《The Demon Against the Heavens》 1 The Curse Skill Activated: Demolition You can destroy buildings by paying in Mana. Do you want to destroy the building Crooked House? Cost: 500 Mana Yes | No Helial sighed. This was one of the numerous attempts he had made to build a home for him and his sister. "Yes", he whispered. The moon was casting its light on a house with such slanted walls that it would have soon fallen on its own, even if Helial hadn''t decided to de-molish it. Some of the bricks were too wide and stuck out at weird angles, giving the building an awkward, clumsy look. He selected "Yes" and that architectural nightmare started tumbling down. Demolition reached Level 2! You are now able to destroy two-story buildings up to 100 yd2. You earned 300 Exp from the demolition of "Crooked House"! "Adding insult to injury", he snorted. However, besides his clear disappointment, there was a mischievous smile on Helial''s face. He glanced at the uneven bricks now lying on the ground and he walked towards one of the biggest ones. He walked unhurriedly. At a first glance, the boy didn''t seem strong enough to build and demolish even a single house, but he had already done that process at least a hundred times. The resulting buildings though could hardly be defined as houses. He was striding confidently across a grassy clearing. Suddenly, Helial shut his eyes and frowned slightly. He took a deep breath. Skill Activated: Perception You can clearly detect every Aura within a 1000 yd radius. Cost: 70 Mana/Sec Helial opened his eyes and gave a sigh. There was no one around. He crouched to pick up the brick. It had to weight around 220 pounds. He firmly grasped the bottom of the brick and very slowly started to straighten up. The huge effort was written clearly on his face. Soon he turned bright red with sweat dripping down his forehead. He was wearing a frown, but his movements were slow and dispirited, because of the strain of too many failed attempts. Nonetheless, behind those listless and deflated movements, there was a kind of obsessive rigor, that went mostly unseen. Every single movement ¨C from lifting the bricks, to moving them and finally arrange them ¨C had a deeper meaning. An inattentive onlooker, however, would have just seen a clumsy brat who was trying to build a house using badly cut stones that were way too heavy for his thin body. Actually, it didn''t look like he was trying to rebuild the house at all, he seemed more like one of those athletes who, in competitions, manage to lift weights thanks to technique rather than mere strength. On the ground, there were lines forming a square, probably indicating the perimeter of the house. Even though he possessed Construction Skills that would have let him automatically erect walls and wooden scaffoldings, Helial persisted in wanting to build everything by handand on his own. He put down the brick in one of the four corners. For the next half hour he kept moving the blocks, without stopping even for one second. Now sweat was not just dripping from his forehead, but had also completely soaked his wrinkly tunic. The fabric had been mended several times, with tiny stitches made by small hands. Here and there, near the seams of that faded purple fabric you could see tiny burgundy stains. You earned 1 Strength point! You earned 1 Vigor point! Helial looked at the sky. The stars seem so far away¡­ Our loved ones watch over us from afar, but until now they have never protected us. Are they testing me? Don''t worry, I''m not going to give up, he thought angrily, with a bitter taste in his mouth. Fshhh! Helial felt a shadow swoop in on him from behind. His Perception Skill had been activated all this time, but he hadn''t felt anything approaching. Had he missed something? Only two things could have happened: either the attacker had crossed the 1000 yards covered by Perception so fast to go undetected, or he could mask his Aura in such a way that Helial was unable to perceive it. Both were upsetting scenarios ¨C he could not but be alarmed by the presence of someone in a place like that, so secluded and far from the village. Plus, a person whose presence was impossible to detect was indeed someone at a very high level. The only people who were able to hide their own Aura in such an efficient way were those who had already reached the Second Phase, above level 100. Without thinking, Helial turned around but he wasn''t planning to attack. A metallic flash ripped through the darkness and Helial felt the chill of a blade pressed against his neck. Dagger. Assassin. Am I still alive?! Thought Helial surprised that the steel had only barely broken his skin. You lost 20 HP! "Dead", the shadow burst out laughing. Helial glanced around from the corner of his eye to check if more people had arrived, but it was just the two of them, or so it seemed.Perception wasn''t detecting anything, but at that moment it didn''t matter. The person in front of him was unrecognizable: he was using an Assassin Skill, Umbra Nigra. It was said that once one reached the complete mastery of this skill, they could blend in with darkness and dematerialize, traveling swiftly through the shadows. The torso and legs of the shadow were very blurry, but if it hadn''t been wearing that black hood, Helial could have easily recognized who it was. "Who are you?" asked Helial with a steady voice that showed no trace of fear. Hearing Helial''s tone, the stranger said: "We have a brave boy here. Brat, if I wanted to kill you, you wouldn''t even notice you were dead. I was wondering what you were doing¡­ I have been watching you for ten minutes. Were you trying to increase your Stats with mere physical exercise? Dude! How much Strength do you need to build a house? Or do you have something else in mind?" It seemed like the shadow knew a lot. Helial was surprised at the Assassin talkativeness. From the stories he had heard from the mercenaries at the tavern where he worked, he knew that Assassins were used to lying in wait for hours, even days in order to kill someone without leaving traces. Usually, that constant need to disguise and blend into the crowd called for unobtrusive and introverted people. How unusual, thought Helial. Seeing how unimpressed Helial was with facing his death, the shadow sighed. "You and that other madman are truly brothers." Hearing that, Helial widened his eyes and all the hair on his body stood up. It''s him, he thought. "Let''s cut to the chase, I have better things to do than babysi you", said the shadow in an arrogant tone. "I''m here to deliver something." The blurry shape withdrew the blade. The small amount of blood that stained the shiny steel disappeared as if by magic. He took a step back and opened his Inventory. His arm disappeared through a translucent window and reappeared some seconds later. His fist was closed around an object bundled in fabric with weird runes on it. Helial was not an expert in Runes, but he had seen some of those symbols before on some crates. It was a seal and judging from its complexity, it must have been a quite powerful one. The shadow tossed him the thing. Helial took a step back. He knew he shouldn''t trust an Assassin, especially one that was friend of his brother. The object and the fabric covering it fell to the ground. "What are you doing, running away? Are you scared now?" it seemed as if the Assassin did not like Helial''s reaction. "It''s really true that doing good it''s always a bad choice. Take it, it''s a gift from your brother to you. He said that nowadays it is dangerous to live on the fringes of the Nation, so close to the battlefields. You''d better learn to defend yourself." The shadow stopped talking and smiled scornfully. This is a dangerous situation. Helial knew well what kind of person his brother was, and he wasn''t the kind to send surprise gifts. He sighed. He did not have much of a choice. The man in front of him could have easily forced him. He chose the path of caution. Helial crouched to pick up the object. It was very long, even taller than he was. Its width and shape were not clearly discernible because of the cloth that covered it. Nonetheless, Helial was not an idiot and guessed what it was right away. A Longsword? His brother had always liked showy things and he always wore luxury clothes and eye-catching Equipment, even at the detriment of Effects or Stats. Helial glanced at the shape of the Longsword and muttered: "Typical¡­ I couldn''t have expected anything better from him." He made a move to grab the hilt, still covered with the cloth, and raise the sword, when the Assassin interrupted him: "Take away the covering, don''t you want to see what kind of amazing present you''ve just received?" The whole business was rotten to the core, but Helial couldn''t do much about it. He heaved a sigh and removed the fabric with the Runes. What he saw left him speechless. Before his eyes was a huge Longsword, completely black from the hilt to the blade. He didn''t pay much attention to the details and picked it up, holding his breath. Malus Received: Curse of the Demon Curse Activated: You won''t be able to wield other weapons as long as you are the owner of ''Curse of the Demon''. No surprises there, I was expecting that, thought Helial, sighing. "Hahaha! Mission accomplished, goodbye!" The shadow disappeared into thin air, without giving him a chance to ask questions or get clarification on what had just happened. Damn it! You''re always trying to ruin my life. Wasn''t it enough to leave me stranded in a village at the fringes of the Nation, getting all the honor and glory for yourself?! In just ten years'' time you passed level 240, you are one of the best of your generation in the entire Nation, what do you want from me? Brooded Helial. Ten years had passed since the time his brother and him first started traveling. Ten years earlier, his brother had been enrolled in the Mana Congregation, thus gaining access to dozens of mysterious Skills. Then he founded a Guild and found Dungeons that no man had visited before, where he discovered tons of treasures. Probably that Assassin too was a member of his brother''s Guild. Helial glanced again at the huge sword he was holding in his hand. It must have been six feet long. "Scan the object." Curse of the Demon Type: Longsword Consumption ???/??? Level: ??? Damage: ??? Effects: ??? "What the fuck is this shit?" growled Helial. He fell backwards, his butt crushing the grass and shouted: "SHIT!" He got up again, furious. He had had that Longsword in his hands all the time, but only now he noticed, probably because of the shock, that the weapon was very light. It weighted maximum 5 pounds. He stayed quiet for a moment, wondering how it was possible that an object that big could weight that little. He walked towards a tree. He had a bad feeling about this. Skill Activated: Mana Scan Lv: 2 Gives information on the status and Skills of things and people. Cost: 300 Mana Exp 54.3% He tried to use the Skill to know more about that Cursed weapon. He felt the Mana flowing through his Meridians to cover the Longsword, as to probe it, but suddenly he felt an oppressive force coming from the sword creep back through his arms, where his Mana had been flowing. Boom! Suddenly his hands stiffened and got flooded by an absurd amount of Mana Energy, that almost shattered the Meridians in his arms. "SHIT!" He immediately recalled the Mana and dropped the sword. Various capillaries on his arms burst and broke the skin. Blood started running on his fingers, dripping on the ground. You lost 150 HP. Skill Failed. "You don''t say?!" complained Helial. "I''m liking this thing less and less." He sat on the ground and formed a seal with his hands. Skill Activated: Mana Reflowing The Mana power flows through your body and heals minor wounds. Cost: 20 Mana/Sec When his wounds were healed, he stood up again. He grasped the Longsword and approached the same tree. This time he used the Mana Scan Skill on the tree. Young Oak Type: Tree HP: 100/100 Diameter: 3 ft HP Regeneration: 0.001/sec Physical Defense: 30 Resistance to Magic: 0 Your Perception Skill gained 0,1% Exp "Let''s see what you can do¡­" whispered Helial. He grasped the Longsword tight, going into a fighting stance. He relaxed his shoulders, closed his eyes and then reopened them after a moment. He swung violently at the oak, believing that he could cut it clean. Dong! A low sound rang out, while Helial''s arms started trembling because of the recoil. He stared at the tree in surprise. There was only a small cut, maybe 2 inches deep. The area that he had swung at looked like it had been hit with some kind of mace rather than with a sword. Young Oak lost 7 HP! When the notification window appeared, Helial didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. 2 Perception Five years earlier "Master I beg you, I need it! Teach me the Mana Concentration Skill, I need it to regenerate Mana more quickly and use the Construction Skills!" In the time he had spent living in the village, Helial had learnt various Production Class Skills, such as Cooking, Fishing, Snares and Agriculture. He used them to get food for himself and his sister. But he was unable to use them repeatedly, since the consumption of Mana was quite high. "Nothing''s free in this world, boy. You should pass a test in order to get that skill, a test that you must pay for", declared the Master. Tens of thousands of years earlier, a completely impartial association had been founded by the major Mana experts in the continent, whose roots ran deeper than the same planet on which they lived. They gathered all the most terrifying Skills and mysterious Techniques, laying the foundation for the future Mana Congregation, the biggest organization on that continent. Despite the incredible powers mastered by the people at the top, the members of the Congregation never got mixed up in any conflict, enjoying complete freedom of choice. Killing a fellow brother was strictly prohibited, except in unique circumstances, but it was possible to exile members that had committed a disgraceful crime. By letting the new generations compete, they fostered new fighting talents. Their impartiality, together with their mysterious origins, had helped them survive the changes of different Eras and Empires. Mana Concentration Skill was one of the basic Skills. It was open to the public and available in many Clans, Sects and Guilds, so it was easy to learn. Nonetheless, it was one of the Skills required to become Mana Warrior, Magician, Archer and any other class that had some connection to Mana, so basically all of them. People who were not part of the Congregation could also learn some of the Skills, but one needed to pay a dear price and show to be worthy. The Congregation had never given away its resources for free, but even though it was possible for non-members to acquire only some basic Skills, it was more than enough to set one apart from the common crowd. "Let me see the money first", snorted the Master, who was sure the boy was there just to waste his time. The Master had ended up in that forsaken little village because of his incurable love for women; he had always been a handsome man, and now that he was a charming forty-year-old, more than ever he felt the need of pretty girls by his side. For a twist of fate, one of the girls that ended in his clutch was the daughter of one of the Elders of the National Council. Even though the Elder did not have enough power to have him beheaded, he managed to banish him to the fringes of the Nation. Let''s see if you have the money, little brat, thought the Master, sniggering. Helial fished out of his torn pockets three golden coins. The corners of his mouth curled up into a complacent smile. He had worked hard to earn that money and it was time his efforts were repaid. He had to scrub the floor of the tavern in the village for months, besides running some Missions, that rarely had let him sleep more than a couple of hours per night. "Alright. Follow me", said the Master, taking the money from his hand. They were inside the building of the Congregation of Floralivory City, a big three-story building. Right now they were in the main hall opposite the entrance. Helial had waited almost five hours before being received by one of the Masters to learn the basic Skill that he needed. "You can call me Master Vidio, boy", sighed the middle-aged man, fed up with those boring tasks. He wasn''t just any member of the Mana Congregation: he had been the first person under twenty-five years old to reach the degree of First Level Master in the entire Nation. Despite all his talent, lust and his love for women had brought him there, where day after day a piece of himself was vanishing into oblivion. He could only blame himself. Since young, he had wreaked havoc in the Congregation by creating a Skill that, according to the top Masters, was against all their beliefs. He sighed again for the hundredth time, while walking that young bumpkin to the Private Training Hall. In Love, the bitterest venom is hidden underneath the sweetest honey. "Master Vidio, what kind of exam is this?" asked suddenly Helial, disrupting the melancholic thoughts of the man won over by Love''s passions. He doesn''t even know what it is¡­ is this a joke? How does he plan to pass it? Money down the drain¡­ thought Master Vidio. "Every Mana Warrior bases their Skills on the Condensation of a Mana Seed inside their Soul. The Mana Seed is the first step to the top. A common person has Mana scattered in every Meridian in the body, Mana that flows free and unconstrained. Even though this might not seem a problem, it is an uncouth and barbaric way to use one''s Mana." "That''s why people with a bit of brains choose to attempt the Condensation of a Mana Seed. It''s a mass of pure and dense Mana Energy inside the body. All the energy that is usually flowing freely is gathered and condensed in the Soul and from there it can circulate and fortify the body. Once condensed, the energy will be much more powerful than in an individual at the same level but with no Seed. Anyway, it''s easier said than done. One needs to be extremely focused and proceed under supervision, so as to avoid getting killed by forcing one''s Meridians beyond their limits." Helial nodded, not shocked in the least. He blushed a little, because he knew to be very ignorant on the topic. Since his brother had left five years earlier to become successful, he had not been able to read any books in the village. His brother had never talked to him about the test required to become a member of the Congregation or how to gain Skills. They forbade him to access any kind of studying material and what could a boy of five learn without any resources? The years went by and obviously Helial had lived in complete ignorance, always hoping to learn something more, one day. "You also have to know that Mana Seeds go by degrees", continued Master Vidio, "Black, Brown, Red, Green, Blue, Cyan and White. There are more, but these are the most common. Black is the easiest to Condense and the weakest, while White, that represent utmost purity, is the highest existing degree. In our Nation, the strongest Mana Seed ever Condensed is the Cyan Mana Seed, produced by some top members of the Congregation, some bigwigs in the military and a couple of roaming hermits." "Only the Cyan one? But wasn''t White the highest?" asked Helial, perplexed. "Do you really think there is someone able to condense a White Mana Seed? Hahaha, it would be great, but physically impossible. I don''t think they exist, not even in the whole continent. Some people, in order to achieve better results, wait until their eighteenth year of age to condense a Mana Seed. Even though it is a very common practice, it is a rookie mistake: the younger the person the less the Mana Energy has been tainted by the human body," explained the Master, glad to show off his vast knowledge. "As far as White Mana Seeds are concerned, only the greatest legendary Saints have one." Vidio stroked his nose and continued: "Boy, now you are at the perfect age to condense your Mana Seed, but I believe you are way too¡­ how can I say this, inexperienced. Are you sure you don''t want to wait a little longer? You should first get some Breathing Technique, try to sense your Mana¡­ Listen, I can even give you your money back and pretend nothing happened", suggested the Master that, admittedly, was not a bad person. He was indeed full of himself, but did not rejoice at others'' misfortune, nor he tried to take advantage of it. Helial stayed silent for a moment, then he said: "I''m sure, let''s proceed." Vidio kept quiet, surprised at the boy''s resolution. Although in front of him was just a ten-year-old boy, he could only stay silent and respect the courage that had taken to make such an important decision. Boy, are you too ignorant or too self-assured? Bah, at least I can prevent you from killing yourself, if anything should go wrong. "How can you know what kind of Seed you have developed?" asked Helial, with curiosity. "You''ll know as soon as you''ve condensed it. You have to look at it with the eyes of the Soul, focusing on the Mana Energy inside your body. No one can look inside your body, unless they force their way in. But don''t you worry, no one is here to hurt you", Master Vidio laughed at Helial''s concerned look. *** When they entered the room, Helial saw a large pedestal in the middle, big enough to hold two people sitting cross-legged. "That thing there is used to concentrate the Mana and Amplify it. The buildings of the Congregation are built on foundations rich in Sorbite, a stone able to act as a catalyst on Mana. So this is the perfect place to train your Mana". Vidio was about to urge Helial to sit on the pedestal, when he remembered that the boy didn''t know anything about the procedure. He snorted and started explaining: "Listen to me, the procedure is not impossible, but nearly half of the people who attempt it end up severely injured and can''t complete it. You can even risk to cripple your Meridians and give up any chance to ever condense a Mana Seed!" Helial did not seem too upset about that. He looked distracted, but he was actually trying to imagine how to best complete the test. "Once you get on the pedestal, you have to meditate to sense your Mana. You have to use your Breathing Technique and try to make as much Mana as possible flow into your Soul. But you have to be careful not to lose control. Sometimes it''s better to put a smaller quantity of Mana in the Soul, because if you won''t be able to condense it all, the aftermath will be disastrous. Understand? Now you can go have a try, it usually takes three to five hours." "A Breathing Technique?" asked Helial with a candid look. To the Master, it seemed like the boy had never heard that word before. Vidio goggled. That boy was hopeless. He ran a hand on his face and asked: "You don''t have a Breathing Technique?" "Err, no. Do I need to pay for that too?" the corners of the mouth of Helial curled up in a smile. What now? What can he do without a Breathing Technique? He can''t condense Mana, he''ll fail. Unless¡­ The Master did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had known that boy for ten minutes and he was already a pain in the neck. It was time he spiced up a little his dull days in Floralivory City. "Boy, I''ll give you a Breathing Technique, but you can''t tell anyone. Take a look at it and try to memorize it", went on Vidio, handing a Scroll to Helial. You received a Breathing Technique: Dragon''s Breath. I''m sorry boy, this is the only one I''ve got and it''s a Grade Red. It''s definitely not something that a rookie like you can learn easily, thought the Master sadly. "Before taking the test, you will have to learn this Breathing Technique. What about coming back here in a couple of weeks, when maybe you''ll have reached the first level?" said Vidio with a smile. He had grown to like that shy boy that didn''t talk much. "Can I try once right away?" asked candidly Helial. "Boy, this is no game, I don''t have time to waste. Come on, hurry back home. You''ll have your money back and I''ll see you in a couple of weeks", snorted Vidio, about to lose his patience. "Give me just ten minutes, I''m in a hurry", said Helial. Before Master Vidio could reply, the boy was already walking to the pedestal. Helial sat cross-legged on the crimson red platform and unrolled the Scroll. Breathing Technique: Dragon''s Breath This is a powerful Technique that converts Natural Mana so it can flow in the Meridians. The Technique is achieved by perceiving nature''s forces, conquering them and channeling them towards the Soul. The use of the Technique is not recommended for beginners. Dragon''s Breath is quite a violent and unstable Breathing Technique, difficult to control, but once mastered completely, it can be considered one of the best Grade Red Breathing Techniques. ¡­ Helial read on for a couple of minutes. The Scroll had all the infor-mation required to carry out the absorption and circulation phases. Every Breathing Technique let the Mana flow through specific Meridians, thus maximizing the absorbing effect. In theory, Breathing Techniques could be created from scratch, making the Mana flow through the right Meridians until it reached the desired effect. Uncontrolled and random Mana circulation, however, was very dangerous and one risked to damage irreparably the body channels. Helial shut his eyes, while Master Vidio rolled his. That boy would have made him waste a lot of time for sure. Anyway, there was not much to do round there, so watching the boy''s vain attempts was still better than aimlessly hanging out in the main hall. Every person was surrounded by Mana Force. It was a ubiquitous phenomenon; nonetheless, only a few could perceive it and the majority would not pay attention to that mysterious feeling. Helial, however, started sensing something, as if all the objects in the room had come to life. He had just started sensing it, when suddenly everything became more vivid, even though his eyes remained shut. "What the hell''s going on?" whispered the Master. "He hasn''t activated the Breathing Technique yet, but this Aura¡­" Helial could clearly feel everything around him. Besides, he could sense an amazing presence in the room, and after a short while he realized it was Master Vidio, who at the moment was not trying to hide his Aura. You learned a new Skill. Perception You can sense the Aura of every living thing in a 10 yd radius. "@#!?" Vidio was flabbergasted. That one in front of him was not an inexperienced boy in the world of the Mana Warriors. Vidio realized he had been sensed by the Mana of the brat. It wasn''t a new feeling for him, but he was wondering how it could come from that kid in front of him. It was the Perception Skill! 