhard for Aimi''s protection. The Azursa, Aomi, was clutching onto Aimi''s shoulders, and the Byblos was put in a bag that Cavaron produced and gave to Aimi. After that, Cavaron and Aimi rode a wyvern, and headed towards the Sky Tower on the floating continent of Palu''Angit that floats above Edeortha at an altitude of 3~4 kilometers. If it were on lower altitudes, the wyverns are likely to arrive at their destination in less than an hour. However, since they will be climbing altitude, the wyverns have to take in factors such as gravity and thinness of air as they go higher making the usual time for such a distance double or triple. ... .. . --- Flashback. It has been five weeks since Aisha found me and took care of me. The past few days have been peaceful. The black thing on my chest, only a small dot remained, yet I still can''t use my mana. I asked Aisha about it but she couldn''t give an answer. Being unable to do anything, I just accepted fate. On the plus side, although I can''t use my mana, my stamina''s back, and I decided to help Aisha with her chores. Right now, I''m chopping some firewood from a felled tree at the edge of the forest. By the way, now that I''m able to move on my own, I tried to leave the place but, as though powerful magic had been placed in this area, I always arrive back to the meadow where Aisha lived. I mentioned this to Aisha, and she decided to come with me. Trying to go through the forest with her ended with the same result, we ended up at the meadow. Aisha''s face was filled with wonder, while I had a face filled with frustration. "I''ve been here with mother since my birth. I''m sorry I can''t feel what you feel." She told me with a frown. Realizing she noticed my expression, I just smiled and patted her head. Head patting became a habit for me, for some reason. Aisha just embraced me. Well, at the very least, the forest also had its own inhabitants, big and ferocious, and small and fluffy. This past five weeks, my bewilderment turned to gratitude. Then, from gratitude, it turned to affection. It made me realize the goodness of one''s purity, with the absence of ideals, and being isolated from society. In these few weeks, I became part of her world. Although she had books, most were blank making me wonder about them while some were her and her mother''s journals about the surroundings. I asked her about the blank books, and she apologized a lot. Apparently, the books needed to be fed with mana to display the information stored within. The method piqued my curiosity, and I asked how to create them. She couldn''t answer since she had no idea how to do so. Since I can''t use my mana, Aisha offered to feed the books using her own mana. I accepted, of course. The books were filled with information from different fields, how she got them was a question I wanted to ask but didn''t bother since I might receive the same answer as before, "Mother only provided them to me." As for the books themselves, one had information on how to have agriculture using what can be found in the forest, another had information regarding the nearby bodies of water and what can be found in them. There was also a cookbook mixed in that had recipes that used the surroundings for ingredients. With Aisha''s mana, I read the books with her, and we were somehow able to bond through it. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It even came to the point where she would be with me aside from reading a book. Sometimes, she would spend time with me in silence, just being with each other''s presence as time goes on by. These past weeks have been good, have been peaceful. The only time when I felt peace outside of the chaos that the gods of fate put me through. That said, I wondered why and how I haven''t been resummoned once since then. I thought it could be interference by the "barrier" in the forest or this black thing on my chest is doing something about it. Either way, a break this long is a welcomed occasion for me. Anyway, after chopping some firewood, I brought the logs to the log stack next to the house, and headed for the bath. Looking at the sky, it''s almost noon, and by this time, Aisha had already prepared the bath for me. Entering the house, I noticed that the kitchen door was open and was able to take in the aroma of food. As usual, I couldn''t find the scent of red meat, and found the scents of fruit and fish. Passing by the door, "I''m done with the firewood!" I told her. Without turning away from the stove, she replied, "Thanks! If you want to bathe, it''s ready!" Thanking her for her effort, I went to the bath. When I was crippled, Aisha took care of my hygiene by washing my body with a wet cloth. Now that I am able to move on my own, she let me use the bath for bathing. There were also times when she entered while I was bathing. It surprised me yet she didn''t even feel the least bit of embarrassment and even came to join me. The bath, by the way, is a large tub made from stone. She or her mother must have made it with magic since it was made so smoothly that one cannot find a crack. It was also cylindrical with a diameter of 1.5 meters and had a depth of 6 decimeters making it big for me alone. Yes, there were times when we bathed together. No sexual advances, though it became hard, I overcame it through sheer force of will. This repeated for a few days until I got used to it to the point that she even invites me. However, since it''s noon right now, I''m bathing alone. After washing my body for ten minutes, I decided to soak in the tub until Aisha calls for lunch. Half an hour later, the door opens, "Cavaron, lunch is ready." and Aisha calls me over. I get out of the tub, dry myself, and put on a new set of clean clothes that was in a basket. Afterwards, I let the tub drain through a hole in a wall, and I left for the kitchen. Arriving at the kitchen, I sat down on the seat nearest to the door. Today''s lunch wasn''t any different from usual. A bowl of salad, two apples, a bunch of berries, and a piece of grilled fish for both of us. The fish, by the way, looked like sea fish that were lost in a river. One was as big as both my arms! It was called a Boa Fish. The first time I encountered this fish, I asked Aisha how she caught it, "I used my magic to trap and bind them." she replied. Seeing its size, one could imagine its muscle strength, and the burden of catching it without aid. Even though the menu wasn''t different, I can taste subtle differences in the food today from the food yesterday. Yesterday, the salad had apple juice in it, giving off a sweet aroma. Now, it had some lightly grilled pieces of fish. Right before we took a bite, Aisha had a habit of giving thanks, "Gratitude be given to these who were once living so we may continue to live. Gratitude be given to Edeortha for this harvest before us." and said with clasped hands. I don''t usually give thanks during meals but Aisha forced me to join her in doing so when I ate my fill after receiving it saying, "Food should not be taken for granted. To eat may be human, but to prepare the food, there lies divinity." These days continued on for a long time and, quite frankly, I enjoyed it. --- Sun Empire capital, Regasol. Aldric Asonar was together with a group of magi performing another summoning of a champion. However, this time they added a supplement for the mana crystals to aid in the summoning. Prisoners of war. Lying atop the 9 pointed star formation, surrounded by 9 tall mana crystals, were a group of five captured angels with their wings torn off, and four captured demons with their scales, claws, horns, and other defining features removed. All of them were alive but unconscious. Looking at the eyes of the humans around them, one would think that these humans were monsters themselves. However, such are the atrocities of war. With a wave of Aldric''s arm, the magi began the ritual. However, instead of a flashy and crackling atmosphere, it was dark and bloodcurdling. The sacrifices that were unconscious tore open their eyes and their mouths as red lightning penetrated into every orifice of their body. Bloodcurdling screams rang out from the summoning circle as each sacrifice disintegrated and produced a blood red crystal that shot towards each of the mana crystals. The scene was so brutal that there were some of the magi that vomited at the sight, wondering what in the world they have done. If the other angels and demons saw this, the two would most likely enact retribution more brutal than what was done. With the final sacrifice that has been disintegrated, and whatever those blood red crystals were having been absorbed by the mana crystals, the mana crystals themselves turned red as well and redirected all power to the center of the circle. When the power of all nine crystals met at the center, red light exploded, and the crystals shattered sending their shrapnel to the surrounding magi who eventually died as well. Afterwards, the light and crystals imploded back to the center and created a gate. From this gate, a person stepped through. "That was delicious. Who do you want me to kill?" Chapter 45 Sorry for the delay, Aisha gave me a hard time. On the other hand, the writer''s block forced me to revise some parts of the ending (the absolute ending of this entire story) as they were too... mindf*cking. It also had me think of the next story that I will probably be submitting here. Anywho, have a chapter. ------------------------------ "Who do you want me to kill?" A young man stepped through the bloody gate. He had white hair and red eyes that shined like rubies. His body was lean and athletic, and appeared to focus on dexterity and agility rather than strength. He wore a black vest with multiple leather straps wrapped around it, and a pair of leather pants that had a layer of steel scales over the thighs and shins. It didn''t appear that he had a weapon with him or that he didn''t use weapons. However, one thing is for sure, this young man had an incredible amount of bloodlust leak out of his body. Aldric was taken aback from the young man''s aura, was unsure whether this person they summoned had the qualities of being a hero, and began to doubt the additions they put together for the ritual. The young man before him just stood there, scanning his surroundings, and eventually locked gazes with him making him flinch. The eyes of the young man was an abyss so deep that Aldric instinctively felt fear. Suddenly, as though to break the silence, a knight on horseback charged in and got off next to Aldric. "Sire! The demons have summoned a gigantic demon into their side!" the knight reported with bated breath, "The angels have also wiped out the 3rd and 5th Shadow Divisions to prevent a leak from their intentions to take Central Edeortha leaving only the 6th Shadow Division to deliver the report." Hearing this, the young man revealed a grin, "Demons? Angels? That''s new. Are they my enemies?" and approached Aldric. Everybody suddenly felt chills down their spines. Aldric''s voice was lost to the air that surrounded them. The young man stopped a meter away from Aldric, even the messenger knight became stiff. Aldric mustered all of his will to speak, "Y... Yes. This... This world of ours is called Edeortha, and the angels and demons are humanity''s enemies." Aldric unconsciously swallowed his saliva after speaking. The young man brought a hand to his chin and stroked it, "Interesting. Tell me more... no... tell me EVERYTHING." Upon the last word, the young man spread his arms wide, the air around his hands began fluctuating, and with a bright flash of black light, a massive scythe appeared. "You summoned me to kill, and kill I shall. I suppose I should introduce myself." The young man laughed with absolute insanity, "My namesake is that of the angel of death, Azrael." ... .. . --- The dark spire upon a dormant volcano. Demons of many kinds gathered at the base of the volcano''s shaft. Within the shaft was a wide area where they stood. Right in the middle of the demons was the pool of bubbling magma that had a radius of 30 meters. High above this gathering was a balcony where a four-armed behemoth stood looking down all of them. "Brothers and sisters of the Earth! The time for the coming of our Father has come!" The behemoth bellowed, "The time when the Earth rules Edeortha supreme is nigh!" With its speech, all of the demons below him cheered and applauded. After that all of the demons faced a cave that opened below the balcony. Soon, lines of humans and angels bound in chains were brought out. Men, women, children, and the elderly, all were bound in chains. Around 42 prisoners were brought out, and placed around the magma pool. The heat of the magma made many of the children and elderly cry in pain, and were silenced with a kick to the head. There were those who tried to fight back but had their limbs broken in the process. Having their limbs broken meant that they were needed alive for whatever reason. After all of the prisoners have been placed around the magma pool, a group of 13 demonic shamans stepped forward surrounding the prisoners. This group then looked at the behemoth to receive the order. The behemoth above them gave a firm nod, and the shamans began chanting with inaudible whispers as the flames surrounded their bodies. Little by little, their voices became louder and clearer, and soon the flames around them exploded as they engulfed the prisoners as sacrifices. The magma pool, as though it was alive, erupted as well and poured over the 42 sacrifices. The extreme heat caused by the magma was so much that no cries were heard from the angels and humans that were sacrificed. Eventually, the magma receded bringing over the 42 charred bodies into the pool. The shamans continued their chant as they lost themselves in it. Soon, the earth around them shook powerfully almost making the.balcony above become loose as rocks fell into the magma pool. Finally, with a final cry from the shamans, the magma pool absorbed all of their magic, and a roar was heard and echoed. No later than the last echo disappearing, a fist shot forth from the magma pool. The fist slammed onto the earth, pulling its owner above the magma, and another hand emerged to support the rest of the body. A giant emerged from the magma, towering over 40 meters and had a pitch black obsidian body. The giant had four horns that grew out of the sides of its head, with two curving to the back, and the other two going around like a crown. Whenever it opened its mouth, smoke came out perpetually. The behemoth on the balcony stood face to face with the giant, "Hahahaha! Father has risen!" and shouted with all four arms held high. The giant looked upon the behemoth and spoke, "I, your father, Pyo''ah, answers the call of his children. Speak, my child. Tell this father of yours your wish." the voice was loud and deep. The behemoth then knelt before Pyo''ah, "Your humble child, Larkus Frezon, seeks thy help in eradicating our enemies once and for all." and announced his wish, "For a thousand years, thou hast slept, regaining thy power. In accordance with the promise a millennium ago, we have awakened thee." Pyo''ah raised a hand, grabbed the behemoth, "And in accordance with the promise, your sacrifice shall seal it." and ate it. The behemoth did nothing nor resist as it freely offered itself to be consumed by their father. Without even chewing the behemoth, Pyo''ah swallowed the behemoth. Raising his head to roar, he spotted something looking down from the rim of the volcano''s crater. Pyo''ah then shouted, "Human spies! Kill them!!!" The humans upon the rim panicked and scrambled to avoid the demonic hunters. "Report this to his Imperial Majesty! We will try to hold them back! Go!!" A human spy shouted to another spy. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ... .. . --- After lunch, I went outside again with my short swords. I had to practice again after getting back my stamina after being incapacitated for so long. More than a month of being bedridden took a toll on my performance. Even though my life with Aisha has been peaceful, I was suddenly reminded by the words of my mentor, "The time when you feel the safest is the most dangerous time. Never drop your guard." Aisha even came to watch me practice as she sat on a rock nearby. "You just took a bath, now you want to sweat some more?" She asked me. Twirling my swords as I faced her, "It''s so I have a reason to bathe with you later." and replied with a laugh. Aisha just smiled at my response, and watched me practice my forms. Well, to be honest, I was imagining an enemy before me. I would rather summon one of my spirit contracts to cast an illusion on me instead, but for some goddamn reason, I can''t use any fucking mana! Okay, got a little too heated there. It sucks being dependent on mana especially if it was the reason I lived for so long. Anyway, I''m imagining myself against my mentor as he was the only person I haven''t defeated before he left this world. Ah, right. My mentor wasn''t part of this business. He was an ordinary magic warrior that introduced me to martial magic and blade dancing. I imagined my mentor a few meters away from me holding the same equipment as I have on me. Without any wasted seconds, I dashed forward planning to clash head on. The image in my mind dashed forward as well to meet me except one of his blades was in a reverse grip. This image says that he plans to spin as soon as we collide. Then again, since I''m just using my imagination, the effects aren''t that good. At least, I still very well remember his battle prowess and abilities. Upon clashing, my image of him swung a sword down as he began to spin like a meat grinder. I parried his first sword while delivering a shoulder charge to cancel his spin, but I was an idiot. I lost my balance and fell forward. Aisha stood from the rock she was sitting on and ran to my side, "Are you alright!?" Sitting upright, I laughed at my blunder as I replied to her, "Sorry, forgot that I was just using my imagination." She looked worriedly at me, "Who did you imagine fighting?" I looked up to the sky before replying, "My mentor, and my second father." Aisha stood up and raised her hands. Wondering what she was about to do, I just sat there and watched her. I felt some mana fluctuate around her, and the earth in front of her rose and became humanoid. With a flick of her wrist, the humanoid earth began to move. It was a golem! She looked at me after creating the golem, "Maybe you should practice with this, at least it will be more effective." The golem before her turned to me and suddenly bowed. Then, it retreated a few steps back, and took a fist fighting stance. I stared dumbfoundedly at Aisha for a while, and she just smiled back, before I stood up, dusted myself, and reoriented myself for a mock battle. Now, since this will be the first time I''m fighting against Aisha''s golem, I need to be wary for any surprises. Just as I was thinking so, the olem threw a rock at me, it threw a rock! What am I? Some sort of monster in a safari!? I evaded then glared at Aisha. Smilingly, she replied to my glare, "The golems we create have some semblance of intelligence." By "we", I''m guessing her and her mother. I looked at the golem again and I see fist sized rocks revolving around its body. What the hell!? I stared at Aisha alarmingly and she just smiled at me! What did I do!? Crap! The golem launched four rocks at me simultaneously. No, not " throw", but they were rock bullets! The speed exceeded that of an ordinary throw. It took my all to dodge four shots. The golem then charged at me with speeds that defy the material it was made from. Suddenly, an earthen spear formed in its hand while having its other hand continuously shoot rock bullets at me. I managed to deflect and reflect some of the.rock bullets back to it, and every time I did, my hands became numb from the power. I feel like deflecting those Terran .50 caliber bullets with my swords. If not for the special materials and techniques used to create this pair, a few shots could shatter my swords. Having no access to mana to supplement my performance, I gritted my teeth and charged in. The golem met my attack head on and even deflected my attacks with inhuman precision. Using the momentum from being deflected, I spun around once an delivered a roundhouse kick to its head. I was able to knock it away by a few feet because of my current strength. Glancing sideways, I noticed that Aisha seemed to be enjoying what she''s seeing before her. Is it the suspense? Or is it the fact that I''m having a hard time? This is revelation for me. The golem stood up once more, dispersed the revolving rock bullets, shortened the spear to the length of a short sword, and created a hammer with its other hand. Now it''s dual-wielding a short sword and a hammer. I don''t mind the sword, but that hammer will hurt. It charged again towards me, and I planned on evading its attack. However, right before it reached me, the golem crumbled to dust. Looking at it like an idiot, I turned to face Aisha as she began walking to me. "It''s gotten dark." She said to me as she looked at the sky. I also turned my head up to see the moon. Was I fighting that long? I hadn''t noticed. I was sure it only felt like a few hours at most. Aisha grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the house, then led me to the bath. Oh, well, okay then. Looks like she looked forward to bathing with me so we proceeded to undress and enter the tub. I will omit the rest and leave it to your imagination. After bathing, we proceeded to have dinner, and after dinner, we went to bed. These nights will most likely repeat for a while longer. Well then, time for me to turn in for the night. ... .. . --- As Cavaron slept, the night flew by peacefully. However, there was someone at the door to his room. This person approached the sleeping Cavaron as though one was floating in the air. It was Aisha. "It would appear that the time has come." Aisha whispered without waking Cavaron up, "As a child of fate, forgive us for the pain you will endure." Aisha bent down and brought her face to Cavaron''s. Her hands gently caressed his cheeks as she went forward to give him a kiss. Cavaron stirred for a while, but went back to sleep after muttering a name, "Aisha..." Aisha heard him call her, yet tears fell down her cheeks. "I''m sorry. I have a part to play, and I hope that you forgive us." Aisha floated back out of his room and quietly closed the door. Chapter 46 I want to shove a vacuum cleaner up my sinuses and down my bronchial tube while taking a bath in the Arctic Circle just to force my body temperature to go down. Oh, I finished this chapter two days ago before getting a fever. I was supposed to post this then but being lethargic said otherwise. I still have a fever, around 37.9 C, so next chap will be at least five days from now. I just need another two days of medicine being shoved into every orifice of my body. Have a chapter. ------------------------------------ Present day. Cavaron and his companions were being escorted by a squadron of Sun Wyvern Riders towards the Sky Tower of Palu''Angit. At the moment, they are halfway towards their destination and can more or less see the edge of the floating continent. The earth materials of Palu''Angit are similar to the rocks found down below. How the continent floats is still a mystery that boggles the minds of Edeortha''s renowned scholars. Aimi, who was seated behind Cavaron, was unconscious. It would appear that partway through, she was unable to cope with the extreme height. The Azursa, Aomi, was squeezed in between Cavaron and Aimi, and was shivering most likely due to the extreme temperature difference instead because her head was stretching outwards looking down below with a happy expression. Cavaron, during the way up, has calmed himself down and not a trace of his earlier fury could be seen. When the other riders noticed this, they secretly let out a sigh of relief. The fury shown by Cavaron made a lot of soldiers tense especially since quite a lot have witnessed his capability when he was summoned with Aimi. One could think that these witnesses may have already spread the news to the others within their ranks. An hour later, they have arrived at Palu''Angit''s borders and were met with its garrison. When the Sky Knights saw the colors of the riders, they immediately let them through, and immediately sent a light signal to the other garrisons regarding their visit. Over the distance, light signals also flashed, and transmitted the message towards the middle of the continent where the capital, Asora, stood. Without rest, the wyverns beat their wings all the way to the capital where the Sky Tower was. For a long while, a scenery of mountains passed by as they flew. Occasionally, they would spot small towns and villages that dotted the continent, and even spot some of the monsters that were native in the region. Within a hilly forest down below, dragon-like creatures raised their heads to look at the squadron. Some of them even tried to launch fireballs only to be countered by Cavaron''s Mana Blade projectiles resulting in severed heads and tails. Cavaron had a look of regret thinking that he could have harvested them if the current situation wasn''t pressing enough. After an hour and a half, the squadron finally saw the multitude of towers that signified the capital, Asora. The capital garrison had already received the news of a squadron of Sun Wyvern Riders headed towards their direction, and the squadron paused mid-air as a Sky Knight wearing armor that was far more decorative than the others flew out to meet them. "Welcome, friends, to Asora. I am Sky Legion Commander, Akash. What business do you have here?" Akash introduced himself to the squadron. Cavaron urged his wyvern to go up front to meet with Akash. "Akash Sloivat, fancy meeting you here. Still remember me?" Akash looked dumbfoundedly at Cavaron, who seems to have met him before, and racked his brains for such a memory in the past. "A hundred years have passed and you have now become a Legion Commander yet the Captain who turned tail and fled from seeing me go berserk has forgotten me. Was the experience of losing twelve legions too traumatic?" Cavaron spoke once more, this time earning the stares of the other riders and Sky Knights around them. Akash then remembered a long forgotten memory buried deep in his mind as his face turned into absolute terror, and his wings nearly gave out making Cavaron clutch his wrist in order for him not to plummet down to the ground. "Easy, I''m an enemy no longer. I need to see your Queen, Ethra Devai." Akash nodded silently, and turned while signaling to follow him. Cavaron told the other riders to take a break and feel free to to go back to Solpera before he urged his wyvern to follow Akash. The other Sky Knights escorted Cavaron to the Sky Tower. It only took them a few minutes to reach the center of Asora where the Sky Tower stood. Reaching their destination, Akash led Cavaron to the landing area where riders may leave their mounts. The landing area was wide enough to accommodate around 2000 two-passenger mounts, 1000 five-passenger mounts, or 200 20-passenger mounts. The 20-passenger mounts were large insects with a hollow shell for the passengers, and large flying dragons with carriages attached to their backs or hanging below them. Akash had Cavaron land in a heavily guarded area filled with Sky Knights and coalition soldiers. It would appear to be some sort of VIP landing zone from the amount of guards, and the people who enter and leave the area. Urging his mount to land, Cavaron and Aimi disembarked the wyvern and left it to the guards. After that, they followed Akash into the Sky Tower. The Sky Tower is divided into three areas. The Lower Area, the Middle Area, and the Upper Area. The lower area is where the diplomats and foreign dignitaries stay, and has stairs that lead to the Middle Area where most of the public events were held. The Upper Area was reserved for the Queen and her private guards thus the absence of stairs. If someone without wings were to enter the Upper Area, one needed magic, powerful jumping abilities, or a grappling hook to scale the tower but not without being watched by multitudes of elite Sky Knights that patrol the Upper Area. The guards within the Lower Area saw Akash escorting Cavaron, and gave way towards the Middle Area. The diplomats and other foreign visitors wondered what was going on to warrant an escort of the capital''s Legion Commander. However, it would seem that quite a lot of them were aged enough to recognize who the one being escorted was as many of them, especially the aged demons, shirked away from the sight. Cavaron looked around and waved to the aged demons with a smile which nearly gave the eldest a heart attack making the younger generations wonder who the hell Cavaron was to turn even the most powerful officials meek at the sight of him. After climbing a flight of stairs, they arrived at a large gate that led to the audience hall where the queen meets with the public. There was also another Sky Knight wearing the same armor as Akash who came forward to greet them. "Akash, brother, who is this that is worthy to be escorted by you?" The other Sky Knight, who was a woman, asked but was surprised by what Akash did. Akash covered the Sky Knight''s mouth and said, "Ashe, sister, take care of the words that leave your lips. This man you ask of is Cavaron, he requests an audience with Her Majesty." Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Ashe''s eyes went wide and shivered when she glanced at Cavaron. Cavaron noticed her glance and smiled back at her yet, for some reason, her face turned red. Akash didn''t notice his sister''s reaction and spoke once more, "Ashe, are you listening? He requests an audience with Her Majesty." Ashe snapped out of her daze and looked at her brother before stepping back to nod. She faced the other guards with her to open the gate and allow entry to the hall. Ashe went to a nearby servant and delivered a request to inform Ethra. The servant left, and a few minutes later, returned to Ashe saying, "Her Majesty wants the visitors to go up the Upper Area." Surprising the siblings. Akash stayed behind as Ashe was left to lead the others higher up to the Upper Area. Behind the audience hall was the shaft that leads to the upper area. Ashe turned to Cavaron and Aimi, "D-Do you need help going up?" and stuttered a question. Cavaron pointed to Aimi and answered, "She can''t fly. I can just jump." Ashe nodded and went behind Aimi, "Ma''am, I will be lifting you, okay?" Aimi was about to say something only to be brought up along the shaft. The Azursa, Aomi, was clinging onto Aimi''s waist as they flew. Cavaron concentrated mana into his legs as he crouched down and jumped. He followed Ashe all the way to their destination, about seven floors up. On the eighth floor of the Upper Area, Cavaron and company was greeted by a squad of heavily armed guards. Ashe waved them away to open a path, and the door to wherever Ethra was was opened. Ashe led Cavaron and the others inside while a servant received them. Looking at the servant, it would seem that he is unarmed but Cavaron felt strong fluctuations of mana around the said servant signifying strong magical power. Just as the Sky Knights were heavily armed, the Upper Area servants seem to be a force of their own. The servant led Cavaron deeper into a hall where at the other end of a 10 meter long corridor was a door with extravagant designs. The servant stepped aside and bowed while pointing to the door before leaving. Cavaron nodded to the servant and turned to Aimi, "Give me the Byblos." Aimi pulled out the artifact from the bag with her and gave it to Cavaron. After receiving the Byblos, Cavaron pushed open the door to what must be Ethra''s room. Inside was a large 9 meter long, 12 meter wide, and 4 meter high room. At the other end was a large bed for one person with a deep depression probably for the wings. To the right was a vanity room and a bath, and to the left was a balcony and a four-person table. At the balcony, a beautiful winged woman was seated on the edge, looking far into the horizon. It was Ethra. Hearing the opening of the door, she turned to see Cavaron, Aimi, and Aomi with the Byblos in Cavaron''s hand. Ethra left the balcony to receive them, "Welcome, Cavaron, Lady Aoyama. Please, have a seat." and directed them to the table nearby. Seated, Cavaron spoke up, "Ethra, have you heard that 30,000 Azuals penetrated Yanbaka''s borders? The Byblos showed no signs of anything leading to that event." and asked a question. Ethra listened and had her head down, "So it has begun." as she answered. Cavaron raised a brow at her response and was about to ask why before shouts and screams erupted from below. Alarmed, Cavaron ran to the balcony and used Mana Sight to see below. Hordes upon hordes of Azuals flooded the city of Asora. This time, they numbered more than what he saw back in Kalbata Forest. Aimi sat in her seat shivering at the events and just grasped her shoulders. Ethra walked to the balcony and stood.next to Cavaron as she, too, looked down to watch the chaos down below. Cavaron noticed something on Ethra''s face, it was lifeless. Ethra lost her previous beauty to a face that lost hope. "Ethra, if you know something, you better tell me now." Cavaron looked at her, losing his calm, and almost shouting at her. Ethra emotionlessly faced him and moved her lips. "What?" Cavaron asked again as he didn''t catch it. Again, Ethra moved her lips, this time with a voice, "... back..." Cavaron stared at the queen as he tried to catch whatever it was she just said. Ethra, with a lost gaze, met eye to eye with Cavaron, "He''s back. Azrael is back." Cavaron''s eyes went wide, "How? He should have died! I destroyed his soul!" and shouted in disbelief. One must remember that Cavaron had the ability to destroy souls, and a destroyed soul has no hope of resurrection nor reincarnation. Cavaron leapt onto the balcony''s edge as he stared down below. Over half a kilometer from the base of the Sky Tower, falling from such a height would mean death. Cavaron raised a hand, and concentrated a large amount of mana into the air, "Spirits of the beasts, I call upon thee to aid your master in his endeavor! Claws in hand, stone clutched to thine breast, master of beast and fang! Beast Lord Halrimaw!!" and called for a summon. Immediately after, the clouds gathered and a loud roar was heard. From the clouds a large humanoid that had a head that seemed to be a cross of a wild cat and a wolf, a torso of a human, legs of a dragon, arms of a bear, and wings of a mighty eagle appeared. "Beast Lord Halrimaw answers my master''s call! Hahaha!" Halrimaw gave out a hearty laugh with a deep voice. He flew right before Cavaron and spoke once more, "I smell a variety of wonderful beasts down below. I also see chaos, hahaha! This will be a good hunt!" Cavaron looked at the boisterous contract, "I''m starting to think twice about summoning you. You look just like the enemy." Halrimaw was taken aback, "The great Me looks like those halfwits? I am appalled, master! I am more regal and powerful than those fools, nor do they have the ability to command hordes of beasts like I can!" Cavaron just shook his head, "Eh, whatever. Just take care of those who look like you. Have fun controlling the mounts down below, there should be around 12 dragons there." Halrimaw let out another hearty laugh before plunging down into the fray. Cavaron turned to Aimi after seeing Halrimaw off, "Aimi, I don''t expect too much from you. Stay here with Ethra since it''s safer here. If you want to help, snipe from the balcony. Well, I''m off." With a farewell, Cavaron jumped down from the balcony down to the chaotic city below. "How do the Japs say it again? I should have asked Aimi first..." Cavaron was thinking of something as he plummeted down, "Ah, I remember now..." "BANZAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!" Cavaron cried as he drew his swords, and spread them out like wings. -------------- Ooh... Navigation update? Kewl. Chapter 47 Well then, my fever went away earlier than expected but I still have a clogged sinus, and a phlegm-filled bronchial tube. I see vocaloid gave criticisms over the first three chapters. Thanks for that especially since I did say on the synopsis that I will be fixing the first 16 chapters and, probably, some others that may need fixing. Anyway, have a chapter. -------------------------------- "BANZAAAAAIIIII!!!!!!" Cavaron plummeted from a height of over 500 meters down to the surface of Asora. Using Mana Blades, he launched projectiles of them towards the Azuals within his range. Two by two, Azuals fell as they got severed by the Mana Blades. When he was nearing the ground, he used his cape to direct himself towards a large mass of Azuals, and concentrated a huge amount of mana around his body. No more than a minute later, the targeted group of Azuals spotted him and attacked with their own magic. Light shows of Fire, Ice, and Thunder exploded in the air in an attempt to take out Cavaron. However, with the speed of his fall, unless he meets the attack head on, none have connected. With the mana around his body reaching a near critical stage due to having the air around him become hazy, he crashed right in the middle of the mass of Azuals, and the mana around him exploded, sending out a massive shockwave that blew away many Azuals, and destroyed some structures. Luckily, there weren''t any friendlies nearby. When the dust settled, Cavaron was already standing with his blood and mana swords, "Hey there, uglies. Let''s dance!" and gave out a provocation which the Azuals promptly received as the nearest ones brandished their weapons, and attacked. With a bang, Cavaron propelled towards the nearest Azual that looked like a mix of a lion, a wolf, an angel, and a dragon, and was wielding a halberd twice its size. With a swing of his arm and a flick of his wrist, the blood sword severed the Azuals wrist and fed from the blood. Seeing that the rise in power was sufficient, Cavaron delivered a Mana Blade attack with his blood sword towards the Azual that dropped the halberd severing it from the head down to the legs. As the enemy fell, Cavaron executed a body spin, and lodged the mana sword inside a massive clawed Azual. The mana sword, having been fed with his own mana, cleanly cut through the clawed Azual''s arms. This time, the other Azuals attacked together instead of one by one in hopes of overwhelming Cavaron. Such an action was futile as Cavaron''s specialty as a blade dancer lied in being in the middle of a group of enemies. Supplementing his body with mana, Cavaron became faster and stronger as he sliced and diced the incoming Azuals like a meat grinder dancing the blades of death. Meanwhile, as Cavaron made himself busy with his group of Azuals, his contract was also busy with his own group. "Hahaha! Come, my children! Let the hunt begin!" With a hearty laugh followed by a loud roar of commands, Halrimaw roused the idling mounts inside the landing area at the base of the Sky Tower. When the Azuals saw him, they first ignored him thinking that he was one of their own since Halrimaw looked no different from them. This also attracted enmity from the Sky Knights and coalition forces who thought the same. It changed, however, when Halrimaw ignored the attacks from the garrison of Asora, and delivered a mighty swipe at a group of three Azuals and turned their heads into meat paste. With such an atrocious attack, the Azuals focused on Halrimaw, and the garrison was momentarily stunned. "Hahaha! The Great Me is in the employ of the Master, Cavaron! Come, you plebeians, come at me and die!" Halrimaw roared with provocations. A short while later, the earth shook, and numerous roars were heard. Looking towards the source, a stampede of dragons and large insects made its way through the battlefield resulting in chaos that was worse then before. A large dragon with a carriage on its back delivered a thunderous body slam at a group of Azuals, flattening them. One of the large insects attacked by spitting green goo from what appeared to be its mouth at another group of Azuals. The green goo was acidic as it melted the ones that got hit. Right after the large beasts have arrived, a large shadow covered the battlefield. Numerous flying mounts, wyverns, griffins, eagles, and the like covered the sky, and delivered their own hit and run attacks. The wyverns, with their powerful jaws and tails, took bites out of the Azuals or bound them with their tails as they flew high up to drop them. The avian type mounts did the same with their powerful claws as they tore through flesh or carried them to a sufficient height to drop. Halrimaw flew up with to the sky, "Hahaha! Go, my children! Feed upon our prey!" and gave a satisfied laugh as his own body transformed into a gigantic beast that was 8 meters high and 12 meters long. "ROOOOAAAAARR!!!" A roar erupted from his maw as he became chimeric behemoth. Halrimaw smashed against another group of Azuals together with the other beasts as they delivered a beastly pandemonium upon their enemies. The garrison did nothing but watch as monsters eradicated monsters. Back at Cavaron''s, the number of enemies have gone down to less than half, and many of the surviving Azuals have decided to flee only for Cavaron to catch up and eliminate them. Suddenly, another large shadow covered the battlefield. Cavaron looked towards the source of the shadow as he smashed a head, it was a group of flying Azuals. "Halrimaw! Give me some flying beasts to cover my-!!" Turning to his summon, Cavaron requested Halrimaw for some reinforcements, "Damn, he''s drunk!" only to find him having too much fun. As he was busy on the ground, his attention will be split into two if he takes care of the flying Azuals. However, just as the first flying Azual was about to make contact, an arrow pierced the head of the said Azual. Cavaron looked towards the arrow''s source with his Mana Sight as it was too far. He saw Aimi on the balcony with a longbow in hand, and a sniveling face. Despite her expression, her skill with the bow was top-notch to have hit a moving target from a distance of over 500 meters with an ordinary eye. The other flying Azuals noticed her and redirected their attention at Aimi. Aimi panicked when the flock came closer, but forced herself to calm down as she spotted some Sky Knights led by Ashe fly out to meet them. One by one, Aimi nocked and launched an arrow towards the flock of Azuals. Some arrows pierced the enemies'' heads while many pierced the torsos or the limbs but none of her arrows missed nor hit the Sky Knights. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. When she hit an armored flying Azual, she thought of Cavaron''s Mana Blades and sought to try out imbuing mana on her arrows. First, she tried to cover the entire arrow with her mana and attack. It took a toll on her due to the consumption but it was powerful enough to pierce the armor. "Lady Aimi, how about imbuing the arrowhead instead of the entire body?" An aged voice rang out from her surroundings. It was the Aegis Spirit, Burkhard. He was using Absolute Aegis as shell of light was surrounding Aimi. A flying Azual came within range and delivered a fireball against Aimi only to be blocked by Burkhard''s Aegis, part of the balcony was destroyed, though. The Azual flew mid-air dumbfoundedly at Burkhard''s Aegis, and Aimi followed Burkhard''s suggestion with a counter attack. Imbuing mana onto the arrowhead, the consumption was lower and, after delivering the attack, gave the same result as it pierced the armor. Nocking another arrow, a thought flashed through Aimi''s mind, ''If it can pierce armor, maybe...'' She imbued the arrowhead once more with mana only, this time, putting more mana that made the air around the arrowhead shudder and become hazy. Seeing that it couldn''t hold out anymore, she released the arrow. As it flew and hit the targeted Azual, the arrow pierced through it and hit another two Azuals below it before detonating into a small blast that knocked away the other flying Azuals. Surprised by the results, she repeated the overcharged arrowheads for another five attacks before getting out of breath. With her attacks, she effectively took out 34 flying Azuals, and had the others be left to Ashe. Cavaron was watching Aimi''s fight as his group of Azuals was already wiped out. He was surprised, at first, when flying Azuals rained from the sky dead around him, and heard the exploding mana arrowheads above him. Standing with his arms crossed while looking up, he had a smile on his face. It would appear that he was satisfied with Aimi''s performance. Suddenly, he felt powerful mana fluctuations to the east. Concerned, he dashed towards the nearest tower and climbed up. Upon reaching the top, he used Mana Sight and looked towards the east, his eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped. A massive group of flying Azuals blocked the horizon. He turned around and looked for Halrimaw, and found his summon feasting upon the flesh of fallen Azuals together with a horde of beasts. He immediately ran towards Halrimaw''s direction and, upon arrival, jumped onto the chimeric behemoth''s head. "Halrimaw! More food to the east!" Cavaron yelled into Halrimaw''s ear. "Rrr?" Halrimaw''s beast form didn''t seem to allow human speech, but looked towards the east, and took in a deep breath. Halrimaw''s eyes changed, "ROOOAAARRR!!!" and gave a mighty roar rousing the other beasts. Halrimaw and his horde flew high up to the sky, scanned the east side, found the flying Azuals, and charged towards them. A horde of flying beasts versus a group of flying Azuals erupted in the air. Leaving the reinforcing flying Azuals to Halrimaw''s horde, Cavaron went to a nearby Sky Knight, "Do you have a stock of Mana Crystals?" and asked a question. The Sky Knight he asked pointed him towards a certain tower in the middle of the city. Thanking the Sky Knight, Cavaron headed for the said tower. Arriving there, he found the area and all of the buildings deserted. He went inside the tower and found out it was a storage area for Mana Crystals. There was a myriad of crystals of different sizes and qualities. Using his Mana Sight, he searched for the best crystal inside. He found a crystal similar to his own size, and was glowing brightly thanks to his ability. Approaching it, Cavaron opened his mouth and took a bite out of the crystal! Although he didn''t bite a chunk off completely, his mouth was stuck onto it as he made sucking noise. If another person had Mana Sight, one would see that the glow of the crystal became dimmer as time passed. It would seem that he was sucking the mana like a vampire that sucks out blood. After the mana crystal had lost its light, Cavaron separated from the crystal and wiped his.mouth, "Good thing nobody''s here with me. Awkward but more effective than stabbing myself with the crystal or taking my time absorbing the mana." Cavaron seems to have many ways of absorbing mana from a variety of sources with some that may look at him in a strange light. "Would be nice if there were candy forms of these, but the most I''ve found were inefficient potions." He grumbled as he rubbed his temple. Seeing that he has recovered enough mana, he left the storage area, left the crystal with his bite mark, and headed back to the Sky Tower. As Cavaron ran through the streets of the city, "Master, help..." an aged voice resounded in his mind. Burkhard sent out a telepathic message to him. Alarmed by the fact that Burkhard, the Aegis Spirit, sent out a cry for help, Cavaron amplified the mana in his legs to propel him further and faster. Suddenly, the upper parts of the Sky Tower became enveloped with a dark energy. Cavaron stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw the dark energy. "No way..." He recognized what the dark energy was as it was similar to a dancing flame. "Dark Fate...!?" ------------------------- Yummy crystals. What flavor, though? Chapter 48 Regarding clichs, since quite a lot have PM''d me about it, it is subjective. It would be more proper if you, my dear readers, would familiarize yourselves with TROPES. Here are two links that may help you: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Cliche http://www.adamheine.com/2011/06/tropes-vs-cliches.html?m=1 And so, we can never avoid clichs as they are tropes themselves, only overused to the point that you''ve seen them in practically EVERYTHING you''ve read. ---------------------- "Shit!" Cavaron double timed towards the Sky Tower while maintaining telepathic contact with Burkhard, "What''s happening up there!?" The Dark Fate flames have completely engulfed the Upper Area of the Sky Tower. Around the area, the Sky Knights and coalition forces were in a state of panic as many knew that the Sky Queen, Ethra, was in the Upper Area. Each step Cavaron made as he dashed, a small crater was left behind from the sheer force that propelled him. "Master... I can''t hold on for much longer..." Burkhard strugglingly spoke in Cavaron''s mind. "Burkhard! Have Aimi jump off the balcony, now!" Cavaron mentally cried at his contract. While running, he looked towards the east, and found Halrimaw''s horde finishing off then stragglers from the decimated Azual reinforcements. He unsheathed one of his swords, used Mana Blade, and launched a projectile towards Halrimaw. The Mana Blade projectile cut through Halrimaw''s fur, making him flinch, and turn towards Cavaron. Having gotten the Beast Lord''s attention, Cavaron gestured to Halrimaw to come over. The gigantic chimeric behemoth followed the order after turning back to his humanoid form. "Master, you nearly killed the Great Me!" Halrimaw roared as he arrived next to Cavaron. Without looking back at his contract, "Not now, problem up in the air." This made Halrimaw look up to the sky, and found the Dark Fate flames making the Beast Lord go, "Oh, shit." vastly different from his earlier behavior. As they passed through the city all the way to the base of the Sky Tower, a figure suddenly emerged from the flames and fell down. Cavaron immediately grabbed hold of the Beast Lord beside him, "Catch them, now!" Although bewildered, Halrimaw followed the order and flew high up towards the falling figure. Cavaron realized who it was and thus ordered the one who can fly to catch them. Halrimaw flew fast, faster than all the others who could fly, and was soon able to catch the falling figure. It was Aimi, and Aomi who was being hugged by the girl. Aimi was unconscious but Aomi was crying like mad. Burkhard, however, was nowhere to be found. "Master..." an aged voice spoke in Cavaron''s mind, "Many pardons but I must dismiss myself. I took too much damage." Burkhard willfully dismissed the contract. The Dark Fate flames appeared to be too powerful for even the Aegis Spirit. Cavaron finally arrived at the base of the tower, and Halrimaw landed next to him while carrying the unconscious girl and crying Azursa. Right after, another figure emerged from the flames bathed in the very same dark flames that engulfed the tower. Flying in the sky like a harbinger of the end days, the figure stopped mid air and looked down below. Numerous soldiers turned pale at the sight of the figure, and many cried, "No! Her Majesty!" Ethra Devai, Sky Queen of Palu''Angit, has become corrupted by the Dark Fate flames instead of being devoured like how those who were hit by it should be. Ethra''s earlier beauty was then replaced by a pale face devoid of life as she stared down at the people below. "Cavaron." A voice that was not hers left her lips, "Welcome back to Edeortha. Hahahahaha... I suppose you know who I am, yes?" Cavaron''s expression became furious as he also knew that voice. The voice that reminded him of years long past. The voice that should have gone long ago. "Azrael!!!" Cavaron cried in fury, "You were dead!" Ethra, or Azrael, was still looking down on Cavaron, "Hahaha! I have to thank you! If not for these flames, I would probably am! Yet, I''m not, as you can see!" Azrael laughed manically in Ethra''s body. Pointing a finger at Cavaron, "Let us see if you can avoid killing this wench!" and dived down while wielding a scythe made out of the black flame. Azrael in Ethra''s body flew down at such an astonishing speed that it only took a few seconds to clash with Cavaron. Cavaron received the attack with full power Mana Blades to protect his swords from being eroded by the cursed flame, and upon clashing, a powerful shockwave erupted knocking the others around them away. Halrimaw held Aimi and Aomi with one hand while shielding them with the other, "Graahhh!!" He let out a roar of pain as bits of the black flame were part of the shockwave. The other soldiers that were in the blast radius were also hit by the black flames and screamed in agony as they were being devoured. With a manic grin unbefitting of a beautiful woman, "Come, Cavaron! Use your flames! I know you still have it with you!!!" Azrael in Ethra''s body screamed at Cavaron''s face. Cavaron, in turn, detonated the Mana Blades on his swords hoping to push Azrael away for a while. With a small explosion, Azrael in Ethra''s body was knocked away for a few meters, but since he could fly, it just gave him an advantage and used the momentum to boomerang back for another attack. Suddenly, Azrael in Ethra''s body stumbled for a bit, "Eh? Resisting are we?" Azrael realized that Ethra still had her consciousness intact and tried to break free from his influence. "Naughty bitch!" Azrael raised Ethra''s arm that suddenly held a black dagger, and stabbed her leg, "This will teach you to defy me!" The twitching of the body stopped momentarily only to start again. Ethra''s will was strong. "Damned wench!" While Azrael was busy keeping Ethra''s consciousness down, Cavaron amassed a huge amount of mana on his palm and charged towards the stunned Azrael in Ethra''s body. The speed of his charge was like a bullet leaving the gun as Cavaron arrived right before Azrael in Ethra''s body. Azrael noticed him too late as Ethra''s consciousness kept him busy. Right then and there, Cavaron slammed the huge amount of mana onto Ethra''s abdomen, blasting her body away like a bullet, and slammed her body onto the Sky Tower''s wall with so much force that it knocked her body out. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Moments later, the flames that bathed her body receded, left her body through her right ear, then formed into a humanoid. "Aww, I didn''t expect you could do that. If only that bitch didn''t interfere!" The humanoid flame complained as it crossed its arms while looking at Ethra. The humanoid flame then looked at Cavaron, "Well, what now? Hahaha! I guess I''ll wait around the Scar in my real body. Hey, let''s reenact the war a hundred years ago!" The humanoid flame said happily. Cavaron had only brought out his mana sword while on guard from the Azrael''s humanoid flame. "No need to be on guard so much, hehehe. I''ll just use the Azuals to harass you until you reach me.. or I could go to you directly, how does that sound? Yeah, let''s end this. Once and for all." Azrael''s flame kept on talking and taking without heeding its surroundings. "Well, maybe I''ll just harass you. I''m tired of using this flame. I haven''t even mastered using it, you know!? How did you do it, huh!? How did you control your flame!? ... Never mind, I need to sleep. See you at ground zero, then." Azrael''s flame dissipated after talking for so long. When Cavaron believed that there was no more danger, he went next to Ethra''s body and checked the state of her soul with his Mana Sight. Ethra''s soul was still going strong even though her body was unconscious. Next, he went to Halrimaw to check on his and Aimi''s conditions. The black flames that hit Halrimaw''s body like buckshot from a shotgun disappeared as soon as Azrael''s humanoid flame disappeared. Halrimaw''s arm was riddled with holes that would make any trypophobic have a heart attack. The girl and the Azursa were, fortunately, alive although Aimi was still unconscious. Cavaron inspected his surroundings and found many dead Azuals, half as many dead soldiers, a lot of soldiers whose bodies had eroded due to the flames, and a whole lot more that gave sighs of relief. The city was in better shape than its people, and the flames that engulfed the Upper Area of the Sky Tower left huge gaping holes all over it. Looking over the horizon, Cavaron found that the sun was already setting. Leaving the cleanup to the soldiers, and handing Ethra over to the Legion Commander siblings, Cavaron had Halrimaw bring Aimi into the Lower Area where a room was prepared for them but Halrimaw had to stay behind halfway since his width wouldn''t let him fit through the doorways making Cavaron carry the sleeping girl instead for the remainder. Halrimaw decided to "bunk" with the other mounts as he felt more at peace with beasts being a Beast Lord himself. Cavaron arrived and entered the room given to them. It was a two-person dormitory rather than a mere room. It had a small dining area, a kitchen, a small bath, a vanity room, and two beds. It didn''t have any windows, and the only source of light was a large chunk of Luminite hanging from the ceiling 4 meters above them. Cavaron lay Aimi on a bed and removed her clothes. Next, he went to the bath, and pulled out a basin and cloth from his inventory to be filled with water. The clothes Aimi was wearing were put in a basket he also produced and placed at a corner of the bath. After filling the basin with enough water, he returned to the beds to find Aimi wake up and find herself naked. At first, Aimi was in a daze while trying to recall what happened, then she saw Cavaron with a basin and a cloth looking at her. Afterwards, she felt a slight breeze, and looked down to see her exposed and sweaty body. From a daze, her face turned to shock. From shock, she turned her head towards Cavaron like a rusted knob, and focused on the basin and cloth in his hands. From there, her face turned pink then became red, and eventually becoming bright crimson while having her sight become hazy. Instead of screaming, she fell unconscious once more from the shock. Cavaron watched everything happen in a minute, and just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head as he proceeded to wash Aimi''s body. After having washed Aimi''s body, Cavaron produced another set of clothes for her, and dressed her with casual wear. Making sure that Aimi was comfortable, he looked around for the Azursa in the room. Unable to find the little beast, he vaguely remembered seeing the Azursa lying on top of Halrimaw''s head. Figuring that it would be good to just leave it with him, he went to the kitchen to cook food for Aimi. After cooking the food, he left the plates on a table with a note that said, "I''ll be back." Cavaron left the room and also left the Sky Tower. He immediately headed north towards a certain mountain 12 kilometers away. Arriving at the base of the mountain, he activated his Mana Sight and went around the mountain looking for something. After five minutes of searching, he found faint threads of mana floating in the air. He followed the mana thread only to realize he was going the wrong way as it faded instead. Backtracking, he followed the opposite direction of the threads of mana, and soon found it getting thicker with each step. Finally, having reached the end, he found a large fountain of mana as it was erupting from the ground. It was another mana well. The mana well was actually deep within a ravine that cut through the mountain, and he learned of its location due to the Byblos. Having found a mana well, he sat down and slept as his body absorbed large amounts of mana restoring his own. Before he went to deep slumber, a thought ran across his mind, ''Strange how the Byblos knew of this place but was unable to tell me of Azrael''s fate...'' ------------------------- Aimi''s a 34B. Chapter 49 Your shadow, like the stars, will dissolve into the morning sky and disappear. I have lost your whereabouts, but my thoughts of you are overflowing. My heart was able to face both strength and weakness. As long as I''m with you, I won''t fear tomorrow no matter what it''s like. Please believe in the times when the two of us were walking together. --- Flashback Somewhere in a human territory. A large field army was seen marching through vast plains. The army, from a glance, may have numbered close to half a million soldiers. That is, if one was to only see this one particular army, and ignore the other 374 field armies marching all around it. A mobilization of close to 185 million soldiers was a normal sight in Edeortha if not for the fact that they were being led by their emperor himself. Aldric Asonar was mounted, wearing imperial knight armor, as he led his armies. By his side was a young man with white hair. It was the champion they summoned, Azrael. Azrael was also mounted on a horse but only wore his own equipment. His double scythe nowhere to be found. The reason for this event was due to three days ago. Within the imperial palace of Regasol, Azrael was standing before Aldric. "Aldric, hearing the news regarding the angels and demons, it would be best if we move in immediately and crush them, yeah?" Aldric was about to say something but Azrael spoke once more, "Come on, how many can you commit? I can probably kill around 2 million in an hour on my own." Azrael was boasting about his abilities making Aldric turn doubtful. "You''re doubting me, aren''t you?" Azrael grinned, "Hahaha! That''s normal! I could probably kill more with your help. Hehehe..." Bloodlust permeated the room once more, this time even reaching the other floors as servants in the corridors froze up or dropped whatever they were carrying. Aldric grew accustomed to Azrael''s bloodlust and opened his mouth, "If what you say is true, I have around 500 field armies of 500,000 soldiers each. I can, however, only commit 375 armies, and leave 125 armies for our defense." Hearing the number, Azrael couldn''t help but comment, "Such a large number of soldiers, yet you can''t conquer this world!? I might kill your soldiers instead if they get in my way. How long have you been at war?" Aldric''s composure was unperturbed, "A thousand years, maybe more." Although he had a calm expression, deep in his heart, ''Cavaron said the same thing before. We''ve been warring for so long that it has no longer become a frustration... What is this?'' Azrael stood silently, watching Aldric, before speaking again, "Well? Let''s go out and kill." ... .. . --- Far to the north of Edeortha, vast mountain ranges covered with snow lined up at Edeortha''s edge. Upon the largest mountain, stood many towers that shot up into the clouds. Angels filled these towers as they were their homes. Various angels flew in and out of the towers'' openings carrying a myriad of goods. Within one tower were numerous stalls that displayed a variety of goods. It was a marketplace. Another tower spewed out smoke from what appeared to be a chimney. Looking inside this tower, numerous furnaces were found, and dirty angels were moving about. This sight gives a different feeling from the so-called divine race of Edeortha. At the base of these towers were families of angels that were unable to fly. A look upon these people tells the reason why. Torn or broken wings, deformities, and even angels whose wings were too small to lift their bodies. Even for a race of beautiful beings, one can still find their ugly sides. Yet, even with such ugliness, not all was lost as there was an individual among them tending to their wounds. A young and beautiful angel was with the people at the towers'' bases. "Ah, your Highness!" An injured angel cried out. The young angel turned to the source and revealed the face. It was a young girl. "Come now, let me treat your wounds." The young girl said to the injured angel. She placed her hands upon the injured angel''s back, and golden light appeared. Little by little, the wings on the injured angel''s back began to move once more, and the injured angel took flight. "Ah, thank you! Thank you, Princess Ethra!" The young girl was Ethra Devai, future Queen of the Sky. Ethra smiled at the happy angel, and turned towards the other injured angels. One by one, she restored the flight of those who once lost it. However, she was not all powerful. Many of the flightless, especially the deformed, were unable to receive her grace. Ethra could only apologize to these people, and even hugged their children. "Lady Ethra!" A voice came from above them. Turning to look, Ethra found a Sky Knight flying down to them. Releasing the children, she faced and welcomed the Sky Knight. The Sky Knight bowed before speaking, "Lady Ethra, your father is looking for you." "Alright." Ethra nodded, turned back to the others, "Forgive me for being unable to spend more time with you.", and apologized before leaving with the Sky Knight. When they were far from the face of the mountain, the Sky Knight spoke, "Lady Ethra, why do you still spend time with such trash?" Ethra maintained her composure, although it was clear from how sharp her eyes became that she was angry, "If you, my dear knight, were to have your wings torn off, would you say the same?" Her tone was calm and serene, yet the meaning behind those words were as sharp as a knife that stabbed the Sky Knight. "Pardons, milady." The two of them continued to fly towards the peak of the mountain. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. At the peak of this mountain was a larger tower made out of pearl-like materials, and towered over the rest. This large tower stood at a height of 870 meters, and its top even surpassed the clouds. At its very top was a glowing orb that levitated at the very tip. Ethra and the Sky Knight entered one of the towers many openings, and upon passing through, Ethra was greeted and saluted by a large number of Sky Knights stationed within. Within the area she entered was a large room that could house at least 300 people on the floor, and another 200 who would float above them if not for the grandiose chandeliers hanging from the room''s ceiling 50 meters above. Right across where she entered was a glowing pillar of light that passed through the middle of the room and, quite possibly, the tower itself. Ethra headed towards the pillar of light on her own as the Sky Knight who escorted her back returned to his duties. Ethra flew up, following the pillar of light, up to the next five floors. Each floor she passed by had similar design and architecture but the size became narrower as she went up. Five floors up, she arrived at a room with just a door that was 7 meters high and 4 meters wide, and had two Sky Knights with decorated armor posted on either side. The Sky Knights who saw her saluted immediately, and placed their hands on the door. "Wait." Ethra spoke, telling the two guards to wait for a while. She looked at herself, and cleaned herself up. Satisfied with her appearance, she nodded at the two Sky Knights who then opened the door for her. Past the door was a large hall with nothing but a translucent wall that allows one to see the outside, perhaps through magic, and a throne. A lone angel was standing before then the one, facing it, while holding a book. Ethra swiftly passed through the hall, and was only halfway in when, "Ethra, my child." a male voice came from the lone angel at the throne. The lone angel turned around, and revealed an aged, but still beautiful face. He had shoulder length white hair, and a pair of green eyes. He wore a tunic of white cloth with gold and silver designs, and had a diadem laden with red, blue, and green gemstones the size of a fingernail. He held his arms wide as though to receive Ethra, and came closer to her while still holding the book with his right hand. Ethra met with her father, and the two locked each other with an embrace. "Where have you gone, my child?" Her father asked. Ethra released herself from the embrace and took a sep back, "I was at the city base." She replied. Her father nodded in understanding, "I see. Hmm, a pity that we couldn''t do more than healing the wounded. Even the Byblos in my hand had no answers. The book in his hand was called the Byblos. Her father''s hand was placed on his chin, "Except, if what I''ve read is true, a new era will dawn upon this world." One must remember that the Byblos can provide its reader any information as long as it had happened already. Whatever it was that he had read, it may be enough for him to conclude so. Ethra tilted her head as she heard what her father said and asked, "What do you mean by that, father?" Her father looked at her, and handed her the Byblos, "Here, it would be better for you to find out yourself. Look for the recent events in Regasol and Central Edeortha. Ethra received the Byblos and channeled her mana into it. Following her father''s instructions, she read about Regasol and learned about the summoning of a champion, the summoning of Cavaron. "They summoned an otherworlder!?" Ethra looked shocked towards her father prompting him to tell her to read further. Ethra learned about the plan for intercepting an elder dragon, and even learned that it was a Dark Fate dragon. "How did they get that!? Dark Fate was a thing that only existed from the time of the gods!" Ethra could not hold back her shock from the events. Even further, she followed Cavaron''s journey towards Central Edeortha, "Wait, this location?" Ethra looked at her father, who nodded at her gaze, and her eyes widened in disbelief. She continued reading, from the time Cavaron marched with Regasol''s soldiers and mages, to the time when they ambushed the demon escort, up until to the time Cavaron killed the dragon but was knocked away by the Sky Knight''s fireball. She learned that this squad of Sky Knights was merely patrolling the area when the skirmish happened. When she read up to the time Cavaron got hit by the black flames, and was sent hurtling down the cliff, all information stopped flowing as though he never existed. The next information that appeared was about Aldric summoning another champion. Ethra closed the book, full of sweat, and was shivering. She looked at her father with fearful eyes. Her father took back the Byblos, and held her body close to him to calm her down. "It would appear that what mother said is already happening." He spoke the word "mother" with a voice full of respect, "If it is so, then we must play our... No, my part in it." When he said this, Ethra looked up, filled with tears, "No! Father, if you go, you will die!" and screamed at him. Her father brushed her hair with his hands, "I know, my dear child." He spoke to her with a soft voice, "But if I, Palu''Angit, am to die just to see a new world for yours and the other children''s happiness, then I will gladly carry out my duty." Ethra stayed in his arms silently for a while making Palu''Angit think that she accepted it only for her to break away from him and face him with an expression full of resolution. "If you''re going to mother, then I''m going with you!" -------------------------------------------- This Ethra was around... 14 years old in appearance. Chapter 50 The fiftieth chapter... -------------------------------------------- After Ethra declared her intent to go with her father, a wounded Sky Knight burst into the throne room, "Lord! Pyo''ah is headed towards Central Edeortha, along with 255 million demons!" Palu''Angit''s face turned ugly, "That''s almost half of their entire population. What in the world is Pyo''ah thinking?" However, after he stated the last sentence, another Sky Knight entered the room. This second Sky Knight was wounded far more heavily than the first one, "Lord... The 28th and 33rd Wings were... wiped out by Regasol''s champion..." The second Sky Knight gasped for breath as he painfully reported what happened, "As we speak... Aldric Asonar has... Mobilized almost 200 million soldiers... They are headed towards Central Edeortha... Possibly to meet Pyo''ah..." Palu''Angit furrowed his brows, "Attend to me!" Palu''Angit shouted. Soon, 12 Sky Knights with lavishly decorated armor flew in from the door, "Lord!!!" The 12 Sky Knights saluted. Palu''Angit faced the 12, "What of the 201st through 312th Wings?" and asked. One of the twelve stepped forward, "Lord, all 112 Wings are headed to reinforce our soldiers stationed around the sacred area!" and replied, "At the moment, based on their speed, they should arrive in two days." Palu''Angit raised a hand towards the twelve, "Legion Commanders, the Byblos has shown us events that were in accordance with the prophecy!" and pronounced. The 12 were legion commanders, similar to the Sloivat siblings a century later. Half of them were shocked, while the other half had solemn faces. "Only we of the highest ranks know of the prophecy. Truth be told, I am saddened by the fact that our duty had to prolong this world''s inhabitants'' suffering, but all of these ends now! Peace after a thousand years of going astray, as per our duty since long ago, if we are to die, then die we shall with pride!" The Legion Commanders looked down, most were clenching their fists. Whatever the prophecy was, it was a hard pill to swallow. Palu''Angit lowered his hand, "Visit your families if you must. Cherish the few moments you have left with them." spoke solemnly, and dismissed the twelve. Watching the backs of the twelve leave the throne room, "Sacrifices are always a must, aren''t they, father?" Ethra muttered. Palu''Angit naturally heard it as he was right next to her, "Sacrifices, be it lives, endeavors, money... we sacrifice anything to get what we want but to have what is needed, we must sacrifice it all." Palu''Angit looked at his daughter, "My dear child, is your decision to come with me final?" Ethra stared at the door for a while longer. Ethra faced her father, and met his gaze. Palu''Angit was surprised at her eyes filled with absolute certainty. Without even speaking, Palu''Angit understood his daughter''s intentions. "Come, child. Let us prepare to meet mother." --- Somewhere in Southeastern Edeortha, within a demon territory. Hordes upon hordes of beasts, demons, and other monsters covered the land. The vast networks of ravines and canyons that carve through the earth were filed to the brim with these hordes like a river of walking flesh. Various roars could be heard as the heads of mighty dragons towered high above like walking siege towers surrounded by lizardmen. High above them, wyverns of various breeds were seen flying as they were mounted by a myriad of demons. The demons themselves, be it furred, scaled, earthen skinned, and whatnot, all were moving towards the same direction, and were following a tyrannical giant that was leading them. This giant had pitch black skin, and four horns. Two of its horns spread outward, while the other two wrapped around its head like a crown. It was the same giant that the demons summoned from a volcano. Their ''god'', Pyo''ah. Thundering noises resounded as each of his steps shook the earth. The demons around him did not even appear hindered from the shaking earth as they marched forward without rhythm, well, aside from the smaller demons that could be seen bouncing off the ground. Let us go back to a few days ago, a day after Pyo''ah was summoned. At the base of the volcano where Pyo''ah was summoned, large clusters of demons gathered, and all were chanting, "Pyo''ah! Pyo''ah! Great Father of the Earth, Pyo''ah!" The demons, also known as the Earth Kildera, called Pyo''ah their father with arms raised. Pyo''ah was seated upon the volcano''s face as he looked down upon his children. Pyo''ah breathed in, and spoke, "Children of the Earth, lend me your ears!" With these words, the demons below grew silent to listen, "The time of reckoning has come! By my memory, the Sky has the Byblos, and will surely learn of my summoning! With that knowledge in hand, they will surely lead legions of knights against us! However, with my knowledge of that, we shall bring the fight to them!" This time, loud cheers erupted from the demons below, "All hail the Great Father!" Pyo''ah waited for their cheers to die down before speaking once more, "My children! This shall become the war to end all wars! We shall reign supreme!!!" A cheer louder than before erupted as the demons below brandished weapons, and raised their arms, shouting a chant that can shivers down one''s spine. Pyo''ah closed his eyes, and leaned back, ''Demetria, we will meet soon.'' as a thought passed through his mind. --- "Don''t you guys have a goddamned compass?" Azrael whined on horseback, "How the hell do you know which way we are headed?" Currently, he was with the Regasol armies marching towards Central Edeortha. The rider next to him replied, "Compass? What is that, sir? We have only followed the sun and the shadows for directions." Azrael raised a brow at what the rider said, then he slapped his face as though he realized something, ''Damn, forgot that the compass was mostly developed by worlds with maritime civilizations.'' Azrael shook his head. The armies were currently marching through a valley on full alert because just recently, "Archers and magi! Be on guard for Sky Knights! We don''t want another mishap to happen like before! Good thing we have our champion to take care of most of them!" a high ranking officer shouted. A Sky Knight patrol found them, and most ended up dead if not for a few that managed to escape. Azrael was saddled on his horse with arms crossed and eyes closed like he was sleeping on horse back. For a while, nothing barred their path as they passed through the valley. However, just when they felt the safest, danger struck. A deep yet loud rumble came from the valley faces, then a roar erupted as something large burst forth from the earth. "Stone Devourers!" a soldier screamed, as beasts charged through the hole on the valley face. The Stone Devourer was a large beast around 10 meters high, 14 meters long, and 8 meters wide, and appeared like an armadillo with a stony beak. Its legs appeared similar to that of elephants, and its hide was flexible yet as hard as stone. A herd of Stone Devourers appeared before the armies, and suddenly charged towards them. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. The soldiers up front shivered at the sight of 42 Stone Devourers madly charging towards them with reckless abandon. On the side, Azrael still had his arms crossed and eyes closed. The soldiers kept glancing at Azrael, and back to their commanders who were barking out orders towards the magi, "Magi! Flame Spears!" A torrent of fast moving lances of fire flew in an arc towards the Stone Devourers. One stone devourer got hit by a concentrated attack as its beak was blown off, yet its charge was unhindered. Another got hit in the eye, and roared in pain as it tripped and wildly flailed its body. Out of the 42 charging Stone Devourers, 38 were left unscathed. There was a distance of 50 meters left between them, and it was getting shorter by the second. In just less than a minute, they would inevitably clash. Just when the distance was shortened to a mere 10 meters, Azrael waved a hand, and his scythe appeared, "Come to papa, meat!" Azrael disappeared from his horse and reappeared right next to a Stone Devourer before disappearing again towards the next one. Just before he disappeared from the second Stone Devourer, the head of the first Stone devourer fell off, and its body slumped and crashed towards the ground. Ten seconds. It only took Azrael to lop off the heads of 38 Stone devourers. He casually walked towards the four remaining injured Stone Devourers, and slowly sunk the blade of his scythe down their necks. The beasts felt the blade inch slowly through their flesh until they died. Azrael turned back towards the armies, "Well? Are these things delicious?" and had the beasts be added to their food stores before continuing their march. --- It has been around six weeks by now since Aisha rescued me. As usual, the days went on by peacefully. At the moment, I''m fighting against her golems to keep myself in shape because even now, I can''t use my mana. The black thing on my chest was completely gone but I''m pretty sure it did something to my mana. I mean, Aisha could still use her magic in the area, and I could still have a faint feeling of mana around me but not as much back when I could manipulate it. Back to the golems, yes golemS. With an ''S'' at the end. What''s more, apparently, Aisha doesn''t just have mastery over earth type magic, but also fire, ice, and wind. At the moment, I''m fighting against the earth type golem, a fire type golem, and an ice type golem. The earth type golem, I have already mentioned before. The fire type was actually a mix of earth and fire, magma probably. It''s a golem of melded magic. I understood since fire on its own is technically just plasma, you know, the things they teach in Terran schools: solids, liquids, gases, and plasmas. I wonder if I could get Bronte to work with a steel golem for his thunder. Ah, Bronte is an elemental contract of mine, he''s one of the many thunder gods. Anyway, the fire... no, magma golem looks similar to the earth golem if not for the red glowing veins on its body that occasionally spurt out red hot flames every time it moved. One of the attacks it utilizes is a flaming hammer, similar to what another contract of the same element of mine uses for material attacks and sometimes bathes it in flames. Another is that the magma golem could make balls of fire revolve around its body to either protect itself or to launch at an enemy. Frankly, it''s annoying, especially since I can''t augment my body with mana to boost my agility. As for my dexterity, the ice golem becomes my nemesis. The ice golem''s body was made out of sharp shards of ice that could maim a person if one is not careful. This one uses a spear to attack, and also uses the same revolving balls, er... shards of ice for protection or for long range attacks. Now, if we add together the earth golem, that makes me go against earth bullets, fire balls, and ice shards. Because of this three on one situation, suppressive fire from two of them distracts me while the other one closes in to attack. I''ve been through hell and back when I was still under my mentor the first time I was summoned but this, this was worse. Back then, I was a newbie going up against a master level magic warrior but now, my 700 or so something years of battle experience amounted to almost nothing against Aisha''s golems. This made me realize something, I''ve been too dependent on my magic. Even when I visited SciTech worlds, I relied on my magic. Now that I can''t manipulate my mana, I''m no different from ordinary warriors. Such huge mana stores unable to be utilized due to my current condition. It would be nice if we could measure mana capacities with numbers, but reality''s a bitch. My unused mana could quite possibly summon at least half my contracts right now, and even one summon takes a chunk out of my mana. Yet here I am, fighting against three golems with just my muscle power and stamina. Speaking of which, it seems Aisha uses this training as a reason to get in the bath with me. I noticed after the second time that whenever night falls during training, she would lead me to the bath herself. It''s already at that level, isn''t it? Yeah? Yeah? ... I don''t know. AAAAGH! I should stop thinking about it. Over 700 years, huh... -------------------------------------------- Let''s see, ten human years is one angel year, seven human years is one demon year. So, Ethra should be around 140 years old here, and 240 years old later. Azrael: P.Atk: A M.Atk: C Agi: A+ Dex: B+ P.Def: D+ M.Def: D Cavaron: P.Atk: B- M.Atk: A Agi: B Dex: A- P.Def: B- M.Def: C Now, who''s Demetria? :D Chapter 51 How do thread views work? Average views don''t really cut it for me. It gives me a false interpretation of a fic''s popularity. Sometimes, I even wonder if bots or spiders (search engine web crawlers) count to the views. Do repeated views even count, or do they log the IP of the viewer? Another thing, does viewing one thread count towards the other threads? I can average out 400~700 views on my threads so I refuse to believe the first chapters received 4000+ views. Anyway, have a chapter. -------------------------------------------- Present day. The night has passed and Cavaron awoke from his sleep on the mana well within the ravine. Slowly opening his eyes, he was greeted by the small amount of sunlight that peeked through the crack in the earth. He stood up and checked his body while manipulating the mana he recovered, ''Hmm, still not enough.'' and thought, ''I need more than this if I am to fight against Azrael.'' With a wave of his hand, he tore open space and pulled out a myriad of items from his inventory. Segregating the pile of items on the ground, there were bottles of unknown liquids, empty bottles, boxes of unknown contents, scrolls, pieces of paper, books, magazines, some sort of accessories, a bundle of sticks, a bag of gems, some crystals, some cubes that looked like the converter he introduced to Aimi, and a game console. Finally separating each item from one another, he went over the bottles of unknown liquids, ''Blood Poison... Blood Tonic... Spirit Salve... Mango Juice... Diluted Sapphire Worms... Harpy Saliva... Dragon Urine... Hmm, nothing useful.'' From seemingly useful items to downright weird concoctions. He then took a box and opened it, "I still have this?" The contents of the first box he opened was a pill. A single green pill. "Better than nothing." He said as he put the pill in an empty bottle, and tossed it inside a rip in space. Next, he opened another box and found a ring. The ring had engravings on it, and was glowing a soft blue light. "Been a while since I''ve seen this. I wonder..." He removed his left gauntlet and wore the ring on his index finger. The ring fit perfectly, and the previously soft glow became a bit brighter before disappearing. Cavaron produced a small ball of mana and played around with it for a while before reabsorbing it. Each time he manipulated the mana ball, the ring on his finger suddenly glowed before becoming dark once more. This repeated every time the mana ball moved. ''Good, at least the regeneration ring works as intended.'' He thought as he dispersed the mana ball. This last action made the ring glow again. ''But... It won''t be enough for large scale magic. What else do I have here? Been so long since I''ve used any of these.'' After the pill and the ring, he opened another eight boxes and found nothing too useful. Finished with the boxes, he moved onto the scrolls. He unfurled one and suddenly laughed, "Haha! Why the hell do I have this?" The scroll he unfurled was a wanted poster with his face on it. Looking at the number of zeroes printed onto it, he must have done something very bad to warrant nine zeroes on himself. He tossed the wanted poster back into his inventory with a smile. He unfurled another scroll and raised a brow, "Huh, Ice Wolf? How''d I get this?" Looking back at the pile of scrolls, he picked out the scrolls that looked similar to the Ice Wolf scroll. He found another 22 scrolls and laid them on the ground. "Ice Wolf, Thunder Lizard, Earth... Worm, Water Knight, Fire Cat... Huh, low level summons, familiars. I should give these to Aimi." The scrolls he found seem to allow the users to call for familiars to aid them. He ripped space again and threw the scrolls inside. After the familiar scrolls, he went through the other scrolls, and further segregated them according to use. One pile of scrolls had magic circles and incantations, another had pile had bigger scrolls enough to fit a person when unfurled. Overall, the remaining scrolls were one time use items that covered attack magic, recovery magic, and support magic. Everything was useful, but not to him as he threw them all back into his inventory. He then looked through the pieces of paper and found them to be trash, so he threw them away. The books and magazines held information but not what he needed, and they were returned to the inventory. Next, he arranged the pile of bracelets, necklaces, chokers, rings, bangles, earrings, and belts. One by one, he wore the accessories. The bracelets seem to give him a small boost in magic power but it wasn''t what he wanted since he needed something to cover his mana. The necklaces generated a thin screen of light around him. He launched a mana ball into the air, and manipulated it to smash down onto the screen. When the mana ball hit, the screen shuddered before shattering and breaking the necklace. He frowned at the necklaces performance. "Aimi could use this, though." The chokers had different effects, one gave soothing relief to his throat, another gave turned up his voice to high frequencies that surprised the nearby fauna, and another gave him a feminine voice. "I should keep this last one." He murmured with a female voice. He returned the chokers into his inventory and checked the others. He found three more rings that gave the same mana regeneration effect as the first one, albeit a level lower, but still good enough as he realized that the effects stacked. The bangles gave him varying boosts in agility and dexterity, and the earrings made him look fashionable. The belts gave him a small boost in defense as he felt his skin harden a bit. He smashed his arm on a ravine wall, and felt little to no pain. So far, only the rings satisfied his needs as he wore all four on his left hand. When he was done looking over the accessories, he picked up the bundle of sticks. He pulled out one stick and carefully inspected it. He raised a brow as he can''t remember where and how he got this, ''The hell is this?'' Out of curiosity, he sniffed the stick and his eyes went wide. "Mana incense!? Shit!" Cavaron broke the stick in his hand, "Ah! Dammit. Should have looked for this last night." He rubbed his temple as he returned the bundle of mana incense sticks back to his inventory. "Now, what else?" He looked over to the bag of gems, and poured out its contents. The contents were different from the Luminites and Pyrocites he previously sold for money, "Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, no magic." but were ordinary gems instead, and were thrown back to his inventory. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Next, he went over the crystals. For all of them, he used Mana Sight to see if there was anything inside, "Hmm, empty, empty, empty, nearly empty, empty, cursed, cursed, empty, full!" He exclaimed when he looked at the last crystal. It was fist sized, and had a soft blue glow. He immediately placed it together with the pill from earlier. "Good, that crystal should be enough for three summons." Finally, he took a look at the cubes, his converters that could convert electricity to mana and vice versa. He picked up a small fist sized cube, "Hmm, electricity..." and placed his chin on his fist, ''Thunder magic... Should work but... Should I summon Bronte? Yeah, let''s get him but first...'' Cavaron decided to call on a contract that uses thunder magic, but first, he looked towards the game console. "This thing should give me some ideas." He turned the game console on and loaded a program installed in it. He opened a roleplaying game that followed a group of heroes tasked to, as usual, save the world. ''Would be nice if I had something similar to Megal***r.'' The item he thought of would completely recover his health and mana when used. Sadly, ''But with my mana capacities, I doubt anything could have my mana recover back to the limit.'' nothing that could recover his mana 100% crossed his path, and as such, he was left with sleeping on mana wells or anything similar, aside from taking bites out of large mana crystals. He closed the game console and returned it to his inventory before taking a stance. He raised his arms forward, parallel to the ground, and concentrated a large amount of mana between his palms, "Rolling thunder, roaring bolts! Your heavenly spears shake the very foundation of the earth! Brother of flames, brother of gales, brother of storms and calamities! I call upon you in my time of need, Thunder God, Bronte!" As he chanted, yellow bolts of electricity were generated by his fingertips. What was once a sunny morning became a dark sky a clouds gathered high above. Thunder roared and lightning struck down before him, shattering many of the rocks that were hit by the impact. Dust filled the ravine, and as it settled, a small boy could be seen. "Papa! Bronte came to papa!" The little boy shouted enthusiastically. Cavaron held his breath in order not to breathe in the dust, ''Should not have done it in here, too tight. Eh, well.'' Cavaron still held his arms forward, "Well, how about a hug?" The contract, Bronte, his eyes lit up and leapt forward to Cavaron, and embraced him, "I missed you, papa!" Bronte was a meter tall, had fuzzy red hair, a pair of yellow eyes, and a round face. He wore a yellow tunic with black lightning bolt designs, and a pair of slippers. Cavaron ruffled the little boy''s hair, "Haha, I''m glad to see you." Bronte went back down, looked around, "Papa, this place?" and asked with a worried face. Cavaron smiled as he crouched down before the little boy, "Don''t worry, the past won''t happen again, I swear it." It would seem that the little boy was there a hundred years ago as he felt something familiar even from the mere ravine the two of them were in. Cavaron brought out the converters before Bronte, "Bronte, you know what this is, right?" Bronte nodded enthusiastically, "Uh huh! Uh huh! It''s a converter! It turns electricity into mana!" Cavaron smiled and ruffled Bronte''s hair. "Good boy. I called you here to help me out. I need you to feed your thunder into these to help me recover more mana, okay?" Bronte looked at the cubes before looking back at Cavaron with tears, "Are you fighting someone strong again in this place? You swore!" and pounded on his armor like a frustrated child would. Cavaron held the boy close to him, "Hush now, I am always fighting, but this time, I want to be prepared. Back then, I nearly killed myself. Back then, I wasn''t prepared. The gods of fate must have both cursed and blessed me. Cursed because I have to keep fighting. Blessed because I have people, friends, and comrades like you who worry about me. This time, I plan to fight with all of you. Time for us to put the past where it belongs: in the past." A sniffle escaped Bronte. The small contract should truly love Cavaron to the point of calling him his father. Whatever Cavaron did back then for his contracts, as with Culverin, Avani, Tirta, Burkhard, and Halrimaw, they were enough to warrant absolute love and loyalty. The small Thunder God stepped back, "Okay, papa. I''ll help you." and said with arms stretched out to receive the converters. The converters, in total, numbered to 19 cubes. Originally, he had 20 but gave one to Aimi. Cavaron peeked out of the ravine, and saw the location of the sun. Turning back to Bronte, "Come on, I need to get back." and lifted the boy onto his shoulders. Bronte placed the 19 converters inside his.tunic where it passively collected power for Cavaron. He leapt out of the ravine, and ran back towards Asora with the small Thunder God sitting on his shoulders. After running while boosted with mana, the two finally arrived at the gates, and were allowed entry after Cavaron ''persuaded'' the guards to let Bronte enter with him. After that, he ran towards the Sky Tower and nearly tripped because, "KYAAHHH!!!" -------------------------------------------- Speaking of papa, Spoiler : Bronte isn''t the only one to call him ''papa''. There''s another one. Chapter 52 Bricked phones are love, bricked phones are life... Who am I kidding? I temporarily lost my only decent access to the net and tools for more than a week. Anyway, I had to revive my PSP for this. Yes, I still have my PSP because of certain games set to be released this year. Yes, I''m also typing these on my PSP. My phone soft-bricked when I was updating the rom, and the techs told me to wait for two to three weeks because of the queue. Two to three weeks just for reinstalling a ROM!? They replied to me, "There''s a queue, sir. *looks at book* You''re number 1852 for the day, and 5000-something for the past four days." Okay, I''ll wait, since it is still within warranty. On another note, have a ROUGH numerical representation of Cavaron''s stats that I was able to upload before my phone bricked. Please, never forget that he needs mana to be powerful. Have a chapter. (Thank the forums for the Save Draft function... I just need a word counter since I just counted the paragraphs for this.) --------------------------------------- "KYAAAAHH!!!" Cavaron, alarmed by the scream, directed a load of mana into his legs, and dashed towards the source. "Aimi!" He recognized who the scream''s owner was as his body blurred from the speed. Each step he took, a footprint... No, a crater, a small crater was left behind. The thunder elemental, Bronte, who was seated upon Cavaron''s shoulders was literally holding on for dear life as he clamped onto Cavaron''s head. Cavaron ran all the way to the Sky Tower from the city walls. Everybody who saw him approach rammed their bodies to the side in fear of being trampled. "What the hell was that?" One of the passersby spoke as they clung onto the walls of the towers on the sides of the street. Upon arrival, he found Aimi kneeling down inside the landing area for the flying mounts surrounded by Sky Knights, mounts, and his contract, Halrimaw. "What haC" Just as Cavaron was about to ask a question, "SOOOOO CUUUUUUUTEEEEEEEEE!!!" Aimi screamed again, this time her body shook sideways as she did so. Cavaron slowed down to a halt with his mouth agape trying to process what happened. Halrimaw saw his master at the corner of his eye, "Oh, Master, you''ve come back... Bronte?" Everybody in the area turned to look at the newly arrived Cavaron with a child, that became dizzy, sitting upon his shoulders. Cavaron approached the crowd, "What''s going on? I heard Aimi from the city walls." and questioned the bystanders. One of the Sky Knights pointed towards Halrimaw, "Best to hear from your beast, sir." Halrimaw flinched and started to panic piquing Cavaron''s curiosity. "Halrimaw, the hell did you do now?" Halrimaw seemed to have trouble looking for the right words as he mumbled what to say. When Cavaron can close enough to properly see Aimi, he found something... or ''someone'' in her arms. There was a small child in her arms as it was hugged and rubbed by Aimi. Curious, Cavaron approached the kneeling girl to see who the child was, "Aimi, who are you hugging?" Aimi perked up, and turned towards Cavaron, "Ah, senpai..." Just as she did so, Cavaron finally saw the child. It had blue hair, and wide blue eyes. It would be a normal child if not for a animal ears and tail protruding out of its head and backside. The curious thing was, the ears and tail were also blue, and appeared like it belonged to a raccoon. Cavaron''s eyes glowed as he used Mana Sight, "Azursa Aomi...?" Saying so, he spun back to Halrimaw, "Okay, my dear friend. Time for explanations." Halrimaw dropped and knelt before him. "Forgive this foolish lord, Master. In truth, I never intended for this to happen!" Halrimaw sought forgiveness as he knelt, "I hadn''t realized that the little one had drank my blood from the wounds inflicted upon my body! It was already too late for me to realize what had happened!" Cavaron surveyed Halrimaw''s body, and found numerous scars that, although bandaged, were still bleeding especially those on his arm. Cavaron lifted Bronte off his shoulders, and let him sit down for a while as he inspected the human Aomi. The Azursa, Aomi, became human while retaining its bestial appearance because of drinking Halrimaw''s blood. Right now, Cavaron lifted the child and had her stand on her own. Aomi had shoulder length blue hair with black stripes. Atop her head were two round and fluffy blue ears. Her eyes were also blue, and had black marks around it, similar to one receiving blunt impact upon one''s eyes. Her height was similar to Bronte''s at a meter tall. Her hands and feet were covered with blue fur, and on her fingers were short claws. Her tail was three inches long, and was also blue. Currently, she wore a white cloth large enough to wrap around her body, and cover it. While Cavaron was looking all over Aomi, every time he touched her, Aomi went, "Myu? Myu?" Cavaron stood up, and thought, ''Hmm, still incapable of human speech, huh? Eh well, what''s done is done.'' He turned around towards where Aimi sat, "Hey, Aimi wouC" but found her hugging Bronte instead. "Ah, senpai! Who''s this!?" Bronte had already sobered up, and was struggling to free himself from Aimi''s grasp. Cavaron''s eyes went wide as he shouted, "Bronte, stop!" as he noticed sparks of electricity being emitted around the boy. Of course, Bronte reluctantly ceased his intentions, and said, "Papa~ It hurts~" This time, it was Aimi and the others'' turn, aside from Halrimaw, to be shocked, " ''Papa''?? " they all said the same thing. "So, who''s ''mama''?" One of the bystanders asked out loud, this made Aimi and, for whatever reason on how she got there, Legion Commander Ashe look at Cavaron making him release a sigh. "All right, Aimi. Let go of Bronte first. Although he calls me ''Papa'', that was because of what led to the contract. Bronte''s a summon of mine, and Akash should recognize him." Saying the last sentence, he turned towards a pillar, and found the Legion Commander, Akash, hiding behind it. "Yes, I recognize him! No need to make me remember!" Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Seeing the fear in his eyes, and hearing the panic in his voice led the others to believe it as truth. Bronte, having been released by Aimi, ran towards Cavaron''s leg, and climbed back up onto his shoulders, "Hi! I''m Bronte, a Thunder God!" Bronte introduced himself. Hearing the words ''Thunder God'' made the people around them doubt the child, but looking back at Akash and at Cavaron, they had to change their views regarding the said child. Aomi, however, looked at Bronte then to Aimi. Aomi ran towards Aimi, climbed up, and sat upon the girl''s shoulders. This act surprised Cavaron, ''Oh? She''s used to moving like a human, now? Interesting.'' Thoughts ran through Cavaron''s mind. Not noticing his surroundings, he became deep in thought as he watched Aomi, and the people around them looked at the two champions with their companions upon their shoulders. "They look like family, don''t they?" A bystander spoke out loud once again, and everybody heard it. Aimi looked around her and realized what they meant. Bronte, a small child summoned contract was sitting upon Cavaron''s shoulders, and in turn, Aomi, her friend, became a human child with bestial features was sitting upon her shoulders. Like previously stated, Cavaron was deep in thought as he looked at Aomi. His gaze, noticed by Aimi, was misinterpreted by her as her face turned red, and faced the source of misunderstanding with teary yet glaring eyes filled with embarrassment. "Papa, don''t you need to introduce them to me?" Bronte looked down onto Cavaron. Cavaron turned his eyes towards the boy as his train of thought was broken, "Eh? Ah, okay." Cavaron approached Aimi, but Aimi retreated instead, making Cavaron raise a brow at her reaction. "Papa, why is she avoiding you?" Bronte asked, Cavaron replied with, "No idea." Each step he took to get closer, Aimi took a step to get farther. Only then did Cavaron notice Aimi''s red face, ''Is there another misunderstanding? For the love of...'' Cavaron sighed, "Anyway, Bronte. That girl is Aimi. She''s a newbie in the business, and the person responsible for dragging me back into Edeortha. That little girl on her shoulders is Aomi, she was an Azursa, you know, the things that looked like a cross of a blue bear and a blue raccoon. Next, you already know Akash so, that one over there who is wearing the same decorated armor is his sister, Ashe. As for everyone else, Sky Knights, and the coalition forces of the human and demon races here on the recently formed floating continent of Palu''Angit. Yes, Palu''Angit, the same Sky King I met a century ago." and introduced everybody around them to the boy, "Speaking of which, how''s Ethra?" --- Somewhere within Edeortha''s Scar. Deep within the barren landscapes of Edeortha''s Scar which was formerly known as Central Edeortha before the century old calamity struck, a deep fifty-kilometer radius crater can be found. Its depth at the center reached nearly 200 meters, and 10 meters at the edge. At the very middle of this crater was a 15-meter wide chasm, and it was so deep that no light could reach the bottom. Within the chasm stood a lone structure that was surrounded by people. Although the word ''people'' was used, they weren''t ordinary people if it wasn''t for their chimerical appearances of human, angel, and demon. They were Azuals, and they surrounded the lone structure at the very center as they chanted an incomprehensible prayer with their arms held high. Suddenly, each time they uttered a certain word at certain intervals, black flames shot out from the structure enveloping the Azuals around it, the black flames of Dark Fate. However, unlike what was believed to be the effects of being hit by Dark Fate flames, the Azuals did not disintegrate nor did they disappear. Instead, more Azuals of similar build and appearance appeared around them. Cloning, the flames were cloning the Azuals who were praying around the structure. The flames, aside from erasing, could create clones of beings it hit. Such a terrible flame could have this sort of mystery to it. As more Azuals were created, the more they prayed. It repeated until the chasm was filled with their kind, and many of them left to give space for the others. Those who leave the chasm go off to who knows where, possibly to wreak havoc or something else entirely. Looking back from above the crater where the chasm was, millions of Azuals lived within. Yet, unlike the civilized territories of the human, angel, and demon races, the Azuals within the crater was more akin to an army. An army without thought nor free will as one may see upon the laboring Azuals mining, forging, and building weapons from their surroundings. Nearly a hundred kilometer wide crater filled to the brim with millions of mindless drones of Azuals. "Ha ha ha ha..." A laugh was heard within the chasm, and the Azuals turned and flocked towards it. A black flame suddenly rose from within the chasm, and floated just above it. "Father! Father! Father!" The Azuals chanted as their eyes laid upon the black flame. Just as the flame stopped above the chasm, hordes upon hordes of newly cloned Azuals poured out of the chasm, and joined the others. After the last Azual has left the chasm, the black flame turned into a human, and the chanting of the Azuals became ever louder. "Greetings, my beloved children." The being borne by the flame was none other than a person of the past, Azrael, he smiled menacingly as he greeted the Azuals around him, "The time of reckoning is upon us. With these flames, we shall have the hammer of judgment fall upon our enemies!" Ever louder, "Father! Father! Father!" the chanting Azuals became fiercer. Azrael laughed manically as he watched and listened to the Azuals. "Ha ha ha ha ha... Soon, Cavaron, I will consume you and your flames..." Chapter 53 I feel like I missed something, but I can''t identify what it was. Anyway, found a nice word counter site that auto saves my work by using the cache. That said, this will be my second PSP-typed chapter. As for public libraries, I''d rather use a typewriter, "chaka-chaka-chaka-ching! Shhhk-tak!" since the nearest public libraries are under funded. Still using paper and cardboard catalogs to look for books. Have a chapter. ------------------------------------------ Cavaron was walking along a corridor in the Sky Tower''s Lower Area. He was following the Sloivat siblings as they led him towards where Ethra was resting. For a while, only the walls of the corridor accompanied them since he had Aimi, Bronte, Aomi, and Halrimaw take a break in the city. ''We have been walking for thirty minutes now, and I can sense a steady flow of mana.'' Cavaron thought. In fact, the length of time and the distance traveled had already exceeded the size of the Sky Tower''s supposed area. Activating his Mana Sight, he was blinded by the amount of mana glowing from the walls. Akash felt something as he turned back to see Cavaron''s eyes glowing from Mana Sight. "This area is an enchanted space. It should explain what you''re seeing right now." Akash spoke out seeing Cavaron''s curious eyes scanning the walls of the corridor, "The space we are in is a defense mechanism that makes intruders lose their way if one does not know how to navigate safely. This space is supposedly a maze but becomes a corridor when one is with an authorized entity." The glow of mana was steadily spreading all around the corridor. Cavaron, while using Mana Sight, looked upon the siblings in front of him, and found the same glow on their bodies. ''So, it''s similar to how I can differentiate each person''s mana signature, huh?'' Cavaron thought, ''If only I could incorporate this into Mana Pulse... Haha, another century, perhaps?'' After another half hour of walking, they have arrived at a door guarded by twelve Sky Knights, six Sun Knights, and six Earth Knights. If one had forgotten, Sun Knights were elite human soldiers, and Earth Knights were their demonic counterparts. The Earth Knights were all draconians as their armor followed the shape of their bodies while exposing powerful draconic scales. Upon seeing two Legion Commanders, the guards saluted and gave way, and finally saw Cavaron following behind the two. Seeing him made some of the guards gulp, it would seem that they had witnessed Cavaron''s capabilities earlier. Suddenly, a Sky Knight bowed towards Cavaron, "Sir! Thank you for saving our Queen!" Cavaron just nodded in affirmation, and passed through the door. Behind the door was a room, an elegantly decorated room similar to Ethra''s quarters on the Upper Area of the Sky Tower. There were already other people present in the room, however, and they surrounded the bed in the middle of the room. The people were dressed in long white tunics, and had golden wings emblazoned on their backs. Cavaron tilted his head as he stared at the people in white, and raised a brow at the sight of powerfully glowing mana within their bodies. One of the people in white noticed the new arrivals, tapped the person next to her, and pointed at Cavaron''s direction. The person who was tapped turned around, "Ah, Cavaron. Long time, no see." and spoke with a familiar tone. Cavaron stared intently at the person who spoke his name, approached, "What the hell are you doing in this world, Maguro?", and asked with a smile. He, too, knew who this person was. Maguro appeared between 30 years and 40 years old, had short red hair on his head, and a pair of sharp, light brown eyes. He was as tall as Cavaron, but his build was thinner. Maguro, who wore the same attire as those around him, smiled back, "You are not the only one who is able to travel freely between worlds... Even though you''ve lived the second longest among all of our kind." Maguro paused for a while before speaking again, "I was just passing by Edeortha''s gate when I felt a familiar power explode through. It was the same power that exploded a century ago. After that, I felt your power. Thinking it should be coincidence, I tried to ignore it until I felt another blast of energy that I''m guessing was you knocking this lady out." Maguro pointed his thumb towards the person on the bed. It was Ethra. She was lying on the bed, not even moving nor waking up from the conversation. "So, you figured to bring your medical knowledge with you here? How is Ethra, by the way?" Cavaron asked Maguro two questions. Maguro replied, "For your first question, of course. We wouldn''t want another disaster to happen again, would we?" and smiled, "For your second question, well... It would be better if you use your Mana Sight on her." With a wave of his hand, Maguro had the others give way to Cavaron. Cavaron stood next to Maguro, and immediately used Mana Sight. "Shit..." Cavaron cursed, his brows furrowed, and his lips curved down to a frown. Using his Mana Sight, he found a foreign entity inside Ethra''s body, a black entity, "She''s infected, but why hasn''t she died, yet?" Cavaron then began to strip Ethra''s clothes off her body. The Sloivat siblings became alarmed at his actions, and hurriedly approached only to be barred by Maguro and his companions saying, "Easy there, he has a reason for doing so. He might even be able to save her." Akash and Ashe reluctantly stood down with worried expressions directed at their queen. Cavaron, one by one, removed Ethra''s clothes while inspecting each piece. Finding nothing, he continued until Ethra laid bare on the bed. That was when Cavaron stopped moving his hands, and focused on her chest. On Ethra''s chest were familiar flower petals of blue and white. A memory from a time never forgotten. Although the petals had wilted, it was enough to contain the flame''s dark power. "Akash!" Cavaron suddenly shouted. Akash hurried over next to him. "Is there a hidden garden here?" Akash''s face subtly changed, but this change was still caught by Cavaron, "Bring me there." Akash didn''t say anything else, and merely nodded. He faced his sister and said, "Let''s go to the sanctuary." Ashe''s face also changed as she looked at Cavaron''s serious expression, "All right, brother." The three of them left Ethra in the hands of Maguro and his companions. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. From where they were, Cavaron was led towards the Sky Tower''s underground floors. The deeper they went, the more Cavaron''s expression changed as he felt familiar energies seeping through his skin. From seriousness to calmness, from calmness to sadness, and from sadness to nostalgia. He had already lost track of the time spent and the distance traveled as he followed the Sloivat siblings. Like the corridor from before, there was nothing else around them.Walls with only lamps on them accompanied the group as they went deeper. After a while, they arrived before a stone gate that had nothing behind it. Akash and Ashe, each stood at the sides of the gate, and faced Cavaron. "We''re here." said Akash, "Ashe and I will power the gate to let you through. Only one person can enter at a time. Once you decide to leave, just pass back through the gate." Akash turned his head towards Ashe, and nodded. Soon, the two placed their hands on the gate, and channeled mana into it. An image formed on the empty gate as it opened that way to the sanctuary. Without waiting, Cavaron stepped through, and disappeared. Cavaron emerged from the stone gate and arrived at a large circular garden. The garden was fifty meters wide surrounded by stone walls. Looking up, one would not see the ceiling, but the sun looking down from seventy meters in the air, instead. Yet, even though the sun was present, there was only light, and had the absence of heat. Other than that, the sun did not move from its place like it was frozen in time. ''Artificial sunlight, huh?'' thought Cavaron, ''So much mana in this place that the Byblos itself didn''t know about.'' Cavaron walked through the garden, and found the familiar colors of blue and white. The blue and white flowers spread all across the entire garden, and brought back nostalgic memories from the deep recesses of his mind. For a while, he just walked towards the center, watching the flowers that swayed from his passing by. Nearing the center, he finally noticed a small clearing that had a small house. Stopping at the clearing''s edge, he brought his arm upon his face as he looked up, "Hahaha... Fucking hell... Are you kidding me...?" His voice quivered as he spoke, and he stood there in silence, not moving nor making a sound. This lasted for a full minute, yet this minute felt like a century. Finally, with a deep breath, approached the small house. The house itself was simple in design, and was smaller than the one in his past, only enough to house one person. Opening the door, it wasn''t really a house for a person to live in, but a tool shed where gardening tools were kept. There were spades, cutting tools, some watering cans, a small well where water could be drawn, and a chair for one person. Finding nothing else of interest, he left the tool shed, and lied down somewhere on the clearing after unequipping his armor and changed into casual clothing. Soft grass below him, the artificial shone upon his face, and the mana from his surroundings entered his body as he closed his eyes. --- Back with Maguro, they were still figuring out how to wake Ethra up, until one of his companions spoke up, "Grand Master, that man named Cavaron, how is he related to this world?" Maguro was working his mana to try and get rid of Ethra''s infection with futile effort as it could be seen from the sweat on his head, "Huh? Cavaron? Well, it happened way before I began the Order of Healing Wings. A century ago, he changed the lives of everybody here." Maguro sat down on a chair as he told about Cavaron, "However, I wasn''t there when it occurred, and only saw the aftermath. Many of our kind felt a powerful surge of energy, terrifying energy, encompass all even those in other worlds." Maguro leaned back and stretched his legs trying to remember the past, "The only ones who could have known what happened are those summoned contracts of his." and sat back straight, "Did you know that he was one of the most powerful of our kind before? He was also one of the mostly summoned champions which led to his then massive mana capacity. His prowess in the usage of raw mana was unparalleled. He even became friends with a Cipher, guardians of time and space, and beings who are able to use all of the laws at their disposal. Magical laws, material laws, spiritual laws, laws of life and death, laws of creation and destruction. Becoming friends with a Cipher is like becoming friends with a god itself!" Maguro was clearly excited when he spoke about the Cipher, "But even so, the Ciphers are subject to the gods of fate... These "gods" are still the ones ultimately responsible for all of our kind. I''ve been living for three hundred years, yet Cavaron lives while living a chaotic life, I envy him, to be honest." His companions, numbering to twelve, all listened attentively until another one posed a question, "If he was so powerful, why is he like this now?" Maguro glanced at the young man who asked the question, "That is one question I would also like to be answered. What happened to him that led to his decline? How did it lead to his decline? We may never know, heck, even he doesn''t know what the hell happened, but even with his decline, he is still very powerful in the right circumstances. That said, I can feel something powerful down below." Maguro and his companions looked down to the floor, obviously not the floor itself, but whatever was deep down underground. "I can assure you, though," Maguro swept his gaze over his companions, "That there will be another life changing event in the future." --------------------------- Chapter 54 Flashback "Cavaron, could you help me out?" Aisha called out to me while I was chopping wood outside. "Coming!" I replied to her. What could she need from me at this time of day? Anyway, I leave the ax leaning on the stump, and head back inside. Entering the house, "Where are you?" I asked out to her, then I found her hand waving at me in the bedroom. I entered the bedroom and found her with a basket of the blue and white flowers next to her on the bed. Seeing me, she said, "Come, sit here." and patted the space next to her, and so I obediently sat down. She stood up, and suddenly hugged me. Honestly, I was surprised by her actions, and was about to hug her back only for her to suddenly let go and mutter, "This big, huh?" I raised a brow wondering what she could have meant by that. Noticing my questioning gaze, she smiled back at me with her finger on her lips, "Thank you for your help, you can go now." Dumbfounded by her actions, I just silently nodded, left her to whatever she was doing, and went back to chopping wood. After chopping enough wood for a week, it was already high noon, and I could feel the sweat trail down my back. Finishing up, I went back inside the house, and found Aisha preparing lunch. Her earlier actions still on my mind, I tried to ask her about it but she noticed me and said, "The bath is already prepared, I''ll call you once I finish making lunch!" Okay, guess I''ll head off to the bath instead. In the bath, I stared at my palms and tried to manipulate the mana within me. It''s frustrating not knowing what happened to my own body. I no longer find any trace of that black thing anywhere on my body, nor do I feel any different except for the fact that my mana''s unable to be utilized and manipulated. I don''t feel ill nor lethargic, nor do I feel something physically weird inside of me. I guess it really did... or is still doing something to my mana. I''ve heard from a friend of mine... well, many of them, telling me that my mana fused with my soul granting me eternal youth. I was excited when I first heard about it, then they had to pour cold water on me by saying that I could still die unless I was a god. I''ve been alive for so long, and this incident nearly killed me. Wait... if my mana is fused to my soul granting me eternal youth, and the fact that I can''t use my mana... is my eternal youth revoked? Did the Dark Fate flame damage my soul!? Shit, what is this feeling? Fear? Hopelessness? Hahahahaha... This is... ... .. . --- Somewhere north of Central Edeortha. A large shadow covered the land. This shadow spanned many kilometers wide and moved south. If one were to look above them, they will know the shadow''s casters. Legions of angels flew majestically as they headed south. These angels numbered close to 240 million. At the very front of this mass of angels were fourteen elegantly decorated and armored angels, and two of these fourteen, at the very middle, had very beautiful gold-lined armor. They were Palu''Angit and Ethra, and the remaining twelve were the Legion commanders of the Sky. If one were to divide the 240 million amongst the twelve Legion Commanders, then there would be at least 20 million angels in one legion. Speaking of, the legions themselves were flying in a delta formation, a triangle, as they flew south. "Lord, a nest of Arrowheads are heading our way." A Sky Knight suddenly arrived next to Palu''Angit, "We will meet them in five minutes, there." and pointed to the east. There was a flock of flying monsters en route towards the legions. "First Wing, intercept and take down the Arrowheads before they disrupt our formation!" Palu''Angit shouted, then a group of angels broke of from the legions and headed towards the Arrowheads that numbered to thirteen. The arrowheads were a dragon and bird like hybrid with a hard, arrow like head, thus their name. They have two hind legs, and had wings for their forearms which makes them similar to harpies, only less human and more reptilian, and were fifteen meters in length. When the First Wing was about to clash with the Arrowheads, a barrage of magic flew out from the angels, and zeroed in to their targets. Fireballs burned the Arrowheads'' wings, Ice Shards impaled them, and Lightning Bolts paralyzed their muscles sending all thirteen hurtling towards the ground. Seeing that the threat has been dealt with, the First Wing returned to their legion and resumed their flight to the south. For an hour or two, this repeated while cycling Wings of angels to conserve their mana. Soon, over the horizon, a mountain range could be seen. "Is that it, father?" asked Ethra to Palu''Angit flying next to her, "Fort Malachi?" Palu''Angit nodded to his daughter. On the ridge line of the mountains stood twelve towers surrounded by high walls and natural cliffs. Getting closer, a group of angels flew out of one of the towers, and it headed towards the 240 million. "Captain Folmarv of the 301st Wing, reporting to His Majesty!" shouted a decorated angel with a salute. All twelve legions halted in midair, and Palu''Angit flew in front of Folmarv. "Has everybody deployed to their respective locations?" asked Palu''Angit. "Yes, Milord!" Folmarv affirmed. Palu''Angit faced the legions, "Move according to the plan!" and announced with a loud voice. Immediately, the 240 million split up to their respective regions, and spread themselves out to the surrounding areas leaving only Palu''Angit and Ethra with Folmarv. Palu''Angit faced Ethra, "Come, my child. Let us meet mother." and said as he flew past the mountain range and went into a valley with Ethra, Folmarv, and the rest of the 301st Wing following behind him. ... .. . --- Somewhere east of Central Edeortha. "Stone Devourers incoming!" shouted a soldier. "Arrowheads inbound!" shouted another soldier. The 185 million strong human army was in constant threat of monsters attacking from any and all directions. Even with Azrael''s support, with such a huge amount of soldiers moving, it became hard to keep everything in order. Stone Devourers poured out in droves on the ground, and Arrowheads were divebombing from the air. Even with Azrael''s speed, the large amount of monsters kept him busy enough to fend for himself. "This is really fun!" exclaimed Azrael, "Akakakakakakaka!!" With his scythe, heads of monsters lopped off one after another. The soldiers that heard his bloodcurdling laughter shivered as they held their place. "Eh... So fun, now it''s getting boring." suddenly, Azrael''s mood changed, and his scythe shone an eerie purple light, "Let''s finish this... BECOME MY FOOD, FEAST OF THE BLOOD REVENANTS!!!" the purple light from his scythe exploded and expanded all around the armies, and covered the soldiers'' weapons. "Now, KILL TO YOUR HEART''S CONTENT!!!" Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. With Azrael''s shout, the soldiers, whose weapons glowed with the eerie purple light, attacked the monsters. The swords, spears, and axes of those on the ground sank through the monsters'' bodies, and released a skull-like shadow above them. This shadow, as though it had a voice, shrieked a terrifyingly shrill scream, and zapped back to Azrael. The monsters that got hit by these immediately died at contact. "Hahahaha!!! Yes, delicious life essences!!!" Azrael revelled each time the shadows entered his body, and the soldiers who witnessed this dropped their weapons out of fear, while some still continued the slaughter. Everything that happened on the ground also happened in the sky. Arrowheads that were struck by arrows and crossbow bolts fell to the same fate as Azrael''s food. After all of the remaining monsters have been taken care of, everybody resumed their march westwards while many talked about Azrael''s abilities. "What do you think? Think we''ll rule this world?" asked a soldier. "Hmm, can''t say. Remember how we lost that first one?" replied another. Even though they were able to successfully summon Azrael, the fact that they lost Cavaron remained, and left doubts in the hearts of some soldiers. "I heard that after the first one lost, all those who accompanied him died except for a few that feigned death." Many high ranking officers heard the chatter, "You lot! Quit the chatter!" and scolded the soldiers, "As far as I can tell, a champion that feeds through his allies is better than a champion that leaves his allies to die." Although Azrael was at the front next to Aldric, his keen senses picked up the chatter, and they piqued his interest, "Hey, Aldric. Who''s this previously summoned champ I''m hearing?" asked Azrael to Aldric. Aldric, thinking that it would be of no consequence telling him about it, replied, "His name is Cavaron. We summoned him before you to aid us. Sadly, we lost him somewhere in Central Edeortha." As Azrael listened, his expression changed, and a malicious grin appeared, "Cavaron? Blue armor, red cape, two swords Cavaron?" asked Azrael rather happily. Aldric, and the people around them, were shocked. Azrael knew who Cavaron was. "Hehehehe, you said he lost? Hahahaha, that cannot be. Our kind cannot lose that easily, unless the gods of fate were dead themselves." Azrael fixed his posture on his mount, "Come, Aldric. Let us ride!" ... .. . --- Somewhere east of Central Edeortha. Bodies of flying monsters fell from the skies and littered the ground. Hundreds of corpses of monsters lay rotting all around a large moving body of demons. The demons themselves did nothing and were not responsible for felling the monsters around them. "GGGGRRRRUUUUUOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" a loud roar erupted at the front of the mass of demons. It came from the colossus that led them, their "Father", Pyo''ah. Upon his roar, the incoming monsters in the air suddenly froze mid-flight and fell, letting their bodies subject to the vertical force of gravity. The monsters on the ground held the same fate as those in the skies. For each time Pyo''ah roared, the power of his voice carried death to those who heard it. At the least, for the monsters that hear it, as none of his "children" fell to the power of his roar. As corpses of monsters fell one group after another, a lone wyvern appeared at perched onto Pyo''ah''s shoulder, and was carrying a lizardman. "Father, the scouts bring news." said the lizardman, "We have found a legion of angels encircling a valley in Central Edeortha." Pyo''ah listened well to the lizardman, and with his nod, the lizardman left with the wyvern. ''So, Palu''Angit seeks Demetria as well.'' thought Pyo''ah, ''What does he need from her, I wonder?'' With a wave of his arm, tens of thousands of wyverns with lizardmen came before him. "Children, take some of the Dark Fate dragons that can fly, and wreak havoc upon any enemy you see." commanded Pyo''ah, "I hear that a feast of blood will be welcoming us." Flying in midair, the wyverns and their riders flew towards the mass of demons, and roared. Soon, fifteen dragons, that were about 20-30 meters in length, flew up and left the mass to go with the wyverns. Pyo''ah watched as the tens of thousands of wyvern riders and dragons left towards the horizon, "Let the dark flames consume all." ... .. . --- If I am to live the rest of my live as a mortal in this world, with no idea when I will age and die... If it is so, then so be it. I will live the last of my life with her. I got up from the bathtub, I won''t even bother drying my body, and went to the door. Lifting my arm to open it, I heard the click of the door, and it swung open. Behind it was Aisha who was shocked to see me at the door, still wet with bath water. "Cavaron, you should dry yourself if you''re finished." she said to me. I heard it clearly, yet my body did not react accordingly. Instead, I stared into her eyes. "Cavaron? Is something the mattC" I brought my arms around her to silence her, if just for a little while, and with my wet body, I hugged her dearly. "A... Ah... Ca... Cavaron..." she stuttered in my embrace. I looked down upon her flushed cheeks, lowered my head, and with my next action, silenced her with a kiss to her lips. Her eyes became wide with shock, I wasn''t surprised with her reaction, but what she did next surprised me instead. She pulled me out of the bathroom, still with our lips locked together. Out in the living room, she returned my embrace with hers. Just like that, we left ourselves to be consumed by our carnal desires. Spoiler : Too juicy to write. ------------------------------------- Writer''s Block when an arc became longer than expected. Eh, well. Amateur writing at its (not so) finest. Chapter 55 My gurgling stomach woke me up. I''m so hungry. No surprise that we did it right at lunchtime. I sit up straight, and find Aisha next to me embracing my waist, and the both of us are nude on the floor of the living room. Nice place to do our business, no? Damn, I''m so sweaty, heck, Aisha''s sweaty too, but I''m hungry. A few moments later, Aisha wakes up as well, "Oohh... Cavaron?" and a gurgling sound can be heard from her stomach which surprised her and made her blush, "Aha... Aha ha ha... Lunch or bath?" She bashfully asked me. Bringing her head to my embrace, "Bath first. We can''t appreciate your cooking if we''re a mess." I replied to her. We got up from the floor and head to the already cold bathtub together. We didn''t bother warming the water up as we, ourselves, were warm enough. Even in the tub, we were by each other''s side, and washed each other''s body. For a while, we massaged each other until our pangs of hunger could no longer be restrained. We got out of the bath, dried ourselves, wore our respective clothing, and went to the dining room to eat. The food was already cold, and looking outside the window, the sun was already at a forty-five degree angle, almost two or three hours have passed since we did the deed. No wonder we were hungry. Even so, even if the food got cold, we still ate our fill. Delicious food is still delicious food. However, just after my third bite, we heard a knock at the door, and this made me direct a surprised look at Aisha, who instead have a subtle frown. Does she know? I mean, how is it possible? This is the first time I''ve experienced seeing a visitor, and Aisha''s mood... A few seconds had passed, and another knock was heard at the door. Aisha clenched her fist, and even averted her gaze from me. Another knock was heard, and when I was about to attend to the door, Aisha quickly stood up and went to the door. Her hand on the door knob, she hesitated for a while before opening it. And when she did, two angels were seen behind it. "Greetings, Lady Aisha. We are here to meet Mother." ... .. . --- Present Day Deep within the hidden garden, Cavaron opened his eyes, and gazed upon the artificial sun above him. He sat upright and placed both of his palms on the ground. Suddenly, threads of mana swirled around his body, "Brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, friends and comrades. I beseech thee, hear my pleas. Let this wayward brother, son, friend, and comrade receive thine help in his time of everlasting need. Mass Summoning, Elemental Storm!" The space around Cavaron shattered, and revealed a black space all around him. This space was a familiar space as it connects each world from one another. It is the space that Cavaron named as "Hub Space". From Hub Space, multiple beings emerged from their respective worlds. First was a large muscle bound humanoid wearing a turban, and clothed with flames. "Fire Lord Culverin hears his master''s call." Culverin from Ladenras appeared, "Greetings, Master." Next, a lady of pure white, and blue crystalline jewelry appeared. "Ice Queen Glacia answers the summon." the lady spoke, "Long time no see, Cavaron, Culverin. Are the both of you well?" Third, a thin man wearing a green tunic wielding a rapier stepped forth. "Prince of Gales, Stormfell arrives before his brother." the thin man announced his arrival, "Brother, this is a drastic action that you have done." Fourth, a lady wearing a leafy gown emerged, "Lady of the Earth, Avani returns to your side." It was the previously summoned Avani, the Lady of the Earth. "That was a short break, are you sure about this, child?" Fifth, a lady dressed in flowing blue water appeared after. "Heya, Cavvy~! You spent a lot of mana again." It was Tirta, the water elemental. "Heya, everybody~!" Sixth, a divine golden light enveloped everybody. "The Cross Ark descends for candy!" Every summon in the area suddenly looked at the new arrival and said simultaneously, """ What? """ they were baffled at what came out of the Cross Ark. It was Shamira, "Many pardons, This One meant, the Cross Ark descends." she said with a straight face. From Culverin to Tirta, they stared at Shamira before shaking their heads trying to ignore what happened. After that, finally, another summon appeared. A dark power flowed into the surroundings, and embraced everybody present except Shamira. "The Dark KniC Prince, the Dark Prince Nox greets thee." A handsome young man with pale white skin and red eyes emerged from the black space. "Greetings, my friends. Hello, Shami... What in all hells happened to you!?" Nox exclaimed when he saw Shamira eyeing Cavaron like some crazed beast, and saliva dripping out of her mouth. Shamira flapped her wings once, and her expression became serene once more, "What didst thou meant by that? This One is quite well." replied Shamira to Nox. All summons then stared at Cavaron who still had his palms on the ground, concentrating hard trying to channel as much mana as possible into his body from the garden''s mana well. If one were to have Mana Sight, the amount of mana released by this well was greater than the wells in Yanbaka Forest and the Northern Ravine. The amount was so much, that one would be blinded by the sheer brightness emanating from it. All of his summons decided not to press the matter regarding Shamira''s change for the moment as Cavaron''s expression was too serious to behold. Elementals of Fire, Ice, Wind, Earth, Water, Light, and Dark were simultaneously summoned so one could imagine the concentration needed, and the mana spent in such an endeavor, and one should not forget about the previously summoned Bronte, the Thunder God, and Halrimaw, the Beast Lord. As far as his Elementals were concerned, all of them have been summoned except for Time and Space. However, one should not forget about the Spirits in his arsenal that he has yet to bring forth. After summoning the remaining Elementals, the space around them returned to the familiar clearing in the middle of the garden, and at the sight of the flora within the garden, the faces of each summon, except Avani and Tirta, changed. As it may seem, they were familiar with the scenery. Yet, even when their faces changed, they kept their silence. Cavaron''s body trembled, possibly from the huge consumption of mana, yet still maintained his posture. Seeing this, Glacia, Avani, Tirta, and Shamira became worried, and Culverin, Stormfell, and Nox frowned. They probably knew that this time was very serious. The fact that they returned to Edeortha, and the fact that they have borne witness to the events a century ago. Cavaron, with a flash of light in his eyes, took in a deep breath, "Spirits born from the thoughts of man, spirits born from the living and the dead. Born from good, from evil. From happiness and regret. Your friend and benefactor, your ally and empathizer. I call for you to aid me in my time of need, just as I have aided you in your time of need. Just as our contract born from our trust is fulfilled. Mass Summoning, Dance of Spirits!" Different from how the Elementals emerged, the threads of mana converged in one area behind Cavaron, and spun into a revolving circle akin to a gate. One by one, entities stepped through. A myriad of spirits arrived behind Cavaron, and answered his call. "Blade Spirit, Masamune, greets a friend." A noble-looking Japanese man wearing a kamishimo stepped through the gate of mana. By his waist were two swords, a katana and a wakizashi. He appeared somewhere between forty to fifty years old, and had a sakayaki hairstyle for his black hair. "Edeortha, once more, huh?" After Masamune, another Japanese man appeared, except he looked like a bloodthirsty killer. "Cursed Blade, Muramasa, greets master." Like Masamune, Muramasa carried two swords, but he wore a black yoroi instead of a kamishimo, and was younger appearing between twenty to thirty years old. "Er, this place again, eh?" Masamune and Muramasa, the two blade spirits glanced at each other, then glanced at Cavaron. Both were showing signs of wanting to go against one another, but seeing Cavaron made them stay their blades. Instead, they stepped away from one another, and gave way to the other spirits that were coming through the gate. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. After the two Blade Spirits, a heavily armored person stepped forth. "Guardian Spirit, Adelward, heeds his Lord''s call." This spirit wore full plate armor, and carried two gigantic shields on both arms. "Elder brother, Burkhard, sends his regards." Judging from his greeting, Adelward comes from where Burkhard must have come from to have said so. The other summons nodded at Adelward, and he stepped away to give space to the others. After Adelward, a woman wearing metal cuirass, leggings, gauntlets, and faulds while carrying a battleaxe twice her size emerged from the gate. "War Spirit, Bellatrix, seeks blood!" The woman appeared somewhere between twenty to thirty years old, and had shoulder length crimson hair and a pair of similarly crimson eyes. Her skin was tanned, and despite being a War Spirit, it was very smooth and beautiful. She also had a wild demeanor. "Long time, no see, boss!" Like those before her, she stepped aside. Next, a knight on horseback galloped through the gate, "Neigh!!" the horse neighed loudly as its head popped out. The knight was wearing silver plate armor, and carried a halberd on one hand. "War Spirit, Gunther, rides to aid his Lord." He was fully armored, but not as much as Adelward, and his horse wore chain armor with some parts covered with scale armor. After Gunther, another woman stepped through wearing full plate armor minus the helmet, and carried a pair of war hammers. "War Spirit, Ulrika, answers the call." She appeared somewhere between twenty five to thirty five years old, had waist length verdant hair, and a pair of purple eyes. Her pale white skin made her out like some sort of holy knight. "This place again..." Next, unlike the recent spirits, the next to appear were more beast like. The next one to step through was a feline demi-human. "Mrow~ Hunter Spirit, Felicia, comes to papa, Mrow~" Felicia was a panther-like demi human with a slender body, and wore a black tunic with a hood. Her golden eyes gazed at Cavaron like a predator hunting her prey until she dodged a curved dagger aimed at the back of her neck, "Sss! Careful, bitch!" screamed Felicia as she pulled out a pair of clawed gauntlets. The owner of the dagger was another female but a canine demi human. "Grr, Hunter Spirit, Ylva, arrives to protect her Lord." Ylva was a wolf-like demi human with silver fur, and her body was leaner than Felicia''s. "Still your hunger, Felicia-ruff." On both of her hands were two daggers shaped like a wolf''s fangs, and were ivory white in color. The two beastly demi humans stared at each other, and like the two Blade Spirits, separated from each other. After that cat and dog, another demi human appeared, "Hunter Spirit, Aquila, soars for the lord." It was an eagle-like demi human covered with feathers, a pair of wings on the back, and had a well-toned male body. Aquila carried both a bow and a crossbow, and had a quiver and a box on his waist for his ammunition. "Careful, sisters, it might rain cats and dogs tonight." His eyes gleamed like a hunter, and even sent shivers down Felicia''s and Ylva''s spines. From how the two reacted, Aquila should be more powerful than the two. Aquila flapped his wings, and flew up to give way to more incoming spirits. "Ah, this place is so dry... Hunter Spirit, Barcuda, arrives." The next to appear was a sahagin wielding a coral-like trident. "Ah, Lady Tirta, please grant this lowly spirit some water." Tirta heard Barcuda''s plea, and granted his request with a water ball around his head. Barcuda sang songs of gratitude to Tirta before stepping away from an electric field. After Barcuda escaped being electrocuted, a seven-foot metallic creature arrived. "MACHINE SPIRIT, CAPACITOR, AWAITS YOUR COMMAND." A crystalline voice came from the six-legged spider-like metallic creature as it emitted sparks from its limbs. "Capacitor, come here so your sparks won''t harm the others." Avani called for Capacitor. "AFFIRMATIVE, LADY AVANI." replied Capacitor as it went next to her, and Barcuda and Aquila let out sighs of relief. After Capacitor, a dark aura filled the gate, and a bundle of bones stepped through, "Necromancer, Morana, seeks death." This time Shamira reacted violently, but was held back by the others, "Damn wench! If not for the canC for Cavaron, This One would have exorcized thee!" Morana, whose bones were draped with a dark purple robe, looked at Shamir''s with glowing eye flames, "Kakakakaka, easy there, Cross Ark. As long as I am bound to our beloved there, I am bound to his will." stepped away next to Nox, and bowed before the Dark Prince. Afterwards, there was a large sudden flood of mana going into Cavaron. All of the Elementals, and all of the Spirits shifted their gazes to the man channeling a sudden explosion of mana into his body. "Hey, hey, hey! Is he planning toC!?" Culverin cried out with alarm. Everybody''s expression changed at this realization and panicked for reasons only they, themselves, knew of. "Avani! Shift the earth and knock Cavaron off balance!" Nox shouted and Avani lifted the earth to an upheaval getting the desired result. "Tirta! Glacia! Encase him, now!" Stormfell shouted. Tirta summoned a flood of water, submerging Cavaron deep within, and Glacia dropped the temperature of the water below freezing to imprison Cavaron in a block of ice. All of these happened in no more than ten seconds. After Tirta had the remaining water recede, what remained was Cavaron suspended in a block of ice. Suddenly, a voice resounded in everyone''s minds, "Hey, now. I was just in the middle of recovering mana." It was Cavaron, "No need to shut me in here." The expressions of everybody around him was still serious as ever, even in silence. "Master, we realize that whatever is in this world is dreadfully serious." The first to speak was Nox, "Even if you say so, that large fluctuation of mana says something else." Deep within their minds, Cavaron''s laughter was heard, "Well, it was just for insurance." A nerve suddenly appeared on Culverin''s head, "At your expense!? What is it with this world and you sacrificing more than you could give, Master!?" Silence permeated their minds and their surroundings before the ice block cracked. When the ice block broke and shattered, Cavaron freed himself, and faced his summons, "Will you be satisfied with this answer?" asked Cavaron, "To settle my past." ------------------------------------------------ A kamishimo is a three-piece clothing set that is made up of a kimono, a hakama, and one other piece of clothing that I forgot what it was called. A sakayaki hairstyle is the commonly seen samurai haircut that was done to easily and comfortably wear the kabuto or helmet. A yoroi is a samurai armor. There were tales about Masamune and Muramasa being legendary swords. This is a tribute to Japanese culture. Another summon that called him papa, albeit in a sultry way. Spoiler : He is still a papa for a few more. Chapter 56 "To settle your past?" Cavaron''s summons wondered at his reason. "Brother, if I remember correctly..." Stormfell spoke, "A century ago, we felt you go berserk. Is this past of yours related to what led to you going berserk? Because, when we got there, you were bathed in the flames of Dark Fate, laying waste to everything around you. Your emotions, they were transmitted to us, and seeing how you attempted to kill all those around you, we thought it right to punish them for their sins against you... But now... Now you tell us it is to ''settle your past''? What else is there left for you to reconcile?" Cavaron looked at the rapier wielding man in front of him, his gaze unchanged, and his expression was a smile, "Stormfell, you always were a smart one. No surprise that you would think about my wellbeing that much. Well..." Cavaron then faced Adelward, "You should have heard from Burkhard about the circumstances this time." Everyone present turned towards the heavily armored eight-foot giant carrying two gigantic shields on both arms. Adelward looked down for a moment, then raised his head and spoke. "Elder Brother was defeated by the same flames Milord carries within him." As Adelward said so, the faces of all present, except for Morana, changed. Morana, on the side, enquired with the Dark Prince, Nox, regarding the events of the past. Nox looked at Cavaron, who noticed his questioning gaze and shrugged, before telling Morana what happened before. "It was the same for many of us." said Nox, "We were minding our own businesses within our home worlds like usual. Some of us were asleep, like Culverin over there, others were managing their vassals like I was. Suddenly, we felt something amiss, something strange within ourselves. No sooner than a blink, we felt Cavaron''s power explode through time and space, reaching us, enveloping us. Some of us collapsed and shivered, like Lady Avani, immense fear, anger, hatred, sadness... We felt so much from Cavaron. And, like today, we experienced no distance between us as we ran to his side. Space shattered, his voice reached us and in turn, we reached him. Upon our arrival, all we could see was madness... Absolute madness." Muramasa suddenly jumped up and down, "Yes, yes, yes! His madness infected us, the emotions he showed, we felt! When we looked around ourselves, the enemy attacked, so we fought back! Masamune here... Hahahaha, I have never seen him so frantic, so... much... like... ME!" and was silenced by Masamune''s blade, which he evaded, "What? It''s true! The madness covered us all, otherwise we wouldn''t have been able to lay waste to his enemies!" "Silence!" Masamune yelled, "I admit, I succumbed to the madness, but it was not his! My friend would never submit to such weakness without reason!" Masamune was furious. One could surmise that he did not like what happened back then. Morana, with her rattling bones, stared at Masamune, then at Muramasa, then at Nox. Nox noticed her gaze, and heaved a sigh. "True, even with my dark arts, the things we experienced that day, even I could not fathom it. It was worse than mine, and this is coming from a practitioner of such things." Morana, the newest member, bowed with gratitude, "Thank you for sating my desire to not be left out." Culverin, as the most senior of them all having been given to Cavaron as a gift from mentor to student, with his arms crossed as orange flames flickered on his body with each breath he took, "The question on my mind right now is, ''How can the same flame be here?'' is this the reason why you became reckless?" Culverin''s gaze was fixed on Cavaron''s eyes. Cavaron, who received such a questioning stare, answered back, "Er, yeah. A person in my past returned to give me hell." Now, everyone''s expression turned serious. The first to break the silence was, surprisingly, Morana. "Master, with my arsenal borne from the dark Felrok arts, I will give my utmost effort in aiding you through your ordeal." Morana bowed deep before Cavaron which shocked many of the other summons, "This necromancer may be new, but my power is great. Though not as great as Athanasius, my power is still amongst the higher echelons of the past Empire." With her sudden action, a change happened amongst the other summons. The two Blade Spirits knelt and did a dogeza, a bowing form of respect for the Japanese. Adelward and the War Spirits did so as well by going down on one knee, similar to knights kneeling before their lord. The Hunter Spirits clasped their hands, and bowed where they stood. Capacitor even lowered its front limbs, assuming a posture of servitude. The Elementals, as they were of a higher order, Culverin just massaged his nape, Glacia and the women smiled, Stormfell shrugged, and Nox nodded. "Well, whatever. No idea how it reached this point but, fine, seeing as you, yourself, won''t even tell us, we won''t bother." said Culverin, "However, if you do something as reckless as this again, you''ll be sure that we''ll be locking you up in Adamantium with only your face free for breathing. Contract or not, our priority is your safety. Got it?" Cavaron smiled and opened his arms wide, "Give me a hug~" This seemingly random action by Cavaron was accepted by Felicia as she pounced on him immediately after saying so. Only, there was someone else in his arms, "Candy!!!" It was Shamira. "Okay! Will somebody please explain what happened to the Cross Ark?!" ... .. . --- After the scuffle with Shamira, Cavaron and his summons filed out, one after another, from the garden through the gate that Cavaron went through. "Oh, right." Cavaron spoke as they walked, "Don''t mention any of this to Bronte, you know how he gets frantic when it comes to me." The others who were following him nodded, and before long they passed through the gate. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Two Legion Commanders stood by the side of the opposite gate. "Brother, it has been three hours already, what do you think he''s doing in there?" Ashe Sloivat asked Akash who, for some reason, stood stock still, "Brother, is thereC" Ashe was about to ask a question when Akash interrupted her, "Did you not feel it, sister?" Akash was pale as he turned his gaze towards her, "Did you not feel the massive fluctuation, the two massive fluctuations of mana around us? It was the same as back then, back when I was part of the rank and file, back when I was one of the lowliest knights... Cavaron, what do you plan to do?" Just as Akash said so, the gate beside them activated, signifying that someone was passing through from the other side. "He''s back." said Ashe as she looked at the swirling mana within the gate. "Hey there, you two." Cavaron was the first to step through, Akash seemed like he was about to speak but froze upon seeing the gate still activated, "Huh?" More people filed out of the gate after Cavaron, and at the sight of the people, Akash fell on his bottom, "W-w-what are!?" "Hey, it''s the soldier guy." said Bellatrix with her eyes gleaming, "Yer still alive, eh? Guess Cavaron''s mercy paid off." The other summons, apart from Morana, recognized Akash as well, and gave out their own greetings to the shivering Legion Commander who most probably recalled the past encounter a century ago. Ashe, who witnessed the sad state of her brother, stared at the summons as they passed, until Muramasa''s eyes met hers. When they did so, a change occurred in Muramasa, he couldn''t stop looking at the armored blonde angel however, Ashe, instead looked away due to Muramasa''s gaze. Ulrika nudged the immobile Blade Spirit, "What''s wrong with you, our Lord is might leave without us." Ulrika''s comment broke Muramasa from his daze, "Uh... Huh." and made one last glance at the female Legion Commander. Akash recovered from his state, and immediately went next to Cavaron, "What are you planning!?" asked Akash alarmingly, "Do you plan to have another Wrath of Gods!?" Cavaron was still walking and was about to reach the foot of the stairs before he faced the frantic angel, "No worries, from what I''ve read from the Byblos, the amount of damage back then couldn''t entirely be attributed to us." said Cavaron with absolute certainty, "I admit, I annihilated quite a lot of all three races but, these summons of mine and I couldn''t take out a third of Edeortha''s population in a single night. Since you reminded me about it, I suspect that the Byblos, even though it is a god level artifact, cannot see everything with absolute certainty, and most likely missed a certain entity that could explain what happened." Cavaron gave his reason for summoning a number of contracts into Edeortha, and while Akash stared at him, he signaled his summons to follow as he turned to go up the stairs back to the surface. From what he had said to Akash, it is a wonder how a third of Edeortha and a large area of its land were destroyed in a single night. Due to his explanation, there is now a hole filled with uncertainty regarding his true power. Still, with the existence of his insurance-level contracts that are yet to be seen, one should not assume that this is the extent of his power. ... .. . --- Back on the surface, Cavaron and company arrived at the Sky Tower''s Lower Area lobby. The area was empty except for a few patrolling soldiers and coalition troops. The usually busy Lower Area now only had the officials of the Sky Tower and important guests like Cavaron. Due to the incident regarding Azrael, security has been raised to high heaven, and civilians and foreign dignitaries were barred from entering. In the middle of the lobby were a group of people with a chimeric being. The chimeric being was Halrimaw, one of Cavaron''s summons, and the people with him were Bronte, the Thunder God, Aimi, Aomi, and surprisingly, Maguro and his companions. Cavaron was approaching them, followed by his summons, when Maguro sensed something and looked at their direction. "Cavaron, you''re back!" exclaimed Maguro, "The hell did you spend so much mana f... Oh..." Maguro most probably felt the huge fluctuations of mana when Cavaron performed the Mass Summonings of his contracts. One should not be surprised if his actions were picked up by those of the same field or similar. If one summon required a large amount of mana, what more for all of them together? Everyone else with Maguro turned to greet Cavaron, but were instead shocked at the sight of the group behind him. "Papa!!" Bronte bolted towards Cavaron and slammed onto his waist, "Are you okay?" Cavaron lifted Bronte up and hugged him back, "I''m okay, just drained. Have you filled the converters?" asked Cavaron since he did give Bronte a number of the Magitech artifacts. Bronte nodded and pulled out ten cubes brimming with power, "I''m done with these, I''m still charging the rest." Cavaron received the Converters and gave Bronte a rub on his head, "Thanks." Cavaron then absorbed all of the mana inside the Converters as the cubes lost their shine. In no more than a minute, all of the cubes became pitch black and were returned to Bronte, "Hmm, gonna need a bit more for them..." muttered Cavaron. This was picked up by Ylva whose expression turned sour, yet she stayed silent. Nobody noticed Ylva''s expression, and Cavaron''s mutter so everybody just went along with whatever''s happening. -------------------------------------------- Chapter 57 I feel like I botched this chapter... -------------------------------------------- After Cavaron had recovered some mana to a certain extent, he went towards Maguro and pulled out a bundle of flowers, "Maguro, this is for you." Everybody''s jaws dropped when they heard this. Maguro, however, stared at Cavaron before reacting, "The way you said that leads to a lot of misunderstandings, Cavaron." Maguro looked at the bundle of flowers, and raised a brow, "Aren''t these?" asked Maguro, by which Cavaron nodded in return and answered, "Yeah, the same as those on Ethra''s chest, and the same ones that suppressed my flame a century ago." Maguro received the bundle of flowers, and gave it to one of his companions while giving out an instruction, "Replace the petals on the patient''s body with the petals from these flowers. Assuming that there is a pattern, follow the way the wilted petals have been arranged." His companion nodded, and went through a corridor that led to Ethra''s room together with an escort. "Now then, Cavaron. I''ve heard the details from your friends here." said Maguro as he pointed towards Aimi and the others, "Quite interesting that you''ve met young Aimi here of all people." Cavaron raised a brow at Maguro''s remark, "Assuming from the way you said it, you know her?" asked Cavaron. "Indeed." replied Maguro, "I met her when I went back home to Terra 1 for a vacation." ''Terra 1?'' wondered Cavaron, then he clicked his tongue, ''Oh right, parallel worlds! Damn, I hate those, so confusing.'' Maguro turned back to look at the young girl who was playing with a smaller blue girl. Aimi was hugging Aomi like a doll, and was even burying her face into Aomi''s fur, sniffing her scent. This made Cavaron give a weird look at the young girl. "Anyway, back on topic." Maguro resumed the discussion, "Since you summoned quite a number of contracts, and from that unusually large but halted mana fluctuation, I assume that you plan to bring the fight to the enemy, yes?" Cavaron shrugged and nodded, "Well, that was the plan, but I didn''t have enough for the nukers." Maguro''s eyes went wide as he heard the term ''nukers'', "Nukers? Are they comparable to my world''s Atomic Bomb? What are you planning?" Cavaron waved his arm at his alarmed friend, "No worries, those guys can control their output, unlike your world''s weapon of mass destruction. Although, they couldn''t compare to Ciphers and their huge arsenal of absolutely destructive abilities. Speaking of Ciphers, I wonder how that bastard is. Been around 200 odd years since we last met." Maguro just stared at his friend who was reminded of a certain Cipher. If one remembered Maguro''s explanation of what a Cipher was, Ciphers were the so called guardians of time and space, and they were able to utilize every law that existed. That, and the fact that Cavaron became friends with a being so close to a godly existence. "By the way, why haven''t you made a contract with a Cipher, Cavaron?" asked Maguro. After all, it wouldn''t be surprising since some of his contracts were his friends to begin with. Cavaron looked at Maguro with a dumbfounded expression, "You know? I haven''t thought of that. I''ll ask him the next time I catch him." replied Cavaron with a smile. Suddenly, Cavaron felt a nudge on his waist. Looking down, he found Aomi bumping him. When Aomi realized that he was staring at her, she suddenly pointed at him and yelled, "Cavaron!" Cavaron was surprised that she became able to say his name, "Oh? So you can say my name, eh?" said Cavaron, his interest piqued, "Can you say the others'' names?" Aomi pointed to Aimi with her furry finger and yelled, "Sister!" This surprised Cavaron even more, "Why ''sister'' and not ''friend'' or ''master''?" Aomi tilted her head at Cavaron''s question, signifying that she did not probably understand the question or the words used. Aimi hurriedly went to Aomi, and lifted her up, "Sorry, Senpai, we were still teaching her human language." apologized Aimi as she hugged Aomi. "Eh, not a big deal, why ''sister'' though?" asked Cavaron. "Well, I always wanted a little sister, so why not?" replied Aimi with a grin. Again, Cavaron shrugged at the turn of events. However, he suddenly realized something, "Aimi, do you have the Byblos with you?" asked Cavaron. Aimi then averted her gaze, "Er... About that..." muttered Aimi. Cavaron then became curious, "What happened?" and asked in a serious tone. This time, it was Ashe who stepped forward, "Sir Cavaron. The Byblos was lost in Azrael''s flames. Lady Aoyama had no fault in it." Cavaron''s eyes went wide, "How!? That thing was a god level artifact!" he yelled in disbelief causing Ashe to flinch, "I''m sorry, we do not know how, indeed, but we only recovered a fragment that was a part of it." Akash then stepped forward and pulled out an item, "Here is the Byblos''s remains." The fragment had the same gold and silver patterns as the Byblos, and looked like a part of the spine. Seeing this made Cavaron spit out a curse so profane that it shouldn''t exist in the first place. Suddenly, a rip in space appeared, and a man''s head popped out, "You called?" The head had shaven black hair, a pair of droopy brown eyes, and a fairly flat nose. His voice was sleepy as he spoke. Seeing the sudden appearance of a floating head, Aimi fainted and fell back to the floor, and was caught by one of Maguro''s companions. "Go back to your realm." said Cavaron as he looked at the floating head, "I don''t want this realm to collapse just because you appear every time I say that string of profanity." Without another word, the floating head pulled itself back into the void. "Who was that?" asked Maguro with a stunned expression. "Would you believe me if I said a piece of a cursed god?" replied Cavaron. Maguro just looked at Cavaron before shrugging, "Okay. Since you are one of the longest living people of our kind, I''ll believe anything you say." This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it After the encounter with the floating head, a sound of a gate opening was heard, and they all looked towards the source. The door that led to the reception area opened, and revealed two giant people. "Sir Cavaron, is Ethra alright?" asked one of the giants. Cavaron looked at the two giants, and let out a sigh, "Welcome to the Sky Tower remnants, Esserot and Gulfried." A dragon-minotaur crossbreed, Esserot Tassern, Demon King of Pyo''ah. With his twin Axe folded and sheathed on his back, he walked alongside Gulfried Asonar, Human Emperor of Yanbaka. The two of them, with their mere height, towered over everybody but Halrimaw. As the two leaders strode forth, they were also followed by a squad of soldiers marching in unison. "You guys are late." said Cavaron, "It''s been... what? Ten hours since the attack?" Esserot and Gulfried stood in front of Cavaron before either replied. "Even on wyverns, we still need time to move our forces." replied Esserot, "As such, delivering reports will take time." Although Esserot spoke, Gulfried stayed silent. He already knew that Cavaron cannot be trifled with due to the previous incident in Kalbata Forest. "Fine, just make sure to have a hand in the war to end this war." said Cavaron, "I will need all three races'' efforts for this one." When Cavaron said so, everybody around him, save for his summons and Maguro, had their eyes go wide and jaws drop in disbelief. "What... What do you mean by that?" Gulfried broke his silence and asked, "Will our forces even make a difference? We have been at war with the Azuals for as long as I can remember, and you say that with our efforts will end it?" Cavaron eyed the unbelieving emperor before speaking, "From what I recall reading from the Byblos before it became like this..." he said as he raised the fragment, "The Azuals numbered close to fifty five million, almost equal to the total of all three races'' combined active military forces. With that in mind, I expended a lot of mana bringing over my own forces here to aid you. Therefore, I plan to lead the first strike and reduce them by, more or less, a tenth of their total number. We could deliver more damage, say a quarter, but I was stopped be these guys beside me. So, I need your help to give me an opening so I can dive into the middle of the enemy, and kill Azrael, permanently. Emphasis on the word ''permanently''." "Oh, and before that..." added Cavaron, "Bellatrix!" War Spirit, Bellatrix, stepped forward and arrived next to Cavaron. "Aye, sir!" she replied. "Bolster Esserot''s forces, I think you''ll like his army." Bellatrix observed the dragon-minotaur crossbreed in front of her, and revealed a happy grin when she saw Esserot''s preferred weapon, "Esserot, eh? I think this will be the start of a wonderful friendship!" Bellatrix went next to Esserot and slapped his back. Unexpectedly, Esserot was pushed forward, and a surprised expression was on his face. Someone smaller than him was able to give enough force to break his balance. "Next, Gunther!" shouted Cavaron, and the War Spirit, Gunther, arrived next to him on horseback, "Aid the Human army. Since they have cavalrymen, I figured you would be the best choice." Gunther, through his helmet, watched Gulfried. He got off his horse, stepped forward, and knelt with one knee, "This knight gladly serves." After that, he called for his horse, and went behind Gulfried. Cavaron then turned to Shamira, "Shamira, I need you to guide the Sloivats and their forces, seeing that Ethra is unconscious, command will fall to the siblings." he said to the Cross Ark. Shamira flew behind Ashe but was still looking at Cavaron. He noticed her gaze and sighed, "Fine, here." He ripped open space, pulled out a bag as big as his head, and threw it to Shamira, "Don''t finish everything before the battle is over." Shamira opened the bag, and pulled out a small item. It was a piece of candy, and Shamira popped it into her mouth. Ecstasy flooded her face, and was witnessed by everybody around them. "Want some candy?" asked Cavaron the others. They looked at Shamira, then back at Cavaron, and shook their heads out of fear of becoming like the Cross Ark. "Okay." added Cavaron as he popped a piece of candy into his mouth. Not giving the leaders a chance to refuse his request, Cavaron placed his summons into their forces to bolster them. How they would do so is a question that may be answered in the future. For now, Cavaron and the others planned out their operation on finally dealing with the Azuals. "Do note that we don''t need to wipe them out completely." said Cavaron. The others were bewildered as to why he said this, if at all he seems