3 0.05 There is something terrifying about this boy. Who knows¡­ This could be a good chance to¡­, Master Vidio was turning some thoughts over in his mind. He had sent Helial home. It would have been a gross mistake to let such a promising boy waste the opportunity to condense a good Mana Seed, only because of his eagerness to advance faster. Some things needed time. Vidio was still shocked by that day''s events. Usually, Skills were acquired following the detailed steps of a Spell on a Scroll, which helped develop a specific Skill. This process was not infallible, since every student is different from the other. Meridians could vary greatly with each individual, so Spells could be more or less efficient according to who casted them. Even the smallest difference could have a great influence on the efficiency of a Spell. So, a Skill could be much different if a Meridian was slightly crooked to the left or to the right. One had to keep in mind that a Skill acquired through a Scroll was a universal mold that was used by millions of different people. Of course, the efficiency that would have been achieved if the person learned the Skill on their own was completely lost. But after all, it was not that easy to create a Skill from scratch: in order to develop a personalized one, the Mana had to flow freely through the most suitable Meridians, and not the ones indicated by the Spell. Unfortunately it was impossible to custom-tailor Skills for every single Mana Warrior. But if it had been possible, the Congregation''s army would have been even more terrifying. Creating a Skill from scratch meant finding the most suitable Meridians, by just having a very rough idea of what the right path might look like. Even though it would come down to very minor but substantial variations, the difference between a created Skill and a standard one was as big as the distance between heaven and earth. Saying that a created Skill could be twice as powerful and efficient was not an overstatement. The problem was that it would require at least ten times the strength of learning a pre-made Skill¡­ Master Vidio had explained to Helial the difference between created Skills and acquired ones. He had even offered him to become a member of the Mana Congregation but the boy had not only refused, he had even asked the Master not to talk to other people about what had just happened. Vidio now possessed information enough to control the boy, so he accepted on the condition that Helial would become his personal apprentice. *** One month later, in the woods behind Helial''s village. BOOM! A terrifying blast. A frightening explosion. It sounded as if the world was coming to an end. The sky was suddenly filled with lightning of every possible color, from black to white, which were razing half of the forest to the ground. Clouds had started to gather in the sky forming thick and black thunder clouds. In the distance, the wolves were yelping. Even the pack leader was scared by what was happening. In its long fifty years, its old grey fur had never witnessed anything like that. No one knew what was happening in those woods. Suddenly something had appeared and was implacably devastating the forest, that and nothing else. Those clouds, lightning and explosions could be seen from hundreds of miles away. On top of a mountain, in the sanctuary of a Sect north-west of the village, believers were flogging their backs with belts. They were afraid of not having had enough time to repent of all their sins and they were try-ing to make up for it, begging for the gods'' forgiveness. A Guild of mercenaries was watching with curiosity, while their leader was lost in the embrace of two young ladies, submerging them with his nasty breath: "Hahaha, it seems like our number''s finally up!" The members of a Clan looked at the Patriarch, who was on the top of the Pagoda, with a frowning expression. Might it be a gift from the heavens? The Patriarch marked the position on a map to send out a recognition squad. Mothers were crying clutching babies to their chests, while fathers looked at that incredible event, conscious of their own helplessness. In a crooked and rundown shack, with walls covered with ivy and a roof of rough blocks, a girl stood on the door. She must have been about five years old. Her silvery hair, so dusty that it looked white, was disheveled, flying in the strong wind. Her emerald eyes were locked on the furious lightning and in them flashed the reflection of the blinding explosions that came from the woods. "Big brother¡­" whispered the girl, her voice broken by sobs. Do you trust me?, Helial''s words rang in her mind. She sniffed and bit her lip, plucking up courage. It didn''t seem like the lightning was going to end any time soon, relentlessly striking the already charred, dead ground. In the middle of a clearing, amidst the ashes of plants and trees, sat a boy. His body was engulfed by a wide beam of white light, that plunged in his Meridians toward his Soul. Every time a single streak of light flowed through his Meridians, it made them stronger. The Meridians'' fibers kept breaking down and regenerating in what looked like a neverending cycle. Helial had broken into a cold sweat, he was experiencing an indescribable pain. He almost wished to die, but he kept absorbing the white light, gritting his teeth and trying to bear it as long as possible. Blood started to flow from every orifice on his face: from eyes, ears, nose and mouth hot black blood was trickling down, covering every inch of Helial''s face. The blood was eliminating all impurities in his blood vessels, turning into a dark sludge, putrid with all the ugliness in his organism. Blood and sweat were constantly evaporating due to the white light that was tempering Helial''s body. The boy knew how delicate that moment was. He could feel his Physical Strength surging, along with the quantity of Mana in his body. He could not let the pain make him faint or lose focus. That baptism by fire would have made him a dragon among men. After a life of hardships, he would have turned from prey into predator. It was his thirst of power that had started the storm. No longer than half an hour earlier, Helial had started condensing his Mana Seed, but the aftermath of the Condensation had unexpectedly burned down the entire forest. Helial knew that the stronger the Seed, the bigger the energy that was going to be released by nature, to compensate for the Condensation. After all, the Condensation of a Seed was in all respects an act against nature. Creating a natural Mana Seed in the body was man''s first step against the heavens: that generated a divine upheaval that was meant to restore the balance that men had broken. The Condensation of a Black Mana Seed would at most lead to a small puff of air, while a Blue Seed would create a real Mana explosion, strong enough to shake the foundations of a building. Helial was no fool. He knew perfectly well what kind of Seed he was condensing. Beside a trace of happiness on his face, his furrowed brow betrayed the pain felt and a deep concern. But at the moment he had no time to worry. He was entirely focused on channeling that great amount of Mana Energy into his Mana Seed. After another half hour of excruciating pain and upgrading of his body,everything finally fell silent. You developed a White Mana Seed. This legendary Mana form is rarely witnessed on the continent. It enables the owner to be in perfect communion with Mana. The body benefits from the exceptional affinity with Mana and it fortifies. You earned 100 Strength points. You earned 100 Vigor points. You earned 100 Dexterity points. Your mind is more alert thanks to the Mana guidance. You earned 100 Intelligence points. You acquired the Passive Skill "White Mana Seed". Helial took a look at the Skill. White Mana Seed ¨C Passive Skill Lv 1 Experience gained: 0% Effects: Mana absorption is 500% faster. Mana Skills casting 100% faster. The quantity of Mana in the body increases by 1000%. Influences and strengthens any Skills that directly employs Mana by 50%. ??? ??? ??? "I have no experience in Passive Skills, but this one looks really unique", mumbled Helial. "I just hope that no one will trace back these events to me. After all, almost no one knows what is supposed to hap-pen during the Condensation of a White Mana Seed. I should be safe¡­" *** Five years later The vegetation had slowly grown back and Helial was now in front of a tree that, feeding on the Mana in the soil, had grown even 150 feet in a year. It''s not possible, something like this should not be happening. Even if this Longsword sucks, my Strength Stats are too high. I should have been able to hack at least half deep into the tree. Normally I would have passed the tree from part to part with just a punch. And I''m not even considering the momentum of the blade, given by its length¡­ Some-thing''s off here. Helial stored Curse of the Demon in his Inventory and sighed. He took a fighting stance and punched the tree trunk with all his might. Plop The fist sunk an inch in the bark and went no further. Helial was so mad that blood started to trickle down the corners of his mouth. "SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" he screamed. "Why that bastard has to ruin my life even from thousands of miles away!? Why!?" He pulled out the sword again and got ready to do something completely reckless. He dug his nails in the palms of his hands to calm down. Blood slowly flowed through his fingers, dripping on the thick grass be-low. He took a deep breath, grabbed the sword and plunged it in the ground in front of him. Then he extended his arms, the palms of his hands towards the sword. This is going to hurt, thought Helial. He did not hesitate any further and let all the Mana he could control flow through his Meridians, then he directed it towards the sword. Skill Activated: Mana Scan Gives information on the status and skills of other objects or people. Mana consumption increased by 300%. Cost: 300 Mana BOOM! The Longsword began to repel fiercely all the Mana, as if it were angry, as if it wanted to destroy the person who was trying to violate it. Helial felt like a million needles were piercing his arms. He spat a lump of blood and poured more Mana on the Longsword. "BEND, YOU BASTARD!" he screamed, already on the brink of madness. He could not allow all those five years of sacrifices to go in vain. He had worked hard and in secret to obtain everything he had. He could not all vanish in one night, like it never existed. Curse of the Demon let out a terrifying scream and suddenly it shot out a huge wave of Demonic Mana. The Mana exploded violently right in front of Helial. BOOM! Helial was flung backwards, hundreds of feet from the Longsword. He crashed into a thick tree that stopped his fall and split in half. Cough! Just before losing consciousness, he vomited blood. Meanwhile, this window appeared in front of him. Name: Curse of the Demon Type: Longsword Consumption ???/??? Level:1 Damage:1-1 Effect: Strength x0.05 ??? 4 Lumia Helial felt excruciating pain ripple through his body. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the notification window in front of him. Name: Curse of the Demon Type: Longsword Consumption ???/??? Level:1 Damage:1-1 Effect: Strength x0.05 ??? Great, a Malus such as this could only be caused by an extremely powerful Curse. No one will be able to get it off in the city, I will have to ask the Master if he knows something about it, thought Helial, trying to sensibly analyze the matter. He took a deep breath, full of repressed anger. "If that prick came all the way down here, it means that the frontiers are about to give in. We have to get away from the village and go to the city¡­" Helial tried to stand up, but a shooting pain in the ribs forced him to sit down again. He spat a lump of blood and repeatedly cursed his brother. "You are too big a coward to kill me with your own hands, you bastard. The responsibilities¡­" he growled. He didn''t know how long he had lain there unconscious, but judging from the lighter color of the sky, it had been maybe three or four hours. It was almost dawn. Skill Activated: Mana Reflowing The Mana power flows through your body and heals minor wounds. Cost: 20 Mana/Sec He employed this skill for a couple of hours before being able to stand up again. Your Skill levelled up! Mana Reflowing Lv 6 The Mana power flows through your body and heals minor wounds. The Mana power purifies the body. Detox power: 2% Cost: 30 Mana/Sec "This damn Skill reflows only with wounds, what the fuck am I supposed to do? Stab myself to death so it upgrades to the highest level?" complained Helial. (A/N: I would like to add a brief technical explanation on how the skill works and what changes during the reflowing, but because of plot constraints I will do that later on. For now, just remember that Reflowing = healing; reflowing to the Soul = absorption and strengthening.) He started to stand up slowly. His Meridians were not in perfect conditions, but luckily there was no permanent damage. He began to walk slowly and at the same time he activated the Mana Reflowing Skill. The sun was already high in the sky. He could see a column of smoke winding over the treetops in the distance. The Goblins had arrived. They were a Mountain people, very jealous of their land and they had never accepted the fact that men had taken over their territory. Helial set off for the village. You have a Mission Goblin Invasion Grade: D The Goblins waged a counterattack against the Kakos Dynasty, all frontier territories have been hit heavily. No army has been sent to protect the fringes of the Nation. You have to escape the bloodthirsty Goblins and take refuge as soon as possible! Goal: you have 12 hours to flee your village and get to the safety of the city walls. Reward: 50.000 Exp, Traveler''s Shoes "Damn it", was the only reaction of Helial, after seeing the notification window. He walked faster. They had to leave right away. The Goblins in that horde were from level 20, the foot soldiers, to 140-190 in the worst case scenario. In his present conditions, Helial didn''t have the luxury to engage in any fight. Suddenly he was struck by doubts. He kept an eye on his physicals. After ten minutes he sighed in relief. "Good, it didn''t damage either the Vigoror the Mana and its control", he whispered. If the Curse had messed with those Stats as well, Helial would have been basically a cripple. The present situation though, was still far from perfect, since Helial had never learned any Fighting Skills. Master Vidio had always wanted to wait for him to first grasp the basics and, to be honest, Helial had never let the Master see what he was really capable of. He didn''t fully trust even the Master. Probably, if he had shown him what he could really do, the Master would have taught him the basic Fighting Skills long ago. Unfortunately, Master Vidio, always immersed in his world of women, had never really considered the possibility of a Goblin attack and so had never deemed necessary to impart Fighting Skills to Helial. At last, the thatched cottages started to appear before Helial. Most of the buildings were in bad conditions, a sign that life there was not too prosperous. That area was not suited to growing wheat and vegetables and people tried to get by as best as they could. Helial earned some money working as assistant for some artisans, he ran errands and cleaned the small tavern of the village. So, he had learned several Skills, such as Cooking, Fishing, Snares and Agriculture, along with some Construction Skills. When he got to the outer streets, he saw that everyone was in a flurry. The women were stuffing bags full of clothes. The craftsmen were picking the best tools to run away with. Children were crying, while their fathers were loading the carts with everything they could salvage. The child of one of the well-off families in the village was crying because his wooden pony was missing. "Mommy, daddy, we left the pony behind!" he kept repeating over and over. His face was streaked with tears. His parents were busy gathering the few jewels they owned and were not paying him much attention. The mother kept obsessively checking to have brought all her best clothes ¨C she could not risk to look bad in front of all those city women. She checked again for the last time then slapped the kid, who did not seem to want to stop crying any time soon. Meanwhile, the father was loading all his working registers on the cart. He was a merchant and, while living in a small village, he traveled often, making enough money to be considered the richest man in town. Crack! Trying to carry away as many thing as possible, the family had clearly overloaded the husband''s cart that had now snapped in two. Swearing, screaming, crying: you could hear the whole lot. Just a little further on, another family had prepared three different-sized bundles: one for the father, one for the mother and one for the son. The kid''s face was dirty and his clothes messy. "Daddy, daddy are the Goblins really that awful?" asked naively the child, who had never seen anything of the world, besides the tiny village. "Haha, son, they''re horrible! With giant horns and fiery eyes!" answered him, teasing the child''s imagination. Actually, he had never seen a Goblin in his life. "Dad, dad can we stay and see a Goblin?" asked the kid, with eyes that sparkled. "We can''t. We have to go to the city and find a job so we won''t starve. Is your bundle too heavy?" asked the father, then without giving the child time to answer he added: "Haha, I don''t think so, we don''t own anything but that hut of mud and sand. Come on, maybe we will manage to build a brick house this time!" "Shut up, silly. We need to send the boy to a Master, not build a brick house!" retorted the wife, smiling slightly. The husband nodded and after grabbing wife and son by the hand, he headed towards the city, as though they were going on a nice trip. *** Helial approached his own house. It was a building of rough, ill-cut bricks. It was slanting on one side and it was quite small. Helial rushed in, so quickly that he almost unhinged the battered wooden door. He glanced round the room. The bed, if so it could be called, was a sack filled with straw and next to it there was a table with two wooden bowls. Beside the table, there were a big barrel for water and some basic tools. There were no valuable things in that house. A few clothes, of two distinct sizes and fashion could be seen in a chest of drawers left open. Some were girl clothes, and even though it was hard to tell from the worn out fabric, they used to look pretty and girly, while now they just looked like a faded memory. The rest were wrinkled and battered man clothes. Helial had no valuable things to take along, he was already carrying all that he needed, including the water jugs. "Shit, SHIT!" he screamed. He rushed out of the door, ignoring the risk of reopening his wounds. He walked to the neighbors, who were bustling and getting ready to leave the village. They had all gotten the news of the Goblins arrival a couple of days before and judging from the smoke in the distance, they expected them to come within half a day. "Hey, have you seen my sister?" asked Helial out of breath. "Boy, don''t you see that we''re all in danger? If we don''t hurry, we will all die", replied heedlessly the neighbor. His apparently calm movements hid a deep anxiety. "Please help me, I can''t find my sister" begged Helial. His sister not being home had clearly shocked him. "Listen, we''re busy I tell you", said the neighbor impatiently, "but I think I saw her running towards the woods behind the mountain. She''s crazy to run off in the forest at a moment like this". Shit, she went to look for me. SHIT! Helial straightened his back under the indifferent gaze of the neighbor. He closed his eyes. Skill Activated: Perception Having activated the Skill, he started running at breakneck speed towards the woods. He didn''t care if the wounds would reopen. He was reflowing all the Mana he had to contrast the debilitating effect of the wounds and the blood loss. His sister had gone looking for him, probably because she got worried when he had spent the night outside. He normally always got back before daybreak or, if not, he always warned her beforehand. Besides, with all the chaos in the village, she must have panicked. Helial kept running and took a deep breath, then he screamed at the top of his lungs: "LUMIA!" 5 Idio Vigor increased by 1. You have stopped bleeding Vitality: 100%. Helial was running at breathtaking speed through the forest. He had been looking for his sister for already two hours without results. His body could not endure it anymore. Luckily, thanks to the Mana Reflowing Skill he had managed to completely heal his wounds. You are feeling tired, your Stamina is down 10%. Your muscles are hurting for running too much. You lose 50 HP. He started to feel tired. He had no idea where his sister could be. The woods were extremely large. What if she has gone back? No, that''s unlikely. Lumia is too stubborn. Shit, I have to find her. Helial could see the trails of smoke in the distance getting closer and closer. In less than ten hours, the main body of the army would be there. Probably the vanguard would reach them even sooner. It was only a matter of hours before hordes of Goblin started invading those lands. For some reason the Capital hadn''t sent any reinforcement yet. Why there were no guards around? Could it be possible that none of the leaders of the Nation of Fiercelake knew nothing of the attack? "LUMIA!" he yelled desperately. He kept searching for her for two more hours. Nothing. The smoke was already dangerously near. They were advancing far quicker that he had envisaged. After all, he had no experience of battles and fighting. "Damn old fart, why didn''t you teach me to fight? What am I, a fucking Monk or Cleric?" swore Helial, through gritted teeth. He felt utterly helpless. Vidio had never taught him any self-defense. Helial had never held a weapon in his entire life and, for a while, he would have to make do with that useless Longsword. He was stepping angrily on the dried leaves. He had to stop. Small beads of sweat clung to his forehead and his clothes were drenched. Nothing, there was no trace of Lumia. He had kept his eyes on the ground, looking for traces, but he had found nothing. He leaned on a tree, trying to get his strength back. Suddenly, he got an idea. Skill Activated: Mana Reflowing Lv 6 The Mana power flows through your body and heals minor wounds. Mana Energy purifies your body. Detox power 2% Cost: 30 Mana/Sec Mana Reflowing gains 0,5% Exp. He felt a refreshing flow of energy in his Meridians. Mana Reflowing had a soothing effect even on tiredness. He stayed in that state for half an hour. He glanced at the Mana bar. There was almost none left. The combined use of Perception and Mana Reflowing had almost drained it. I can''t run out of Mana now. Damn it. What do I do now? Helial was about to panic. It was the first time he found himself in such a desperate situation. He couldn''t keep his cool like he should have. His usually clear and collected mind was now a chaotic mess. He had to find his sister at all costs, but the stress was hindering him. Simple solutions, simple solutions, he thought. He stood up and took a step. He had had an idea. The only Skill he possessed that could quickly recover Mana was Mana Concentration. Mana Concentration was a Skill that allowed to regenerate Mana faster, while the Breathing Techniques were used to store it in the Soul and increase the overall amount of Mana. Mana Concentration too could store in the Soul, but with much lower efficiency than a common Breathing Technique. That Skill was his only hope to not end up bone dry. But he needed to get moving to find his sister. What could he do? Easy: he would have to use it while moving. Master Vidio had explained to him that it was impossible and that only a handful of people could Concentrate Mana while doing everyday activities. How could he manage to do it, a green young boy, and all of this while he was using other Skills and looking for his sister? "Let''s try it", he said taking the first step forward. First, he checked his Passive. Skill Activated: Dragon''s Breath Lv: 7 Helps the Mana flow in the body towards the Soul and through the Meridians Exp: 12,6% "I''m ready." Skill Activated: Mana Concentration You use Natural Mana to fill your body with Mana Energy. Effects vary according to the Skill''s level and the user''s conditions. He took a couple of unsure steps, while absorbing Mana and using the Perception Skill. Skill Failed. "Shit." Skill Activated: Mana Concentration You use Natural Mana to fill your body with Mana Energy. Skill Failed. He kept trying for ten minutes, all the time while using Perception, trying to detect his sister''s familiar Aura. The corners of his mouth were bloody. He was putting his body under a lot of stress. He was probably on the brink of a collapse. You lost 206 HP. After ten more minutes, Helial was seized by panic. He really had to hurry. He had opened his eyes for the split of a second and realized that the plumes of smokes had already reached the village. The situation was going from bad to worse. Helial closed his eyes again. This time he took a deep breath and tried to focus all his attention on guiding the Mana, moving and finding his sister. He could feel the energy flow through his Meridians. In all the previous attempts, he had tried to move his body focusing on the Mana Seed, without taking into consideration the Mana flow. This time, he fell into some kind of meditative trance and he realized that every tiny movement influences the Mana course to some extent. Every little vibration perturbed the flow of that strange Energy that kept building up inside of him. Helial took a step. He saw the Mana flow stop momentarily, and then start flowing again in his leg. He was forcing his movements, that way he was just damaging his Meridians. Suddenly, a naughty grin appeared on Helial''s face. He began reflowing the Mana entering the Meridians, selecting those that were more active while his leg was moving. He noticed that the Mana didn''t stop flowing anymore. He took a couple of steps. He felt lighter, as if he was just using one tenth of the energy to move. The energy used to complete the muscular movements was the same that was used for the Skills: the Mana. Mana was ubiquitous in the world, the first moving cause of all existing things. Helial had wrongly tried to force the absorption process, instead of channeling Mana through the same Meridians used when moving. In this way, he could use part of the Mana to move and the rest could be reflowed towards the Mana Seed. He started channeling the Mana through the Meridians that looked more active when he moved. The whole process required deep concentration. It wasn''t at all easy to perceive which Meridians were more suited, because every movement slightly changed the path of the energy. Helial began moving quicker. He could not variate the movements much, so he opted to run with simple and repetitive movements. One of your Skills evolved! You learned a new Skill: Communion with Mana You are able to flow the power of Mana through the most suitable Meridians. You can move while storing and regenerating your Mana. Lv: 1 Exp: 0.2% Effects: MP Regeneration: 200 Mana/Sec Skill Amplification: 3% Physical Abilities Amplification: 1,3% Helial was bursting with joy. The previous form of the Mana Concentration Skill didn''t allow him to have specific Stats to recover points. Most of the time, it was all very random. This new Skill not only allowed him to move and regenerate Mana at the same time, but it also amplified his Skills. Helial tightened his fists, then slowly reopened the hands. He had stopped walking to enjoy that new feeling. Now he could look for Lumia without having to stop for very long stretches of time. *** Half an hour later he was still searching for her. Luckily, the Mana bar was full and it wasn''t decreasing, since the Regeneration was faster than the Mana consumption. Kwiiii! He heard a scream coming from deep within the forest. Shit, they''re here. Shit, Helial couldn''t keep his cool anymore. He didn''t know what to do. But sometimes, when the situation is desperate and everything looks cloaked in shadows, a ray of light can disperse the darkness. Perception had just detected a female Aura nearby. He immediately turned in the direction from where the energy was coming. He saw a girl with silvery hair leaning against a tree. He ran towards her as fast as he could. He didn''t dare to shout, with the Goblins so dangerously near. Two teardrops welled in his eyes. Helial was almost too fond of his sister. Since little, he had tried to protect her in every possible way, not letting any harm come to her. It was for her that Helial had decided to become stronger, but he couldn''t show to the world his qualities and his improvements, so his sacrifices were of very little use: too often his sister and him had suffered the pangs of hunger. When he was only a few steps from her, Helial dashed and hugged her tight. He had approached her very silently and his sister hadn''t noticed him. He covered her mouth with a hand to not let her scream. "Lumia, it''s me. I finally found you. You shouldn''t have come looking for me!" he told her, relieved. The joy of having found his sister was way bigger than the fear of the Goblins'' attack. Now they could go back to the city, to hide behind the walls and the armored guards. He felt a stinging pain in the hand, his sister had mercilessly bitten his index and middle fingers. Helial almost let out a cry of pain. Lumia had sank her teeth deep, drawing blood. As soon as she opened the mouth, Helial quickly moved his hand away from his sister''s jaws, scared of getting bitten again. "You idiot! The Goblins are coming and you go strolling in the woods without coming back!? What the hell were you thinking? Let''s go, we have to run away!" those didn''t sound like words that should come out of the mouth of a cute ten-year-old, who was shamelessly rebuking her older brother. "But¡­ Lumia, I¡­" Helial wanted to tell her that he had gone back to the village and when he couldn''t find her he had gone back to the woods. He wanted to tell her that she should have waited for him, but before he could say any of that, his sister added: "Shut up now, the Goblins are near, we must go!" "Alright", he sighed dejectedly. He had been hoping for a slightly warmer welcome. They were about to leave, when Helial heard something that could barely be called a neigh. Some kind of beast was approaching. "SHIT, they''re here", whispered Helial. 6 Black seed Helial took his sister in his arms and flattened himself against the trunk tree, trying to hide. Skill Activated: Perception You can clearly detect every aura within a 1000 yd radius. Cost: 70 Mana/Sec He could clearly sense the presence of a Goblin. Judging from the density of the Aura, it was probably a Goblin at level 20. Helial gritted his teeth. Four levels. If it hadn''t been for that bastard I could have done it easily. A difference of a couple of levels wouldn''t have been a problem during a fight. Even more than a couple would have been fine. It was when two people were in different Phases that things got hard. Every sixty levels one could advance to a new Phase: 60, 120, 180, 240¡­ and so on. Once advanced to a new Phase, the body would undergo a radical change: every Phase allowed to develop new Stats and to easily learn new more advanced Skills, and especially the new Phase would unblock the Phase-restricted Skills, available only to people that reached a certain Phase. The First Phase was called Beginning, shocking right? It stood for the beginning of the Dao of Mana. The most important thing in every Phase breakthrough was the change in Meridians. Every Phase brought by a radical change in the Meridians, creating new ones and allowing an ever better flow of Mana. In order to master some Skills or to create Stats, like Affinity with Nature, it was necessary to have Meridians modifications that could let Mana flow in a more suitable way. That was why, even though the difference between level 59 and 60 sounded insignificant, in reality it was as distant as heaven and earth. All in all, a fight between people at different levels was possible, but at different Phases it would have been a sheer utopia. How many people in the whole continent could pull that off? The Goblin was getting dangerously close to the tree where Helial and Lumia were hiding. Lumia kept quiet, even though she had a general idea of how strong her brother was. She had often see him come back exhausted from the woods and one time she even convinced him to show her his Stats, after promising to not reveal them to anyone. She wasn''t very worried, at least until she noticed the expression on her brother''s face. Helial was covered in cold sweat and panicking. He had no way to attack, he didn''t know any Skills and his Strength was basically down to zero, thanks to the Curse. If he had tried to attack head on, the Goblin would have likely defeated him in a couple of exchanges. Ordinary people thought that Goblins knew very little of Mana and Magic. Rumor had it that Goblins liked to use strategies that mainly relied on brute force and big numbers. Basically, they were a miniature version of the Orcs, just a tad smarter and swifter. The Goblins forged weapons similar to those of men, and although their mastery of that art was still unable to content with the latter, the weapons they produced were still far better than those of the Orcs. If only they possessed an Offensive Skill generated by Mana¡­ The hideous beast that the Goblin was riding was getting closer and closer. It looked like some kind of old mangy nag, with pointy teeth and a bloody mouth. It looks like that mouth just ad a taste of human meat¡­, thought Helial. But the biggest threat was the thing riding that deformed horse: a Goblin just over 5-feet tall was holding the reins with one hand and a long thin scimitar with the other. "Hey boy, are you ok? Where''s all this blood coming from¡­ you still sick, uh", sighed the Goblin. Helial could feel the Goblin just fifty yards from where they were hiding. He sighed, He noticed us. Damn it. A window popped up in front of Lumia. You have been invited to join the group of Helial. Do you accept? Yes | No Lumia wasn''t clear on what his brother had in mind, but she didn''t ask. You have accepted the invitation of Helial! Now you are in a group together. The experience is shared and distributed according to whom kills the monsters. *** Some years earlier Vidio cleared his throat while ogling a beautiful waitress at the tavern. "Master? Master!" Vidio turned grumpily towards the boy in front of him. "What?" "What are we talking about today? But more importantly, why are we in a fucking tavern?" "Ahem, we needed a¡­ crowded environment, because¡­ today we are talking about groups!" Helial stared at Vidio with an unconvinced look, while the dirty old man kept staring at the waitresses. Coff coff "Groups are generally formed when going in a Dungeon or hunting together. Even if inside the group, experience is not distributed equally but according to each member''s contribution to the hunt." said Vidio. "That said, every member always receives a small fixed percentage, but it''s really insignificant if one stays still and doesn''t participate." Vidio got momentarily distracted and Helial ran a hand on his face, helpless before the man''s indecency. "Whoever kills the monster usually receives most of the Experience, but even who acts as support of long-range damagereceives a good amount of Exp." "Master, so a person can get through the various Phases without moving a finger?" asked surprised Helial. "No boy, a Phase breakthrough requires more effort than you can imagine. A lazy person would probably die¡­ But we will go into that another time." *** The Goblin had already stopped cantering and was now walking in their direction. 40 yards¡­ 30¡­ 20¡­ Helial was about to jump out of their hiding place and face him head on, so as to give his sister time to run away. He didn''t want to get her involved. Because of his mistake, he had lost the Stat that he had gone through such pains to grow. He didn''t have any Physical Damage that could save him and Lumia. He was not scared of dying, if not of the thought of Lumia in the hands of those monsters. Could she run away on her own? Helial made a decision, convincing himself that everything would have been alright. He bent over Lumia to tell her to run, but¡­ Suddenly, they both heard screams in the distance. The Goblin turned his face covered with scabs of rotting filth in that direction, then he spurred the equally disgusting steed and rode away. Helial could not believe he was so damn lucky. They now had a chance to get away. The Goblin was far enough to not be detected by Helial''s Perception. Helial hoisted his sister on his back and began to run. Lumia was quite worried, her brother was very silent and looked scared to death by a single Goblin. "Silly, why were you so scared? With your Stat¡­" tried to say Lumia, but she got cut off immediately. "I got a 0,05 multiplier on my Strength Stat", answered curtly Helial. Lumia knew very little math, but enough to get even more worried about her brother. She always saw him come home late, always focused on his secret training and the various jobs he had to do to feed her. And now it seemed he didn''t have Strength points anymore. She kept quiet. She knew how much her brother cared about being strong and she didn''t want to rub it in. She rested her head on his shoulder and stayed silent. "From here it will be difficult to reach the City before nightfall. Very difficult, too difficult. We will have to stop somewhere for the night", groaned Helial, after running for a couple of hours. They had outdistanced the vanguard, but there were still twenty miles to the city and he was exhausted. He had never stopped to rest and now it was late afternoon. Travelling at night would not be a smart move; Helial knew that area, but not well enough to move without directions and points of reference. They looked for a place to stay, until they found an empty cave. It must have been some animal''s den in the past. They settled down, getting ready to spend the night. Lumia looked dejected. "Lumia, what''s wrong?" asked Helial. "Those people that the Goblin went looking for are dead, aren''t they?" asked Lumia. Helial couldn''t help frowning. "There''s no way to know", he replied, even though in his heart he knew what was the most likely answer. The villagers were all at a very low level, no one reached past twenty. The Goblin had probably killed those people stupid enough to get noticed by the monster. Yet Helial should have been grateful, because in a way, those people saved their lives. He sighed and looked at the sky, as a savage flash shone in his eyes. "If you had gone to them¡­" whispered Lumia. "Then we would have all died", cut short Helial, pulling out the Longsword from the Inventory. "This thing reduced my Strength to the bone. I can''t face a Goblin. I don''t have Skills that only rely on Mana, actually I don''t have any Offensive Skills. There''s nothing I could have done." He didn''t feel any pangs of guilt. If there was something he could have done, he would have. Lumia was still young and there were things she couldn''t understand. Unfortunately, in his long fifteen years Helial had suffered more than any other kid his age, and all because of his despicable brother. What could I have done? Risk my life and that of Lumia for some strangers? For what I know they might¡­ they might have even run away!, he thought trying to convince himself. Helial sighed. He was aware of his limits and he would never risk endangering his sister''s life for strangers. He would never engage a Goblinin a fight, now that all his strength had disappeared. He fiercely gritted his teeth. He needed a Skill. They ate some stale bread that Helial had in his Inventory. They were going to leave at daybreak, to reach the city as quickly as possible. Helial arranged some old rags on the hard ground, so it wouldn''t bother his sister much. Then he went outside the cave. He couldn''t relax knowing that he would have been helpless, if any threat arose. He had to get himself a skill. After all, apart from Dragon''s Breath, he had always created his own Skills. Perhaps one night was not enough to create one from scratch, but that was all he had. He walked five hundred yards away from the cave, until he reached a huge oak. I need something simple, but that will let me defend myself. The best thing would be try to use Mana directly as a weapon. At the moment, I have very little Strength, it wouldn''t be wise to create a Skill that required weapons or specific movements. He decided to use Mana as a weapon. The simplest method was to channel it through the right Meridians, condensing it on the fingertips and then let it go in a blast. He started to slowly flow the Mana. He had to probe which Meridians were more suitable for the new Skill. Soon, he found the Meridians where the Mana Energy was seething more fiercely. He felt a peculiar sensation, as if he had just entered a small new world. The Mana there was much more violent than the one he absorbed through the usual Meridians, which was mild and caressed the Mana Seed. Now the Mana seemed to go crazy every time it flowed through those specific Meridians. Helial carefully thought it through, he could not afford to make big mistakes. He had to avoid getting seriously injured, or the next day he wouldn''t have been able to run. He continued feeling the presence of that angry force inside his body. He noticed that, when he focused on those specific Meridians, his Soul would slowly get into a frenzy. You discovered the Destructive Meridians! In these Meridians, Mana is flowing more recklessly and is more difficult to command. However, thanks to these paths you are able to use Offensive Skills. New Branch of Skills: Destructive Mana. Helial exulted. That was the first step towards a new Fighting Skill. But his excitement was short-lived. Suddenly, Curse of the Demon emerged from the Inventory. The Longsword was casting a black light, shining unnaturally in the darkness. Actually, more than shining, it seemed like it was attracting all the shadows. The weapon was becoming the center of all darkness. It started to levitate slowly, until it reached Helial''s chest, then a ray of pure black light burst out of the point of the Longsword and pierced his breastbone. Shit. What was happening?, wondered he, worried that the curse could have some new weird effect of his body. The ray of light plunged straight to his soul, completely engulfing the Mana Seed. Helial had no idea what was going on, but he notice that his Mana Seed was slowly changing color, from White to Black. "NO!", he let out a scream. "It can''t be!" He began bringing forth all the Mana he possessed, trying to protect his Mana Seed, but it was all in vain. He could not hope to compete with the force of the light beam. In a very short time, Helial found himself with a Mana Seed that had turned completely Black. 7 Mana Pistol SHIT!, thought Helial. The situation was turning from bad to worse. Right when he thought that things were looking up, he had suffered another disappointment. He checked the sword to see what effect it had had on Mana. Name: Curse of the Demon Type: Longsword Consumption ???/??? Level:1 Damage:1-1 Effect: Strength x0.05 Overall Mana x0.05 ??? His Mana was now twenty times less of what it used to be. The situation had turned from desperate into hopeless. Over the years, Helial had managed to create a huge pool of Mana, considering his level, but now everything was gone. His brother had left him with nothing, for the second time in his life. He tightened his fists and ground his teeth. His eyes shone with unspeakable savagery. Vidio had never really explained what a Branch of Skills was, so he decided to look into it later. Due to what had just happened, now the amount of Mana available was very scant. The chance of creating a new Skill had vanished. He sighed dejectedly, then check his Meridians. The control on the Mana was the same as before, but he could not rely on the almost unlimited amount of Mana he used to have. Before being hit by the Curse, Helial could rely on a Mana bar of around 30.000 MP, or Mana Points. Now he barely had 1.500 MP. A decent Skill would have required at least 2.000 MP, especially considering the fact that he could never have developed an Offensive Skill with 100% Efficiency. *** Some years earlier "Master", Helial sighed looking at Vidio. "What?" asked the Master annoyed. "The waitress turned you down just because she was busy, there''s no need to take it so personally, is there?" "Boy, you don''t understand, it''s a matter of pride for a man. If you find an opponent stronger than you, what do you do? Do you run? Tsk." Helial shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "Master Vidio, what''s Efficiency?" Vidio rolled his eyes, clearly looking for the beautiful curves of the enticing waitress among the soft clouds in the sky. "Efficiency is a Stat that calculates how much Mana is consumed when using a Skill. If a Skill costs 100, but its Efficiency is 50%, then it means that every 100 MP used, only 50 really go into the Skill. So, in order to use a Skill that costs 100, with 50% Efficiency, you will need 200 MP, twice the cost. "The stronger the Skill, the more difficult it is to use. And the more difficult it is to use, the lower will be the initial Efficiency of that Skill." Brief, blunt, but to the point. Vidio was no fool, and he had just proven it. That attitude of his, though¡­ Helial sighed, he would have to bear with him for many years to come, but at the same time, when he was in the old man''s company, his life seemed somewhat lighter. *** In the present Helial was powerless. He couldn''t create a low efficiency Skill, and a weak Skill would not have been useful against those damn monsters. Simple solutions, he tried to calm himself. That was his motto: take everything one step at a time. He just had to make do until he could remove the Curse of the Longsword. He couldn''t panic, especially now that he had t take care of his sister. He took a deep breath. He had to find a way to get rid of the Longsword. If he had left it in the forest, the Curse would have probably stuck with him and it would likely have been even more difficult to get rid of it without the object that had set it off. Besides, he still didn''t know what was going to happen if he picked up another weapon, but he wasn''t very willing to make an experiment at the moment. *** Thousands of miles from our unfortunate hero, in the Capital "Did you give it to him?" asked a man covered in a heavy armor. The armor plate was dazzling, decorated with coiling dragons in blazing colors. Even the greaves and the other protections were inlaid in very bad taste. Behind him, appeared a black shadow. "Yes", replied gritting his teeth. His skills as an Assassin were useless with that man, who could spot him every time. How the hell did he do that? He must have been some kind of monster. "Good. He will probably die during the Goblin invasion. And even if he should survive, he''ll be a cripple for life. We had to kill Unluk after he hold that Longsword, since he couldn''t get rid of the Curse. I doubt that the brat could pull that off. Besides, it would really bother me if he could. We had to kill a good soldier to make sure that Helial will not be a problem." "I don''t understand¡­ Why didn''t we just kill him, if you''re so worried?" asked the shadow, with a curious voice. "There are things and people bigger than us. Just know that I can''t kill him while he''s still helpless," groaned the knight. The shadow stayed quiet, thinking those words over. He shrugged and disappeared again. A laughter spread through the room. "Helial, did you really think that I wouldn''t hear about your secret training? I don''t know what kind of results you had achieved, but now I can rest assured that in this life you won''t be more than a carpenter." The man smiled, pleased with himself. *** Outside in the forest, where we left Helial and Lumia The best thing to do at the moment was to keep calm. That could have been a good opportunity to develop a new Skill with very high Efficiency. Usually people focused more on the overall power of a Skill more than on how to learn it or create it with very low Mana consumption. In a life or death situation, a handful of MP could have tipped the scale towards victory or defeat. Plus, some people said that Efficiency had some hidden Effects that influenced some aspects of the Skill''s power and characteristics. Helial now needed to develop a powerful Skill while using very little Mana. He had to give up the idea of long-range explosions and AoE damage (long-range damage on a number of people). He had to concentrate all is Mana in the smallest place possible, and then release the energy frontally, making sure to take advantage of every single MP. Luckily, he had a good Skill on him, Communion with Mana. While keeping Perception activated, he could regain 130 MP/Sec. The problem would be use that Skill while fighting, where every step was different from the previous one and he had to parry and counterattack within seconds. The changing in color of the Mana Seed had not brought more Malus, only his MP had been reduced, while the other Bonus Stats remained unchanged. Once in Floralivory City, he could ask Vidio for help. Probably the old sleazeball had an ace up his sleeve. After all, not considering his problems with the ladies, he knew a lot of things. With Vidio''s help, it would have been easy to get rid of the Curse, even though the fact that his brother was the one behind all this made Helial quite uneasy. But he still had the cloth with the Runes and that could have been a good clue. At the moment though, creating the new Skill was his top priority. Helial already had a definite plan. He approached the oak and raised an arm. He clenched the fingers into a fist and then reopened it. He stretched four fingers perpendicular to the tree trunk, bending the thumb. He was going to use the fingers Meridians to condense Mana and then release it in one single beam, uniting the energy released by the Meridian in each finger. The more compressed the Mana was, the more destructive the Skill. It was as simple as that. He couldn''t come up with anything simpler. He could not disperse the shockwave, but the explosion should bund to have the same effect of a bullet. That''s right, he needed to generate some kind of bullet, with the highest perforation possible. He evoked one third of the Mana he possessed. He would have to make do with those 500 MP. Generally, a powerful Skill for the First Phase Early stage should have had a minimum cost of 3000 MP. Helial was trying to develop an equally powerful Skill, with one sixth of the Mana. It was a titanic effort, to say the least. He still hadn''t undergone the changes in Meridians of the First Phase, so he was about to face some huge challenges. He could feel the Mana flowing from his Seed, passing through the Meridians were the Energy got more swirling and restless. Once there, Mana started to seethe violently. Helial swiftly condensed it in his hand. The process was very painful, as if his arms got pierced by a thousand needles. He was trying to guide all that Energy through the Meridians where the impetus of the Mana seemed to increase. As soon as the Energy reached the fingertips, he condensed it and once he gathered all of it, he finally released it against the tree. A small gust of wind appeared and crashed against the tree, leaving a small mark just a few inches deep. Something had gone wrong, so he decided to change method. He hated people that after making a mistake would still go down that road over and over again. He had made a mistake, something had gone wrong, so it was time to change, there was no need for proof. He stretched the hand in front of him. Probably he hadn''t condensed the Energy enough. Skill Activated: Communion with Mana Lv: 1 You are able to flow the power of Mana through the most suitable Meridians. You can move while storing and regenerating your Mana. Exp: 0.2% Effects: MP Regeneration: 200 Mana/Sec Skill Amplification: 3% Physical Abilities Amplification: 1,3% He began to flow the Skill at the same time while making a second attempt. Communion with Mana allowed him to amplify his senses and perceive with more clarity the Mana that flowed in the Meridians. This time, he gather Mana much slower. He needed to make the Energy as dense as possible. And he couldn''t waste not even one second while doing it. His forehead was already covered in beads of sweat and his arm was shaking slightly. No one in their right mind would have activated such an energy-consuming Skill like Communion with Mana while at the same time trying to create a new Skill. Mana could flow in both directions, from outside inward to regain Mana and from inside outward to activate a Skill. You must understand that it requires a lot of effort to keep two Skills activated at the same time, not to mention the effort needed to create one. However, flowing so much Mana in every direction inside the body allowed to perceive the Energy with much more clarity that usual. Helial had noticed that from the first time. He felt as if someone was wrenching the meat away from his arm. Letting the Mana flow slowly allowed him to condense it as much as possible, but it was extremely painful. The Meridians were experiencing a completely new feeling. Every second, new tiny wounds opened in them, but the same Mana that was flowing thanks to Communion with Mana managed to heal them. It looked as if his Meridians were transforming in a terribly slow process. It took him thirty seconds to condense all the 500 MP on the four fingertips. He managed not to waste any of that extremely valuable energy, even though right now he could have regained it thanks to Communion with Mana. He breathed deeply and held his breath for some seconds, then abruptly released the Mana Energy, trying to shoot it against a single spot on the tree trunk. BOOM! Young Oak has lost 3534 HP! He had completely destroyed the trunk! Helial was exultant, he had managed to create a very powerful Skill. It was powerful enough to take out a weak Goblin with a Critical (aka Critical Blow). You lost 250 HP! Criticals were generated by hitting a weak spot on the enemy, making the blow all the more efficient. The value of the Critical started at 150%, and varied according to the spot hit and the characteristics of the enemy. Helial looked at his hand. It was completely covered in blood. The peripheral blood vessels in the hand had mostly given in. Clearly, delivering such a blow would have had serious consequences. After all, he had compressed the Mana to a high degree of Condensation. Generally, people preferred to invest more Mana in a Skill, without having to condense it too much, to not lose control over the Energy. For example, it was easier to control a Skill that costed 1000 MP, with loosely condensed Mana, more than an equally powerful one with 500 MP, because in the latter the Mana was denser and fiercer. Therefore, there was a Condensation value, which in the above example was equal to two. A Skill with a Condensation value of two had Mana with double the normal density, and therefore was doubly difficult and dangerous to manage. In Helial''s case, the Condensation value was six. It could be easily seen how dangerous it was to use such a Skill. Nonetheless, high-Condensation Skills were also far more powerful than the original. Though, condensing Mana six times more than normal was easier said than done; in reality it was very painful, and especially very difficult. Mana Reflowing Lv: 6 The Mana power flows through your body and heals minor wounds. The Mana power purifies the body. Detox power 2% Cost: 30 Mana/Sec Helial began to heal his wounds, so as to keep developing the Skill. *** At the first rays of light, the timid sun shone on a hundred fallen trees, all of them literally snapped in half. You learned a new Skill: Mana Pistol By condensing Mana and bringing it to the highest Density that the body can endure, you can release a long-range attack of pure energy. Lv: 1 Exp: 0% Range: 15 yards Damage: 2800-4000 Effects: Damage decreases with an increase in distance. Cost: 500 Mana Cast Time: 30 Sec Efficiency: 99.8% 8 Scared Helial finally had some weapon to defend himself with. But even so, he didn''t feel safe at all. He could have used the Skill three or maybe four times in a fight. That didn''t leave him much room for error. "Lumia", he called, "It''s time to go. We still have twenty miles to go. We should get there tonight." Lumia sleepily rubbed her eyes with her small hands. It was dawn. The first rays of light weakly shone through the forest. Lumia looked at her brother: he was drenched in sweat, with dark circles under the eyes. He must have stayed up all night, she could tell since she knew him so well. "Idiot, why didn''t you get some rest?" she reproached him, "we have a long way to go, what if you feel ill on the road?" Helial didn''t reply, he couldn''t be bother to waste time on his nagging little sister. He was too busy trying to find a way to get both of them to safety. It''s not going to be easy. If the vanguard is already so close, it likely means that there are already Goblins nearby. Right now I don''t perceive anything, even if I kept Perception activated all this time I didn''t sense anyone coming. Are they marching straight to the city? It would be shorter going through this area, but I doubt an army could pass. Maybe we are safe here, thought Helial. He picked up what looked like a pile of old rags, the same on which his sister had slept during the night. He clenched his fists. The abysmal poverty they had to live in was a consequence of his brother''s actions¡­ He could never forgive him for that. They were forced to live that pitiful life full of hardships. He never could afford anything for himself or his sister, he could barely pay for food and some basic essentials. That wasn''t life, that was survival. After eating some pieces of stale bread and drinking some weird-smelling water, they went on their way. *** Floralivory, Headquarters of the Mana Congregation "Master Vidio, what do we do? There are too many of them, we won''t be able to hold the city. We have few men and our informants say that the commanders of the Army have already reached the Third Phase. How can we defeat them?" asked the middle-aged servant standing in front of him, terrified by what was going to happen in the next few hours. No answer came from Master Vidio, who was thinking about something else. Helial, where are you? You can''t die, you are my only hope to regain my past glory. Please, try to get back to the city. Vidio''s eyes were darkened by worry for his pupil. He had never taught him any Offensive Skill, so they boy would