to be showing mercy. "The Azuals, no matter how monstrous they look, were born from the union of the three races. I expect reconciliation after we eliminate Azrael. I suspect that that bastard did something to them leading to our problem at hand." Gulfried and Esserot looked at each other, both of their eyes showing doubt''s, before answering Cavaron, "We''ll see." Somewhat satisfied with their response, Cavaron called everybody for a meeting. "Right then, here''s what we''ll be doing. Gulfried, I need you to amass..." -------------------------------------------- Finally done with this chapter. Now, I can focus on the war. Don''t expect the perfect war, though, but feel free to expect AoE skills... Lots of AoE skills. As for the curse so profane that it shouldn''t exist, it doesn''t exist. Though, you could think of Spongebob Squarepants, if you want it to exist. Chapter 58 Twelve hours later, a few hours past noon. Cavaron and his summons, Aimi, and Aomi were riding on a large transport dragon, controlled by Halrimaw, and were accompanied by a legion of ten million Sky Knights as well as a horde of flying mounts turned war assets. Maguro and his companions were tasked to keep Ethra alive, and were given a large bundle of blue and white flowers. Gulfried and Esserot were nowhere to be seen, however, and were probably tasked with different duties. "Are you sure this will work?" asked Culverin, "We are fighting against fifty five million enemies." Cavaron was seated and was absorbing more mana from the Converters Bronte finished filling up, and recycled the empty Converters. As he heard Culverin''s question, without changing his expression, he replied, "Maybe, maybe not. We may never know until we do it." Indeed, theories and doubts could only do so much, and accomplish so little until the deed has been done, and results have been delivered. "Anyway, if it doesn''t work, I can call for one of the three gems since they are the easiest to summon amongst the others." added Cavaron, "If I regain more, then probably that brat and his sister." The others looked at Cavaron, seated on a chair, absorbing mana while stating his fallback plan. Morana, being the newest addition, asked, "Are they the ''nukers'' as he called them?" Nox looked at the necromancer beside him, "The Three Gems: Archer of Emerald Flames, Mage of Ruby Ice, and Knight of Sapphire Earth. Those three are at a level above elementals, but are the weakest amongst the high-level summons. As for the other two mentioned, they are Planar Dragons, and they are at a level much higher than the three gems capable of destroying a medium sized island on their own." he explained, "As for the others, there are still two or three that we haven''t met yet... Ah, I forgot! That head we previously saw when he spoke the unspeakable curse, although not a contract, is similar to a summon since only Cavaron could successfully utter the curse. Like Cavaron said, a piece of a cursed god capable of destroying realms." Morana nodded in understanding while listening to Nox. Her skull rattled as she did so, and after listening, bowed in gratitude, "Thank you, Lord Nox." Nox nodded back in affirmation, "You know, Morana, I like people like you." Morana was taken aback from what Nox said but only until after hearing his continuation, "Your curiosity knows no bounds. I like curious people. As the saying goes, ''Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.'' It''s funny, though, with you being a necromancer and all, this saying fits you oddly well." Nox smiled as he praised Morana. Despite only having a skeleton for a body underneath her cloak, and having no flesh and blood, her movements became different upon Nox''s praise. The ethereal flames in her eye sockets flickered while looking at the Dark Prince. "Er, thank you, Lord." said Morana. Ignoring the sudden change in Morana, Culverin continued his inquiry, "Still, I don''t think we could successfully move sixty two million soldiers: ten million Sky Knights, fourteen million Earth Knights, and thirty eight million Sun Knights; perfectly in unison." Without looking at his summon, "No need to move perfectly, I just need a chance to kill Azrael. That''s why we''re taking the airborne approach." replied Cavaron, "Gulfried and Esserot just need to divide the Azuals'' attention to two separate fronts, east and west. While the pincer attack on the ground makes the enemy busy, I''ll have Capacitor scan the battlefield to look for Azrael since my Mana Pulse is useless here, and the Sky Knights will strike strategically from the skies. At the right moment, all Elementals will Release and assume your Avatars, and release your wide area magic to soften them up. Once Azrael is found, Bronte will feed Capacitor, and use Steel Rain on the general area. After that, I''ll rush in with all of my current power while being supported by the Spirits." ... .. . --- Somewhere on Edeortha''s Scar, Western Front. Thirty eight million Sun Knights made up of cavalrymen, foot soldiers, magi, rangers, and wyvern riders were marching on the barren wastes of Edeortha''s Scar. This army marched in accordance with the plan, and at the very front was a large man wearing Imperial armor mounted atop a larger than usual wyvern. Behind him was a fully armored cavalryman mounted atop a similarly armored war horse. It was the War Spirit Gunther. His body, specifically his armor, radiated with a soft silver glow, and this glow enveloped all the other cavalrymen in a thirty meter radius around him. His war horse glowed as well, and enveloped the other horses and wyverns with the same light. Gulfried looked back to the War Spirit behind him, with curiosity in his eyes, and urged his wyvern to go beside Gunther. "Uh, Gunther?" uttered Gulfried. Gunther faced the Human Emperor, "Yes, sir, may I be of assistance?" and replied. "What does this... magic of yours do, exactly?" asked Gulfried. Gunther, without hesitation, answered back, "As a War Spirit, I have abilities that boost certain people''s own abilities. For example, I am a cavalryman, therefore I affect mounted units, so does my War Horse affects the mounts themselves. The same goes for the others like Bellatrix and Ulrika, although Ulrika has higher masteries, and is able to affect other people outside her profession. If I remember correctly, Ulrika was a Battlemaster, able to command any and all kinds of soldiers. As for what I am doing now, I am merely maintaining your stamina. This does not require much effort and can be continued indefinitely." Gulfried nodded with an, "Uh huh. Interesting. I have another question, though." Gunther was silent as he waited for the question. "Spirits... Are you all human? Seeing that you have humanoid appearances." asked Gulfried. "Not all of us are... were human. Take Burkhard and Adelward, for example. Those two were shields that gained sentience from their previous owners'' sentiments. These sentiments get piled up enough to grant life to an inanimate object. Masamune and Muramasa are the same. From the world they originated from, there were beliefs that they were legendary swords. These beliefs, in turn, gave birth to them. Bellatrix was born from a battleaxe wielded by... well... a fairly strange warrior that thought of his weapon as his... er... wife. Ulrika and I were generals in the past, and the Hunter Spirits were the companions of renowned hunters." A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Right before Gunther finished his explanation, Gulfried became momentarily dumbstruck, "... Uh... Wife?" he asked as it easily stuck to his mind. The other soldiers who were listening in on their conversation reacted in a similar manner as Gulfried when they heard the part regarding Bellatrix. Gunther noticed the stares of the people around him, "Er... Yes. Well... Her previous owner is already long dead and gone, so... Yes. I... Didn''t even know how to react back then when I heard the story from Lord Cavaron." he said, "So, I understand what you''re feeling right now." ... .. . --- Somewhere on Edeortha''s Scar, Eastern Front. A large wave of demonic warriors could be seen creeping over the wastelands of Edeortha. Lizardmen, minotaurs, dragons, multi-limbed creatures, scaled and furred, and the like made up the demonic army of fourteen million. These demons were all Earth Knights under the Demon King, Esserot Tassern. Esserot was mounted atop a large land dragon with large earth like spikes protruding along its spine. In fact, it was large enough to seat three more people who should be at least half Esserot''s size. Thus, he had a companion for the ride, a woman with brilliant crimson hair and similarly brilliant crimson eyes. It was Bellatrix. She was seated right behind Esserot, facing the huge army marching behind them, and was enjoying the sights. "Erm, Bellatrix, yes?" Without turning his head, Esserot spoke in a voice loud enough for Bellatrix to hear. "Aye? Watcha be needin''?" replied Bellatrix, turning her head towards Esserot. "Although I heard from Cavaron that you will be bolstering our forces, how exactly will you be doing that?" asked Esserot, "Can you, alone, do enough for fourteen million of us?" Bellatrix spun around on her seat, from facing the army to facing Esserot, "Aye, I can understa'' a bit of what ye mean." she replied, "Truth be spoken, though. I am unable ta support all of ye, but be rest assured. Lookin'' at yer forces, I''ll be more useful to ye, her dragonkins, and yer minotaurs. Just leave yerselves be at front, an'' I''ll take care of the rest." Hearing so, Esserot still couldn''t accept a fairly vague answer, "But, what exactly will you be doing?" and asked again. "Ehh, ya heard Imma War Spirit, yes?" Bellatrix asked, and Esserot nodded, "Aye, I''ll be boosting yer weapons with me abilities. On point, anybody who be wielding an ax type weapon will be boosted by me. Specifically, I''ll be amplifying yer damage dealing capabilities at least twice or thrice fold. Fer example, bring out yer weapon for a while." Esserot hesitated for a bit before unsheathing his double ax. When he pulled it out, Bellatrix whistled, "Ain''t that a beaut''!" making Esserot''s expression turn strange. "Ah, sorry. Sorry. Just reminded of me past. Anyway... [Rending Aura]." When Bellatrix recited Rending Aura, Esserot''s double ax began to glow crimson red, similar to Bellatrix''s hair and eyes. As Esserot held his double ax, "What the?" he felt a change in the weapon in his hand, "Such power...", and sighed in admiration. After a few seconds, the aura vanished. "Dontcha worry a bit. I have enough for the whole lot of ye for a long time." said Bellatrix, "Just go up front, and lead the charge with the others. Aye?" Esserot stared at the woman behind him before revealing a grin and facing back to the front, and shouting, "Axemen! Up front, now!" Soon, the lines shifted, sending anybody carrying an ax to the front, while the others went to the middle or rear. "Hahahaha! This will be a fun battle!" laughed Esserot loudly, while the woman behind him grinned enthusiastically, ''Ahh, Cavaron, I thank ye for putting me beside a lovely warrior.'' ... .. . --- While Cavaron and his companions were within the vehicle mounted underneath the transport dragon, Shamira flew by a window and knocked. Cavaron noticed her and opened the window, "What? You ran out of candy?" he asked the Cross Ark. "You have mo no, wait. Not that." replied Shamira, "We have gone below the clouds, and are now flying over the target location. It''s just..." Shamira paused for a bit, and Cavaron urged her to continue. "Are you certain that there were at least fifty five million Azuals down there?" she asked. Cavaron raised a brow at her question, and realized he should look down towards the surface of Edeortha. He completely opened the window, popped his head out, and used Mana Sight to amplify the range of his vision. "What in the... Capacitor! Scan the ground, now! Range, maximum!" shouted Cavaron. Capacitor whirred in response, and produced a long rod like device with a dish at the end. "SETTING SCAN RANGE..." a loud crystalline voice left the spiderlike robot, "SCANNING... SCANNING... SCANNING COMPLETE. NUMBER OF ENTITIES DETECTED ON THE TARGETED AREA: ONE HUNDRED FIFTY TWO MILLION." Silence permeated the vehicle where Cavaron was riding in for a full minute. "Capacitor, did I hear you correctly? One hundred fifty two million?" asked Cavaron, by which the robot replied, "AFFIRMATIVE, MASTER." Suddenly, a large fluctuation of mana erupted around them, "At the moment, I can at least summon all three gems. Will you let me?" Cavaron asked his summons. "From Capacitor''s report, I would stop you if you summoned anybody with a level higher than those three." replied Stormfell, "If what you said is true, and you have enough mana to summon those three, then why the hell would you not have another Mass Summoning?" Looking around, the other summons nodded in affirmation, including the most senior, Culverin. "Right then." Cavaron went outside, climbed up, sat atop the dragon''s back cross legged, and chanted, "Masters of Anima, I call upon thee to aid thy comrade in his ordeals, in his endeavors. Promises of honor, glory, and victory are to be fulfilled once more. In his plight, guide him towards the promised victory so we may live in everlasting prosperity. Mass Summoning, Elemental Trinity!" -------------------------------------------- Tier 1 insurance-level / nuker-level summons incoming. I''m also thinking of adding a "Fuck this, I''m out. Blow everything up" level summon that is not a Cipher. (Think of Bahamut-0 in FF Type-0 on steroids... Minus the sacrificial part of the summoning. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ6taeFZqHc) Chapter 59 As celebration for me getting a new phone (I place mobile communications above all else) before the start of my school term (I''m a college student), I give you guys a long chapter (equivalent length to three normal chapters) that I wrote in one go out of frustration (I needed an outlet). --- As though throwing inconspicuity out the window, a large three tier 30-meter diameter magical array spread out above Cavaron. Each tier had the colors of red, blue, and green respectively, and let out sparks of ethereal bolts that connected each tier to the other. A huge amount of Cavaron''s mana, if one had Mana Sight, flowed into the array like being sucked by a black hole near instantaneously. After three seconds, the three tiers became one, and transformed into a smaller 15-meter magic circle that passed down through Cavaron. Upon reaching the base, three more magic circles appeared on the edges of the 15-meter circle and were arranged like the three points of an equilateral triangle. The three new magic circles were also red, blue, and green respectively, and they all shined brilliantly. Soon, a loud sound similar to the striking of a gong was heard, and three humanoids rose from the three magic circles. From the red magic circle, a red cloaked woman with a red crystalline cuirass rose up. Her body was surrounded by floating shards of red crystalline objects, two on either side floating near her shoulders. Her face was hidden from view because of her hood, even the lower half of her face was concealed by a cloth mask. From the green magic circle, a woman wearing a leather vest with a metallic chestplate appeared. Like the red woman, she wore a hood, but didn''t wear a mask revealing a bewitching smile as green flames enveloped her body. On her waist hanged a quiver, and on her back was a flaming green great bow. At the same time as with the red and green magic circles, from the blue magic circle came an armored blue knight. Despite the individual''s imposing aura, it had a feminine figure and the helmet revealed beautiful sapphire like eyes. Her blue armor was rugged and earthly, similar to rugged terrain, heavily contrasting to Cavaron''s own armor. She didn''t appear to have a weapon, but looking at her gauntlets said otherwise. Her gauntlets were weapons on their own similar to having the earth strapped to one''s own fists. """The poison of the earth adheres to the contract ages past.""" said the three women simultaneously as they turned their heads towards Cavaron. Cavaron himself still sat on the dragon''s back and his face was a bit pale. "Crap, wrong estimate." muttered Cavaron as he looked at the three women around him, "Hey, ladies." If one were to observe the three women, one would find something strange: the three women were translucent. "Cavaron..." the red woman spoke, "Judging from what you''ve expended, we only have 300 seconds, well... 280 at the moment." The green woman placed her cheek on her palm, "I''m feeling lazy, too. There wasn''t enough." A dry laugh left Cavaron''s mouth, then an annoyed face. Suddenly, the blue woman knelt behind him and brought her arms around him as she hugged him and caressed his face, "Hey, do you still remember?" asked the blue woman. Cavaron sighed, "Fine, fine! When this is over, and when I visit your world, I''ll go on a date with all of you. Happy?" The green and red women also wrapped their arms around him, while Cavaron was getting even more impatient, "Ladies, 200 seconds left. Please just do what I called you for. Just look down and you''ll understand." Cavaron groaned as she tried to push them away, "I will keep my promise, so please get rid of those bugs down below." With three kisses, the three women leapt off the dragon''s back to unleash pandemonium. Cavaron just sighed as he let his body collapse on the dragon''s own back. "Shamira! Help!" Shamira heard his call, carried him off, and brought him back to the compartment below the dragon with the others. Without another word, he called for Bronte with the Converters to replenish his mana. While Cavaron was in the middle of summoning the Three Gems, a large cloud rose from the wasteland. It was a massive flock of flying Azuals, and they were headed towards the magic array. The flock of Azuals nearly spanned half the horizon as it blocked the sight of anything above and below it. Out of the 152 million supposed entities, from its size, one could estimate around 25 to 30 million Azuals currently flying towards Cavaron. At the same time, the War Spirits with the two other armies, Gunther and Bellatrix, sensed the massive fluctuation of mana from a distance, looked towards the general direction, and had both Gulfried and Esserot double time the march saying, "Something happened, hurry!" and "The Three Gems ''ave been summoned, plans ''ave changed!" respectively. While the human army and the demon army ran through the wasteland, the Three Gems unleashed their respective attacks. First up was the red woman, Ruby. Ruby conjured a large amount of red spears of ice. So many that it blocked the sky in a few seconds, "Bloody Rain of Torment!" Without uttering a long chant, the spears of ice fell and skewered everything in their path with one spear piercing through two to five Azuals in one fell swoop. Whatever else that remained was left to the green woman, Emerald. Emerald unsheathed her great bow, and drew from her quiver a flaming green arrow. Just as she notched the arrow, several more flaming green arrows appeared around her, aimed at wherever she was aiming at, and numbered too many to count. "Storm of Poisoned Flames!" Like Ruby, Emerald unleashed flaming green fury towards the remaining Azuals in the sky. The flaming green arrows, as each struck an enemy, exploded and affected everything else nearby. Just as two explosions happened near each other, a third explosion appeared in between the two, creating a cloud of green smoke. The green smoke, as it was inhaled by the remaining Azuals, acted like poison, and those who breathed it fell from the skies never to move again. Finally, with nearly all of the flying Azuals cleared from the sky, the blue woman, Sapphire, crashed like a meteor onto the ground creating a massive crater that blasted many Azuals on the ground away. Sapphire''s force of impact already destroyed a substantial amount of Azuals. When the dust settled, the reason for such power was revealed. Her gauntlets became meteors themselves as both became one massive piece of blue rock. "Wrath of the Dead Earth!" Suddenly, the large rock glowed brightly before exploding into many pieces like a massive fragmentation grenade scattering and impaling the surrounding Azuals before they could even react. The shrapnel of rocks became bombs themselves as each piece detonated like a chain of cluster bombs over a wide area delivering massive casualties. Just as the ground shook from the explosions, a rain of red ice and green flames fell from the skies like the tears of a mad god. A few more seconds passed before there was a pause in the attacks happened, "THIRTY SECONDS LEFT!" shouted Ruby as she landed next to Sapphire, followed by Emerald, "Let''s go out with a bang!" Ruby raised her hands, Emerald leapt high to the air, and Sapphire crouched down to the ground. Respectively, the three solemnly uttered their chants, "Ice Queen of Ruby Blood.", " Eagle of Emerald Flames.", and "Revenant of Sapphire Earth." and three imposing figures appeared behind them. Behind Ruby was a red frozen regal woman that stared down at everything. Green flames formed behind Emerald and resembled a bird of prey. From the earth behind Sapphire, a revenant wearing imposing armor emerged. From the red queen, a shrill scream erupted, the ice shattered, and the queen stretched her arms grabbing a large amount of Azuals that had their blood come through every single orifice of their bodies becoming ice that froze all to death. The flaming bird cried and dived down, everything it passed through turned to ash, and those it passed over became poisoned to death. The blue revenant roared and slammed its bony fists onto the earth, and the earth opened up to reveal the deep abyss that swallowed all that were unlucky to be on it. All of these happened in the remaining thirty seconds, and after it finished, the three looked towards the sky and bid their farewell as they disappeared. Back in the dragon''s compartment, the others watched the hell that unfolded with chills running down the spines of Culverin, Glacia, and Avani. "I still can''t get used to those three." said Glacia, "If we are aligned with order, those three are aligned with chaos." Behind them lay Cavaron with Bronte sitting next to him. Tirta sat beside Cavaron, "Did you really promise those three?" and asked. Cavaron opened his eyes, "You know how those three act. If I didn''t, we would have bigger problems, and I''d have wasted my mana." and answered. After the Three Gems left, Cavaron no longer felt their presence, and ordered Capacitor, "Capacitor, scan the ground." The Machine Spirit whirred into action, "SCANNING... SCANNING... SCANNING COMPLETE. APPROXIMATELY NINETY EIGHT MILLION ENTITIES DETEC PLEASE HOLD." Capacitor suddenly paused in the middle of the report before finishing, and whirred into scanning the ground again, "RESCANNING AREA... SCANNING... SCANNING... SCANNING COMPLETE. REVISING REPORT TO APPROXIMATELY NINETY NINE MILLION ENTITIES DETECTED AND ARE INCREASING AT AN ALARMING RATE." Cavaron''s eyes were now completely open, and focused mana to shoot out in two opposite directions. The mana that were shot out landed on the two War Spirits that were marching with both the human and demon armies with a message, "Expect a lot of casualties." ... .. . --- Flashback "Greetings, Lady Aisha. We are here to meet Mother." One of the two angels outside said. It was a male angel, and he wore armor similar to the Sky Knights I had fought against before, only, his armor had more designs on them. Behind him was a younger angel, and was a female. She stood at attention behind the male angel, and tension could be seen from her eyes. Suddenly, our eyes met, and she just stared at me. The male angel eventually noticed me, and smiled and nodded at me. I doubt that I knew him, but it felt like he knew me, and the way the female angel stared at me... It wasn''t alarm nor fear... It was akin to worry or pity. My gut feeling was probably right, these two angels knew me, but how they know me is a question I don''t know the answer to. "How much longer before the promise?" Aisha suddenly said to the male angel. The male angel turned his gaze away from me and returned his attention on Aisha, "Lady Aisha, I cannot say for certain, but according to the Byblos, Pyo''ah will arrive soon. Aisha''s grip on the doorknob tightened at his words, I could faintly hear the creaking of the door from the force of her grip. I already had known that she was strong, but never to this extent. I feel that I must ask why she was acting like so, yet something is stopping me from doing so, and can only let them continue their conversation in silence. I few seconds of silence passed before Aisha turned towards me, her sad face replaced with a smile, "Cavaron, I will just attend to these guests outside. These people were my mother''s friends, and so they also became my friends." Even though she told me so, there was something wrong with her smile. It was a fake smile, vastly different from what she showed before. Hard and forced compared to the innocent and soft smile before. Aisha turned away, and led the two angels outside. I reacted by leaving my seat and proceeding towards the door. However, before I could even touch the doorknob, I felt a sudden blast of dizziness and blacked out. ... .. . --- Outside. Aisha had led her two guests to the middle of the meadow. As the three of them walked, a flash of light appeared over the eastern horizon, and repeated over the surroundings until it encircled them. "Damn! He''s here!" the male angel cried, it was the Sky King Palu''Angit, "Ethra! Stay behind me." The female angel, Ethra, followed his words. "Lady Aisha, forgive this servant for being late." Aisha, in turn, just smiled, and continued towards the middle of the meadow with a change in her atmosphere. Elemental essences began to swirl behind her as she walked. The essences had five colors: red, blue, green, white, and black, and these essences grew in number up until she arrived at her supposed destination. Palu''Angit and Ethra quietly followed after Aisha while keeping their guard in the event Pyo''ah arrives in the area. Aisha then began to dance, and elemental essences followed the flow of her body. With each wave of her hand, the elemental essences danced with her. Palu''Angit watched without sound, but Ethra had her eyes become wide in awe of the beautiful sight. Aisha and the elemental essences continued to dance without interruption despite the bright lights appearing over the horizon, signs of battle. Anxiety crept onto the face of Palu''Angit as he impatiently watched the flashing lights creep nearer to their location. The elemental essences became denser and denser until Aisha disappeared from their sight. They revolved around in the places where she danced. Faster and faster until each light fused and became one shell of light. The shell of light shone brilliantly blinding the two angels that were watching before a crack appeared. The shell of light parted like a pair of wings that revealed the person... or persons within. Aisha reappeared with another woman that embraced her from behind. This woman had hair similar to Aisha''s, silver in color, but her eyes were different as the pair was crimson red in color. Aisha''s own hands held the arms of the woman embracing her, but her eyes were shut, and her body was limp. The woman, herself, caressed Aisha like a mother to a child and with a kiss to Aisha''s cheek, the woman laid Aisha to the ground. One might presume that Aisha sacrificed her life, but it wasn''t so as her chest rose and fell as she breathed lying down with her back to the ground. The woman smiled as she looked at Aisha, then turned her gaze towards Palu''Angit and Ethra, her body glowing with divine light, "Greetings, my children." Palu''Angit immediately knelt before the woman and said, "Mother, many pardons for this child of yours, but as the keepers, we must see the prophecy come to fruition." Just as he finished speaking, the earth violently shook as the skies cracked and shattered revealing a crimson sky. "Ah, Demetria, we meet again at last." A powerful voice came from the east, and a giant black demon appeared. "Pyo''ah!" cried Palu''Angit. Ethra stared at the giant demon, and hurriedly summoned her spear. "Ah, Palu''Angit, how is your father? Oh, wait... He''s dead, I forgot." Pyo''ah taunted Palu''Angit, and Palu''Angit gritted his teeth in anger but did not attack back, "Who''s that small child behind you? Your daughter, is it? That''s cute." An smile appeared on Pyo''ah''s face. Palu''Angit reacted by pulling Ethra close to him, "I am starting to regret have brought you her, my child." whispered Palu''Angit to Ethra. Ethra merely gripped the hem of her father''s clothes beneath his armor, and replied, "My decision still stands, father." The woman named Demetria looked at the towering demon closing the distance between them. The former shell of light that now became her wings flapped and launched her high to Pyo''ah''s eye level. "Hello, Brother. It has been a millennium since we last spoke." said Demetria, "It seems that many of our children lost their way over a thousand years of our absence." Pyo''ah stopped just a few meters from the edge of the meadow within the forest that surrounded it, and spoke, "Maybe so, but our battle will end everything. A thousand years ago, our powers were drained, and we both fell to a deep slumber. Just as the promise before, we are to fight and claim our own rights to this world." Demetria looked back to the sleeping Aisha, and Pyo''ah followed her gaze. "That child... Why does she resemble you?" he asked, "Don''t tell me you never slept, and merely lived as a mortal?" Demetria returned her gaze towards Pyo''ah, "That child will become my legacy after this, whether I live or die." and replied, "She came from me, and became separate from me yet connected. She is my child." A soft smile formed on Demetria''s lips. Pyo''ah frowned when he heard her answer, "It doesn''t matter, only one will leave alive after this." Demetria became solemn momentarily, then her face suddenly became fierce. "My children, protect your sister and her loved one!" commanded Demetria, "Come, Pyo''ah, let us settle the past!" Demetria turned into light and shot like lightning towards Pyo''ah, pushing him back over fifty meters, and carving the earth from the force of her push. Pyo''ah recollected himself, and raised an arm. From beneath him, the earth tore open, and hundreds of demons spilled forth, "Kill them all!!" shouted Pyo''ah. Demons flooded the forest, almost spilling into the meadow. In return, Palu''Angit erected a thorny barrier of light that pierced many demons, and halted their advance. "Ethra! Release the signal!" Ethra nodded at her father''s command, and shot a massive ball of light towards the sky. The ball of light exploded and dispersed, and over the northern horizon, a legion of Sky Knights appeared coming in full force. "Brothers! The war to end it all has begun! Support our mother with her endeavor!" cried Palu''Angit, and the legion of Sky Knights flew faster with their magic ready to launch. A rain of fire fell, and a storm of flames erupted immediately killing many angels and demons that got hit by their respective attacks. However, even with the number of spells going astray, none landed on the small house, and none arrived where the sleeping Aisha laid. Soon, the valley became filled with both angels and demons that fought each other while Demetria and Pyo''ah dueled against each other to the death. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Demetria summoned elemental giants that aided her in getting rid of the demons aiding Pyo''ah. She even unleashed a torrent of fire and ice, along with spears of lightning and blades of wind. Pyo''ah countered Demetria''s attacks with shards of earth and a wave of filthy water that came smashing down. From time to time, Demetria evoked a spear of light, and engaged Pyo''ah in close quarter combat, and hit-and-run attacks. With her size and speed, she was akin to a mosquito swiftly attacking Pyo''ah. Enraged, Pyo''ah released a roar that momentarily knocked Demetria away. After the roar, his body became earth like with glowing red cracks similar to Aisha''s Magma Golems, and produced a large flaming maul that he used to smash the ground below causing massive casualties from the angels and demons on the ground. Pyo''ah transformed into a magma titan making Demetria''s close quarter attacks nearly ineffective. Yet, even with his transformation, Demetria changed her attacks and summoned a large amount of blue elemental essences that became a large gathering of water drops. The water drops reformed becoming long and sharp. Despite the water''s consistency, it effectively pierced the demons with her attack, and extinguished many of Pyo''ah''s flames but not enough to fully put them out as Pyo''ah strengthened the flames that the water evaporated. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! SO MUCH DEATH IN ONE PLACE!!!" While the two were fighting, manic laughter came from the west, "DIE, DIE, DIE!!! FEED ME MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Distracted, Demetria and Pyo''ah looked towards the source, and found a human male with white hair cutting down angels and demons alike left and right with a scythe. "What is a human doing here!?" cried Pyo''ah out of shock. Immediately after that, "The Sun has arrived... but that human..." muttered Demetria as she saw the human armies over the horizon slowly carving their path, but was bewildered at the sight of the white haired man. "CAVARON!!! WHERE ARE YOU!!!???" the white haired man yelled. It was Azrael, the champion that the humans summoned to aid them. Pyo''ah became enraged even further at the sight of Azrael, "None will disrupt my plans for this world!" and launched a large twenty-meter fireball towards Azrael. Azrael noticed something, and looked towards the massive fireball coming for him. "Bullshit!!" shouted Azrael as he lifted his scythe and swung it down, unleashing a blade of force that dispersed the fireball to nothing. "Canceled!?" Pyo''ah was shocked, "Who is this human!?" Azrael then found both Demetria and Pyo''ah on the other side of the battlefield, and a large grin appeared on his face. "Found some people worth playing with~" Azrael dashed towards the two, carving a path for the human armies, and leaving a trail of corpses in his wake. With each kill, his movements became faster until he became a blur to the untrained eye. A white blur of death ran across the battlefield alarming both Demetria and Pyo''ah. Just fifty meters from reaching Demetria and Pyo''ah, Azrael spotted an open meadow where Palu''Angit and Ethra were repelling hordes of demons from entering. He also found Aisha sleeping in the middle, and found a house a few ways off. However, once his eyes laid on the house, he slowed to a stop, and his jaws dropped. This action confused Demetria and Pyo''ah, and followed Azrael''s gaze. "I found you... I! FOUND! YOU! AHAHAHAHAH!!!" yelled Azrael in excitement, "I FOUND YOU!!! CAVARON!!! THIS SOUL IS NOT A MISTAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and immediately charged towards the house. Hearing what Azrael said, Demetria became alarmed, and became a bolt of lightning that shot towards where Azrael was headed. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!" Demetria collided with Azrael creating a loud explosion of energy and knocked Azrael far away. Azrael was too engrossed with arriving at Cavaron''s location that he didn''t notice Demetria rushing towards him resulting in him being temporarily dazed. "Oh... Bad mistake... Bad mistake..." said Azrael as he got up, "What is it, wench?" Azrael leered at Demetria, and Demetria stared down Azrael. "HAHAHAHAHA!!" A loud laugh came from behind Demetria, "This human is interesting. Calling you, Demetria, a mere wench!? HAHAHAHAHA!!" Pyo''ah, despite his appearance, held his abdomen as he laughed. "Haha... Ah, but still... To survive getting hit by Demetria means that you are not an ordinary human. Who are you?" Azrael looked up at the giant Pyo''ah, and revealed a smirk, "Heh, big man, small balls. Are ya gonna fight me?" Pyo''ah was taken aback from Azrael''s provocation, but smiled afterwards, "Interesting! You are an interesting human! Sadly, you have to die so I could kill Demetria after." Pyo''ah pointed a finger at Azrael, and a black orb formed. "Have fun somewhere else." Pyo''ah fired the black orb towards Azrael, and the orb flew like a bullet to its target. However, instead of evading or blocking, Azrael raised his scythe and brought it down. When his scythe came in contact with the orb, the black orb dissipated, similar to what happened to the fireball earlier. "Fuck off, you piece of shit!" Pyo''ah was undaunted, and immediately fired one black orb after another with all of his fingers, excluding his thumbs. A rain of black orbs descended, and those that unfortunately got hit, disappeared like they were never there. Azrael raised a brow upon seeing the result, ''Spatial Destruction?'' he thought, ''Gods, huh?'' Pyo''ah kept firing a volley of orbs without care to his own demons, "Let''s see if you survive this many, human!" Pyo''ah''s power seemed limitless as he sustained the attacks for a long time. The battlefield changed and it became full of craters. The other angels and demons eventually broke away from the killzone, and left a barren land open. Demetria, however, was busy protecting Palu''Angit, Ethra, Aisha, and Cavaron from Pyo''ah''s assault. Eventually, Pyo''ah halted his attacks, "Are you dead yet, human?" and watched intently as the last of the black orbs fell. "What theC How!?" cried Pyo''ah. Within the area bombarded by his attacks Azrael stood in one piece, however, something was different. Azrael had ethereal skeletal wings on his back, and his scythe became ethereal as well and glowed an eerie green light. "What? Is that all?" A ghastly, inhuman voice left his lips. Surrounded by the Scythe''s green light, he appeared like a true angel of death. Azrael fully opened his skeletal wings, and the green light spread everywhere. When the green light hit the surrounding angels and demons, their souls tore away from their bodies without a sound, and flew towards Azrael''s scythe. "The harbinger of death greets thee." Azrael then shot towards Pyo''ah, "My turn." Ethereal wings spread wide, augmented by the souls of the living, Azrael tore past the battlefield, and readied his scythe to attack Pyo''ah. Pyo''ah reacted by raising an arm, and the earth shot up to create a massive wall of stone. Azrael still charged forward, and swung his scythe. As he swung the scythe, a projection of a massive green blade appeared, and passed through the stone wall but the wall was intact. The projection itself still continued forward past the wall, and Pyo''ah became evidently alarmed as he raised his magma-like hammer in hopes of blocking the attack. However, just like what happened with the stone wall, the blade passed through the hammer. Pyo''ah tried to dodge, but it was too late. The blade tore through his left arm, and his arm became limp as though he lost all senses. His skin, that was magma-like, turned back to his originally black skin. Pyo''ah didn''t cry in pain, on the contrary, he stared at his limp left arm, and cried in disbelief instead, "What did you do to my arm!?!??!" Azrael didn''t answer, and unleashed another attack, but this time, the projected blade was smaller and was many. Azrael spun around like a tornado, and each swing released a smaller blade that flew like a torrent of death towards Pyo''ah. Pyo''ah desperately tried to dodge, but it was futile. The blades flew faster than Pyo''ah and hit their marks. Fortunately, Pyo''ah didn''t get his torso or head hit by the blades, and unfortunately, his limbs became just like his left arm. "How!? How!!?? HOW!!!???" cried Pyo''ah, "HOW CAN SOMEONE LIKE YOU HAVE THIS POWER!?!?!?" Suddenly, the attacks stopped, and Azrael came in front of Pyo''ah''s gigantic face as Pyo''ah struggled to get up. With a manic grin, he said, "Nothing is impossible when I have a god-level artifact." Azrael unleashed a final swing towards Pyo''ah without another word. ''Che, just a demigod. Not even worth my time, now then. Back to Cavaron.'' A final thought, and Pyo''ah perished with his body intact, but his soul destroyed. Everyone else around them was stunned, even Demetria stayed in place as she watched Pyo''ah fall to Azrael. The demons stared dumbstruck at the death of Pyo''ah, they stood in their place without heed to the humans and angels surrounding them, yet even the angels, and the humans that had recently arrived in the area stared at the ghostly being floating towards Demetria. Finally, Demetria snapped out of her stupor, and prepared to fight. "You, who are you? An unknown element suddenly going against our world." asked Demetria. Azrael paused in midair as though he was thinking of an answer. "An otherworlder, I suppose." replied Azrael, "I''m guessing you should know seeing how much you are trying to protect Cavaron." Demetria glanced back at the house behind her, and forward to Azrael who suddenly appeared before her face. Surprised, she immediately bolted back, and attacked with an ice shard. Azrael swung his scythe, and parried the ice shard away. "Just a mere demigod, what do you expect from fighting me when I just killed someone like you?" asked Azrael with an annoyed face, "Hey, this is boring. Go and wake Cavaron up, will you? Or, do I have to wake him up myself?" Demetria''s brows creased, "Demigod? You sound as though you know what I am." and said, "And what is with that scythe of yours? The way it leaves material entities intact..." Azrael looked at the scythe he held, "This? Just a toy I received from killing a Slayer." and replied, "Oh, wait. Slayers don''t exist in this world... No matter. Just give me Cavaron... Hey, why isn''t he bothered by the noise here? The amount of screaming and sounds of battle could heard from a mile away, and that woman over there who looks like you... Answer me, and I''ll leave you alone." Azrael declared as such from noticing the irregularities in the immediate area. "I must ask, though, how do you know about the person inside?" asked Demetria, "And how did you identify him amongst all the others?" Azrael closed his eyes, as though he was in thought, contrary to his usual demeanor. "I suppose there''s no harm in telling you. I am a reaper... or WAS a reaper. I see and recognize each and every soul of any living being, and this scythe brings the level up a notch as to what I can reap. As for Cavaron... A soul that has gone way over 500 years is just too delicious to miss out on. Although, each encounter I''ve had with him always ends in a draw, or some asshat summons him into another world." Azrael looked over the battlefield, and paused his gaze at the human army. "And, as usual, humans are the first to always initiate a summon. Their weakness and greed gave this opportunity to be summoned into the same world as Cavaron. I won''t let this chance slip by... Now that I can see closer, what is that black thing inside Cavaron? I noticed the same thing inside some other demons, but not to his degree of being wrapped around his soul." Demetria raised a brow, "You can see the Dark Fate flame? And what do you mean by ''wrapped around''?" Azrael drew in closer upon hearing what she said, "Oh? You know what that is? Pray tell, what is it?" Demetria hesitated for a while, but Azrael suddenly brought his ethereal scythe by her neck, "Answer. A demigod like you is powerless before me. Tell me what I want to know." As the scythe drew closer to Demetria''s neck, her face became pale, ''What is this scythe? I can feel my essence screaming at me to run away.'' Suddenly, Azrael withdrew his scythe, "Well?" Demetria held her neck, and looked at Azrael before speaking, "The Dark Fate flame, it is an evil draconic flame known to erase everything it touches. Yet, there have been occurances where those who got hit live, but become unable to manipulate magic or mana, and slowly eat the infected''s life. In the case of Cavaron, he is of the latter, and is unable to use his mana nor feel mana but..." A smile surfaced on Azrael''s face "Ah, a chance has finally come. Anyway, next one, why is he not moving nor reacting?" and asked another question. "I put him, and my child to sleep." replied Demetria. "A demigod playing house? Interesting hobby you got there. Ah, well. Thank you for answering my questions, now go away while I consume Cavaron''s soul." Satisfied, Azrael calmly walked towards the house, but Demetria barred his way. "Hm? Okay, then. You shall be my food as well." In silence, Demetria summoned a large number of elemental essences, and wrapped herself around it. The green essences wrapped her body like some sort of armor, the red essences collected in her right hand and became a halberd, the blue essences gathered over her left arm and expanded into a shield, the white and black essences became a thin shell that surrounded her body. Her transformation happened in just an eye blink, and Azrael just whistled as he saw it. Without a word, Demetria charged forward, and the elemental essences roared in the wind. Azrael didn''t move from his place, and just awaited Demetria''s attack. The red halberd in her hand swung down, and a trail of fire and lightning followed. Azrael lifts his scythe slightly to block, and the two weapons violently collided. Red fire and lightning exploded from Demetria''s halberd, surprising Azrael and making his calm face drop. Next, Demetria shoved her shield forward, and Azrael tried to kick it away. Upon collision, water poured out of the shield, drenching Azrael''s leg, and ice followed after causing the water to freeze immediately. "If you had this power..." said Azrael as he slashed through his own leg, breaking the ice but his leg still intact, "... Why didn''t you use it earlier?" Azrael observed Demetria for a while before making his move. Demetria didn''t answer back, and just continued attacking. This time, the black essences that made up the shell that surrounded her body began to move towards her halberd. Her halberd gained streaks of black, and gave off a domineering glow. Thrusting the halberd forward to attack, the red and black essences swirled, and produced an explosion of purple flames and lightning. Azrael narrowed his eyes, "Melded magic. Interesting." and swung his scythe to cancel Demetria''s attack. Instead, the purple flames and lightning split away from each other and curved towards Azrael''s back. "Woops, nice move, though. Anything else?" commented Azrael as he narrowly evaded the attack, and the flames and lightning intersected to produce an explosion of red essence. Azrael rushed in closer, "Now, that is an annoying ability." and commented while avoiding a chain of exploding red essences, "Hey, why aren''t you making a sound?" Azrael stared at the silent Demetria. The shield on Demetria''s left and the halberd on her right reformed into a hammer and an ax respectively. Maintaining her silence, she charged forward to meet with Azrael with a whirlwind of red and blue essences. The black essences mixed with the whirlwind giving it a deep purplish color. Azrael placed his scythe forward to meet the whirlwind, and his ethereal wings beat hard and fast, increasing his speed. In just an eye blink, Azrael and the whirlwind collided. The whirlwind exploded, and all of the essences on Demetria separated themselves from her and surrounded Azrael. "Woah!?" cried Azrael as he was enclosed by the essences that violently caged him with fire, lightning, ice, water, earth, wind, light, and dark magic. Explosions and bright lights were produced that shook the skies and the earth. Demetria stood a few meters away, panting for breath, as she watched the essences make short work of Azrael. However, just as one would think that Azrael was finished, the essences exploded and dissipated, revealing a person wearing black bone armor. The person''s eyes and body were cloaked by blue flames. "That was very interesting. You forced my Revenant out." It was still Azrael, and his scythe also changed. His scythe became black like his armor, and he lost his ethereal wings. Azrael lightly waved his scythe, eerie screams and cries of tormented souls were produced, and sent chills down the spines of those who heard it. Demetria stared in disbelief as Azrael quietly approached her. "I''m guessing that was your trump card, seeing how you are so out of breath." Azrael brought the edge of his scythe towards Demetria''s neck, "Bye bye." Just as he was about to bring Demetria''s end, space distorted, and Demetria disappeared from sight. "What!? Space magic!?" Azrael agitated looked for Demetria. The others looked for her as well, and was found by Ethra who cried, "Lady Aisha!" Demetria reappeared next to a now standing Aisha but, something was different. Her left eye, from amethyst in color, became gold. Azrael, when he saw her golden eye, "Heh... Haha... Hahaha... A Cipher... Another Cipher..." let out a dry laugh in disbelief. Aisha calmly looked at Azrael, then to Demetria, "Mother, I will take care of him. Go rest for a while." --- Well, next chapter in... No idea, school stuff will make me busy (specifically international law. I''m an International Studies student). Chapter 60 Back to normal chapter length. ------------------------------------ Present day. "Alright." Cavaron sat up straight, "All elementals, except for Bronte and Shamira, jump out." Opening the door of the compartment, Culverin, Avani, Tirta, Stormfell, Glacia, and Nox jumped out consecutively. Seeing that Cavaron was alone with Bronte, Aimi, Aomi, and the remaining Spirits, with a deep breath, invoked a command, "All, except Thunder and Light, RELEASE!!" Simultaneously, all of the elementals outside became wrapped in light. A flash of light hid their bodies from view, and when the light faded, each elemental was replaced by their respective Avatars. Wreathed in red and orange flames, a titanic man bearing flames of creation and destruction, "Fire Avatar, Ignis." A deep voice came out of the giant covered with fire and brimstone. Next to Culverin/Ignis, Avani and Tirta assumed their own Avatars, Terra and Aqua, respectively. A goddess of earth, and a goddess of water reappeared once more. Next, Stormfell became wrapped in green light. However, instead of assuming a humanoid appearance, he became a massive 15-foot griffin that, with each flap of its wings, produced powerful gusts of wind able to erode stone down to dust. "Wind Avatar, Ventus" a noble voice came out of Stormfell/Ventus'' beak as he, a glorious griffin, flew around the sky. A little bit above them, Glacia was caged in ice. The ice itself shone a brilliant blue light and shattered, revealing a beautiful werewolf covered with crystals of ice, "Ice Avatar, Crystallos." Finally, high above them was a dark entity, shifting in shape. The dark mass soon assumed a humanoid from with horns, bat-like wings, and a long slender tail. Nox lost his noble, lordly form, and transformed into a devil. "Darkness Avatar, Diablos." Six elementals, six avatars of fire, earth, water, wind, ice, and darkness began descending at rapid speed down to the ground, with the exception of Stormfell/Ventus who began to conjure massive blades of wind in midair. The Azuals down below, still in chaos due to the efforts of the Three Gems, became frantic as they saw the six avatars descending like meteors. ... .. . --- A few hundred kilometers to the west, the human army. "What were those bright lights, Gunther?" asked Gulfried to the War Spirit next to him. The War Spirit looked over the horizon, and saw a myriad of flashing lights. Looking at Gulfried, "Aside from the massive fluctuation of mana a few minutes before, those lights are the release of the Avatars. We need to go faster even if it means leaving behind the slower soldiers." he replied. Gulfried''s brows creased, and he looked behind him towards the other soldiers. With a deep breath, he shouted an order, "CAVALRY! CHARGE!!!" More than 3 million mounted units left the main body, and went forward. The ones left behind were mostly foot soldiers, heavy armor, and mages. With another deep breath, "ALL WHO ARE CONFIDENT OF THEIR SPEED MAY CHARGE AS WELL!!!" shouted Gulfried''s. This time, lights and magical arrays appeared beneath the mages. Wrapped in magic, they strengthened themselves and those around them to reach speeds far beyond their ordinary bodies. A rough estimate of around 12 million fast moving combatants left to charge forward, not minding the vast distance they have to cover. High above the ground troops, 300 thousand knights mounted on wyverns were charging with them. Gulfried, along with Gunther, and his personal guard became wrapped in light with Gunther at the center, "I, a general who commands, command thee to aid us to reach our enemies! Let our conviction sharpen our blades!! GLORIOUS CHARGE!!!" Gunther cried as loud as he can, and his mount neighed along with him. The light he produced encompassed all of the soldiers around him, including Gulfried, and many of their mounts. The horses neighed, and the wyverns roared. Incomparable strength welled up within Gulfried and the soldiers, causing them to cry as well. "AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! CHARGE AGAINST OUR ENEMIES!!!" With no other outlet for the overwhelming power they received, what may seem like a day''s march got reduced to a few hours, and charged with all their might leaving those who were too slow stunned by the sudden event. "Now what?" An officer asked another officer. The one he asked just looked at the others before replying, "Well, I''m pretty sure that they''ll need reinforcements, and seeing how they got pumped up beyond belief... I believe they won''t get tired even after they''ve reached their destination." Another officer came before them, "Let''s just follow behind them." The other two officers nodded in agreement, and passed on the new orders to the rest. ... .. . --- Far to the east, where the demon army was. "Hey, Essy. Better get yer fast movers out front. We ''ave a war ta win." A crimson haired woman said to the demon in front of her. "What do you mean by ''Essy''? And what were those lights, Bellatrix?" asked the dragon-minotaur hybrid demon to the woman behind him. "Yer name is Esserot, so I''ll call ye Essy, and them lights were signs of Avatars bein'' released. Sheesh, them Gems weren''t enough, the hell''re these Azuals?" replied Bellatrix, "Hmm, Gunther oughta ''ave them humans chargin'' by now." Esserot raised a hand, and a small flying imp-like creature arrived next to him, "Relay these orders: Flyers and runners, go forward and meet the enemy. The rest shall pick up the pace." The imp-like creature saluted and flew back to the others. A few minutes later, a large amount of lithe demons separated, and began moving forward. At the same time, winged demons, wyverns, and flying dragons took flight and led the charge forward. "Now then, Essy, hold onto yer mount." said Bellatrix, "This will be a bumpy ride." Esserot looked at Bellatrix''s eyes, "What are youC" Before he could finish, red light wrapped the body of his land dragon. On Bellatrix''s face, a complex tattoo emerged with the red light, "Blood of my ancestors, may your daughter call upon you, and have you gift my comrades with everlasting power! Let the blood of the covenant pour out, and extend the contract to our allies!! BERSERK MARCH!!!" The red tattoos on Bellatrix''s face moved towards her hands that were clutching the hide of Esserot''s land dragon. The tattoos moved from her hands onto the dragon''s body, and it became wrapped with red light. Its eyes became crimson, like Bellatrix''s hair, and roared loudly. "Woa-a-a-a-ah!!! Drak!!!" Esserot cried in surprise from the sudden burst of strength of his mount. His land dragon, Drak, ran forward with fast but heavy steps, and each step left a deep footprint. A massive land dragon was seen to be running faster than the lithe bodied demons, and was as fast as the flying wyverns. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. A lizardman stared dumbly at the sight of a lumbering dragon going fast at an insane speed, before another lizardman knocked him out of his stupor, "Relay the orders to pick up the pace!" said the other lizardman, "And you, no more dumbstruck gazes!" The earlier lizardman saluted before leaving the second lizardman. The second lizardman, however, stared at the disappearing land dragon, "Still, a beast of that size... Unbelievable. This champion really was that one a hundred years ago." It would seem that this lizardman was a remnant of the past century, as his experience could be revealed from the broken scales and old wounds. An estimate of 6 million fast moving demons and one large land dragon could be seen covering the wastes. ... .. . --- Stormfell/Ventus was the first to attack, "Windslash." With a word, the conjured blades of wind immediately fell from the sky, and buffeted a swath of Azuals. The blades curved around, making their paths unpredictable and difficult to dodge resulting in many dead Azuals with torn bodies and limbs. Virtually at the same time as Stormfell/Ventus, Culverin/Ignis dropped a massive fireball, "Hellfire." A large red orange flaming conflagration impacted the battlefield and exploded. From the initial impact to the succeeding explosion, dozens of Azuals were burnt to a crisp in a 50-meter radius. Their charred bodies eroded from the dry winds of the wasteland. Avani/Terra landed within the now empty 100-meter circle, and left a small 4-meter crater. She raised her arms, and uttered a word, "Sunder." Immediately after, cracks spread out with her as the center. The cracks spread from eight points, and resembled a sun with eight rays on the ground. The cracks expanded beyond the empty space, and swallowed any Azual unfortunate enough to be on the ground. High above, within the flying transport, Cavaron was still replenishing his mana while watching the events unfold on the ground. "It would be nice if this were a game. All of those experience points being soaked up in one fell swoop." he commented, "Although there are a lot of them, since they are packed like sardines, it is easier to just unleash a barrage of wide-area attacks." Aimi looked down from the window, and watched as the Avatars brought down Pandemonium upon the battlefield. "A game, huh?" she looked back at Cavaron, "Interesting way of putting it, senpai." Cavaron noticed her gaze, "Is something the matter?" Aimi shook her head, "No. Nothing." Cavaron shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever you say. Capacitor, found him, yet?" Cavaron turned his head towards the machine that was scanning the ground. Capacitor whirred to respond to Cavaron''s query, "NOTHING YET, MASTER." Cavaron frowned, "Guess we''re still at the edge... from the looks of those on the ground." He looked back at the large number of Azuals down below whose numbers were rising and falling sporadically. "Shamira!" Cavaron called for the Cross Ark, and Shamira went before his view, "Have all the Sky Knights bombard the area with their magic, but only the Sky Knights. I still need your Heavenly Anthem and Avatar for Azrael." Shamira nodded without a word, and flew back to the ten million Sky Knights flying with them. A few minutes later, fire fell and rained down onto the battlefield. The Avatars on the ground ignored the Sky Knights'' magic and focused on eliminating as many enemies as they can. While the Sky Knights'' attacks fell, Glacia/Crystallos created large and dark clouds overhead. Below these clouds, a multitude of ice shards were quickly being formed, and their sharp points were aimed towards the ground as they glistened from the light of the others'' magic attacks. After a full minute, Glacia/Crystallos howled, "Blizzard." A lone word signaled the fall of multitudes of ice shards down onto the battlefield. By now, the other Azuals have reorganized themselves to counterattack only to have many more skewered by meter long ice shards. Once one was impaled, the sheer temperature drop produced by the ice shards froze the victim, shattering it once something touched it. However, just as the ice shards fell, "Tirta/Aqua conjured a massive flood of water, "Deluge." Tens of hundreds more of those unfortunate enough to lack the capability of flight drowned, and in conjunction of with Glacia/Crystallos'' attack, the water froze and trapped all within the flood in a cage of ice. A vast area became empty as Tirta/Aqua''s flood washed everything away. However, there was still one more that has yet to unleash its attack. Nox/Diablos, a devil stared down onto the reorganized clusters of Azuals. Flying Azuals took flight to attack the lone devil still hovering in the sky, much higher than where Stormfell/Ventus was launching a barrage of wind blades. "Come, mortals." Out of all the Avatars, the imposing manner, speech, and voice of Nox/Diablos shuddered in the air. Nox/Diablos beckoned the flying Azuals to come closer as he, too, spread his bat-like wings to fly towards them. Although he flew towards them, a massive shadow appeared below that followed his body''s shape. "Feast of Darkness." A deep voice bellowed out of Nox/Diablos, and from the shadow, dark tendrils shot out and wrapped themselves around the Azuals. Even the Azuals in the sky were caught by long dark tentacles that dragged them to the ground, into the shadow, and off to oblivion. "Sheesh, still can''t get used to the difference between Nox and his Avatar." commented Cavaron from the transport, "Capacitor, any results?" The machine whirred once more to respond, "NOT YET, MASTER." Again, Cavaron frowned, but pulled Bronte up onto his lap, and hugged the child. He momentarily looked outside the window, and saw a black stream heading right at their location, "Damn! Halrimaw, dive now!" Alarmed, Cavaron issued a sudden order to Beast Lord Halrimaw. ----------------------------------------- Hugggggggggggg~ Chapter 61 Right, first up is: I am getting lazy to fix the first 16 chapters. Anybody who is confident with their English may PM me with their proofread version. You will be credited (or if I find different people with good edits, and can''t decide, I''ll post them, with credits, in the respective chapters in spoiler tags. Just state which chapter you edited in the Subject box.) Second: I''m thinking of putting up a WordPress site seeing as it has a mobile app. I''ll see how this goes, but first I need the fixed chapters. Third: the poll is out of curiosity. Fourth: I wish I had control over my bank account so I could BEG for money to buy a PC/laptop. Yes, BEG. I find no shame as a student in begging for money especially since all prospective income locations turned me down. Since I have no control over my bank account, I could only settle for weekly allowances (equivalent to 20 USD a week that goes to food and commute expenses) and savings. Anyway, have a chapter of a not-really-that-perfect-narration-of-a-war. ------------------------------------------ Although Cavaron''s order to have the dragon transport dive down was sudden, Halrimaw reacted smoothly enough to avoid the incoming black stream. However, just as the dragon''s altitude dropped, the black stream simultaneously changed its trajectory and followed the dragon. "Damn! Either it''s being controlled, or it has homing capabilities." cursed Cavaron. He looked at his palms, and manipulated some mana, "Hmm, this is good enough..." Cavaron faced the two Sword Spirits, Masamune and Muramasa, "Sword Form and stay by me." Hearing so, Masamune and Muramasa transformed into katanas. Both of their sword forms were sleek, but had different hand guards. Masamune had a silver hand guard, reflecting his noble nature while Muramasa had a red hand guard that reflected his chaotic nature. The two sword form Spirits transferred to Cavaron''s waist, sheathed on either side. The transport shook as the dragon changed directions trying to get away from the black stream that was quickly catching up. "Halrimaw! Try to get as close to the ground as possible! Aim for an empty spot below!" The dragon immediately dropped altitude at high speed. Below them, a previously bombarded and now empty area was present. When the dragon was within 100 meters to the ground, "Brace yourselves!" shouted Cavaron. Swiftly and deftly manipulating his mana, he tore open space below each person within the transport or, at the least, those that had no flight capabilities. Aimi, Aomi, Hunter Spirit Yvka, Hunter Spirit Felicia, Guardian Spirit Adelward, Machine Spirit Capacitor, Beast Spirit Halrimaw, Necromancer Morana, Thunder Elemental Bronte, and Cavaron fell through the holes while Hunter Spirit Aquila merely jumped out the door. Just as they passed through, the black stream hit the dragon, pierced through the poor beast, and left a clean hole in its body leading to its demise. "KYAA!!" screamed Aimi as she fell on the ground with a thud. Two meters above her was a tear in space. It would appear that Cavaron created a portal that transferred them to the ground once the dragon reached a manageable distance. Cavaron was already standing as he watched the dragon fall out of the sky. "Saddening, that was a good beast." murmured Halrimaw. Cavaron surveyed the area, and found nobody missing aside from Aquila who was about to land near the two other Hunter Spirits. "Aquila! Do you see anything out of the ordinary?" asked Cavaron. Having been asked, Aquila flew up again instead of landing. As his wings flapped, his eyes glowed and became sharp. Being a birdman on top of being a Hunter Spirit, one could assume that his sight was topnotch. His head turned and surveyed the area, "I find nothing!" replied Aquila, "All I see are Azuals and a ton of explosions!" Cavaron turned towards Capacitor, "You said that the Azuals are increasing at an alarming rate, find out where they are coming from." Capacitor whirred to answer, "UNDERSTOOD, MASTER." Capacitor''s body whirred again and transformed its spiderlike body to reveal a radar dish on its back. "SCANNING... SCANNING... MASTER, A WAVE OF ENEMIES INCOMING FROM THE SOUTHWEST." Instead of finding where they Azuals were being reinforced, Capacitor found a group of attacking Azuals. "Such is life being surrounded by enemies. Who wants to take care of it?" said Cavaron. Capacitor whirred again, "ALLOW ME, MASTER. THERE ARE ONLY TWO HUNDRED OF THEM APPROACHING." Capacitor suddenly transformed again, getting rid of its radar and had it replaced by seven long tubes, and each were 30~40 millimeters thick. A few minutes later, the wave of 200 Azuals could be seen a few hundred meters away. The seven long tubes started to spin, and created a "Whiiiinnng" sound. Five seconds later, "EAT HOT LEAD. BRRRRRRRTTTTTT!!!!!!" the spinning tubes flared up and hundreds of projectiles came out at high velocity. Over the distance, even before giving the Azuals some time to react, they were already swiss cheese. For a length of ten seconds, that felt like an eternity, 200 hundred Azuals died. "What... was that?" asked Aimi as she watched the spinning tubes slowed down to a stop. "It should exist in your world, a Gatling or a vulcan." replied Cavaron, "Capacitor came from a world like yours." As the tubes stopped, one could see the smoke that left the tubes or commonly known as barrels. "OBJECTIVE COMPLETE. RESUMING PREVIOUS ASSIGNMENT." announced Capacitor as he got rid of his Vulcan, and replaced it with a radar. "SCANNING... SCANNING... MASTER, THE HUMAN ARMY HAS ARRIVED." Again, instead of finding what Capacitor was tasked to find, it found the reinforcing Human Army. "...aaaahhhhh..." Yvka''s ears perked up, "Uh, did I hear that right?" As Yvka turned her head, so did everyone else, and faced east. Over the distance, slightly covered by explosions, there were a few Azuals that could be barely seen being flung away. "That looks familiar." Cavaron''s eyes glowed with Mana Sight, and amplified his vision. A horde of fast moving soldiers recklessly smashed against a huge mob of Azuals. Leading the charge were screaming Cavalrymen and other mounted units. Right behind them was a glowing knight on an armored war horse. "Gunther! It''s Glorious Charge!" exclaimed Cavaron. Indeed, the powered up Human soldiers wildly and energetically obliterated any unfortunate Azual in their way. Despite some humans that were unlucky enough to receive numerous attacks, their wild charge added even more to the already rampant anarchy. "GRAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" A towering human cried as he swung around a massive great sword while riding a wyvern. Each of his swings was powerful enough to sever the bodies of dozens of Azuals in one attack. "LONG LIVE THE SUN!! OORAH!!!" Like a warlord on crack, the towering human killed more as the effects of Glorious Charge was going strong. "Remind me to tell Gunther to avoid people like Gulfried." commented Cavaron as he watched the towering human, Gulfried, go batshit crazy. The other humans, especially the Ranger types, made short work of individual Azuals while the mages that boosted their speed to keep up were flinging one spell after another adding to the explosions in the background. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Just as the reinforcing Human army was just 700 meters away from Cavaron''s current location, the glow enveloping Gunther and the others began to fade, "Oh, hell. Glorious Charge is disappearing! Morana, use the corpses as you see fit!" ordered Cavaron. Necromancer Morana''s skeletal arms waved towards the Azual corpses, "Rise and shine, my lovelies~ Risen Dead." An eerie green light covered the corpses then, one by one, they rose up and reformed to their previous state if not for the apparent wounds, bullet wounds, and exposed... everything. Morana then had an army of undead under her command that she just sent over to reinforce the Human army. "Is that all right?" asked Felicia, by which Cavaron replied, "Eh, they''re already dead. I can see the value of necromancy especially in a time like this." Cavaron watched as the lumbering undead clawed their way past the sea of Azuals resulting in greater confusion and anarchy. "What a fun melee." commented Muramasa in his Sword Form, "When are we joining the fray?" Cavaron looked down at the sword on his waist, "When we find Azrael, I still need some more mana just to be safe. Honestly, I''m itching to fight, but you know how weak I am without mana." Cavaron looked at Morana, "How many can you control at a time?" Morana placed a skeletal finger on her skull, "Without complex commands, a thousand." Cavaron nodded in understanding, "Well, fresh corpses will be abundant here. If some of our allies die, use their corpses as well." Aimi looked at Cavaron, "Even the bodies of our allies?" and said in apparent disgust. Cavaron just shrugged, "You''re still young and naive. The morals you have learned mean nothing in the face of reality." Aimi gripped her bow tightly and creased her brows. Cavaron noticed it, "In such a chaotic workplace, beliefs regarding good and evil are useless. Welcome to our world." and harshly commented. Aimi looked down to the ground, refusing to look at Cavaron. Cavaron merely sighed, "Anyway, I expect you to gain experience." Aimi suddenly looked up, "Experience?" Cavaron made an annoyed face, "Don''t tell me you forgot. Once you get summoned, your life becomes part of the roulette of champion summonings. I expect you to gain enough to live on your own, you can ask Aomi to help you out as she grows up. A full grown Azursa that can turn into a human is a goldmine of combat opportunities especially since their explosive muscle power can be a force to be reckoned with." Suddenly, Capacitor perked up, "MASTER, THERE IS A LOCATION WHERE LARGE QUANTITIES OF ENTITIES ARE BEING PRODUCED." Cavaron went closer to the Machine Spirit, "Where?" and asked. "EIGHT KILOMETERS, SOUTHWEST." Cavaron called over the three Hunter Spirits, "Carve a path." and told them an order. Yvka and Felicia brandished their fangs and weapons, while Aquila pulled out his crossbow from the sky. "Go." With a word, Yvka a and Felicia bolted towards the southwest. "Halrimaw, support them." commanded Cavaron, "Adelward, watch protect Aimi when necessary. Bronte, up my shoulders." Halrimaw, in his Lord Form, flew forward and transformed into his massive Beast Form to tear towards their destination. Adelward tailed behind Aimi. Although he was massive due to his fully armored body and dual-shield wielding, he was pretty fast. Bronte climbed up Cavaron, and merely continued feeding the Converters to replenish Cavaron''s mana. "Let''s go, Capacitor, Morana." Now that they have a destination in mind, Cavaron and company steadily creeped southwest. Slowly but surely, within the sea of Azuals, a small empty space could be seen from above moving about. Yvka clawed her way through, Felicia agilely eliminated individual targets with her daggers, Aquila sniped from the sky and took out a number of flying Azuals in tandem with Capacitor''s vulcan, Halrimaw just rampaged, and Morana used the abundant corpses to create anarchy. The two Sword Spirits just hanged onto Cavaron''s waist, waiting for their time to shine. Along the way, the Avatars were also moving alongside them, creating a background of colorful lights, while keeping the Azuals surrounding the Human army in check. "Aimi, feel free to kill any straggler you see." said Cavaron, "You still need to get used to taking lives... Although these Azuals are sentient, the way they act makes them closer to monsters. Just think of them like that." Aimi hesitated and looked at the bow she held. It looked like a Mongolian reflex bow if not for the glowing runes etched onto its body. Actually, if one were to observe Aimi, she had no quiver of arrows. One could assume that the bow she held was a magical bow, and it was so. Aimi gritted her teeth in frustration. Making a gesture of nocking an arrow to the bow, the bowstring glowed a blue light. "AaaAAAAAHHHHH!!!" with a scream, she released the glowing string, and out came a short ray of blue light. The ray flew straight and true to wherever she aimed at, and pierced through the head of an Azual and even hit the one behind. A smile appeared on Cavaron''s face as they moved, "I was right to give you that. The magesmiths and fletchers of where that came from were scary in a war." said Cavaron, "Almost every kingdom and empire wanted to have a large group of magesmiths and fletchers. Due to the rarity of their craft, though, they became an independent and neutral nation that sold their products to any person that could afford it." After killing for two hours, their destination could then be seen. It was a hole, and thousands of Azuals poured out of the hole. "Well, shit. I did not expect a goddamn factory." cursed Cavaron, "Now, I really have to wonder if these guys were really born from the three races." The newly arrived Azuals immediately went towards Cavaron to attack making Cavaron wave towards Culverin/Ignis, who was rampaging behind them. Culverin/Ignis leapt towards the mass of Azuals with his flaming body, and crashed like a meteor. "Inferno." With a word, Culverin/Ignis created a firestorm that swept any approaching Azual away or burnt to a crisp. "All Avatars, Bombard that hole!" -------------------------- Yeah, not really that perfect of a war. The next story I''ll work on should focus on smaller groups of people say, squad-based battles, perhaps? Either this one or some other story focusing on a certain character connected to Cavaron. All stories that I will be writing is more or less connected to one another. I still have to fix the world building, laws of magic, the people, etc. Due to the fact that classes have begun for me, a steady pace of one chapter every 5-7 days seems doable. That, and my International Law class will be taking a ton of my time reading all of the papers by Cassese, Shaw, the international tribunals, memorials, and a crap ton of other... well... crap. Chapter 62 Lots of North Americans and Europeans reading my fic, or at least those that have responded. Spoiler : For the North Americans, how''s the 2016 Elections Campaigning? For the Europeans, how''s Greece and the Eurozone? For those in Asia, how''s the tension between China, and the other East and Southeast Asian countries affecting you? For those in the Polar Ice Caps, do you eat penguins? For those in Australia, are your taxes really that high? Can''t ask much for the rest since what I''m curious about your area is not much. So I have my PayPal up, let the begging commence. As this is a one time thing, I will stop once I reach an equivalent of $470 or 22,000 in my local currency (Philippine Peso). The laptop I''m looking at costs that much at most (NEO Elan L31W). Sadly, I don''t have a dollar account since I have to withdraw the money to buy the laptop. I have yet to find a seller that uses PayPal, so I need it in my local currency. I need a deposit of $500 for a dollar account to maintain it in the banks in this country. If it goes below $500, a penalty of $5 per month will be charged against me. I won''t be able to maintain that. Link is in my profile or here: Gyfera PayPal beg donation page PHP Gyfera Paypal beg donation page USD Took this chance to create a bitcoin wallet. That''s how much begging I will do. Bitcoin Wallet address: 173AhJpz4SKwVmHr7UMdbkoiMk6MhTgFgk I am shameless as I am honest. I will tell you when I am nearing my goal, and when I have achieved it so you may then stop... or if I knew how to display if the goal has been achieved or not through a gauge/meter, but I don''t. Or, since I am an obvious newbie to PayPal, does PayPal convert one foreign currency to another on their own or through my bank when withdrawing? I understand there are fees when doing so, but that''s all I understood. Well, here''s a chapter. ----------------------------------------- Flashback "Shit! Shit! Shit! What the hell is a Cipher doing here!?" cursed Azrael as he frantically avoided fast and randomly moving elemental essences. A ray of red light was zigzagging crazily as it looked for a good angle of attack, and when it did, it would take the chance to try and pierce through Azrael''s defenses. "Fuck!" cried Azrael as he spun his scythe to block the ray that exploded into flames upon impact, "What the hell is this magic!? Fire that moves like lightning!?" After the ray of red light impacted, Azrael was suddenly hit by a ray of blue light that froze his right hip. "Dammit all! Grah!" Azrael sliced through the ice with his scythe, and the ice disintegrated. "That scythe of yours is really annoying." commented a woman surrounded by elemental essences that revolved around her. Without a sign of movement, rays of red and blue darted forward, and sustained the attack. It was Aisha, and she had an emotionless face as she stared at the dodging Azrael. Azrael looked at her after narrowly escaping her attacks, "Well, this scythe did come from a Slayer. Heh heh." he said, laughing dryly. "Slayers, huh?" said Aisha, "Beings who stand on the opposite spectrum of life, and are able to kill gods themselves." Azrael grinned, "You know? Sadly, I have to get close to you to hit you with it." Still emotionless, "But the part about killing the gods themselves have yet to be proven." added Aisha. "Indeed. However, it proves effective in killing things like that guy." said Azrael as he pointed his thumb towards Pyo''ah''s corpse behind him, a giant laying motionless in the area. "That''s why..." Aisha suddenly raised her arms, "... let me kill you!" A flash of light appeared from her golden eye, and the elemental essences that revolved around her shot forward to Azrael. "How about you die, instead!?" shouted Azrael as he swiftly jumped to the side, "Let your soul become my dinner!" and charged forward to attack Aisha. Readying his scythe as the elemental essences chased after him, green light shone from below him and erected a wall of earth. "Dammit!" Azrael prematurely swung his scythe to disintegrate the wall. After the wall disappeared, Aisha was nowhere to be seen. "Where!?" Azrael suddenly looked up, and saw Aisha with a fist full of red and green essences. "Magma Pilebunker!" With a shout, the red and green essences transformed into a sharp burning piece of rock, and she brought her fist down with force. "Shit!" Azrael jumped to the side while having his scythe cover overhead. With Azrael''s speed, Aisha unfortunately missed her attack, but instead left a large five meter crater and a large explosion of flaming debris. "Dammit! You sure are brave to go for close combat!" commented Azrael. After the dust settled, Aisha was once more unseen, "Stop hiding, damn you!" As if on cue, a bolt of lightning struck out from the earth below Azrael, and hit him with a nasty shock, "Gwababababa!" He unsteadily stood his ground after being hit. "Still alive, huh?" Aisha materialized from the earth, "I was already told that you were sturdy, but I didn''t think it would have been to this extent." Azrael, having recovered, looked at her dubiously, "Told? Someone told you about me? Who!?" and asked. "It does not matter." replied Aisha, "I will only fulfill the promise." She the charged with fire on her left, and ice on her right. Two opposing elements formed into fists, "Blessings of Fire and Ice!" Azrael brought his scythe forward, "Damn you!" and the two attacks connected. The fire and ice exploded from her fists, and the opposing temperatures created a cloud that blocked each others'' views. "Huh?" Azrael felt the lack of resistance on his scythe, and looked around him. In a split second, he spun around and swund his scythe forward, "Dammit! Gimme a chance to hit you!" he cried, "I''m doing my damnedest to defend here!" Aisha reappeared with a blade of wind and a hammer of earth that smashed down on Azrael''s scythe. Having her attacks blocked, she released a green light and disappeared. "Graaaahhh, DAMN YOUR LAWS!!!" howled Azrael as he noticed traces of green essences leave the area. Instead of standing around, he leapt to the side in an attempt to avoid further attacks. Instead, a wall of fire erupted and prevented him from freely moving. "Fuck you!" he cursed as he swung his scythe, and dispersed the flames. "That scythe of yours can not only kill by destroying the soul, but also disperse magic, huh?" commented Aisha, "Shall we bring things up a notch?" Countless elemental essences appeared and surrounded the two appearing like orbs of light. Azrael had nowhere to run having seen the elemental essences. "Grr, guess I have to go all out after all..." growled Azrael. Without movement, as though Aisha willed it from her thoughts, all of the elemental essences launched towards Azrael like a rain of bullets. The elemental essences pummeled Azrael and resulted in numerous powerful, yet colorful explosions of fire, ice, lightning, earth, water, and wind. The attack continued for a full ten seconds before ceasing. Aisha waited for a while, "Tsk... He never told me about this." but noticed something unnatural. After the elemental essences stopped, dust and debris blocked the view of Azrael. Once everything settled, Azrael was still standing not as a human, but an ethereal skeletal monstrosity. "Forcing my Grim Revenant out..." bellowed Azrael, "I must commend you for such a feat." Azrael''s Grim Revenant stood at three and a half meters tall, and had a pair of large scythe-like wings that made him float steadily in place. His bony limbs were six centimeters thick in diameter, and his skull appeared demonic because of the horns that protruded out from the sides and curved forward like a bull''s. His Grim Revenant didn''t wear armor, and within his ribcage was a swirling pool of black energy. This black energy also occasionally pulsated and wrapped around his skeletal body giving a domineering and deathly aura. "By the way..." said Azrael, "I noticed that you''re only using six elements. As a Cipher, why is that?" Upon inquiry, Aisha remained silent. "Strange how you have that golden eye, a sign to identify Ciphers from the others yet you''re not utilizing all of the laws. Fire, Bolt, Water, Ice, Wind, Earth, Light, Dark, Time and Space, and... the known specialty of all Ciphers, or at least the oldest one... Void, where all laws cease to exist. You Ciphers are anomalies yourselves, you know? Unaging, and yet, not undying. Has there ever been an entity that has attained absolute immortality...?" Azrael gazed at his skeletal palm, "What''s wrong with me? Why have I gone philosophical? Is this an effect of fighting against a Cipher, the so-called ''guardians of time and space'' but are you really ''guardians'', or is it a sign of what will come to my future? Tell me, Cipher, what is this? I have to thank you for just standing there, listening to me talk on and on and on. Come now, let us finish this." The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. With a gesture of beckoning, Azrael/Grim Revenant shifted his floating body, and spread his scythe-like wings wide. With an eye blink, he shot forward towards Aisha. Aisha, in turn, expected the attack, and created a wall of elemental essences. Red and green essences melded, and became a wall of swirling magma. Azrael smashed through that wall of magma, and came within arm''s reach of Aisha. However, blue and green elemental essences melded, and became a vortex of ice that buffeted Azrael/Grim Revenant. Each shard of ice that hit him, a piece of his body froze and was covered with ice. Yet, after a few seconds, the ice would disappear and leave a clean, ivory-like surface. "What?" cried Aisha in surprise, "But your scytheC" She then noticed the scythe-like wings on Azrael/Grim Revenant''s back, "No way..." "Heh heh heh..." laughed Azrael/Grim Revenant, "My scythes become one with me in this form. None of your attacks will work on me as long as you use magic. Now, die, and let me consume the soul of a Cipher!!" Aisha retreated back while green elemental essences transformed into a dark green wall between her and Azrael/Grim Revenant, "Adamant Wall!" The dark green wall momentarily halted Azrael/Grim Revenant, but it was enough to give Aisha enough time to merge with the earth below. "Adamantium! And so easily summoned!" exclaimed Azrael/Grim Revenant, "However, since it was made by magic..." Azrael/Grim Revenant trusted his fist into the wall, and the wall disintegrated to oblivion. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" declared Azrael/Grim Revenant, "Stop wasting our time, otherwise I might take this chance to kill Cavaron." As though his threat proved effective, magma and lightning shot out of the earth below him, but with the effects of his special scythe merged with him, the damage was nullified. "MAGIC IS ALREADY INEFFECTIVE! WHY DO YOU BOTHER!? COME AND DIE, ALREADY!!!" bellowed Azrael/Grim Revenant, "YOU, YOU ARE NOT REALLY A CIPHER, ARE YOU!? UNABLE TO UTILIZE ALL THE LAWS, YOU ARE A DEFECT!!!" With Azrael/Grim Revenant''s provocation, Aisha materialized a few meters away. "So I am." replied Aisha, "What of it?" She did not deny not having full mastery of all the laws of magic, making Azrael/Grim Revenant''s skull produce a spine-chilling sound as it cracked and transformed into a smile. "Now, why is that?" he asked. "It is irrelevant to tell you." she replied. Azrael/Grim Revenant''s skull still had that menacing yet creepy smile, "Fine. A chance is still a chance." he said, "I don''t have all day... DIE!!!" He charged forward, but before he could reach halfway, a spear was thrown towards him. This made Azrael/Grim Revenant halt to parry the spear away. Looking at the source, it was Palu''Angit who threw the spear. "Lady Aisha, if magic won''t work, material attacks should prove effective!" shouted Palu''Angit. Behind him was an army of Sky Knights readying their own weapons, and, surprisingly, right beside that very army of Sky Knights were scattered groups of lizardmen and demons who also readied their weapons. "The one who killed our father shall die!" shouted a lizardman, "We shall have our vengeance!!!" Aisha was shocked at the resolve shown by the angels and demons against Azrael/Grim Revenant. The target of their hate faced the two groups with open arms, "Come, food." Presently, within the valley, there were thirty odd thousand angels, fifty odd thousand demons, and forty odd thousand humans, and those outside the valley were innumerable. An approximate total of eighty odd thousand angels and demons focused all their efforts against Azrael/Grim Revenant while the humans stood dumbly at the epic sight of a giant skeleton successfully fending off wave after wave of angels and demons. Azrael/Grim Revenant effortlessly eliminated one wave after another with mere swipes of his arms. Those that got hit immediately fell, creating a field of corpses, and the poor souls entered the pool of dark energy within his ribcage. Even with the sight of seeing their comrades fall, it did not deter them from attacking with reckless abandon. Palu''Angit and some others resorted to long range attacks with thrown spears, bows and arrows, and even thrown rocks in an attempt to damage Azrael/Grim Revenant. Azrael/Grim Revenant suddenly spread his scythe-like wings and flew up, "This is taking too long." he said, "Thanks for your souls... NOW, I CAN DO THIS, DEATH HARVEST!!!" Without an incantation, a mere mention of his ability produced ghostly figures that rushed out of the dark pool of energy. These ghostly figures swept past hordes of angels and demons, and their own souls were stripped from their bodies. The ghostly figures then led the souls back to the pool of dark energy, and became food for Azrael/Grim Revenant. From an approximate of eighty thousand angels and demons, only a few hundred remained. From the futile waves of attacks to the ability unleashed by Azrael/Grim Revenant. Fortunately, a number of Sky Knights pushed Palu''Angit away from the ghostly figures and saved him. After Azrael/Grim Revenant''s ability subsided, Palu''Angit frantically looked around his surroundings, and suddenly darted towards a location. His destination was a young angel huddled next to Demetria. It was Ethra, his daughter. Palu''Angit hugged Ethra tightly, "Child, it has become too dangerous here. You must leave, now!" Seeing the severity of the situation, and the seriousness within her father''s eyes, Ethra hesitated for a moment but was urged again by Palu''Angit making her leave quietly yet reluctantly. Azrael/Grim Revenant noticed Ethra running away, along with a number of angel and demon remnants, but ultimately ignored them, "Heh, feel free to run. You''ve already loC" Azrael/Grim Revenant suddenly turned towards the small house, and Aisha did as well when he did so. From emotionlessness, shock and panic flooded her face. ... .. . --- "Urgh... What the hell happened?" I wake up with my face flat on the floor. I got knocked out, huh? By what... or... who...? I recall placing my hand on the doorknob, but after that... Gods, my head is aching. It feels like a hangover, but I don''t recall drinking alcohol since a few hundred years ago. Damn, Aisha, where are you? I stood up, placed my hand on the doorknob, and opened it. Greeting me was a picture of absolute carnage. Mounds of corpses the size of small hills dotted the mea... dow? What happened to the meadow? All I see is a vast blood filled plain. I scan the area, and was taken aback at my discovery. It was a giant skeleton with scythe-like wi that shape... No, it can''t be. "Godslayer...?" I uttered. Suddenly, the giant skeleton laughed, "HAHAHAHA!!! FINALLY! FINALLY! I CAN KILL YOU NOW!!!" and charged towards me. "Azrael!?" I cried in disbelief. Azrael is in Edeortha! Dammit, how!? I then spotted a familiar flag over the distance. It had the crest of the Sun Knights. Aldric must have summoned Azrael after me! Shit! I can''t deal with him in my state! Argh! With his speed and my lack of mana, I''m dead! In just a few seconds, Azrael was just a few meters away from me. Suddenly, a silhouette blocked my view, and instead took the hit that was for me instead. "What the!? Wench!!!" cried Azrael as he threw the body down on the ground. The body was feminine in figure, and had silver colored hair. Looking closely... No... No way... I REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT! -------------------------------------------- I had to do it, expect ''something'' in the future. Have a peek at my studies: Spoiler : Chapter 63 I''m tired. Fk college, fk life. --------------------------------------- Present Day Explosions flooded the hole where the Azuals were reinforcing from until Capacitor no longer detected any entity leaving the hole. "Cease fire!" shouted Cavaron, "Capacitor, report." The.machine whirred to respond, "NO ACTIVITY DETECTED. ASSUME OBJECTIVE COMPLETE." Even with visual verification, once the dust settled, it could be seen that the hole had collapsed and was covered up. The surrounding Azuals slowly but surely diminished due to the absence of reinforcements. "Capacitor, just as a precaution, scan the battlefield with focus on those holes." ordered Cavaron. The machine immediately used its radar to scan the area. While Capacitor was scanning the area, Cavaron had Aimi gain experience. "Make sure you have a few kills of your own. This is a rare opportunity for you to gain experience points to level up." said Cavaron with something a little strange mixed in. "Experience... points? Level up? What?" asked Aimi in confusion. Without facing her, "I did tell you to treat the Azuals as monsters, let''s make it rewarding. I''ll have Adelward tally your kills, and I''ll reward you with equipment depending on the number of enemies killed." The surrounding summons perked up, "Oh ho? This is new." commented Masamune from his waist. "I wonder what brought this about, meow?" wondered Felicia. Aimi looked at Cavaron dubiously before speaking, "Fine. I hope the rewards are good." Cavaron smiled, "Oh, it will be since it will come from my collection. Also, a good surprise will be in store if you outscore the Spirits. Never mind the Elementals since they are in a league of their own. "Ah, Cavvy, will there be a reward for us as well, meow?" asked Felicia sultrily, "It would seem unfair if we''re part of the competition but will be unrewarded, meow." Cavaron glanced at Felicia, "Why not? It will make my part of the work easier. Masamune, Muramasa, you guys join as well." The two Sword Spirits released their Sword Forms and resumed their Human Forms with a smile and a grin respectively. "Let''s see, seeing as Aimi is pretty much the underdog, it''s only proper to give her equipment as rewards. As for the rest..." The other Spirits waited in anticipation. "... I''ll grant the winner one wish that is within my capabilities." Like the gun that starts the race, Hunter Spirit Felicia burst towards the nearest Azual and cleanly sliced off its head, "ONE DOWN, A HELLUVA LOT MORE TO GOCMEOW!!!" The other spirits cursed at their late reaction, and followed suit to massacre a large number of Azuals. "Do your best, Aimi~ You have competition now~" said Cavaron, "Adelward, I''ll leave her safety to you... Ah, I''ll give a separate reward. It''s only fair as you are the only Guardian Spirit present." Adelward bowed before swiftly following Aimi to escort her. The girl, however, was both happy and frustrated because of the reward and competition respectively, and looked back at Cavaron in wonder, "I wonder what he''ll give me? And that ''special surprise'' is tempting." Cavaron lifted Bronte up to his shoulders, "Do you also want a reward after this?" asked Cavaron to the Elemental. Bronte looked down on Cavaron''s head, "Nah, I''m happy to be with Papa." and replied. "Guess I should also give Capacitor a separate gift like Adelward... Do you want anything, Capacitor?" Momentarily disrupted from his task, the machine replied, "AN UPGRADE TO A HUMANOID BODY WOULD BE SUFFICIENT, MASTER." Cavaron raised a brow, "A humanoid body? Interesting, I''ll see if we can get someone to make you one." ... While Capacitor resumed his duty, Felicia was having fun. "NYAHAHAHAHA!!!" She agilely jumped from one victim to another, and each one either had their head lopped off or have a gaping stab wound at the back. One would also notice that she was only taking out the Azuals that were as big as or smaller than her. After a while, "That makes 112 kills. I wonder how the others are doing." She paused as she scanned the area for the others but only to jump away as she noticed a large shadow descending upon her. "Hiss!!" Felicia hissed as she recollected herself. The source of the shadow was an Azual twice her size at four meters. "Nyow, that''s a big one." she commented, "Well, bigger baddies are slow baddies, meow~" Felicia, being busy with the giant Azual, Ylva was secretly watching her, "Rrr, I won''t let you get what you want. I''ll protect master from you." she muttered. Unleashing her claws, she dove towards a mass of Azuals and tore them apart. If Felicia was clean with her attacks, Ylva was whirlwind of blood. Each swipe of her claws tore open any Azual that got hit whether they were big or small. After producing a mound of mangled flesh, she paused for a while. "Rrr, 111 kills. Too slow." She resumed killing more Azuals while keeping tabs on Felicia. High above the two was Aquila lazily sniping one flying Azual after another. Occasionally, he would glance at Felicia and Ylva, and smile. "I''m not really interested in the reward. I''ll just take care of the flying bugs that may disturb your hunt, so hunt to your hearts'' content. WHAP!" His crossbow released another bolt that hit an Azual squarely between the eyes. "Ah, Cavaron. You still have a long way to go despite your age. Hahahaha. WHAP!" Far to the other side, walking corpses began to flood the battlefield. For each Azual they kill, another recruit gets added to their number. "Hmm~mm~hmm~ Ladidee~ Ladida~" Necromancer Morana could be seen humming along as she let her undead to ravage the Azuals. "Hm? Looks like I''m reaching the halfway point in controlling these children~" Morana was right in the middle of a sea of undead Azuals, and the size of this sea was steadily increasing until a draconic Azual unleashed a fire breath and cut down her forces. "Oh, poo. A fire breathing Azual. This will be tough." she sighed, "Ah, well. I was getting bored of not really taking part in the fight." The movements of the undead Azual suddenly changed, and their movements became faster and more precise. "It''s a good thing that micromanagement is my forte~ GO, MY CHILDREN~" Avoiding the sea of undead, the two Sword Spirits fought side by side in a fast paced contest to see who could kill more. Masamune move swiftly and elegantly while Muramasa was hard and brutal. Even with the difference in their styles, one could not see the difference in their results as each of them swiftly caught up to the other. Masamune swung down his sword and cleanly cleaved an Azual from its shoulder down to its waist. He then spun around and thrust his sword to an incoming Azual that was about to cleave his back, and, after pulling out his sword, flipped his sword and stabbed the Azual directly behind him. A dance of blades comparable to a blade dancer such as Cavaron. Muramasa, however, crushed the skulls of the Azuals instead of clean slices. After getting rid of one Azual, a swing of his sword landed on the next target leading to another kill. Due to the numerous bloodstains on his edge, Muramasa needed to kick a corpse away whenever he pulls out his sword. The corpses that were kicked collided with the other Azuals, stunning them momentarily. And those that do get stunned for a long while become victims to this bloodthirsty warrior. Silently, the two Sword Spirits together racked up a combined score of 454 kills or 227 kills each. Beast Lord Halrimaw used his chimera like appearance to blend within the Azual. When he deemed the number of Azuals around him to be enough, he would suddenly transform into his Beast Form and wreak havoc among the scores of Azuals. With his tyrannical size and power as a beast, no Azual, not even the larger ones, could survive his assault. A swipe of his claws, a whiplash of his tail, and even his powerful maw laid waste to a large number of Azuals. Whenever he finished off a group, he would destroy the earth to create dust, revert back to his chimeric Lord Form, and blend in with another group of Azuals to create even more havoc. Without pause, Halrimaw effectively killed 300 odd Azuals. Stolen story; please report. A few ways away from the Spirits, Aimi was shooting one arrow after another, and each arrow pierced two to five Azuals in a line. "Lady Aimi, would you like to know your score?" asked Adelward. Without pause, Aimi replied, "No. No need. I might get complacent if I knew." On her back was the human form Azursa, Aomi, clutching tightly to her like a backpack, and occasionally gives Aimi berries that, strangely, were stored in her mouth. ''Such an interesting creature...'' thought Adelward as he watched Aomi feed Aimi. "Woops." he uttered as he blocked a spike from hitting Aimi, "That was close. Lady Aimi, long ranged enemy at your nine o''clock." Aimi reacted with firing a bluish arrow, and the arrow hit the target except it didn''t pierce through like the others and just blew up. "Phew... Experimenting is hard and creates a lot of fatigue." she said, then she looked at her rune bow, "Interestingly, I am able to sustain such attacks for a long while. Wasn''t my mana capacity still too small, if I understood Senpai correctly?" ... High above the skies where the Sky Knights were, Shamira was directing attacks as she popped candy into her mouth at regular intervals. "Fire Balls at that large group of lumbering Azuals! Thunder and lightning (very, very frightening) at the group of fast moving Azuals! Have another some others freeze those flying over here!" she commanded, "Uh oh. Hold on... Holy Bolt!" Shamira conjured dozens of spears of light, and immediately sent them down towards another large draconic Azual headed their way. The spears of light pierced its body, and slowed its movements. "Resume thine assault!" she commanded, "Just leave to big ones to This One!" As Shamira was busy in the Sky, Capacitor showed a reaction, "MASTER, I HAVE FOUND THREE MORE REINFORCEMENT LOCATIONS. THE NEAREST IS.A KILOMETER TO THE NORTH." Cavaron nodded, "Good. Stormfell!" and called for the flying Gryphon in the sky. Having landed, Cavaron mounted Stormfell/Ventus and gestured towards the other Avatars to follow him. The Spirits and Aimi noticed Cavaron leaving north, and they had decided to head north as well while taking part in the competition. Capacitor followed as its Vulcan tore open a path. Half an hour later, Cavaron had Stormfell/Ventus stop in midair, and looked down. In front of them was another hole similar to the previous one, and was producing reinforcements nonstop. "Drop me off, Stormfell, then like before, bombard that hole with the others." Cavaron got off Stormfell/Ventus, and gestured to all Avatars to begin bombardment. However, just before the first wave of attacks fell, a wall of black flames erupted to block the attacks. The attacks hit the wall of black flames, and disappeared like they never existed. "Shit! He''s here, huh?" cursed Cavaron, "Cease attacking! Dark Fate flames erase anything! ...or should have erased him... Focus on the Azuals instead!" The Avatars stopped, and turned their attention towards the surrounding Azuals but, just like before, a wall of black flames appeared, and protected the Azuals. "Grr... If long range attacks... No, I can''t risk them. Everybody, fall back behind me!" commanded Cavaron, and the Avatars followed. Once the flames receded, a figure appeared within the Azuals. "Azrael!" shouted Cavaron, "Duel me!" Azrael smiled, "Oh, no, no ,no. All Azuals, attack." and commanded the hordes of Azual to attack Cavaron''s group. "Dammit! Get rid of those!" commanded Cavaron. One Avatar after another obliterated one wave of Azuals after another. Occasionally, an attack would head for Azrael, but the same black flames of Dark Fate would block it. These flames also blocked some attacks against the Azuals. Just as a group of Azual was about to overwhelm Cavaron''s position, a loud roar was heard to the east. "ROOOAAARRRR!!!" roared a large, fast moving land dragon mounted by an equally large demon that was holding on for dear life. Just when the land dragon was about to crash into a group of Azuals, a red shadow leapt from the land dragon, and smashed a huge battleaxe onto the ground, effectively creating a powerful shockwave that knocked smaller Azual away. It was War Spirit Bellatrix. "Ey, Cav! Reinforcement has arrived!" announced Bellatrix. At the same time, hordes of fast moving demons arrived, and each one chose a kill. Additionally, a myriad of wyverns and flying dragons dropped down from the sky, clutching a number of Azual, taking them up to the sky, and dropping them while the fire breathing dragons laid waste by strafing the Azuals with flames. "I don''t know why, but there is just something appealing and romantic about watching dragons fly around the sky and breathe down fire onto the battlefield." commented Cavaron, "Well, at least they got distracted. Hammer them, now!" On cue, fire, ice, wind, water, earth, and dark elements colored the battlefield due to the lapse in defense by Azrael. Next, fire fell from the skies produced by the Sky Knights, and a rain of spears of light from Shamira. "Oops." uttered Azrael, "Well, whatever. Cannon fodder is cannon fodder. I need more Z***lings." Black flames enveloped the still living Azual, and Cavaron reacted with surprise, "The hell is he getting rid of them for!?" However, contrary to his expectations, the Azuals that got wrapped in black flames doubled. "HA!? HOW!?" cried Cavaron, "HOW THE FUCKING GODDAMNED MOTHERFUCKING HELL DID THOSE FLAMES CLONE THESE LITTLE PIECES OF SHIT ASS FUCKS!?" "Why the surprise, Cavaron?" asked Azrael, "You should know that these flames cannot only destroy, but also create... Unless... No, it can''t be. Someone like you cannot do this!? OH, FOR SHAME, CAVARON!!! ALL AZUALS, DEVOUR ALL WHO OPPOSE!!!" One Azual wave after another was produced by the flames, and they all went to attempt to annihilate Cavaron''s group, the demons, the angels, and the humans that surrounded them. "AHAHAHA AHAHAHA!!! DEVOUR THEM ALL!!!" With Azrael''s manic laughter, more Azuals were produced as the black flames grew stronger than ever. It has then become evident that the reinforcing demons were being overwhelmed, and the skies became black from the number of flying Azuals. Shamira and the Sky Knights were surrounded by a great multitude of flying Azuals. Even Shamira''s Holy Bolts were unable to compensate for the number bearing down on them. "Fuck everything! I may not have enough to call those two, but I HAVE ENOUGH TO FIGHT FOR A FULL DAY!!! COVER ME!!!" Cavaron suddenly filled his entire body with Mana, and equipped his Mana Sword and Blood Sword. With furious eyes, he blasted off like a bullet out of a gun towards Azrael. "FUCK YOU, FUCK THIS, FUCK EVERYTHING! A DEAD MAN LIKE YOU SHOULD STAY DEAD!!!" A crowd of Azuals tried to block him, but were blown away by a massive fireball that was able to slip through the wall of black flames. The next group to try and block were eliminated by a blue arrow. For a distance of 100 meters, Cavaron charged and charged as the Azuals blocking him were annihilated due to plot arm due to the Avatars'' bombardment. However, once he was halfway from reaching Azrael, the black flames intensified and blocked any and all attacks leaving Cavaron on his own to break through. The entirety of Cavaron glowed with bluish light as his mana was on full throttle. His swords glowed as well because of Mana Blades and, upon collision, produced a whirlwind of flesh and blood as he danced the dance of death. "Blade Dance! Demonic Tempest!!" Cavaron''s blue glow became red, and his eyes became filled with furious red light. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!" he cried. His Mana Sword sang through the air, and his Blood Sword howled as it''s serrated edge tore through one Azual after another. Mana Blades hummed as it amplified both swords'' cutting and cleaving capabilities. The others watched in awe as Cavaron tried his damnedest to reach Azrael but just 20 meters away, Azrael charged in to meet Cavaron with a black scythe. Chapter 64 A message from the author, me, to some hurtful readers: Spoiler : First. If you find my speed too slow that you see it as enough reason to drop my story, feel free to drop it. No need to notify me about it, and even insult me about it. I have a life outside of writing, heck, I already stated that I''m going through college, International Law, even. It is my final subject, and I am close to graduating so I need to pour in efforts to pass it, especially since it is my second take of the subject having failed it once previously. Second, the PayPal and Bitcoin are just there for you to donate OPTIONALLY and is a ONE TIME THING. Once I reach my goal, I will remove it, assuming nobody bookmarked it. I am not doing it for sponsored chapters, nor I am doing it for a steady flow of chapters. If you want to donate, then donate. If you don''t want to donate, then don''t donate. No need to lambast me about it. For your information, I still have zero balance, yet here I am still posting a chapter. Sorry about the lateness, but I have a college degree to chase after. Third, my race should have nothing to do with my writing and your reading. Unless you''re a racist fuckboy then I would understand. Hopefully, your toxicity won''t spread to other authors and will stay between us. You know who you are. Also, I have a new fic I am writing alongside Cavaron. Songs of Legacies: Black Garm Inspired by a lot of military-themed games, that one steam punk game with a character named Gilbert Bates, and my ROTC. Have a chapter. Fairly confusing chapter/s inbound. And the format changed because of my mood. ---------------- Cavaron and Azrael charged towards each other head on. Cavaron''s magic swords sung through the air as they were reinforced by, not just one nor two, but three dense layers of mana. Three layers of Mana Blades were dense enough that one could no longer see the blue and red swords, but only a brightly shining white edge. In contrast, due to the Dark Fate flames'' influence, Azrael and his scythe were jet black as the darkest, lightless night with nothing else but the mere flickering of tongues of black fire that wrapped around Azrael''s body. Only a few more meters before collision, and Cavaron expended as much mana as he could into his whole body in an attempt to strengthen it further. His body began to glow light blue as mana flowed through his veins. Muscles hardening, grip tightening, Cavaron became a glowing mass of mana heavily contrasted by Azrael''s black fire. Collision. Cavaron brought down his right, his Blood Sword, still seething with power from the blood of slain enemies. Azrael''s scythe met with it, and an explosive sound along with a massive shockwave that tore the ground apart and shook the sky were produced upon impact. The surrounding Azuals that were harassing Cavaron either were blown away or got disintegrated from the clashing of energies. A second after the shockwave was produced, Cavaron''s left descended, his Mana Sword brimming with power overwhelming from an overpowering influx of mana from Cavaron coupled with the slain enemies'' as well as the boost gained from the three shining layers of Mana Blades held what was seemingly the sword of judgment down onto Azrael. Azrael, having used his scythe to block Cavaron''s Blood Sword, revealed a smile that shocked Cavaron. Azrael wrapped his right hand with black fire, and used his hand to catch the Mana Sword. There, something unbelievable happened. Azrael''s black fire tore through the three layers of Mana Blades, but rather than forcefully tearing them apart, they appeared to be erased instead. Cavaron was stunned, and this gave Azrael enough time to reach the sword itself, destroying it. "Nooo!!!" cried Aquila, "The Mana Sword! The Mana Sword!!" The others looked at the flying beastman in the sky. "What happened, Aquila!?" shouted Culverin/Ignis. The skirmishes of the summons stopped momentarily hearing the distress in Aquila''s voice, and gathered beneath the flying beastman. Even Aimi and Aomi were brought by Adelward. Aquila, who was watching Cavaron with his hawk-like eyes, looked at the others, "Cavaron... Cavaron''s Mana Sword was destroyed by Azrael!" The others'' eyes went wide in disbelief. Almost at the same time, everybody else shouted, "How!?" Aquila looked back at Cavaron, "Azrael wrapped his hand with black fire... The same fire we saw on that day, a hundred years ago." The Elementals and the Spirits present, especially those who knew of it, looked towards Cavaron with changed faces and tightened grips. --- Aisha... Aisha... Aisha... Her name flooded my thoughts as I knelt down beside her body. "Aisha... Aisha... Aisha..." My thoughts then leaked through my lips, repeating her name like a crazed lunatic. I brought her body closer to me, and held her limp head close to my chest. Her eyes closed, her soft lips grow pale and cold. With the absence of her pulse, she went further and further away. Behind me was Azrael, laughing at my pitiful appearance, at Aisha''s dead body. With his godforsaken form, he inched closer to me, slowly but surely as though exhuming absolute confidence, absolute power. "Aisha... Aisha..." I kept calling out to her in hopes of hearing her voice. "Well, this is a happy time for me." said Azrael as he arrived behind me, "I didn''t think she''d actually use her body to block my attack. She must be very... dear... to you." He said the word "dear" rather irritatingly. Yet, I still looked at Aisha''s lifeless body, with my lips still uttering her name. Azrael brought his scythe to my defenseless neck, "Thank you, gods of fate, for giving me this opportunity to claim his soul." As I felt the blade on my neck come closer, I felt a strange power within my body. --- Cavaron still knelt by Aisha''s body while Azrael/Grim Revenant was about to sever his neck. The others around them no longer fought, and merely stood still to see the end of a once powerful being. "Aisha..." uttered Cavaron. "Hmph, ignoring me, eh?" said Azrael/Grim Revenant, "No matter. Come, let me feed on your soul." "Aisha... Aisha... AISHA... AiSha... AISha... aisHa..." However, something strange was happening to Cavaron, "Aisha... aiSha... AisHa... AISHa... AISHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Voice changed, power fluctuating. The moment Azrael/Grim Revenant was about to sever his neck, black flames erupted from every orifice of Cavaron''s body. "AISHA... AISHA... AISHA... AISHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZZZZZRRRRRRAAAAAAAAEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Cavaron held his head as black flames came from his face, his torso, his body in its entirety. "AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" A savage cry exploded from his lips as the black flames engulfed Cavaron. Shocked, Azrael/Grim Revenant and the others took many steps back, "By the gods! What is happening!?" "AAAAAAAIIIIISSSSSHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAZZZZZRRRRAAAAAAEEEEEELLLLLLL!!!!!!!!" Bone chilling screams swallowed the battlefield as the black flames even devoured Aisha''s dead body, and even attempted to devour the fleeing Azrael. "What in the world is that flame!?" cried Azrael/Grim Revenant, "Isn''t that the same black thing around his soul!?" "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" As Cavaron became wrapped in black flames, he let out a cry so foul that one''s throat should have bled. After a while, the wildly dancing black flames ceased its consumption of the surrounding area, and settled, leaving only a pitch black warrior bathed in black flames at the center who was holding his head so tight that it should have burst. The pitch black warrior relaxed his arms, and let them drop to his sides. Calm and serene, it made an absolutely contrasting image to the hell before. "Cavaron..." uttered Azrael/Grim Revenant as he looked at the black warrior. The black warrior, Cavaron, turned towards Azrael''s direction, and Azrael was taken aback at the change in appearance. Cavaron''s hair had turned as white as snow from his originally brown hair. His eyes also changed, it became as red as the crimson blood that flowed in one''s own body from his originally emerald green eyes. His blue armor was wrapped in black flames as its tongues flicked in the wind. His red cape turned black as well giving him a menacing appearance. The differences between the Cavaron then and the Cavaron now were leagues apart which made the others stunned. Cavaron stared at Azrael as though he was wondering who he was. Azrael was on guard, ''The hell is going on? I can''t sense his soul.'' he thought as he warily watched Cavaron. However, Cavaron smiled at Azrael, shocking him. Cavaron''s smile became bigger and wider, until finally, "Hahaha..." a laugh left his mouth. This random act bewildered Azrael, ''Has he gone nuts?'' "Hahaha..." Cavaron laughed and laughed, and each second that passed, his laugh became louder and more manic, Hahaha... HAHAHA... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" With a sudden explosion, Cavaron left from where he stood, and appeared right in front of Azrael while wielding a massive two-hander with one hand that suddenly materialized out of nowhere. "Shit!" cursed Azrael as he raised his massive arms to block Cavaron''s attack. However, rather that a collision, Cavaron''s sword merely carved through Azrael''s bony arms like a hot knife through butter. "Argh!" cried Azrael, "Pain!? Why did I feel pain!?" Without pause, Cavaron''s massive sword cleaved Azrael''s arm off, and the severed arm disintegrated into nothingness. With his momentum, Cavaron spun around in midair and was about to deliver another powerful attack, "HAHAHAHAHAAA!!" "DAMN YOU!" Azrael suddenly shone brightly and reverted to his human form seeing that his large body became detrimental to his efforts. Having reverted back, Azrael''s smaller body evaded Cavaron''s cleaving attack. Except, "What the fuck!?" Azrael was surprised that Cavaron''s massive sword suddenly turned at an impossible angle making his effort to evade go to waste. Instead, he had his scythe meet the sword in an attempt to parry the attack. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. However, like his arm before, the black two-hander cleaved through the scythe, destroying it. "My Godslayer! You destroyed my Godslayer!" cried Azrael, "Dammit all! Damn the gods of fate!" Without respite, Cavaron turned again to deliver one more attack. Alarm flooded Azrael''s face, and attempted to flee. "Screw this! I know when I''m about to lose!" he cried as he ran off towards a crowd of soldiers. The soldiers, however, seeing that Azrael was headed towards them ran away to the opposite direction. With Azrael''s speed, he was able to blend into the crowd but, "AHAHAHAHA!!!!" Cavaron brought down his two-hander, and produced an earth-shattering wave of black energy that tore through scores upon scores of soldiers, be it human, demon, or angel, none survived. Bearing witness to having dozens of their kind slain effortlessly, the surviving armies did not hesitate to flee the area. "Run! Drop everything and run!" Nobody knew who ordered this, but each soldier of the three races fled away from Cavaron, leaving an empty spot where the meadow was. "What is this madness?" said Demetria as she helplessly watched Cavaron slaughter his way to Azrael, "How... How can that flame do such a thing...? Aisha... Even my daughter was devoured... A part of my very being... And an inheritor of such power..." She looked towards where Azrael had killed Aisha, "Even so... Even so... I felt a flicker of life yet... Yet... Cavaron... Why?" Cavaron tore through hordes of humans, angels, and demons. Even those in the skies weren''t spared in his wanton destruction. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!" laughing without a care, each swing of his two-hander, dozens fell, more than when Azrael used his abilities. ''Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!'' cursed Azrael as he frantically and narrowly evaded each of Cavaron''s attacks, resulting in dozens of unfortunate soldiers dying. Suddenly, Cavaron raised his left hand, and drew a circle in the air. After having drawn the circle, he opened his palm, and made a gesture of grasping the drawn circle. Unknown power was felt as it fluctuated. High above them in the sky, a massive black ring appeared. The black ring was made from the very same black flame that wrapped Cavaron''s body. --- Argent Mountains, Ladenras. Deep within a volcano, there was a muscle-bound being sitting crosslegged on top of a stone platform surrounded by calmly flowing magma. It was Fire Lord Culverin. Seated calmly, with his eyes closed, he awoke as he felt something strange in the air, ''What is this?'' he thought. Just as he was about to stand, black energies wrapped his body, and devoured him, "WHAC!?" --- Somewhere unknown. Dark clouds covered the sky as storm clouds let rain and thunder fall onto the earth. Down below, farmers were dancing from the blessing of the gods for their fields. A festival was in full bloom despite the loud thunder around them. High above the clouds, a small child was dancing like the farmers on the ground. "Ahahaha!! Be happy my friends!" It was Bronte, he was happily dancing along with the rain and thunder until, "Eh?" black energy appeared and swallowed the happy child, abruptly ending the wonderful shower, and left the farmers wondering what happened. --- Somewhere unknown. A blond youth was walking alongside a four-winged angel in a corridor, "Sister, it seems that the gate the temple was guarding has been breached." he said to the angel, "Would it be all right for you to join me?" The four-winged angel looked at the blond youth next to her, "Of course, my dear Etheran." It was Shamira. The two of them continued through the corridor, and many multi-winged angels, whom they''ve passed by, saluted at Etheran. Despite having no wings, it would seem that Etheran ranked higher than them. Suddenly, Shamira stopped in place, "What''s wrong, sister?" asked Etheran. Shamira''s face turned pale as she held her shoulders, "Something''s strange. I felt a weird energy surrounding me." Her voice shuddered, and black energies suddenly materialized around her. "What!? No! Noo!" Shamira was swallowed by the very black energies that surrounded her. "Sister!? Sister!!!" --- Within an unknown space. Two children laid next to each other side by side. One boy, one girl. Twins, to be exact. Both children had waist length hair, but the girl had golden hair while the boy had silver hair. The two children were peacefully sleeping until the girl sat upright and rubbed her eyes. "Ahh... Hmm?" The girl yawned and noticed something around her. There were black energies swirling around them, but did not immediately devour them. "Curious." said the girl. Looking over to the boy beside her, she nudged him to wake him up. "Rata, wake up." said the girl, "Someone''s calling for us." The boy, Rata, turned to the other side, "Five more minutes, Rati... Zzz..." The girl, Rati, kicked the boy, Rata off wherever they were sleeping on, "Papa''s calling." she said. Hearing the word "Papa", Rata became fully awake, " Papa!? Let''s go! Let''s go!" And with that as a cue, the black energies swallowed the two children. ... Similar occurances happened to the other elementals, spirits, and summons contracted with Cavaron. --- Back in Edeortha. "What is going on here?" a disbelieving voice left the lips of an Eastern-looking warrior, "Cavaron... My brother... Argh... Ahhh... AAHHHHHH!!!!" The warrior held his head just as the black energies infected him, corrupted his thoughts, overpowered his will. Masamune became lost to Cavaron''s own madness, and, like him, the other Elementals, Spirits, and summons, fell victim to the maddening black energies. Culverin, Ventus, Bronte, Tirta, Avani, Glacia, Shamira, Nox, Adelward, Burkhard, Ylva, Felicia, Aquila, Gunther, Bellatrix, Ulrika, and Muramasa. Elementals and Spirits went berserk under the effects of Cavaron''s black energies. After them, three more women appeared, Sapphire of Azure Earth, Ruby of Crimson Ice, and Emerald of Viridian Flames. These three women, while seemingly able to maintain some semblance of sanity, still helplessly brought down pandemonium upon the unfortunate dwellers of Edeortha. This incident will be known in the future as the Wrath of Gods, a storm of elements that supposedly destroyed a third of the world. However, just from the number of summons, it would seem to be impossible for them to utterly destroy a third of a world. Soon, two lights came from the black ring in the sky. One golden light, and one silvery light. "Rata, it seems that Papa is in pain." A golden dragon emerged from the ring. Likewise, a similarly appearing, but silver in color, dragon appeared next to it. "Who hurt Papa!? I will destroy them!!!" Two gigantic dragons, a golden dragon and a silver dragon, whose wingspans reached over a kilometer each descended from the heavens. Rata and Rati, the two children who were sleeping in an unknown space were the two domineering dragons in Edeortha''s sky. The humans, angels, and demons who saw all of these ran. They all ran away without care for their companions nor for their enemies, and merely sought their own survival. "Kill Papa''s enemies!!!" Rata, the silver dragon, opened his gigantic maw, and let loose a massive ball of fire that fell onto hundreds of poor souls. Rati, the golden dragon, instead flapped her wings and produced massive pillars of lightning that destroyed an even greater number of poor souls. Yet, even with all the fire and brimstone, the scale of their attacks was still a fraction of what would be purported. That was because it wasn''t the summons themselves that dealt the most destructive blow. High above the clouds of Edeortha, much higher than the black ring itself, close to what one would think as outer space, was a purple-haired youth with golden eyes. This youth stood on an empty space as he looked down at the hell below. "Cavaron, my friend..." uttered the youth, "You were one of the first to have reached out to me after losing everything I had. You considered me as a friend. No, you didn''t consider it, you truly believed it. I was happy when you held out your hand when I was suffering because of that damned Father of ours. Now, you are the one grievously suffering because of our same Father, and because of this world. Let this be my gift to you, my dear friend." The purple-haired youth looked up to the stars, and reached out to them. With a fluctuation of power, his hand became hazy as he made a grasping gesture. "Astral Storm." Two words left his lips, and he pulled down his closed fist. The countless stars in the sky suddenly became bigger and bigger. Little by little, the stars themselves became meteors that penetrated through Edeortha''s atmosphere, and these meteors bombarded the surface that would forever change Edeortha. Until the last meteor fell, the youth stayed and watched over Cavaron before phasing out of existence. ... Azrael stood dumbfounded at the sight of his surroundings. "By the gods of fate, this is the worst." Summons rampaging from the black energies emitted by Cavaron, Planar Dragons laying waste to hundreds and thousands of Edeortha''s inhabitants, and an unknown number of meteors falling down from the skies and pummeled everything it could reach down to oblivion. Fragments of earth began to levitate to the sky, and earth around them began to grow barren. Absolute destruction, and it was Azrael''s and Cavaron''s actions that led to this. No one no longer knew how many would survive, nor who had died. Even Demetria, their so called goddess disappeared. Ethra, thankfully, was far from ground zero, yet had trouble avoiding the crashing meteors that fell from the dark sky. She flew, and she flew until none of the meteors reached her. Tired and fatigued, she fell from the sky, but was caught by a surviving squadron of Sky Knights that had been following her long before. Just as Azrael awoke from his stupor, he felt his flesh tear open, and saw a smiling Cavaron piercing his black hand through his body. "How...? Why...?" These were Azrael''s last words as his body was viciously torn apart by Cavaron''s bare hands. --------------------- I knew I forgot to mention a character. Rata and Rati, I wonder if some people will notice the source of inspiration. Chapter 65 Hooray for my first advanced-but-not-really-that-helpful review. Not really that helpful since all I saw was rage. Thanks, though. Then again, taking that review into account, were the previous arcs too fast? Or is this arc too long? (I am inclined to agree that this arc is getting too long.) I can''t really see it since the reviewer was the first to say so. I can agree for chapter 24 because of glaring plot holes and questions that I failed to properly answer, but for the rest, I can''t say. As for characters that the reviewer may never hear of again, chill. I have stories for each world, and each character mentioned. I just haven''t really fleshed out the details of everything yet, and one of them... or two will have a reappearance in this story. SoL: Cavaron is an introduction of sorts for the rest of the SoL stories I will be writing. Now, I''m just trying to get funds to buy a laptop, AND BUY RPG MAKER MV, so I can get onto some game making. These stories were supposed to be games, but since losing my previous laptop, I decided to put them all into writing. Have a chapter since I have a research break... or a research break break... or just a break from all that reading, and research, and editing, and for the love of god why does French have to be the other official language, aside from English, of the ICJ in Hague in The Netherlands, stop wasting my pages and printouts and money. ------------------------------------- Cavaron tore open Azrael''s body, hands wreathed in black flame, and his jet-black two-hander nowhere in sight. Mindless and manic, Azrael''s body could no longer be recognized. Suddenly, Cavaron violently grasped an empty space. If one had the ability and the high level of mastery of Mana Sight, one would see a glowing orb within his hand. This glowing orb came out from Azrael''s body as he was being torn apart or, maybe, since the moment Cavaron had pierced his chest. The glowing orb could then be understood as Azrael''s soul, similar to the orbs of light that one should have witnessed back during the time in Belfron with the Felrok remnants incident. As Cavaron gripped Azrael''s soul, Azrael''s soul shuddered from the black flames. His grip growing stronger until Azrael''s soul itself got engulfed in black flames before dissipating. Azrael''s body could no longer be called a body, and his soul having been destroyed, Cavaron silently stood up, and gazed at the sky. For a while, there was silence. For a while, nothing could be perceived. That is, until a smile surfaced, letting his lips curve upwards slowly. His smile then turned into a grin, then he laughed. He laughed and he laughed. For victory? No, for madness. As he laughed, the black flames around his body danced wildly. He laughed for a while until, suddenly, his body disappeared and reappeared within the masses of retreating armies of the humans, the angels, and the demons. Those around him were stunned to see him, and many fell and got trampled by their fleeing comrades'' feet. Those who were late to react were felled by Cavaron''s jet-black two-hander that he materialized once more. Carnage began in earnest as a single horizontal swing severed dozens of soldiers. Even those who only received glancing blows were devoured by the black flames that appeared to have some semblance of sentience as the flames themselves actively sought out more victims to devour. Cavaron danced the dance of death as he spun around with his two-hander creating a cyclone of severed limbs and burning bodies, and leaving behind dozens of dead soldiers and disappearing bodies in his wake. Even his own contracted summons continued to lay waste to everyone and everything they see despite the meteors from the sky by the purple-haired youth having ended and having left their surroundings become a vast wasteland. Hours went on until Edeortha''s moon had reached its apex. A bright, silver-like moon gave illumination to the otherwise dark fields of blood and death, and only then one would see Cavaron having his pace of mindless slaughter seemingly slow down until an angel that fell to the ground frantically trying to escape was about to be felled. Only, instead of Cavaron''s two-hander landing the finishing blow, it diverted to the soil below, saving the angel from death. Cavaron still held his two-hander, and was gasping for breath. With a single glance at the frozen angel before him, a word left his lips. "LEAVE!!!" a powerful shout. Stilled by his recovery of his will, his awareness, and his sanity, the angel unhesitatingly took to the skies to go with the other remnants of his comrades. Cavaron''s hair slowly turned back to his original brown hair, and his eyes became green once more. The black flames around him slowly receded into his body, and gave back the colors of his blue armor and red cape. The jet-black two hander that he held disappeared along with the black flames. As he returned to normal, his contracted summons returned to normal as well. Once they regained their will, they looked around and paused their gazes at the then kneeling Cavaron who screamed at the sky before collapsing to whom they all ran to. Slowly but surely, the remaining soldiers left Cavaron and his contracted summons alone in the middle of a wasteland. ... .. . --- Remembering the past, Cavaron''s summons looked on and even attempted to help in his fight against a revived Azrael. The elementals, in their Avatars, launched one attack after another, but were effortlessly blocked by a wall of black flame that dispersed them. Even the spirits could only watch as attacks that could fell dozens of enemies end up dissipated before the black flames that devour everything. Helpless, they could only watch as Cavaron was pushed back by Azrael having his Mana Sword previously destroyed. Having lost one of his most powerful weapons, Cavaron unsummoned his Blood Sword and replaced it with his two short swords. Again, he wrapped his swords in many layers of Mana Blades, and resumed his attack with a counter. He kicked the ground hard, leaving a small crater, and closed the gap momentarily. Azrael raised his scythe to meet Cavaron head on, and with both of Cavaron''s swords having swung down, Azrael parried the attacks before kicking his left leg wrapped in black flames forward. Cavaron shifted one of his swords downwards to meet Azrael''s kick. His sword blocked the kick, but a few layers of Mana Blades dispersed, this prompted Cavaron to jump back and create some distance between them. Having landed ten meters away, Azrael did not give chase, but instead frowned at the sight of Cavaron. "Hey! Use it, use the flames you used to destroy me! Let''s fight, flame against flame!" shouted Azrael. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. "Screw you! I will not all upon such a horrible power!" shouted Cavaron back. Cavaron amassed a ball of mana, and sent it towards his companions. This ball of mana held a message within, "All Avatars, Restrain." Having received an order, the elementals all returned to normal, and watched Cavaron with anxious eyes. "Heh, you realized that they can''t help you, yet you still persist in fighting me with only your own power." said Azrael, "But, have you realized that these flames you gave me also happens to be your power? Come on, use it, and let''s have a thrilling death match! What happened a century ago does not count as you suddenly gained a maddeningly envying power that I, too, now possess!" Cavaron warily watched Azrael, and recalled the aftermath a hundred years ago. --- In the middle of a wasteland stood an earthen house surrounded by many people. A small part of these people were Cavaron''s contracted summons, and the rest were unknown except for two familiar people: a white robed Japanese man, and a red garbed otherworldly youth, Maguro and Folceras, respectively. Maguro was surrounded by Folceras and the others with his head down. "What happened to Cavvy, Maguro?" asked Tirta, "Although we were here before you, we were all taken in by a sudden loss of sanity." Maguro looked at the water elemental who was anxiously worrying about Cavaron. Her eyes were already filled with tears, and Avani and Glacia held her hands, yet they, too, were anxious. "I cannot say for certain, but..." replied Maguro, "This is a strange thing to happen to him. Using Mana Sight, and due to having equal mastery of it with Cavaron, I saw a black... thing... wrapped around his soul. The thing is, aside from a sudden decrease in his overall mana, I don''t sense anything else wrong with his being." "What do you mean by his mana having been decreased?" asked Ventus, "Will he be able to recover his power, and does he still have eternal youth since it was his soul having merged with his mana that gave him such a long life?" "Like I said, I cannot say for certain." replied Maguro, "I don''t even know what happened to him before we arrived. Although, for your second question, I can see some reaction from the Mana Crystals I had with me. Some threads could be seen going into his body slowly but surely, so we can assume that he can regain his lost strength. Again, I cannot say for certain especially for how long it will take until it reaches full capacity." A princely green haired man stepped forward, "Do you mind if I take a look at him?" and asked. "Go ahead, Adalwin." replied Maguro, "For the others, feel free to do so. I will need as much input as you can give me to draw up a conclusion." Having said so, Adalwin and a few others entered the house to inspect Cavaron. "Quite a lot of friends, no?" commented Folceras, "To think that Adalwin, Ghalib, and Malina have come and left their kingdoms. Heck, there are a lot that I don''t even recognize. Do you know the others?" "Aside from those who became monarchs in their home worlds, we have Jagd, that gunslinger over there; Mishaia, the old spearman behind him; I think that redhead youth over there was named Arekus; Marina, that sky blue haired girl talking to Arekus... Good thing Amara isn''t here... Er, where was I? Oh, right, Axton went inside along with Verne and Magat. And... I think that''s all of the people I know. The rest, I have no idea." Suddenly, Adalwin ran outside, "Cavaron''s awake!" and shouted. Everyone turned to look, and saw Cavaron walking out, dressed in bandages. He pushed aside Adalwin, and walked towards the east barefooted. "Something''s wrong." said Maguro as he signalled to the others to follow. Cavaron walked for a long time that even the soles of his feet bled and left footprints of blood. The others silently followed the quiet man from behind until they reached their destination. Cavaron walked until he reached a ravaged area far from the earthen house, knelt down in one spot, and cried. "AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" a howl of sadness. The others were bewildered, and even came up to him to loft him up. Cavaron pushed them away instead. He cried and he cried until tears no longer fell. ... I awoke in bed surrounded by familiar faces. Friends from adventures long past, friends from worlds I had visited during my lifetime. "Cavaron!" cried Malina, a tanned skin girl with red braided hair. Tears fell from her face as she held my hand. Slowly looking around with my eyes, I recognized Adalwin, Ghalib, Axton, Harris, Marjorie, and Klonitt. They were all looking anxiously at me. Sitting upright, they scrambled to help me up and Adalwin ran off to the door. "Cavaron''s awake!" he shouted. I stood up, and went outside, pushing Adalwin aside, and was met by my contracted summons and friends from my travels. People with the same ability as I do, the ability to go to other worlds as we will. Instead of greeting them, I silently headed towards the east... Towards Aisha. Aisha, where are you? Your face. Your smile. Your eyes. Your voice. Cavaron... The bath is ready... Do you want to eat...? Want me to help...? I see you''re awake... Aisha... Aisha... Arriving at a destroyed area, I remember that the house was here. The river was a few ways... there, I see the remnants of a riverbed. The apple tree... gone... The trees that surrounded us... gone as well... Aisha... is... I fell on all fours, tears welled up, and I released an uncontrollable cry. The others tried to help me up, but I just barely pushed them away. Aisha... Aisha... "AishaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" ... .. . --- Cavaron looked at his hand, and tightly gripped the collar of his armor. ''Is there really no other way?'' he thought as he racked his mind to come with a decision. Closing his eyes, even before an enemy, he thought for an answer. This gave Azrael a chance to close the gap, and this action forced an answer from Cavaron. ---------------------------------------- Self-criticism: I suck at writing tear-jerkers. Chapter 66 Also updated with a rewritten chapter: Songs of Legacies: Black Garm ---------------------------- Cavaron, having been forced by Azrael, felt the power within him surge like an overflowing flood. His sight turned black, and traces of his mana disappeared. Black flames shot out from every orifice of his body, and engulfed him in a malignant aura. Once his body was fully swallowed by the black flames, his transformation had already finished. The flames receded, and cloaked his body. His armor and cape turned pitch black, his hair became white, and his eyes turned red. By his waist, his swords disappeared, and were replaced by a pitch black two-hander mounted on his back. His summons, and the others who were outside Azrael''s sphere of influence, witnessed Cavaron''s change. Especially his summons who once witnessed the carnage brought on by this mysterious black flame. The angels in the sky immediately paused mid flight, and slowly retreated from the sight. Even Shamira paused as she felt that once familiar power she felt a long time ago. The demons, especially the aged ones, stopped in their tracks, and left the younger generations stupefied by their actions. One heavily scarred lizardman saw Cavaron''s change, and without hesitation, turned to flee where they came from. The humans, however, given their short lifespans, stared in awe at Cavaron''s suddenly leaping power. The aura around the man they looked upon immediately filled them with a sense of dread and feared the flames that flickered like tongues of hungry beasts before a meal. Gulfried stayed midair with his wyvern mount and watched the events unfold from afar. "Yes! YES!" exclaimed Azrael, "This is what I''m talking about, A DUEL BETWEEN FLAMES!! HAAA!!!" Azrael charged forward like a madman with his scythe fully drawn back for an attack. However, for Cavaron, there was a change from his previous incarnation. Contrary to his previously berserk state, his red eyes were empty, and his movements were not as profoundly felt than before. Without noticing this change, Azrael was already before Cavaron, and brought down his scythe. Yet, Cavaron didn''t react. Only when Azrael''s scythe was about a hair''s breadth away did his hand flicker to parry the attack. This movement surprised Azrael and the others, and only after did Cavaron draw his two-hander. The lack of his manic laughter brought on a foreboding feeling to Azrael as it could be seen on his face. The pitch black two-hander flickered from Cavaron''s back, and reappeared in his right hand. Like before, he deftly wielded a weapon that was meant for two hands in a single hand. Tongues of black flame flickered slightly from the movements of his sword. Strangely, the Azuals surrounding the two black-flamed people stopped moving. Cavaron turned to look at them, and looked at his free left hand. Without a word, he aimed his open palm towards the Azuals. The Azuals felt something, and suddenly went towards Cavaron''s hand. When they were only five meters away, the Azuals suddenly burst into black flames, and these flames flew into Cavaron''s open left hand. Like a swift flood, the Azuals around him quickly disappeared and turned into black flames that Cavaron seemingly absorbed into himself. Seemingly so because a sudden fluctuation of power was felt by all of those around him. He absorbed as much as there were around him, and finally left an empty space of nearly a hundred meters in diameter with only him and Azrael present. Seeing Cavaron do so, Azrael smirked, and did the same action. Azrael only absorbed half the amount of Azuals that Cavaron absorbed. Awe inspiring acts were witnessed by those outside. "How does it feel, Cavaron?" asked Azrael, "Empowering, isn''t it?" Black flames began to flicker around Azrael''s body like Cavaron, even his scythe was black. Without responding to Azrael''s inquiry, Cavaron silently and expressionlessly drew back his two-hander. Seeing him do so, Azrael did the same as well, and drew back his scythe. Without notice, and in an eye blink, the their bodies flickered and a sound of clashing metals were heard right in between them. Their.bodies that flickered, slowly disappeared, and the two reappeared in the middle with slightly flickering bodies. Their speed astonished the people watching. Aimi, who paused her hunt for Azuals and watched, tightly gripped her bow. She also asked Adelward what was happening. "Honestly, I have no idea." replied Adelward, "This is completely different from what happened a century ago." "Indeed." added Masamune, "Cavaron isn''t lost in a confused nor berserk state, nor is he engaging in a mad massacre that we once partook in." They watched the lightning fast exchanges until even those with sharp eye sight became lost at the exchange of two flames. "By the gods, their speed is ungodly." commented Aquila, "I can''t keep up. Who knows what in the world is happening in there." "At least you made the effort to catch up to their speed." interjected Muramasa, "All I see are freaking blurs!" "I wonder how long this exchange would last?" wondered Aimi. Just as she said so, Cavaron and Azrael broke away from each other. The two of them didn''t look fatigued nor tired in the slightest, but Azrael was evidently frustrated. Cavaron, on the contrary, appeared calm, vastly contrasting the events a hundred years ago. "Hey, the hell is this?" asked Azrael, "This is boring. Fuck this shit." The flames that flickered around Azrael''s body suddenly stiffened and grew sharp. Even those on his scythe changed. Cavaron calmly watched all of these without a sound, but drew back is two-hander once more. "Round two, fight!" cried Azrael as his body flickered again. However, Cavaron''s body did not flicker in the slightest. On the contrary, his flames grew and danced violently. His left hand gripped his two-hander, and brought the blade above his head. Immediately, he brought down his blade, and Azrael''s figure reappeared in front of him. Their seemingly equal exchange happened once again. --- While Cavaron fought with Azrael, deep within Cavaron''s consciousness was Cavaron himself. He was stark naked, and had his original appearance. Everything around him was filled with darkness. He would be alone if not for the other person with him. Cavaron emotionlessly stared at the person before him, and this person looked at another object that appeared with them. The other object was a glowing and pulsating white and blue orb wrapped in a web of pulsating darkness. The darkness that wrapped around the glowing orb beat together with the pulsations of the orb itself rhythmically like the beatings of a heart. The person with Cavaron stared intently, not at the orb, but at the darkness wrapped around it. Cavaron walked towards the other person with him, and stood next to the person. "Long time, no see." said the person. It was a woman''s voice, and it was filled with tender love. Cavaron looked at the person''s face, and found a familiar sight. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. "Strange how I should be embracing you right now, yet I''m not." replied Cavaron, "How long have you been here?" The woman still watched the darkness, "For a long, long, time. Longer than you think." Cavaron looked at what the woman was looking at, and asked a question, "Hey, I''m pretty sure that this place is within me, and that''s my soul, so is that the Dark Fate flames wrapped around it?" The woman placed a finger on her cheek, "Hmm, yes... and no." and replied, "Thing is, the name ''Dark Fate'' only applies to this world. To Edeortha." Cavaron looked at the woman again, "Then, what is it, exactly?" "The things I will say are only from what ''He'' told me, so don''t take my word for it." she replied. "''He''?" he wondered, "Who''s ''He''?" "The one who gave you this... gift." she replied, "So, ready to listen?" Seeing no other way of knowing who "He" was, Cavaron nodded towards the woman. "Let''s see, where shall I start?" said the woman, "The black substance wrapped around you is a fragment of chaos. That said, it is neither malignant nor benign. Its form is that of a flame, and a flame is neither good nor evil. It is merely a flame." The woman, for the first time in a while, walked around the orb, "Like so, a flame can be used either for good or for evil. To be used for survival or destruction. That is what this fragment is, merely a tool to be used for either good or evil, and its function changes accordingly to the wielder." The woman stopped on the opposite side across Cavaron, still looking at the orb, "A common belief of people is that chaos means evil. Not necessarily, as ''He'' told me. Chaos can be a conduit to do either good or evil. Like how a rogue that defends the poor from a tyrannical king is a chaotic but good individual, and how a psychopath kills and maims innocents versus a law enforcer that protects victims from further harm. The flame, this fragment of chaos, is such a tool." She walked again around the orb, "Ever noticed that you haven''t really been randomly summoned as much lately? It''s the cause of this fragment. It causes the wielder to break away from the bonds of fate, enabling one to be free from the chains that binds one. Of course, it isn''t perfect, as ''He'' made it so to avoid the eyes of Fate." The woman finally arrived next to Cavaron again, "And ''He'' is one such person that aims to break away from Fate. ''He'' chose you, as well as many others, to continue ''His'' legacy even after ''He'' has passed." A moment of silence permeated the surroundings which prompted Cavaron to ask, "Then, what happened to Azrael? How come he''s alive?" "That was a miscalculation on ''His'' part." she replied, "''He'' told me that your fragment misunderstood your thoughts from your wanting ''to save'' and wanting ''to kill''. The contradiction confused the fragment, and even fragmented itself into Azrael. However, ''He'' noticed something strange. Azrael''s soul was undoubtedly destroyed leading ''Him'' to the conclusion that the fragment took on Azrael''s thoughts, and became him instead." Cavaron brought his hand to his chin, "You mean to say that the Azrael now is my fragment that took on his form and memories?" "That is what ''He'' also believes. ''He'' once told me that these fragments of chaos are literally chaotic and unpredictable. Even its effects on each wielder is different, and how it affects the surroundings is also different from one another. Surprisingly, ''He'' said, that your fragment was the easiest to control apart from the others. The child you met two hundred years ago, that one child is a wielder of another fragment. If I heard ''Him'' correctly, ''He'' gave fragments to at least three thousand individuals, including you. Good or evil, it did not.matter to ''Him'' as long as ''His'' legacy is continued." "And this ''legacy'' is?" inquired Cavaron. "Sadly, ''He'' did not tell me." she replied, "I also asked ''Him'' before, but all ''He'' did was pat my head and smile." She also held a spot on her head as she said so. "Although, it did feel good getting head pats from ''Him''. As for you, however, I expect ''Him'' to tell you once the time comes." "I guess that means I could absorb the flame back from Azrael?" asked Cavaron with confidence. "Ha, not only the flame, but Azrael himself as he is a piece of your fragment. It also happens to be the reason why your mana is so weak." Cavaron smiled, "I guess this is farewell, then." "It is so, but..." she replied, "Before you go, I have a request." "Go on." replied Cavaron. The woman finally turned to face him, "Say my name as you say goodbye." "All right." said Cavaron, "Goodbye, Aisha." ... .. . --- Back to reality, Cavaron found himself within his body, still covered in black flames. Before him was a frantic Azrael, delivering one attack after another, with him parrying every attack and delivering his own. The exchange from before was still happening. Suddenly, Cavaron threw away his pitch black two-hander, and spread his arms wide open. "What the hell.is he doing!?" cried Culverin out in alarm, "Did he just give up!?" "Calm yourself!" shouted Nox, "Cavaron wouldn''t easily give up, especially with his current power." "But what the hell do you think that form is!?" cried back Culverin, "He''s practically inviting Azrael''s scythe without resistance!" "It''s not rape if there''s no resistance." commented Muramasa, by which he received a blow from Masamune. "Silence, you fool!" They watched as Azrael''s body flickered and appeared before Cavaron, "Die!!!" Yet, contrary to everybody''s expectations, Cavaron embraced Azrael, and came out unharmed. Azrael was shocked at this, and even struggled to get free. "Let go of me, you pervert!" Cavaron looked at Azrael in the eyes, and whispered in his ear, "Hush now, time to rest." As Azrael heard this, he suddenly lost all strength, and burst into flames. The surrounding Azuals all around them, every one of them, also burst into black flames, and converged on Cavaron''s location. Azrael''s flames and the Azuals'' flames merged with Cavaron''s own flames, and everything was absorbed into his body. The sight of nearly a hundred million Azuals bursting into flames, all of which resulted in Cavaron absorbing everything, left every one standing stock still in awe and disbelief. Over the vast wasteland, the only ones to remain were Cavaron, his companions, and the three armies. There were no longer any traces of Azrael nor the Azuals. Cavaron, who was at the middle of it all, freely willed his flames to recede back into his body without any other side effect making the events from a century ago become merely memories of the past. -------------------------------------- This chapter is not rushed. I repeat, this chapter is not rushed. This is the ending I aimed for in preparation for the next and final arc. Chapter 67 - Edeortha Finale/Epilogue So this arc is done. Next is the final arc. Cheers. ------------------------------ Cavaron''s companions, his contracts, and the present leaders of the three races: Gulfried, Esserot, and Akash came together to where Cavaron stood. Before them was Cavaron''s original appearance, but had one of his eyes turn red. "Brother, think you could do something about your heterochromia iridum?" asked Stormfell, "I have to say that I can''t take you seriously when you have one red eye and one green eye." "Purr~ but it looks good, meow~" commented Felicia, "I could get used to this, meow~" "Really? Hadn''t noticed it." said Cavaron, "Let''s see." Cavaron tore open... No. The right phrase would be, he created a ring, and pulled out a mirror from what appears to be his inventory. Seeing such an act, many asked questions about it, and Cavaron merely told them the events within his subconscious including Aisha. His companions, his contracts especially, naturally didn''t know who Aisha was. All he said when they asked who she is was, "My reconciliation." Hearing so, they no longer asked any further, but some were still especially curious. "Back to business." he said, "My eye, huh? Interesting..." Cavaron willed the flame within his body to cover his red left eye, and thought of it becoming like his green right eye. The flame was no longer black, and became an ordinary flame of red, yellow, and orange. When he seemingly had his eye be burned by the flame, he let it recede back into his body, and his formerly red eye went back to its original green color. Looking at his eyes on the mirror, he suddenly smiled, and brought back the flames to cover his entire body. This surprised everyone as they all took a step back having been not warned beforehand. Cavaron noticed their reaction, and even threw a flame towards Aimi who resultingly shrieked in surprise. The flames covered Aimi, but did not burn her. Instead, she felt warm, similar to being just seated nearby a fireplace. "Haha, I can will the flames to do anything without any other side effects." said Cavaron with a laugh, "Now, I wonder if these flames could alter my appearance aside from my eye color." As he said so, his entirety was engulfed by his flames until only his silhouette was the only thing that could be seen. A minute after, he willed the flames to recede back into his body, and what appeared was merely a differently colored Cavaron. "The hell?" he commented, "This is just a pallette swap. I can''t even grow nor recede some parts of my body?" "Pfft... Ahahahaha!!" laughed Aimi, "You look like a half-orc or a half-goblin!" The present Cavaron had grey hair, black eyes, green skin, red armor, and a purple cape. This made his appearance similar to what Aimi said. Dissatisfied, Cavaron willed the flames once more to cover his body, and reverted back to his original appearance, but not without testing out if the flames could ALSO change the colors of other people. "Har har har. Let''s see if this works." he said as he let his flames swallow Aimi whole. The girl in question panicked and was flailing around. After a minute, the flames receded back, but Aimi still had the same appearance. "Darn. I was hoping it would work." commented Cavaron, "At least I can change my colors to blend in with the environment." "Or to fool around, Cavvy." added Tirta, "So, what will you do now?" Cavaron looked at the Water Elemental, "Well, I''m thinking of heading over to Ethra." he replied, "Have to get the last piece of a fragment on her body." Cavaron drew another ring beside him, a ring big enough for a full grown human to go through. On the other side was a man looking over a female angel that was lying in bed. "Hey, Maguro." greeted Cavaron. The man, who was a friend of his, turned to look at the source of the greeting. Seeing Cavaron through the ring, he plastered himself on a nearby wall from shock. "By the gods, Cavaron!" cried Maguro, "How the hell did you do that!?" Cavaron laughed at his friend''s reaction, "Haha, you''ll see in a moment." Cavaron walked through the ring he created, and arrived at Ethra''s room at the city of Asora, the capital of the angels and the center of the floating continent, Palu''Angit. He looked over Ethra''s still unconscious body, and brought his right palm over her chest. He felt through her body, and into her soul for the piece of his fragment that his imparted piece infected her with. Soon, a flame left his hand, and pulled out traces of a black flame from Ethra''s chest. The black flames, upon releasing Ethra, turned into the same color as Cavaron''s flames. "Woah, that was a lot." commented Cavaron, "I wonder if I can change my appearance by now." A few moments later, as the last of the black flame merged with his flame, Ethra woke up, and found Cavaron bathed in his flames. "Fire..." she muttered, "You succeeded..." Cavaron raised a brow at her comment, "You know?" Ethra looked at him in the eyes before she replied, "When I was asleep, I met ''Him'' in my dreams. ''He'' told me of everything that had happened." "Do you know who ''He'' is?" he asked. Ethra shook her head, "I''m sorry, I do not know, but ''He'' asked me to deliver a message to you." "And that is?" he egged her to continue. "''He'' said, ''We will meet once you know what to do.''