never be able to defend himself against the Goblins. Until Helial had not started a real training in one of their academies, it was better to cultivate the basics as much as possible, so as to have very strong learning foundations. After all, who could have imagined that the leaders of the Nation of Fiercelake were going to leave the borders completely defenseless? It didn''t make any sense. Were they really just going to give up one of their frontier towns? Although small, Floralivory City was a good stopping point for merchants. It was not of key strategic importance, but it was still a sort of trading outpost before the Wild Mountains, where lived Goblins and other unfriendly creatures. Forgetting about Helial for a second, even Vidio started to worry: the military leaders of the Goblin army were likely to be in the Third Phase. Even though he didn''t know their exact level he could make a good guess: they must have been around level 200¡­ Vidio was at level 151, in the middle of the Second Phase. And he was the strongest person in the entire city. Their soldiers were mostly at level 100, still in the First Phase. "Why isn''t the Capital taking action? It takes quite some time to get until here from the Goblin cities¡­ The frontier is swarming with spies, it would have been easy to send some backup in time." There was indeed something fishy going on. Should they run? That morning, an emissary of the National Council of the Mana Congregation had urged them not to lose men in a pointless conflict. That left no doubt on the stand of the upper echelons: beat it. "We should go back to the Capital without resisting, according to the orders. Get to the outpost, change horses and go back to the Council, and then¡­ what? Get reassigned?" "Damn it. Do you really think so many people can flee this damned army?" whispered Master Vidio. "These people have no chance of survival. It''s going to be a manhunt, damn it. How many young girls will die?" His womanizer''s soul dies hard¡­ "Saddle a horse, I need to take a look at the situation beyond the walls", ordered Vidio. "Master, the City Guard forbade to exit from the walls ¡­" "Quiet, none of those scumbags can forbid me from doing anything. Don''t they know who I am?" *** Somewhere in the woods, Lumia and Helial were walking towards the city "Come on, Lumia don''t be in a sulk like that. Once inside the city walls we will be safe. Plus, Master Vidio is a great fighter, we will have nothing to worry about when he''s with us" said Helial, trying to soothe is little sister.. Lumia looked quite relieved, even though she was trying to conceal her emotions. Helial''s word had not yet died out, that he perceived an Aura in the distance. It was a Goblin. There was a Goblin less than one mile away from them. He could sense one single Aura, so it should have been moving on foot. Although it was difficult to make an estimate at such a distance, Helial was pretty sure it was a weak Goblin. He took Lumia and covered her mouth, whispering in her hear: "There is one of them near here. Keep quiet and don''t make a sound. Let''s hide behind a big tree trunk." Flattened against the tree, Helial kept an eye on the direction towards which was moving the Goblin. Damn it, it''s coming right at us, he thought. He started condensing Mana in his hand right away. He had already made up his mind. It was at less than a hundred yards away. He could hear the rasping breath typical of Goblins. Many of them had smaller lungs than people, so their breath was short and labored. Plus, Goblins didn''t have quiet higher airways like humans, so they made funny noises when breathing from the nose. This time though, there was nothing funny about what was going to happen next. The Goblin was about to notice them. He was a few step away from the tree. Helial jumped out of his hiding place. Now he could see the Goblin clearly in the face. The creature''s face was completely covered in rotten goo that left uncovered only the face orifices. The corners of its mouth were full of lumps of blood. Beast, it has been eating humans for sure! It was giving off a repugnant stench that brutally filled their nostrils. Skill Activated: Mana Pistol! BOOM! You dealt a Critical Hit! Infantry Goblin lost 5400 HP! You killed Infantry Goblin! Helial had managed to deliver the close-range shot right at the head of the Goblin. He didn''t hit him straight in the face, but at least half of the skull had been blown away by the blast. He was very lucky. He had taken the Goblin by surprise and he managed to deal a critical hit. You earned 5.500 Exp! You levelled up! You reached Level 17! Helial had managed to eliminate the Goblin just in one shot. It wasn''t too bad, considering that the Skill had been created at the last minute. Skill Activated: Communion with Mana Helial''s eyes went to the hand that had delivered the blow. He killed it. everything happened so fast. But who would have stopped to think twice when faced with a monster? Lumia hadn''t seen anything. Before stepping forward, Helial had warned her with a stern voice: "Lumia, don''t come out, it''s not going to be a nice sight. Wait for me back here." His little sister, however, was extremely stubborn and stepped out anyway. But after witnessing that scene, she stood there petrified. Helial didn''t go to her; after all she would have to get used to things like that sooner or later. "He was carrying some interesting stuff", sighed Helial, "I''ll take it." He walked to the body, wondering at his own cold blood. He had killed a Goblin, like really killed it. But he was feeling nothing, at all. It was threatening him and his sister, he kept telling himself that he shouldn''t feel guilty. His eyes went again to the hand that had fired the bullet of Mana that had unceremoniously blown away half of the Goblin''s skull. It was that easy, thought Helial. While he was looking at the body, an open bottle rolled out of the Goblin''s pocket and its content start pouring on the ground. It was a thick reddish spirit, the color of blood. It looked a lot like the blood that was encrusted around the Goblin''s mouth. For the first time in his life, Helial had taken the life of a living thing that was not an animal and now he was searching the body to find valuables to steal. What was that, self-defense or brutality? He chased those thought away and focused on picking up the objects. You obtainedDented Sword! You obtained Torn Pants! You obtained 56 Copper Pieces! Once removed the objects, the body vanished into thin air. It was normal. Every time one removed all the main objects from a monster, or at least the objects that could be picked up, the bodies disappeared. It was actually very morbid to see a living thing vanish. Helial though didn''t worry about it too much. Kill or be killed. After levelling up, he had some Points to distribute in the Stats, but he chose to wait. After all, six points were not a life-changer. It was time to get a move on again, if not¡­ Kwiiii! Shit, are there more coming?, thought Helial, breaking out in a cold sweat. He had already recovered all the Mana lost but the situation was not looking up. Unless he scored a direct hit, his attack was not very effective. Besides, he could only fire three times in a row. He was indeed breaking out in a cold sweat. He perceived five Auras approaching. One of these was a horse. It didn''t look promising at all! Helial was really nervous. He wanted to tell his sister to run, but he knew she would have never listened to him. She would not leave him alone, especially now that his life was at risk. Helial drew the useless Longsword. This time he would have to face the enemy. No one had ever taught him how to wield a sword, so he would have to improvise. He could only count on his own instincts. He took a deep breath. Skill Activated : Communion with Mana Lv: 1 You are able to flow the power of Mana through the most suitable Meridians. You can move while storing and regenerating your Mana. Exp: 5.2% Effects: MP Regeneration: 200 Mana/Sec Skill Amplification: 3% Physical Abilities Amplification: 1,3% At the same time, he began to condense the Mana on the fingertips of his right hand, all but the thumb. Fear was almost about to choke him, when he met his sister''s gaze. She was not afraid, she trusted her big brother to protect her. It was normal for a rookie to panic and freeze at his first fights. It would have been difficult to use even three fourth of one''s abilities. But Helial didn''t know this and didn''t worry much about his own inexperience. He noticed that the Aura of the mounted Goblin had left his companions behind had was approaching rapidly. Helial grabbed tight the hilt of the Longsword. "Come closer, piece of shit¡­" he whispered. He took a very deep breath, then started running at breakneck speed towards the Goblin. He held the blade of the Longsword slightly behind his body, perpendicular to his shoulders, so it wouldn''t hinder him while running. He was holding the weapon with his left hand, while with the right he was preparing the Skill. The cast time of the Skill was too long to allow him to engage all four Goblins at a time, he had no choice but kill one first. Him and the Goblin could see each other clearly now. Helial saw his was wearing a sneer on his face. In the eyes of that beast used to slaughtering and plundering, Helial must have looked like a brat that had lost his will to live. Helial did not smile, there was nothing funny about all that. His hands were shaking and he was covered in cold sweat. He was scared. 9 Not ye There were only ten yards to separate them now. The Goblin had covered the remaining distance very swiftly thanks to its repugnant steed. Helial had gotten the Skill ready while running. He could activated it at any time. He deactivated Communion with Mana, to avoid nasty surprises in case he couldn''t control the Skill right when attacking. He didn''t know what could happen if he had kept it activated. The Goblin drew an unpolished scimitar, whose blade was dented in several spots. It didn''t look very sharp, but it was sharp enough to hack Helial to pieces, since he didn''t have any kind of protection. Helial aimed very carefully; he couldn''t allow himself any mistakes. He swung the Longsword in front of him and stuck it in the ground. He used it to pole vault his way across, jumping as high as the Goblin. He wasn''t left-handed so the result was not exactly what he was hoping for. He planned to leap beyond the Goblin and activate the Skill when he was right on top of him. But now he was in the air, just about at the Goblin''s height. Shit. He hold his breath and condensed the Skill. The Goblin was swinging a deadly blow at Helial with its scimitar. Helial couldn''t wait any longer. When he activated the Skill he was barely a yard away from the Goblin. He was traveling through the air and had no way to dodge the blow. Once the Goblin had levelled its blade with him, the momentum would have hacked him in half. His only hope was to make the first move. He aimed well, at least as well as he could while flying mid-air. Skill Activated: Mana Pistol BOOM! The Skill missed the Goblin''s head, but hit it straight in the chest. Mounted Goblin lost 3227 HP! No notification window about Exp. It wasn''t dead, though it had been pushed to the ground. Helial kicked the horse and fell heavily on the ground with a tumble. The hideous steed, usually ill-treated by its owner, ran away without looking back. Mounted Goblin suffered a lung injury and cannot breathe! It is losing 200 HP per second! The Goblin''s fate was sealed. There was no way it could get back on its feet. Helial stood up and looked at it with contempt. He didn''t feel guilty for what he was doing. Those monsters wanted to kill his sister and him. Human and Goblins ad been enemies since the dawn of time. One of the Kings of the continent fell victim to an ambush in the capital of the Goblins on the mountains, while on an expedition to try and rebuild the ties with the Goblins. He had been the first powerful man to attempt to reconcile the two races. Killing Goblin scum could not be but a source of pride, Helial told himself. But if he didn''t hurry, the Goblin in front of him could have been brought back to life. Humanoid races had an advantage: once reached the First Phase, it was possible to save one''s life even after a deadly wound. When the HP reached 0, the human or the humanoid was bound to collapse to the ground, but with the help of some classes, such as Shamans of Priests, he could come back to life within 24 hours. It was a privilege only of humanoid races, one what beasts had never enjoyed. Despite everything, if the body was destroyed, it had no chance to come back to life. Anyway, I assure you it''s not a good feeling to stay dead for twenty four hours. You killed Mounted Goblin! Helial didn''t pay attention either to the notifications or the objects on the body. His hand wasn''t looking good. It was completely covered in blood. He stood still. Skill Activated: Communion with Mana Skill Activated: Mana Reflowing There was no time to lose. The other Goblins were only a couple hundred yards away and had witnessed their companion''s death. They were furious and wanted to finish Helial in the worst way possible. They couldn''t let a human get away with killing a brother! The Mounted Goblin had died a terrible painful death, choking on its own blood, not a warrior''s death. Helial had not even had the decency to finish it, denying it a painless death. Actually, it wasn''t entirely his failt, since he had never know any code of chivalry. Progress of the Mission! Fight the Goblin Invasion Grade: DD The Goblins waged a counterattack against the Kakos Dynasty. All frontier territories have been hit heavily. No army has been sent to protect the fringes of the Nation. Fight the Goblins! Your people are suffering the plundering of the army, now it''s time to repay the price in blood! Goal: kill the Goblins! Time: until the end of the war Reward: 2.000 Exp for every Infantry Goblin 3.500 Exp for every Archery Goblin 6.000 Exp for every Mounted Goblin 50.000 Exp for every Goblin Commander 10.000.000 Exp for the Army Leader Goblin Every 10 Goblins killed you earn 10 Fame Points! Every Commander killed you earn 20 Fame Points! ??? Helial had received a new Mission for having killed a Mounted Goblin. This made him think. Can I get stronger if I make a massacre? It''s to see what I''m capable of. He retrieved the Longsword in a hurry and put it back in the Inventory. Helial was thrilled. In front of him there were three Goblins. Despite the hopeless situation, it had been years since he had felt master of his own fate. At last, he could fight with his head held high. His brother had left a shadow behind that Helial had never managed to escape, not because he wasn''t able to, but because he was almost held hostage. He knew perfectly well that in his village there were people paid to watch him. The only question that was still left unanswered was why his brother didn''t get rid of him straight away. He couldn''t care less of dying, if it hadn''t been for his sister. After leading that kind of life, he would have never let go of his freedom. It was his chance to fight, no matter in what conditions. He had that one chance and he was not going to squander it. He could not use one Skill at a time or would not be able to face two Goblins. His Skill had a 30 seconds cooldown, that didn''t leave him time to kill two of them. It was time to try something new. The corners of Helial''s mouth curled upwards and his dark blue eyes got misty. Was this freedom? Despite his numbed arm covered in blood, this time he could hold his ground and face his enemy with his head held high. It wasn''t a faraway threat anymore, looming over his head day and night like the sword of Damocles. He took a deep breath. He began flowing all the Mana he had in both arms. A wrenching pain shoot through his head like the sharpest of swords. He didn''t shout and kept quiet. The casting of two Skills at a time (the time necessary to perform a Skill, including movements or the time required to prepare the Skill) required monstrous concentration. It wasn''t even comparable to using two Skills one after the other. It was ten times painful and troublesome. You lost 250 HP. Capillaries started bursting on his arms, covering them in blood. He was laughing, Helial was laughing in the Goblins'' faces. He didn''t care about the pain, overwhelmed as he was by a feeling of power that he had never experienced in all those long years. He was free. He had activated three Skills at the same time, but he knew it was far from enough to guarantee that the shots would hit the mark. He needed to dare more. Skill Activated: Perception Blood started flowing from every cavity on his face. He looked awful. After a couple of seconds, his arms were covered in blood and his shirt was drenched in the blood that dripped from his face. A face that didn''t even look human anymore. His expression was twisted by pain. His eyes were bloodshot and wide open, his face completely covered in gooey red blood. You lost 500 HP! He had never felt so alive. He just kept laughing and laughing. He looked like a demon. He could clearly feel the three Auras of the Goblins approaching. They were only ten yards from him. Getting a closer look of Helial, the Goblins thought he was seriously injured. They were no experts in Mana, all of them around level 20. One of them stopped a little further away, it was an Archer! That Goblin started to nock an arrow and he aimed. Not yet, thought Helial. The Goblin was about to shoot the arrow. The other two were Infantry Goblins and were both less than ten yards from him. SHIT, NOT YET. The arrow left the bow. In an instant, it flew over the other two Goblins, straight towards Helial. NOW. The two Infantry Goblins were just a couple of steps from him. Thanks to Perception he had aimed the shots to perfection. BOOM! In the moment the two Mana bullets left his hands, the arrow reached him. He had no way to dodge it. The arrow hit him between the shoulder and collarbone, lodging in the shoulder joint. He let out a scream of agony. You lost 1000 HP! Helial glanced at his HP bar. He only had one fourth of life left. From a total of 2890 HP, he was down to 1000 HP. You delivered a Critical Hit! You delivered a Critical Hit! Infantry Goblin lost 5342 HP! Infantry Goblin lost 4989 HP! Both Goblins who were running towards him suddenly collapsed. Two headless bodies flopped to the ground. Helial could never have achieved such precise hits without Perception, but now he was paying the price. He was exhausted and one of the Goblins was still alive. Notification windows popped up to show the Exp gained with the killing and the progress in the mission. You gained 7000 Exp from killing 2 Infantry Goblins in the Mission! You gained 10000 Exp from killing 2 Infantry Goblins! You killed Infantry Goblin! You killed Infantry Goblin! You levelled up! You reached Level 18! 10 Free Two down, one to go. Helial was exhausted, but at the same time he clearly perceived the freedom and the shooting pain in his shoulder. Malus Received: Moderate Bleeding You lose 5HP/Sec until the bleeding stops. He brutally tugged at the arrow lodged in his shoulder and let out a horrifying scream. Pain was clouding his mind. He was trying to exercising all his willpower, commanding his body not to faint. If he fainted he would have died for sure. Killed either by the Goblin or the blood loss. The Goblin was already nocking a second arrow and soon it was going to shoot it. It must be said that Goblins are not skill archers like the Elves, but it doesn''t take much to hit a still target. Suddenly, Helial got an idea. He turned around and started running in a circle. It was a pretty unorthodox method, but it could work. He activated Mana Reflowing and Communion with Mana. The bleeding slowed down. Helial only hoped that the Goblin couldn''t aim that well. Fiuuu! An arrow swept just a couple of inches from his neck. Alright, maybe it wasn''t a brilliant idea. Fiuuu! Fiuuu! Fiuuu! Several arrows threatened to strike him, but he managed to dodge them all at the last minute. The Goblin looked very frustrated. He had seen three of its mates died at the hand of that human cub. How could it let it go? But it seemed that the arrows changed direction a second before hitting him. The Goblin nock a new arrow very slowly and took its time to aim carefully. Skill Activated: Precision Shot! Effects: The probability of hitting the target increases by 50%! The strength of the shot increases by 20%! Shit, thought Helial. He had seen the Skill that the Goblin was about to use. He took out of the Inventory Curse of the Demon. He had no chance to dodge that arrow but he was hoping to stop it. After all, the black Longsword was really cumbersome and the blade almost covered him completely. The arrow left the bow directed towards Helial''s head. The boy planted his feet on the ground, driving them in the soil. He put a hand flat of the blade, while with the other he gripped the hilt tight. It shouldn''t have been a big problem using the sword to block one single arrow, right? DONG! The arrow hit the Longsword fair and square. Helial had to take three or four steps back.His wrist were hurting after the impact. His favorite Stat was almost down to zero, his current Strength was that of a common fifteen-year-old, with no military training. He fell to the ground, but luckily the Goblin needed more than ten seconds to recharge the Skill. Helial was on his last legs but stood up anyway. He had recovered enough life and the bleeding hadstopped. He had managed to get rid of the Malus, now he only had to get rid of the Goblin. On the greenish forehead of the Goblin there were several beads of sweat. It was nervous: it didn''t think that it would have been so difficult to get rid of the enemy. It also felt confused. How did the boy manage to take such a huge leap backwards while holding that giant Longsword? It suddenly made up its mind. Since it was too worried about its wellbeing, it started to run in the same direction where it came from. It had a family that could not survive alone the tough hierarchy of Goblin society. Helial''s eyes widened. The Goblin was about to call for backup! He couldn''t let it. He began running after it, panting heavily. He was pushing his own body further than ever before. He started condensing Mana on the four fingers, preparing Mana Pistol. The Goblin was terrified by the human cub chasing him. It couldn''t abandon his woman. Its lady Goblin worked in atextile factory that produced the pants wore by the army. It would have been too hard to raise the kids alone. If it had died, another Goblin would have married its woman, maybe even with force, and then it would have got rid of the children. Skill Activated: Mana Pistol BOOM! Archer Goblin lost 1300 HP! Archer Goblin suffered a Malus! Serious bleeding The enemy is losing 10 HP per second and cannot regenerate HP points. Helial hadn''t aimed very carefully and missed the trunk of the Goblin, though he hit it in the leg, shattering its knee. Kwiiii! The Goblin let out a bloodcurdling scream. Helial started condensing the Mana straight away. He couldn''t let it go. "Please, don''t kill me. I won''t tell anybody you''re in the forest!" pleaded the Archer Goblin. It couldn''t die right there! Helial ignored it and approached slowly. He felt the piercing smell of blood filling his nostrils. The shot had severed the blood vessels in the leg and blood was pouring copiously on the grass. There was a large pool of blood already, and the Goblin probably would have died because of the blood loss, even without the finishing blow. Helial though was sure the best thing to do was doing away with it as quickly as possible: he had already walked too far from where his sister was hiding. BOOM! He finally got rid of that bloodthirsty monster. The Goblin was lying on the ground, dead. Its face was almost unrecognizable. Where his head had been, now there was only a gooey mess of blood and shattered bones.Helial had not given the beast another chance to scream or beg. He had killed it before it could raise in him any feelings of compassion, before it could convince him to let it go free and then call for backup that the boy would not have been able to face. The notification windows popped up. Thanks to that group he had gain quite a little Exp. Now he must go back to his sister. They had to reach the city as soon as possible. They couldn''t stay there any longer, that area was swarming with Goblins. Helial sat down on the soft grass for a while. His exhausted body was covered in an enormous amount of blood. He dropped on his back and let out a terrifying, almost monstrous, laughter. He looked like a demon with all his satisfaction pouring out of his gaping mouth. He spat a mouthful and blood and saliva on the ground, holding his wheezing chest. In his eyes sparkled a ferocity completely inappropriate for a boy his age. He stared at the immensity of the heavens and at their deep colors, their ethereal and fleeting greatness, their freedom. Ah, freedom. So difficult to obtain, yet so easy to lose. So expensive. It takes away your compassion, but it gives you unrivalled powers. Every time it demands something different in return: that time it demanded the lives of a handful of Goblins. Few people could have succeeded. Helial had faced four Goblins alone, coming out a winner! No one would have thought that a fifteen-year-old boy, nearly crippled by a Curse, could achieve such results. Helial knew this but instead of being happy he wondered what he could do once freed from the Malus of Curse of the Demon. The Exp points of the Mission and of killing the Goblins had made him go up two levels. He absolutely needed to reach the First Phase and have Vidio teach him some Offensive Skills; Mana Pistol was far from enough. Damn old fart, always thinking about women. I got almost kill and it was all your fault, he thought. "I need to get rid of that fucking Curse, then I will able to use Strength in melee combat", whispered Helial, his eyes flashing with determination. He couldn''t keep fighting unsure of his own survival, it was too risky. He needed a real weapon and some equipment. Before that moment, Helial''s life had always been grey and miserable, but for some sporadic rays of sunshine. It was the first time that he felt really satisfied with himself. Even though he was not strong or at a high level, he had managed to fight for his own freedom, for his own life. That feeling was overwhelming him. He was free. He decided that from that moment on he would have never made compromises for his own life. He had been making compromises for the past ten years to protect his sister. But that wasn''t life, it was no different from the grim survival of animals in a barn, waiting to be butchered. That''s what they had been until now, animals for slaughter. He was done accepting that kind of life for himself and his sister. It was time something changed. This was his turning point. He got up, exalted and covered in blood, and ran towards the tree where his sister was hiding. When he saw her he hugged her, glad to still be able to hold her in his arms. Why did Helial feel all that urge to kill? After so many wait and years of subjugation, he could not tolerate abuse anymore, and even more that feeling of impotence, of having to stay still. Even though Helial was not especially proud, he yearned for the dignity of a free man. He didn''t feel any remorse for killing all those Goblins. All monsters, Helial told himself to clear his conscience. Lumia was confused and noticed only the pungent smell of blood that drifted off his brother. "Why do you have so much blood on you?" she asked. During all the fight she had stayed hidden, so she was completely unaware of what had happened. "I took out four Goblins!" Helial laughed smugly, almost showing off in front of his sister. But the girl had a dark look on her face. "You are happy you killed someone?" asked Lumia, with a trace of disgust. "What is there to be happy about? They are not monsters of cave beasts. Old Mei in the village always said that all the humanoid races have a common ancestor. Why are you happy?" Helial went near Lumia and hugged her. The piercing smell of blood nearly made Lumia gag. With a solemn expression, Helial began his speech: "Freedom comes at a price. Today the price was the lives of those Goblins. Tomorrow? I don''t know." "Did you really have to¡­" "I don''t regret it, you know¡­ this is the first time I didn''t feel helpless, I could fight. Today I took a step forward, after so many years standing