." she replied, "Do not ask what he meant by that, even I was puzzled by what he said. After that, ''He'' faded from my sight." "Hrm..." Cavaron became deep in thought, "Once I know what to do, huh? Well, whatever. I''ll probably know when the time comes. So, how do you feel?" "I feel oddly refreshed." answered Ethra, "What will you do now?" Cavaron shrugged, "No idea. Guess I''ll bring some folks back to their homes, first." He stood up, and went towards the portal ring he created. On the other side, his companions and the others watched everything that had transpired. Even Maguro was standing still in shock from what he saw. Only when Ethra stood from her bed did Maguro regain his senses. "Wait, wait, wait." Maguro stopped Ethra, "Are you sure you are well? I mean, what the hell just happened?" "I''m fine good sir." replied Ethra, "I already know everything about what happened as I slept." Maguro willed his mana to converge on his eyes to see if there was anything wrong with Ethra. He found nothing, and let his mana disperse. Cavaron, who was standing by the portal ring, gestured towards Ethra and Maguro to come with him. Maguro and Ethra followed Cavaron through the portal ring, and arrived in the middle of a vast wasteland. "This place..." uttered Ethra, "So this was where you fought with your fragment." Cavaron looked at Gulfried and Esserot who went to Ethra''s sides. "Ethra, are you well?" asked Gulfried, "This is great. A cause for celebration!" "Indeed." added Esserot, "Even our problems were solved as well. We must celebrate." While the leaders were talking about celebrations, Cavaron turned towards his companions. "So, who killed more?" asked Cavaron, "Aside from me, of course. Excluding the elementals, too." His companions, specifically Aimi and the spirits, looked at him in wonder. "I was serious. So, who won?" he asked again, "I will know if you were lying as we are bound by a contract." "I got seven hundred and twenty six." "I massacred seven hundred twenty six!" The two sword spirits, Masamune and Muramasa, answered simultaneously. The two of them looked at each other, then ignored one another. "Mrow~ I only got half their amount, meow..." answered Felicia, "This is so humiliating, meow~" "Grr... I hunted three hundred thirty two." answered Felicia. "I didn''t join." answered Aquila, "I''m not really interested in a prize." "Lovely~" said Morana as she clasped her skeletal hands, "I reached a thousand and three children" Everybody gaped at the necromancer. Even the two swords were speechless at her amount of kills. "This mighty king had more!" bellowed Halrimaw, "I hunted one thousand one hundred twelve!" Beast Lord Halrimaw beat his chest with pride. Finally, everyone looked at Adelward who was next to Aimi to hear her score. Aimi tightly gripped her bow, but Adelward was oddly shaking in his armor. "What? Was her score too low?" asked Muramasa, and Masamune shut him up with a drop kick. Instead, a stifled laughter was heard through Adelward''s helmet, "Pfft... kukukuku..." "Mrow~ Why are you laughing, meow~?" asked Felicia, "Don''t tell me she racked up a score more humiliating than mine, mrah!?" Adelward''s helmet shook left and right, "No, no." and replied to Felicia''s inquiry, "It''s just unbelievable. Too unbelievable. Master, how big was her mana capacity, again?" Stolen novel; please report.Curious about Adelward''s question, Cavaron used Mana Sight to inspect Aimi. What he saw made him smile, "Good, good. You''ve been training diligently." he commented, "Now we can bind your friend, Aomi, to a contract." Hearing her name, Aomi, who was for some odd reason sleeping on Aimi''s back, woke up with a "Myu? What Aomi do?" Cavaron looked intently on the humanoid Azursa on Aimi''s back, and beckoned for Halrimaw, "Oy, Beast Lord. Take care of the pact between these two. I''m feeling well and generous today." Halrimaw''s eyes lit up, and immediately approached Aimi. Aimi just stood there in wonder at what was about to happen. "Aimi, Aomi. Once a magic array appears below me, stand on either of my sides, okay?" instructed Halrimaw, "Once you do, don''t move for a few seconds. Don''t worry, it''s faster than a spiritual or an elemental contract." Aimi nodded in response to Halrimaw''s inquiry while Aomi just dozed off again. Halrimaw stood a few paces away from the others, and stood on all fours. A bolt of lightning erupted from his back, and struck down on the ground below him. Suddenly, a blue magical array appeared below him which prompted Aimi to place Aomi on Halrimaw''s right, and she went to Halrimaw''s left. Having done so, Halrimaw dug deep into the earth, and the magical array shone brightly. He whipped his head upwards, and released a powerful howl. The magical array split into two rings of light, one around Aimi and one around Aomi. The lights grew until the intersected, and the rings merged into one. Then, with a slight flicker, the magical array disappeared. "Done." said Halrimaw, "You may now summon Aomi anytime and anywhere as long as you have the mana to call her. You can leave her here, or bring her around with you as you travel... or once you learn how to travel between worlds... At least you now have a way to rejoin with each other if some nutjob decides to kidna summon you to another world." Aimi inspected herself, but found nothing different on her body. Instead, a string of information, similar to how Cavaron imparted knowledge to her when they first met, flowed into her mind, teaching her the method to summon Aomi. "So... I can use any incantation? ANY?" asked Aimi. Halrimaw nodded, "At the very least, make it colorful. Haha!" Cavaron approached Adelward, "And her score is?" Adelward straightened himself, "Two thousand and six." and answered. "Hahahaha!" laughed Cavaron enthusiastically, "My teachings ALWAYS pay off!" The other spirits had their spirits down, but regained their composure after a while because Cavaron was in a good mood, a seemingly rare occurrence for them. However, Cavaron faced the spirits, "Tell me what you guys want, and I''ll give it to you. You all did well, after all." And so, Cavaron received a barrage of requests from his spirits. After noting all of their desires, he returned to Aimi as he created another ring into his inventory. "Aimi." he called out to her, "I usually give gifts to my juniors after they finished their training. Consider this as a graduation gift of sorts." Cavaron pulled out an intricately designed longbow, and gave it to her. "The dwarves and elves that worked together to create this gave it to me as a gift for helping them fend off an empire that was bent on destroying long-lived races." said Cavaron, "That empire was retarded, to be honest, but the ones I saved were worth it. They said that this bow grows together with its wielder, and reverts back when given to another. Since I almost never use ranged weapons, and you happen to be the first junior I had that happens to be bow user, this is the perfect gift for you." Aimi wholeheartedly accepted Cavaron''s gift, and stared at the bow with curious eyes. The bow had strange runes carved on its body, and was plated with gold, silver, and another metal that was unknown to her. Curious, she willed some of her mana to feed the bow, and once she did, the unknown metal gave off a soft blue glow. "Is this... mithril?" asked Aimi in disbelief, "Such a fantastical material that I only ever encountered in novels and games." "Hey, you are already living that fantasy." commented Cavaron, "You now have magic, mana, and a fantastical summon from another world." "I guess I do." she replied. As Aimi probed over her new gift, Cavaron pulled out another object, "And here''s another one. Just think of it as a gift from me." he said as he gave her a seemingly ordinary rucksack that was tied shut by a silver thread, "It''s a dimensional pack, and it allows you to store ninety nine pieces of any item you put inside." Aimi went wide-eyed as he said so, "Is this a game!?" "Haha, just kidding." replied Cavaron with a smile, "It only allows you to store two hundred items. It''s perfect for a fledgeling like you. Hey, Maguro! Come here." Maguro went to Cavaron as told, "Something you need?" "You know where she lives, right?" asked Cavaron, "Let''s bring her home for the time being." Maguro blinked twice at Cavaron''s statement, "Are... Do you have enough mana?" and asked. "Yeah." replied Cavaron, "I can already freely summon the dragons without an incantation, now. Heck, I can call for and send off anybody without an incantation. Watch." Cavaron drew another ring, another portal, next to him, and grabbed hold of something... or SOMEONE, and pulled that someone through. It was a young boy with silver hair hugging a young girl with golden hair. The two children were sleeping, and Cavaron''s contracts knelt down towards the sleeping pair of children. "Oy, wake up." Cavaron shook the two children awake. The first to awaken was the golden haired girl. "Hn? Morning, Papa." greeted the golden haired girl, "Rata, wake up. Papa''s here." "Hn?" the silver haired boy, Rata, rubbed his eyes awake, "Where''s Papa, Rati?" Cavaron waved a hello at Rata, "Hey there." Rata opened his eyes wide with delight, and sprang towards Cavaron, "Papa!" and hugged Cavaron tightly, while Rati just had her head rubbed by Cavaron''s hand. Bronte, who was currently kneeling, had a hint of jealousy in his eyes. Cavaron noticed this, and called for Bronte, "Come here." Having received permission, Bronte climbed up Cavaron''s shoulders, and hugged his head while looking down at Rata below. Sparks of lightning erupted between them, while Rati happily let Cavaron rub her head. Maguro and Aimi merely watched Cavaron together with three kids that were clearly more powerful than all of the people around them combined. "Yep, you have enough mana." commented Maguro, "Or, technically, you don''t need mana anymore, do you?" "Not really, I realized that I still need mana for my other non-elemental abilities." replied Cavaron, "I''m pretty much back to full strength, plus extra. Right, then." Cavaron put the three kids on him down as he straightened his back. By this time, the three leaders were already approaching him. "Cavaron, would you mind staying for a while longer?" asked Ethra. "You are our guest of honor, Sir Cavaron." added Gulfried. Esserot just nodded. However, Cavaron shook his head and declined, "Sorry, I''ve stayed in this world for too long already. I never really intended to come here, but seeing as it became fruitful for me, it was worthwhile. Now, however, I must go. I also need to return her back to her home. All contracts, Dismiss." All of his summons, the elementals and the spirits, shrugged their shoulders or waved goodbye to the others as each of them returned to their home worlds. Rata and Rati, however, since they were just pulled out by Cavaron, only returned through the portal ring he created. Rata was frowning as he passed through the portal ring promoting Cavaron to whisper something in his ear that made the young boy smile. "Right-o! Aimi!" exclaimed Cavaron, "Time to go home! Lead the way, Maguro!" Cavaron drew another ring, and on the other side was a familiar sight. The place he dubbed as "Hub Space" could be seen through the ring as many portals to other worlds could be seen. The first to go through was Aimi, who was carrying Aomi on her back, then Maguro, and Cavaron was the last person. However, just as Cavaron was about to leave, he turned back and willed his flame towards Ethra. "Oh, right. I need to return this." he said, "I had it out on loan too long already." As Ethra reached her hand out, a book fell on her palm. It was a tattered book, but had unique golden symbols etched on it. "Byblos!" cried Ethra, "Wasn''t this destroyed?" "Yeah, but my fragment destroyed it, well... You already know." said Cavaron, "Yeah, bye then." Cavaron then disappeared into Hub Space, and left Ethra and the others behind. ---------------------- Hmm... Got nothing else to say, actually. At least we''re done with this long reconciliation arc. Chapter 68 - Terra (Earth) Prologue Rewrite I can''t soft delete the threads for some reason, so I''ll just settle with editing the entire post instead. The former versions will be placed in spoiler tags for my convenience, or for your curiosity. Here is the rewritten prologue. ---------------------------- Within an unknown room, a young man with black hair and fairly tanned skin was watching news reports displayed on a large monitor. The young man had a bored expression as he switched from one channel after another. "Pzzt... In other news, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria had bombedpzzt... The Russian Premier had ordered the Russian Air Force to proceed with bombing runspzzt... Tensions rise as a Chinese naval vessel inadvertently sunk a Philippine fishing vessel on the South China Sea last weekpzzt... The Armed Forces of the Philippines have begun their attack on Pamana Island off the eastern coast of the Philippinespzzt... Who is Alexander Dalaram? How did a philanthropist loved by many become the number one mostpzzt..." While the young man scanned the channels, a white-haired, red-eyed, and pale-skinned young woman entered the room. "Father, we have visitors." said the young woman, "What are your orders?" "Welcome them, of course." replied the young man, "With a full-course meal." "Yes, Father." she answered. She turned to leave but before she could do so... "How are the GODS?" asked the young man, "How long until Judgment Day?" "Approximately in three weeks, Father." she replied, "If my brothers and sisters successfully deliver the components, we can expedite everything within two weeks." "Good, good." commented the young man, "Now then, we best not keep our guests waiting." "Yes, Father." she answered. The young white-haired and red-eyed woman left the young man alone in the room. The young man, with a press of a button, switched the monitor to display the outside. Outside, a fleet of naval warships and transport ships could be seen approaching from a distance. Their destination was the very place where the young man was, an island, Pamana Island. Pamana Island was filled with military installations, factories, and housing units. The inhabitants of the islands, however, were unlike the young man himself, but were like the young woman earlier. They all had white hair, red eyes, and very pale white skin, and they were all inside bipedal war machines akin to what could be seen in fiction and comics. The young man approached the monitor, and pushed another button. Immediately, the monitor changed, and displayed the faces of many people. From all walks of life, the young man was looking at over two hundred people on the monitor, and all of these people were also looking at the young man. "What is it that you want, Mr. Dalaram?" asked a woman on the monitor, "We have no time for games." The young man was Alexander Dalaram, and he just smiled at the woman''s question. "Ja, if this is a joke, this is one bad joke that could cost your life." said another man, "Our soldiers will hunt down your... ''children'' the moment they enter Germany." Alexander just laughed off their threats, "Hahahaha. I''m just tired." he said, "This world is still not united, always upholding the status quo... IT''S SO BORING!" His outburst surprised the people on the monitor. "Boring!? We are maintaining the peace of this world!" shouted back another man, "You just made every nation your enemy! Even your home!" "Not really." replied Alexander, "This peace is just an illusion that you had created. If this was true peace, we wouldn''t be having this meeting, no? For humans to unite, they need a common enemy, and that''s just it. I will be your common enemy, a perfect sacrifice for days to come." "You''re insane." commented another man, "Sacrifice? At the expense of many others!?" "Death is an effective threat." replied Alexander, "Well, like I said, I will be your enemy. After dealing with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, in thirty hours, the party will begin, and the flames of chaos will run wild and free. Oh, by the way, our conversation is also being broadcasted out to the public. Hahahahaha... This will be fun. Please prepare everything you can prepare, including nukes." "What do yopzzt..." Alexander switched the monitor back to the outside, and he grabbed a microphone from nearby. "To all children!" he announced, "Begin the welcome party!" Immediately, large towers that stood around the island opened up, and revealed large guns. The guns were all aimed towards the approaching fleet. Once they had finished adjustments, they immediately fired at will. The guns lit up along the barrels, and within an eye blink, produced split-second but very far-reaching blasts of light. "FFFFFFNNNNNNGGGG!!!" The blasts of light tore through columns of frigates, corvettes, fast-attack crafts, and landing crafts, effectively reducing the Philippine fleet down to a third. The remaining naval vessels, although they were not hit directly, remained dead in the water due electromagnetic waves emitted by the blasts. At the same time, squadrons of attack aircrafts came in from the west. Fighters and helicopters approached the island. "Sigh... And this is why I kept telling them to focus on naval and aerial assets." sighed Alexander, "But did they listen? Nope, they did not. Now, their remaining assets will sink to the bottom of the sea. Swat them away, my children." Along Pamana Island''s coasts were a network of antiaircraft emplacements. However, they weren''t using missiles nor kinetic weapons. When an antiaircraft emplacement faced the incoming squadron, it emitted a short burst of light. "NNGNNGNNG..." The short burst hit a fighter but it didn''t explode. Instead, it was as if it lost power, and suddenly nosedived into the water. The same happened to the other attack aircraft, and the helicopters spiraled out of control into the water. After one aircraft fell, the others followed in a heartbeat as the turrets of the AA emplacements shot them out of the sky like clockwork. Suddenly, a red light lit up on the screen. Alexander pressed a button near the monitor and spoke into the microphone. "Eastern garrison, we have more visitors." announced Alexander, "The United States has begun a preemptive assault with their Pacific Fleet." Displayed on the monitor was a map of the island and its surrounding regions. To its east, multiple dots showed up at set intervals. The dots numbered close to one hundred, and were approaching Pamana Island fast. After his announcement, twenty blue dots appeared next to the island on the sea area. The twenty blue dots approached the one hundred red dots, and, thirty seconds later, the red dots were reduced one by one until none were left but the twenty blue dots. Outside, on the battlefield itself, ten red-eyed people riding individual attack crafts could be seen floating on the water. A while after, ten small submarines surfaced from beneath them. These submarines were individually piloted by one red-eyed person. The surface crafts were jet skis, only bigger and armored, and had two of the same guns as the antiaircraft emplacements around Pamana Island on top. In front of the jet skis was a vulcan that slowly stopped spinning. As for the submarines, each had small torpedo bays installed below them, and had some sort of machine installed at the front behind a layer of glass. The red-eyed people looked at one another, as if understanding each other, and turned to return to Pamana Island. A while after people in uniform started to float up from under the sea. Some were alive, but many had already died. Those who lived could only stare at the fading figures of the red-eyed people over the horizon. That was until the survivors were suddenly pulled underwater. Beneath the seas was another small submarine, and with it was a giant monstrosity, only supposedly possible in fiction, that had glowing yellow eyes and jet-black skin. The monster had many tentacles that had grabbed the poor seamen down to the watery depths. After the last survivor had died, the monster looked at the red-eyed person operating the submarine with it, and the red-eyed person gave the monster a pat. After that, the monster and the submarine patrolled the deep seas. Back in Alexander''s room, the person was looking at the monitor with a bored expression as usual. "Too bad." he said, "So sad. I thought the Pacific Fleet would offer a good challenge. Well, I did tell them to work together if they have any hopes of defeating me. Haa..." Alexander faced the monitor once more. He pressed a button, and the monitor zoomed out to display the world map, and on the map were blue dots that were placed onto many areas of each continent. North America had ten blue dots, South America had four, Europe had six, Africa had five, Asia had eighteen, Australia had two, and the two poles had one each. Alexander looked at these blue dots with affectionate eyes, and pulled the microphone to his lips. "Rest well, my children." he said, "Thirty hours from now shall be the new dawn for this world." Alexander shut off the monitor and placed the microphone on a nearby table. After doing so, he went towards a doorway beside the monitor, and entered another room. The other room was filled with machines and computers, and were running at full power. At the center of this room, however, had a very eye-catching piece of equipment, it was a tall crystalline object with many machines stuck onto it. The crystal gave off a soft glow of blue light and the machines sounded to him with it. From a distance, it looked like an ordinary crystal. However, upon closer inspection, the crystal actually had something in it. "I have to thank you, little one, for giving me an opportunity such as this." said Alexander to the crystal, "Years ago, I was merely a struggling academic, fighting to change my home country but, who would have thought, an incident was to occur underneath my very home." The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Within the crystal was a young girl with short blonde hair. She had her eyes closed, and her naked body was faintly masked by the translucent crystal. Alexander was "talking" to this very girl. "And who would have thought that this world''s technology would develop by leaps and bounds because of this very flame you gave me." Alexander looked at his palm, and a small black flame appeared on his hand. The flame just floated on his palm before it enveloped his hand. Alexander weaved through the air, and produced a small metallic object similar to the weapons the red-eyed people used. "I have to wonder if this flame is magic itself." commented Alexander, "Strangely, it can create technological marvels with just a thought like this pulse gun that I could only recreate through my memories of past video games and fiction. Perhaps, with this, I could ultimately change the world." Alexander left the room, and the lights went out. Only the soft glow of the crystal was left to illuminate the area. ------------------------ Lazor beems. .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Former version: Spoiler : So this arc will be happening fictionally in our world. I will be drawing references from current events then spicing things up with stuff that may go against the UN Charter and other treaties or protocols. Off-topic: Spoiler : Our Department of Tourism says that it''s "More fun in the Philippines." If what they mean by "fun" is actually "chaotic", then it really is fun. That being, if you''re curious about what I mean, search about: Halalan2016, Certificate of Candidacy filing, and number of Philippine presidential candidates 2016, or other stuff that may tickle your fancy. I''m sure that there are some of you who think that your home country''s government is retarded, but I wonder if it''s to the point of burning it to the ground, like me? Have a chapter... short chapter. ----------------------------------------- "So, where to, Maguro?" asked Cavaron. Cavaron, Aimi, Aomi, and Maguro were in front of Edeortha''s portal in Hub Space. After finishing their business there, Cavaron decided to bring Aimi back to her home with Maguro, having known Aimi before, as a guide. "Follow me." said Maguro, "It''s very far from here." Direction made no sense in Hub Space as there wasn''t really any mark to tell directions with, be it landmarks or celestial bodies. Anybody within Hub Space must rely on their own abilities and masteries, capabilities to detect certain energies, or some other way of recognizing a portal. Wayfarers, like Cavaron in particular, are able to detect certain energies within a world, especially his own mana. Any place he had visited before, he will sense immediately. Passing by one portal after another, Cavaron suddenly paused in front of one particular portal. "What''s wrong?" asked Maguro, "Is there something you need in there?" Cavaron stared at the portal before catching up to the others, "Nothing. Just another memory." Maguro and Aimi looked at one another then at Cavaron, "We can visit it for a while, if you want." "It''s all right." said Cavaron with a smile, "I''ll do it later after we''ve sent Aimi back safely." A hint of nostalgia appeared within his eyes. Sadly, neither of his Japanese companions noticed it. Cavaron recollected his thoughts and urged Maguro to resume being a guide. "Still, what made you want to send Aimi back, Cavaron?" asked Maguro, "This is the first time you''ve done so." "Can''t a guy live his life on a whim?" replied Cavaron, "I mean, I have eternal youth. Heck, you, too. Besides, I need to replenish my stock of candy thrice fold. Terran candies are the best, after all." "Thrice fold? How many did you finish?" asked Maguro with a raised brow. "Not me, but Shamira." replied Cavaron, "Here''s my entire stock." Cavaron opened a portal into his inventory, and dumped out enough candy wrappers to fill an eight wheeled truck. Maguro and Aimi stared agape at the amount. "Shamira finished all of that!?" cried Aimi, "Why does she look no different!?" "I really envy that elemental." commented Cavaron, "Ethereal beings, like her, have no need for material vessels. Hell, they don''t even get diabetes, get hungry, nor get thirsty. Only when their energies are affected will they experience a change." As they traveled through Hub Space, they chatted regarding trivialities. --- Having spent three hours heading towards only Maguro knows where, Maguro finally stopped before a portal. "We''ve arrived." said Maguro, "This is Aimi''s home world. Ready?" Cavaron and Maguro looked at Aimi for her decision. Seeing two men stare at her for an answer momentarily flustered her. Lightly slapping her cheek, she nodded. "Let''s go in then." said Maguro as he led the two through the portal, "Welcome back Ai " "GET DOWN!!!" At the same time as they passed through the portal, Cavaron sensed a high speed incoming object. Cavaron, with his strengthened self, used his lightning fast reflexes to push his companions to the ground. As they did so, a long cylindrical metal object zoomed past above them before landing on a faraway building. "BOOOM!!!" The cylindrical object exploded, and destroyed the building. "That was a missile!?" cried Cavaron, "What the hell is going on here!?" Cavaron looked at the two Japanese for an answer. Neither, however, knew how to answer as they stared gobsmacked at their surroundings. The area they arrived at was a battlefield. Ruined buildings, explosions, destroyed armored vehicles, dead bodies, and other such atrocities littered the area. "Shit! It hasn''t been long since I met Aimi." cursed Cavaron, "Aimi! We''re there any signs of a war about to happen in your world?" Aimi was still stunned at seeing her surroundings. Dead humans, like her, were strewn about the area. Looking around, she eventually saw a small dismembered hand a few ways away from a burned teddy bear. "Gueh..." vomited Aimi, "This... What is this...?" Remembering what she did in Edeortha, and comparing it to the scenes before her, she didn''t know how to react. This prompted Cavaron to pull her, and the others, back into Hub Space. --- "Did you get a good look at where that place could be?" asked Cavaron to Maguro. Maguro held his head trying to remember any landmarks he noticed, "Wait... The place was too ruined for me to recognize, but that missile was definitely Terran technology." Aimi was seated, hugging her knees, in shock from what she saw. It would appear that seeing fellow humans destroyed to such an extent, disturbed her more than when she killed Azuals that looked closer to monsters. Maguro suddenly looked up at Cavaron, "There was a piece of a structure that I recognized." he said, "It seemed similar to an Asian imperial palace. It could be in one of the Far East Asian countries." Cavaron looked back at the portal, "When you first went through here, where did it send you?" he asked. "I arrived in the snowy mountains of the Swiss Alps." replied Maguro, "The succeeding visits were also different from one another. Sometimes in Europe, others in the Americas, but more often that not, I arrive at an Asian country." "Hrm... What was the last piece of news you''ve heard or read regarding this Terran parallel?" asked Cavaron, "And what Terran year was it?" Maguro held his head as he scoured his memories, "The last time I was here was... around three years ago... Terran year 2013. The only notable piece of news I''ve read regarding that year was about the rising tensions between China and its neighbors in Asia." "Let''s assume that the place we arrived at was China." said Cavaron, "Were the tensions hot enough to warrant a war?" "It didn''t seem so but..." replied Maguro, "... I think it was a conflict regarding territories." "Dammit. The same shit, again." cursed Cavaron, "Can''t they just colonize some other planet in their system?" "I doubt they have the technology to do so, yet." said Maguro, "Anyway, what do we do, now? Do we continue sending Aimi home, or do we find another parallel where war hasn''t touched it yet?" "Maybe we should send her somewhere else." replied Cavaron, "Provided that the parallel has no existing Aoyama Aimi, presently." "No! I want to see my home!" cried out Aimi, who finally recollected herself. Hugging Aomi, she said, "I want to find out if my family is safe. If my friends are safe. I won''t leave until I know that nobody is waiting for me." Tears in her eyes, she stated her intentions. Cavaron looked at the young Japanese girl, then looked at the portal. He, then, remembered that one portal they passed by on the way here. "All right, let''s get you home." said Cavaron. "Are you sure that is wise?" asked Maguro. "She said she wants to see her home, why should we deny her request?" replied Cavaron, "Don''t worry, I''ll protect her. I am capable of doing so already." Cavaron willed his flames to come out, then sent a fraction of it to envelop Aimi''s body. "This flame is really interesting, it can be used to harm or to protect with just a thought of mine." said Cavaron, "For the moment, I thought of it as a barrier that protects the person within. How it will protect, however, I have no idea. Let''s go." Chapter 69 Rewrite I still can''t soft delete threads on my phone. Like the previous rewrite, former versions will be placed in spoiler tags. Rewrite: ----------------- "So where to, Maguro?" asked Cavaron as he, Maguro, Aimi, and Aomi were floating with a vast expanse he dubbed as "Hub Space". Standing in front of the portal to Edeortha, Cavaron had decided to bring Aimi back to her home with the guidance of Maguro. Since Aimi and Maguro knew one another before, Maguro would no doubt know where Aimi lived. "We will be heading towards the Terra parallel clusters." replied Maguro, "You should already know that Terran worlds are one of the few world types with many parallel worlds in existence. For what reason or why there are parallels, we have absolutely no idea." "And so, for ease of travel, many of our kind who had visited such places would have anchors or some sort of ability to remind them and others which parallel they are." added Cavaron. Direction made no sense in Hub Space as there wasn''t really any mark to tell directions with, be it landmarks or celestial bodies. Anybody within Hub Space must rely on their own abilities and masteries, capabilities to detect certain energies, or some other way of recognizing a portal. Wayfarers, like Cavaron in particular, are able to detect certain energies within a world, especially his own mana. Any place he had visited before, he will sense immediately. "Which parallel does Aimi belong to, again?" "Terra parallel three." replied Maguro, "I already placed my own anchor there long before so this would be the best time to utilize it." Maguro waved his hands towards a direction, and a stream of faint blue light appeared before them. The stream of light expanded to beyond what they could visually recognize into the vast expanse of Hub Space. "This is my way of knowing where to go." said Maguro, "Like you, Cavaron, I use mana anchors to guide me, albeit more visually than yours. Well, let us go." Maguro flew through Hub Space and followed his stream of mana, and Cavaron and the rest followed behind him. Passing by a multitude of portals that led to a myriad of worlds, Cavaron suddenly paused and looked at a nearby portal. Maguro and the others noticed him stop momentarily prompting Maguro to ask a question. "Is something the matter, Cavaron?" asked Maguro, "Is that a familiar world to you?" Cavaron looked back at Maguro, "My home world, Maguro." Maguro and Aimi looked at each other, then Maguro looked at Cavaron. "Would you like to visit?" asked Maguro, "Getting Aimi home isn''t really that urgent after all." "No need." replied Cavaron, "My home was already lost hundreds of years ago. I have nowhere to return to, apart from just being where I was born." A hint of nostalgia appeared within his eyes. Sadly, neither of his Japanese companions noticed it. Cavaron recollected his thoughts and urged Maguro to resume being a guide. "Still, what made you want to send Aimi back, Cavaron?" asked Maguro, "This is the first time you''ve done so." "Can''t a guy live his life on a whim?" replied Cavaron, "I mean, I have eternal youth. Heck, you, too. Besides, I need to replenish my stock of candy thrice fold. Terran candies are the best, after all." "Thrice fold? How many did you finish?" asked Maguro with a raised brow. "Not me, but Shamira." replied Cavaron, "Here''s my entire stock." Cavaron opened a portal into his inventory, and dumped out enough candy wrappers to fill an eight wheeled truck. Maguro and Aimi stared agape at the amount. "Shamira finished all of that!?" cried Aimi, "Why does she look no different!?" "I really envy that elemental." commented Cavaron, "Ethereal beings, like her, have no need for material vessels. Hell, they don''t even get diabetes, get hungry, nor get thirsty. Only when their energies are affected will they experience a change." As they traveled through Hub Space, they chatted regarding trivialities. --- "We''ve arrived." said Maguro, "This is Aimi''s home world. Ready?" Cavaron and Maguro looked at Aimi for her decision. Lightly slapping her cheek, she nodded. "Let''s go in then." said Maguro as he led the two through the portal, "Welcome back home, Ai" "GET DOWN!!!" At the same time as they passed through the portal, Cavaron sensed a high speed incoming object. Cavaron, with his strengthened self, used his lightning fast reflexes to push his companions to the ground. As they did so, a long cylindrical metal object zoomed past above them before landing on a faraway building. "BOOOM!!!" The cylindrical object exploded, and destroyed the building. "That was a missile!?" cried Cavaron, "What the hell is going on here!?" Cavaron looked at the two Japanese for an answer. Neither, however, knew how to answer as they stared gobsmacked at their surroundings. The area they arrived at was a battlefield. Ruined buildings, explosions, destroyed armored vehicles, dead bodies, and other such atrocities littered the area. "Shit! It hasn''t been long since I met Aimi." cursed Cavaron, "Aimi! We''re there any signs of a war about to happen in your world?" Aimi was still stunned at seeing her surroundings. Dead humans, like her, were strewn about the area. Looking around, she eventually saw a small dismembered hand a few ways away from a burned teddy bear. "Gueh..." vomited Aimi, "This... What is this...?" Remembering what she did in Edeortha, and comparing it to the scenes before her, she didn''t know how to react. This prompted Cavaron to pull her, and the others, back into Hub Space. --- "Did you get a good look at where that place could be?" asked Cavaron to Maguro. Maguro held his head trying to remember any landmarks he noticed, "Wait... The place was too ruined for me to recognize, but that missile was definitely Terran technology." Aimi was seated, hugging her knees, in shock from what she saw. It would appear that seeing fellow humans destroyed to such an extent, disturbed her more than when she killed Azuals that looked closer to monsters. Maguro suddenly looked up at Cavaron, "There was a piece of a structure that I recognized." he said, "It seemed similar to an Asian imperial palace. It could be in one of the Far East Asian countries." Cavaron looked back at the portal, "When you first went through here, where did it send you?" he asked. "I arrived in the snowy mountains of the Swiss Alps." replied Maguro, "The succeeding visits were also different from one another. Sometimes in Europe, others in the Americas, but more often that not, I arrive at an Asian country." "Hrm... What was the last piece of news you''ve heard or read regarding this Terran parallel?" asked Cavaron, "And what Terran year was it?" Maguro held his head as he scoured his memories, "The last time I was here was... around three years ago... Terran year 2013. The only notable piece of news I''ve read regarding that year was about the rising tensions between China and its neighbors in Asia." "Let''s assume that the place we arrived at was China." said Cavaron, "Were the tensions hot enough to warrant a war?" "It didn''t seem so but..." replied Maguro, "... I think it was a conflict regarding territories." "Dammit. The same shit, again." cursed Cavaron, "Can''t they just colonize some other planet in their system?" "I doubt they have the technology to do so, yet." said Maguro, "Anyway, what do we do now? Do we continue sending Aimi home, or do we find another parallel where war hasn''t touched it yet?" "Maybe we should send her somewhere else." replied Cavaron, "Provided that the parallel has no existing Aoyama Aimi, presently." "No! I want to see my home!" cried out Aimi, who finally recollected herself. Hugging Aomi, she said, "I want to find out if my family is safe. If my friends are safe. I won''t leave until I know that nobody is waiting for me." Tears in her eyes, she stated her intentions. Cavaron looked at the young Japanese girl, then looked at the portal. He, then, remembered that one portal they passed by on the way here. "All right, let''s get you home." said Cavaron. "Are you sure that is wise?" asked Maguro. "She said she wants to see her home, why should we deny her request?" replied Cavaron, "Don''t worry, I''ll protect her. I am capable of doing so already." --- Having reentered the portal, Cavaron and his companions returned to the ruined city they first arrived at. Fires and explosions filled their surroundings, and numerous sounds of gunfire erupted everywhere in the distance around them. Occasionally, they would also hear powerful roars resounding around them as well as the screams of men and women. "By the gods, this is the first time I entered right in the middle of a war." commented Cavaron, "Any idea where this place is, Maguro?" Cavaron had willed his flames to create a protective dome around them. This dome disintegrated many of the stray bullets, missiles, rockets, or any projectile that flew towards them. Maguro inspected his surroundings in an unusually calm manner. They also wore Terran clothing. Cavaron had slacks, sneakers, a polo shirt, and a red jacket wrapped around his waist. Maguro, instead of casual attire, was wearing a doctor''s uniform and even had a stethoscope around his neck. Aimi wore her usual school uniform, and Aomi was wearing blue shortalls. Occasionally, Maguro would ask Aimi to have Aomi dig around the area through the piles of debris and find whatever could tell them about where they were. For a while, they found nothing significant apart from destroyed building materials, concrete, glass, or metals. "Maybe we should move somewhere else." said Maguro, "As long as we could find anything that uses the area''s language, I will immediately know where we are." "Wait, there are four people, three hundred meters to our right, headed towards our direction." warned Cavaron, "They seem to be increasing in speed." Maguro was shocked when he heard this, "You can now find their precise location?" "After getting the flame wholly, yeah." replied Cavaron, "Let us hide first... or better yet, stay still for me, will you?" Cavaron willed his flames to envelop his companions. Once only their silhouette could be seen, Cavaron had a word in mind. ''Invisibility.'' he thought, ''If I can change my color but can''t change the others, perhaps I can place a layer to change how others see one another.'' The flames became a thin veil that surrounded his companions. In the eyes of Maguro and Aimi, everyone had gone invisible. For Cavaron, however, he could still see them for the others had gone translucent instead. "I will be holding onto both of you, just in case." said Cavaron, "Aimi, hold onto Ao or just let her follow your scent. Smell can''t be blocked, huh?" Cavaron found Aomi sniffing the air for Aimi. At first, the little girl panicked from seeing Aimi disappear but noticed that she could still catch Aimi''s scent. Using her sense of smell, she eventually climbed atop Aimi''s shoulders. "Right then, let us see which of this world''s race we will meet." ------------------------- Some points didn''t change, some were added or removed. ------------------------- Former version: Spoiler : So Tropical Storm "Koppu" became a supertyphoon in the country suspending classes on all levels across the northern and central regions of the nation giving me some time to cook up a chapter. Strong winds literally tore through our windows, and some of our fiber cement walls got busted through by flying roofs. Yes, flying roofs. Winds and gusts strong enough to rip houses apart... neighbors'' houses. Not to mention intense downpours that make the Advent Children version of One Winged Angel a fitting background music while braving the storm. That said, have a chapter. -------------------------- "So... Where the hell do you think we are, Maguro?" asked Cavaron. Currently, they were in the middle of a ruined city. A ruined Terran city. Building materials of glass, steel, and stone were littered everywhere, and what seemed to be remains of tall buildings that reached high into the sky lay destroyed and abandoned. Roads of stone, bridges that go over many roads, and steel towers that gave off light lay tattered before them. At the same time, Cavaron and Maguro weren''t in their usual attires. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Cavaron was wearing casual Terran clothing: an open blue checkered short-sleeved polo shirt with a white long-sleeved undershirt, a pair of blue jeans, a pair of socks, a pair of white sneakers, a black leather belt, and a red jacket tied around his waist. Maguro, however, was wearing a doctor''s attire saying, "I am, after all, a healer by profession." as he changed his clothes. Aimi occasionally glanced at Cavaron''s refreshing appearance. "I''m trying to identify that by using these buildings as reference." replied Maguro, "Sadly, I have yet to see anything that bears the marks of their language. Architecture is one thing, but language is very unique to this kind of world. It also happens to be their one source of misunderstanding." "Language, huh?" uttered Cavaron, "Speaking of language, do you know my language?" Maguro momentarily looked at Cavaron before replying, "I am pretty sure I am speaking in Japanese, yet you hear me in your language, correct? And you are speaking in an unknown language, not of Terran origin, yet I hear and understand you perfectly. Strangely, we also have this strange ability to impart our knowledge through condensation of our mana. Of course, after doing so will give us a huge migraine as our minds are working triple time to process the information received." "Interesting." commented Cavaron, "I remember that we didn''t really have a name for my language, I was born in a small community, after all." "You were a village boy, no?" asked Maguro, "And your home world wasn''t really all that advanced yet, right?" "Yeah, I was born in a small agricultural village." replied Cavaron, "The only source of information we had was from visiting scholars or merchants." "Do you wish to return to your home?" asked Maguro. Cavaron looked at Maguro, "It doesn''t matter, anymore." he replied, "My home was already lost in a war hundreds of years ago. I guess becoming like this was both a boon and a curse." While Cavaron and Maguro were conversing, Aimi was also helping out by having Aomi dig around piles of debris. Aomi, who was in her demihuman form, used her powerful beast claws to dig through the debris. After a while, Aomi dug out a metal plate from the debris. Aimi looked at it, and saw what appeared to be writing. "Senpai! Sensei!" cried out Aimi, "We found something!" Cavaron and Maguro paused their conversation and hurried over to the two girls. Arriving at where Aimi and Aomi were, Aimi held out the metal plate to Maguro for inspection. "Huh, a street sign." commented Maguro, "Now, this writing system..." "Wait. We have visitors." announced Cavaron, "Four people... To our right..." Maguro stared at Cavaron, "You can know the direction, now?" and asked with disbelief, "How much power did you receive from that flame?" "Shh, let''s hide for now." replied Cavaron, "Or better yet, a good chance to test the limits of this flame. Cavaron willed his flames to envelop him and his companions. Once enveloped, he thought, ''Invisibility.'', and the flames dispersed to reveal an empty space. Empty to the naked eye, but they were still present and invisible. "Hmm... Downside is that only I can detect the people I turn invisible." commented Cavaron, "Maguro, Aimi. I will holding onto both of you. Aimi, grab hold of Ao or... Just let her sniff your location... So smell can''t be hidden." In Cavaron''s eyes, his companions were merely translucent, but in the eyes of his companions, they were all invisible. As for Aomi, Cavaron found her sniffing the environment, and followed Aimi around. Cavaron held the hands of Maguro and Aimi to prevent them from drifting away from each other. Cavaron drew close to both of his companions'' ears and whispered, "We may be invisible, but since it can''t cover our smell, I''m not too sure about sound. Let''s just wait for our four visitors to arrive and leave before we leave ourselves." They waited for the four people to arrive. After five minutes, they could hear the sound of gunfire and a powerful roar to their right. Hearing the roar, Cavaron frowned. "Hrn, this is bad." he said, "From the previous four, it became ten, and the four are increasing in speed towards this place. That roar too. It doesn''t sound like it came from a beast of this world, does it, Maguro?" Maguro also frowned when he heard the roar, "Indeed." he replied, "The roar was too vicious for a Terran beast." "Oh? Out of the ten, only six remain." said Cavaron, "I still hear gunfire but, I only hear one source. Whoops, they''re here... By the gods! What the hell are those!?" As soon as Cavaron saw the six arrive, he immediately realized something was wrong. One woman, a Terran woman, was fighting off five giant dog-like creatures. The dog like creatures bore resemblance to mythical wolves that guarded the gates of the underworld. With fiery red eyes, they hunted the woman down like a hungry pack. Maguro''s eyes went wide as he saw the woman. "Cavaron! We must act and save her!" he cried out. "Say what, now?" replied Cavaron, "Is she someone you know?" "Not personally." answered Maguro, "But that is a Japanese military uniform!" Cavaron looked back at the woman. Indeed, she wore a military uniform with a camouflage pattern. On her sleeve was the flag of the sun sewn onto it. As of the moment, the woman was down on the ground with her sidearm pulled out, obviously a last stand to the death. "Shit!" cursed Cavaron, "I''m pulling out a weapon of this world type from my travels. Grab whatever you want." Cavaron drew a portal ring to his inventory, and poured out a pile of guns. From the pile, he pulled out an assault rifle and a handgun. Maguro, without bothering to inspect the weapons, felt free to pull out a submachine gun and another pistol. As for Aimi, she panicked when she saw them use guns. Instead, since she had no idea how to utilize guns, she used her bow instead. "Dispel Invisibility!" shouted Cavaron, "Hey, bitches! Over here! RATATA! RATATA!" Cavaron, like a trained marksman, shot in bursts, surprising Maguro and Aimi. "How do you know trigger discipline?" asked Maguro, "How many Terran worlds or Terran people have you met?" "Ha! You learn a lot once you go past five hundred years!" replied Cavaron, "I''m an old man in a sexy man''s body!" "Pfft!" burst out Aimi, "Ahahaha!" "What? I am sexy." said Cavaron, "Anyway, short controlled bursts all the way! RATATA! RATATA!" The dog-like creatures stopped attacking the woman, and turned their attention to Cavaron and his companions. With a howl, "AROOOOOOO..." three dogs engaged the newcomers. "Incoming rabies!" shouted Cavaron, "Eat eight millimeters of Terran bullets! RATATA! RATATA!" "Sheesh, I can''t even take this seriously anymore." commented Maguro, "Uh-oh, BRRRRTTTTT! BRRRRRTTTTT!" Just as Cavaron and Maguro''s shots hit the dog-like creatures, the dogs merely flinched from the stopping power of the bullets. It halted them temporarily but they didn''t fall. "What! Conventional weapons didn''t work!?" cried Cavaron, "No wonder only that woman remained. Shit! Maguro! I''m going far into the future for these!" "What do you a railgun!?" cried out Maguro as he saw a strange and huge gun in Cavaron''s hands, "By the gods! How the hell did you get ahold of that!?" "When you''ve passed eight hundred years, you get to collect a lot of crazy shit!" replied Cavaron, "Eat supercharged bullets going past Mach seven! VRRRRNG... SUPER ELECTROMAGNETIC WEAPON, RAILGUN! BANG!" As Cavaron''s railgun produced a bright light, high voltage electricity processed through the gun, and with a sonic boom, launched a five millimeters by ten millimeters tungsten bullet at hypersonic speeds at one dog-like creature. Everything happened in an instant. Due to the sonic boom, Cavaron was pushed back by half a meter as his feet dug into the asphalt, and the dog... the dog-like creature disintegrated into nothingness. In addition, a large hole tore through five consecutive buildings behind the disintegrated dog-like creature. Seeing their fellow dog disappear into nothing after hearing the sound barrier rip apart, the dog-like creatures howled again, "AROOOOOO..." and subsequently retreated. Seeing the dog-like creatures retreat, Cavaron displaced his railgun, and dropped to the ground on his knees. "I expected a somewhat soft recoil, but I didn''t expect the boom to be THAT harsh." he commented, "Ouch... No wonder that was made for ship-to-ship combat." "By the gods, man!" shouted Maguro, "Warn us the next time you use it." "Hey, it was my first time using it!" replied Cavaron, "Although I did hear some physics tidbits, I didn''t think Mach seven would be that bad! Anyway, what of the soldier woman?" Maguro, although a bit pissed at Cavaron, recollected his composure upon hearing about the Japanese military woman. Although, it would seem the woman in question was alright, seeing as she was the one to approach Cavaron and the others while grasping her left shoulder. Her uniform was tattered, and she limped on the way to them. "Dare da? Gaijin?" said the woman, "Ah, etto... [Do... do you understand me?]" Cavaron looked at Maguro, "You talk to her, you''re Japanese... Although Aimi is also one, but I doubt she could get the answers we need." Maguro shrugged and began to talk to the woman, "Daijoubu ka?" and first asked if she was okay. The woman was surprised to hear Maguro ask a question in Japanese, "Eh? Ah, ee, daijoubu. Dare ka?" Maguro paused for a while to think, ''"Dare", huh?'' What should I say?'' and looked at Cavaron, "She asked for who we are, what do I say?" Cavaron made an annoyed expression, and pulled Maguro closer to him. "Can I do it? I wanna do it." and said. "Do what?" asked Maguro and an expression of realization surfaced on his face, "You don''t mean... but that will put her at risk! Us, as well!" "Then hope that this flame of mine can wipe her memories of us." replied Cavaron, "I should have done this earlier, instead. Hey, you, stand still." Cavaron approached the woman, and focused mana on his finger. His finger released a soft blue glow unseen by the woman, but clearly seen by Maguro and Aimi since the two watched every movement he did with his finger. The woman stared at Cavaron, in wonder as to what he means to do to her. Arriving before the woman, he, in a split second, drew his finger onto the woman''s forehead. Immediately after doing so, the woman dropped to the ground, grasped her head, and screamed in pain. "AAAAAAHHHH!!!" she writhed as she received a massive migraine that lasted for a few seconds. Afterwards, she calmed down and looked at Cavaron. "What the hell did you do to me!?" she screamed, "Who are you and what have you done!?" "Oh, good." said Cavaron, "We can understand each other." "Eh?" uttered the woman, shock could be clearly seen on her face, "What? How?" The woman stared at Cavaron, stunned still at the events that had unfolded. Maguro, witnessing as such, rubbed his temple and sighed. "Cavaron, I have no idea what you''re planning, but you are to take full responsibility for this." said Maguro, "Whatever that will bear fruit due to the seeds you have sown, I want to take no part in it." This time, the woman looked at Maguro, "Weren''t you speaking in Japanese earlier? What is going on here!? Who are you people!?" Eventually, she found Aimi holding onto her bow. Aimi, having realized the woman had noticed her waved a hello, "Hi." Cavaron crouched down before the woman, "Who are we? To make it easier for you to understand, we are gods!" and announced with arms wide open. ---------------------------------- That one was a reference to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Although I do have a Japanese Google Android Keypad, I''m too lazy to switch in-between languages when I type. So, romaji all the way. Chapter 70 Rewrite Still can''t soft delete, and I still have exams until November 13, 2015. Also, moonrunes that are not from google translate. Haha! ------------------------------ "Hrn, this is bad." he said, "From the previous four, it became ten, and the four are increasing in speed towards this place." After a while, aside from the screams and gunfire, they also heard powerful roars in the distance. "That roar..." said Cavaron, "It doesn''t sound like it came from a beast of this world, does it, Maguro?" Maguro also frowned when he heard the roar, "Indeed." he replied, "The roar was too vicious for a Terran beast." "Oh? Out of the ten, only six remain." said Cavaron, "I still hear gunfire but, I only hear one source. Whoops, they''re here... By the gods! What the hell are those!?" Finally, the six entities he had detected came into view. It was one soldier fighting off a pack of five giant black dogs. The soldier eventually lost their helmet from a rough landing, and revealed the soldier to be a young Asian woman. The woman''s rifle eventually lost ammo, and she pulled out her sidearm. An obvious last stand as she was surrounded on all sides. Suddenly, two dogs from the pack broke off, and paused to look at where Cavaron and the others were standing. Cavaron noticed this, as well as Maguro and Aimi, and prepared for a possible attack. "Dogs... Didn''t expect them to be dogs..." said Cavaron, "Damn their acute sense of smell that even the soldier is looking at us." Maguro held Cavaron''s arm, "Cavaron. We must save that woman!" and shouted. "Is she someone you know?" asked Cavaron. Maguro shook his head, "No, but her uniform has the Japanese flag embroidered on the sleeve!" Cavaron looked at the woman. Indeed, on her sleeve was a white rectangle with a red circle at the center. He, then, looked at the giant black dogs encircling the woman and those that were looking at their direction. "Alright, but close your eyes." said Cavaron, "I''m going to have the flames produce a bright flash of light. After that, grab any gun you want from my collection. We will use this world''s weapons to attract less attention." Maguro nodded. "Three, two, one..." counted Cavaron, "FLASHBANG!" "FWIPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGG." The flames that wrapped them exploded with a sharp sound. At the same time, a blinding flash erupted from where they stood. The flash effectively blinded the dogs as they flinched from it, the woman as well. Right after the flash, while the others were still blinded, Cavaron created a portal ring to his inventory and poured out a pile of guns. From rifles to shotguns, from sidearms to submachine guns, he seemingly had every Terran gun in his arsenal. Cavaron grabbed an assault rifle from the pile as well as a sidearm, Maguro didn''t bother looking through the pile and found himself a submachine gun. As for Aimi, having no experience with firearms, settled with the ordinary bow she first received from Cavaron. "Ey, bitches!" shouted Cavaron, "Eat hot lead! RATATA! RATATA!" Cavaron, like a trained marksman, shot in bursts, surprising Maguro and Aimi. "How do you know trigger discipline?" asked Maguro, "How many Terran worlds or Terran people have you met?" "Ha! You learn a lot once you go past five hundred years!" replied Cavaron, "I''m an old man in a sexy man''s body!" "Pfft!" burst out Aimi and nearly misfired an arrow, "Ahahaha!" "What? I am sexy." said Cavaron, "Anyway, short controlled bursts all the way! RATATA! RATATA!" Eventually, the dogs had recovered from their daze and found themselves under fire from Cavaron and Maguro. "Aroooo..." a dog howled, and another dog broke away. Two dogs remained engaged with the woman, while three dogs engaged with Cavaron and the others. "Incoming rabies!" shouted Cavaron, "Eat eight millimeters of hot Terran lead! RATATA! RATATA!" "Sheesh, I can''t even take this seriously anymore." commented Maguro, "Uh-oh, BRRRRTTTTT! BRRRRRTTTTT!" Just as Cavaron and Maguro''s shots hit the dog-like creatures, the dogs merely flinched from the stopping power of the bullets. It halted them temporarily but they didn''t fall. "What!? Conventional weapons didn''t work!?" cried Cavaron, "No wonder only that woman remained. Shit! Maguro! I''m going far into the future for these!" "What do you a railgun!?" cried out Maguro as he saw a strange and huge gun in Cavaron''s hands, "By the gods! How the hell did you get ahold of that!?" "When you''ve passed eight hundred years, you get to collect a lot of crazy shit!" replied Cavaron, "Eat supercharged hypersonic bullets going past Mach seven! VRRRRNG... SUPER ELECTROMAGNETIC WEAPON, RAILGUN! BANG!" As Cavaron''s railgun produced a bright light, high voltage electricity processed through the gun, and with a sonic boom, launched a five millimeters by ten millimeters tungsten bullet at hypersonic speeds at one dog-like creature. Everything happened in an instant. Due to the sonic boom, Cavaron was pushed back by half a meter as his feet dug into the asphalt, and the dog... the dog-like creature disintegrated into nothingness. In addition, a large hole tore through five consecutive buildings behind the disintegrated dog-like creature. Seeing their fellow dog disappear into nothing after hearing the sound barrier rip apart, the dog-like creatures howled again, "AROOOOOO..." and subsequently retreated. Seeing the dog-like creatures retreat, Cavaron displaced his railgun, and dropped to the ground on his knees. "I expected a somewhat soft recoil, but I didn''t expect the boom to be THAT harsh." he commented, "Ouch... No wonder that was made for ship-to-ship combat." "By the gods, man!" shouted Maguro, "Warn us the next time you use it." "Hey, it was my first time using it!" replied Cavaron, "Although I did hear some physics tidbits, I didn''t think Mach seven would be that bad! Anyway, what of the soldier woman?" Cavaron and Maguro found the woman staring at Aimi after the fight. Aimi noticed the woman''s stare and felt a bit uncomfortable. 祦УƷ said the woman. "Holy fuck, what did she just say?" asked Cavaron, "Maguro, translate, please." Maguro looked at Cavaron with an annoyed expression, but nevertheless translated for him. "She said, ''Jou-i High School uniform?'' to Aimi." he said, "Now that I think about it, Aimi did attend that high school. That settles it, we are in Japan." "How are you so sure?" asked Cavaron, "For all we know, she could just be part of a task force or coalition on foreign ground." "Because Japan doesn''t have a military to engage in disputes outside their country." replied Maguro, "See, there are the characters lꠡ or ''JSDF'' on her uni wait... I can''t find the patch..." "I knew I felt something weird with her movements." commented Cavaron, "Her movements were too precise and well-performed under stress, not unlike battle-hardened veterans." Maguro approached the woman, ΡlꠤǤޤ and asked a question. The woman blinked twice at Maguro before replying, ˽Ϻρ㥿`ե`Ǥޤ "Hey!" shouted Cavaron, "Non-moonrune speaker here!" "Sensei asked if the woman was from the Japanese Self Defense Forces." said Aimi, "She answered that she was from Combined Task Force 143." "Combined Task Force ''I Love You''?" wondered Cavaron, "That''s funny." "Eh?" uttered Aimi, "What do you mean?" "1-4-3." replied Cavaron, "I-Love-You. ''I'' has one letter, ''Love'' has four letters, and ''You'' has three letters. 1-4-3, I-Love-You. Unless you prefer I-Hate-You since that works, too." Aimi tilted her head in confusion, and Cavaron just shrugged. "Never mind." he said, "So, is this place Japan or not... Or better yet... Hey, lady!" Cavaron approached the woman. Maguro noticed a small fluctuation of mana around Cavaron''s finger, "Cavaron, what do you plan on doing?" Cavaron grinned at Maguro and, with his fast reflexes, swiped his mana-infused finger on the woman''s forehead. The woman, unable to react in time, flinched from the blur of Cavaron''s hand. she uttered just before she felt something. She grasped her head as she felt a sharp pain shoot through her mind, and she fell screaming on her knees. ................㤢`!!! she cried out, "What... What the hell did you do to me!?" "Oh, goody!" exclaimed Cavaron, "I can now understand you. Can you understand me?" The woman stared blankly at Cavaron before replying, "How... How can..." Cavaron smiled, "Good." and said, "We can understand each other." Maguro heavily grabbed Cavaron, and turned him to face each other. "What the hell are you thinking!?" he shouted, "You know we should never bring an unknowing into our world!" "Eh? But that''s too bothersome." replied Cavaron, "Besides, with this, I don''t have to rely on anybody for translations." "If Yggdrasil catches wind of this, I won''t be helping you out." declared Maguro. "Ha! Who gives a damn about that old fart?" replied back Cavaron, "He is too much of a stick in the mud! Look at me! I am as old as him, maybe a bit older, but I haven''t gone senile and boring!" Maguro took a step back, "What the hell happened to you?" and said in disbelief, "What happened to the calm Cavaron we all knew!?" "Oh, buzz off." said Cavaron, "I''m fine. I haven''t felt this freedom for such a long, long time! Hahaha!" While Maguro and Cavaron were arguing, Aimi had gone to the woman''s side. "Are you all right?" she asked, "I don''t know what senpai was thinking, but I doubt he meant to harm you. I mean, when I first met him, I experienced the same pain as you did." The woman stared at Aimi with disbelieving eyes, "Who are you people?" and asked. Aimi placed a finger on her cheek in thought, "Who we are... huh?" and uttered back, "Well, since we''ve come this far... I live in this world, and those two brought me back home. As for who they are, I think it''s best to have them answer on their own." Seeing that the two men had finished their argument with Cavaron just leaving Maguro alone, Cavaron walked towards the woman. "So then, question and answer time!" exclaimed Cavaron, "First up, ''who are you?'' Only then will we tell you who we are. Yes, I heard your conversation." The woman, as usual, stared at Cavaron. "Well? Any answer?" asked Cavaron, "Or were you just smitten by how handsome I am?" "Senpai..." said Aimi with an annoyed expression. "Okay, okay." replied Cavaron, "Well, miss soldier?" "I... I am Sergeant Major Tanaka Aiko." she finally replied. "Good." praised Cavaron, "I''m Cavaron, no surname. Nice to meetcha!" "I''m Aimi." introduced Aimi, "Aoyama Aimi." Aiko swiftly turned her head towards Aimi, "Aoyama!?" and cried out, "How are you related to Aoyama Daichi!?" "Daichi? He''s my father." replied Aimi, "He''s also a colonel in the Japanese Army." This time, Maguro reacted to what Aimi said, "Army? Not Self Defense Forces?" "Yeah, we got rid of Article 9 stating the outlawing of war as a means of settling international disputes involving Japan." replied Aimi, "I wouldn''t be surprised if you didn''t know. I mean, it was just done a year ago." "And that action was because of this coming war?" asked Maguro. "No, this wasn''t expected." replied Aiko, "This war only began two weeks ago." "That''s roughly when Aimi was summoned." said Cavaron, "Lucky you, you avoided the brunt of it. So your pops is still alive, eh?" "Yes! Her father is still alive! He leads the Japanese detachment here in the country!" exclaimed Aiko, "My unit was on the way back to base when we encountered those garms." "Garms? Those dogs?" wondered Maguro, "Dogs of hell, huh." "Yes." replied Aiko, "A man by the name of Alexander Dalaram employed those monsters, along with red-eyed and white-haired people to send this world into war." Cavaron raised a brow at what Aiko said, "Red-eyed and white-haired? I suppose Colonel Aoyama knows more than you, yeah?" he asked. Aiko nodded. "Great!" exclaimed Cavaron. He picked up Aiko, and carried her over his shoulders. "Judging from the direction of where you were headed, the base should be to the west, and I can detect a huge mass of entities two kilometers from here. Let''s go!" Cavaron ran off to the west with Aiko screaming on his back from the near breakneck speed of his sprint. Maguro and Aimi were momentarily stunned by his actions, and only ran off after a after realizing Cavaron left them behind. As for Aomi, she just rid on Aimi''s shoulders. Their bodies, infused with mana, sprinted towards where the base was presumed to be. Along the way, they encountered more garms, but Cavaron and the rest merely passed by them. With their present speed, none but a high-speed vehicle could catch up to the mana-infused runners. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ------------------ Former version: Spoiler : "We are gods!" announced Cavaron with arms wide open, "And we are here to ow! Maguro!'' As Cavaron tries to fool the woman, Maguro popped a nerve, and gave Cavaron a drop kick from behind, shouting, "The hell are you saying!? Stop making this even more complicated than it already is!" Maguro approached the woman and helped her up, "Sorry about that." he told her, "My companion here has gotten a bit crazy after living for so long. While we are not gods, we do have otherworldly abilities. Tell me, are you familiar with manga and anim?" "Ah, yes. I am." replied the woman, "I grew up with those, but what does that... oh... Oh!" "You catch on quick, that''s good." said Maguro, "We are like those fantastical people you''ve read or watched about in fictional settings. However, your fictions are our reality. I hope that you can understand from that." The woman stared at Maguro for a while, then at Cavaron who was rubbing the back of his head, then finally at Aimi and Aomi. She stared fixedly at Aimi, then noticed what she was wearing. "That uniform..." said the woman, "I know that uniform. Are you a Japanese?" "Ah, yes. I am." replied Aimi, "I am an inhabitant of this world, but was summoned off to another world." "That''s a Jyou-i High uniform, right?" asked the woman. "Yes, it is." replied back Aimi, "My name is Aoyama Aimi, a pleasure to meet you." "Oh yeah, we hadn''t introduced ourselves yet, no?" commented Cavaron, "Just call me ''Erasyl'', no other names needed." Maguro and Aimi looked at Cavaron, wondering why he used a different name. Just as Maguro was about to ask, Cavaron looked at him straight in the eye to go with the flow. Maguro stopped, and signalled to Aimi to stay quiet. "And like what my companion stated earlier, my name is Hirosaka Maguro." said Maguro, "Although I am a Japanese, I am not a resident of this ''Earth'' but of another ''Earth''." "Oh, and this little girl is Aomi." added Aimi hurriedly, "She is a... familiar of sorts." Aomi looked at the woman with big eyes. When Aimi urged her to greet the woman, Aomi shouted, "HELLO!" at the woman enthusiastically. The woman momentarily covered her ears from Aomi''s loud voice before introducing herself in return. "I see, while it might take me some getting used to, do take care of me." said the woman, "I guess it''s my turn to introduce myself. I am Sergeant Major Tanaka Aiko, and I am part of the Japanese Army." Maguro looked at Aiko, "The JSDF became a full military? Since when?" "Back in the year 2014, there was a reinterpretation of Article 9 that used to bar us from using force." replied Aiko, "Then an amendment occurred in 2015 transforming the entire self-defense forces into a full military upon the entering the year due to the heat we were receiving from China over contested territories, as well as nuclear tests by North Korea. These aren''t even including the fact that our defense budget, from a mere 1% of our GDP, had become about 2% of our GDP. Of course, compared to the United States, ours is a far cry from their defense spending. Still, it is a quantitative leap for Japan." Cavaron and his companions listened to Aiko''s explanation. "But, who would have thought that World War 3 would not start in the Far East nor in West Asia, neither did we think that war wouldn''t erupt between the US and the Russians. We didn''t even think of the possibility that World War 3 would no longer be a nuclear war, but instead be a genetic war." Maguro and Cavaron perked up, "Hold up." said Cavaron, "Maguro, did this world have any sort of capability to do so? Genetic wars, I mean." "No, it should not." replied Maguro, "At least, not in the current era. Sergeant Major, do you suppose you could tell us more?" Aiko paused for a while, "I... I really don''t know much, only what the higher-ups tell me." she replied, "What I do know is, the dogs earlier, and many more, are the source of the war to begin with. We are not fighting ordinary beings anymore, but genetically modified soldiers and animals, and by genetically modified, when fiction has literally turned into reality past the realms of common sense and logic." "You know, there is one question I forgot to ask." said Cavaron, "Where on earth is this place? And quite literally, mind you." Aiko blinked twice at Cavaron before replying, "Oh, right. You''re otherworlders." she commented, "We are standing in the former site of Japan''s Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Welcome to Japan." "Oh, good. You''re home, Aimi." said Cavaron, "Now, let''s go find your home... Any idea where it is, by the way?" Aimi pulled out a card from her skirt pocket, Cavaron raised a brow as she did so. "Here''s my ID." she said, "Without landmarks or a map, I doubt I could find it." Her ID stated: Surname: Aoyama First Name: Aimi Sex: Female Date of Birth: 2000-09-07 Country: Japan Phone Number: +8192-385-3089 Address: 31-1, Nihonbashi Hamacho 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo "Well, we are in Tokyo already." said Maguro, "Gods, I hate this country''s address system. It is very easy to get lost without a map. Even taxis get lost around here. Say, Sergeant Major, would you know of this location?" Aiko looked at Aimi''s ID, and gasped, "These characters... Wait, how are you related to Aoyama Daichi?" "Daichi? He''s my father. Why?" replied Aimi. "My god! I need to take you back to base!" cried Aiko as she tried pulling Aimi somewhere, "The one heading the remaining Japanese Army is none other than your father, Colonel Aoyama!" "Ooh, a military man''s daughter?" said Cavaron, "No wonder you had good affinity for combat. Let''s follow, Maguro." Cavaron and Maguro followed behind Aiko as Aimi got carried off to wherever their base might be. Along the way, however, they encountered the same dogs as earlier but were taken care of Cavaron, personally. In the end, Aiko got easily accustomed to them unlike other dense or na?ve Japanese would. --- After an hour of going through the ruined remains of Tokyo, they finally arrived at an open area with military installations. Around its perimeter were towers and gun emplacements, as well as a number of battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles escorted by squads of infantry patrolling the surroundings. Getting in view of the base entrance was a military checkpoint. Before it were lines of civilians requesting refuge into the base. As soon as Aiko was within sight by a sentry... "TOMA Tanaka-souchou!? Oi!!! Minna!! Tanaka-souchou ga kita!!" yelled the sentry. Soon, all of the soldiers around the immediate area turned to look. "Souchou!" "Tanaka-souchou!!" "Souchou-sama!!" The sudden greetings bewildered Cavaron and the others. "Well, aren''t you popular." commented Cavaron, "The base''s idol, I suppose?" Aiko''s face flushed deep red from Cavaron''s comment in embarrassment, "Shigoto ni modore!" she yelled at the soldiers. Immediately, the soldiers went back to work in a hurry. Aiko turned to the others, "Well, let''s go in." and said with a smile. "Souchou-sama~" teased Cavaron, "Tanaka-sou ow! Maguro!?" Maguro punched Cavaron''s side to shut him up. "Okay, okay. I''ll behave." replied Cavaron when Maguro pulled out a needle. Aiko led Cavaron and the others deeper inside the base. ... Within a building labeled as "܊˾" which was read by everybody else other than Cavaron as "Headquarters", Aiko led the group into a room where dozens of voices could be heard shouting and yelling at one another. Aiko stood before a sentry and showed an ID. The sentry inspected her ID and looked at Cavaron and the others. Noticing that action, Aiko hurried to tell the sentry something inaudible to the others. The sentry understood, and gave way to Aiko''s group. Upon entry, the sound of the door opening attracted the attention of every person inside the room. Within, there was a large table with a map of Japan, many papers strewn about, and an occasional cup of coffee or a bottle of energy drinks. The people surrounding the table were all in military uniforms, and one could see the bags under their eyes. "Souchou Tanaka Aiko, joushimasu!" Aiko saluted before the officers inside the room. All the others saluted back. Cavaron went closer to Maguro''s ear to whisper, "I just realized that I can''t understand shit. I''m going to borrow your mind." "What do you mean?" asked Maguro, "How are yo what''s that flame? Cava Erasyl, what are you planning to do with that flame!?" Cavaron produced a small translucent flame, and enveloped Maguro''s head with it. Fortunately, they were ignored by the others as they were listening to Aiko''s report so Cavaron''s flame was unseen and unhindered. Once Maguro''s head was fully wrapped by the flame, little by little, Cavaron could understand what the others were talking about. "I. LOVE. THIS. FLAME." commented Cavaron, "Cursed or not, it literally breaks the rules! Well, most rules, if not all." "... and, finally, I found your daughter." Aiko concluded her report. Cavaron could now understand everything they had said because of his flame. "Miss Aoyama, your father, Colonel Aoyama Daichi." Aimi stepped forward, and was finally seen by the most prominent person in the room. With medals and insignias stuck to almost every part of his uniform, an aged Japanese man stared at Aimi with eyes full of tears. "Aimi... Aimi..." uttered Daichi. He suddenly sprang from his seat, and flew towards Aimi with arms wide open, "AIMI!!!" However, as if on reflex, Aimi deftly evaded Daichi''s embrace, and Daichi slammed onto the floor next to Cavaron. "Aimi! How could you do this to papa!?" cried Daichi, his face had gone dirty from snot and tears, "You''ve gone missing for so long, and this is how we meet again!?" Aimi flinched at her realization on what happened, "Sorry, papa. I thought it was an attack so I evaded on reflex." apologized and replied Aimi, "I guess Senpai''s training was too effective." Daichi seemed as if he heard something strange, "Senpai? Training?" he said, "What do you mean? Who are these men with you? And, is that a child?" Daichi finally faced Cavaron, Maguro, and Aomi. "Greetings, Mr. Aoyama." greeted Maguro, "Do you remember me?" Daichi stared at Maguro and recognized him, "Dr. Hirosaka? It''s been so long. How are you?" greeted Daichi, "I didn''t recognize you without your subordinates. And this person is?" "Ah, I''m sorry, he can''t speak our language, but I can translate for you, if you need." apologized Maguro, "Go on, Erasyl, introduce yourself." Cavaron looked at Maguro, then at Daichi, "Hey man, the name''s Erasyl. I''m your daughter''s senior and teacher. And, to be honest, I really want to make things easier for all of us." As Maguro translated what Cavaron said, he realized something wrong with the introduction. "Wait, are yo GODDAMMIT, CAVARON!?" cried Maguro in shock. Cavaron''s finger glowed with concentrated mana, and instantaneously drew his finger on Daichi''s forehead. As such, he experienced the same migraine as Aimi and Aiko had from receiving knowledge. "Wha... Urgh... AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" screamed Daichi. Everybody in the room became alarmed, and, aside from Tanaka, everybody drew their sidearms. All guns were aimed at Cavaron. Cavaron ignored the others, and watched Daichi squirm in pain for a while. After that, he stood up, and groggily pulled out his sidearm, threatening Cavaron. "What did you do to me!? Answer or I will kill you!" cried Daichi. "The hell is this? Deja vu?" commented Cavaron, "But hey, at least we could understand each other now." Maguro fell back and collapsed. He held his head, and looked down. "Oh god, oh god, oh god... Why, Cavaron, why?????????????" Cavaron looked at the panicking Maguro, "Why? Why not?" and replied, "It feels good to break away from the chains that bind you. Hehehe. Now then, Daichi." Cavaron put his arm over Daichi''s shoulders, "I''ll tell you everything that has happened to Aimi, then you''ll tell us everything that happened here while she was gone. Okay?" ------------------- Has Cavaron''s actions become too erratic or random? Makes a decision then goes against his earlier decision? Can''t make up his mind or something? Good. That''s how it should be. Chapter 71 Rewrite I gave up on the soft deletes. I also got rid of some gags. Do note that my moonrunes may not have perfect grammar, in the Japanese context, but they should be machine-translatable. -------------------------- Somewhere within the ruined city of Tokyo lies a massive military base. Within this base, flags of many nations could be seen printed onto the uniforms of the soldiers stationed there. The United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, South Korea, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, India, China, Poland, and many more including the host country, Japan. A coalition of many sovereign states'' militaries were present within this military base. Apart from the soldiers, there was also a myriad of military vehicles that were either on standby or out patrolling the perimeter with squads of infantry. Although the coalition was made up of many different foreign militaries'' men and women, the vehicles they used were mostly of Japanese make. Type 90 and Type 10 main battle tanks, Maneuver Combat Vehicle armored fighting vehicles, Type 89 infantry fighting vehicles, Type 73 and Type 96 armored personnel carriers, Type 99 howitzers, Type 87 antiaircraft vehicles, and many other support vehicles. The perimeter of the base was surrounded by multiple concrete towers with machine gun emplacements and casemate gun bunkers. The walls of the base were at least three meters thick and eight meters high, and allowed the soldiers that patrolled it to safely move around. A bit beyond the walls were a small network of trenches that carved through dirt, concrete, and asphalt while, at the same time, covered by canopies of barbed wires. Along some parts of the trenches were machine gun emplacements simply protected by sandbags. Farther than those trenches was a flat and open area filled with landmines, claymores, and other explosive traps. This base was, in a way, a fortress. A heavily defended fortress in the middle of Tokyo, Japan as well as a refuge for many civilians that had lost their homes in the war. The civilians could be found just outside the main gates of the fortress, lined up, and being inspected by the sentries that stood guard there. While a sentry was inspecting a civilian, he spotted a strange sight from the corner of his eye. Τϣ said the sentry as he turned to look. The sentry found a man with another soldier on his back sprinting towards them. Alarmed, he aimed his rifle at the oncoming persons. ֹޤ!!! shouted the sentry. This alerted the other sentries, and the all looked at where the former sentry was aiming at. Only then did they shout the same words as the former sentry. ... Cavaron was sprinting towards the mass of people he previously detected with Aiko over his shoulders. Aiko, a Sergeant Major they had recently rescued, was screaming from Cavaron''s near breakneck speed. Far behind them were three more people running after him. These three people were Maguro, Aimi, and Aomi. "By the gods!" exclaimed Maguro, "His speed had doubled! What happened!?" "Was senpai always this powerful before!?" asked Aimi out loud, "We can barely catch up to him!" "A few hundred years ago, before Edeortha, maybe!" answered Maguro, "But we didn''t witness this insane speed of his before!" "Maybe he got something more from that flame he received!?" asked Aimi back, "When I lived with him, he needed to absorb so much mana from the surroundings!" "Back then, how many Azuals were there!?" inquired Maguro, "Apart from Azrael''s doppelganger, how many Azuals!?" "I remember Capacitor reporting close to one hundred million!" replied Aimi, "Do you think the flame is the reason for his unreasonable rise in power!?" "Maybe!" replied Maguro back, "But I can''t be too sure of it unless we ask the person himself! For now, we must prevent Cavaron from creating too much chaos in a SciTech world!" Aimi nodded, and the two of them gave their all to catch up to Cavaron. ... A few minutes later, Cavaron had finally found where the mass of entities were. He found a steel and concrete fortress in the middle of the Tokyo ruins. "Hahaha! We have found your base, Aiko!" exclaimed Cavaron, "Now take us to your leader!" "Just put me down, already!!" cried Aiko out, "How the hell are you able to run so fast!? Are you a magic user!?" Cavaron smiled, "Ohohohoho!" and laughed, "Kudos to you to be able to stay awake after that sprint! And another kudos for guessing what I am, correctly! Indeed, I am a magic user, and the ability for us to understand each other is a type of magic as well! Hahaha!" "The hell are you so happy about!" screamed Aiko, "Put me down already!!" That was when they were spotted by a sentry. ֹޤ!!! shouted a sentry. "Eh? The hell was that?" wondered Cavaron, "Hey, what did he just shout at me?" ֹޤ!!! this time, all present sentries had shouted with their rifles aimed at them. "They are ordering you to stop!" replied Aiko out loud, "Stop or they will shoot!" Cavaron slammed on the brakes, and carved into the asphalt from their momentum for ten meters. The spectacle shocked the onlooking sentries and civilians at the entrance of the fortress. Τϣ ΡΣ Τ𤳤äƣ The onlookers were wondering what just happened, and a detachment of soldiers went towards Cavaron to investigate fully armed and fully loaded as it could be seen with all of them aiming their guns with safeties off. "Phew, that was rough." a man''s voice came from the crash site, "You okay, Aiko?" "Like hell I''m okay, you freak!" a woman''s voice replied, "Ah! Now the base is on full alert!" The investigating soldiers found Cavaron and Aiko standing in the middle of ground zero. The two of them were dusting off their clothes, and finally noticed the soldiers aiming their guns at them. l! shouted a soldier. Cavaron stared at the soldier, then pointed at Aiko. Aiko had a pissed off expression at Cavaron when he did so. Cavaron noticed this, and whispered in her ear. "Careful, honey." he said, "I can easily destroy this base with my power. So do us both a favor, and take good care of me." Aiko immediately calmed herself down. She faced the soldiers and stated who she was. ˽Ф вL However, before she could state her identity, a sentry had already done so for her. вL The other sentries had, then, lowered their rifles, and closely inspected the woman before them. вL! Ә! И! L! Aiko, hearing their shouts, had gone as red as a tomato. In a fit, she blew up in front of the male soldiers. ¤ˑ!! she yelled at the soldiers. The investigating soldiers, and remaining sentries immediately scampered off back to their duties. "Well, that was quick." commented Cavaron, "I wasn''t serious about destroying this base, though. You sure have a lot of authority here, Sergeant Major." Cavaron was just watching the exchange between Aiko and the other soldiers. Aiko looked back at Cavaron, still with a flushed red face. "Oh, shut up." she told Cavaron, "Anyway, I can''t believe you left your companions behind, even Aoyama-sama!" Cavaron waved it off saying, "Oh, don''t worry about that. With their current speed, they''ll catch up in ten seconds." "Ten seconds?" said Aiko as she raised a brow, "But Aoyama-sama is a normal hu... Don''t tell me..." Just as she realized something, Maguro and the others finally caught up. Their speed was a bit slower than Cavaron''s, but ultimately greater than those of ordinary humans. Even Aiko found Aimi seemingly flying through the air as Aimi ran towards them. "Senpaaaaaiiiiiiii!!!!!!" cried out Aimi with her fist drawn back and slightly glowing with soft blue light. "Hm? Oh, there you guys abufo!" said Cavaron right until he received a mana-infused punch to the face from Aimi. Seeing Cavaron flinch, "Good job, Aimi." Maguro praised the young girl. Aimi stood with her arms crossed in pride. "What the hell did you do that for!?" retorted Cavaron as he regained his senses. "That was for leaving us behind." replied Maguro, "And to make sure you didn''t do anything stupid." "I already did, though?" declared Cavaron, "What do you think we are standing on?" Maguro raised a brow, then looked at the crash site beneath them. He immediately found the carved rocks to end where Cavaron stood. "CAVAROOOOON!!!!" bellowed Maguro, "BY THE GODS, MAN! AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" "Chill, you old coot." said Cavaron, "You might get a heart attack." "I''m only thirty five!" shouted Maguro back. "Five hundred thirty five." corrected Cavaron. "GAH!" cried out Maguro, "WHATEVER! AND YOU''RE EIGHT HUNDRED TWENTY FIVE!" "Yes." replied Cavaron, "I''m an old man in a sexy man''s body." "YOU..." uttered Maguro but he just sighed, "I give up..." "Hey, don''t give up." said Cavaron, "You''re still young... Compared to me, of course. Haha!" Maguro just stared at Cavaron silently, but wants to burn him in his eyes. Aiko ignored the exchange of the two men beside her, and dumbfoundedly stared at Aimi. Aimi noticed Aiko''s stare, and brought Aimi down from her shoulders. "Well, Miss Tanaka, will you take us to my father?" asked Aimi. "Yes! Take us to your leader!" exclaimed Cavaron. "Ignore him." said Maguro. "Gyao!" roared Aomi cutely. --- Aiko had led Cavaron and the rest through the fortress entrance, and found a good deal of military personnel and equipment inside. The sentries, of course, inquired about Cavaron and the others but merely stated Aimi''s relationship with Colonel Aoyama. Immediately, the sentries let them through with no further questions. Aside from the sentries, even the coalition members found Aiko''s group intriguing. "Yo!" greeted a soldier with the United States flag embroidered on his uniform, "How was your mission earlier? I heard you were the only survivor." "By the gods! I understood what he said!" exclaimed Cavaron, "I wonder if he can understand me? Hey, dude, can you understa ow! Maguro!?" Maguro slammed a mana-infused fist onto Cavaron''s head. It sounded like a soft thud but the power was clearly felt by Cavaron, and the mana shockwave was felt by Aimi. "The hell is this guy saying?" asked the US soldier, "Hey, go away, civvie. I''m talking to Aiko-chan here." When the soldier tried to push Cavaron away, Cavaron suddenly swiped his hand around the soldier''s arm. Cavaron pulled the soldier towards him, twisted him around, pushed him down, and locked his arm behind his back. All this happened in a second. "Easy, buddy." commented Cavaron, "I can kill all of you with power equivalent to a nuke." Aiko was alarmed, "Let go of him, you freak!" Cavaron immediately released the soldier from the binding. The soldier swiftly retreated away from Cavaron along with other onlooking coalition soldiers. ɤ a man''s voice came from behind them. Aiko turned to look and found a Japanese officer escorted by a squad of sentries. He had a mean expression on his face, and there were bags beneath his eyes. On his uniform, there were many medals, symbols, and other articles pinned on his chest or embroidered on his sleeve. Aiko recognized who this person was as she immediately stood at attention and saluted. LСɽ܊ꤷޤ! said Aiko to the officer. The officer swept his gaze over the surrounding people. The coalition soldiers immediately saluted at the Japanese officer. His gaze finally arrived at Cavaron and his companions, but stopped upon seeing Aimi. said the officer, !!! ! cried Aimi. She and the officer ran towards and embraced each other. Tears fell from each of their eyes, and the other Japanese personnel cried as well. "I guess that''s her dad, right?" inquired Cavaron. "Yes." replied Aiko, "Colonel Aoyama Daichi. Head of the Japanese detachment of CTF-143." ----------------------- Former version: Spoiler : I have an exam in 48 hours, and here I am procrastinating. Have a chapter. ---------------------------- Daichi was staring blankly at the floor after having listened to Cavaron''s story about his daughter, Aimi. Maguro was staring blankly at the ceiling after Cavaron used his abilities on ordinary people, one after another, while muttering, "Please don''t notice... Please don''t notice..." repeatedly. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "Now then, Daichi." said Cavaron, "Your turn... or I''ll wait until you recover..." Aimi had already crouched down to help her father calm down. The others with them, the officers especially, had already holstered their sidearms, but had no idea what happened. Aiko had already gone out to call a sentry for assistance. As for Aomi, she climbed onto Daichi''s back, and started to sniff his body. "Aomi! Get down from there!" yelled Aimi. However, Aomi hugged Daichi tightly and yelled, "Papa!" out loud. This snapped Daichi out of his stupor. "What did you say, little girl?" asked Daichi. "Papa!" repeated Aomi. Aimi was surprised at what Aomi said and was about to scold Aomi, but Cavaron cut in between them, saying, "Well, it seems right to say so. Aomi does see Aimi as a sister, after all. By the way, where is your mother?" "She died when she gave birth to me." replied Aimi, "No need to feel sorry about it. I was still a newborn back then so I cannot remember her even if I tried." Having regained his composure, Daichi stood up with Aomi still on her back. "If... If that''s what happened during the past month..." he said, "I may need some time off but... do come with me." Without saying another word, Daichi left the war room, and went to his personal quarters. Cavaron and his companions followed Daichi, and Aiko had left to do her own business. ... Within Daichi''s personal quarters, he had already removed his top uniform and had it thrown over a sofa. The person himself was already seated on a chair behind his desk, and Cavaron and the others sat on any available seat. Cavaron was seated directly across Daichi on a swivel chair. "Well, have you processed the information?" asked Cavaron. Daichi stared at Cavaron with his hands clasped together underneath his chin. With a deep sigh, he replied, "You... You are a magic-user, correct?" "Yeah, if that''s the word you use to describe us." "And my daughter became something like you?" "Uh-huh." "She was forced to fight for people she had no sense of duty to?" "Well, it applies to anybody who was summoned, so I suppose." "Will it happen again?" "Absolutely, sooner or later." Daichi released another deep sigh before asking one more question, "Will she be able to return home even after all that?" Cavaron looked straight into Daichi''s eyes. His green eyes made Daichi slightly flinch, but Cavaron retreated back immediately. "If Aimi has the capacity to understand how Space and Time magic work," replied Cavaron, "there is a high possibility of her becoming able to do so. If we take myself as an example, it took me three to five summonings to interpret the laws for my own use." It was Daichi''s turn to stare at Cavaron in the eye, "Will you teach her?" "And what do I get in return?" asked back Cavaron, "Space and Time magic is a very powerful set of laws." Daichi looked at Aimi playing with Aomi in the background, and thought for a while. "If it means having to see my daughter after every time she gets whisked away..." answered Daichi. He stared back at Cavaron''s eyes, "I will let you take my daughter for your own." "We have a de... What?" replied back Cavaron on shock, "Could you repeat that?" "I will let you have my daughter in exchange for having her learn what you know." answered Daichi, "I will do anything to see my daughter time and again, if all else fails." Cavaron stood up, held his forehead with one hand, and waved back at Daichi with the other as he took a few steps back, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING, OLD MAN?" asked Cavaron, "How the hell did you come to the decision of making Aimi mine?" "Eh!?" cried Aimi, "What''s going on!? What are you talking about!?" Daichi approached Aimi, and held her hand, "If it is to teach you more about magic, I am willing to sacrifice part of my happiness to make you happy." he told Aimi. Cavaron grabbed Daichi by the collar, and pulled him back. "Woah! Hold it! Stop!" he shouted, "How did you get that idea in your head?" Daichi looked at Cavaron, "I''ve seen this happen before." and replied, "An obviously powerful man asking for repayment for a service that is difficult to do, and the weaker man gives his daughter away to seal the deal." "Papa! Stop watching those old dramas already!" cried out Aimi, "You are talking about my future, here!" "What''s wrong with that?" asked Daichi, "Erasyl, here, is obviously powerful, knows a lot, and can easily follow you around wherever you go. Other than that, he is very handsome. I doubt that there is no one girl out there that has fallen for him." "AAAAHHHHHHH! PAPA!!! SHUT UP!!!" cried back Aimi, "Aomi, let''s go outside!" Aimi stormed out of Daichi''s personal quarters, and the sentries at the door parted frantically to give way to her. Aomi just trotted along behind her. With a loud slam of the door, she went out of sight from within the room. "Listen, you can keep your daughter." said Cavaron with a serious tone, "Just give me the information I want, and I''ll leave you all alone." Downcast, Daichi had no other choice but to tell Cavaron and Maguro about what happened here on Terra. ... "I think it would be best to show you the person responsible for everything that had happened." said Daichi, "Here is a file given to all member states of the United Nations about that one person who brought this world to chaos" Maguro received a folder containing the said file. It was given to him instead of Cavaron because Cavaron could not understand all of the Terran languages. The file contained a photo of a bored looking man in his mid-twenties with lifeless eyes. With the photo was the man''s bio data along with a brief history. The file stated: Surname: Dalaram Given Name: Alexander Date of Birth: Unknown Citizenship: Filipino (Official) Brief History: Alexander Dalaram was said to have first revealed himself in the Philippines, buying out all of the telecommunications companies in the country back in early 2015. There were reports of their previous owners being sent on "vacation" but many had not returned from said "vacation". He earned the title of "The Hero of Philippine Internet" having improved the country''s telecommunications services in the span of a single week. His company name was "Pamana", Filipino for the word "Legacy". In the latter half of 2015, reports of Alexander adopting many orphans and homeless people had surfaced. He gave them new opportunities at life including wonderful futures. The people whom he had adopted began calling Alexander primarily as "Father" despite his apparent youth. The income earned from Pamana were used for these adopted people, and he once more earned the hearts of many. A revolutionary, a nationalist. Many people sought to have him run for the elections in the coming months. His stately actions to improve the livelihood and well-being of the Filipino people earned him the ire of many corrupt politicians, many of whom tried to have Alexander assassinated. It was during the first incident that Alexander showed his true iron fist Mechanical marvels that took reference to comics and video games came out of Pamana''s factories bearing large weapons that eliminated those who tried to have him killed. The Armed Forces of the Philippines could do nothing in the face of these monstrous weapons of destruction. However, they had noticed one thing. The machines were piloted by pale-skinned, white-haired, and red-eyed people. Humans who appeared like no other. As such, the Philippine government had decided not to touch anyone nor anything related to Alexander and Pamana. Having been left alone, Alexander built an artificial island on the Benham Plateau off the eastern coast of Luzon. In the span of a mere three months, the island had become fully operational, and was named as "Pamana Island". Having read the file, a question popped into Cavaron''s mind, "And? What else? It didn''t tell us about how everything happened!" Daichi sighed, "That''s the thing. He suddenly up and unleashed genetically modified animals and humans upon the world. All we have is this statement he released by hacking the world network a month ago." Daichi turned on a nearby monitor, and inserted a disc into a slot. In a moment, the face of Alexander Dalaram could be seen, and behind him was a crowd of the red-eyed people. "I''m tired..." said Alexander, "This world is still too divided. If the only way for this world to unite is to have a common enemy, then let this enemy be me. The flames of chaos will run wild and free..." Then the monitor blacked out. "That''s all he said." said Daichi, "Then, three days later, reports of red-eyed people being seen all over the world sprang up one after another. A day after that, unknown monsters appeared, and began to destroy many population centers simultaneously. Although we were given a warning, the world governments did nothing, and, resultantly, could only watch as many of their people and cities were slaughtered and ground to dust. They didn''t even differentiate between what society deemed as good or bad. All were destroyed. Even the Philippines, the place he came from, got wiped off the face of the world!" Cavaron was repeatedly replaying Alexander''s message to the world, and caught something strange. "Hey, Daichi, translate the last thing he said for me." Daichi went next to Cavaron, "The last sentence? ''The flames of chaos will run wild and free...'' is what he said." Light flickered within Cavaron''s eyes, "Hahaha... This Alexander probably has the same fragment I have..." he said with a grin, "Maguro, I''m staying here until the end." "Fine, do whatever you want." replied Maguro, "I just want you to be prepared just in case Yggdrasil catches wind of what you''ve done." "Yggdrasil? Who cares about that old fart?" said Cavaron, "Hahaha... This will be fun. By the way, have you tried nukes?" Daichi looked at Cavaron, "Ha! If that did work, we wouldn''t be spending more than a week getting rid of them all! The United States dropped a nuke on Chicago when it was overrun. It killed many of them with the blast, but they all lived through the radiation! Can you imagine these monsters making out of radioactive hell zones intact!?" "Shit... There goes using plasma weapons." commented Cavaron, "Explosives leave too much collateral damage, too..." "After Chicago, Alexander''s monsters knocked out many military complexes in America and Russia." added Daichi, "Other nuclear powers lost their own missiles due to their near unstoppable raids. Here in Japan, it was by pure luck that we were able to hold them off." "WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..." A siren suddenly blared all across the base, and sounds of running and shouting erupted all over. A while after that, the door to Daichi''s personal quarters swung open, and behind it were Aimi and Aiko. "Sir! Dogs are attacking!" reported Aiko, "I brought your daughter here for safety!" "Tell the troops to assume defensive formations! I''ll go out as well!" ordered Daichi, "Have all armo eh, Erasyl? What is it?" Cavaron pulled back Daichi saying, "You know that conventional weapons don''t work, right? All you have are kinetic weapons that can''t deliver a strong enough punch. Aimi, time to turn this world on its head. We will destroy this world''s common sense and logic many times over! Hahahaha! I''d really love to see Alexander''s reaction to this." Cavaron walked out of Daichi''s personal quarters, and out of the base itself. Outside, he was greeted by gunfire and frantic soldiers, and over the distance were hordes of giant dogs. "Now then, what to use?" wondered Cavaron as he approached the battlefield, "The railgun is annoying to use, and thermal weapons are a no-go. Guess we could only destroy this world''s logic after all... Hahaha..." As Cavaron walked, his appearance changed. From his casual attire, his usual equipment returned. Blue armor, red cape, and twin swords. Those that noticed his transformation immediately stopped what they were doing, and stared at the fantastical being before them. "Blade arts, Demonic Possession!!" Cavaron became wrapped in faint red light, and his eyes glowed brightly. Both swords drawn, he literally blasted off to the battlefield, leaving a deep crater in the asphalt behind. ----------------------------- Sorry, no BFG for now. Sorry, Chicago, for nuking you. I just recalled Red Alert 2. Not sorry, Philippines, personal sentiments took over. I had to destroy you. Chapter 72 I have an exam in twenty hours. Shameless begging: Spoiler : Also, like I said before and on my signature, I am shamelessly begging for money for a PC. Although I am writing Cavaron on a phone (and will probably finish it on a phone), I expect to type faster with ten fingers than with only two thumbs. Better quality, too, with spell checks and grammar checks (I only have spell check, I have no grammar check) especially since I organize better seeing all my references, notes, and stories side by side on a screen with RAM greater than 1 GB. Songs of Legacies is not just one story. The other people you''ve read about within Cavaron have stories of their own. Even the worlds Cavaron had visited: Ladenras and Belfron. Of course, in a different era, either before or after Cavaron. Carne, the gem girl from Edeortha, also has a story to tell, although not entirely hers. Even Cavaron''s Cipher friend has his very own story. These are not mere side stories, but full length, many-chapter stories especially for one story (that would have been an RPG. Hell, they would all be.) that I''ve been picking up and dropping for the past three years (eight years, if I include the chuunibyou moments). One could imagine the amount of text I could put out if I have a PC... Or the games I could create once I get a copy of RPG Maker MV (I already have VX Ace) or if I could run Unity without crashing. Here''s my PayPal email: [email protected] A friend of mine told me to mention to you to send money as "Friends and/or Family" instead of "Goods and/or Services" since I heard PayPal takes a fee. My ultimate goal is an equivalent of $500 +/- $50, unless I find a cheaper but powerful alternative. Of course, you are not obligated to send me money for me to churn out chapters (like a few authors do). I am not writing for money but for fun. I want to put my stories into writing before I turn them into games, and even the games would likely be free since I don''t really want to deal with commercial creative commons and copyrights. Maybe I will write for money if a publisher becomes interested, which I doubt and will likely heavily revise the story, but the web novels will remain for free. For an idea of what I''ve done when I still had a PC, here are some maps that I''ve done before. Cheers. ---------------------- Aimi and her father, Daichi, were tightly embracing one another. Daichi, who was in tears, pulled himself away to inspect his daughter. 󤿤ϺΤ𤳤ä! shouted Daichi, ΄IФä! á äȣ hΤy replied Aimi as she stuttered looking down. Slowly, she turned her head towards Cavaron and Maguro, "Ah, what should I say? How do I tell him about our circumstances?" Daichi followed Aimi''s gaze, and found Cavaron on the other end. He then heard Aimi speak to Cavaron in Japanese, but Cavaron replied in an unknown language. Seeing that his daughter seemed to understand Cavaron, he asked Aimi a question. ˡˤl said Daichi. Aimi faced Daichi once more, äȣХ݅ ݅ exclaimed Daichi, ɤζ Cavaron watched the Aoyamas'' exchange. When Aimi asked him what to say, he replied, "I could make this easier for all of us." Hearing Aimi say his name and seeing her get flustered after Daichi said something to her, Cavaron sighed. "Fuck it." he said, "I can''t understand a thing you''re saying. Step aside, Aimi." Cavaron''s finger released a soft blue glow. Aimi heard Cavaron and looked at him. Finding the blue glow around his finger, she understood immediately what he had in mind. As for Maguro, when he felt the mana around Cavaron''s finger fluctuate, he hesitated whether he should let Cavaron do as he pleased or stop him at all costs. Maguro chose the former as he simply turned away. 󡣡 said Aimi, äȴä¤ Aimi took a few steps back, and was replaced by Cavaron who had begun to raise his mana-infused finger as he approached Daichi. Daichi was wondering what Cavaron was planning to do seeing Aimi unhesitatingly give way. Within his mind, he wondered about the relationship between the two of them. When Cavaron was already within arm''s reach, Daichi had opened his mouth to speak. However, before his voice had left his lips, Cavaron''s hand blurred before him, and he felt a strange sensation on his forehead. 󤿡Τ򣮣! uttered Daichi. Daichi felt an intense burning sensation spread throughout his head. Both of his hands grabbed hold of his head, his body dropping onto his knees, and his entirety squirmed in pain. ã濫`!!! screamed Daichi. The soldiers around them became alarmed. The sentries with Daichi immediately charged towards Cavaron to restrain him, and the others aimed their weapons at him. Before the sentries could touch Cavaron, his body flickered slightly and reappeared crouching next to Daichi. His ungodly fast movement dumbfounded everybody around them. 󤿣 said Daichi angrily, "What in the world did you do to me!?" Hearing this, Cavaron smiled. "Hahaha... Good. I can understand you now." he said, "Can you understand me?" "What...?" uttered Daichi as he stared in shock, "H-h-h-how...?" Cavaron, while crouching next to Daichi, brought his arm over Daichi''s shoulders and grinned. "Long story, short..." he told Daichi, "I''m a god. Well, not really a god, per se." Daichi stared at Cavaron, unable to say anything. The surrounding soldiers had no idea what was happening, but could do nothing due to Cavaron''s proximity with Daichi. Suddenly, two red dots appeared on Cavaron''s head, and someone spoke through a public address system. "Step away from the colonel." said the voice, "Obey or you will be shot." Cavaron, of course, noticed the red dots on his face since there were red lights directed at him from a tower. Inside the tower was a woman with the Russian Federation flag embroidered on her uniform, and wielded a Dragunov (SVD). Next to her was another woman with the United States flag embroidered on her uniform and wielded an M14 Enhanced Battle Rifle. The two snipers were side by side as their fingers remained firm off the trigger. Behind them was a man with a pair of binoculars in one hand, and a microphone in the other. "I repeat, step away from Colonel Aoyama." said the man, "You have three seconds to comply." Cavaron smirked, "Try it, if you dare!" and loudly said as he stood up with open arms. Of course, none but Aiko, Daichi, Maguro, and Aimi, understood what he declared. Maguro, having heard Cavaron''s declaration, could only cover his face with his hands and let out a deep sigh. For Aimi, she just sat next to Daichi''s stunned self. As for Aiko and Daichi, the two had no idea how to react with regards to the current situation. "Three... Two... One..." counted down the man, "Time''s up! Bring him down!" The two women in front of the man placed their fingers on the trigger and immediately pulled it. Gunfire tore through the air, and two 7.62 bullets discharged from their rifles'' muzzles. In an instant, right before the gunfire faded, the bullets were already before Cavaron and only needed a blink of an eye to pierce his head. However, Cavaron had his entirety already emitting a soft blue glow, visible only to Maguro and Aimi. His entire body had been infused mana, and his eyes had turned blue due to Mana Sight. To Cavaron, the two bullets were like butterflies slightly flying through the air. With an outrageously swift wave of a mana-infused hand, he parried the two bullets away from his face. The two bullets ricocheted off into the air until they lost momentum and subsequently fell to the ground. In a split second, the soldiers within the fortress had witnessed a heaven-sundering feat as they watched two battle rifle bullets clatter away. "M-monster!" a soldier shouted. The surrounding soldiers trembled at Cavaron''s imposing, grinning figure. Cavaron returned to the gobsmacked Daichi and spoke in his ear. "Do you believe me now?" he said, "Oh, by the way, prepare the base. There is a load of entities approaching from all directions. About two hundred are coming here. I expect a base of six hundred seventy eight elites should be ready." Daichi snapped out of his stupor when Cavaron told him about an incoming attack. "How do you know this?" he asked. "I just showed everybody here my capability of deflecting bullets, yet you still doubt me?" said Cavaron with a frown, "Since you''re a Japanese, I take it that you''re familiar with the cartoons and comics your country produces, yeah? You could say that I am like those fantastical beings your people thought about. Aimi, as well, actually." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Daichi snapped his head towards Aimi, then back at Cavaron, then back at Aimi once more. "Aimi, what does he mean?" he asked his daughter, "Did it have something to do with your disappearance?" Aimi smiled at her father. "Yes." she answered, "I became like Cavaron-senpai. I became something like a magician." "A magic archer, to be precise." added Cavaron, "Uh-oh, better hurry. Those two hundred will be arriving soon." However, even though Cavaron had warned them, it was already too late. Sirens erupted all over the base, and a voice shouted through the public address system. "Red alert, red alert!" shouted the voice, "Incoming attack from all directions! I repeat, incoming attack from all directions! Oh, shit! Saizensen has fallen! Saizensen has falle kshh..." A series of explosions and gunfire erupted all around the fortress. The civilians outside the fortress panicked and stampeded their way into the compound, the coalition forces scrambled to their battle stations, and the towers and walls lit up with gunshots and cannon fire. Cavaron watched the chaos around him. "Well, that was quick." he commented, "Hey, Aiko. Bring your boss somewhere safe where he could observe and direct the base." Aiko stepped forward to bring Daichi and Aimi towards a building but Cavaron prevented her from bringing Aimi away. "What''s wrong?" asked Aiko. "Aimi will be grinding for experience with me." replied Cavaron. Immediately, Aimi brought out her mithril bow from the bag she received from Cavaron. Seeing a large bow come out of a small bag surprised Aiko but pressed no further. "Fine, but you make sure she ends up safe." she said, "The repercussions Colonel may have if she dies will be disastrous for us as well." "Ha! I doubt anybody in this world could kill her!" replied Cavaron with pride, "I am her mentor, after all! Maguro, do what you do best." Maguro silently shrugged, and ran off to a building with a red cross painted on its wall, and outside this building were soldiers with a red cross on their helmets as they ran in and out while carrying injured people. "I doubt he will reveal his power here like I had." commented Cavaron, "Too bad, I would love to see their reactions when their injured and dying suddenly spring to life, ready for action. What are you looking at?" Cavaron noticed Aiko stare at him. "I just noticed this but, is Hirosaka-sensei like you?" she asked. "Hirosaka?" wondered Cavaron as he raised a brow, "You mean Maguro? You know him?" "Yes, Hirosaka Maguro-sensei is a well-known shamanic healer in Japan." she replied, "We first knew about him a decade ago. However, to see him not age at all was baffling. We always thought he dabbled in mysterious age-defying arts but looking at a freak like you made me realize that the two of you are the same. Now, even Aoyama-san became the same as you." "Huh, he never said anything about that." said Cavaron, "Then again, I never say much about myself as well. Interesting, that means there will be a party in the infirmary. Hahaha. Now then, get Daichi to a command room or something." Aiko spoke no further and escorted Daichi to another building. The building had a robust architecture, and its concrete walls seem like they could only be penetrated by specialized weapons. Cavaron looked down on the ground after Aiko and Daichi disappeared into the building, and felt a mass of entities down underground. To him, he felt at least half of the people in the fortress were underground. "Now then, how to divvy up the kills?" he wondered as he looked around. Aimi was next to him, waiting, "Well, I''ll take this side, you take that. Feel free to use mana and call yourself a magical girl." "Okay sen what?" replied Aimi, "How do you know that? No, never mind. Forget I asked." "Strictly speaking, you are one, though." said Cavaron, "A magical archer girl." "Shut up, senpai." replied Aimi, "Let''s go, Aomi." "Gyao!" roared Aomi with a raised fist. Cavaron and Aimi split up to the east and west respectively, and began their grind for experience points. Aimi had arrived atop a wall and found what they were to defend against. Aimi found a large company of black monsters accompanied by a smaller group of two-meter tall bipedal mechs. The black monsters were made up of giant black dogs, giant black cats, and giant black birds. The bipedal mechs were also black in color, but the people operating them vastly contrasted. The people inside all had white hair, snow white skin, and gleaming red eyes. This shocked Aimi as they bore resemblance to Cavaron when she first witnessed him use the black flame. "Why are there kids here!?" shouted a soldier behind Aimi, "Hey, little girls, it''s dangerous here!" The soldier tried to grab hold of Aimi, but she easily evaded the soldier''s hand. "Hey! Stay still!" shouted the soldier. Aimi ignored the soldier and drew her empty bow. The soldiers around her wondered what she planned to do without an arrow. "Since senpai told me to do it anyway, then do it I shall." said Aimi, "Aomi! Beast form!" Aimi''s mithril bow emitted a soft blue light, and a blue arrow formed on her bowstring. The soldiers were taken aback by the fantastical sight of a Japanese girl perform magic. As soon as Aimi told Aomi to transform, she let go of the blue arrow. Aomi, hearing her command, leapt forward then fell down below the walls. The soldiers screamed in panic as they watched a little girl jump down to the battlefield. The soldiers ran towards the edge of the wall and stared in shock at the sight of a large blue bear-like monster down below. "You really grow fast." commented Aimi, "Is it because of Halrimaw''s blood?" "ROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!!!" roared Aomi''s giant, imposing one and a half meter tall body. All four of her legs dug deep into the earth when she leapt down. As for Aimi''s arrow, a column of five black monsters were skewered with one shot. They didn''t disintegrate unlike having received a hypersonic bullet. Their bodies immediately dropped dead instead. Seeing this, the soldiers and the attackers stared at the young Japanese magical archer girl standing on the wall with her bow drawn once more. Four red-eyed people looked at one another. With a nod, they aimed their weapons at Aimi. Eight giant guns were pointed at Aimi, and each revealed a bright green light. In an instant, their giant guns released a ray of crackling green light. "VVVVNNNNNGGGG!!!" The green light lasted for a second before disappearing, and a large cloud of steam left the mechs from their rears. The green light had actually hit Aimi and created a large cloud of dust from the destroyed concrete, and the surrounding soldiers had scattered. In their panic, they remembered that the girl was Daichi''s daughter, and frantically searched for any trace of her. After the dust had settled, they red-eyed people''s eyes went wide, so did the soldiers. Aimi was found still standing with a wall of flames erected before her. The wall of flames had protected her from the attack, and receded into a thin veil that covered her body. "That... scared me." commented Aimi, "Too close, too... close. If senpai hadn''t had his flames cover me, I''d be dead." Aomi, who was down below, saw Aimi to be safe. Immediately, the Azursa faced the black monsters. Seeing a giant black cat about to pounce onto her, she took the initiative and tackled the giant black cat. A giant blue bear versus a giant black cat, with the blue bear winning by a landslide as she crushed the cat with her powerful maw and claws. Aimi, seeing Aomi able to fend off attacks effortlessly continued on raining down a hellstorm of blue arrows with support from the frenzied soldiers. ... To the east where Cavaron went, the man in question was atop a bombed out concrete tower and was looking down at the battlefield. "How the hell did they get that technology?" he wondered as he watched bipedal mechs lay waste to the coalition soldiers with directed energy weapons, "Judging from Daichi''s equipment, this world shouldn''t have perfected that branch of science yet. Something''s amiss... Well, I guess I should match their technology seeing as conventional kinetic weapons hardly damage them plus those monsters." Cavaron opened a portal ring to his inventory, and pulled out a giant metal box. "It''s been three hours since I dismissed them." he said, "I guess I shouldn''t disturb their rest for a few days. Meanwhile, I''ll just use the weapons from my collection since I want to see their reaction when I use this baby especially since I can''t expect to last long receiving one sonicboom after another." Cavaron smiled and laughed mischievously as he caressed the metal box. Chapter 73 I should have waited until the APEC summit to incorporate it into Cavaron. Oh well, Putin and Obama are coming to Manila for the APEC summit, and their presences are a security nightmare and the Al-Qaeda''s wet dream. Other than that, I love how my previous professor gave an entire week to answer the exam but still had a seventy percent chance of failing, and how my current professor only gave an hour and a half for an "open everything" exam that also had the same percentage to fail it. The only thing remaining for me is our moot court competition that makes up fifty percent of our entire grade. Life is food. Very hungry. So delicious. Have a chapter. -------------------------------- The bipedal mechs fired off their directed energy weapons, and those that were hit got burned to oblivion that not even a cry was heard. Giant black dogs made up the vanguard and, with their powerful maws, tore off one limb or head after another. Behind the dogs were giant black cats that, with their ungodly sharp claws and reflexes, whipped up a whirlwind of mangled flesh and metal. As for the giant black birds in the sky, they were nuisances as they wreaked havoc with their hit-and-run attacks and their powerful talons that could lift a full grown man into the sky. The line of battle has been slowly shifting towards the fortress, and the coalition forces were slowly dwindling. Unable to cope with the pressure, an officer screamed into the radio. "The west line is about to be breached!" he shouted, "I don''t care who or what, we need reinforcements!!" A beam of light suddenly tore through him, and burned away the top half of his body. His legs that were left behind limply fell to the ground, and the soldiers around him scattered in panic. "Goddammit!" cursed a soldier, "We are the best of the best each of our countries have to offer! Why the hell are we losing!?" "Did you even see those monsters!?" cried another soldier, "Technology far ahead of our time, technology that could only be seen in movies! We are fighting against a fanta CRUNCH!" "YURI!" cried the previous soldier as he saw his comrade''s head get bitten off by a giant black dog, "YOU SON OF A BITCH! DIE!!! RATATATATA!!" The giant black dog only flinched from the bullets'' stopping power, but was still standing. The soldier dumped the entire magazine until his rifle clicked from the lack of ammunition. "Dammit! DAMMIT!!" cursed the soldier, "GRAAAAAAHHHHHH!!" The soldier pulled out a knife and attempted to stab the dog. However, the dog swatted him into a wall where he lay limp and awaited his death. The dog approached the dying soldier to end his pitiful life. "I''m sorry, Natasha." said the soldier as he embraced his fate. "YAHOOOOO!!! C''MERE LITTLE DOGE!" Suddenly, a small squeaky voice came from behind, and a small shadow leapt over the soon to die soldier onto the dog. The surprise momentarily stunned the dog, and was immediately stabbed by two small swords into each of its eyes, killing it. "Huh?" muttered the soldier, "How''d a midget get here!?" Indeed, it was a midget who saved him. Specifically, it was a midget Cavaron that wore midget-sized armor and weapons. "Mini-Cavaron 1, reporting for duty!" said the midget Cavaron, "See ya! Yahooooo!!!" The soldier lay in his place as he was struck dumb at the sight of a midget Cavaron swiftly and systematically getting rid of one black monster after another. Due to the midget Cavaron''s size, the bipedal mechs had a hard time acquiring it as a target. "Wait for meeeeeere!!!" another squeaky voice came from behind, "Eat this, ya little shits!! FWIIIIIPAAAAAAAANG!!!" A thin beam of light tore through the air, and sliced past four giant birds. The beam of light was like a knife dancing in the air until it dissipated. After that, another thin beam of light swept over the battlefield and shredded two bipedal mechs, making them explode. Another midget Cavaron walked past the soldier with a giant hand cannon. "Mini Cavaron 2, ready to mince some meat!" said the second midget Cavaron who was wearing a sleek chrome armor, "Weeheehee!!" The second midget Cavaron ran to the battlefield and lay even greater havoc than the first. Seeing a pair of midgets dance through the battlefield eventually baffled all who bore witness to it. That was until giant spears of blue light fell onto the area, and pierced a huge number of bipedal mechs and black monsters. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! DIE! DIE!" another squeaky voice came from above and revealed the owner to be another midget Cavaron wearing a loose blue cloak with an evil smile as it rained blue hell all over, "Mini Cavaron 3 has descended!!! Bow down to me, puny mortals!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" The third midget Cavaron flew above the battlefield and threw one blue spear after another in midair. The giant black birds attempted to attack the third midget Cavaron but were torn apart by the second midget Cavaron''s laser. The sight of three midget Cavarons was something to behold as only they remained fighting against the monsters and red-eyed people. "What the hell is going on!?" cried the supposedly dying soldier. Soon, a medic arrived next to him, "Don''t know, don''t care. All I know is they are allies, and I''m here to get you out!" The medic rescued the soldier,and the two of them left the battlefield. After a while, the only ones left fighting were the red-eyed people and the black monsters, and the three midget Cavarons and the lone man watching from atop a bombed out tower. The man in the tower was giggling manically as he watched the three midgets lay waste to the already wasted battlefield. Next to the man was a metal box with three midget shaped holes, and a pile of weapons and clothing. This man was Cavaron, and he brought out another piece of his collection. "Kukikikiki..." giggled Cavaron creepily, "Go, my Mini-mes! Go and have a party! Akakakakaka!!" Cavaron held his belly as he laughed until tears formed on his eyes from laughing too hard. Eventually, he sat down and pulled out a portable gaming device from his inventory, and played a game while waiting for the midget Cavaron''s to finish their duty. "Ooh, I can now forge an Astral armor set." said Cavaron as he played his game, "Let''s see, it adds a total of 250 overall defense. That''s good... The hell is tha OH MY GOD..." However, he noticed a strange vessel flying in the distance. It was similar to a catamaran but was over a kilometer long and wide. As he watched in awe of the flying vessel, the vessel suddenly produced a massive ball of energy on one of its long fuselages. The ball of energy became brighter and larger, and one could see the space around it wave and bend. After ten seconds, the huge vessel fired the massive ball of energy into the fortress. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "Shit!" cursed Cavaron as he threw his gaming device back into his inventory, "I hope this works, FIRE WALL!!" Cavaron jumped out of hiding and ran right in front of the massive ball of energy that was growing unstable. As he shouted, the flames within his body left him and erected a massive 500-meter wall of fire. The ball of energy collided with his flames, but like how his contracts'' attacks were effortlessly erased by Azrael''s flames, the ball of energy was also erased. The sight of a 50-meter wide ball of energy dissipating into oblivion by a 500-meter tall wall of flames was witnessed by all who were present. "Holy shit!" exclaimed Cavaron, "It really erased the damned thing! Now, what will you do ne eh? How?" The massive vessel was suddenly flying overhead without him noticing. Earlier, the vessel was at a distance of over six kilometers. It covered, however, that same distance in a span of a mere five seconds, almost the entire time it took the ball of energy to completely disappear. "Mini-me 2 and 3!!" shouted Cavaron, "Bring that thing down!!" "Roger!" squeaked Mini Cavaron 2, "Pew pew!" "Ahahahaha!!" laughed Mini Cavaron 3 squeakily, "RAIN OF TORMENT!!!" "What about me?" squeaked Mini Cavaron 1, "Guess I''ll take care of the stragglers... C''MERE DOGE!!" Mini Cavaron 2 aimed his hand cannon at the flying vessel and let loose a thicker beam of light. As for Mini Cavaron 3, he let loose a torrent of blue spears. The blue spears flew together with the beam and hit the vessel in a split second. However, the vessel was unharmed as the beam and spears stopped short because of a barrier around the vessel. The barrier emitted a soft white light as it got hit by the beam and spears, but did not shatter. "Ah! Energy shield!" squeaked Mini Cavaron 2, "I need something with a bigger output!" "Stupid shield!" squeaked Mini Cavaron 3, "Cavaron Prime, we need a mass driver to punch through that!" "Evade its attacks, first!" ordered Cavaron, "Incoming!!!" The vessel''s underside suddenly lit up from twenty four locations. A second after, multiple short beams rained down onto and around Cavaron. However, Cavaron effortlessly evaded all of the beam attacks with his mana-infused body. As for the Mini Cavarons, they grabbed onto Cavaron and evaded the attacks with him. "It can sustain this much fire!?" cried Cavaron, "Grah! Railgun time!" Cavaron suddenly stopped dodging and pulled out a railgun from his inventory. He aimed the gun at the flying vessel that was still shooting at him, and shot a tungsten round after ripping the sound barrier once more. "Eat Mach 7!" cried Cavaron, "BANG!!!" Cavaron''s railgun lit up, and delivered the super electromagnetic bullet that hit the shields as soon as it left the gun. The tungsten round tore through the shield as expected, and even hit the hull of the vessel. However, although it was damaged, it wasn''t enough to bring it down. "Damn! I need a rail cannon!" cursed Cavaron, "I don''t even have a rail cannon, yet!" Cavaron looked around for a way to break through the shields, until he realized something and slapped his head. "Why didn''t I remember this earlier?" he scolded himself, "A flame is a tool that could create and destroy... By that logic..." Cavaron willed his flames to cover his hands, and waved his flames around his railgun. His railgun was devoured by the flames, and rematerialized beside him in the form of a larger gun. "Mini-mes, cover me!" ordered Cavaron, "I''m not too familiar with the concept behind mass drivers, but if I take the railgun as a reference..." Slowly, a massive cannon formed beside him. Although a cannon, it was more of a supersized version of his already large railgun. This railcannon was as big as a bus and was bolted to the ground instead of being carried by him. The muzzle was aimed at the flying vessel. "Well, it''s a giant railgun instead of a railcannon..." commented Cavaron, "Should work the same... Where''s that button? Oh, big button..." Cavaron found the button that he would press when firing the railgun. Instead, he found a big red button the size of a head. Seeing that the "cannon" was already aimed at the vessel, it only took him one action to get it done. He punched the big red button. "Cover your ears!" he shouted. "BOOM!!!" A massive and deep boom was heard instead of the usual sonic boom, and a massive shockwave was generated as an eighty millimeter tungsten round was flung forward at hypersonic speeds and literally tore through the space-time continuum. The shockwave from the sonic boom reached the walls of the fortress as the cement crumbled to dust. A few unlucky soldiers who were out in the open were sadly pummeled to the ground by a force that resembled a nuke. A huge crater was left on the ground, and a huge hole appeared on the flying vessel. The Mini Cavarons had to hold onto him for dear life in fear of being blown away. The vessel, having lost a chunk of its hull, slowly lost altitude and was sent crashing into the ground. The sight of a kilometer wide metal catamaran caused the sounds of retreat and evacuation to erupt all over the fortress. Even the attacking black monsters and bipedal mechs were forced to retreat seeing as they lost more than they gave. "Oops..." said Cavaron, "I hope my flames can get rid of that. Fire Wall!!" Another wall of his flames erupted and created a protective dome above them. However, right before the flames themselves fully encapsulated the falling vessel, the ground tore open and a giant tree grew out of the ground. In a few seconds, the giant tree had grown to a size of two kilometers high and three kilometers wide, completely covering the entire area with its canopy. The giant tree completely caught the falling vessel with its massive branches that were as thick as giant sequoias, and right beneath it was an old man with a very long white beard staring furiously at Cavaron. "Blade Dancer, Cavaron!" shouted the old man, "How dare you break the rules set upon by the masters!" --------------------------- Squeak. Chapter 74 APEC is happening. It is really happening. So busy. Very, verily busy... and neither Putin nor Widodo are personally attending. There goes my hopes of getting a photo with either of then. Also I''m a third expecting a disaster, a third expecting a worse disaster, and a third expecting the usual. Have a chapter. Not sure when the next one will be out. ------------------------------------ Threads of black light appeared around the old man. "Aw, shit." cursed Cavaron, "Really?" The threads of black light grew to the same size as the tree above the old man, and the old man shouted. "Stasis." he said. The black light expanded within an eye blink, enveloping the entirety of the fortress and the surrounding areas. The environment came to appear in negative color as time stopped all around them. Apart from the old man, Cavaron remained unaffected due to the newly swirling flames around his body that erupted at the same moment the black light encompassed Cavaron. The old man raised a brow at this sight. "A fragment of chaos?" said the old man, "From whom did you receive that?" Cavaron smirked at the old man''s knowledge and interest. "So it would seem that you know about this seed." replied Cavaron, "Tell me, Yggdrasil, apart from you, who else knows about this flame?" The old man, Yggdrasil, remained silent. With a wave of his arms, tree roots and vines shot forward in an attempt to bind Cavaron. Seeing such hostility, Cavaron had no other recourse but to resist. "Is this how you greet a friend you haven''t met for a few centuries!?" shouted Cavaron, "Old man, have you gone senile!? Hahaha!" Yggdrasil appeared unaffected and kept the assault. A bunch of vines came from above Cavaron while another bunch of tree roots came from below. All around Cavaron, wood and vine tried to grapple him. "Hey, hey, hey!" shouted Cavaron, "I''ve seen too much to know where this is going! Pardon me if I ''erase'' it, yeah?" Cavaron willed his flames to meet the roots and vines head on with a huge fan of flames. The fan of flames met the roots and vines, and the roots and vines disappeared without a trace. "Too much destruction, Cavaron." said Yggdrasil, "You haven''t mastered the gift. Hideki, come out." Suddenly, the giant tree opened up and revealed a young Japanese man wearing a green jacket, black slacks, and a pair of boots. He appeared like an everyday Terran, but there was an eye catching item that he held. The young man wielded an unusual sword whose hilt was as long as its blade, and this sword was as tall as the young man. The young man, Hideki, jumped out of the tree and wielded the unusual sword with both of his hands like a spear, and came bearing down on Cavaron with a strange power. Streams of water swirled around his unusual sword, and struck down at Cavaron. Cavaron, seeing that Hideki brought down his sword upon him, retaliated with a blast of his flames. The steams of water around Hideki''s sword met with Cavaron''s flames and extinguished them. This surprised Cavaron and he immediately jumped far back. "What the hell was that!?" cried out Cavaron, "How did you counter this flame!?" Hideki stood in his place as he silently stared at Cavaron. Yggdrasil walked next to Hideki to answer Cavaron''s question. "Hideki, although he is of the Earth, received the Water of Tranquility." answered Yggdrasil, "A perfect counter to the Flames of Chaos. Bind him, Hideki." Hideki nodded and summoned more streams of water around his body. In an eye blink, he suddenly appeared before Cavaron and swung his sword. As Hideki swung his sword, the water around his body spewed forth to tangle Cavaron. Cavaron''s flames erupted in the face of impending danger and attempted to overpower the flames. Fire and water clashed, and Cavaron had no choice but to bring out his own weapons to counter Hideki''s sword. In a flash, his short swords appeared and collided with Hideki''s unusual sword. The two of them were seemingly at par with one another but Cavaron was winning with his near inexhaustible mana, while Hideki''s water was overpowering Cavaron''s flames. "Do it, Hideki." ordered Yggdrasil. Suddenly, Hideki''s eyes revealed an icy atmosphere. The water around his body became increasingly dense, and his body became wrapped with white light. A while after, the white light exploded and Hideki''s appearance changed much like how Cavaron''s appearance had once changed before. Hideki''s hair and eyes became icy blue, and his clothing became ethereal white. Even his unusual sword became crystalline in appearance. "Regalia of Tranquility." said Hideki, "Accept your fate." Cavaron became enraged. "You transformed?" he said, "Then I''ll transform as well!" Cavaron''s flames became increasingly black and enveloped his body until light could no longer pass. In less than five seconds, a pair of red eyes were revealed from the dark storm that enveloped him. However, before the flames could disperse... "I already told you that Hideki''s gift was the perfect counter to your gift." said Yggdrasil as he watched a torrent of fire and water clash against each other, "But it would seem that you have lost yourself to the flame." The water around Hideki swallowed the flaming pillar that was Cavaron, and it was all done in a moment. The black flames were extinguished and, through the water''s translucence, Cavaron reverted back to his original appearance with a face of disbelief. The water bound him by his neck and limbs, and dropped him on his knees as they dispersed. This left only Hideki and Yggdrasil standing before Cavaron. "As punishment for revealing magic to nonmagical inhabitants, you will be put to sleep for the time being." said Yggdrasil as he bent down on the kneeling Cavaron, "Ethereal Daze." A gray cloud appeared around Cavaron, and he slowly lost consciousness. Before he could drop on the ground, tree roots had caught him and brought his unconscious body to the giant tree. "Now then, how many minds will I be altering?" wondered Yggdrasil, "Apart from Maguro and that new girl... Oh, dear. That''s quite a lot... If not for his relationship with Master Efil, I would have put him to sleep for eternity. For now, Hideki, assist Cavaron in mastering his gift." Hideki, having reverted back to his original appearance, nodded at Yggdrasil''s command and headed back to the giant tree, following after Cavaron''s unconscious body. --- "Greetings, Master Yggdrasil. " greeted Maguro, "I must ask, though, what happened with these two?" Maguro, Aimi, and Aomi were seated around a table with Ygdrassil. With them, however, were two other people: Aiko and Daichi, and they were the subjects of Maguro''s inquiry. "I cannot fathom how my mind magic was unable to alter their memories." sighed Yggdrasil, "Cavaron must have mixed an essence of his flames when he granted knowledge upon these two." Yggdrasil turned his head towards the two stiff soldiers seated on his left. Maguro, on his right, spoke. "And Cavaron?" he asked, "Where did you take him?" "Relax, Maguro." said Yggdrasil, "He may be under punishment, but he will be under the care of a trusted individual. I... we... cannot really bring him to harm due to his relationship with Master Efil. For now, the trusted individual will be ''fixing'' Cavaron for us. As for the three mini-Cavarons, behave or I will dismantle you." The three mini-Cavarons who were frozen in time before were actually standing behind Yggdrasil. When they heard his warning, the three huddled together and shivered at the thought. "I wonder where he got these dolls." said Maguro, "Their AI is really advanced. I have yet to encounter a world with self-aware dolls. Especially those that know fear." Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "I suspect they came from a magitech world." said Yggdrasil, "Even now, they are drawing mana from Cavaron''s unconscious body. Hm? Yes, young one?" Yggdrasil found Aimi raising her hand. "Um, I can''t help but ask..." she said, "Are you European? I just noticed your accent." Yggdrasil blinked twice and laughed. "Ahaha, yes. Yes, I am." he answered, "Specifically, I am an ancient Norse wizard, a heretic of the time. Oh, but I hold no relations with the myths and legends of Nordic gods, though." "Master Yggdrasil was named as such because of his mastery over nature magic coupled with his age." said Maguro, "He is one of the oldest Terrans of our kind." "Don''t forget that old age brings about wisdom." added Yggdrasil, "Because of this long life, I was able to add Mind and Time-Space magic to my repertoire." "You should be around 1200 years old, yes?" asked Maguro, "That is, assuming you were born around the eighth century." "Taking the lunar cycles as reference, I am about that many years old." replied Yggdrasil, "I honestly don''t know since I stopped counting when I hit 300 years. Strange how Cavaron still keeps tabs on his age." ... As they were chatting with each other, Cavaron was in an unknown location. This location could very well be inside the giant tree as the walls were made of tree bark and the "bed" his body lay upon was made of twisted wood. Beside him was the young man, Hideki, who had his unusual sword sheathed on his back. "I may be younger than you, senior..." he said, "But my mastery of the gifts are greater than yours. I wonder what you lost to gain this much?" Hideki summoned streams of water from within himself to coil around his arms. The streams were like snakes that slithered all the way to his fingers. "Pardon me for this, but I must make sure you haven''t lost beyond help." he told Cavaron, "Well, I doubt you''ll notice since you are asleep, after all." Hideki wave his hands over Cavaron''s unconscious body, and the streams of water flowed into every orifice of Cavaron. Streams of water entered through Cavaron''s ears, nose, mouth, and even the nether regions. The water flowed continuously until, finally, Hideki''s eyes had gone white, and the streams of water fully encased Cavaron in an icy blue shell. "I will be entering your subconsciousness, senior." said Hideki, "I will douse the raging flames in your heart." Unknown to Hideki, behind him was another young man. This young man had purple hair and golden eyes. He was the very same young man that had brought Edeortha to ruin a century ago. The purple-haired young man was silently watching Hideki work on Cavaron for a while before phasing out of existence. --- Having entered Cavaron''s subconscious, Hideki found himself sitting upright on a bed inside a room. "Where am I?" he wondered, "Is this a memory fragment?" Hideki got off the bed and went to a nearby window. Outside, he found himself to be inside a farmland village. With a single glance, one could surmise that this village held a small population of 100 families. Hideki looked down below him and found a young man with farming tools talking to a woman. "Have you been well, Cavaron?" asked the woman, "I''m sorry I haven''t been visiting as much lately." "No worries, teacher." replied the young farmer, "I know that being a married woman makes one busy." The young farmer, Cavaron, was happily chatting with the woman who appeared at least ten years older than him. "Clara, where are you?" called out a burly man, "Oh, there you are. Hey, Cavaron." "Hey, to you, too." replied Cavaron, "I should go back to work now, teacher." "Uh, yes." replied Clara, "Yes, I shouldn''t disturb you for too long. Say hi to your parents for me." Hideki watched Cavaron leave the house and wave goodbye to the man and woman. After the couple had gone out of sight, Hideki found Cavaron strongly gripping the handle of his backhoe. "Damn you, Grall." cursed Cavaron, "If I had power... If I hadn''t ran... Clara... I''m so sorry..." Cavaron left towards the farmlands still seething in anger. Hideki followed Cavaron until he could no longer see him. He turned around but didn''t find the same room nor the bed he sat on. Instead, he was in an audience chamber with a dumbstruck Cavaron facing a king. "Hero! We have summoned you to aid us in our great need!" declared the king, "Our goddess has deemed you worthy of her gift to slay our enemies!" "This must be his first summoning." mused Hideki, "Is senior showing me these, is it the flame, or is it the hand of fate?" "I... I''m no hero..." said Cavaron, "What the hell are you saying? Where the hell am I!?" The king appeared distraught and an aide whispered with him. Occasionally, they would glance at Cavaron looking like a lost lamb. "Still, you were summoned." said the king, "Therefore, you have the capacity to be our hero!" The king stood up and left Cavaron with another man. This man was wearing a Maximilian-like silver armor. The armored man had a longsword sheathed by his hip, and was also accompanied by a musclebound man cloaked in red orange flames with a turban. "Pardon His Majesty, young one." said the armored man, "He hasn''t rested well for the past few weeks due to our losses. My name is William and this fellow here is Culverin. We will be the ones to teach you how to fight. Come." Hideki watched as William effortlessly lifted the young Cavaron up from his knees and brought him somewhere else. Culverin, who was then bound to William, followed behind them. Hideki sought to follow as well but, right after passing through a door way, the scenery changed to a battlefield. "William! William! Talk to me, dammit!" Within the battlefield was a silver armored Cavaron kneeling next to a dying William. Culverin was also kneeling down, staring at William. "Cough... Sorry, Cavaron." apologized William, "After all that I''d taught you... You''ve done well... Haha..." William held Cavaron''s trembling hand, "I''ll be leaving Culverin with you... Take him as... Your graduation gift..." A magic circle appeared beneath them. Cavaron and Culverin were then bathed in magical light. "Ever passionate guardian of the Scarlet Goddess." chanted William, "I beseech thee to grant onto my compatriote thine love and aid in his time of need. Let our pact, that was once bound unto us, be delivered to the coming generation." William''s body glowed, and a magical array rose from his body. This array split apart into two, each of them landing onto Cavaron and Culverin. "Hey, William." called out Cavaron, "What the hell are you doing? This looks different from the usual binding. Hey! Answer me! William!" William just smiled at Cavaron until his body dispersed into many balls of yellow light. The balls of light swirled around Cavaron''s body until they all finally converged into him. "This... No... No! I don''t need this, damn you! William!" cried Cavaron, "You damn bastard..." William''s body disappeared, and the mana around Cavaron fluctuated. Cavaron stood up and approached Culverin. He grasped both of the Elemental''s shoulders and lifted Culverin with unimaginable strength. "You knew, didn''t you?" asked Cavaron, "You knew he would sacrifice his essence to empower mine! Answer me, Culverin!" Culverin looked at Cavaron in the eyes. "Master William''s command was absolute." he answered, "And now, yours as well." Cavaron became furious. "If that''s how you all want it, then fine." he said, "With your aid, all shall burn down to the ground!" "Yes, Master Cavaron." answered Culverin. Chapter 75 I laugh at what is currently happening to my country. Have a chapter. --------------------------- "What do you mean ''you can''t send me back home''?" asked an angered Cavaron, "I fought for my life out there, William sacrificed his life for me, and I eventually killed that goddamned Demon Lord you pieces of shit were panicking over!" The king that ordered the summoning of Cavaron was behind a wall of guards. Seeing Cavaron, seething in anger, they could only try to appease him especially since he had enough capability to kill a Demon Lord. Cavaron, although furious, hadn''t drawn his weapon yet as a sword was still sheathed by his waist. "S-sir Cavaron..." stuttered the king. "''SIR''!? YOU NOW ADD A ''SIR'' TO MY NAME!?" blasted Cavaron, "YOU HELD A GODDAMNED RITUAL TO KIDNAP ME FROM ANOTHER WORLD AND EXPECTED ME TO AID YOU, WHICH I DID, AND YOU REPAY ME WITH SHIT LIKE THIS!?" "P-please calm down..." said the king, "Our mages are doing their utmost to find a way to send you back home. F-for the moment, won''t you take this chance to see the sights of our fair world?" "And? How long would that take?" inquired Cavaron, "Unlike you, your home is here! I have a family waiting for me, wondering what the hell happened to me! A father! A mother! Loved ones that you tore me away from for three whole months!" "W-well..." replied the king, "I-I''m sorry, but I cannot say." Cavaron stared at the king in the eye, and the king flinched from the severity of Cavaron''s stare. "You know, I could just kill you and everybody present here." threatened Cavaron, "And... schwick! Don''t think an assassin would make me think otherwise." Cavaron grabbed hold of his sword, and swung it all the way behind him. Suddenly, a person appeared out of thin air behind him holding a dagger with a green blade. When Cavaron''s sword tore through the seemingly empty space, its edge actually hit the person''s neck and sliced off the head. "If I hadn''t gone through William''s hellish training, this guy would still be alive, and I''m dead." commented Cavaron, "So, choose. Send me home or die like this poor son of a bitch." Finally, the guards around the king drew their weapons and shields. The threatening atmosphere exhuded by Cavaron was grave and heavy. "Hmm... Betrayal by the first summoning." commented Hideki as he watched, "Not really a rare case but not really that common either. At least he made through it alive unlike many of our kind." Hideki had planned to watch everything but, when he blinked, the scenery suddenly changed. Hideki was now before another freshly summoned Cavaron in front of another king. "Hero! Please save us!" said the king as he knelt down before Cavaron. "My god... That is so template material." commented Hideki, "Then again, we''ve experienced the same things that we''ve become numb to it. Still, rather refreshing to see someone else have that said to them." "No!" replied Cavaron immediately. "Please! The forces of darkness are about to devour us all!" pleaded the king, "My beloved daughter... My princess sacrificed her life to summon you! Please don''t let her death be in vain!" "Oh, shit..." commented Hideki, "A blood ritual? Hmm, effects vary between each circumstance, be it for the summoner, the one being summoned, or the sacrifice... and this is only his second summoning." "So that''s the strange feeling I got when I got here." uttered Cavaron, "Life essence flowed into me... strengthening me... like William..." Cavaron looked at the sniveling king prostrated before him. "Do you regret losing your daughter?" asked Cavaron. The king looked up at him, "May the heavens damn me if I didn''t!" and replied. "Then, provide me with any aid you can muster." declared Cavaron, "I will help you, if only to honor your daughter''s sacrifice." Hideki watched how Cavaron received aid from the king and, in turn, defeated another powerful enemy after fighting for a month on the battlefield. Having won the war, he was celebrated as a hero to the kingdom who summoned him. However, at the end of it all, even the second person to summon him had no idea how to directly send him home. "I''m sorry, from what you told me, we summoned you from a world different from your home." apologized the king, "If we had pulled you from your home, we would naturally have a method to send you back as stated in our ancient texts... For all that you have done for us, even I would be willing to serve as a catalyst to send you home." "Are all your rituals sacrifice-based?" asked Cavaron. The king frowned, "Sadly, yes. Our scholars still have no idea to deconstruct the ancient glyphs and arrays to enable us to use another medium for summoning." and replied. Different from Cavaron''s first summoning, he was calm. He seemed to have accepted his fate of being unable to go home. "I see... Then, would it be all right to browse your libraries?" he inquired, "An old friend of mine always told me to treasure the knowledge recorded in books and ancient scripts." Time passed for Cavaron, and Hideki found himself following the person through a massive library. On many tables were many piles of books and scrolls that were left open by Cavaron. When Hideki followed Cavaron around a corner of an aisle, the surroundings changed and Cavaron was standing before a demon with his sword drawn. "Rest easy, champion." said the demon, "While I am a demon, I am not evil like many would believe." "A demon summoned him?" wondered Hideki in surprise, "Now this is an absolute rarity. Seeing a red-skinned and horned individual summon a champion is new for me." "Judging from the crystal spires around me, you summoned me for a reason, yes?" asked Cavaron, "This is new. Usually, it would be human monarchs who would summon me to aid them." Cavaron, seeing that only he and the demon were present and judging the words of the demon to be plausible, he sheathed his sword. That is, not without letting his mana flow through his body to reinforce it. "You are free to be strengthened by your mana." said the demon, "It is understandable that one, a human, would be wary to trust a demon''s words." Cavaron was surprised, "You... you can sense my mana?" and asked. "Not only sense, in the vaguest of the term, but also see it clearly." replied the demon, "Interesting, you have an abundance of mana within your body, but it has yet to merge with you completely..." "Huh?" said Cavaron, "Merge completely?" "You''ll see in time, of course, if you live long enough." said the demon, "Now, on to more urgent matters. I hope you can... persuade... the humans of this world to not annihilate my kind. In return, I will grant you one wish." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Cavaron raised a brow at the demon''s offer, "A wish?" "Worry not." replied the demon, "I am unlike the devils in tales where a wish will be granted in exchange for one''s suffering. If we are able to live in peace afterwards, I will grant you anything that is within my power." "Now this is an interesting exchange." commented Hideki, "If my memory serves me right, senior would learn about wayfaring after this." Hideki watched as, for Cavaron''s first time, he handled the situation amicably. Judging by how the memory played out, Cavaron spent at least two months trying to bridge the two races. Of course, not everything was smooth sailing as Cavaron, at times, needed the voice of his sword to speak. Nevertheless, it was one of his most difficult yet peaceful duties. Finally, after a month had passed in the memory, Cavaron was once more before the demon that summoned him. "Like I had said before, after you had persuaded much of this world to live alongside our kind..." said the demon, "I would grant you a wish. What would you want as your wish?" Cavaron pondered for a while before stating his wish. Occasionally, he would look at his hands and look at the demon who was patiently waiting for him. Other times, he would look outside and see what he had done so far. "I... I wish to know how to travel between worlds." he said, "Judging from my past summonings, I cannot rely on my summoner to send me home. Therefore, it is up to myself to come and go as I wish." The demon''s eyes widened, "Oh, a peculiar wish." and said, "Do you have someone waiting for you?" "I haven''t seen my family for months already." answered Cavaron, "I would like to return to them and tell them how I had fared during the last few months." The demon closed his eyes and lifted his head towards the ceiling. "Ah, yes. Family." said the demon, "I have to thank you for saving my family. Indeed, they are important. Very well, I shall impart my knowledge. Having done the summoning, I naturally have the capacity to send you back and more. With your mana, traveling between worlds will be taxing, however, and you may need to rest every so often." A magical circle appeared beneath the two of them. "I pledge this gift to you, Cavaron." said the demon, "Use it well." Without a chant nor an aria, the magic circle revealed an orange glow and enveloped both of their bodies. From the demon''s head came out a small orb of light. This light swiftly floated towards Cavaron''s own head and merged. "With that, the knowledge of traveling between worlds is yours." said the demon, "Along with additional bits of wisdom pertaining to your mana." "Huh? But I..." said Cavaron. "With all that you had done, I would have done more." said the demon, "A whole lot more." Hideki watched Cavaron create a tear in space as he, for the first time, willingly left a world into what he would call in the future as Hub Space. Having disappeared from sight, Hideki moved towards where Cavaron left, and the scene changed with Cavaron kneeling down on the ground and crying. "This... My god..." said Hideki, "What the hell happened to his home?" Cavaron had only disappeared for half a year. However, within this year, a ruined village laid before them. Fields turned to wastelands, houses burnt to the ground, and mass grave markings littered the area. Before Cavaron were the graves of four people, two were of his parents, one had the name "Grall", and the fourth had the name "Clara" etched onto the stone. Behind him, though, was a group of armored individuals. One of them stepped forward and knelt next to Cavaron. "Cavaron... I''m sorry we couldn''t protect them." apologized the soldier, "When you disappeared... It was hell for many of us. Losing an important person in our village... in our family... the pain it wrought upon us. Then, this war happened. I... I don''t know how to make you feel better..." "Who invaded us...?" asked Cavaron with anger in his voice, "Tell me, Lukas!" "Oh... shit..." commented Hideki as he watched the scenes that unfolded after. Cavaron, with his newfound power and the help of Culverin, obliterated the neighboring kingdom that attacked his home. Over the course of his war, he learned that the invasion happened due to the mineral deposits that were discovered in the region two months prior. This further fueled his rage as he brought down sundering flames upon the opposing kingdom''s armies. In his rage, he neglected his own life, and many times he was on the brink of death. The leaders of his home, seeing his battles, were invigorated by his same rage as they, too, took up arms for reprisal. Further assisted by his home''s armies, he led the way up until the capital of the opposing kingdom, and slit their king''s throat out in the public. With this act, he was then known as the Silver Conqueror from his silver armor. Without his knowledge, however, this title would spread far and wide, and even last over the course of time. After his war of vengeance, Cavaron returned to his home village with the soldier, Lukas. "What will you do now, Cavaron?" asked Lukas, "How about you come with me? Let''s start life anew." Although Lukas was, at first, surprised at the power Cavaron received, he remained by his side. Even during Cavaron''s war, he stayed next to his suffering friend. Now that his war was over, Lukas thought it would be a good idea to go somewhere else and live peacefully. "No..." refused Cavaron, "I''m leaving." "Huh? Leave?" repeated Lukas, "But, where will you go?" "Anywhere and everywhere." answered Cavaron, "The longer I stay here, the more I remember the past. I might return, when all is well, though so I will leave this here. Mana Anchor!" Cavaron concentrated a large ball of mana, and threw it to the ground. After that, he faced Lukas with a solemn face. "This is goodbye, thanks for staying with me." said Cavaron, "We may or may not meet again but be sure to live a long life, Lukas." Lukas stared at Cavaron. After a while, he approached him and gave Cavaron a hug. "Farewell, then, my friend." said Lukas, "From what I''ve seen from you, you will experience a lot more than me. Stay safe, Silver Conqueror." --------------------------- A summary of events. His armor WAS silver in color, and he used a single sword. Chapter 76 A disaster did not happen... Apart from the rampaging leftists. Have chapter. --------------------------------- Hideki witnessed Cavaron''s journey over the years. As time passed, so do the lives in each world that Cavaron had gone to. Whether he visited freely or was pulled away against his will, Cavaron lived on and on and on. "This... This is unbelievable..." commented Hideki, "He has visited worlds that none of us know about... Even their inhabitants... Damn, I should have taken note of each world!" Over the course of walking through Cavaron''s memory lane, Hideki hadn''t just witnessed the worlds that Cavaron had visited nor the inhabitants that were encountered. He even witnessed Cavaron''s then growing collection of treasures, items, or equipment. Including the high technology weapons such as the railgun that he saw Cavaron swipe from a stellar fighter. "I should take note of that." said Hideki as he pulled out a pen and a notebook, "Swiped... a railgun... from Tarso Nis Alpha..." Of course, aside from Cavaron''s collection, Hideki also witnessed the people of their kind that Cavaron came across. Including Folceras whom he found was summoned alongside Cavaron. The pyromancer was similar to how Aimi met Cavaron, aside from his already visible prominence with fire magic. "Fire... Now that I think about it, even senior''s first elemental was a Fire Elemental." said Hideki, "Even his first student.. err... junior was a fire user. A coincidence?" Interestingly, aside from Cavaron''s juniors, Hideki also found another interesting fact. "That... That''s a lot of Japanese..." commented Hideki, "I even lost count at 300 Japanese men and women, and I only know four or five of my kin in this job. A thousand? Two thousand? I don''t even know anymore. What the hell is up with our affinity to being whisked away?" He found too many too much. Of course, some survived their ordeals while others died too soon. Eventually, he ignored the people of their kind that Cavaron had met, except for one. "Where... where''s the memory when he met Master Efil?" wondered Hideki, "Hey, rewind, please! Dammit." Whoever this "Master Efil" was must be a very important individual to their kind. Especially since even this person was very much respected even by Yggdrasil with how he dealt with Cavaron. Soon, however, he also eventually witnessed the succeeding encounters and subsequent contracts that Cavaron formed with his summons. Hideki was flabbergasted to see that Masamune and Muramasa were literally divine swords that were gained awareness due to human sentiments that lingered within them during the Warring States period of a Terran parallel. After having viewed Cavaron''s first 700 years like an immersive highlight reel, he had come to understand the man. His pains, his joys. The friends he had made and had lost, especially for his friends that were once his enemies and enemies that were once his friends. Trust, deceit, betrayal, forgiveness, renewal, continuity. He had learned as much as he could. That was until he saw what happened in Cavaron''s recent century. Hideki saw the events that happened in Edeortha and about Aisha. "How does it feel looking through a person''s memories?" a voice asked Hideki. Hideki, surprised by the voice, went on full alert as he readied his unusual sword. Looking behind him, he saw a familiar sight. "Senior?" asked Hideki, "Or someone else pretending to be him?" Indeed, the person behind him appeared to be Cavaron. That is, whether he is Cavaron''s self, or someone or something else entirely is a question that needed an answer. The reason for Hideki''s doubt, however, was because this Cavaron''s image was when he was first summoned, a farmer. "Interesting weapon you''ve got there." another voice came from Hideki''s left. This time, different from the farmer Cavaron, a Cavaron wearing silver armor and carrying a single sword appeared. "Tell me, what do you call that sword of yours." said the silver armored Cavaron, "I''m curious at the sight of your peculiar weapon." Hideki watched the movements of the two Cavarons warily. The farmer Cavaron had a backhoe, but the silver armored Cavaron had a sword. Hideki''s being on guard eventually broke the silence of another person. "Chill, I''m just asking a question." said another voice from Hideki''s right, "Curiosity may have killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back." The third Cavaron had the now prominent blue glow from being infused with mana over the years. Additionally, this Cavaron had a cape that reflected the seven colors of light as it fluttered from the air as well as his well-known dual short swords. "I call it a Riot Sword." answered Hideki finally, "Its unorthodox design matches my style perfectly. A mix of a sword and a spear, allowing for a myriad of unrestricted close quarter and short range attacks." "Interesting weapon." a fourth voice came from behind him, "Would it be possible to spar for a bit? I want to see its application." The fourth voice came from a Cavaron with blue armor, red cape, and the eye-catching pair of magic swords: the blood sword and the mana sword. "If you''re fighting, I''m backing out." said the farmer Cavaron, "I''m just a farmer with a backhoe." Four Cavarons surrounded Hideki from all four sides. Minus the farmer Cavaron, however, meant that there were still three armed Cavarons around him. "It''s just a spar." said the silver armored Cavaron, "Nobody would get killed. Hurt, maybe, but not killed. So, what do you say?" Hideki looked around. Seeing that none of the Cavarons are attacking yet meant he had a choice. Returning his riot sword to its sheath, he faced the fourth Cavaron with open arms. "Tell me, where is the fifth?" asked Hideki, "Where is the chaos fragment?" The fourth Cavaron scratched his head. "Hmm, not gonna fight, eh?" he said, "Well, there is that route as well. To tell or not to tell..." The three other Cavarons approached Hideki with sheathed weapons, with the farmer Cavaron''s backhoe dangling from his hip, and whispered in his ear. "Do you really want to know?" they all whispered. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. A chill ran down Hideki''s spine and he immediately covered himself with water. Right then and there, the first three Cavarons erupted into black flames, and attempted to devour Hideki. However, due to Hideki''s veil of water, the flames were immediately doused. Hideki snapped his gaze onto the fourth Cavaron''s location, but the person was nowhere to be found. Hideki''s guard was at an all time high as he warily scanned his surroundings that had gone pitch black. When he looked behind him, Hideki found a strange sight. There was a table with two chairs in the middle of the black space. On the table was an 8x9 playing board with 42 unfamiliar pieces placed on either side. Seated on one table was a Cavaron in casual modern Terran attire that was beckoning Hideki to come over and sit. "Haha, I am the fragment that you seek." said the fifth Cavaron, "Unless you need me to change my appearance for you to believe it." The fifth Cavaron''s attire all became black, his hair had gone white, and his eyes turned crimson. "The so-called Flame of Chaos." said the fifth Cavaron, "A pleasure to be acquainted." Hideki, veiled by water, warily watched the fifth Cavaron''s movements. Seeing that he was on guard once more, the fifth Cavaron let out a sigh. "Hahaha... I already know that my flames could do nothing to your Water of Tranquility." said the fifth Cavaron, "You can keep it up, if you''d like, as we play a game." "A game?" wondered Hideki as he went over, "What do you mean to achieve?" The fifth Cavaron smiled, "I am currently in control of his ''self''." and said, "If you beat me, I will return control to the ''self''. Easy, no?" "This... This is outside of my expectations." said Hideki, "Why propose a game all of a sudden?" "On a whim, I guess?" replied the fifth Cavaron, "Hahaha, chaos doesn''t necessarily mean destruction. Destruction is just one facet of chaos. Others include, but do not limit to, freedom and randomness. Like your Tranquility, for example. Systems and order are some facets to it. Then again, destruction is not limited to chaos as even your water could destroy life with a flood." Hideki looked at the water that surrounded his body. After a while, he dispersed it. The fifth Cavaron wasn''t surprised. "The fragments... What are you exactly?" asked Hideki. The fifth Cavaron smirked, "Ha! Now that is an interesting question. Tell me, have you noticed that you haven''t been summoned as much lately?" Hideki closed his eyes to remember that past events of his life. "Right, I haven''t been whisked away as often as the others." he replied, "But what does that have to do with the fragments?" "''He'' created the fragments to break away from the chains of Fate." answered the fifth Cavaron, "The Flames of Chaos, the Water of Tranquility, and the Earth of Temperance. These three fragment types were created by ''Him'' to fight against Fate in all of its myriad forms." "But why create opposing fragments?" asked Hideki, "And what does the Earth Temperance oppose?" "What do you think?" replied the fifth Cavaron. Hideki looked at the flickering tongues of fire emanating from the fifth Cavaron. He also looked at the flowing water that he called out. "Water opposes fire, so earth opposes water." answered Hideki, "Is that right?" "Hmm, not entirely." said the fifth Cavaron, "Tell me, what do you know about the laws of magic, specifically the elements?" "That there are eight natural elements, and a final non-elemental type that covers those outside the natural elements." answered Hideki, "The natural elements are: fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, ice, light, and darkness. For the non-elemental types, it includes Time and Space magic, mind and memory magic, illusion magic, and many more that cannot be categorized under the natural elements." "Hmm, interesting idea there." commented the fifth Cavaron, "But its too unorganized. You''re right on the non-elementals, though, but the natural elements are not as separated as what you believe it to be. There are three magic types: Anima, Ether, and the non-elementals. Anima and Ether are then further broken down to essences. Anima has Red essences, Blue essences, and Green essences while Ether has White essences and Black essences. These essences make up the natural elements that you know of. Now, take a guess at which essences connect to which elements." "If we go by color, Fire and lightning are red, water and ice are blue, earth and wind are green, light is white, and dark is black." answered Hideki, "Huh? That seems more easily understandable, but why do white and black only have one each?" "Because the Ether essences are on a league of their own." replied the fifth Cavaron, "Ether essences are able to directly affect life, death, and restoration among other things. While the Anima essences only command those on a natural level. Although, to some extent, Anima essences could heal apart from destroy. As for non-elementals, well, those things will forever be hard to categorize. Now, onto weaknesses, what do you think opposes what?" "Then, from what you''ve said..." said Hideki, "If we go by essences, red opposes green, green opposes blue, and blue opposes red because they are only within the natural level. As for Ether, I assume that both essences oppose each other equally?" "Smart lad." commended the fifth Cavaron. "Then, can Anima and Ether oppose one another?" asked Hideki, "I suppose that since the essences within each could oppose one another, can the earth oppose the heavens?" The fifth Cavaron revealed a grin, "HAHA! Aren''t you a smart boy?" and said, "I wonder why you got Tranquility instead of me with that brain of yours... Heh heh heh... I wonder if we could swap? Well, yes, certain essences could oppose one Ether essence. Fire, Water, and Earth oppose Light and vice-versa while Lightning, Ice, and Wind oppose Darkness and vice-versa. Any other questions?" Hideki shook his head. "Well, then. Let''s play a game." said the fifth Cavaron. ----------------------- Nothing much happened, yeah. Just an explanation of foundations, especially for Aisha''s past battle with Azrael. Not a chapter. Characters so far
  1. Cavaron. Protagonist. Erasyl
  2. Culverin. Fire elemental
  3. Glacia. Ice elemental
  4. Bronte. Thunder/Lightning elemental
  5. Avani. Earth elemental
  6. Tirta. Water elemental
  7. Stormfell. Wind elemental
  8. Shamira. Light elemental
  9. Nox. Darkness elemental
  10. Halrimaw. Beast spirit. Chimera-like
  11. Capacitor. Machine spirit. Spider mech
  12. Aquila. Hunter spirit. Avian. Crossbow
  13. Felicia. Hunter spirit. Feline. Dagger
  14. Yvka. Hunter spirit. Canine. Claw
  15. Barcuda. Hunter spirit. Fish. Trident (forgot to include)
  16. Masamune. Sword spirit. Samurai
  17. Muramasa. Sword spirit. Ronin
  18. Burkhard. Aegis spirit. Shield
  19. Adelward. Armor spirit. Heavy Armor
  20. Bellatrix. Axe spirit. Berserker
  21. Gunther. Spear spirit. Cavalry
  22. Ulrika. Hammer spirit. Knight (forgot to include)
  23. Morana. Necromancer. Skeleton... Pretty bones
  24. Ruby. Blood Ice witch
  25. Sapphire. Frozen Earth witch
  26. Emerald. Poisoned Fire witch
  27. Rati. Golden Planar Dragon
  28. Rata. Silver Planar Dragon
  29. Head of a Cursed God. Floating head
  30. Unnamed Cipher. ...
  31. Aimi Aoyama. Magical Archer Girl
  32. Maguro Hirosaka. Shaman?
  33. Aomi. Azursa. Aimi''s companion ...
  34. Aiko Tanaka. Japanese Army. Sergeant Major
  35. Hideki Sakaki. Water of Tranquility
  36. Yggdrasil. Oldest known Terran champion
    37. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
  37. Daichi Aoyama. Japanese Army. Colonel ...
  38. Ethra Devai. Angel queen
  39. Esserot Tassern. Demon king
  40. Gulfried Asonar. Human emperor
  41. Akash Sloivat. Angel Legion commander
  42. Ashe Sloivat. Angel Legion commander
  43. Aldric Asonar. Gulfried''s great granddad
  44. Pyo''ah. Demon god
  45. Demetria. Goddess?
  46. Palu''Angit. Ethra''s father ...
  47. Ritna Lavinia Ladenras. Ladenras princess -> queen
  48. Rotter Ladenras. Ladenras king. Dead
  49. Myrn. Ladenras jeweler
  50. Dita. Myrn''s granddaughter
  51. Max. Merchant. Fat and jolly
  52. Alrus. Elf. Culverin''s subordinate
  53. Volg. Wolfman. Culverin''s subordinate
  54. S''rok. Draconian. Culverin''s subordinate ...
  55. Tania Rusvich. Cavaron''s number one kidnapper. Belfron Premier
  56. Pietr Rusvich. Tania''s father
  57. Agrithos Osfort. Sage. One of Cavaron''s many teachers
  58. Wynn Osfort. Tania''s rival. Scholar. Agrithos'' granddaughter
  59. Lucas Osfort. Tania''s younger brother. Belfron soldier. Dirty pants
  60. Timothy. Cavaron''s guide boy
  61. Cynwrig. Belfron mercenary
  62. Thanatos. Felrok Necromancer emperor. Athanasius ...
  63. Folceras. Pyromancer. Cavaron''s junior
  64. Aisha. You-know-who. Ouch. No happiness here
  65. "He". "Him" ...
  66. Azrael. Reaper. Revenant. Cavaron''s stalker. Chaos doppelganger
  67. Alexander Dalaram. Chaos fragment wielder. Terran antagonist. Author''s delusions
Chapter 77 One day, a young man awoke from his slumber. Rubbing the sleep off of his eyes, he reached down beneath his bed for a flat object. Bringing the said object to his view, he pressed a button at the side and a screen lit up on its face. On the screen was the time of the day, and it displayed "7:55 AM." "Woo... Cutting it close there, body of mine." he said, "Almost missed the time our grades would be released." The young man sat upright on his bed, and focused his attention on the flat object. Pressing a few buttons, he opened opened a program and typed in a string of letters in a provided field. After inputting a few letters, a list of results appeared dropped down, and he pressed the first item. "Come on, you piece of shit service." he cursed as he waited, "Work with me here... Piece of shit country..." Finally, after three minutes, a new image fully loaded and the young man was brought to a login page. In the username field, he inputted a string of numbers, and subsequently inputted his password in the next field. After that, like before, he waited for another few minutes to be logged into the server. Having been brought to his account page, he shifted his eyes slightly upward and the system clock displayed "7:59 AM." Shifting his eyes a bit below, the server clock displayed the same time. "One minute left..." he said under his breath, "I suspect the servers will be DDoS''d again." He scrolled the page down and placed his thumb just above the link that said "View Grades" and waited for the clock to strike eight o''clock. Luckily, the server time also displayed the seconds and, seeing the time, he only needed to wait for another ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight... ...three, two, one. The clock has struck eight, and he pressed on the link to view his grades. As he had expected, it took a long while to load. Longer than when he first opened the page and when he logged in combined. After another minute, his browser changed to a page that displayed, "Secure Connection Failed." "Fucking hell!" he cursed out loud, "We paid so much shit for our tuition and you can''t even handle 20,000 requests!?" The young man pressed on the "Try Again" button until finally, after ten minutes, he was brought to a new page. This page displayed a list of coded letters with numbers next to them. The numbers were a mix of 4.0s, 3.5s, 3.0s, and so on until 0.0s. At the top of the list was a letter code that said, "INTLLAW (International Law)" and next to it was a number. He stared at the number emotionlessly for a while. After that, he pressed the button at the side of the flat object and the screen turned off. He lied back down on his bed, covered his eyes with his forearm, and let out sigh. "Huh, I expected to be a lot more emotional than this." he commented, "I suppose the light within me had already died after all. Ha... Hahaha..." Suddenly, a shadow was cast upon him. "What''s wrong, Father?" said a woman''s voice. Peeking from his arm, the young man directed his gaze at a young woman seated upon a windowsill above. The young woman wore a white dress that freely fluttered as the air outside came through. She also had long silver hair that, coupled with the sun''s brilliant radiance behind her, gave her a seemingly divine image. "Nng..." grunted the young man. The young woman leapt off the window and landed next to the young man. "Depressed?" she asked. "Dunno..." he replied. "Happy?" she asked again. "Dunno..." he replied once more. The young woman knelt next to the young man, and laid her head on his chest while looking at his face covered by his arm. The young man, having felt her on his chest, let go of the flat object and brought his now free hand on her head to stroke it. "Better?" she asked. "Somewhat... I guess..." he replied. The young man silently stroked the young woman''s head. His fingers smoothly combed through her silky hair having lost his sense of time. "Hey... Do you want to see him again?" he asked her. The young woman, who had fallen asleep from his hands, awoke to answer his question. "I''m not sure..." she replied, "Shouldn''t you decide that on your own?" The young man finally removed his arm from his eyes, and sat upright. The young woman also stood up, and sat next to the young man. "After all, Father..." she added as she placed her head on his shoulder, "You have the power to break the chains of Fate that bind us." ... .. . --- Pamana Island, within an unknown room. A young white-haired and red-eyed woman was giving a report before a black-haired and brown-eyed man. The man was Alexander Dalaram, the person responsible for plunging their world into chaos. The two of them were looking at a large screen that displayed the world map. "By fourteen hundred hours, Ismael and his family had successfully captured Malmstrom, Barksdale, King''s Bay, Minot, Mojave, and Kodiak." said the young woman, "Malachi and his family have begun extraction of all missiles and rockets within the said facilities. All other facilities were, unfortunately, destroyed. At the moment, Ismael is leading his family to... Father? Is something wrong?" Alexander was staring blankly at the screen while the young woman was giving a report. When the young woman called for his attention, Alexander snapped out of his stupor. "Ah, eh? What is it, Carmel?" asked Alexander. "Father, you''ve been spacing out." replied the young woman named Carmel, "Father, if you''re tired, we can put this report on hold for you to rest." "No, no. I''m fine." said Alexander, "I just had a strange feeling well up within me. Anyway, continue with the report." Carmel looked at Alexander for a while longer before she continued with the report. "Then... Where was I..." she said, "Ismael and his family is heading towards Kazakhstan to secure the Baikonur Cosmodrome and Malachi''s will be heading to Russia to secure the Yasny Cosmodrome. Also, we had received reports of a strange group of people engaging Saul''s family when they were about to wipe out the coalition in Tokyo, Japan." "What do you mean?" asked Alexander as he raised a brow, "Let me see the feed." Carmel waved her hand before the screen. When she did, the world map disappeared and it was replaced by a video that revealed a large fortress under siege. Alexander watched as the first few minutes was in their favor up until a pair of young girls appeared. One had a bow, while the other jumped down and transformed into a massive blue bear. "Magic...?" gasped Alexander in surprise, "Where did they come from?" Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "We do not know, Father." replied Carmel, "They just appeared just as sudden as our attack." The girl on the screen drew her empty bow that was suddenly filled with blue light. Releasing the bow, the blue light itself became the arrow and pierced many black beasts. "She pierced the Garms and Manticores!?" cried Alexander, "Haha! This has gotten interesting!" Alexander intensely watched the young girl and the giant bear lay waste to his forces. Soon, three mechs fired upon the girl with the bow with directed energy weapons. A brief flash, and the girl''s surroundings were engulfed with dust and debris. There, Alexander bore witness to a familiar flame that came as a wall that protected the girl. The video feed was cut off, and was replaced by another that showed three small people laying greater waste to his forces using incredible jaw-dropping abilities. The first of the three held a pair of swords and was dashing from one end of the battlefield to another while mincing anything that got in its way. The second of the three displayed similar equipment to the ones Alexander had put to use for his forces. The only difference was the size and intensity being able to "draw" due to the longer time it was fired for. The final of the three was even more awe-inspiring that the previous two as Alexander watched it hover in mid-air and call down the wrath of god unto the battlefield. Carmel expressionlessly and quietly watched the video on the screen. In the middle of the video, she took a glance at Alexander and was surprised at the sight. Alexander was grinning widely as though he were a child that found a new toy to play with. Soon, the sight of a massive flying vessel appeared, and another person appeared on the battlefield as well. The new entrant conjured a massive wall of flame that caught the flying vessel''s attack and "erased" it to oblivion. After that, Alexander watched as the new entrant created a massive cannon out of nothing with his flames while under intense bombardment from the vessel until the cannon fired and the surroundings shook. Once the vessel was pierced, the video was cut, and Alexander and Carmel were left with silence. The video, having finished, was then replaced by the world map. "Continue with the GODs as usual." ordered Alexander, "Observe the situation in Japan for the moment." "Yes, Father." replied Carmel. Carmel left Alexander alone and went out. Alexander, having been left alone, went to a nearby wall and opened a hidden door. He passed through the door, into another familiar room. The very same room that housed a massive crystal that encased a young girl. "First, you appeared before me..." whispered Alexander, "Then, another with same ability as I had appeared... Hahahaha... Now, this... this is fun..." ... .. . --- "Let''s play a game." said the fifth Cavaron, "I say, do you wish to know the objectives?" Hideki placed his gaze at the playing board laid out on the table between them. It had an 8-square by 9-square field, and either side had 21 pieces of a stick stuck to a flat circle platform. On the stick was a small board with a symbol, and the pieces had a myriad of symbols. "This here is an interesting Terran game." said the fifth Cavaron, "Somewhat like chess, but better in my opinion." "What are the objectives" asked Hideki. The fifth Cavaron smiled, "The objective of the game is to eliminate or capture the Flag of the opponent, or to maneuver one''s Flag to the far edge of the board (the opposing back rank), subject to the following conditions: The Flag, if challenged, is eliminated by any opposing piece, including the opposing and challenging Flag. If a player''s Flag is eliminated by a challenge, that player loses the game. The Flag that challenges the opponent''s Flag wins the challenge and thus also wins the game. When the Flag successfully reaches the opponent''s back rank, it has to survive one more turn without being challenged before it can declare a victory. If a Flag reaches the opposing back rank and there is no adjacent opposing piece that can challenge it, the Flag wins the game immediately. If a Flag reaches the opposing back rank directly adjacent to an opposing piece, and that piece does not challenge the Flag immediately on the opponent''s subsequent turn, then that Flag wins the game. Any player may reveal his Flag at any time and for any reason; play can then continue; most often, a player reveals his Flag after it has already secured victory at the opposing back rank." "These pieces..." said Hideki, "So we''re playing a war simulation?" The fifth Cavaron nodded, and all of Hideki''s pieces lined up before him. "Here are the pieces..." said the fifth Cavaron, "Including the flag, the pieces represent 21 soldiers with a hierarchy of ranks and functions. A higher-ranking piece will eliminate any lower-ranking piece, with the exception of the 2 Spies, which eliminate all pieces except the 6 Privates. Also, If both soldiers are of equal rank, both are eliminated. Fun game, yes? We can even taunt each other unlike the boring and quiet games of chess. Neither of us can see the other''s pieces, much like how a real war plays out. Heh-heh." Hideki faced the fifth Cavaron, "No other recourse? Fine, I''ll take up the challenge." ... .. . ... After three hours of screaming, taunting, and cursing, Hideki was crushed by the fifth Cavaron''s prowess in tactics and strategy. "Well, this is depressing." said the fifth Cavaron, "Then again, I''ve heard that the Japanese are mostly pacifists with no experience in war. Well, will you continue onto your sixth defeat?" Hideki stared at the fifth Cavaron. "Can we duke it out instead?" he asked, "I give up." "Nah." refused the fifth Cavaron as he picked his nose, "Too lazy. Besides, you''re in my domain, and that''s too boring. Want a life line? Haha!" ... .. . ... Back in reality, Yggdrasil paused their conversation for a moment. "Hmm? That''s strange." commented Yggdrasil, "Hideki''s back but Cavaron is still knocked out." Then, a knock on a door was heard. "Come in." said Yggdrasil. The door opened and revealed a haggard young Japanese man with water swirling around him. It was Hideki, and he strode into the room the others were in. "Master Yggdrasil, are you well-versed in tactical warfare?" he asked, "The flame... Senior''s flame was too... too... random? I have no idea how to describe the flame."
Chapter 78 Rewrite Finally got in, fucking PH net. And I am back~ From outer space~ So... "Cavaron" means "to dig" or something in Spanish. Maybe, instead of the Flame of Chaos, I should have given him the Earth of Temperance. Then again, he''ll have a redundant personality. Have a rewrite of a chapter. ------------------------------- Game mechanics: This is a two-player board game that simulates war. Each player has 21 game pieces on a 72-square game board, 8 rows by 9 columns. Players place their pieces to whatever formation they wish on the first three rows of their side. The pieces represent the military hierarchy and are as follow from the highest rank to the lowest rank and special units: 1 x 5-Star General (5G) 1 x 4-Star General (4G) 1 x 3-Star General (3G) 1 x 2-Star General (2G) 1 x 1-Star General (1G) 1 x Colonel (Col) 1 x Lieutenant Colonel (LCol) 1 x Major (Maj) 1 x Captain (Cap) 1 x First Lieutenant (1L) 1 x Second Lieutenant (2L) 1 x Sergeant (Sgt) 6 x Privates (Pvt) 2 x Spies (Spy) 1 x Flag Neither player can see the identities of the other player''s pieces thus simulating a fog of war. Higher ranking pieces, officers especially, can kill all pieces of lower ranks except for the two spies. Spies can kill every piece except for the six Privates. If two opposing pieces of the same rank challenge one another, both pieces die. Often times, a neutral Arbiter participates in judging the challenges. As an uwritten rule, the eliminated pieces are not divulged to the opposing player, ensuring secrecy. All pieces have the same move: one square forward, backward, or sideways, as long as it is not blocked by the board''s edg. Also, a piece cannot move onto a square already occupied by a friendly piece. The game ends if either Flag gets captured or the Flag safely reaches the opposing far side and remains unchallenged for one more turn. All pieces can capture the opposing Flag, and the Flag can challenge the opposing Flag to result in the challenger''s victory. Any Flag that challenges another piece that is NOT a Flag is commiting suicide. ... Within Cavaron''s subconscious remained the flame-enveloped Cavaron, seated on one side of a lone table. Across him, however, was no longer his earlier opponent, Hideki, but a surprising challenger. This challenger wore a distinct male Terrain military uniform with medals and badges pinned onto his chest. The military man was Daichi Aoyama, Colonel of the Japanese Army and leader of Combined Task Force 143. "Interesting." commented the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "Seeing as you had no tactical or strategic skill, you delegated your task to a more suitable person. Haha, I have to commend you for doing so rather than stupidly charging forward in vain." The flame-enveloped Cavaron gave a pleased expression towards a Japanese man standing behind Daichi. Hideki stoically stared at the flame-enveloped Cavaron''s face. This lackluster reaction made the flame-enveloped Cavaron frown. "Che, would be nice to see you grovel again." sneered the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "Then again, fuck me if we get wet inside here. Haha! Well then, Colonel, are you up for a match with freedom as a prize? I had explained the rules to you, and all we need to do is to place the pieces on the board." Daichi picked up one piece after another, inspecting them while occasionally glancing on the board where the flame-enveloped Cavaron''s pieces were alreaded set up. The pieces, black in color, had their rank insignias hidden from his sight. His own pieces, however, were white in colo and displayed the rank insignias. Currently, he was holding the 5G piece. "These ranks..." said Daichi, "Their insignias'' designs seem familiar, but I can''t recall where." "Of course they would remind you of something." said the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "This game is, after all, a Terrain game, albeit not well-known to those foreign to its origin but its origin is well-known to many well-informed individuals." Daichi eyed the flame-enveloped Cavaron before replacing his pieces. He had looked over how the flame-enveloped Cavaron arranged his black pieces. A 3x3 formation at the very middle, and two 2x3 formations on both flanks with each being a space apart from the central formation. Daichi had then begun to place his pieces to a formation he felt satisfied with. He filled his entire third row, left the middle of the second row empty, and had filled the led and rightmost flanks of the first row with two pieces each. He only had a hollow triangle within his formation. As soon as Daichi lifted his hands off his pieces, a coin appeared in the middle of the board. One side was black, the other was white. This coin flew high up, and flipped around, then landed back with its white side facing up. "Hmm, you first." said the flame-enveloped Cavaron to Daichi. Taking it as a cue, Daichi brought forward one of his vanguard pieces. In response, the flame-enveloped Cavaron had his Sgt meet it. The first challenge, this early in the game, was done by Daichi and challenged the black Sgt. Once Daichi moved his piece and lifted his arm, both black and white pieces went up in flames to oblivion. This surprised Daichi, but made the flame-enveloped Cavaron smile. "Both Sergeants dead." he said, "Two turns, three phases into the game, and we both lost something already." Daichi maintained his silence. "Well, no matter." said the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "The thrill of devouring each other''s pieces begins in earnest." Two turns had passed until Daichi had successfully eliminated a black LCol. The flame-enveloped Cavaron raised a brow. "That was a pretty high-ranking piece." he commented, "Now I''m curious about that piece you have there. Heh heh heh... Hey, why are you maintaining your silence? Come on, taunt me a little, eh? Or... or are you the silent calculating type? Hahahaha!" "Words are cheap," replied Daichi, "but silence is golden." "Silence is boring." refuted the flame-enveloped Cavaron. Six turns quietly passed, maneuvering each of their pieces, until the flame-enveloped Cavaron''s 3G was challenged. Daichi moved his piece into the black 3G''s space, and both were sent to oblivion. "Hahaha! Good, good!" cheered the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "That''s the spirit! Both our 3-star Generals are dead! Hahaha!" While the flame-enveloped Cavaron was laughing, Daichi had an unpleasant face. This was noted by the flame-enveloped Cavaron. "Well, let''s continue." said the flame-enveloped Cavaron. Three turns later, the flame-enveloped Cavaron moved a black Pvt to challenge Daichi''s piece but solely went up in flames instead. "Oops." said the flame-enveloped Cavaron. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Daichi glanced at his opponent''s expressions and back at the board. Another two turns passed and a black 1L died in vain after challenging a white piece. "Goddammit." cursed the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "I''m losing more, huh..." Although, one turn later, a black Spy successfully eliminated a white piece that was dangerously next the the black Flag. Including the next turn when a white piece challenged the second black Spy. "Finally!" cheered the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "Haha! Now, I wonder wha they killed." Five turns later, Daichi moved a white piece onto the first black Spy. Sweat formed on his brows as he placed the piece and looked at the flame-enveloped Cavaron''s face without lifting his hands off the piece. As soon as he did so, flames shot out from beneath the black Spy, destroying it. The flame-enveloped Cavaron''s face twisted into wild glee. "A Private!" he exclaimed, "Good job, Colonel! Hahaha!" Relief washed Daichi''s face momentarily, but the flame-enveloped Cavaron still maintained his gleeful expression despite having a white Pvt threateningly close to the black Flag. Such is the game, however, as Daichi himself had no idea that victory was just a move away. A chance taken, or a chance lost? A chance lost, as Daichi moved his Pvt back from being surrounded by unknown pieces. "Aww..." said the flame-enveloped Cavaron sadly, "Too bad, so sad." Daichi raised a brow as to why the flame-enveloped Cavaron said so, but paid it no heed. Two turns later, a white piece challenged a black Spy leading to both pieces going up in flames. "Damn... No more spies." cursed the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "Time to step it up? Weeheehee~" The flame-enveloped Cavaron tried to chase the white Pvt a turn later with a black 2L, but was killed instead by another white piece. After that, the flame-enveloped Cavaron''s demeanor changed. "Charge!!!" he shouted, "Go forth, Raging Mad Bull!" For four turns, the flame-enveloped Cavaron sole moved his black 5G. The black 5G was unimpeded that, by the fifth turn, eventually killed a white piece. "Haha!" laughed the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "Yes! YES! YES!!!" Daichi was shocked at the sudden spike in confidence that he wondered what that sole black piece could be. A trap? But both black Spies were already eliminated. Two more turns, and the black 5G eliminated another white piece. This, coupled with the flame-enveloped Cavaron''s confidence, wavered Daichi''s morale as he began to sweat. Afterwards, the black 5G stopped, and a black 1G moved in the next turn but was eliminated four turns later. "Hmm!?" uttered the flame-enveloped Cavaron disbelievingly, "........................ Well, whatever... Go, Raging Mad Bull!" The flame-enveloped Cavaron''s black 4G jumped onto a white piece, and occupied the space. This surprised Daichi seeing as there was another "Mad Bull" on his farthest right flank. The next turn, he moved a white piece to challenge the unknown black 5G in vain. "Woohoo! Mad Bull! Mad Bull! Mad Bull! chanted the flame-enveloped Cavaron while pumping his fists. Daichi became panic-stricken. For the next three turns, the black 5G moved around, looking for another delicious meal until, out of peculiarity, a lone white piece was seemingly running away from it. The curious sight made the flame-enveloped Cavaron, well, curious and sought to test it out. Three turns of cat and mouse with the lone white piece, a smiled formed on the flame-enveloped Cavaron''s face and a frown floated on Daichi''s face. "Heh heh..." snickered the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "Is that what I think it is?" Daichi didn''t answer, still trying to maintain his cool. "Delicious." commented the flame-enveloped Cavaron as he licked his lips like a predator stalking a prey. Two turns later, another white piece was frantically chasing the black 5G. A curious sight that went unnoticed. The flame-enveloped Cavaron released the black 5G and let his black 4G resume being a Mad Bull destroying the rest of the white pieces. With one white Spy out of the way, the flame-enveloped Cavaron took a gamble to test the two curious white pieces. Only when the reinforcing white piece arrive next to the black 5G did the black 5G move away. The targeted white piece, the prey of the black 5G, ran to the reinforcing white piece. "Flag and spy, found!" announced the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "Whatchu gonna do, whatchu gonna do when I come for yoo!?" The jig is up, as shown on Daichi''s frustrated expression. Not willing to concede, Daichi kept going. "Good! Good!" cheered the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "Struggle and let me crush your hopes and dreams! Hahaha!" For the next five turns, the black 5G was quiet. Instead, a black Pvt openly went after the remaining white Spy. "Kill!!" roared the flame-enveloped Cavaron but fell short when the black Pvt was intercepted at the last moment, "Fuck!" All remaining white pieces converged to reinforce the white flag in the next 10 turns seeing as there was no piece that could threaten the last white Spy. Thus began the long game of cat and mouse, with the black 5G and another black Pvt chasing the white Spy and white Flag. "Let''s spice things up a bit." announced the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "Those two pieces of mine? That there is a 5-Star General, and over here is a Private." Six turns later and the white flag escaped the black 5G, only to come with sight of another black piece: a black 4G. "And that over there is a 4-Star General!" announced the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "Haha! Come on! Gimme, gimme! Gimme, gimme! Gimme, gimme! Gimme more!" Eight more turns of cat and mouse with the black 5G, 4G and Pvt, and white Flag, Spy and other pieces. During the eight turns, though, another piece was moving around: the black Flag. On the ninth turn, though, the flame-enveloped Cavaron got careless and got his 4G eliminated by the white Spy. "Aw, shit." he cursed, "Now what?" The black 5G moved, now it was Daichi''s turn to get careless as HIS VERY SPY CHALLENGED THE BLACK PRIVATE. Well, it died... in vain. Daichi''s jaw dropped at his own mistake that he finally spoke out. "God-freaking-dammit all!" cursed Daichi, "Shit! SHIT!" With no more chances to redeem himself, he trudged while still keeping his flag safe. As soon as he was distracted by the black 5G, he failed to notice the lone piece that sauntered forward unimpeded in the next two turns. The black Flag revealed itself upon reaching the opposite side ending in victory for the flame-enveloped Cavaron. ---------------------- Changed "fifth Cavaron" to "flame-enveloped Cavaron." Chapter 79 Having lost the match, Daichi drooped his head down in shame from having been beaten despite being a Colonel. Hideki took this chance to console him as a fellow Japanese. "Don''t take it to heart, Colonel Aoyama." he said to the demoralized colonel, "The Japanese Army had only been reinstated after decades of demilitarization. It was a good shot, but thinking about Senior''s age, I wouldn''t be surprised if the Flame utilized his experiences." "He''s right, you know." added the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "You wanna know how old this fucknut is? Exactly 826. Out of those, he had been in and out of conflict for 806 years." Daichi''s jaw slackened at this revelation, "How... how the hell was I supposed to even go against an old veteran?" "Chance? Haha!" replied the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "Which was why I offered this game. Take the risk for a bit of fun in exchange for... freedom. Quite better than chess, wouldn''t you agree? Simulates war quite closely. Able to create a ruse to trick your enemy, maneuvering of specialized squads, setting up effective defenses, or just plain mass offensives of infantry. Infantry is, after all, the lifeblood of any military organization." Daichi looked at the board one last time. Staring at the remaining pieces, he returned his gaze at the flame-enveloped Cavaron. Finally, he stood up straight, and bowed towards his opponent. This made the flame-enveloped Cavaron smile a bit. "Thank you for the experience." said Daichi, "I have learned much from you, and from this game." "Heh, no wonder why ''He'' likes folks like you." commented the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "Haha! Well, then. Time for the next challenger?" ... "How was it?" asked Yggdrasil. Hideki and Daichi had returned to the conscious world. With them were the very same people brought by Yggdrasil: Maguro, Aimi, Aomi, Aiko, and the three midget Cavarons. Daichi had a refreshing smile when he met them. "Complete and utter defeat." replied Daichi while scratching his cheek and laughing dryly, "I didn''t think he''d be THAT old, though. Figures, I doubt I could beat him the way I currently am." The people around him were confused at his attitude. He seemed as if he had gone through a worthwhile experience despite his defeat. "What did you do, exactly, Papa?" asked Aimi. "Well, it was a board game similar to chess." he answered, "Although, its mechanics were..." Daichi relayed to the others what had transpired within Cavaron''s subconsciousness. While listening, Yggdrasil realized something by the time Daichi finished his story. "That''s an unexpected game." he commented, "I didn''t think he''d actually know how to play Game of the Generals." "That''s the name?" wondered Daichi, "Huh, that''s an appropriate name for such. What is the origin? He said that it was from this world." "It''s a board game of, ironically, Philippine origin." answered Yggdrasil, "Locally, it is called ''Salpakan''. I wonder if it''s a coincidence seeing as Alexander Dalaram is a Filipino as well." "Well, who''s going next?" asked Maguro. Everybody turned to him for an answer. "M-me?" stuttered Maguro as he pointed to himself, "Sorry, I know nothing about strategy and tactics. I''m just a support class character." "You really used a game lingo, Sensei?" interjected Aimi. "Well, it''s true." replied Maguro, "I''m just a medic, a priest, a healer so to speak." "Nah, you''re more of a Witch Doctor." argued Yggdrasil, "A healer with a shamanic twist with the buffs you fling at your allies." Aimi''s and Aiko''s jaws slackened when they heard this exchange. "Yep, definitely Terrans." commented Aimi. "How do two old men know this much?" commented Aiko. Maguro and Yggdrasil turned their heads at the two girls. "Same reason as Cavaron." answered Maguro. "You learn a lot when you know how to spend a long life." answered Yggdrasil. "Um, we''re burning daylight, if it''s still day out." interjected Daichi, "We still need to figure out who will be the next challenger." ... "Hoho~ now this is a surprise." said the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "I didn''t expect a cutie to go up against me." The next challenger to be seated before him was a young Japanese woman. The woman blushed as she heard his "compliment" to her. Well, what with having such a petite figure with a modest bust while wearing a tank top and fatigues. It was Aiko Tanaka, Sergeant Major of the Japanese Army''s CTF-143 contingent. "Yeah, yeah. You''re still a freak." replied Aiko, "Both of your ''selves''." "Touchy, I like you." smiled the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "Haha! Well, do I need to explain the rules?" "Just play." answered Aiko. ... Yggdrasil and the others surrounded three unconscious bodies: Cavaron''s, Hideki''s, and Aiko''s. They eagerly awaited the results despite being unable to help themselves or do something worthwhile. "Papa, how confident are you with Ms. Tanaka?" asked Aimi. "Not too sure." answered Daichi, "Recalling what she said, I might have to look at her previous records for a clue. Do you mind, er, Master Yggdrasil?" "Ah, go on." said Yggdrasil, "Not that I can do anything else to you having gone this deep. Well, it''s just communication magic. Do be careful when conversing with us in public, though." "Er, thank you." said Daichi, "Well, Aimi. I''m going back to base for a while. Here, by the way, your phone. You left it when you ''disappeared''. Call me when something happens." Daichi and the others waved farewell to one another. Having been left behind, the remaining persons awaited the results of Aiko''s match. ... Game piece reference: Spoiler : 1 x 5-Star General (5G) 1 x 4-Star General (4G) 1 x 3-Star General (3G) 1 x 2-Star General (2G) 1 x 1-Star General (1G) 1 x Colonel (Col) 1 x Lieutenant Colonel (LCol) 1 x Major (Maj) 1 x Captain (Cap) Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.1 x First Lieutenant (1L) 1 x Second Lieutenant (2L) 1 x Sergeant (Sgt) 6 x Privates (Pvt) 2 x Spies (Spy) 1 x Flag The flame-enveloped Cavaron used the same formation of pieces as he did against Daichi. Aiko, however, filled the seven central columns and all three rows with her pieces. This left only her outermost pieces, not blocked by the borders, with room to move. Once more, the two-colored coin appeared on the table, and flipped high up before landing with the black side facing up. "Guess I''m first." said the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "Try not to die early." The first turn passed quietly without incident. So did the second up until the seventh turn. By the seventh turn, the entire middle rows were filled up with pieces. Black and white pieces were literally facing-off one another. Just one move going forward would determine the battles to be had in the following turns. "This is interesting." commented the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "Shall I begin the first duel?" "Go ahead." replied Aiko with a smile. "Damn, you should smile more. Haha!" complimented the flame-enveloped Cavaron. The first to attack was a black Maj going into a white occupied space. The black Maj went up in flames. The result did not faze the flame-enveloped Cavaron and merely awaited Aiko''s move. Aiko moved a white piece onto a black Pvt sending both in flames. This exchange continued for another six turns until there were only a black 5G, a black 2L, and four white pieces left in the middle rows. The black pieces were side by side, sandwiched between the four white pieces. "Hmm, this has gone too quiet." commented the flame-enveloped Cavaron, "Want to step it up? Eh?" The flame-enveloped Cavaron noticed something strange with Aiko. She just stared unblinkingly on the game board with a strange glint in her eyes. The flame-enveloped Cavaron smiled. "Fine then." he said, "All in." The black 5G moved to attack the white piece beside it, and the white piece went up in flames. Aiko had the other white piece challenge the black 2L, and the white piece was eliminated. Black 5G moved to eliminate the next white piece, and successfully eliminated it. In turn, a white piece from the back moved forward. For the next seven turns, the next white rank moved up to challenge the remaining black pieces. Seemingly undaunted by her losses, Aiko moved like clockwork. Each move done by the flame-enveloped Cavaron was answered by her move a moment later. Unhindered, undeterred, the white pieces mindlessly charged forward. So did the black 5G, awaiting only its death at the hands of either a white Spy or white 5G. Thoughtlessness flooded both their minds, only the motors of their bodies and base wills of their selves danced and directed the pieces towards their deaths. By the eighth turn after the first rank was lost, a close victory was achieved by the second ranks with only five black pieces and 8 white pieces remaining in the four middle rows. The black 5G held the vanguard with two black Pvts, a black Spy, and a black Capt. These five were surrounded by eight white pieces. By the next turn, the black 5G moved to challenge the lone white piece before it. Finally, the Raging Black Bull had retired with it going in flames from challenging a white Spy. Only, instead of a boisterous reaction, the flame-enveloped Cavaron quietly smiled. Another white piece challenged a black Pvt, and both went in flames. The black Capt moved forward to a white piece and it went up in flames. A white piece attacked the other black private, and eliminated it. With all but the black Spy remaining in the middle, it freely devoured all six remaining pieces apart from the white Spy that, with Aiko''s turn, sent the white Spy to suicide with the black Spy. "Time for the final gamble." said Aiko. She finally looked up at the flame-enveloped Cavaron with the same smile, but her eyes with lit up with a strange, well, flame. This piqued the interest of the flame-enveloped Cavaron. "Yeah, I was right to like you." he said, "Forget about systems and theories, eh?" "Just attack." replied Aiko, "All in, after all." "All in." The final ranks of both black and white pieces moved up over the next 14 turns. Seven black pieces facing off seven white pieces, including both black and white Flags. Now, the flame-enveloped Cavaron gave an offer. "Obviously, this would be the clincher." he said, "How about we jumble the remaining pieces and have them face down, eh? Arrange them all in a line facing down, and leave it all to chance." Aiko spared no thought, "Go ahead." The pieces immediately faced down, hiding their identities. The flame-enveloped Cavaron and Aiko each lined up their pieces in a seemingly different formation from before in the middle lines. After this, flames shot forth one after another, turn after turn, until only two black pieces and two white pieces remained. With only one or two more moves, the victor will then be determined. ... "Rrrrng... Rrrrng..." rang Aimi''s phone. "Hello, Papa?" she answered, "Is there something you need?" On the other side of the line was Daichi. Back in the base, he was inside an office filled with shelves, computers, and paperwork''s. Alone on the phone, he had a phone in one hand and a folder in the other. "Ah, yeah. It''s about Ms. Tanaka." said Daichi, "I was looking through the Army''s archives and found a report regarding her." "What did you find?" asked Aimi. "Turns out that the Tanaka family was well-known for being a family of chess, er, shougi players in their prefecture." he replied, "And Ms. Tanaka there was well-known for suicide rushes. Sending all of her pieces forward without a care in the world. With the Game of the Generals'' rules, you can expect to see a ton of flames erupting from the board. It earned her the infamy of having equal victories and defeats for every game she had gone through. Fortunately, it hasn''t carried over to real life being in the army and all. I would hate to see her waste the lives of our soldiers, and would hope that it will only remain to be such within a game board." --------------------- Cliff? Chapter 80 A large garden within Pamana Island. A young woman with snow-white and waist-length hair, blood-red eyes, and pale-white skin was tending to the flowers around her. A pair of small shears in one hand and a watering can in the other, she seemed to be with momentary bliss before a young man, similar in appearance, embraced her from behind. "Sister!" shouted the young man as he surprised the young woman with a hug, "Didja miss me?" The young woman held the young man''s arms around her and lifted them away. She then turned to the young man behind her, and returned the hug. "A fair bit, Malachi." she said, "Father had me become busy due to a sudden slip up by some of our siblings. Where''s Ismael, by the way?" "Brother is in his room, as usual." replied Malachi, "Taking a bath, probably." "What about you? Have you bathed yet?" she asked. "Later." he answered, "I still need to finish up taking inventory of our equipment and repair whatever needs repairing. By the way, Carmel, what''s this slip up?" Having heard that Malachi hadn''t taken a bath yet, she swiftly released him from her embrace and took a few steps back. Placing her gardening tools on a nearby table, she had Malachi follow her into another room. "You know of the coalition formed in Japan, yes?" she asked him, "Well, Father ordered some of our siblings to get rid of them." "This is while Ismael and I were out harvesting, right?" he replied, "Then, what''s the slip up?" "Before that, you also know of the gift Father received from Mother, no?" "That magic flame thingey? That thing that could create and recreate items deemed impossible for this current era? Yeah, of course, I do. Does it have something to do with the slip up?" Carmel went towards a monitor and switched it on. On the monitor was a menu of items and commands. Carmel waved her hand on the monitor, and the displayed items blurred before slowing down to a stop with another wave of her hand. Carmel touched an item on the list, and the monitor''s display changed into a video feed of a horde of black monsters and a small squad of mechs laying siege to a fortress. Malachi watched the feed with a curious face, and had his jaw slacken by the time the feed reached the middle and the end. After that, Carmel switched the monitor off and turned to Malachi. "What...?" he said. "A group of people that I believe are not from this world eliminated many of our pets and some of our siblings effortlessly." she told him, "It''s also the reason why Father had us expedite the Project. I fear... or he does as well... that these fantastical beings may become a hindrance to our goal." "Fear?" wondered Malachi, "I dunno, but... I would believe that he''s excited. I mean, knowing Father, it won''t be surprising if he was." "''Knowing Father''?" she said, "Or is this just an understanding between Father and child?" Malachi smiled and approached Carmel. He placed his hands on her shoulders, and pulled her closer. "Just because I am of his blood, it doesn''t mean that you and the others aren''t." he told her, "I... You are my beloved sister, even if we are not of blood. Ismael as well, he may be taking a bath right now, but I would say the same to him as I did to you." "I still remember how Father adopted all of us." she said, "Then, being his only son.. his true so" Malachi covered her lips. "Shh, not a ''true'' son." he interrupted her, "But a son among many others." "Thanks, Malachi." Carmel embraced Malachi, and buried her head in his arms. Just then, another man seemingly a little bit older than the two, entered the room with a towel slung around his neck. "What''s this? A bit of family bonding without me?" said the man, "I''m hurt." "Oh, shut up." said Malachi as he released Carmel, "By the way, Ismael, have you heard about the incident in Japan?" "Yeah, the others filled me in along the way here." replied Ismael, "Still, to think it would happen while we were out. What did Father say?" "Apart from doubling our time on the Project?" said Carmel, "He''s been locked up in his room with Mother since then." Ismael placed a hand on his chin. "Hmm, still, I expect a bit of action soon." said Ismael, "What do you think? Will the new players wait for us, or will they come knocking on our doorstep?" "Does it matter?" answered Malachi, "We will always be prepared. Anyway, I''ve dropped off the report about our jobs earlier in the office. Do check them, okay?" "Yeah, now go take a bath." replied Carmel, "You stink." "Ouch." commented Malachi, "Rather than a bath, how about a spar?" --- Yggdrasil and the others who were awake had slackened jaws. Their gaping mouths were due to the flaming black cat hanging on Aiko''s shoulders. This black cat had fur as black as the darkest night and eyes as red as fresh blood. When Aiko and Hideki woke up, a flame went out of Cavaron''s body and formed into the very same cat.At first, Aiko ignored the cat, but its incessant rubbing on her face ticked her off, and it was thrown off. Right then and there, Cavaron awoke from his stupor. "Who... What is this... cat?" asked Yggdrasil, "Is this the flame?" "Hnngggahhh..." groaned Cavaron as he stretched. He then got off the platform where he slept and kicked the cat on the floor, "His name is Blake. Get up." "Nroww... That hurts, yo!" said Blake the cat. Blake stood up on his hind legs and did a peace sign and placed his other hand on his hip as he introduced himself, "Haha! The name''s Blake! I am a fragment of the Flames of Chaos! Sup, kiddos?" This time, it was Hideki''s water acting up. Water poured out of his body to his side. It kept pouring out until it was at knee height, then transformed into another animal. A silver-blue wolf appeared by Hideki''s legs. When Blake saw this, he immediately hid behind Aiko''s legs but was kicked away to Cavaron. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Th wolf glanced at the cat but bowed before the others and introduced itself. "Greetings, my name is Cyan, and I am a fragment of the Water of Tranquility." she said with a serene voice that complemented her regal appearance. Cavaron and Hideki didn''t seem surprised by this as if they already knew. Only their companions were the ones staring at the talking animals. "Blake, Cyan. Assume your true forms." said Cavaron. Blake did not hesitate and did a backflip. When he was at Cavaron''s height, flames erupted around his body and formed a human shape. Once the flames receded, Blake turned into a man wearing a tuxedo, a top hat, and a mask that covered his eyes. "Blake of Fire, at your service." he said as he bowed. Cyan, however, didn''t obey but only looked at Hideki. Hideki noticed her gaze and nodded. Only then did Cyan stood upright with water veiling her feral body. The water grew up to Hideki''s shoulders then receded, revealing a young woman in a silver gown and wore a similar mask. "Cyan of Water. A pleasure." she said as she did a curtsy. "Right. Blake here took control of my self as I got careless." said Cavaron, "Every time I used the flame, without acknowledging his existence, a portion of my consciousness gets taken over. Well, a portion, then Hideki here knocked me out before he fully controlled me." "Blake and Cyan are the fragments that had become acknowledged by the host." said Hideki, "I only helped Senior in acknowledging Blake. Fortunately, Blake here was the easiest to control, or so he said." "Haha! Indeed, I am the easiest to acknowledge." said Blake, "Sad to say that being so ''easy'', Cavaron here got careless and hadn''t noticed my existence since then." "It was because of my experience in Edeortha." explained Cavaron, "Although the fragment had become a part of me, somewhere deep within my thoughts, I refused to acknowledge Blake thus he was like a cancer gnawing at my very self." The others listened attentively at the fragment holders and their, well, fragments. The first to speak up from the spectators was Maguro. "Tell us, by the way, how did you earn the fragments?" he asked, "Why were you, out of all people, the ones given such things?" Cavaron and Hideki looked at each other then at the two people beside them: Cyan and Blake. When the two holders looked at the fragments, the fragments themselves looked at one another and shrugged. " " We have no idea. " " said the two fragments. "We just happened to be there?" said Blake, unsure of his answer. "It is unclear how us fragments came to be in the first place, apart from pissing the gods off." added Cyan. "One thing is for certain, though." said Blake, "We were born to break the chains of fate that bind our hosts. Maybe, if there was a chance to meet ''Him'', we could find out more." Yggdrasil was the next person to speak up. "The two of you... You acknowledge that you are ''fragments'' of the Flame, the Water, and the Earth." he said, "I must ask, then, is it possible for you to become whole with other fragments?" Once he asked this, the air around them changed. Cyan and Blake revealed strange smiles that contrasted their appearance. Cyan and Blake stood by each other and whispered to one another. "A smart lad, isn''t he, Cyan?" said Blake. "Indeed, he is, Blake." said Cyan. "Shall we tell them about it, Cyan?" "I would love to but I think ''He'' would rather be the one to do so when the time is right, Blake." The sight of two fragments quietly discussing between themselves was disconcerting to the others around them. Only when Cavaron was about to speak did the two fragments return to their former places. "It is possible that something will happen when we become whole." answered Blake. "However, it is not our place to say whatever it may be." answered Cyan. "And it''s quite strange to see two opposing fragments in sync with one another." said Cavaron. "Indeed, it is, Senior. I would think that everything earlier was a mere act." said Hideki. Cyan just did a curtsy to Hideki while Blake bowed before Cavaron. "That said, as a fragment, I can say that there is another of my kind in this world." announced Blake, "As a fragment of the Flames of Chaos, I can detect those of the same origin. Cyan, too, can detect carriers of the Water of Tranquility." Blake bowed and placed a hand on his mask. As he stood straight, he removed it and the top hat, and revealed red eyes and white hair. "Seem familiar?" he asked. "Alexander Dalaram''s children." said Aiko. "All who receive us bear the Mark of Chaos." said Blake, "Cavaron as well, once he utilizes me, changes his appearance to bear us." Blake waved a hand over Cavaron''s face and revealed a single red eye. Cavaron didn''t flinch but merely showed his eye to the others. Blake reverted it back to its original color afterwards. "Does that mean, all of his children have the fragments?" asked Maguro, "I find that preposterous." "Worry not." consoled Cyan, "There can only be a maximum of three fragments and a minimum of one fragment being born in a world. It has been since the first Cipher and will always be until the time has come. One to three fragments of any origin: Flame, Water, or Earth." "However, like in Edeortha, we can be broken down to more minute fragments to be granted upon others." added Blake, "We were already a part of a whole, so do not be surprised if we can fragment ourselves further. It will be so until whenever the holder itself wishes it." Chapter 81 "Will you get off me!?" shrieked Aiko, "Stop clinging to me!" Aiko was trying to kick away a black cat from her legs. It was Blake''s cat form holding on for dear life. "Nyooo!" cried Blake, "Milady! Please return me my love for nyou~!" "Love!? What love!?" shouted Aiko, "I put up with going against you because I understood that we need Cavaron back, but why the hell do you love me!?" "Nyour skills! Nyour smile! The way nyou went against me in the game! I loved it!" "No! Forget about all those!" "Nyever! I will burn the memory into my heart!" Cavaron covered his face and sighed while Cyan had already gone back inside Hideki. Cavaron turned towards his fellow fragment holder to discuss. "Now that we know the source of all this, any idea on what to do next?" he asked, "If this Alexander has the same fragment as I do, we will need your help to do anything." Hideki turned his gaze towards Yggdrasil. "Well, since it has been affirmed by another fragment..." said Yggdrasil, "I have no choice but to lift any and all restrictions placed upon by the other Masters with regards to a Science and Technology world. Though, I do wonder if we could assault Pamana Island with just this many people. I recall that Alexander and his children amount to at least 3000 individuals." "Just 3000?" wondered Cavaron, "I find that to be an easier to manage number than going up against an entire nation''s armed forces. Since the restrictions have been lifted, we could just deal with this swif oh wait... they''re still sleeping. Hasn''t been a day since then... Blake!" Cavaron called for Blake who had already tripped Aiko and was crawling towards her in his cat-form. When Cavaron saw this, he immediately willed the cat the come back. "Nyoooo!!! Aiko-sama~!" cried Blake, "I want you! I need you!" "Pervert!" shouted Aiko as she stood up. "Thank nyou for the compliment!" Aiko pulled out her handgun in response to Blake''s... reaction... BANG! Aiko fired off a shot, and the bullet went straight for Blake. Cavaron noticed the shot, and lifted Blake to have the cat receive it. The bullet hit Blake but did not penetrate. Instead, the bullet was burned up by Blake''s flames. "Myahh, stupid flames!" said Blake, "I would have her take responsibility for penetrating meow." "Shut up, you damned cat." said Cavaron as he lifted up the cat by the collar, "Answer me, what can you grant upon being fragmented?" Blake turned his feline eyes and locked gazes with Cavaron. "Nyai can give them a portion of what you have." answered Blake, "Say, a portion of nyour abilities can be copied to give them a boost. Nyes, copied. Sort of like a buff that depends on the caster''s stats. It won''t disappear unless nyou state until when nyou''d like it removed. Others can''t cancel the fragment unless the one cancelling it has an opposing fragment, mrow." Cavaron turned to Hideki. "You''re going to be the vanguard." he said. Hideki nodded then Cavaron returned his attention at the cat. "Anyway, what would happen if two fragments of the same origin were to go up against one another?" Blake crossed his paws like he was thinking. "Mrow... Nyot sure, ''He'' didn''t say anything about it." he answered, "Either nyothing happens, or we cancel each other out." "Guess we''ll have to use our own abilities to support Hideki." commented Cavaron, "Hideki, think you could fragment Cyan to boost the others'' abilities?" Hideki closed his eyes momentarily. After a few seconds, he opened them. "Cyan said she could." he answered, "But Blake has to recall his fragments first, otherwise the fragments would be erased." Blake raised a paw towards Aimi, Aiko, and Maguro. Soon, a stream of flames left their bodies and went into Blake''s paw. A long while later, another stream of flames came from nowhere and went into his paw, possibly from Daichi. Afterwards, water poured out of Hideki''s body and enveloped Maguro, Aimi and Aomi, and the three midget Cavarons. "Hey! What about me?" asked Aiko realizing that Cyan hadn''t granted her a fragment. Cavaron and the others looked at one another. "Sorry, Aiko." apologized Maguro, "I think I know why. You''re just an ordinary human that stumbled upon our kind. You will still have the ability to speak with us but, as for combat, we can''t risk you to die because of our matters." "What about Yggdrasil? How come he didn''t get granted a fragment?" "Because I am a Master, an observer, child." answered Yggdrasil, "Unless it is of grave need, I am not allowed to take part in such matters. Apart from apprehending Cavaron for earlier, I cannot do anything else." "That is, until a Master gets summoned somewhere, only then can they act." added Cavaron, "Still, for Revas to be able to create such rules..." " " Revas? " " wondered both Aimi and Aiko. "The first Cipher." answered Yggdrasil, "The first Guardian of worlds, a master of all laws. Akin to the gods themselves, he is a demigod, so to speak. How he came to be is unknown, though." "When I first met him, I was lost in Space." said Cavaron, "Then, Goldie-eye found me floating aimlessly. We hit off after that, with me being unfazed by his ''greatness'', I treated him like an equal. Hmm, now that I think about it, he had this deep sadness in his eyes when we first met half a millennium ago..." "Well, just think." said Maguro, "All that power with no one to spend time with. A life of loneliness lie before him. Does he like you, Cavaron?" Cavaron blinked twice. "I doubt he''s gay." he answered, "Besides, as his friend, I can think of him the same way as he does with me." "But restricting himself by merely being an observer..." wondered Maguro, "I wonder, is there a possibility that he is following someone of a higher power?" "It is possible." answered Yggdrasil, "Even if a lot of lives become lost, he will just watch. I wonder what needs to be done for him to act?" This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "Didn''t he act once before?" asked Cavaron, "I heard rumors from the others about something that happened centuries ago." Yggdrasil closed his eyes to recall any information regarding such a thing. "Hrm, I seem to remember an incident when one of our kind was about to destroy the balance of a world." he answered, "The details were unclear but he was forced to act by calling down the heavens. I would love to see such an awesome display of pure power before I get killed." "Calling down the heavens, huh?" said Cavaron, "I wouldn''t be surprised if he did, he does have everything at his disposal." The three Japanese, a kid, and the three midgets stood at one side. They were quietly watching the three old men talk about a person they had no idea about. Although, Aiko noticed something strange. "Hey, Hideki." she called out, "Why aren''t you there talking with them?" "I''m only 323 years old." answered Hideki, "I''m the second youngest of our kind currently present here. The youngest is Ms. Aoyama there. I stopped aging by the time I was 23." "I heard something from their conversation." added Aiko, "You can still get killed?" "Senpai told me that they are not immortal." answered Aimi, "They only have eternal life due to their mana merging with their very essence, or that''s how I understood it." "So to speak, we are survivors." added Hideki, "I''ve seen many of our kind die early, and many more after having a taste of eternity. Others, unable to bear the passing of time, choose death to escape. Although, based on what the elders and seniors had taught me, this ''escape'' is only possible to ordinary people. For the people who had been summoned, we will be forcefully reincarnated despite not having any sort of regret." "Forcefully reincarnate?" "Yeah. There is a being of a higher order that maintains a system that prevents us from diverging from our intended fate. A god, in other words, dictates whether we are to become free or not. Others have the freedom of death, while we have no freedom from this system... apart from having our very essence destroyed beyond recollection, but that would be an eternal damnation." "And soon, that will happen to me." added Aimi, "I sort of had accepted it already... though, I do wish that there is some way to break away from it." Aiko listened to Hideki and Aimi''s explanations. The only ones without a care for discussion were Aomi and the three midget Cavarons that had gone to sleep. "Still, the most that I could summon is probably Burkhard." said Cavaron, "All the rest had been depleted and are recuperating." "Then we have to plan our approach carefully." said Maguro, "Although, for only 3000 people to fight back against a multitude of nations'' militaries..." "Why don''t you rest first?" suggested Yggdrasil, "From what you''ve told me, it hasn''t been a day since you''ve arrived here. With the swift passing of time in Hub Space, none of your contracts had had any rest. I will just drop Ms. Tanaka off at her base." --- Eight hours later. Cavaron and his companions, excluding Yggdrasil, Daichi and Aiko, were outside and stood in a circle. "Well, you Terrans know how to get there." said Cavaron, "Lead the way." "Not so fast." replied Hideki, "We will be taking the subterranean route. Since I am unfamiliar with the layout of the island, we might get ported in the middle of concrete instead." "Hmm, good point. Then, is there a point close to the island where we could use as a launching pad? Unless, you expect everybody to run all the way there." "We could go directly to a Philippine shoreline closest to the island." "Let''s do that." "Then, we will go to the seaside municipality of Palanan, Isabela." Hideki outstretched his palm, and mana began to concentrate at the center. He drew a large circle with it in midair and, once the ends had met, a portal appeared. Through the portal, a lush tropical forest could be seen. "I once went to each country back then." said Hideki, "I especially liked regions yet to be thoroughly touched by mankind." Hideki led the others through the portal and into the forest. "This is a mountain forest within Palanan, the coast should be to our east." "By the way, where did you get Cyan?" asked Cavaron. "I didn''t receive her here." answered Hideki, "There was a world where I nearly drowned to death decades ago. Senior got Blake when you got hit by a breath, right?" "Does bestowal have something to do with near-death experiences, Blake?" asked Cavaron. "Mrow, most of us do so." answered Blake from within Cavaron''s thoughts, "Either you get to the edge, or we get to be born with you." "Born?" wondered Cavaron. "Nyeah, though nyai''m nyot sure how it happens." Cavaron and his companions traversed the tropical forest and headed towards their intended destination to the east. However, once they had left the forest into a clearing, a fairly unexpected group of people met with them. "Well, I hadn''t expected them to have a base from what you''ve told me." commented Cavaron, "Shit. Hideki, vanguard! Aimi, support! Maguro, buff! Midgets, havoc!" The earth beneath Hideki rose and propelled him forward like a wave. Bringing out his Riot Sword, he twirled it around like a polearm and cut apart a massive black cat. Aimi dashed to the side with her bow out, while Aomi assumed her beast form. Maguro had white arrays floating around him and magic circles shooting out to the others. Finally, the three midgets wreaked havoc by disrupting the battlefield with seemingly random but well-coordinated attacks. Right before them was, unexpectedly, a naval port filled with the very same people and monsters they had fought against earlier. Dalaram''s Children and a horde of black monsters. "So much for a surprise attack." said Cavaron, "Now then, time to dance!" Chapter 82 "Alert! Palanan port is under attack by unidentified forces!" A report resounded within Pamana Island. Carmel stood before a monitor watching the events unfold in Palanan port. Soon, two other men arrived behind her: Malachi and Ismael. "Well, that was quick." commented Ismael, "Hey, aren''t they supposed to be in Japan!?" On screen was a small group of people assaulting a naval port. Three men, two girls, and three midgets were wrecking the surrounding area. Mechs and monsters were fighting back, but were slowing being pushed back as time went on. "Hmm, that girl there is pretty cute." said Malachi as he watched a girl with a bow wearing a Japanese highschool uniform, "Magic, huh? Otherwise, how could we explain those blue bolts of light just appearing on the string?" "Do we reinforce the port, or just let them take it?" asked Ismael. "I doubt they would occupy the port." said Carmel, "Judging from the radar, they are alone, and they don''t have the backing of any military nearby. We can assume that they are coming of their own accord." "Still, that''s the guy with the same ability as Father, right?" said Malachi, "Hey, who''s that other guy with the weird weapon?" "No clue." answered Carmel, "This is the first time encountering him." While they were discussing, another person with a similar appearance arrived behind them. "Elders, Father is calling for you." said the new arrival, "He wishes to speak to you about the intruders." Carmel and the other two nodded, and they left the room. ... Carmel and the other two stopped before a door. A flash of light appeared above them momentarily, and the door slid open afterwards. Behind the door was the very same room where Alexander had declared war with the world''s leaders. "Ah, here you are, my beloved children." greeted a young man, "It seems that our visitors are getting impatient. Shall we serve them some bread and coffee?" Malachi raised a brow. "You want them to come here, Father?" he asked, "We are not reinforcing the port?" "It saddens me that we have to give up the port." said Alexander, "However, the project takes priority as it will be nearing completion. Deliver the orders for retreat, Carmel, and have them gather back home." "Yes, Father." said Carmel as she went to a nearby console to do what was ordered. "As for you two, help the others in finishing the GODS before their ascension. Carmel, after delivering the orders, reinforce the defenses to welcome them." "Yes, Father." replied the three. --- A beam of light just so nearly hit Cavaron''s flank as he agilely dodged to the right. "Wouch! That''s hot!" he exclaimed, "What the hell is up with their obsession with directed energy weapons!?" Cavaron once more dived into a mass of black monsters and produced a signature of a hurricane of flesh and blood. Every so often, his swords would hum with mana, sharpening his attacks and easily cleaving his opponents. At set intervals, especially with a faraway target, the mana around his swords would fire away with a swing cutting down anything in its path before dissipating. Hideki deftly controlled the earth around him. Walls of earth shot up to disrupt the flow of battle, giving him a chance to attack unexpectedly, and even used the earth to spike and skewer the enemies behind him. Able to control the earth with little effort, his movements were almost similar to a dance as he swung, spun, and twirled around his unorthodox weapon. Aimi attack as she was taught, being at the back and supporting from afar. Each time that a black monster was about to reach her, Aomi would intercept and crush it with her powerful maw. The blue bear''s fur glistened as it became stained with red blood. For each arrow Aimi would let loose, two to four would be pierced in mere seconds. White light enveloped Cavaron and his companions as they received Maguro''s support. Standing right in the middle of everyone, the arrays around Maguro protected him from the surrounding onslaught as he threw out one magic circle after another that boosted the others abilities. For Cavaron, he augmented his agility. For Hideki, his power. For Aimi, her speed. For Aomi, her defense. As for the three midgets, the sword midget fought alongside Cavaron. He supported his Prime with his own torrent of blades. The tech midget went from one flank to another, delivering his own directed energy weapons at unsuspecting enemies. The magic midget was floating in midair and took care of most of the flying black monsters and drones that filled the sky with his massive amounts of magic bolts. This lasted for an hour until the movements of their opponents changed. The red-eyed people within the mechs stopped attacking and looked at each other. Suddenly, they turned, even the remaining black monsters changed course with them, and fell back without missing a beat. "What the...? A full retreat!?" exclaimed Cavaron, "Do we let them leave, or do we go after them?" "Seeing as they are all headed towards one direction, I suggest that we pursue." suggested Hideki, "It would make our assault on the island much more difficult if they were to regroup and reorganize." "True. All right, after them! Cut their numbers down!" Cavaron and the others begun pursuing the retreating enemies. The mechs and monsters, although the were under attack, ignored Cavaron and the others. It didn''t matter if they lost ten, twenty, thirty or more as they ran. They didn''t care, all they cared about was the order to retreat. Eventually, Aimi stopped attacking. "Hey, why''d you stop?" asked Cavaron. "They are not fighting back." replied Aimi, "What we''re doing is just a massacre." "Na?ve." argued Hideki, "Although, such is a Japanese youth. Worry not, Senior. She''ll get used to it." "Fine, you may stop attacking." said Cavaron, "Come, Maguro, Hideki!" The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Aimi remained at the edge of the port, while her seniors continued to whittle down the enemy. Only when the distance between them widened did Aimi follow with Aomi. Arriving near the docks, they were able to see a ship where the retreating mechs and monsters were boarding. Beside the ship, however, was a giant tentacled monster. "Either Alexander has been playing the same game repeatedly..." commented Hideki, "Or he''s an avid watcher of THAT." "He could be an avid reader instead." added Maguro, "Legends of a Kraken?" The long range attacks they had released were blocked by the squid''s tentacles, each tentacle was sacrificed to be blown off. However, as soon as half of its tentacles were blown off, one of them regenerated at an alarming pace. "How the... Do squids have regenerative properties!?" cried out Cavaron. "They do! But not at the rate we''re seeing!" replied Maguro. Suddenly, another squid surfaced right beside it. It appeared to be aiming its tentacles at Cavaron and his companions. "Hey, what the hell is..." asked Cavaron, but was cut off before he finished as the new squid shot off its tentacles like missiles of dismembered limbs. "Oi! I''ve seen enough of that already!" he shouted. Cavaron swung down a sword to divide the incoming flesh missile, while Hideki erected a wall of earth in front of him. Maguro dove right behind Hideki to be protected by the wall of earth. Cavaron effortlessly split the flesh missile, and Hideki successfully blocked the one coming right at him. The tentacle missiles that missed them hit a pillar of concrete, and wrapped themselves around it. Shortly after wrapping the pillars, the tentacles contracted and crushed them. "Holy hell, that was pure concrete, right?" said Maguro in disbelief, "We better avoid or destroy those things at all costs." "Tech mini-me, Magic mini-me! See if you can overpower those squids with a rain of unrelenting attacks! Feel free to grab as much mana as you can!" "Roger, Cavaron Prime!" replied the Tech midget. "Wee! Finally!" replied the Magic midget. "What about me!?" asked the Sword midget. "Make sushi?" answered Cavaron unsure of himself, "Well, once the squids cannot attack us, we''re going in." "Okey-dokey, Prime." replied the Sword midget. The Tech midget pulled out a huge box from out of nowhere and mounted it on his shoulders. He then faced the squids over at the docks, and pressed a button. "Targets locked!" he exclaimed, "Eat this!" The box opened at the front, and revealed multiple tubes. As soon as the first tube could be seen... "Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" A flurry of missiles came out. The box had a total of 56 tubes, amounting to 56 missiles. However, halfway to their target, the missiles fragmented and split further into 4 micro missiles each. A swarm of micro missiles flew towards the squids. At the same time as the micro missiles flew, a multitude of magic bolts appeared in midair. All of them were aimed at the two giant squids. As soon as the first micro missile hit a squid, the Magic midget let loose his own share of missiles. Explosions buffeted the squids for five minutes. The Tech midget kept pulling out one launcher after another, and the Magic midget just kept pouring down magic missiles like a waterfall. After five minutes, they let up, and all that remained was a bombed out dock. The ships that were loading the retreating enemies were gone, and their silhouettes could already be seen in the distance. "Damn." cursed Cavaron, "Well, at least we were able to whittle down their numbers to an extent." "Hardly..." argued Maguro, "Did you see if any ''children'' died? I think these beasts were more of cannon fodder, though." "Hmm, yes... I cannot see any mech or scrap metal nearby." added Hideki, "The fact that they were retreating once we attacked should mean something. It''s possible they already know about us, and are planning to concentrate on defending the island." "So... How do we get there?" asked Cavaron. "The island is approximately 200 kilometers away." answered Hideki, "We will be using the subterranean route." Hideki stomped on the ground, and a hole opened up. The hole was a tunnel, complete with stairs, paved walls, and lighting. Cavaron raised a brow at the sight of it. "Was this done beforehand or..." he asked, "did you create this on the spot?" "Just a specialty of mine." answered Hideki, "Its initial range is 500 meters, and I can extend it further as we go along. I would like to entrust to you, Senior, of detecting any lifeforms we may encounter ahead of us and when we arrive at the island so I can have us pop out in a safe area." "Why not just emerge right in the middle?" "Do you hope to fight in the tunnels?" "Hmm, not really. It''s gonna be a tight fit in there." "Then, let us go once Ms. Aoyama has caught up to us." ... "Nice job with this tunnel." commented Cavaron, "It doesn''t feel stuffy, and the tunnel is pretty sturdy against cave-ins." Cavaron and his companions were now crossing the ocean by running through the tunnel. By running, they had reinforced their bodies with mana to quicken their pace as they had an approximate distance of 200 kilometers to cover. In half an hour, they had already covered at least a quarter of the distance. The further they went ahead, Hideki created one new stretch of tunnels after another. "I wish we had the leisure of crossing the sea instead..." said Aimi, "I would have loved to take in the fresh sea breeze." "It''s a nice thought, but a mere luxury." said Maguro, "Being out in the open like that, we''d only be inviting hardships to us." "At this rate, we only need another hour and a half to reach the island. Come on, people. Double time!" Chapter 83 Cavaron and his companions had been running at full, mana-reinforced speed for roughly two hours. At the moment, they had stopped and were looking at the dead end before them while questioning Hideki what had happened. "Something''s wrong with the area ahead." said Hideki, "I can''t create any new tunnels." Cavaron approached the wall that had impeded their progress. Once Cavaron touched it, Blake spoke from within him. (Mrow... I feel the essence of the Flames.) he said, (It would be wise to have Cyan''s power be infused with Hideki''s ability in nyorder to proceed further.) Cavaron nodded as he understood Blake''s suggestion. "Looks like we''ve arrived." he said, "Seems like a barrier was put up to impede anything going through. Hideki, infuse the essence of the Water with your tunneling. It should punch through a barrier made by the Flames." Cavaron stepped back and let Hideki take charge once more. Hideki closed his eyes momentarily before suddenly opening them with a blast of mana infused with the Water of Tranquility. As soon as the energies had hit the wall, a new stretch of tunnels was created afterwards. "Right, I can, apart from the fish, detect 3002 people..." said Cavaron but he paused momentarily, "Huh...? This can''t be..." "What''s wrong?" asked Maguro as he noticed something strange from Cavaron. "No way, it hasn''t been a year since I''ve left..." muttered Cavaron, "How can she be here...?" "Cavaron! What''s wrong!?" repeated Maguro alarmingly. Cavaron shook his head awake from disbelief. "Hey, I never did ask this but..." said Cavaron to Hideki, "apart from Alexander, how many ''children'' does he have?" "According to his official declaration?" answered Hideki, "He mentioned an exact amount of 3000 ''children''... Wait, you detected 3002? Including Alexander there should only be 3001. Who''s the other person?" "You sure you hadn''t detected the black monsters they had?" inquired Maguro. "No, I can differentiate them from humans." replied Cavaron, "As long as I infuse the power of the Flames, I can easily do so within a three-kilometer radius. Without the Flames, I will have to guess which is what within a one-kilometer radius. As far as that one additional person, though, I need to see them with my own eyes to verify." "Well then, let''s continue forwa" "CRASH!" "the hell is that!?" Once Maguro suggested that they move on, a cylindrical object tore through the roof of Hideki''s tunnel. The cylindrical object was sleek, metallic, had what appeared to be fins attached to its sides, and had a drill for a head. Hideki''s eyes widened when he realized what it was. "Bomb!" he shouted as he hurriedly erected a thick wall of earth before them. Once the others had heard his warning and saw his wall of earth, they immediately retreated backwards. A few moments later, a large explosion erupted through the tunnels before them and even crumbled the wall of earth. "How the hell did they notice us!?" cried out Cavaron in alarm, "Blake! Any explanation?" (Mrow... Most likely that barrier was in an active state.) he answered, (Any disturbance with the flow of power had would alert the user. Especially since Cyan is a Water Fragment, the source of the barrier most likely alerted its host.) "You tell us this now!?" berated Cavaron, "Ah, forget it! Hideki, create another tunnel! Everyone, once you see the tunnel, run for it! Hideki, once everyone''s through, go sky high! Forget about infiltration, they know we''re here already!" Hideki blasted another stretch of tunnels. As soon as the first open space could be seen, everybody dashed forward. Once they kicked off, though, another bomb had torn through the ceiling. Fortunately, everybody had passed the barrier before it exploded, leaving Hideki to create a path going up. With another blast of Water-infused mana, a new tunnel with stairs going up was created. One bomb after another fell on the tunnels for and lasted until Hideki had created an opening to the surface. Passing through the exit, they had arrived at an open area far away from what could be said as the center of the island. Of course, the fact that they had alerted the enemy meant that they would also have a welcoming committee waiting for them. Once Cavaron and his companions regained their bearings, they found themselves surrounded by hundreds of black monsters on land, in sea, and in air. Accompanying the black monsters, though, were a myriad of flying mechs and drones loaded for bear. From afar, multitudes of concrete and steel towers with massive guns were pointed at them, already charging to fire. [Greetings, visitors, to our home.] said a man through a loudspeaker, [A pity for your efforts as you had tried to infiltrate the island. Although, I commend you for still pursuing us.] "Where are you!?" demanded Cavaron. [Where am I?] said the man, [Well, I am unsure whether you could see me or not, but I am at the highest point of the island. Look for the reflection of light.] Over the distance, in the middle of the island, stood a tall tower. The tower was surrounded by a myriad of buildings, defenses, and mechs patrolling the pathways. From atop the tower stood a young man wearing white formal wear that was holding a microphone with his left and a small mirror with his right. The young man''s white formal wear contrasted with his fairly tanned skin, black hair, and brown eyes. "Are you Alexander?" asked Cavaron. [Indeed, I am ''he'' whom you seek.] replied Alexander, [Now then, enough with the pleasantries. I cannot allow you to further impede us from our goal. So please, do perish from this mortal coil.] As if on cue, all of the guns that were aiming for Cavaron''s group fired salvoes of directed energy and, surprisingly, kinetic ammunition. Cavaron reacted by pulling everyone closer to him, and erected a wall of Flames around them. The first to hit were the blasts of directed energy that came from the concrete towers. As soon as the first beams of light disappeared, shells of high calibers not meant for infantry landed and pummeled the area like thousands of falling hammers. However, due to the characteristics of the Flames of Chaos, their attacks were in vain as they all dissipated upon impact. The only explosions that were produced were those that hit the ground around them, thus creating a huge cloud of dust that hindered their view. "None of their attacks will be passing through." said Cavaron, "We will move as Blake protects us, and hit them hard with our own power. Blake, rather than boosting the others, is it possible to just envelop them with a layer of Flame?" (Nyahaha! Yeap! It is possible.) replied Blake, (While Cyan can destroy meow, we can work together as long as I don''t conflict with her!) "Good, let''s do that, then." Everybody else nodded. Under Blake''s protection, Cavaron and his companions counterattacked. They all fought against the enemy like usual. However, once Hideki revealed the Water of Tranquility, Alexander''s expression changed. "Say, Kali, why is there a waterboy here?" he asked someone. Soon flames emerged from his body and went to his side. The flames that appeared then formed into a cat, but this cat was unlike Blake. The cat of Alexander''s flame was large and was as high as his waist while Blake was below Cavaron''s knees. It was a black panther. "Grr... Avoid him at all costs, Lex." said the panther, "He is a carrier of the Water of Tranquility." "Then, Kali, the perfect counter against him would be Farran, right?" "Grr... ''Would be'' but she hasn''t awakened him yet." "Then, what does she need to awaken him?" "Grr... A life threatening experience." --- Deep within the island was a large complex of laboratories, warehouses, and factories. At the very end of this complex were three large cylindrical rooms. Each room had a diameter of at least 200 meters and were as high as 600 meters. However, the objects that were in these rooms were curious sights as they were very complex metallic structures. One structure was being loaded with what appeared to be missiles. Another seemed to have a large gun fitted at the side. The last only had what looked like a glass dome protruding from the top. These three complex structures were being worked on by the many "Children" of Alexander Dalaram who were all equipped with bipedal mechs and flying construction drones. As high as the middle of the rooms was an observation room. Within this room were three "Children" and they were overseeing the progress of the construction. While the oversaw the progress, there was a wall of monitors they had occasionally watched. The wall of monitors provided a video feed of the events on the surface. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. "Seems like it has begun." said Malachi, "I wonder if it will be all right with us in here?" "Remember what Father said, Malachi." said Carmel, "The Project takes priority. Father will handle our visitors." "How is it going outside?" asked Ismael, "Oh? Isn''t that barrier cheating?" "Hey, isn''t that bad?" wondered Malachi, "Eh? Father moved!?" "Hey, hey, hey. This is getting serious. For Father to move THIS early..." added Ismael. Carmel frowned at the course of events. "It only means that we need to finish everything before all is lost." she said, "Malachi, Ismael. Directly command the others to hasten the construction." Malachi and Ismael nodded, and left her to monitor the situation outside. Having been left alone, she pushed a button on a nearby console, and a large control array appeared from the floor. "I will support Father with my utmost." Deftly manipulating the controls, she appeared like an entranced pianist. With every press of a button, different responses lit up on the monitor. "Welcome to my Garden." --- Outside, while Cavaron and the others were pushing forward, Alexander had personally arrived before them. His swift appearance surprised the others as he only took a few seconds to cover over a kilometer''s distance from a significant height. "So you brought someone who could deter me." said Alexander, "Well, seeing as fireboy is taking care of your defense, I suppose I should get rid of the others first." Alexander''s body shone brightly, and what seemed to be a heavy white exosuit appeared over him. "Spatial translocation." commented Cavaron, "Something like magic, but uses molecular disintegration and FTL transportation." "You know?" said Alexander surprised by Cavaron''s knowledge. (He is old, Lex.) said a woman''s voice from within Alexander, (Older than any of the people presently here.) "Ah, so you''re a grandpappy." said Alexander to Cavaron, "As expected of those who use magic." Cavaron was surprised. "How do you..." he said but Blake interrupted him. (Mrow, his fragment, chief.) said Blake, (I know which one it is, and they will be tough nyuts to crack. His fragment is Kali, my elder.) (Ah, Lex. Blake has felt me.) said Kali from within Alexander, (This will be a fun fight. Just, do be careful of the other fragment of Water.) Cavaron immediately ran forward. "Hideki! Cooperate with me!" he ordered. Hideki suddenly propelled towards Alexander with the earth beneath him. In response, a white flash appeared on Alexander''s hands, and a rifle translocated to him. Once Cavaron saw the rifle, he immediately erected a wall of flame to protect them because... "BANG!" A loud sonicboom tore away from Alexander, and a small bullet left his gun''s muzzle. In a split-second, the bullet smashed onto the wall of flame and created a small ripple on the surface. "A kinetic bullet glossed with a bit of Flames." said Alexander, "Now I know what would happen if two Flames went against one another." The Flame-coated bullet that hit the wall of Flames produced an impact akin to smashing onto a kinetic barrier. The Flames themselves became ordinary against one another. "Hmm, even if we create a wall of Water, the most it could do is douse out the Flames." commented Cavaron, "After that, we still have to deal with that supersonic bullet. But still, I''d like to have that suit seeing how he''s well despite receiving a sonicboom." "Then, let''s create a double wall." suggested Hideki, "A wall of Water outside and a wall of Flames inside." However, just before Cavaron agreed with Hideki''s suggestion, a MASSIVE magic circle appeared below them. This magic circle was different from Maguro''s own circles, and was actually quite familiar. "Oh, shit..." cursed Cavaron. "Please, no..." pleaded Hideki. "Not again..." complained Maguro. "Ah..." uttered Aimi. "What''s this?" wondered Alexander. CC The following is an idea that popped into my head that I may or may not expound upon. Spoiler : In a bedroom within an ordinary house awoke a little boy. With a yawn, he rubbed his eyes as he sat upright. The little boy looked to his left where he greeted the morning sun with enthusiasm. "Good morning!" After that, he got off his bed and went downstairs to greet the other members of his family. "Mama! Good morning!" "Ah, good morning to you, too. Oh, right, it will be your 6th birthday soon, do you want anything?" Said his mother who was in the middle of preparing breakfast. The little boy thought hard about his answer. "Hmm... I want to practice swords with Papa!" "Swords? Hmhmhm. Well, we''ll see if Papa will agree once he gets back." Having greeted his mother, the little boy ran to the dining room with a "pata pata" to greet his elder sister. "Morning, big sis!" The little boy''s sister was setting the table when he arrived. Hearing his greeting, his sister placed down the tableware on the table and crouched down to greet him back. "Ooh, you''re getting so big! Come, give me a hug." The little boy dove head first into his sister''s arms and she squeezed him lovingly. "Ehehehe!" "By the way, do you want anything for your birthday?" "Umm, I told Mama that I want to practice with Papa!" His sister warmly smiled and rubbed his head. "Haha, like father like son. Good news, then. Papa will be coming back home today." "Really? Yay!" Just then, the sound of a door opening was heard along with a man''s voice. "I''m home!" "Papa!" The little boy ran towards the voice, and found an armored man. The man, who was replacing his armor on a nearby table, paused and crouched down with open arms. "Hello, my boy!" "Welcome home, Papa!" The little boy, like how he did with his sister, ran to his father''s arms with happiness. "Oof! You''re getting stronger as the days go by, my boy!" By now, the women of the household appeared to greet him. "Welcome home, dear." "Welcome back, Pops." The little boy''s father stood up, and carried the little boy with him. "Hmm? Is that breakfast? Think you have room for one more?" "Hmhm, always, dear. I''m still cooking it so there''s some time." "Is that right? Well, I guess I''ll spend some father-son bonding, eh? What do you say, my boy?" Hearing his father say so, the little boy replied with glee. "Okay!" Happily watching the two boys interactions, the women of the household returned to their chores. As for the father and son, the father asked the little boy a question. "Your birthday is coming up, anything you want?" Like a machine, the little boy replied almost instantly. "Swords!" "Swords?" "Practice!" "Ahh, hahaha. Well, you are almost at the right age to start practicing. Want to start now before breakfast?" The little boy''s eyes opened wide, and a big smile formed on his face. "Yay!" "Right then, why don''t you head to the yard first while I get the practice equipment, okay?" "Okay!" The father left the little boy in the entryway and went deeper inside the house. Once the father had turned to a corner, the little boy went towards the door to leave the house. He opened the door wide, and leapt out to the open. Only... "Ahahahaha... Huh? Oh... right... sniff..." A ruined village greeted him. Looking back, the house he left was also in ruins. "Sniff... I..." The little boy went back inside his house. Entering the building, what was once a clean entryway was now a bombed out ruined and deteriorating house. No longer did he see the clean stone walls that lined the sides. No longer did he see the dining table filled with food. No longer did he see his happy, smiling family that would greet him joyously with each passing day. "I... sniff... I''m alone now..." Chapter 84 I''m not the type to reiterate events in past chapters. ----------------------- In addition to the first magic circle, more other magic circles popped out one after another. One magic circle, two magic circles, three, four, and finally, five. Five magic circles were presently glowing around and beneath them. The individuals who had been summoned before were panic-stricken, but Alexander merely had a gaze of curiosity. "Okay, okay. Calm down. Calm! The fuck! Down!" bellowed Cavaron, "Five magic circles, four of them are far from us, but this one big son of a bitch below us is worrisome." "Something''s strange, they are all transfer circles." said Maguro, "Yet, the flow of energy is weird. It''s not the usual that would suck us away like a vacuum." "Indeed." agreed Hideki, "It''s as though something is coming here instead... Huh? Those glyphs..." "Is that the character for ''seal''? ⡹ wondered Aimi, "Hey, aren''t those Shinto texts? Wait, I also see Latin texts along the edges of the circle." Aimi noticed something along the edge of the large magic circle. Line after line of Japanese and Latin letters were scrawled all over it. From the edge, the texts spiraled into the center like a vortex. At the center was the character for "seal". "Japanese and Latin texts?" repeated Cavaron as he looked at the two Japanese men with him, "Hey, do either of you know about this?" Maguro could only shake his head at Cavaron''s inquiry. However, when they looked at Hideki, his normally stoic expression transformed into an extremely anxious face. "You, you know, don''t you?" questioned Cavaron, "Were you the one who did this seal?" Hideki breathed in deeply. "Yes." he sighed, "But, it was in another Terran parallel. How it appeared here is a question that I would oh so love to have an answer to." "Specifically ''what'' did you seal." "A demon. A Terran demon." Cavaron''s expression became furious. "You sealed a demon!?" he cried, "You! Do not! Seal! Terran demons! You either purify them or completely destroy them! You said that you sealed them from another parallel? This! This is what happens when you seal them! The walls separating each Terran parallel from the void is too thin! Even if you strengthen the seal in one parallel, the ones sealed will be able to break through to another parallel! Didn''t Yggdrasil teach you that!?" "He did." replied Hideki weakly, "But I was in the middle of strengthening the other parallels close to it. This parallel was too far from the origin, but I never would have thought..." "Screw your regrets! Why didn''t you seek help from the others, open up the seal, and destroy the damned thing!? Fuck! Which demon is this!?" As if to answer his question, the four revolving magic circles shattered, and a deep yet raspy voice came from the large magic circle. "FREE...DOM..." it said, "TWO...HUNDRED...YEARS...I...AM...FREE..." The large magic circle suddenly shrunk, and a bolt of lightning struck up to the skies. What was once a clear sky became shrouded by dark clouds. As soon as the sky could no longer be seen from anywhere, another bolt of lightning struck the shrunken magic circle, and the circle subsequently shattered like glass. What was once a magic circle now became a black void where a humanoid figure rose up from the depths of the abyss. "HAHAHAHAHA...BOW...DOWN...PUNY...MORT... YOU...WHY...ARE...YOU...HERE..." The humanoid, the demon, as it was reveling in its freedom, noticed Hideki warily eyeing it. The demon was at least five meters tall. It had pure white skin, flaming red waist-length hair, pitch-black and glossy eyes, and a mouth filled with sharp fangs. The only thing it lacked were horns and wings, but had the presence of a trademark demonic and pointed tail. "Shut it, go die!" shouted Cavaron as he released a Mana Blade. The blade of mana zipped through the air and severed the demon''s tail. "MY...MY...TAIL..." cried the demon, "AHHHHH...I...HAD...LOST...MY...HORNS...MY...WINGS... NOW...MY...TAIL..." The demon became angry and let loose a wave of black miasma with a wave of its arm. The wave of miasma swallowed the black monsters around them and many of the drones. Alexander was untouched, though, as he was protected by his Flames. "Hey, buddy! Do you mind?" shouted Alexander. "HOW...DARE...A...HUMAN...ADDRESS...ME..." "Oh, shut up. Tell you what, seeing as you''ve got a score to settle with waterboy there, how about we team up, eh?" "HOW...AMBITIOUS... A...HUMAN...WISHES...TO...BE...EQUAL...TO...ME...?" "Oh, shush! Waterboy is a thorn on my side, and a massive splinter on your ass. Frankly, I am surprised to be conversing with someone like you, but I can''t be picky with my potential allies at the moment. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, is how the saying goes." "Hey!" interrupted Cavaron, "That guy is a demon! The hell are you proposing!?" "The fact that you guys went against me should be enough of a reason." replied Alexander, "Demon, I don''t want a contract or a pact. We will equally give our own share to get rid of them. After that, I don''t care if you rampage in this world, what say you?" "HAHAHAHAHA...AN...INTERESTING...PROPOSAL...FROM...A...HUMAN... DO...YOU...NOT...FEAR...DEATH...?" "As someone who will soon die, what is there to fear?" replied Alexander, "Pain? Oblivion? I don''t care about any of that. All I care about is leaving a legacy!" Black flames shot out of Alexander''s body as soon as he finished speaking. The flames split into three massive black balls, and bipedal mechs stepped out of them. Actually, not just bipedal mechs, there were also the black monsters but appeared to be more ferocious than the earlier ones. Additionally, heavy vehicles rolled out, and a troop of humanoids marched through. (LEX! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?) shouted Kali from the depths of his mind, (YOU ARE BEING TOO RECKLESS!) "Hey, what the hell is going on!?" cried Maguro, "What the hell are those!?" "Blake! Cyan! What''s going on!?" asked Cavaron, "Is that one power of the Flames!?" Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. (Mrow... It''s one thing to create bit by bit but...) said Blake, (To think he knows about Absolute Creation.) (Absolute Creation, it sounds nice and will produce many benefits...) added Cyan, (However, it literally takes a toll on the user. He can create anything and everything at the price of his soul.) (It is a last resort for the Creation aspect of the fragments.) explained Blake, (The Destruction aspect would be Absolute Destruction, and it ALSO takes a toll on the user''s soul. One will become able to destroy even the indestructible.) Soon, a small army of technological wonders that far surpasses the current era flooded the island. "Demon! What is your answer!? I give it my all to leave my legacy!" --- "No! Father!" screamed Carmel. Carmel was coordinating the defensive and offensive mechanisms around the island. This also meant that she was able to see EVERYTHING that was happening. Suddenly, she shifted her sight to another monitor that displayed the vicinity of the island. More than a thousand red dots were converging on the island from all around it. "Now!? They decide to attack now!?" If not for the fact that they are all rushing the construction of the three structures, they would have been able to intercept the thousand red dots all around the island. "Calm down... Father knows what he is doing... The order stands, and the Project takes priority." Carmel looked at the monitor displaying the events of the battle. Soon, she found that the demon had satisfactorily cooperated with Alexander. The demon took charge of eliminating Hideki, while Alexander handled Cavaron. A human and a demon, along with a small army of machines, tore up the battlefield. Even Cavaron''s companions were hard-pressed with keeping the demon in check that was surprisingly holding out well on its own. The demon had speed that went about Cavaron, and agilely evaded each and every one of their counter attacks. Not to mention that the machines and the island''s defenses were providing considerable support. Now that Cavaron and Hideki had to deal with, not just Alexander but also a demon, they were unable to effectively combine their efforts. "Father is pulling out all the stops? Then so will I." Carmel operated the array of consoles. One button after another was pressed, and one reaction after another was displayed. On the monitor, a map where the word "Dock" was displayed, fourteen bays opened up, and their status turned to "ACTIVE". --- "What the?" said Cavaron as he turned behind him, "I am detecting a lot, and I mean A HELLUVA LOT, of people coming here!" "Senpai! More of those airships are coming out of the ground!" reported Aimi, "THERE ARE FOURTEEN OF THEM!" From the center of the island, a building opened up, and fourteen catamaran-shaped airships took off. These airships were the same as the one that besieged the Tokyo fortress. The front of each airship lit up, turned to face Cavaron and the others, and let loose a storm of directed energy. "Oh dear, looks like Carmel became agitated." said Alexander, "I apologize for having you see this, my child." (LEX! NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR THAT!) berated Kali, (THE ISLAND IS ABOUT TO BE ATTA) Just before Kali could finish her scolding, a salvo of missiles tore through the air and slammed against a barrier. After the first wave landed, more missiles arrived from other directions all over the island. "What the!?" cried Cavaron, "Those are cruise missiles!" "Grahhh! Even if they came, they won''t be able to go through the barrier!" bellowed Alexander, "Carmel, if you''re listening, ignore the ones outside!" Suddenly, a voice was heard within Cavaron''s mind. "Erm, I have to apologize, Cavaron." said the voice, it was Yggdrasil, "I made a big mistake. I forgot the wipe the video feed of their security cameras, and to wipe Mr. Aoyama''s and Ms. Tanaka''s memories. Now, a few regiments are about to siege the island." "Well, shit. You old coot." said Cavaron, "Ah well, no better reinforcements are better than no reinforcements. Let us make do with the consequences at the moment." "Quite careless seeing as you were the cause of this, Cavaron." "And quite careless of you to forget about it. Are you getting senile?" Over the horizon, a squadron of chinooks, ospreys, and c-130 transport crafts could be seen. Right behind them were B2 Spirit Bombers and B52 Stratofortresses cruising at a higher altitude. Further back was a fleet of naval ships cruising over the sea. "So many people are gonna die today..." commented Maguro, "Such is life." "Unless we get rid of that barrier." argued Cavaron, "Hideki, do you think you could send a wave of Cyan''s Water to disrupt the field? You don''t need to keep it up indefinitely, you just need to open up a path for them to go through." "If it''s just that, I''d rather create a sky tunnel, infused with the Water, for them to fly through." suggested Hideki, "However, I need to get this demon off my back if I am to do so." "Hmm, Aimi! Maguro! How long has it been since we left Edeortha!?" Aimi turned to Maguro, signifying that she had no idea. Maguro could only shrug and offer a guess. "Ten hours!? I have no idea!" he replied, "Do you have something in mind!?" "I do! Come here, Burkhard!" Cavaron produced a portal with a circle of Flames. After that, a confused knight could be seen on the other side. "My word, Lord Cavaron, this is a surprise." said Burkhard, "Do you need my assistance?" "Hell yeah, I do!" replied Cavaron, "Come over here and assist this guy with your Aegis!" "I see, well, this is a different summoning, but a summoning just the same." Burkhard stepped through the portal and went next to Hideki. He, then, turned into a floating shield, and stuck close to his target. Soon, a brilliant translucent shell appeared over Hideki, and any of the demon''s attacks became ineffective. "THIS...BARRIER..." "Now, go and create that sky tunnel!" Chapter 85 Let the ideas flow~ ------------------------- The sky tunnel, a huge mass of earthen tunnels suspended by pillars of the same material, was swiftly being generated by Hideki. With the protection granted by Burkhard''s Aegis, he need not fear any attacks coming from the demon assaulting him. However, although this meant any attack would be nullified, only ordinary attacks would be deflected. Attacks infused with a fragment''s power will still penetrate the defenses. "Oh, no you don''t! You''re dancing with me!" shouted Cavaron as he blocked Alexander''s line of fire. Alexander naturally witnessed the defensive strength of the Aegis, therefore he thought to attack when Hideki was busy pouring Cyan''s power into the sky tunnel. Just as he aimed his railgun at Hideki, Cavaron swiftly provided support with the power of his own flames. "Fine, then. Have it your way!" bellowed Alexander as he pulled replaced his railgun rifle with two smaller guns, "Carmel! Destroy those tunnels!" As though she heard his command, the fourteen airships tilted their frames and aimed at the tunnels being built. Fourteen large balls of energy were being built up right at the bows of the airships, and by five seconds were at least three meters in diameter. Afterwards, they shot the balls of energy. "MINI-ME''S! SWAP WITH ME!" ordered Cavaron. Immediately, the three midget Cavaron''s assaulted Alexander momentarily. Naturally, because of Kali''s Flames, the attacks had little to no effect. Even so, it gave Cavaron a momentary window to erect a wall of Flames that were big enough to catch each ball of energy. Out of the fourteen shots, only thirteen were blocked. The last one successfully hit a portion of the sky tunnel that had circled halfway the island. However, although a portion was destroyed, Hideki quickly mended the bombed out portion as though it hadn''t been destroyed. "Fucker..." cursed Alexander, "Carmel! Release everything!" --- Aboard a Lockheed C-130 troop transport was a large group of paratroopers. These paratroopers were not of one nation, but of a coalition of many nations. Amongst them was a Japanese woman who was watching a corner of the island go ablaze, and saw a large earthen structure being rapidly built around it. "Gimme some sights." said the Japanese woman, "Is that a tunnel?" "What do we do, SMaj. Tanaka?" asked a pilot, "They must have a reason for building a tunnel." Aiko used a high amplification camera to view the events on the battlefield. Except, she had to take a step back as she found something surprising. "That freak looked right at me!" she screamed, "He knew we were coming!" "Uhh, SMaj?" "Tell all aircraft to fly through the tunnels. The fact that freak looked right at me meant something." Aiko looked through the camera again and found Cavaron pointing at the sky tunnel. He also made a gesture of a plane going through it while fighting off Alexander''s forces. "Yeah... Go through the tunnels!" she ordered. Subsequently, the radio operator relayed her order. Naturally, doubts and complaints were radioed back from confused pilots but were quelled when Aiko took charge. "You want to end this war!? Just do it!" she bellowed. The radio was silenced, and the result could be seen outside when all aircraft began to maneuver towards the sky tunnels. Aiko left the cockpit and went to the cargo bay where the group of paratroopers were on standby. "Right, then. I have to thank a certain old man for forgetting to wipe my and the Colonel''s memories, and forgetting to check our technologies." she said, "Everyone! I won''t bother with long, inspiring speeches. What I will tell you now is hope for our future!" The paratroopers were silently paying attention as they looked at her. Out of nowhere, her voice was heard over the radio of the entire offensive. From the aircraft to the naval ships and down to the submerged submarines. "This is the last stretch! Within this month, the whole world was thrown into absolute chaos. Nations fell at the might of one man who acquired fantastical power. We lost many, we may even lose more after this... but, in return, another group of fantastical beings with incomparable power appeared. We will use this chance to redeem ourselves for a future of peace. Even if that peace is merely an illusion, it will be peace nonetheless! Let us use this chance to reach for that once unreachable victory! We will not pause! We will not falter! We will be victorious for the future of our world!" "URA!!!" cheered the Russians. "BANZAI!!!" cheered the Japanese. "HOOAH!!!" cheered the Americans. "HURRAH!!!" cheered the rest. Morale was at an all time high, that even the pilots double-timed as they pushed their engines to the limit. One troop aircraft after another flew towards the sky tunnel as ordered. --- Deep within the island. "How far are we from completion?" inquired Ismael. "Construction has already been completed." answered a Child, "We just need to install the power cores and fuel before we can ascend." "Good." said Ismael, "Hang tight, everyone! Soon, we will witness the ascendance of the GODS." The other Children saluted Ismael before returning to their work. "I will be heading towards the observation room." Ismael left the factories and went to where Carmel was. Along the way, he met up with Malachi who was headed towards the same destination. "How''s your side going?" asked Malachi, "Mine''s almost finished." "Same." replied Ismael, "Just a little more and the Project will come to fruition." The two brothers had finally arrived, but saw that all the lights in front of Carmel had gone on full red alert. The two of them ran to Carmel''s side. "What happened!?" questioned Malachi. Carmel glanced at him while busily manipulating the control arrays. The status of all docks on screen had gone from "Inactive" to "Active" and was the cause for her two brothers to worry. "Father ordered to release everything we''ve got." she replied, "Prepare yourselves to defend the GODS as they ascend as they will be exposed to enemy interception fire." Malachi and Ismael turned their gazes at the video feed and radar respectively, and their expressions turned serious. "Then it will be sooner than you think." said Malachi, "I''m going." "Hey, I''m going, too." announced Ismael, "This will be our repayment for Father taking care of us when we were abandoned." Just then, a report came from a radio. [Elders, everything is complete.] said the reporter, [Ascendancy is at hand.] --- While Cavaron stopped each effort by Alexander to destroy the sky tunnels, the troop aircraft were nearing the tunnels. Alexander, eventually, gave up on the tunnels and focused on Cavaron. "Fuck it." he cursed. "BABABABANG!" "PEW!PEW!PEW!" Supersonic bullets left the gun on his right, and directed energy fried the air on his left. The fourteen airships also directed their fire on Cavaron instead despite their shots having little to no effect. Suddenly, the earth rumbled beneath them, and a structure opened up. From the structure, hordes upon hordes of mechs, vehicles, and black monsters poured out like a broken faucet. Soon, half of the island was filled with Alexander''s forces. As soon as the structure released their troops, the first troop aircraft flew through the sky tunnels. It was a C-130 troop plane. Its cargo bay dropped open, and one paratrooper after another disembarked. Sadly, with the presence of the demon nearby, not all paratroopers landed safely. Not to mention the active defenses around the island that shot the other following aircraft down like flies that were swatted away. Even then, the aircraft didn''t stop. Even at the sight of their comrades falling in vain, the troop carriers passed through one after another until, finally, a large enough force had a foothold in one corner of the island. By the time the rotor crafts landed, more troops ran out into the battlefield with guns blazing. From high above, a voice was heard, and Blake flew out of Cavaron''s body. "BANZAI!!!" Aiko dropped from a C-130 and released her parachute. As soon as there was enough distance, she separated from her parachute, and rapidly fell to the ground. Upon landing, she rolled a few times to break her fall, then stood up with her rifle. "Hey, freak. Thanks for forgetting to wipe my memory." she greeted. "Aiko-samya!!" cried Blake as he catapulted from Cavaron in his cat-form. Aiko took a side step and deftly evaded the black cat. Missing his mark, Blake turned around to see Aiko aiming her handgun at him and fired indiscriminately. Of course, the bullets did nothing as they were disintegrated by Blake''s Flames. "Munya, such a tsunde" "BANG!" "Are you sure it''s wise to waste your bullets, Aiko?" asked Cavaron. "It''s fine, I can just pick up some more." she replied, "Well, I guess that''s the overlord, eh?" Aiko turned her gaze towards Alexander. Alexander also met her gaze with a smirk. "Greetings, visitor." said Alexander, "Do forgive my rudeness and inability to provide more hospitable conditions. Then again, seeing as you see me as THE prize, this hospitality should be enough, wouldn''t you agree?" Alexander let loose a supersonic bullet towards Aiko, but was blocked by Blake himself. "Che, damn your brother, Kali." (He was always like that, Lex.) replied Kali, (It would be best to redouble our efforts in keeping them at bay. After all, that is all we need to achieve.) "You''re right." agreed Alexander, "We only need the Project to succeed." Just then, another rumble was heard. This time from the middle of the island. Once this deep, yet loud rumble was heard and subsequently felt, Alexander''s expression turned gleeful. "Oh, joy!" said Alexander, "The final phase is at hand... HAHAHAHAHA!" [Father, ascendancy is at hand.] said Carmel''s voice over the radio. --- "Open the launch bay doors!" "Opening the launch bay doors!" "Ascendancy imminent! All hands are to evacuate the launch facilities!" Construction has been completed on the three structures. These were, apparently, spacecraft equipped with weapons. High above the three spacecrafts, bay doors began to open. Dust and small debris fell from the bay doors that made many of the Children evacuate. "Launching in thirty seconds!" "30! 29! 28!..." Inside the observation room, Carmel took a speaker phone in one hand. "Brothers and sisters! Ascendancy is at hand!" she announced, "The orders stand, protect the GODS at all costs! Follow your Elders, Malachi and Ismael, and prevent any of our enemies from destroying the GODS!" On the surface, apart from the launch bay doors, garages and factory doors also opened. Behind these doors were the signature bipedal mechs and the Children that piloted them. Alongside the bipedal mechs were small flying crafts similar to jet skis they used to destroy the Pacific Fleet at the start of the war. At the forefront of these bipedal mechs were two Children in exosuits similar to what Alexander wore. "Brothers and sisters! Today we shall leave a mark on this world as shatterers of a false peace!" cried Malachi, "Ascendancy is at hand! Destroy the interlopers at all costs!" "Ride with me!" cried Ismael, "Destroy the coalition!" "RAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" cheered over a thousand Children. Their cheers unnaturally resounded all over the island. The soldiers heard this battle cry, and soon found hordes of red-eyed people pouring out from the center of the island, intercepting and preventing their charge further. At the same time, sirens blared across the island, and smoke rose from the center of the island. "Ascendancy is at hand! None shall hinder the GODS from ascending!" bellowed Alexander, "All or nothing, my children!!!" "Gods? What gods!?" cried Maguro, "Cavaron, whatever he is planning, it shouldn''t be good for this world!" "Maguro! How long has it been since we left Edeortha by now!?" questioned Cavaron. "Are you... Argh! Approximately twelve hours!" replied Maguro, "Who are you bringing out now!?" "Rata! Rati!" cried Cavaron, "Papa''s calling!" Cavaron made a wide circular gesture overhead with his Flames, and out came two sleeping children. Rata and Rati, the two Planar Dragons that see Cavaron as a parent. "Suu... Haa... Suu... Haa..." breathed the two quietly as they slept. The surrounding soldiers and enemies cast strange gazes at the two sleeping gold and silver children. Although Alexander was surprised, the fact that the two children came from Cavaron''s portal had him become wary at their presence. At the same time, a structure emerged from the launch bays, it was one of the three spacecrafts. Afterwards, it was soon followed by the other two spacecrafts. As soon as their bodies were halfway through, thrusters erupted from beneath them and the spacecrafts propelled into the sky. "What are those!?" cried a soldier, "Missiles!? Nukes!?" Maguro ran next to Cavaron. "Cavaron, those are spacecrafts!" he explained, "I''m not too sure about their purpose, but the fact that there are three of them and are too large to be ordinary vessels, should be related to those gods Alexander has been screaming about! Cavaron! Are you listening!?" While Maguro was in the middle of an explanation, Cavaron was staring gobsmacked at one of the propelling spacecrafts. "Cavaron!" repeated Maguro, "Get a grip, dammit!" "The GODS shall ascend, and their wrath shall descend!" bellowed Alexander, "This is my legacy and none shall impede it!" Alexander went full throttle. His Flames dancing ever more sporadically and creating more and more mechanical armies. His once small army, boosted by his Children, and now reinforced by even more creations was about to fill the island. "Rata! Rati! Wake up!" ordered Cavaron. Sensing the urgency in his voice, the two children stood at attention and found a blazing battlefield around them. Humans, monsters, and machines were killing one another, and a sight of a lone human producing more soldiers one after another at the expense of his life was burned into everyone''s eyes. "Eliminate those spacecrafts!" ... (Lex? No regrets?) asked Kali. "No regrets." replied Alexander, his voice already weakening. "Father!" shouted a man from behind. It was Malachi. "Father! We are here to help!" he said, "Come, my brothers and sisters! Drive them back!" Thousands of bipedal mechs marched through the island and razed down anything in their way. Kinetic weapons, thermal weapons, directed energy weapons. A light show of death danced through the battlefield producing corpses that were either riddled with holes or burnt to a crisp. The armor of their bipedal mechs proved to be a force to be reckoned with as none of the conventional Terran weapons scratched it. The only time when a bipedal mech would fall was whenever they ate a face full of missiles and rockets, or when a missile or rocket hit their vents. Now that Alexander had become weakened due to his use of Absolute Creation, the barrier surrounding the island had lost its power and dissipated. Cavaron and Hideki''s fragments felt the absence of the barrier, and relayed this information to their carriers. (Chief! The barrier''s down!) announced Blake, (Tell Aiko-samya about it!) Cavaron looked around and found no trace of the barrier. Immediately, he went to wherever Aiko was and told her about it. "Aiko, the barrier preventing entry around the island has disappeared!" he said, "Better radio the fleets outside to send in more reinforcements!" "Gotcha." replied Aiko. Aiko grabbed hold of her radio and relayed the information she received. A few seconds later, a lone cruise missile was seen heading towards the island. As soon as the missile passed underneath the sky tunnel Hideki created, the missile landed square on a building. Immediately after, naval transports were seen sailing towards the island, and cruisers and destroyers could be seen operating their guns. "BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!" The naval guns launched a salvo of shells into the island. Some hit empty land, many hit the island''s facilities, and others actually hit Alexander''s army. After cannon fire came carrier-based aircraft from the rear. Strike aircraft zipped by and dropped precision bombs over designated targets. The entire island was set ablaze. Alexander was still creating more reinforcements, his face already becoming pale. Malachi arrived next to him to support his Father. "Father! What are you doing!?" cried Malachi, "You''re getting paler! What''s happening!?" "Ma...la...chi..." said Alexander as his face became thinner, "See...you...in...the next...life..." Alexander''s body became engulfed in flames. The flames then formed into a black panther, and looked at Malachi with stern eyes. "Lex has fulfilled his wish." said the panther, "It is time to say goodbye." "What!? No!" cried Malachi, "What do you mean!?" "Live a long life, my child." said the panther, not with its earlier voice but with Alexander''s. The panther dissipated into nothingness and left Malachi in the middle of the battlefield. "Father! Father!!!" "Malachi! Where''s Father!?" questioned Ismael as he finally arrived next to him. Ismael found a rare sight of Malachi kneeling on the ground with tears in his eyes. Malachi was staring at nothing and hadn''t even turned to his brother beside him. Suddenly, he stood up, and energies revolved around his exosuit. "Graaahhhh!!! I will kill you all!!!" bellowed Malachi. With great explosiveness and agility, Malachi charged forward barehanded and caught soldier. The soldier struggled futilely and was ripped into two by an enraged Malachi. Next, one soldier fell to the same fate after another. "Malachi! What happened!?" cried a confused Ismael, "Argh! Dammit!" Ismael also charged forward to protect the berserk Malachi from their enemies. --- "Hey, what just happened to Alexander?" asked Hideki, "His Flame just devoured him." (The cost of using our absolute power.) explained Cyan, (In order to not extensively damage the balance, a risk was put in place to deter the carriers from recklessly shifting it.) "What do you mean?" (We were never good nor evil. We are just tools with unimaginable power. We were created to break away from the chains of fate to a certain degree. That was because ''He'' understood long ago that even if ''He'' grants us these gifts, even if ''He'' gives us power to reach the unreachable, even if ''He'' provides us with the ability to attain impossible dreams... A price must be paid to achieve it.) Hideki silently stood by as he watched the battle continue. He then closed his eyes and looked up to the sky. "You mean to say, that ''He'' is the Devil himself?" asked Hideki. (I... cannot truly say...) answered Cyan, (That question that could be answered by a ''yes'' or a ''no'' cannot be truly answered by others. Only by what you believe in.) "Heh, helpful." --- The observation room. "Father..." uttered Carmel. She was responsible for overseeing and supporting Alexander. Naturally, she saw how everything went. Witnessing Alexander being devoured by Kali, watching Malachi go berserk, it took a toll on herself. Eventually, she also witnessed the sudden presence of two large dragons: a golden dragon and a silver dragon. These two dragons were headed towards where the spacecrafts were. "Malachi! Ismael! The dragons are headed towards the satellites!" screamed Carmel into the radio. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. [Carmel! Malachi has gone nuts!] radioed back Ismael, [I don''t even know what happened!] Carmel''s chest tightened. She was unsure whether to tell him what happened. "Ismael... Father''s..." [Sorry, I''m gonna ask that demon for some help!] Ismael cut his radio off. On the monitor, Ismael could be surprisingly seen requesting the demon to get rid of the two dragons. The demon looked up, while ignoring the bullet impacts on its body, and watched the two dragons fly after the spacecrafts. The demon, astonishingly, agreed to Ismael''s request with a nod. It suddenly produced two black balls of miasma and threw both at the dragons. The black balls of miasma hit the silver dragon''s underbelly, and a small burn mark could be seen. Rata, the silver dragon, evidently got pissed as he turned back to counter the demon''s attack. Rati, the golden dragon, momentarily paused mid flight to look back at Rata who was about to destroy the demon. Rati ignored them and continued forward to the soon to be leaving spacecrafts. Seeing as only one dragon remained in pursuit, drones and flying vehicles, includingnthe fourteen airships launched intercepting fire at Rati. Fourteen balls of energy flew towards Rati at high speed. Out of the fourteen, nine shots were evaded by Rati it five shots hit her body. Distracted by the directed energy fire and intercepting vessels, Rati had no choice but to get rid of the small fry first as she opened her maw towards one of the fourteen airships. A large ball of golden flame formed in between her massive jaws. With a jerk of her head, the golden fireball flew towards its target, and resulted in one of the fourteen airships exploding. She did the same to each airship. Although she had to take care of them, she was still able to make time to catch up to the three spacecrafts that were almost disappearing from sight. Back with Rata, he had already killed the demon by crushing its body with his jaws. His short work of the demon made Hideki and many others shiver. Only Cavaron was smiling as he glanced at Hideki. Rata immediately flew after his sister and, with no other impediment, swiftly caught up to her. --- Earth''s Thermosphere, 140 kilometers above the surface. Three large spacecrafts were about to reach the exosphere. These spacecrafts were satellites that would then orbit around the Earth for reasons unknown. Below these three satellites were two dragons exerting great effort to catch up as they burned through the atmosphere. "Rati~ it''s getting hot~" whined Rata, "Let''s hurry up~ and go back to Papa~" "Then destroy those things, Rata." snapped Rati, "The faster we get rid of it, the faster we''ll be able to return." "Okay~" Rata spread his wings wide and flapped hard. With each flap, he ascended hundreds of meters at once. Rati did the same, and the two dragons swiftly chased after the three satellites. --- "Okay! Enough watching the sky fall! Get rid of the rest!" commanded Cavaron, "The faster we clear this place... Wait... Blake! Alexander''s gone but his children aren''t!? Hey!" (Oh dear, oh dear... Mrow...) said Blake, (He didn''t wish for the fragments back... This is gonna be one hell of a disaster.) "Grah! Hideki! You''re up!" shouted Cavaron, "Get rid of them all!" Water enveloped Hideki''s body. Similar to when he neutralized Cavaron and his Flames, Hideki assumed his transformation with the Water of Tranquility. Crystalline blue and white reflections of light wrapped his very being and his eyes turned icy blue. With his Riot Sword, water swirled around its blade until Hideki appeared like a god of water. The earth beneath him rose and propelled him forward into the fray. The armor of the once thought to be impenetrable bipedal mechs were effortlessly severed by Hideki''s Riot Sword. Along with his powers over the earth, the ground burst with tree roots that wrapped around the legs of the mechs, hindering their movement. Once the mechs were stalled, they were easily destroyed by Hideki''s Water-infused attacks. As counterattacks rained down from the numerous automated defenses around the island, Cavaron supported Hideki by using his Flames as a defensive barrier. Each attack was henceforth negated. In the middle of all this... "Will someone get rid of those towers already!?" bellowed Cavaron. As though to answer his request, steel swords flew through the sky and dropped precision bombs. Not all of them were able to reach their targets due to interception fire, but many were still able to destroy their designated targets. The attacks on Hideki and Cavaron had considerably lessened making their assault bring out significant results. Just when the mechs were being pushed back... "GRAAAHHHHHH!!!" bellowed a Child wearing a similar exosuit. Malachi came charging through his fallen brethren, and leapt at Cavaron. Cavaron received Malachi''s attack with his sword, but when the blade hit the exosuit, it did not penetrate. "What the!? Adamantium alloy!?" cried Cavaron out with surprise, "Shit! There''s mithril in there! Fucking cheating!" Cavaron, a carrier of the Flames of Chaos, and Malachi, having been granted with the same fragment, were at an unbelievable stalemate. None of Cavaron''s attacks had any effect on Malachi''s strange armor, but none of Malachi''s jabs and grabs hit their mark. "This is for my Father! Die!" cried Malachi. "Fuck your father! He killed himself!" countered Cavaron, "Shit! Hideki! I can''t penetrate this with my Flames! This is absolute bullshit!" Hideki double-backed when he heard Cavaron. The earth beneath him exploded and he was catapulted by the force of the explosion. His target: Malachi. Like a bullet that left a gun''s muzzle, Hideki flew towards Malachi at high speed with his Riot Sword forwarded to pierce through. However, just before Hideki could reach his mark, a small sonicboom was heard and a supersonic deflected his Riot Sword by a wide angle. Regaining his balance, Hideki found the source to be another exosuit-wearing child: Ismael. "Stay the fuck away from my brother!" bellowed Ismael, "AAHHHH!!! BANG! BANG! BANG!" One supersonic bullet after another was let loose by Ismael. Each of them landed squarely on Burkhard''s Aegis. However, the fact that Ismael had a small fragment of the Flames of Chaos, and the weapons and armor they used had a trace of the Flames'' power, each attack was slowly chipping away the translucent shell until, finally, it shattered. "Ahh, not again." commented Burkhard, "Many pardons, Lord Cavaron, Master Hideki, I need to recuperate for a while." Burkhard, although he was pulled through Cavaron''s portal of Flames, faded out of the world as his power was used up in defending his target. Eventually, more shots came from Ismael''s railgun and each shot impacted, however, on Hideki''s weapon instead as the Hideki was using the flat of his blade to deflect the bullets. However, although Hideki able to get rid of the Flames'' influence and was barely able to deflect the bullets by ricocheting it somewhere else, the kinetic force delivered by each shot was still very significant. "Dammit, my hands are getting numb." said Hideki, "I really wish I had Senior''s Flame barrier right now." Suddenly, an arrow dissipated on Ismael''s exosuit. Ismael turned to the source and found Aimi shooting one mana arrow after another. "Foolish girl! We already know how to counter your magic!" shouted Ismael, "Give up, or die!" Ismael aimed his railgun at Aimi, and Aimi hesitated before nocking another mana arrow. Ismael frowned and pulled the trigger but, before the bullet even left, Aomi mauled him from the side. "ROAR!" "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!?" cried Ismael, "STAY AWAY, AHHH Huh...?" Ismael shot Aomi but his railgun was parried away by Aomi''s paws. Ismael leapt back and regained his balance. However, this momentary distraction cost him his life. Hideki''s sword pierced through the exosuit and through Ismael''s body. Hideki commanded his Water to attack the insides of Ismael until he went limp. Hideki pulled his sword out, and returned his attention on Malachi. --- "Ismael..." cried Carmel, "Khh..." Carmel wiped away her tears and looked at the situation in the sky. The three satellites had begun to successfully orbit around the Earth but the two dragons were gaining on two of the three satellites. "Foolish." she said, "Once the GODS are in orbit, none can stand in their way." Just then, Rata opened his maw and released a massive bolt of lightning. The bolt of lightning, as fast as light, impacted on the satellite with a glass dome. The satellite didn''t explode, but shattered into debris. This made Carmel silent, then she turned around and pushed a big red button. [Self-destruction in thirty minutes.] said a crystalline voice, [All personnel, please evacuate the island. Repeat, self-destruction in thirty minutes...] Carmel left to exit the facilities. After the first satellite was destroyed, Rata caught up to the satellite loaded with missiles. However, Rata and Rati didn''t know that. Rata fired off another bolt of lightning, and soon enough, the satellite loaded with missiles exploded and produced a glow of a thousand suns. The two dragons were blinded by the flash, and were also impacted by the shockwave, plunging them back down to the Earth. The shockwave that was akin to hundreds nuclear missiles simultaneously detonating also destroyed the remaining satellite with a gun fitted to its side. The last satellite turned into debris, and a large crystalline object could be seen hurtling down to the surface of the Earth. This crystal was blue and translucent, and seemed to give off a mysterious light. --- The skies lit up when the satellite carrying the missiles blew up. Its blinding flash was witnessed by the many people currently fighting on Pamana Island. "That was... Was that from the spacecrafts?" wondered Maguro, "Wait... That intensity... Shit! E! M! P!'' As soon as Maguro realized what happened and would happen, all vehicles and electronics went dead. This included the bipedal mechs and exosuit worn by the Children. Aircraft crashed, naval ships were dead in the water, and none of the defenses on the island properly functioned. A great reversal. Now that none of the high-technology weapons worked, conventional and present-era weapons wielded by the soldiers held the upper hand. However, instead of victory, Carmel appeared from out of nowhere. She walked through the battlefield, ignoring the gazes of the others until she arrived in the middle of it all. Cavaron, who had finally pushed Malachi away, stood stock-still when he saw Carmel. "Aisha...?" he uttered. Hideki was immediately alarmed and looked at Carmel as well. Indeed, she appeared similar to Aisha if not for her red eyes. Hideki immediately went next to Cavaron, and snapped him out of a trance by smashing the flat of his sword on Cavaron''s back. "Senior! Aisha is dead!" shouted Hideki, "You, who are you?" Hideki questioned Carmel. Carmel continued walking and arrived next to Malachi. She held him up, and brought him to the remaining children to rest. Afterwards, she turned her attention to Hideki. "I am Carmel." she answered, "Do feel free to flee, now." Hideki immediately brought his Riot Sword forward, but was surprised at the sudden retreat of many red-eyed people. Those who were in mechs got off and ran back, many others ignored the pursuing soldiers. Suddenly, giant squids appeared on the shores and coastlines of the island. Each one rescuing the few remaining Children on the island. With all vehicles disabled, none of the soldiers on foot could pursue any further. "You''re leaving your home?" inquired Hideki. "This battle is lost." replied Carmel, "And the war has ultimately been lost. Only one thing remains." Carmel smiled, and Cavaron snapped out of his stupor. Immediately, he let out one Mana Pulse after another. Sensing nothing, he infused it with the Flames. He sensed nothing again. The others felt the wave of mana produced by Cavaron. "Cavaron, what''s wrong?" asked Maguro. "Something about that smile reminded me of a memory of a long past." explained Cavaron, "A smile of resignation. And whenever someone does so, they have done something reckless to do so. Blake, change the search target to weapons. Weapons of any kind." (Roger, chief.) replied Blake. Cavaron once more let out a Mana Pulse. Finally, he found something in the deepest part of the island, and immediately went pale. "You... you didn''t..." said Cavaron as he pointed at Carmel, "NUCLEAR DETONATION IMMINENT! GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" The soldiers around them were stunned and became confused. Fortunately, Aiko lived through the ordeal, and set order to the panicking troops. "You heard the man! Full retreat! Get row boats if you must!" she ordered, "Cavaron! Where is the nuke!?" "In the deepest part of the island!" he replied, "We won''t have enough time to search and defuse it! Carmel? Is this your wish?" Cavaron stared at Carmel, his emotions unclear. Seeing a face so similar to a loved one, he was unsure of what to do. Carmel noticed his confused gaze. "It is not mine." she said, "But merely ours." "There is a hint of regret in your voice." said Cavaron, "If you die, I hope to see you in the next life." Just then, the two meteors came crashing down from the sky. They were the two dragons that were stunned by the explosion earlier. Following right after then was a smaller meteor. Cavaron immediately turned his gaze at the smaller meteor and froze up. "No way..." he said, "Grr, Rata! Rati! Snap the hell out of it!'' A strong voice was carried by the winds and reached the two falling dragons. Rata and Rati woke up from their concussion, and righted themselves in midair. With a powerful flap of their wings, they halted their descent. Soon, another order came from Cavaron. "Either of you! Retrieve that thing falling behind you!" Rati was the first to see the smaller meteor. It was the crystal that fell from the last satellite. Rati flew towards it and caught it with one of her claws. She inspected the crystal and found something within it. It was a young woman with blonde hair. Rata and Rati flew down towards Cavaron and delivered the crystal. "Shit... I can''t believe it..." commented Cavaron as he gazed at the woman in the crystal, "Dita, how the hell did you get here?" "You know Mother?" inquired Carmel, surprised by Cavaron''s actions. "Mother?" "Yes, Father received his power from her, or so I was told." Cavaron gazed at the young woman named Dita but was awoken by Blake reminding him of the nuke down below. (Mrow... Chief? We still a nyuke problem.) said Blake, (I also think the girl''s cute, despite aging a wee bit faster than expected, but there is still that biiiiig boom-boom benyeath the island. I really don''t wannya be that guy who died in a Chinyook.) Cavaron turned silent. He then faced the two dragons and gave an order. "Rata, Rati. Get everyone off this island." he said, "I''m destroying that nuke, also, my anchors should still be active, send Dita home for me, okay?" The two dragons blinked twice when they heard his plan. However, knowing Cavaron, they would believe in him. The two dragons spread their wings wide, and grew enormously. Then, they scooped up the remaining stragglers onto their backs, including the rest of Cavaron''s companions without any explanations. "Cavaron! What are you doing!?" cried out Maguro, "You know nukes can still kill us!" Cavaron ignored them and turned to Carmel. "You really had to put the biggest bomb down there, huh?" "It was Father''s idea as a last resort." "I wonder how much I need to destroy just to reach the damn core?" (Uh, chief? Nyou''re not serious, are nya?) asked Blake, (Do remember what Cyan and I said about the Absolutes. Chief, are nya listening? Hey! Chief!? I still wanna meet Aiko-samya! Hey!) Cavaron ignored Blake''s ramblings and walked towards the center of the island. Curious, Carmel walked alongside him. The two of them were now the only ones left on the island. "Why are you following me?" asked Cavaron. "The truth?" said Carmel, "You remind me of someone I cannot recall." "How is that possible?" "No idea. I just do." "Heh." "How about you? Do I remind you of someone?" "..." "That''s a ''yes'', then. I wonder who that is?" "Hey, I haven''t answered yet." "But you hadn''t denied it." "... Yeah, you''re just like her." "Hmm?" "Nothing. Are you sure you won''t stop me from stopping the bomb?" "If you can stop it, then you can stop it. If not, then we all die." "Great... Just great... You''ve really resigned yourself to your fate, haven''t you?" "Maybe. Maybe... Well, we''re here." "You really... Never mind." Cavaron and Carmel arrived at the very center of the island. Using Mana Pulse, he sensed that he was right above the core separated by earth, steel, concrete, and many more materials. "Oh, man. You guys used Adamantium in large quantities?" "Father produced it. Father created it." "Father this, Father that... Can''t you say anything else?" "Well, it was because of Father that many of us were still alive. Despit Father''s youth, Father took care of us, even though many were older than Father himself." "... And those two guys?" "Malachi and Ismael? Malachi is the true child of Father, born from his very essence and gifted by Mother, er... Dita? Yes. As for Ismael, he was the first Child to be adopted by Father, I was the second." "Wait, his ''essence''?" "A clone, so to speak, but Malachi doesn''t know that. Only I knew that, when I saw the papers." "Woah..." "Well, you only have five minutes left before the island self-destructs." "All right. Then, do stand back." Carmel did as she was told, and gave way to Cavaron. Blake was still protesting against Cavaron''s actions, but was ultimately ignored. Flames erupted around Cavaron''s body, but instead of spreading, the flames focused around his arms. He bent down, and erased a layer of the ground beneath him. The flames intensified, and the rate he erased the materials increased. Soon, he was descending at 11 m/s. Carmel stood by and watched as Cavaron descended into the abyss. After descending nearly three kilometers, Cavaron had finally found the core reaching critical mass. The core, spherical in shape, had gone white-hot from containing whatever was inside. Cavaron, however, had to go through layers of adamantium with the power of the Flames of Chaos to get here. He had already gone deathly pale. "Haha... It wasn''t painful, but damn I''m losing focus. The final stretch." He reached out to the core with his flame-enveloped hands. Once the flames touched the surface, Cavaron willed them to wrap around the core, and slowly destroyed it. (No regrets, chief?) asked Blake. "Eh, quite a lot, but still incomparable to this long life." (Hmm...) "Why? Do I need to be totally free of regrets?" (Nyot really...) "What will happen after this, anyway?" (...) "Hey, answer me." (You''ll see.) "Great, now I''m curious." -------------------- Spoiler : Chapter 86 Cavaron awoke in a black space. "Where am I?" He looked around and saw that he was not alone. With him were three other men and one woman. Two men were familiar sights, while the other man and woman were unknown to him. The two men were, respectively, Blake''s human form and Alexander Dalaram. "Hello there, nice to see you here so soon." greeted Alexander, "This is where we get sent of to once we... Sacrifice... ourselves." Alexander noticed Cavaron''s confused expression, and thought to answer his question. The woman stood next to Alexander, and Blake stood next to Cavaron. "Well, chief. You''re in front of ''Him'' now." said Blake, "Oh, by the way, that''s my elder sister, Kali, Alexander''s fragment." The woman, Kali, curtsied towards Cavaron. "I am the black panther that you saw earlier." she said, "Do not worry, as of now, we are no longer enemies." Cavaron stood next to Alexander and faced the man, "Him", before them. "He" seemed ordinary. Ordinary build, ordinary clothes, ordinary... face? His face could not be seen. Whether by a shadow, by illusion, or by a veil, it couldn''t be recognized. "That was a nice sacrifice, Cavaron." said He, "You had no obligations in that world, yet you offered to give your life to save those who do. Admirable." Cavaron stood there silently. "And you, Alexander, the way you pushed for your dreams, although it was foiled by the person next to you. Admirable as well." Alexander was also silent. "I suppose the two of you are wondering why you''re here in front of me, yes?" The two men shrugged and nodded. "Haha. Well, you know what the fragments represent, yes? Are you familiar with the Nordic Ragnarok?" Cavaron shook his head, but Alexander nodded. "The war of the gods." answered Alexander. "Correct, this is similar to that, but it won''t be against another group of gods... It will be against Fate itself. I know, I know. It is rather ambitious of me to say and do so, yet, here we are talking. The fragments are creations of mine to slowly deteriorate the chains of fate, and your sacrifices, for good and for bad, thoroughly shattered these chains." The two men listened quietly. "Now, you and the other carriers will aid me in my ambitious dream. Seems like a fair proposal for giving you a fruitful life?" Cavaron frowned. Naturally, "He" noticed this. "Is it about Aisha?" Cavaron closed his eyes. "I apologize, then. But such is ambition, sacrifices must be made." Cavaron opened his eyes once more, this time more resolute. "Those are good eyes, Cavaron. So, what do the both of you say? Will you aid me?" Alexander crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and lowered his head. Deep in thought. Cavaron however, stretched both of his arms with energy fluctuating. "Oh? So that''s your choice?" "One way or another, I''d rather be free." said Cavaron, "Aiding you feels like I was in debt, and I have to be of service to you." "Disappointing. What about you, Alexander?" "Hmm, I didn''t really have any regret when I sacrificed myself." answered Alexander, "Although it hurts to see it failed, ah... I don''t know. I don''t like it when I''m pressed for an answer, let me think it over for a while." "All right." Alexander and Kali suddenly disappeared, leaving only Cavaron, Blake, and "Him" behind. "I must ask, though." said Cavaron, "Are you the Devil in the biblical Terran scriptures?" "Yes, and no. It all depends on your beliefs." "What a helpful answer." "Well, [Rewrite]." "What just happened?" "I ''rewrote'' the rules of this space to make you at least become able to harm me. It wouldn''t do good if I could negate all damage." "Huh?" "Well, you are fighting against a god." "Ha?" "I... Am... A... God... but not the God of Fate, mind you. I am after all trying to disrupt the damn thing." "Well... shit..." "I hope you''ll make your struggle worthwhile." --- "He" suddenly disappeared right before me. Before I could even react, "He" went behind me and grabbed my shoulders. Suddenly, he just pushed me forward for seemingly no reason but, that small push actually sent me flying. So this is a true god? "Wah!" I screamed. A surprise, really. I expected him to do more than just pushing me. Twisting my body in midair, I regained my balance. What I thought to be the distance between "Him" and I became so short as "He" closed in on me. I summoned my magic swords, my Mana Sword and my Blood Sword. My Mana Sword hummed with energy and shone brilliantly and, using my own blood, I provided power to my Blood Sword. "He" thrust a fist towards me. Either his fist is indestructible or he is confident that I won''t be able to parry it away. I used the edge of my swords to slap his fist away, but it was actually the former. His fist wasn''t injured despite my blades striking his bare skin. He even brought his other hand out and grabbed hold of my blades. "Come on, Cavaron. Just because you learned that I am a god, you hesitate in your attacks? Where did those resolute pair of eyes go?" Was that a taunt? Or a fact? Did I just dig my grave without knowing the truth? "Come on, Cavaron. What is it that you believe in?" Eh? What are you saying right now? What do my beliefs have to do with me beating you? "Confusion, anxiety, doubt... It clouds your mind, I see. Pathetic." Suddenly, a burst of energy exploded from his hands and shattered my Mana Sword. "He" also grabbed hold of my Blood Sword and destroyed it with equal ease. Losing my prized weapons, I didn''t know what to do. I looked at his face, and I could swear I saw a frown. "Do you really wish for me to torture you? I can go on all day... no, for all eternity." I just realized something, where is Blake? (You called, chief?) said Blake, his voice resounded deep within my consciousness. (Where, how?) I said to him. A figure of a small cat appeared within my mind. (Ever since ''He'' gave me to you, I had always become a part of you. Need anything else, chief?) Blake''s unnatural smirk appeared before me. His cat form disappeared and was replaced by his human form. Suddenly, he removed his mask and his face had changed. Blake became my spitting image. He had become me. (I know you''re smarter than this, chief.) said Blake, (What is it that you truly believe in? No, wait, wrong question... What is it that you truly *want*?) What I want? I, then, had a flashback of all the worlds I had been to, my first summonings, my first encounters... Everything. "What I want is freedom." I suddenly spoke out loud. "He" seemed to look at me, amazed. "Then, Cavaron, what will you do to achieve it?" "Actions speak louder than words." Flames erupted around my body. What were once destroyed were recreated. My broken swords snuggly fit in my hands. The flames, without my exertion, produced portals to other worlds, and summoned my closest allies. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Without a word, somehow feeling my intent, stepped forward in their Avatar forms. From Culverin to the Three Gems, including the supposedly recuperating Burkhard. A full on ensemble of contracts. Without waiting for my orders, the first to let loose their attacks were Rata and Rati. Bolts of lightning and golden balls of fire flew in a volley towards "Him". Followed by the dragons, the Elemental Lords let loose their respective attacks. Fire, Ice, Thunder, Earth, Water, Wind, Light, and Darkness. My Spirits charged forward, weapons drawn, to engage "Him" in a melee. I, too, went alongside them to provide my own efforts in attaining what I want. The others attacks had landed, and I could see that his clothes had charred from the flames. Looking at the other parts of his body, Ice Shards and Earth Spears had pierced through. Yet, even with that damage, "He" just shrugged them all off. "The interpretations of the Elemental Laws are interesting with each person. Their understanding varies from one another. However, what if the one using the laws is capable of manipulating their very essence?" Fire and lightning arched over to "Him" but, before they could reach their target, broke up into many red lights. Lights that I had once seen before. Ice and water shattered into blue lights, and earth and air dissipated into green lights. The holy bolts and dark tendrils disintegrated into white and black lights, respectively. "These things that you see right now are the five basic systems of the Eight Elemental Laws. These essences are: Red that governs over Fire and Electricity, Blue that governs over Ice and Water, Green that governs over Earth and Wind, and White and Black are specialties on their own." "He" manipulated a storm of blue essences and sent them towards Culverin and Bronte. Culverin and Bronte could not resist the storm and reverted back to their ordinary forms. "Blue essences overpower those of the Red system." Next, "He" sent a torrent of red essences towards Avani and Stormfel. Avani and Stormfell received the same fate as they reverted back to their ordinary forms. "Red essences overpower those of the Green system." After that, "He" sent a surge of green essences towards Glacia and Tirta. The same happened and they were weakened back to their ordinary forms. "Of course, Green essences will overpower those of the Blue system." The six Elemental Lords had fallen easily before "Him" without resistance. We could not even believe that ease at which "He" had with just manipulating the essences. The Three Gems, the three witches behind me, looked at one another and nodded, understanding each one''s intentions. The three girls behind me charged forward, their poisoned magic revolving around their bodies, ready to launch. "Of course, these three essences could be melded. Red-Green, Blue-Green, Blue-Red melded systems. Even melding it all to create both White and Black." "He" made the three essences fuse into one then split into two. The red, blue, and green fused as one into white and black essences. Afterwards, he created a wave of white essences followed by spears of black essences. "The White and Black systems equally go against one another. However, what would happen if higher systems were to go against those of lower systems?" The wave of white essences slammed hard on the three witches. Followed by the black spears, the three of them were pierced effortlessly, dropping them on the ground. "He" just stood there, relatively unharmed. Cheating? I don''t know anymore. We were up against a god, dammit! Was that earlier a show of mercy, or just a pity party!? "Worry not, Cavaron. I know what you''re thinking. As for that Cross Ark over there, have some of these." The essences swirled and melded together in front of Shamira. Shamira was wary of what "He" was planning to do. However, her expression of wariness turned into hesitation and confusion when "He" finished. "Would you like to have some candy?" Candy!? Argh! What''s this? Her addiction is now her greatest bribe!? I should not have given her that no matter how curious she was. Shamira stared at the pile of candy in front of her. She brought a hand to grab one piece, but her other hand pulled it back. "Hesitation. Disappointing." "He" suddenly made the candy disappear. On Shamira''s face was both relief and sadness. Make up your mind! "Well, seeing as that didn''t work out too well, have some higher systems. Here is the Gold system of space and the Silver system of time." Gold and silver essences appeared behind him. The gold and silver essences suddenly exploded and everyone, except for "He" and I, stopped. Time stopped for them. "Silver governs over time. Combined with Gold, I can specify which ones are to be affected. And, like before, each system can be melded with another. The ultimate would be those that meld with the Gold and Silver systems." All of the essences around him melded together, forming into a ball of pure translucence. This ball of translucence equally split into two balls. "Here, we have everything for creation." One ball of translucence, before my very eyes, created a human being. After the human, next were the elves, the fae, the demons, the spirits, and many more. A legion of each possible race stood on his right. "And here, we have everything for destruction." The other ball of translucence created many wraths of nature. Storms, meteors, even death itself. So few, yet so very powerful. Just these few examples are enough to destroy whatever was created. "He" suddenly pointed at me with both hands, and the two balls of translucence explosively shot at me. With no time to react, the two balls passed through my body. "And right there is everything for the maintenance of balance in the multiverse." The moment he said that, my sight faded away. I could still see Shamira and Nox staring disbelievingly at my falling body. Darkness. ... .. . --- I awoke in a black space. "He" was right before me, and my contracts, my companions were still with me. I remember that I got hit by the two balls of translucence, then my sight went dark. "And now, I show you Fate. You died, but also did not die. How about it, Cavaron, what do you believe in?" "Even if I were to fight against you, it won''t mean that I will win and achieve my freedom, yeah?" "If that''s what you believe in, then maybe." "Okay, I choose absolute. Absolute freedom." A dagger-shaped flame appeared in my right hand. "He" just stood there, watching me. My contracts also watched me, waiting for what I had in mind. In the end, they all had resolute faces as they watched me bring the dagger to my chest. "SEE YOU IN THE NEXT LIFE!" I thrust the dagger through my chest, into my heart. I twisted the blade, and thrust it in deeper, ending my life and achieving my freedom. -------------------- Die! Freedom Within the black void, two men and one woman were present. The first man was "He" whom Cavaron fought. The second man was a purple-haired and golden-eyed young man. As for the woman, she had silver waist-length hair and golden eyes. The three of them were talking to one another. "I never thought he''d choose to do the most extreme of choices." said the purple-haired young man, "Then again, Cavaron would usually be doing the most unexpected in the most dire of times." "Still, to think that you would play with his life like that." said the silver-haired woman, "You sure have bad taste." "Temperance, Tranquility... I now understand why the two of you like him so much, despite being a child of chaos." said "He", "All three of us have literally taken a liking to him, albeit with ''varying'' degrees of intimacy." "He" looked at the woman with a smirk. The woman just smiled. "Heehee, I won''t deny it." she said, "Though, it hurts to see him now." "Oh? Are you that affected?" teased "He", "Why don''t you appear before him again?" "And put his life through hell again?" replied the woman, "I''ll just leave that to my children." "Or your many daughters." added the purple-haired youth. "He" and the woman looked at one another. "Did he just jest?" wondered the woman. "Has hell frozen over?" wondered "He". The purple-haired young man just frowned. "We''re just kidding." said "He", "Well, shall we return to our usual tasks?" "See you, Chaos." said the woman. The purple-haired young man just nodded at "Him" before phasing out before them. Alone in the black void, "He" walked away, deeper into the darkness. ... .. . --- Somewhere else, on the vast plains. The sound of chopping wood could be heard behind a small house. The house, enough for two people to live in, was surrounded by a field of flowers. Behind it was a young man making firewood. Suddenly, a hole opened up behind him, and a man walked through. "So this is where you were, you sick bastard." said the visitor, "We''ve been looking all over for you since then." "Oh, hey." said the young man, "Sorry about that, I just never thought to tell any of you about the aftermath." "Sheesh, when they said that they lost your presence, we panicked, then another found a huge blast of your energy scattering all over the place." said the visitor, "Dammit, man, what happened?" Right then, a young blonde woman with shoulder-length hair opened the door. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. "Big brother, the children are... Oh? A visitor?" said the woman. "You... You... You..." stuttered the visitor while pointing at the woman, "Huh? The house?" "Why don''t you check it out?" proposed the young man. The visitor hesitated for a while. When the young woman gestured for him to enter, the visitor approached the door. Inside the house was actually a bigger space than what it looked outside. Inside was actually a small city. The people within this city were very familiar faces, many of whom were most definitely from other worlds. The visitor had an expression of absolute amazement when he stepped through the door. "This... How?" uttered the visitor as he looked at the young man who now had golden eyes The young man entered the city, and the people around him gathered together to greet him. Father, brother, papa, lord, master, and many more titles were used to address the young man. Finally, a small group of men and women were on the other side looking at the young man. The young man approached this small group, and faced his visitor on the far side. "This, my friend, is my freedom." --------------------- Well, that was fairly worthwhile. With its ups and downs, rising and falling qualities... I now have an idea on how the revised versions will be. Oh yes, I will be revising this story, once I get a PC and have a bigger screen with multi-tab capability. Now, I am wondering about what I should write next. Do I write a lighthearted adventure with a potential harem, or do I write a story with reincarnation as a theme with a potential harem. I say "potential" because I may or may not push through with it since I have a profound hatred for dense motherfuckers. *reads story* Dense motherfucker *drops story* Apart from those two, I could write about the Ciphers, or I could write about Carne and her home of Onipiliph, I could also write the Cross Arks and the others. I can also go back to Ladenras or Belfron and expand upon their worlds. As for Edeortha, that is a world solely for Cavaron... Maybe. Then again, seeing as this is Royal Road Legends, I could write about a pseudo-permadeath VRMMO where I could put all of my ideas to better use since, after all, I did say that these stories were supposed to be games when I still had a PC. Many stories, many characters, many children. Same multiverse, same rules, same laws. Different lives, different interpretations, different legacies. These are Songs of Legacies. Rage thread. Rage here, please. Or rant. Or some such explosion of emotions, good or bad. Criticize me! Bash me! This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Love me! Loathe me! Lust me! Curse me! lol with me! New Title Well, long time no see. Been how long was it? Anywho, I won''t say much, but here''s the new story. It is led by a familiar name, but not in an entirely familiar place. Songs of Legacies: Ties WordPress Magic is minimal here, but fairly used. Science and technology is at an all time mid-range. It''s not as action-y as Cavaron, its chapters are longer than usual3500 to 4500 words a chapterand the updates will be random. More random than usual since I''m preparing for my Civil Service Examination, and will be job hunting. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. People who liked Cavaron may not necessarily like Ties as it has different genres used, and the protagonistsyes, it''s pluralare not on Cavaron''s level of power... well, maybe one of them will, but that''s a spoiler, maybe. Technically, this is a test for me to see if I can narrate squad-based formations and maneuvers. There will be side characters that I will have side stories for, quite a lot of them, to be honest, but all in the same world. Each arc will be have different... situations and protagonists, except for Bootcamp, which serves as sort of a prologue arc. Anyway, do enjoy it.