still. You know that we are not in a rosy situation, right? Ad I''m not talking about the Goblins." Lumia nodded hesitantly, holding tight her brother''s shirt. Now, drenched in all that blood, it almost looked like its original color, a deep burgundy. Helial ran a hand over his face to wipe the drops of blood. " Let''s go, from now on we won''t have to be strong to walk with our head held high. I have no intentions of bowing down anymore. From now on, whoever will stand between us and freedom will die, including our brother. This is my path." Helial breathed deeply, as if to savor fully his freedom. Up until now, he had always feared retaliation from his brother''s side. But now that his brother had given him a weapon, Helial could finally escape and become as strong as possible before facing him again. The weapon meant that it was time for him to put himself out there. His brother thought he was done for, he thought his Curse of the Demon had sealed his death. But for Helial this was a chance. Where his brother had seen a death sentence, Helial had found a tiny hope to get free from the demons that hunted him. 11 Fugitive Lumia and Helial were travelling towards the city. It was already late afternoon. The red rays of sunshine crashed against columns of smoke in the distance. The pungent smell of charred wood reached even to where there were. There were still four or five miles to Floralivory City. Why all that smoke? "Idiot, what¡­" whispered Lumia, talking to the brother in her usual insolent tone. "SHIT. What''s what, SHIT. There here, the invasion has begun. Damn monsters¡­" Helial fell on his knees to the ground, swearing against everything that the heavens were unleashing against him. Was there a God that enjoyed seeing him suffer? They both stayed silent for a while. Helial''s fingers were trembling uncontrollably. They could not go to the city anymore. They would have to go around to avoid the Goblins, but the forests were swarming with those dirty monsters. The recon patrols were probably all over that area. Helial could not run any ricks in his conditions. A Goblin at level 35-40 could have defeated him easily. Helial didn''t have a deep understanding neither of maps nor military strategy. He had no idea where the army would go after conquering the city. He didn''t know where there could be more patrols or where it would have been safer. First, he stood up and then he fell back on his butt with a loud thud. Poff. He sat, pondering the recent events and commenting out loud: "We can''t keep going to the city. If we had already walked through the gates e could have got out from the other side and try to get to safety. Now it''s impossible. There is a fucking horde of fucking Goblins between us and the city. We could go around the city and try to catch up with the fugitives, but that would not end well¡­" "Why?" asked Lumia, curious to know her brother''s line of reasoning. After all, she was a ten-year-old kid and even though she was quite bright for her age, she still didn''t fully understand some of the dynamics. "Why? Because the Goblins will go looking for the fugitives. It would already be difficult to escape from the city. Do you understand what we are risking being already in an area that''s swarming with those monsters? We would be butchered¡­" muttered Helial. " I am no strategist and I don''t know these lands well, but for how to get to the city, our only option is to take a longer route around the city. I know that to the East there is a mountain range that should be free of wild beasts. Ifgo that way, we could cross the mountains and get to safety, but¡­ I have no survival skills and I''m basically a cripple. If we got attacked by more than three wolves I couldn''t be sure to protect you." "Although," he continued, "staying here is out of the question. We just have to find a way to save ourselves." Helial grabbed his own hands. He had no choice but to try and get stronger. In his conditions he wasn''t just helpless, he was close to useless. He couldn''t keep running. Suddenly he had an idea. "Lumia, come here and sit down in front of me", ordered Helial sternly. "What''s wrong?" asked the girl, almost intimidated by the harsh tone of her brother. He always pampered her, he had never talked to her angrily or impolitely. He really loved her dearly. There was nothing he cherished more than that silver-haired little girl. But this time, he had used a tone of voice completely different from usual. Lumia was quite upset. "Sit down." Lumia sat down in front of him. Helial was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, the palms of his hands resting on the knees. It looked almost like he was meditating. He abruptly opened his eyes and the deep blue of the night met the emerald green. "Listen, you are the only thing I care about in this world. I won''t let anyone hurt you, but I don''t intend to treat you like a burden. I thought of a solution, but it is really dangerous. I need to know if you trust me", said Helial. "I trust you", replied Lumia bluntly. "Let''s fight." "Sorry, what?" asked Lumia, sure to have heard wrong. "The mission we received has increased your experience too, right?" Helial smiled. Lumia had been too worried about their safety, but now opened a window to check her Stats. Name Lumia Race Human Primary Class None Primary Affinity None Primary Profession None Level 9 Exp 7833/90000 HP 1343/1343 MP 458/458 Strength 6 Vigor 9 Intelligence 25 Wisdom 23 Dexterity 9 Effects: Physical Resilience: 5% Stats points to be sorted out: 12 "Yes¡­" answered Lumia, who didn''t know how Exp worked. "When we are part of a group we share the same Missions and we both receive Exp, since we are on a similar level. If there isn''t much difference between us, we both gain Exp from killing monsters in the mission. As far as single killings are concerned, on the other hand, I gain a lot more Exp that you, since I was the one to kill them, while you didn''t participate in the fight", Helial explained to her. Lumia nodded. It wasn''t complicated. "Risking our lives in the mountains is out of the question: there are too many wolves and we don''t know the area. We wouldn''t be able to get food once we ate all there is left in our inventories, and we both know that is not going to last long¡­ But we know this area! We know where to hide. We can hide away in the woods we know and attack the Goblins. If there are no more than three, with only one archer, it shouldn''t be a problem", a creepy light shone in Helial''s eyes. In heart was bursting with a desire for redemption. He was fed up with being powerless. While he was talking, he almost looked possessed. Lumia kept wondering how come he didn''t look scared. Helial had always been a calm boy, not very lively. Since she could remember, Helial had always tried to not attract unnecessary attention and keep a low profile in the village. How could he have chance so much in just a couple of days? What Lumia didn''t know was that behind that serious and loving boy was hiding a bird of prey that had been caged for far too long, a monster that yearned for its freedom. Helial''s greatest fear as not to die fighting, but to continue living like a coward. He couldn''t take it anymore. "Idiot, I¡­" Lumia had never received a proper education in the village where her and Helial lived. Everything she knew, she had learned from her big brother and from the Master in the village. "Lumia. Do you trust me? It doesn''t matter what''s troubling you. I''m asking you, do you trust me?" asked Helial, more serious than he''d ever been. "Yes." "Put all the Stat Points that you gained in Intelligence and Wisdom, every two points in Intelligence put one in Wisdom. This way your amount of Mana will increase. Next, you''ll have to condense a Mana Seed. First of all, listen very closely, we''ll try to develop a Breathing Technique that suits you. Now let''s look for shelter. There is a cave half an hour from here, I saw it while we were walking. Let''s go there, we''ll be safe for the time being." Lumia nodded without asking any questions and the set off, leaving behind the city and the columns of smoke that rose above it. *** North of Floralivory, Outpost of Alabard "Open the gates! That''s the medallion of a Master of the Mana Congregation!" shouted the Commander from the top of the city walls. Everyone was on the lookout, they had gathered the local soldiers and received backups from the capital. If Floralivory City fell, the second place attacked would for sure be the outpost. Alabard was an important military post that could provide timely support in all cities in that area. If the Goblins wanted to conquer those lands, they first had to make sure to raze that outpost to the ground and kill everyone inside it. A man around forty years old get off his horse. It was a young Master of the Mana Congregation. One needed to have extraordinary abilities to become one of the Masters of that powerhouse. but, despite being a Master of the Congregation and being forty years of age, he was still in the Second Phase. "Sir, identification is compulsory, I need to report to my superiors", said a recruit, stepping forward. They had orders to check the identity of whoever entered the outpost, to avoid unpleasant surprises. "Master Vidio. I had to escape to deal¡­ um¡­ with some very important business for the Congregation",muttered Vidio, clumsily trying to conceal the real reason that had brought him to the outpost. To tell the truth, he had run from Floralivory as fast as he could. I couldn''t really stay there and get my ass roasted. The Goblins arrived way earlier than foreseen. The must have already destroyed the city by now, he pondered. Vidio had never been a fan of heroic deeds. Since he had arrived in Floralivory, he had spent more time running after women than training. For this reason, almost everyone that knew him thought that he was still blocked in the Second Phase because of his vices, despite all the talent that he had shown when young. He glanced at the walls and the perimeter all round. Here he could feel really safe. The walls were over 600 feet high and around 20 feet deep. There were soldiers posted everywhere. The outpost was at the foot of the mountain and the walls reached the steep mountain slope. It would be impossible the attack that place from all sides, so they mainly had to worry about frontal attacks. The Commander was no rookie, he was in the Late Grade of the Fourth Phase. The Fourth Phase¡­ That man alone could have faced hundreds of people in the Second Phase. The gap between two adjacent Phases was huge, but the one between two distant Phases was unbridgeable. The outpost overlooked a deserted, sandy wasteland. There were no living creatures for dozens of miles. Everything was a dull yellow-earth, even people looked soaked in that color. The soldiers had a stern look on their faces. They were fighters that had faced death over and over again and, aside some of the inexperienced rookies, none of them liked to joke about it. They were also no fools. Many of them stared at Vidio with spite. They had understood right away the reason of the sudden arrival of the Master: he was running, fleeing the city. He hadn''t put up a fight. Was there anything more despicable for a soldier? A man completely enveloped in a dark red cloak, that in a more glorious past used to be crimson, approach Vidio. He was the Commander of the Outpost. He was a short, bulky man with icy eyes. He growled at the recruit to get out of the way and addressed Vidio: "Go and get a room, tomorrow you can leave for the Capital to go report the situation." He offered no introduction and after blurting those few words in Vidio''s face, he turned around and went back to the training grounds, where a few recruits were waiting for him. The Commander''s name was Pausan. He was from a big island south-west of Floralivory. Pausan was a strict, rigid man. Where he came from, rigor and military training were all that mattered. He used to be one of the best recruits in his time. His region had kept its independence for centuries, fighting hard for civil rights and self-determination. But since the arrival of the Mana Congregation, the Nation of Fiercelake had prevailed and broke the existing balance. With the Congregation, arrived the Immortals and his region didn''t stand a chance. The choice was between bending the knee or dying. Pausan''s people were warriors. Who couldn''t fight became an artisan and who wasn''t an artisan was a slave. His society has a very clear and inflexible hierarchy. But over the years, many of the best warriors in history came from that region. He Commander sighed; it was time to go back and train those recruits. The people in that Nation were weaklings and he couldn''t do much about it. Now that Fiercelake had annexed Parsta, the military leaders of the islands had to serve those that for many years were their enemies. Pausan clenched his fists. In his heart he was still a Parstan and would never forget his origins. The outpost needed to be ready for a Goblin attack. Being caught off-guard was out of the question, it was a matter of honor for Pausan and all his people. Besides, the Commander hated the Goblins'' guts. Those monsters had killed his uncle during a military campaign, while he was trying to free the mountains from those undesired creatures. Pausan looked in the distance, his gaze wandering the void, while he thought how to get back to those damned Goblins. 12 Not again! It had been two days since they had settled down in the cave they had found in the forest. The cave was situated on a small hill, hidden buy the thick canopy of trees. At a first glance it just looked like a pile of rocks with no opening clearly visible. But actually, Helial had moved some smaller rocks in front of the entrance, to prevent other people from spotting the cave. It would have been difficult to find them, if not downright impossible. If he had had his old Stats, Helial could have moved one big boulder, instead of many small rocks, but now his Strength was almost at the same level as Lumia''s. During those two days they had tried to develop a Breathing Technique suitable for his sister. Helial had used his Mana to inspect Lumia''s Meridians and had found out that they were suited for a kind of calm and meek Mana. While the Mana that flowed in his body seethed and whirled, the Mana in Lumia''s body was far more stable and placid. Lumia is well suited for a Class of Supportive Magic, I think. With Meridians like these ones, she wouldn''t be able to learn Offensive Skills. It would only turn in against her. She should learn some Support Skills¡­ Helial''s original plan was to teach his sister the Mana Pistol Skill, but the feeble body of Lumia could not possibly resist the mount of stress that Helial had to bear every time he used the Skill. Unfortunately, aside from the basic Skills to condense, flow and reflow Mana, Helial didn''t know any other Skills. But they still needed to protect themselves against potential attackers, so they had to sort it out somehow. Helial had found the most suitable Meridians for the kind of Mana that flowed through Lumia and tried to help her flow her Mana in the right way. The girl''s forehead was covered in tiny beads of sweat. Learning a Breathing Technique from scratch was no piece of cake. But if she managed to do it, she would have one more weapon to protect herself with. A Breathing Technique is the factor the influences most the absorption an flowing of Mana. Without a good Breathing Technique, it would have been almost impossible to condense a good Mana Seed. Actually, one of the reasons why White or high-level Mana Seeds were so rare was a lack of powerful Breathing Techniques. Many of the stronger ones had gotten lost during the centuries and only the Congregation still possessed a good amount of quality Breathing Techniques. Aside from Breathing Techniques, one of the most important factors in the Condensation of a Mana Seed was without any doubts the control that one person had over their own Mana. Helial was able to Condense the legendary White Mana Seed exactly because of this: he had an extraordinary control over Mana. Some people are born with tremendous talents, others with iron willpower. Since a young age, Helial had always been an exceptional child, but what had made him even stronger and more determined was being abandoned by his brother. If he hadn''t experienced that horror, he probably would never have been able to achieve such success. Talent never goes far without the right amount of determination. Lumia''s small hands, joined to form a seal that facilitated the Mana flow, were trembling uncontrollably. She looked exhausted. During those two days, apart from eating and sleeping, they had solely worked on her Breathing Technique. After all, Helial possessed no pre-made Skill, so they had to create one. It was not going to be at all easy. After a couple of hours, Lumia''s face seemed to relax, as if she was not experiencing pain anymore. You created the Skill Roar of the Earth! Passive Skill: Roar of the Earth Lv: 1 Grade: Red Helps to flow Mana inside the body. This Skill is suited for someone at peace with their body. Exp: 0% Helial noticed that Lumia had finally managed to develop a Breathing Technique. "Lumia, what grade is this Skill?" Helial was curious. "Here it says ''Grade Red''", whispered Lumia, still amazed by the radical change that the Mana in her body had undergone. While before it was difficult and almost painful to flow the Mana through her body, now it was incessantly flowing through her Meridians without opposing any resistance. This was going to let her swiftly increase the Mana reserve "Grade Red..." Helial was speechless, he too had a Grade Red Breathing Technique. But he had obtained it from a Stroll. This could only mean one thing: that ten-year-old girl had a stronger Breathing Technique than he did! Damn it! "Now you can start training with this Technique. In the next few days you can start condensing a Mana Seed. While you train, I fill find a quiet spot. If you tried to Condense a Seed right here, the energy would probably attract too many Goblins. I''ll see what I can find," Helial smiled to her and then started fishing out of his Inventory all the bread and water he had. "If something should happen to me, you stay here. Don''t come looking for me, I will be back every 12 hours to check on you. Don''t worry", he told his sister. It was time to find a safe spot. The cave wasn''t very big andthe energy waves would probably reach some Goblin and give them away. They also needed to hunt some game. Helial had a knife with him and could get some meat, if only he could find an animal to kill. In the woods there were not many animals left, the army had scared away most of them. Skill Activated: Perception He had to move carefully. He must not run into a marching platoon of Goblins. He started walking in the opposite to the way that led to Floralivory City. That way the risk of running into enemies would be lower. I could look for a cave, but if Lumia condensed too powerful a Seed, probably the ceiling would cave on us¡­ thought Helial. I should go as close to the mountains as possible, is I find some rocky areas, I could have more chances to find a place¡­ a cliff would have been perfect, that way the energy could have been released only vertically. But if Lumia were to condense a White Seed, the walls of rock could come crumbling down. But no, it couldn''t be that easy to condense one. I was just lucky. From what Vidio told me, no one in the Nation has been able to condense a White Seed. He remembered very well when seven years earlier he condensed his Mana Seed. Half of the forest had been burned to the ground and the guards of Floralivory City had come to inspect the crime scene. That apocalyptic event had been considered just a natural disaster. No one could recognize the aftermath of the Condensation of a White Mana Seed anymore. Helial recalled the catastrophic mess he had brought about, with those lightning falling down from the sky and shivered at the thought that could happen again. This time though it would have caused the collapse of a rocky cliff and the inevitable demise of himself and Lumia. If the girl had managed to Condense a White Seed they would both have died crushed by rocks. But they had no choice. A cave would have compressed the energy, doubling the risk. The special rooms in the Mana Congregation designated to the Condensation of Seeds were made of specific materials that prevented a potentially exceedingly talented student from making the building collapse. Helial sighed, remembering that he didn''t own a White Mana Seed anymore, but a Black one. That Curse was ruining his life. He took out Curse of the Demon from the Inventory to check it. For some unfathomable reason, Helial had a bad feeling. He stared at that black blade. All the other colors in the world looked washed out, as if oppressed by the mere presence of the weapon. The darkness of the Longsword seemed to want to swallow his soul. It was fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Seen from afar, its heightand adorned hilt and guard, it really seemed a unique, formidable sword. But for Helial it was none of this. It was just true to its name: a Curse. Helial sighed and was about to put it back in the Inventory. That weapon made him uneasy and he had a bad feeling about all that. What the fuck¡­ Helial didn''t have time to finish swearing that the sword suddenly shone of black light! "SHIT, NO NOT AGAIN", he screamed, throwing the sword to the ground and running away from it. When he turned around though, he saw something unusual. No ray had hit him this time. The light had gone out. "Something''s not right", he whispered. "I bet it''s not over." He couldn''t leave the sword there, he had to take it back. If he ever found an expert in removing Curses, probably they would need to examine the Longsword. He couldn''t feel any energy emanating from the weapon, everything seemed quiet. He approached slowly. Nothing seemed amiss. The only weird thing was that Curse of the Demon had sunk in the ground¡­ "What the fuck?", swore Helial, kneeling down to get a better look at what was happening. The Longsword had sunk a couple of inches into the grass. 13 What about the hard training? "Every calamity can turn into a chance. In adversity, like in every single particle of the world, good and bad coexist. Absolute evil does not exist, as does not exists absolute good. Evil has always tempered the heart of the strong and shattered that of the weak. Heroes are born in troublesome times and from extreme evils, never from a comfortable life." Fragment from an ancient volume stored at the Library of Linendouce. "What the fuck¡­" swore Helial. He had a very bad feeling. Since he had gotten that Longsword, things had gone for the worse. He was very worried. Was that going to be another disaster? He looked carefully at the weapon. It really seemed it had sunk a couple of inches into the grass. "What''s happening?" wondered Helial. "This Longsword must weight 4 or 5 pounds at most¡­ why did it sunk so low? I hope it didn''t¡­" Helial shivered. A weapon could not gain weight of its own will! He sighed, getting ready to lift the sword from the ground. He could have tried to use Mana Scan on the weapon, but he was afraid about it backfiring. He had already witnessed how little the Longsword liked invasive scans. The only thing he could do was checking how heavy it had become. He grasped the hilt tightly and pulled. NGHHHHH He barely managed to lift it before sprawling face down on the ground, Longsword and all. SHIT, he thought. Now it must have weighed approximately a hundred pounds. It wouldn''t be a problem if he could rely on his old Stats. But now his strength was twenty times less what it used to be and he could lift 20 pounds at most. Even lifting the boulder he had to move in front of the cave to hide himself and Lumia had been a great effort, and that thing must have weighed 30 pounds. Unable to store Curse of the Demon in the Inventory. Great. Now he couldn''t store it in the Inventory. He couldn''t carry it. Now what? Should he leave it there? He couldn''t. That damn Longsword had to be examined by an expert in Curses. Helial had fallen flat on his ass again. He didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. He tried to lift the Longsword again, but with little enthusiasm. Even so, it was a huge effort and his knuckles were all white. The weapon hadn''t left the ground, only the hilt had been lifted by a couple of inches. That small movement was taking much more energy that it should have. If we go on like this, this big pile of black shit will get me killed. Helial was frustrated. He was already a couple of miles away from the cave where Lumia was waiting for him. How could he take the Longsword back? It was too heavy, he couldn''t move as swiftly as before and, more importantly, he couldn''t leave the weapon there, because the Goblin would have taken it for use and used it to their own advantage. After all, a hundred pounds were no big deal for a normal person, let alone for a Goblin. Helial was now kneeling, his hands gripping the hilt of the sword even more tightly, so much that they had turned completely white. A large vein was pulsing visibly in Helial''s neck, while his eyes shone with an insane glow. He stood up without letting go of the hilt. He couldn''t let go. Most of it was still lying on the ground. Helial bent the knees, trying to stabilize himself. He had no intention of falling flat on his ass again. He inhaled deeply. With his eyes closed, he started to absorb Mana from his surroundings, using his Breathing Technique. This helped him to relax. As the Mana Energy entered his Meridians and flowed until his Seed, he started feeling part of the world surrounding him. *** A couple of years earlier "Please Master, hurry up. I must go back to the village, I have stuff to do", grumbled Helial, complaining about the talkativeness of Vidio. Since he had arrived there, the man found solace in the memories of his past life in the luxury of the capital. He used to associate with the nobilities and the most beautiful ladies in town. In his youth, he had been an exceptional student, despite his character. No one thought that a lustful womanizer like him could actually be a great warrior. In fact, Vidio had fought very rarely on a real battle ground and up until now, he had never took part in a full-scale war. Aside from some conflicts against humanoid creatures, the Nation of Fiercelake had established a strong predominance on his territories and had never had problems in managing them. The warring period was a thing of the past and they hadn''t seen a real war in centuries. Everyone was at peace. Maybe that was what prevented Vidio from going beyond the Second Phase. Technically speaking, reaching the Second Phase at 20 years of age was a great achievement that only really talented practitioners could obtain. But after that, Vidio had not made any further progress. He had never felt the need to become stronger. At 25 years old he had become Master of the Congregation. He was First Degree Master. It was not a very prestigious position, but becoming Master at such a young age was not that easy. Actually, he had been the youngest Master in the history of the Nation of Fiercelake. He had a bright future ahead. Second Phase at 20 and Master at 25, such a genius could only be expected to achieve great things. Nevertheless, Vidio had been stuck halfway through the Second Phase for more than 20 years. And for more than 10 years he had been stuckin Floralivory. Talent without ambition is like a royal eagle with no wings. Most of the First Degree Masters in the Nation of Fiercelake were around thirty years old. Vidio had become friends with two very powerful Third Degree Masters. To become Third Degree Master one had to be at least in the Fourth Phase, so it could be easily understood how difficult it was to reach such a level. Practitioners in the Fourth Phase were all leading figures in society and even though they were not the most important people in the Nation, they were also not to be underestimated. Besides, two people in the Forth Phase, who also were Second Degree Masters, must be out of the ordinary. In the course of many years, Vidio had gained a vast knowledge on Mana Skills. "Alright, alright. Listen boy, let''s finish this lesson quickly. I was explaining to you the various uses of Mana. Mana is mainly used to power the Skills that we''re able to develop through our Meridians. As I''ve already explained last time, you can give Mana different characteristics by flowing it through specific Meridians: you can make it violent or mellow, you can create attraction or repulsion force fields. Once Mana acquires different characteristics inside your Meridians, you can use it in the outside world, through movements, gestures and hand seals. You can even use it to create Spells and Magic, but the Mana Congregation is more interested in Skills that directly exploit Mana Energy, without any need for spells", explained Vidio, with plenty of details. " The difference between what is called a Spell and a Skill is not very marked. Actually, Spells too are Skills, but they make use of unmolded natural forces, unlike the Skills that the members of the Congregation use. For example, I would use my spearand Meridians to activate a Lightning Attribute Skill. On the other hand, someone more focused on Spells, or as they are called, Elementals, would rather use a catalyst instead of a real weapon. "Catalysts are objects without any special offensive attributes, which are able to increase the power of some elements, thus letting Mana better flow in some Meridians. This makes it possible to use long-range Skills that do not require direct combat. "People are able to channel Mana Energy and exploit it to use Skills, the most basic of which have Energy as a direct source. For example, I could use my Mana to generate a shield of pure Energy, but it wouldn''t be as effective as a Skill that is created by exploiting the different characteristics of Mana. For instance, Rock Shield Skill uses Mana to amplify the Energy present in the ground; through this Skill it is possible to generate a powerful rock barrier imbued with Mana, far more effective than a direct use of the Skill. Are you following?" Helial was listening to Vidio with a look of deep concentration on his face. The Master was guiding him on the Dao of Mana and Helial didn''t dare to miss one single word of it. "So it''s possible to apply Mana to objects and to everything that surrounds us at large?" asked Helial intrigued. "Yes. But it''s not as simple as you make it sound. Instill Mana in Elements is not easy. But it is thanks to these elements that it is possible to create Skills based on Affinity, way more powerful than the Skills made of unrefined Mana. The difference between these two uses of Mana is the same there is between a sword and an iron bar. The bar con harm you and has the same weight of the sword, but if you mold the iron and make it sharp then it will become ten times as lethal. "Mana Energy can be used to increase one''s own physical abilities, like Strength and Dexterity. By instilling muscles with Mana, one can reach exceptional results. In order to do this, you''ll need Autobuff Skills." Helial began to understand the importance of mastering an Affinity¡­ But Vidio still had to give him information on this matter. *** In the present Despite the fact that Vidio''s specialty was Offensive Skills, he had never taught them to Helial. Helial started pondering his situation. He desperately needed an Autobuff Skill to carry the Longsword, but how long was it going to take to develop one? First of all, he had no idea where to start. He wasn''t an all-knowing creature; if he had to develop one by trial and error he could get seriously injured and he couldn''t risk that, having to take care of Lumia. If only Vidio ha taught me a useful Skill¡­ Helial put on a brave face and began to slowly drag the Longsword through the forest, ignoring the trail that he was leaving behind in the tall grass. It was hell at each step. The Longsword was definitely too heavy for him. It was as if a ten-year-old girl were trying to drag a one-hundred-pound rock from one side of the forest to the other. A couple of hours had gone by and Helial still had a long way to go. At that rate, it would probably take him 8 to 9 hours. His sore muscles were begging for mercy. He could barely muster enough strength to take tiny little steps. Sweat was covering his forehead, running down his temples right in his eyes, where it stung like hell. Helial was tired, exhausted. At that rate he was not going to make it, unless he stopped to rest. Skill Activated: Mana Reflowing Lv 6 Grade: Brown The Mana power flows through your body and heals minor wounds. The Mana power purifies the body. Detox power 2% Cost: 30 Mana/Sec Exp: 67,3% Helial felt regenerated by Mana, which was not only healing the minor wounds suffered while dragging the Longsword, it was also alleviating the soreness in his muscles. Helial wanted to slap himself, why did he think of that earlier? After all, tiredness is caused by weariness in the muscles. If he could use all his Mana to regenerate his muscles, he could have kept walking. You gained 2 Strength Points! You gained 2 Vigor Points! What? Why¡­ Usually it took Helial a harsh physical training to get a few Stat Points; one or two meagre points could cost him a great effort. When he trained in the clearing with the rocks, in one night he could gain one or two points at most. During the last year, it even happen to him to not gain any points at all! But now he had gained two points in a matter of hours¡­ 14 Life is no piece of cake Helial opened his Stats window. Name Helial Race Human Primary Class None Primary Affinity None Primary Profession None Level 18 Exp 18.566/30.000 HP 2890/2890 MP 29.390/29.390 x0,05 Strength 117 x0,05 Vigor 123 Intelligence 163 Wisdom 132 Dexterity 115 Effects: Physical Resilience: 5% Helial thought: Is that possible? I can''t possibly have gained points so easily. I have just been dragging this shitty thing around¡­ The physical training that I''ve been doing in the past was far tougher, even if now I have twenty times less Strength, Stats always increase according to their basic value and to Buffs, but Maluses cannot influence that¡­ He could not understand what was going on. The only thing he had done¡­ Of course! Mana Reflowing! Could it be¡­ Helial was deep in thought, when he heard a noise in the distance. Kwiiii! Skill Activated: Perception Taken by surprise, he had deactivated all Skills. He should have been more careful, but that sudden increase in the Stats Points had thrown him off. Two of them, coming from East. Helial let the Longsword fall to the ground. He was unable to lift the weapon, so trying to use it to fight would have been a waste of time and energy. He checked the density of the two Auras, which resulted being around level 20, maybe 25. He could take them. He started charging Mana Pistol, while keeping Perception activated. He was tracking the two Goblins'' route. It was somewhat weird to see only two of them, and Helial did not want any other surprises. Unfortunately, given his very limited stock of Mana, he had to push his body to its limits one more time. Skill Activated: Communion with Mana Lv: 1 You are able to flow the power of Mana through the most suitable Meridians. You can move while storing and regenerating your Mana. Exp: 5.2% Effects: MP Regeneration: 200 Mana/Sec Skill Amplification: 3% Physical Abilities Amplification: 1,3% Helial suddenly felt a piercing pain in the head. Keeping those Skills on all at the same time was taxing on his body. Blood started dripping from all his facial orifices. It was a horrifying sight; he looked like some sort of demon. But he had no choice if he wanted to fight. He had cautiously activated the Mana Pistol Skill on only one arm. When he fought against the three Goblins, he had reached a level of absolute Concentration that prevented him from suffering serious injuries in the battle. Now it would have been impossible to repeat that feat. It was not a condition that could be developed from out of nowhere. Helial had barely reached that level, but he would need to train hard to succeed in that again. The Goblins were approaching. Those creature did not have a great affinity with Mana, so they were unlikely to possess Perception Skills at such a low level. Helial made a mental note to learn some Skills that could protect him from Perception or Divine Sense. If instead of two low-level Goblins, he had run into a Goblin in the First Phase, he would have been detected for sure. Luckily for him, in the woods there were only recon squads with orders to search the area for food and firewood. High-level troops were engaged in the attack. For now, he could breathe a sigh of relief. He could breathe more easily now, long deep breaths with his eyes closed. He was attaining a very high level of focus. He felt the Mana condensing on his finger to its maximum density. The Goblins were now at about fifty yards from him. They were probably just two Infantry Goblins searching for firewood and things like that. Helial had to get rid of them quickly. He could not let one escape. besides, they were an excellent source of Exp. Four of five more Goblins and he could level up. He had to become as strong as possible in a very short time. Kwiiiii! "These humans are really weak", said one Goblin, "how come there is no one to defend these lands? The Senate did not want to send high-level troops¡­ Attacking humans without anyone in the Fourth Phase¡­" "What are you worrying for? This is no business of ours", replied the other, "we need to get the firewood ready for the siege of the outpost, go look for some dry shrub instead of talking crap." The voice of the Goblin had yet to die out, when Helial jumped out from behind a tree. Thanks to Perception he could aim accurately. Mana exploded from his hand in the shape of a bullet. BOOM! You delivered a Critical Hit! Infantry Goblin lost 7045 HP! The notification of the killing and Exp popped up, but Helial ignored them. It was not over. The shot hit the Goblin right in the face. A headless greenish body fell on the ground. But it was not time to relax yet. Helial started to condense Mana on his fingertips once again. He had to take out the other Goblin as soon as possible. He could not afford any mistakes. He began to run away, as if he wanted to escape. The Goblin was taken aback and ran after him after some time. "Where are you running, man cub?! Come here and I''ll teach you a lesson!" bellowed the Goblin. It was trying to remain calm but he had just witnessed the death of his companion. How could he not want to kill Helial? What the Goblin did not know was that Helial was leading him deep into the forest. 20, 21, 22¡­ The Skill was almost ready to be activated. The Goblin had almost caught up with him. Despite his Dexterity, Helial had no more Strength in his legs. The Goblin was just more than 5 feet away. 27, 28, 29¡­ Helial spun around, facing the Goblin that had raised its sword as soon as it noticed that the other was slowing down. The Goblin was ready to swing a blow, but he saw Helial''s hand lighting up. "Wha-" he did not make it till the end of the sentence. BOOM! This time the Mana bullet hit the Goblin in the neck, leaving a huge hole where the trachea had once been. You delivered a Critical Hit! Infantry Goblin has lost 4353 HP! The Goblin fell on its knees. He reached for his neck, then tried to open its mouth. The light went out of its eyes, while blood was gushing through its thin greenish fingers. You killed Infantry Goblin! You earned 5.500 Exp! He had earned another 4.000 Exp Points from the mission. You levelled up! You reached Level 19! Helial sorted all the points just earned to Intelligence. He needed to maximize the damage inflicted by Mana Pistol. Intelligence directly influenced on the quantity of Mana possessed and on the damage of Skills with direct Mana usage. *** In the cave Lumia was trying as hard as she could to flow Mana inside her body. Since when she had started absorbing it, she had noticed that the Energy was softly caressing her Meridians. It was an unusual feeling. As if someone were rocking her in very strong arms. Her Mana was stable and powerful. Unlike Helial''s, Lumia''s Mana did not threaten her body. While Helial possessed a kind of violent and impetuous Mana, the one flowing inside Lumia''s Meridians was mellow and placid. When absorbing Energy, she visualized the image of a gigantic tree. It looked like a century-old oak tree, with branches that bent towards her to caress her round cheeks. That feeling soothed her. She had almost forgot everything about the war that was going on a few miles from there. She had been practicing to flow her Mana for almost half a day and the feeling was so pleasant that the cave had become her whole world. Her brother had told her that she needed to condense a Mana Seed very soon. She had to succeed, she could not let him down. Until a couple of days earlier, Helial had always protected Lumia. He had never allowed her to work. Lumia had always felt guilty for not being able to help her big brother. Now she could change things, this was her chance to help Helial. Her brother had told her that her Meridians were suitable for Support Skills. Actually, Helial was not sure either. He was not a Master of the Congregation and, despite his extraordinary control over Mana, he did not have the necessary experience to make that kind of statement. Lumia kept flowing her Mana. Her body was strengthening little by little. Mana was literally nourishing her Meridians and her small muscles. She had already earned several Stat Points. You earned 1 Intelligence Point! Lumia was earning point after point, especially in Intelligence. *** Outpost of Alabard Vidio was leisurely sipping a glass of wine, ready to depart in the early afternoon. The Commander had ordered him to leave immediately, but he was a Master of the Congregation and could not be ill-treated that easily. He had decided to rest a few days before obeying. He was feeling quite guilty for deserting his city without putting up a fight, but what could he have done? He was still in the Second Phase. I wonder if Helial¡­, thought Vidio. I wonder where he is, how he is doing. That boy was my ticket to get back into the National Council''s good graces. I have never seen such a talent for Mana Control. Not even that brother of his had such control, and he was a monster¡­ Vidio had known Helial''s brother. After all, who did not know him in the Nation of Fiercelake? He was a promising yet terrifying young man, whose name sent shivers down people''s spines. He had managed to reach the highest spheres in the Nation in just ten years'' time, becoming one of the most influential people in the Nation. He had founded a guild, gathering the cream of the Nation''s men. That Guild was at the same level of the great Clans and of the Mana Congregation. No one knew where he had found such monsters and, more than that, how he could keep them on a leash. All in all, the people inside the Nation''s borders that would dare to be disrespectful towards that man could be counted on one hand. Vidio sensed that there is something weird about the relationship between Helial and his brother. Why would someone so powerful and famous abandon his younger siblings in a forgotten village? Vidio had a theory in mind¡­ And if he were right, helping Helial would have been a great mistake. But he too had contacts in the capital, despite the distance. Many people still owed him favors. If he had been able to bring Helial inside the Congregation, with his huge talent, not even an influential person like the brother would have dared to touch him. However¡­ There was a good chance that Helial had already been killed by the Goblins. Vidio sighed: "That boy is innocent. I should have taught him the basics of fighting and some useful Offensive Skills. For four years, I focused on the basics, to refine that incredible talent to the highest level. And these are the results¡­ life is no piece of cake; maybe that long period of peace we enjoyed did us more harm than good¡­" 15 sDo you know whats an Immortal?s Ah, how I miss women from the capital. Even in town there were some ladies easy on the eyes, but the ones from the capital, well, those had a different flavor. They seemed to have a body made of fire, and then she¡­ Lying on a straw mattress, Vidio was flooded with memories of the young girls who had made his head spin so many years before. How many delightful nights he had spent in the company of those girls¡­ But he had dared too much. He associated with women that he should have never even thought about¡­ And these were the results. Now, he had to go back to the capital, since Floralivory City had been razed to the ground; at least according to the Rangers'' report. He wondered how he would settle business with the old guy¡­ That dude was over three hundred years old and he was an expert in holding a grudge. Maybe he would have sent him on the other side of the world again, to waste his life on kids and idiots? It was really difficult to find real talent in small towns. Helial was the exception; it would have been impossible to meet another Helial. Vidio had long dreamed of entering Helial in the tournament held in the Capital for kids up to 18 years old. It was one of the biggest events in the Nation. It was held every year and only young people up to 18 years of age could take part. Vidio''s plan was to train Helial until he could fight at the best of his abilities and then enter him in the tournament. With his talent he could easily classify in the top 100. He had never seen him fight for real, since he wanted to hone his already exceptional Mana Control first. People that had a better control over Mana than him could probably be counted on one hand, in the entire Nation. That boy always refused to show me his Mana Seed. Maybe he was ashamed¡­ After all, he didn''t listen to me and condensed it on his own. He must have condensed a very weak one. What a shame. However, this doesn''t mean much. Even though he could have never become the best warrior in the Nation, his control was a talent worth cultivating. Vidio was really sorry. He regretted losing the boy. He was his ticket to the official gallery in the tournament¡­ *** Helial picked up some coins and a pair of torn pants from the Goblin that he had just killed. The objects were all low-level. Goblins could not be expected to go around with expensive equipment. He approached the other body. Nothing valuable on that one. Helial''s right hand was covered in blood. Using Mana Pistol twice in a row put his body through a lot of stress. If he had lowered the impact of the blow, however, he could not take out even an Infantry Goblin. He sighed. He was weak, too weak. In spite of that, the corners of his mouth curled up in a smile. He was still free. He could decide his own destiny. Many people believe that one needs power to be in charge of their own destiny, to be in control of their actions. Helial was convinced that these people were mistaken: to be free you just needed to be up for anything. He walked back and picked up the Longsword with all the strength he had left, then left that place one step at a time, bent down by the weight of the weapon. While walking, he kept flowing and reflowing the Mana inside his body. The constant tearing up and healing of the muscles were awarding him with Stat points. He had earned two more Strength and Vigor points. He could clearly feel his muscles being remolded that burden was forcing him to make a ridiculous effort. Despite that, the regeneration of the muscular fibers was ensuring not only to regain but also to build up more strength. Helial drew a conclusion: pushing his body to the very limit, and then healing it, could have been extremely beneficial. No one knew exactly the extent of the influence of Strength Points on the overall physical potential of the person. Theirs was a still unexplored world, despite all of the research conducted over the years. During the Ancient Wars, people had found many more answers than in the present times; that valuable knowledge, however, had been lost in the destruction of war. At 150 Strength Points, before reaching the First Phase, the arms had a strength of 300-400 pounds. As said before, this was not a general rule. If Helial still had had his old Stats, he could easily have picked up the Longsword. But now that he had the same Strength as Lumia, he could barely drag it around. Those four Strength points had helped lighten the burden, but it was still hard work. While deep in thought, he had reached the cave. He moved the rocks that covered the entrance almost completely . He left only some small openings to let light and air go through. Now it was almost dark. Helial and his sister did not dare to light up a fire, for fear of attracting the Goblins. "Lumia, it''s me, I''m back. I think I''ve found a place. We''ll go when you''re ready", said Helial with a sigh, entering the cave. He was completely drenched in sweat. Even though he was not physically tired, his mind had been put through a lot of stress. He could not keep those Skills always activated. "Idiot, this Breathing Technique is not bad at all. I earned several Stat Points today, almost ten!" cried Lumia excited, finally starting to feel useful. Helial smiled. Lumia though was giving her back to him and did not see the kind smile that appeared on the brother''s face. Helial''s short and badly cut hair, dark as coal, were full of dirt and framed a face that did not look his age. His brow frowned constantly, the eyebrows knitted together. luckily, his sister could not see him¡­ But suddenly a thought crossed his mind. I never really tried to level up the other Skills, I never sought to force them to their limits. Today I want to see if the same principle I use with muscles can be applied to Skills. Helial clenched his fists. He had to become stronger fast and he had to start now. He decided to start from Perception. Right now it was one of him most valuable Skills. Despite being one of the first Skills to be learned, it was easy to get good results from it. Most people could not even take it to Master level. Skills had 20 basic levels, the highest of which was the Master level; but there were many other above it. Helial was far from reaching even the middle of the basic levels. Let''s check¡­ Skill Activated: Perception Lv: 3 Exp: 20.6% Cost 70 Mana/Sec Effects: You can clearly detect every Aura within a 1000 yd radius. Helial kept the Skill window open, before activating it. Meanwhile, Lumia had fallen asleep. She was exhausted. Moving such huge amount of Mana was taxing on the mind and the Soul. No one had ever reached the sky from earth in just one leap. Helial relaxed his muscles, then sat down cross-legged. Skill Activated: Perception He could perceive all the Mana around him. He could clearly sense a feeble Aura at his side. It was Lumia. Her Mana looked calm and placid, majestic in its tranquillity. Helial fell deep in meditation. But after about ten seconds¡­ Skill Failed! He had run out of Mana. Shit. Damn Curse. More than Curse of the Demon, it should be called Curse of the Shit. AHHHHHH I can''t wake Lumia up. It''s going to be hard to level up Perception if I can''t devote all my energies to it. I also need to keep Communion with Mana activated¡­ Skill Activated: Perception Skill Activated: Communion with Mana The Skill weighed down on the mind, not so much as to damage it but it was still taxing. The higher the number of Skills activated at the same time, the more difficult it was to control them. Up to that point, Helial had only used one Offensive Skill at a time. If he wanted to use two, he had to flow Mana in different Meridians at the same time. He had been able to keep the same intensity while using two Mana Pistols at the same time, but just because it was the same Skill. The body is symmetrical and he just had to flow mana in the same Meridians right and left. Actually, the most powerful Skills did not allow that. They could be used only one at a time, since they involved the use of one-sided Meridians, not present both in the right and left sides of the body. Helial emptied the mind from useless thoughts. There was only him, his Mana and the two Skills. Breathing deeply, he amplified the radius of Perception as much as he could. 700, 750, 800¡­ Despite the maximum radius being one thousand yards, it was difficult to analyze the maximum distance of the radius. The farther it went, the more difficult it got to perceive the Mana resonance. He could feel some blurry presences ¨C probably some animals. Helial had not yet reached the level where he could clearly distinguish animals, and even inanimate objects. *** Floralivory City, two years earlier "Master, how come some people can detect inanimate objects using Perception?" asked a young Helial, scratching his chin. His eyes were too deep wells of boundless curiosity. He would have listen to Vidio talking for days on end. The talkative Vidio enjoyed bestowing his knowledge upon that boy. Helial was like a gigantic sponge, absorbing Vidio''s every single word. That boy can do everything I explain to him. He''s amazing¡­ but he should stop lying. He told me he has taken Perception to the second level and that he can reach a 700 yards radius¡­ I know he wants to impress me, but the maximum one can do at that level is 50 yards. What kind of unthinkable control one should have to achieve 700 yards at the second level of Perception? He could reach that distance maybe at the tenth level. Once reached the Intermediate level it can even go as far as 4 miles. "Boy, the ways of Mana are infinite. Do you know what''s an Immortal?" asked Vidio, the corners of his mouth curling in a mischievous grin. Obviously, that boy from a village forgotten by God could not know that, and Vidio would have had another chance to boast his vast knowledge. "No¡­" grunted Helial, rolling his eyes. He was fed up with that act, "Bestow on me your boundless knowledge, oh Master." "Ungrateful brat", sighed Vidio, "you should be thankful. Do you know how much money I would make as the private tutor of some wealthy little kid?" "Then go. I''m going back to my sister, I have to make her dinner", declared Helial, standing up. "Where are you going?!" blurted Vidio, who still felt like chatting. "Ahhhhh, sit down and listen to me." Helial halted. After a moment he sat down cross-legged in front of the Master and smirked. He had already learned how to play the famous Master. They were sitting on the stone floor in Vidio''s private quarters, made of a special material that amplified the Mana contained in the room. Even though it was not of the same quality of the platform for Mana Seed Condensation, it was still very powerful. Helial felt reinvigorated just by sitting there. Flowing Mana in that place must have been a real treat. "An Immortal, as the name indicates, is a person that can live forever¡­" "WHAT? Aren''t those just legends?" Helial cut him short, disbelief clearly painted on his face, convinced that the man was kidding him. "Let me finish, insolent brat! Immortals are people that reached a perfect communion with Mana. They are extremely rare and hold the highest positions in the Nation. Despite that, they don''t take much interest in mundane affairs and stay secluded for thousands of years, focused entirely on their training¡­ But this is a world you shouldn''t worry about yet, boy. We''ll talk about it some other time. I indulge in chit-chat and now I lost my train of thought. Uhm, uhm, what were we talking about? Oh yeah, Perception¡­" *** In the present, inside the cave 850, 900, 950¡­ The higher the Skill, the more living things one can detect. Nevertheless, the level of a Skill is not everything. The degree of Mana Control influences greatly the effectiveness of the Skill. Two people both with level 10 Perception could present great differences in terms of radius ad Mana perceived. In spite of that, it was difficult in real life to find two people with such different control. Control was a Hidden Stat, so it did not appear in the Stats window. In ancient times, several methods were discovered to reveal this Skill. At present, only empirical tests could carried out. The most common was to compress a sphere of Mana; but this was usually done only from the First Phase onward. It is almost impossible to manifest the Seed''s Mana in a sphere outside the body. Once surpassed the First Phase, many Meridians went through changes and new ones were created. Actually, before the First Phase, it was improper to state to know one''s Mana. Even manifest a Skill like Mana Pistol before having reached the First Phase was nearly impossible, and that was why Vidio had never taught Offensive Skills to Helial. Vidio was indeed lazy and carefree, but if he had had any valuable Skills to teach Helial, he would not have thought about it twice. He could have taught him some Autobuff Skills, but he was convinced to not have one at Helial''s level¡­ 950, 960, 970¡­ Beads of sweat covered Helial''s forehead, his face contorted by a grimace of pain. 16 Wings "Every obstacle is like a wall. Two are the fundamental things, perseverance and the right tools. The one without the other is useless. Trying to smash a wall with one''s head won''t be accomplished even in ten years. The same would happen if using the right tools for a minute a day. They both lead to the same result." Anonymous fragment from the Library of Linendouce. Helial regarded Perception as one of the fundamental Skills to become stronger. This, however, was not the only reason why he had decided to make it level up. For years, since he was a kid, he had fought against the shadow of his brother. He had always lived in fear that one day his brother would come back to kill him. He had felt powerless, never able to look straight in the face of danger. So, one of Helial''s greatest obsessions was to always know who, and especially where the enemy was. Perception was a Skill that not only provided information on the physical location, but when properly trained could also distinguish the Aura of living things and the presence of inanimate objects. 970, 972, 975, 975¡­ Helial was now drenched in sweat. His eyebrows were knitted together, adding to the pained grimace that distorted his features. He could not go farther! Why? The Skill limit was 1000 yards, but he was unable to reach. After a ten-minutes deadlock, he was still unable to break it. He breathed out and opened his eyes. Even though Mana consumption was lower than the actual recovery rate, the mental stress caused by the simultaneous use of two Skills had forced him to cut short the training. Maybe I can use this Skill only when my concentration is at its peak¡­ No, there must be some other reason, I remained in that state for over ten minutes but still¡­ Perhaps I should check the Skill. Skill Activated: Perception Lv: 3 Exp: 20.61% Cost 70 Mana/Sec Effects: You can clearly detect every aura within a 1000 yd radius. SHIT, thought Helial. He wanted to scream, but he held back for fear of waking his sister. Ten minutes and I got only 0.01%? Before starting it was at 20.60% and now 20.61%? Are you kidding me? I''d need¡­ like weeks to level up. Helial knew right away he was doing something wrong. But what, exactly? He tried once again to push Perception to its limit. After all, when training the body it was enough to just increase the load. If one wants to lift 200 pounds, but can lift only 20, they just have to increase the weight little by little: 21, 22, 23, and so on. Helial planned to use the same strategy to increase the Exp of Perception. After spending ten minutes trying in vain to go further than 975 yards, Helial grunted and deactivated both Skills. Skill Activated: Perception Lv: 3 Exp: 20.62% Cost 70 Mana/Sec Effects: You can clearly detect every Aura within a 1000 yd radius. The Exp of Perception had increased once again by 0.01%... Helial did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had brought the Skill to level 3 without even thinking about it, just by using it. Over the years, thanks to his night-time training, the Skill had simply levelled up due to frequent use. But now that he wished to make it level up on purpose, he could not get a satisfactory result. He clearly could not spend weeks training just to increase the level just of Perception. That Skill, however, let him detect the actual strength of the enemy. At the moment, the Goblins that were able to use Perception could be counted on one hand even among those in the First Phaseand were all engaged in the fights to gain control of the outpost. The Goblin army traveled on foot and needed to build Siege Formations to win. The monsters would have been back a month later, unless they were defeated by the men of the outpost and forced to retreat. Helial clenched his fists, he felt really powerless! All around the Nation there were various Clans, Guilds and Academies¡­ There, the best teachers guided students on the Dao of the Mana. Helial, however, found himself in a small cave, with his sister as only companion. Lumia could hardly teach him anything, considered her young age and inexperience. And actually it had been Helial who had taught her the first basic Skills. Helial joined his fingertips together, his palms a short distance from each other. His breathing slowed down and he mobilized Mana from the Seed, flowing it from one side of the body to the other, passing through his joined hands. Moving that great amount of Mana made his muscles tingle. It was a nice feeling. He used that method to relax. Besides, flowing the Mana inside the body helped fortifying muscles and Meridians. For his level, Helial was already perfectly balanced. In the past, he had reflowed enough Mana to bring muscles, Meridians and Mana all at the same level. Usually, if a person levelled up too quickly or achieved great power-ups, they were forced to meditate for long stretches of time, reflowing Mana. This allowed the body to adjust to a greater quantity of Mana. Mana had the power to fortify both body and mind, but it could be a double-edged sword and destroy its carrier. With a weak body, it became increasingly difficult to control it, therefore who decided to train Mana, had also to train the body. However, it was not true for the other way round: Mana strength could never have increased by only training the body. Even though, there was a risk to stop benefiting from that mysterious Energy, it was rare to not use Mana flowing to increase one''s Stats. *** Some years earlier, in the Headquarters of the Mana Congregation "It''s impossible to train the body to the extent of losing the ability to utilize Mana. Although, according to the legends, Qilins descend from a Dragon that lost the ability to use Mana. Dragons are immortal creatures and their control over Mana is superior to all other races. It was Kirin, one of the legendary Ancestral Dragons, to lose its Skill of using Mana. After losing the gift, the impossible happened. Free of the mental burden of using Mana Skills, Kirin developed new abilities. His legs extended and two indestructible horns grew on the top of his head¡­" "These are legends, Master, I don''t give a da-" "Silence! Let me finish! Once lost its wings, Kirin regretted not being able to fly for all eternity. Dragons take immense pride in soaring high in the sky, since they are babies. That Dragon had gained an indestructible body, but couldn''t fly nor use Mana¡­ Nevertheless, he made his way until the eighteen circle of Hell, where he met the highest Judge of the Dead. Once there, he pleaded the judge to restore its ability to fly." Despite being a proud Dragon, Kirin has stooped so low as to beg the only human Judge of the Dead to restore its gift of flight, a gift that had always made him feel free. He could not bear being stuck to the ground like a vile mortal. "Human, I know you are Lord of Life and Death, the only person who can manage these two contrasting forces without being consumed by them. Help me and I will be forever grateful", said Kirin, lowering his head as a sign of respect. One of the Ancestral Dragons had just lowered its head in front of a tiny human. Dragons are proud, intelligent creatures. No Dragon had ever showed so much respect for a human being. No matter how powerful the Judge of the Dead could be, humans had always be considered lesser creatures. Kirin looked about himself. It was a nightmarish place. It was in Sanjiva, the Hell of Reincarnation. That Hell was a boundless expanse of smoldering iron where souls suffered tremendous punishments, before being deprived of their memories and reincarnated. Every soul reincarnated according to the judgement made by one of the Judges of the Dead and to the Karma accumulated during their lives, but only after years of suffering in Hell. The Dragon saw one of the guardians of Sanjiva pour molten gold in the mouth of a soul. ''A greedy¡­'' thought Kirin. Souls all around Kirin were suffering every kind of torture. Some were being whipped, some torn to pieces and then put back together, only to be torn to pieces one more time. But the harshest punishment of all was being in that place. The smoldering iron burned the souls'' bodies, leaving them in a coma, lingering between life and death, then they were healed and the torturous cycle could begin all over again. "Dragon", spoke King Qinguang, "I am honored by your request. But not even I can restore your old body. A Dragon''s wings are supported by Mana, you know that better than I do. I cannot return them to you." Kirin clenched his giant jaws. That was the Lord of Life and Death. If not even him, the creator of life, could restore his wings, then no one could. "But", continued King Qinguang, "I can restore your gift of flight. Since you lost your Mana, you cannot even be considered a Dragon. You used to be one of the Ancestral Dragon, but now you could barely call yourself a Dragon. Nevertheless, your body, for some miraculous reason unknown to me, has become much stronger than any other Dragon. Even though you are not able to develop Mana Skills, you possess an astonishing Physical Strength that no other creature could possibly rival." King Qinguang descended from the throne where he was sitting and moved some steps towards the Dragon, then he raised a hand and touched one of Kirin''s scales. It was harder than any other thing in the universe. Qinguang examined its consistency and was pleasantly surprised. Kirin did not pull back. That was the kingdom of the Dead and he knew perfectly well that there was nothing he could do to stop that man, if he had wanted to kill him. "Dragon, heed my words. I can restore your ability to fly, but you will not be a Dragon anymore. You will become a new creature, a being that never before has inhabited this universe. You will never be able to use Mana again, but you will soar among the heavenly bodies, master of your life and that of others. You will become much stronger than you used to be. But only at one condition. Dragons belong to the forces of Destruction. Humans belong to the Forces of Life. You must not be responsible of any more massacre and slaughter. No longer will you take the life of the innocent¡­ "Your Divine Sense will remain intact, but your withered Meridians will not come back to life. You will be able to move blocks of Energy, but will not be able to use any Mana-related Skills through the Meridians. You will still be able to use Formations, since they are supported by Divine Sense. Even without Meridians, you will have your Flame and your Physical Strength will be the most terrifying Skill you will ever hope to achieve. "When people will behold you, they will not fear you. You will be a symbol of prosperity and abundance. No one will ever run away from you, but will welcome you with open arms like a God. Men will worship you, but your fellow creatures will hate you. You will need to protect men from the forces f Destruction. Are you willing to accept this burden? Are you willing to step over to the side of Life?" The Dragon did not stop to think twice. Kirin had never enjoyed killing and plundering with his fellow Dragons. He was indeed arrogant, but not evil. If the price for regaining freedom in the skies was so low, he would pay it willingly! 17 A fistful of earth King Qinguang stroked his chin. After pondering for a moment, he said: "Dragon, it will not be easy. It will be painf-" "Human, I have come until here and I lowered my head in front of you, my jaws towards the earth and not at your neck. Do not treat me like a man cub. No one would be so foolish as to believe such a transformation will not come at a price. My body is strong enough to withstand anything." Qinguang nodded. He was standing in front of an Ancestral Dragon, directly generated from the energy of the universe. Men had to climb to the top step after step, preserving the humility they had been born with, but that Dragon had been born on the highest of peaks, so his haughtiness was all the more natural. "Do you want to proceed immediately?" asked King Qinguang. "I do." The Judge of the Dead cleared his throat. As soon as that sound rippled through the air, everything fell silent. No other sound could be heard in the screaming Hell of Sanjiva. Silence. Qinguang closed his eyes. No one spoke. The souls were quiet. The guardians hushed. Fiuu A gust of icy air hit Kirin. ''Sanjiva is the Hell of smoldering iron, why¡­'' at that moment he noticed that even the floor was not red-hot anymore. The souls and the guardians seemed to have noticed too. Everyone was silent. Some souls still had a guardian''s sword jammed in their ethereal flesh; despite this, they did not dare utter a sound, for fear of disturbing their Judge. Qinguang slowly stretched his hands, then he opened his eyes and looked at Kirin. Suddenly, between Kirin and Qinguang appeared a small flaming globe. Puryang, the White Hell. The flame of the strongest King of the 18 Hells. Qinguang determined the cycle of reincarnation of men according to that flame. Fire had always been an element of the forces of Destruction. That small flaming sphere was infinitely more powerful than the Ancestral Dragons, and that was why Qinguang was one of the most feared humans in the entire universe. "Dragon, now I will engulf you in flames. You know very well what is going to happen. Every single particle of Destruction in your being will be purified. A new substance will be generated, a new fire, maybe even more powerful than mine. If you will survive, you will become the undiscussed ruler of the Heavenly Flames. "In order to pass this test you just have to resist and dominate the flame. You will need to tame it and let it erase all your sins, but you will have to stop it from consuming all the good that is left in you too. You will be master of your own destiny. Were youto lose focus, even just for a second, you will die, burned to ashes." As he talked, Qinguang had already widened the scope of the flaming globe that now was as big as Kirin. The Dragon shook his already withered wings, ready for anything. Without giving Qinguang the time to warn it a second time, Kirin stepped in the flames. As soon as he touched Puryang, Kirin almost lost consciousness. Dragons were the masters of Fire and an Ancestral Dragon like Kirin must have been all the more resistant to flames. But that was the most powerful of the Heavenly Flames. Probably, only the Dragon King would have survived a direct conflict with that flaming globe. Despite him being in agonizing pain, Kirin noticed that the paw that was already inside the fire was changing consistency. His scales were destroyed and regenerated at unbelievable speed. Unlike the Demonic Flames, the Heavenly Flames reached the highest possible degree of Flames. Not so much for their incredible destructive properties, but for their affinity with the Forces of Life. The master of those Flames could use them to create, more than destroy. On the other hand, Demonic Flames only possessed destructive properties. One must not be fooled by the name, though: Demonic Flames were just low-level Heavenly Flames. While Heavenly Flames were so powerful as to comprise both the Forces of Life and of Destruction, Demonic Flames were only a weak manifestation of the forces of Destruction. The strongest in the ranks of the forces of Destruction could too control the Heavenly Flames. Kirin has now completely entered the globe. Every fiber of his being was taken over by crushing pain. Fire was consuming him. Yet, it noticed another thing: as it had happen with the first paw, the fire was now regenerating his entire body. His claws, jaws, paws, everything was being destroyed and recreated, ROAAAR! Kirin let out a growl. It was not a roar of pain, but a challenge. Even though he was not as strong as the Dragon King, he did not fear those flames. They were his only chance. The guards of Sanjiva broke in a cold sweat, witnessing that scene. They could not feel the devastating heat only thanks to the protection that King Qinguang had cast upon them. They knew very well the suffering of souls in that Hell and they understood how greater was the pain experienced by someone that stepped inside Puryang, a pain so great it was impossible to imagine. Even them, who every day inflicted atrocious punishments on the damned, pitied the Dragon. Kirin writhed spasmodically. He was trying as hard as he could to not lose control, pushing his concentration to the limit. He let the flam enter his body, travel through his withered Meridians, destroying them one after the other. In their place, an odd formation started appearing. The Dragon had never seen anything like that. All was left of his body was flesh, fire and his Soul. The fire kept disintegrating his body for three days and three nights, molding and destroying it over and over again. At the end, Kirin lost his wings forever. In return, two sharp horns grew on top of his head. Dragons, usually, did not have horns, or if they had, they mostly did not have a function. The horns that grew on Kirin''s head, however, were indestructible, not even the Dragon King could have broken them. It would have been easier to kill Kirin himself than to snap one of his horns. Thanks to the transformation, Kirin had grown back to its original size, his body occupying miles and miles of the Hell. Qinguang had cleared out that area. Now only him and Kirin were left. "He is almost through with the process. He has made it¡­" murmured Qinguang. He knew his Heavenly Flame had the power to accomplish something like that, but it was the first time a creature was able to survive the entire evolving process, so the outcome would have been unexpected even for him. BOOM! The flames that engulfed Kirin dispersed and returned in the hands of the man. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Golden tongues of flames enveloped Kirin''s body. It was a new kind of Heavenly Flame. Qinguang sighed. That Ancestral Dragon now possessed one of the greatest powers in the universe. Luckily he had sworn to serve the Forces of Life. "Dragon", called King Qinguang. Kirin looked at his own body in disbelief. He had not noticed he had grown back to his natural size. He shrank back so he could be able to talk to the tiny human. "I am very grateful. Eternally grateful", Kirin did not leave time for Qinguang to say anything and began to express his gratitude. "Human, today you have given me my freedom. I swear I will never harm a living being ever again. From now on, I will be the protector of Life. Over these three days, my Soul has been purified from every single particle of the forces of Destruction, I am reborn. I am no longer a Dragon. Starting from today, my descendants and I will be called Qilins¡­" Kirin had spoken carried away by emotions. He soon realized how dramatic his speech might have sounded, so he fell silent and walked away on clouds of golden fire that allowed him to rise high in the sky, as though he was climbing the heavens. His scales were now made out of the hardest material ever existed. If anyone could put their hands on it, they could have forged the most resistant weapon in the entire universe. "Come back to see me some time, we still have a lot to talk about!" called after him Qinguang. All formalities had been forgotten, despite the fact that both were two of the most powerful beings of all times. Kirin had not left Qinguang the time to ask questions, since he had realized he had become much stronger than the King who had restored its gift of flight. Its shame and gratitude towards the human made it feel like a thief. And this was why Kirin and Qinguang always shared mutual respect and a strong friendship. "It is said that nothing and no one could ever rival the Physical Strength of the First Qilin." *** In the cave Helial was still inside the cave. He was thinking about how to make the Perception Skill stronger. What can I do? I was an idiot to think that it would have been as easy as train the body. The ways of Mana are indeed mysterious. I''ll need to work harder. Helial had naively tried to train one of the first Skills created as if it were a muscle, but with little success. He clenched his fists. He had to keep calm, but he couldn''t do it. That crazy idea of his was putting his sister at risk. He needed more strength. He absolutely needed to find a way. Mana Reflowing had helped him to calm down. He put his hands on the ground. He grabbed a fistful of sandy soil and let it run through his fingers. He was trying to think. The sand was tickling his fingers, while the solid earth was resisting his pressure. He looked at Lumia. Her little body looked so frail¡­ Her small chest rose and fell rhythmically. He kept fiddling with the earth. At first glance, it had looked hard and solid, but it was actually brittle. Once in the hand, it gives a totally different feeling¡­ ! Helial had an Epiphany. Nervously, he activated the Skills necessary for training. Skill Activated: Perception Skill Activated: Communion with Mana He steadied his breathing to focus as much as possible. This time, he did not extend his senses beyond two yards. He could perceive Lumia''s weak Aura. It was very delicate, but there was something more to it. As he observed the girl''s Aura with his mind, Helial noticed that it was like looking at a picture through a fogged glass. He sensed there was much more to be seen. Just like when he had grabbed that fistful of earth, he noticed right away that what his eyes perceived did not match what he touched. He thought of using that same idea to train Perception. Perception took advantage of the Mana resonance to detect everything in the surroundings. It was some kind of tuning in with Mana. Helial focused all his energies to examine the Mana coming from Lumia''s body. It was weak, but there was something more. He employed all his mental power. Since young, Helial had always possessed an extraordinary control over Mana. But he had not been much educated on how to develop Skills. Actually, he had not received any education at all, creating his own Skills, like Perception and Mana Pistol. He began using his Mana as if caressing Lumia''s. He slowly ran over that feeble Aura, just like a whisper. He breathed in and hugged all of Lumia''s Aura. In her sleep, Lumia felt enveloped by a warm, soothing hug. Helial could now see so much more. Everything was becoming clear before his eyes. Before he was blind, but now he could see. Lumia''s Aura was not only steady, it contained an amazing power. It was Earth Affinity. Helial could see that the Aura condensed in some points, then it flowed away and condensed again. It was wondrous to behold. It was as though flames were condensing and then dissipating, in an infinite cycle. In that moment, everything else disappeared, there were only him and Lumia. He could sense her Aura with exceptional clarity. This was well beyond the normal control even for someone in the First Phase. While Helial was deep in that meditative state, notification windows started to pop up. Mana Control allows you to perceive the outside world with incredible clarity. You will be now able to distinguish other people''s unique Auras. From now on, any physical disguise people might use will not be able to fool you. Perception reached Level 10! Helial was so deeply focused that he did not notice the notifications. Only few people in the continent are able to reach this state before the Third Phase. You reached the level ''Mind''s Eye''. Your Stats receive a positive influence! Intelligence +20 Wisdom + 40 Helial was almost in a coma state. It was as if he had always been blind and now he had received the gift of sight. After perceiving Lumia''s Aura in that way, he started examining his surroundings. The ground inside the cave looked alive. Its Mana had a resemblance with that of Lumia, but much more vivid. Every element was naturally imbued with Mana Energy. He used the Skill to examine the entire cave. He observed the walls. Their Mana was of the same type as the ground, but with a much higher density. That Mana radiated a warm, reassuring feeling, but stable and firm at the same time. Helial was not aware of the fact that he was having an Epiphany. It was a special state in which people found the key to unlock the secret for a Skill or get a glimpse of the path they must follow to get what they coveted. Helial kept expanding the range of Perception. Now he had gotten outside the cave. The trees. The shrubs. The flowers and animals. He could sense everything clearly. He traveled even farther, as if no limits were constraining him anymore. Suddenly, Helial changed his focus and directed it towards the sky. 1000, 1500, 2000¡­ He could sense the birds flying. Their wings. Their feet flailing midair. Everything. He shifted again. This time towards the depths of the earth. There, Mana was richer and more difficult to examine. Below the cave, there were iron lodes that extended for miles¡­ There was a huge block of iron right below the cave. It was not a lode, it was a mass of extremely dense Mana¡­ How could that be destroyed to penetrate it or to extract the iron? It would have been very difficult. Nevertheless, thanks to its meditative state, Helial was able to go further down into the gigantic iron lode. He felt an odd, warm energy pulsing in its depths. It was¡­ fire?! Could it be magma? No, the heat was more gentle.Helial began to feel the vibrations of that Energy. It was incredible. It felt boundless and indestructible. Just when he was about to examine it closely, in his mind¡­ ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAR 18 Time to prove yourself 1 ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAR You lost 500 HP! Helial felt his head was about to split in half. That terrifying roar had almost killed him. Pop Pop Pop Capillaries all over his body began to explode. Out of the corner of his eye, the boy saw that Lumia had not stirred in her sleep. That meant she had not felt absolutely anything. The pain was too much to bear, Helial could not restrain himself anymore. What the fuck''s happening? Helial had no more control over his body. Mana was seething violently, pushing against the walls of his Meridians, wounding them. Helial had suffered a number of internal injuries. His consciousness was about to be blown to smithereens. He could not move. His survival instincts had flooded him with fear. PWAHAHAHAHHA. All of a sudden, a laughter thundered in his mind. He lost consciousness. When he reopened his eyes, he was no longer inside the cave. He was sitting cross-legged in a wide valley. He had no idea how he had traveled there or why Curse of the Demon had traveled there with him. He was surrounded by a breathtaking scenery. Tall mountains with peaks that were lost among the clouds towered on everything else, their summits covered by glaciers that looked thousands of years old. A huge river, that could have been mistaken for a sea, flowed not too far from the place where Helial was sitting. He could barely make out the other bank. The grass was as soft as a pillow and the earth gave out a comforting warmth. But Helial was oblivious to all this, because in front of him stood one of the most magnificent creatures in the entire universe. Some sort of four-legged Dragon towered over young Helial. On top of the head of the creatures were two huge horns that shone in the sunlight. The scales covering his mighty sides looked impenetrable. The eyes¡­ the eyes were like two bottomless pits. Helial felt himself slipping in a coma, overwhelmed by that piercing stare. MHMHHHH Seeing that Helial was about to lose consciousness again, that mythological creature cleared his throat. Human, you are probably wondering who I am. Alright. Don''t worry, I will appease your curios- "Where are we?" Helial cut him short. Uhm. We are in a dimension that belongs to a small universe I crea- "Another dimension?" asked Helial confused. Once attained Immortality, one can create a small spa- "Immortals can also create new dimensions?" interposed Helial, without letting the other time to finish. Ah, humans¡­yes. Becau- "Interesting¡­" Helial seemed to get lost deep in thought while the mythological creature was about to finish speaking. SHUT UP, HUMAN. YOURS IS AN ARROGANT RACE. YOU ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF ONE OF THE GREATEST BEINGS IN THE UNIVERSE. HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME THIS WAY? HAVE SOME RESPECT FOR YOUR GRANDFATHER AND SHUT THAT TRAP YOU HAVE FOR A MOUTH! "Someone got their panties in a knot" Helial smirked, as usual tormenting whoever tried to explain something to him. "What do you want, Dragon? There must be a reason why I''m not dead yet." Exasperated, the creature let out a terrifying growl. ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR You lost 1000 HP! The roar hurt Helial. Helial''s life was now at risk. He began bleeding from all facial orifices. Several capillary that had just healed exploded again. The boy found himself sore and covered from head to toes in blood. Maybe teasing the Dragon had not been a great idea. How dare you? Do not compare me to those damned things. I am no Dragon. I am a Qilin. And not just any Qilin: I am the Ancestor of all the Qilins! My name is Kirin! This is a fragment of my soul, left here to provide some extremely lucky human with a once in a lifetime opportunity! But it seems that I was the unlucky one, since I met such an insolent human¡­ Qinguang, your race is a disgrace¡­ Often strength is not the only thing that counts in life. The greatest genius of his generation might get killed for bothering some old monster. Being strong is not the only important thing, luck also plays a fundamental part in our lives! "Kirin?" Helial was taken aback. Could that be the Legendary Qilin Vidio had told him about? In the Nation of Fiercelake there were Qilins too, but none of them could compare with the mythological Kirin. Helial pondered for a moment. If the Qilin wanted to kill him, he would have been dead by now. The Qilin had mentioned a once in a lifetime opportunity. Helial was very curious to know what he entailed. "What is this opportunity?" asked Helial. Helial had never learned god manners. After all, he had grown up in a village on the fringes of the Nation. Even his sister, a girl, had learned all those swearwords; how could Helial had learn to behave well around people? Even though he was a genius, he had never understood the advantage of talking in a studied way to someone. After the first meeting, he treated even Vidio as if he were a man from his village. Kirin was exasperated. He almost regretted promising Qinguang to not kill people anymore. He sighed, trying to keep his cool. "Man cub, this dimension was created to give men the opportunity to acquire Special Skills", said the Qilin, finally gaining Helial''s undivided attention. "What''s your name?" asked Kirin, realizing he was the one to have first introduced himself. "Helial." "Alright. First, I will need to examine your Mana Seed. Then, if you are willing to risk your life, we can begin the test." Helial kept quiet. He did not raise any barrier to prevent Kirin from checking his Seed. After all, even though he was just a Soul fragment, he was still one of the most powerful being that had ever lived. Kirin extended his Perception until Helial''s Mana Seed. He saw a Black Seed and¡­ What?! How can this boy''s body be so full of Destructive Energy?Kirin had cut his mental connection with Helial, so the small human could not hear his thoughts. It''s impossible. Such a concentration can be found only in some Ancestral Demons or in a Dragon. It''s impossible that a small human could have been contaminated to this extent by Destructive Energy¡­ What the fuck''s happening? Can this little guy be a reincarnated Demon? No... It wouldn''t make any sense. Not even the greatest living Demon could have so much Destructive Energy when just reincarnated; it would at least need to reach the Immortal level. (A/N: Destruction and Life are the two forces on which the universe is based. If you didn''t get it yet, it''s a reference to Yin and Yang.) Kirin kept thinking about how to explain that phenomenon. Several minutes went by. Helial was about to say something, then he saw a resolute look appear on Kirin''s face. Maybe he was thinking about the test? "Better not to interrupt him", muttered Helial. Kirin was decided to get to the bottom of that issue. He did not only use Perception, but directly injected his Divine Sense into Helial''s body. Being at a lower level, Helial had no idea Divine Sense even existed and did not feel anything. Just when Kirin was about to touch Helial''s Mana Seed¡­ BOOM Kirin felt a terrifying force repel his Divine Sense and wound his Soul. ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR Helial saw Kirin grimace in pain. He was slightly taken aback. He had no idea of what was going on. Kirin felt as if something had just tried to corrode his Soul. He was dumbstruck. Even though that was just a fragment of his Soul, it was still very unlikely to be harmed by a common Immortal. His real body had already reached an unthinkable level, therefore his Soul was equally powerful. This fragment had 1/10000 of the original force. At that point, Kirin noticed that Helial was wounded. The Qilin had tried to limit the amount of Aura released in his roar, but that boy had not reached the First Phase yet, how could he have possibly get out of that unharmed? Kirin sighed, casting a ray of light from his paw. Helial, dripping with blood, found himself immersed in a warm golden light. Your Health has been restored to 100%! Amazing! That creature had almost killed him with roars and now had cured him in a glimpse. Helial finally convinced himself that the Qilin was not bluffing. He stayed quiet, waiting for the creature to speak again. I can''t let this human live¡­ Even though there is a small amount of Life Energy in his body, his Destructive Energy is immense. He is destined to become a Devil. I can''t let this happen¡­ But I can''t kill him just like that either¡­ Damn Qinguang! Kirin seemed lost in thought, but no emotions showed on his face. I can''t bestow on him my Soul''s Legacy. It would be shameful to contribute to the development of such an evil creature. But perhaps¡­ There is no need for me to violate my pact with Qinguang. Kirin had had an idea. A genius idea. Now he knew how to get rid of the kid. He immediately restored the connection with Helial. Kid, I have been checking your body and I was surprised to see that you have a Black Mana Seed¡­ I was so surprised you might even have heard me roaring with laughter! Don''t worry. Even if your potential is close to none, I can offer you the chance of a lifetime. You could obtain a Partial Skill of the Qilins. As the name indicates, it is only Part of a Skill, nonetheless I guarantee you it goes beyond everything else on this small, useless planet¡­ Whoever would be able to obtain it, would become a dragon among men! Someone anyone wouldn''t dare to enrage. But¡­ you see, such a thing can only come at a great price. To get the Complete Partial Skill you will have to pass three tests, at different difficulty levels. At the highest, I will not be able to intervene and save your life, in case you failed. In order to win the complete Partial Skill you will have to pass the test with the highest difficulty level. But, you see, you must know tha- "Alright", snapped Helial, annoyed by all that beating around the bush. He stood up, leaving Curse of the Demon on the ground. "I''ll tackle the tests right away. I''m only asking you to tell me what the test is before I begin. Maybe this is against the rules, but how could I hope to pass even one of these tests, me being so weak?" Helial kept a neutral, almost dejected look on his face. But he was no fool. The change in the Qilin''s attitude had been obvious. There was something fishy about all that. He would tackle the tests only when sure to be able to pass them. Well¡­ Kirin thought about it for a while. He could not let that little monster slip away, but he could not kill him either. Usually, one never revealed the content of the test to the contestants, but that boy had a Black Mana Seed and bending the rules would not have made any difference in his case. Alright, I accept your conditions. So are you willing to do the test at its highest difficulty level? "Yes." Hehe. Do not regret it. You cannot go back on your word. Helial was convinced he could pass all the tests. Besides, he could win a Skill belonging to the Ancestor of all the Qilins and he would never have forgiven himself for losing that chance. Once he knew the content of the test, he was sure he could pass it. But he was equally sure that the Qilin was plotting something: he had better keep his eyes open. He had no intentions of giving up. In order to be free, he had first to become stronger; otherwise he was going to get crushed. That was going to be his first step towards strength, towards total freedom. From that moment onwards, he would never have to bend in front of anyone! He was going to be master of his own life! 19 Time to prove yourself 2 "What is the content of the first task?" asked Helial. The first task is going to test your control. I will generate a great amount of Mana, ten times higher the amount present in your body and you will have to shrink it until it reaches your size. Kirin was sure Helial was going to fail the first task, even before starting. Plus, if he failed, the Mana would have generated a terrifying explosion that was bound to wound Helial mortally. That kid could not possibly be able to control that amount of Mana with just a Black Mana Seed. Nevertheless, Kirin had a bad feeling about this. His senses never lied, but he did not worry too much. After all, if he could not get rid of Helial that way, he still had the other two tasks. Mana Control had always been one of the most impenetrable mysteries in that world. In ancient times, knowledge on this matter had made great progress, but the wars that followed on the continent had wiped out all the discoveries and now only a handful of people could boast to have a little more knowledge than common people. "So¡­ You will take all the Mana that I have in my body right now and multiply it by ten?" According to logic, a person could not be able to control more Mana that he had available, yet¡­ Curse of the Demon! Thanks to the Longsword, Helial''s Mana was now one twentieth of what he used to possess and control¡­ Even if Kirin had given him an amount of Mana forty times bigger than one he had now, Helial would have been able to manage it easily. Besides, his Mana Seed was Black only on the outside, so Kirin was underestimating him, having no idea of his real strength. Kirin was snickering. As he cut the connection with the boy, he muttered pleased with himself. He is done for¡­ No human being on this planet can control an amount of Mana ten times their own. Only a genius among geniuses could have such control over their own Mana and this is definitely not the case. PWAHAHAHAHHA. Kirin kept probing Helial''s body. Mh? This human is really weak... He barely has 1500 MP. Fifteen thousand MP are really not much... I''ll slip him a 25.000 MP sphere for good measure, he won''t even notice! Kirin was not willing to run risks. He feared all the Destructive Energy he had seen hidden in the tiny body of a man cub. He had never seen anything like that, despite him being billions years old. He could not let that boy transform into a Devil¡­ Devils were the supreme lords of the Forces of Destruction among men. It was told that the first Devil had almost destroyed the universe as people knew it, so he could rule a pile of rubble. At that time, not even Kirin had been born yet; he who was a being of supreme longevity among Dragons. Kirin generated a sphere of Mana, almost twenty times bigger than Helial. Despite its size, the Mana inside it was of very low density. Helial was laughing inside. That Qilin was trying to trick him. The sphere of Mana being created, Helial could tell at first glance that it contained almost double the Mana. Human, put your hands inside the sphere and try to control the Mana. You must know that the metho- "I know how it''s done", Helial stepped forward. He had no time to lose, nor did he like those silly games. Someone else might have tried to look as if they struggled, to not make Kirin suspicious. Helial, though, was not that kind of person. Why should he give up the chance of breezing through three tasks, using his brains? The boy put both hands inside the giant sphere. Mana was tickling his skin, like an electric charge running through his hands. If all that Mana had suddenly exploded, Helial was likely to get seriously injured. But Kirin had underestimated him, if he thought that it would have been enough to kill him. Helial had lost MP and his Strength Stats, but is Vigor was still high, too high for someone at his level. Helial sighed. It was still a smaller amount of Mana compared to the one he had before the Malus hit him¡­ When would he be able to restore his old self? Focus, human, the chances of failing¡­ Helial rolled his eyes. That Dragon was a real chatterbox. He stopped listening and focused. He closed his eyes and started condensing the Mana without any difficulty, as if it were his own. The giant sphere began shrinking rapidly. ... You must know tha- If Kirin still had a physical body, his heart would have surely stopped beating. The kid was shrinking the sphere at a speed of three feet per second. WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING? That kind of control was unimaginable, even if Helial had had any talent. No one could be able to control an amount of Mana almost twenty times their own. It was ludicrous. In just a couple of seconds, Helial had condensed a small ball of highly condensed Mana, the size of a fist. "Done", Helial smiled. "Listen Dragon, this sphere of Mana contains around 25.000 MP¡­ now I hope you have a good explanation for trying to kill me. All my life I have lived in a dumb little village, there''s no need for you to fear me." Kirin did not know what to say. The words of Helial did not leave him any chance to save face. How old was really that boy? Fifteen? He did not look any older. Could he be that smart? Did he really grow up in a dumb village? Kirin felt like he was facing a crafty old fox more than a teenager. ¡­ kid, are you a Reincarnated? "A what?", asked Helial taken aback. A Reincarnated Immortal who has gotten their memories back? "I have no idea what you''re talking about", Helial frowned, "I have nothing against you. According to the legends, you should be a symbol of prosperity. Why on earth would you want to kill me? You have given me a test far more difficult than agreed and you did that on purpose, to make sure I would fail. So I cannot see any other reasons for you to act like that but to what I have already claimed: you seek to kill me." Kirin was speechless. He kept quiet. This was definitely not going according to the plan. Why was that boy talking like that? Didn''t he fear death? It did not make any sense. Even if he had noticed his trick, he should have kept quiet out of respect for such a powerful Entity as himself. Why hadn''t he tried to pass the test pretending to be suffering, like everyone else would have done? Didn''t he worry about Kirin giving him even harder tasks? PWAHAHAHAHHA. I like you, kid! After all these years of contact with the man cubs I have almost forgotten what honesty sounds like. I have grown accustomed to the empty formalities the cubs of your race are fond of. For Kirin, even creatures millions of years old were ''man cubs''. For a creature that was born at the dawn of times, dealing with million-year-old people was like dealing with newborn babies. If you''ll be able to pass all the tasks we''ll have ourselves a good chat! You''ve passed one already. But two far more difficult tasks are awaiting. Now you cannot go back. Remember, the prize will b- "No need to tease me", retorted Helial with a smile, "anyway¡­ are you sure that you cannot raise the stakes?" If Kirin were not just a fragment of Soul imbibed of energy shaped as a blurry Qilin, now he would have been gaping at Helial In all likelihood you will die during the next two tasks. "If they''re all like the first one¡­" snickered Helial, teasing Kirin. Human, do not think you can provoke me and obtain what you want. You were born a couple million years too late to try and level with me. "So are you going to up the ante? And what is this Skill really?" It''s the Skill from which my actual body has been generated. You will be forged again by my flame and your body will become compatible with the same development of a Qilin! The Skill is nothing less than Body of the Qilin! I created it personally. If someone managed to bring it to Divine level, they would be able to have a body as powerful as mine. It''s a shame that no one ever managed that¡­ PWAHAHAHAHHA Kirin was very proud of his own creation. It was a priceless Skill. There was no way to evaluate it according to a common human system; it went beyond any concept of strength known on that planet. There were many things Helial did not know about and that, probably, would not have discovered for a while. Helial stayed quiet, staring at the sphere of Mana in front of him. obtaining such a Skill would have sent his Physical Strength through the roof. Maybe it could even compensate for the horrid Malus of Curse of the Demon, somehow¡­ But Helial was unaware of one thing: the Skill Kirin was talking about was one of the supreme Skills of the Forces of Life, even though Skills at a lower level usually did not belong to a specific genre. Over time, some were more inclined towards Life, some towards Destruction. At the top of the Skills of Life there was Body of the Qilin, a Skill that could have rivalled the strongest Skills belonging to the side of Destruction. The fact that it was one of the supreme Skills of Life had a very precise meaning: it could repel Destructive Energy! No Curse, not even the most powerful one, could influence a Skill that existed thanks to the purest Energy of Life. It was a Skill born from the Creation and from the Fire of Puryang. Not even the greatest members of Destruction could have hoped to corrupt it. Despite it being a Partial Skill, the source was too pure to be easily tampered by some Curse. The Qilins were known for their natural resistance against any kind of Malus and Curse. While Dragons were the Lords of Mana, able to evoke terrifying Skills, Qilins were the exact opposite. Despite being unable to control Mana, their body was a living treasure. Their scales were often used to create the strongest armors money could buy. An artifact made of Qilin scales was priceless. If Helial could have acquired that Skill, his body too would have become a living treasure, worth of being kept in the treasuries of the powerful factions in the Nation. Among the great Clans and inside the Congregation, only the upper echelons owned equipment forged from Qilin scales. Among the independent warriors of the Nation, no one could afford such luxury. "But¡­ Will I lose the ability to use Mana?" asked Helial, just struck by that possibility. No, not even I know why humans are able to acquire this Skill without losing the use of Mana. Nevertheless, cultivate this Skill is very difficult, so people usually decide to concentrate all their efforts on Body of the Qilin, instead that on developing their Mana. It is basically impossible to be strong in all fields, sooner or later one has to choose a style, to not become a Jack of All Trades. Helial rolled the sphere of Mana in his hands. He still hadn''t let go of it¡­ Human, are you ready to face the second task? "No." I can''t give you more ti- "You misunderstood. I want to know if this is really the highest difficulty. If you actually want to kill me, for sure you are not trying to simplify things for me, but at the same time, acquire such a terrifying ability can''t be so easy¡­" Exactly, this is only one of the three parts of the Skill, not the complete one. That''s why it''s called ''Partial Skill''. To obtain the complete Skill you would have to pass other tasks provided by my other two Soul fragments. Donate the complete Skill in just one go is not my intention. I need to make sure that the owner of the Skill is destined to great things, said Kirin, with the air of a great sage explaining philosophy to a suckling infant. "Then raise the difficulty of the next two tasks. Sum the difficulty of these tasks and of the other tasks I would have to face if I found the other two Soul fragments. If I will pass them you''ll give me the complete Skill", said Helial with eyes that sparkled. "I cannot miss this chance. I don''t want to leave everything to destiny and luck. If you''re not okay with this, let''s end it here. After all, I''m sure no one could every pass the highest difficulty level. You have nothing to lose. If I win, you''ll have found a rightful heir, worth of the honor of a Qilin''s body, otherwise you will achieve your goal and I will die here. I don''t see what you might have to lose, apart from a little exception to the rule." Kirin seemed to be considering the matter. He sized up Helial. He had dealt with scores of arrogant geniuses, but that boy was not really arrogant, he only seemed genuinely overconfident of his own abilities. Kirin had never heard such a request and was slightly taken aback. After all, the tasks were almost impossible to be faced at the highest difficulty level, who would have been foolish enough to ask for increased difficulty? Who is determined to bite off more than they can chew is destined to choke. Do not regret your proposal, little human. You are na?ve, but if you wish to die I will willingly give you a hand. You have my word: if you pass the next two tasks at the highest difficulty, plus the difficulty that you would have faced in the other six tasks, I will give you the complete Skill! (A/N: the six tasks Kirin is talking about are the tasks that would be offered by the other two Soul fragments, 3+3) 20 Time to prove yourself 3 The second task is a fighting test. It will test your potential¡­ The normal task, at the highest difficulty level, consists in facing a Shadow 5 times stronger than yourself, said Kirin. But you will have to fight against someone with Physical Strength 50 times higher than yours. They will have your same amount of Mana and access to the same Skills you possess¡­ What are you doing? Skill Activated: Communion with Mana Lv: 1 You are able to flow the power of Mana through the most suitable Meridians. You can move while storing and regenerating your Mana. Exp: 6.2% Effects: MP Regeneration: 200 Mana/Sec Skill Amplification: 3% Physical Abilities Amplification: 1,3% As soon as he was told to fight against such a powerful Shadow, Helial started condensing Mana on the fingertips of his left hand. Curse of the Demon was not going to be useful to him now, so he left it on the ground. "I''m getting ready. Is it against the rules? We''re talking about a Shadow 50 times stronger than me, I don''t see anything wrong with a little head start. What about life¡­ Will he have my same amount of HP?" Yes. He will have your same MP and HP, plus he will be able to think independently. Only Physical Strength will be different¡­ Kid, no one can face someone this much stronger. This is a task not even a genius can pass. In this world, some things are really impossible. Skill Activated: Perception Helial could feel the taste of blood in his mouth. He adjusted the range of Perception to 500 yards. He could not afford to lose. Kid¡­ That scene almost moved Kirin to pity. He did not understand what Helial was hoping to do with Mana Pistol. No matter its power, the Qilin was sure that nothing would have been enough to kill someone with the boy''s physical abilities amplified by 50. But Kirin now noticed something was different about that Skill. The brat hasn''t reached the First Phase yet, but has already learned Mana Pistol¡­ And I feel he''s condensing the Mana bullet to the maximum degree¡­ How can it be possible? He has a Black Seed, his control can''t be¡­ Unless he has experienced a specific problem during Condensation. Maybe he is a genius who was unlucky enough to be disturbed during the Condensation of the Seed. Kirin''s hypothesis could have explained why Helial had passed the first task so smoothly. Although, no matter how good he was at controlling Mana, his Shadow would have killed him as easily as swatting a fly. There was no hope for Helial. Quantifying the strength of people at different Phases was not easy, but if Helial was still at the beginning, not having reached the First Phase yet, then his Shadow would have been at least in the First Phase Intermediate stage. Phases started at level 60, when someone could be considered to have stepped on the path to Immortality. Before level 60, one was not worth to even pronounce the word ''Mana''. Once at that level, the body went through a great metamorphosis and the Meridians became extremely powerful. The difference between being below level 60 and having entered the First Phase was as big as the distance between heaven and earth. Every Phase had 60 levels and could be divided into three further grades: Early, Intermediate and Late stages. The difference among these grades was not as big as that between Phases, but the body still went through some lesser changes. Meridians went through an adjusting process, to ease the passage to the next Phase. How could Helial face someone in the First Phase Intermediate stage? Helial''s breathing had become short and wheezy. Kid, are you ready?, asked Kirin, almost moved to pity. It was going to be all over in less than a minute. The Shadow was going to kill him at the first blow. The real goal of that task was force the contestant to evolve. Being face with someone infinitely more powerful, they had to go beyond their limits, becoming stronger during the task itself. It could be by a sudden level up of a Skill or the creation of a new one, maybe a breakthrough or who knows what else. Whoever could manage that would have greatly benefited from the experience. It was not easy achieving a breakthrough under normal conditions, let alone during a fight to the death. Helial, however, would have been denied this possibility. His Shadow was just too strong. Kirin had added the difficulty of all the other six tasks, so the difficulty level was going to be through the roof¡­ Not even the most talented of men could have passed such a test. Kirin sighed, or rather he would have sighed if he had had a real body. ROOOOOOAR There was a sudden growl. Less than 30 yards from Helial, a Mana shape suddenly materialized, a Mana vortex that converged in one point. That Mana was truly brutal. Helial had almost reached the tenth level of Perception and could perceived the Mana density very clearly. It emanated the same energy of a living being. That Qilin has many tricks up his sleeve¡­ The Mana became denser and denser, taking the shape of a boy. It was Helial! The Shadow looked exactly like Helial, but in place of the features on his face there was only a translucent blur. It was almost an ethereal creature. In his sockets were lodged two white semi-transparent spheres. His stare was cold, like a beast kept in captivity. The Shadow emanated his Soul. It was identical to Helial''s, since it had the same Mana. A copy of Curse of the Demon appeared in the hand of the Shadow. The latter smiled with satisfaction, staring at the weapon with which he would soon use to kill his real self. He had all the Skills Helial possessed and his same fighting style. The only thing the Shadow could not access was his personality. It was impossible to recreate a personality in a Shadow. Let the task begin. *** A couple of years earlier, in the Headquarters of the Mana Congregation "Master, I don''t understand. Why one can only use strength to fight? Is it forbidden to use tricks?" Asked a confused Helial. "Boy, you can''t drag in the mud the name of a Congregation, Guild or Clan while fighting. Only mercenaries and bandits use silly tricks to save themselves. And that''s wrong!" flared up Vidio, who always cared more about his honor as a warrior than as a man. "A victory is not a real victory unless you haven''t trampled your enemy and your strength ha-" "Bullshit." "How dare you!?" Vidio''s face darkened in anger. "So, according to you, when you are faced with someone too strong, the only thing left to do is run or die. To me it sounds like nonsense. Following this logic, running away from someone too strong for you would be a good solution, and so would be letting that person kill you. It''s ludicrous. It would be like wanting to banging your head to take down a wall, instead of just picking up a tool. I have no intentions of renouncing to win against someone stronger than me just out of principle!" "You will lose all credibility. They''ll say that without those tricks you would have los-" "Exactly! But what if I''d always win? What would a small trick matter, a little cheat? Having a trick up your sleeve, like poison or some weird substance, could save your life. It makes no sense to die doing what is right just for fear of doing something ''wrong''!" Helial went on: "Let''s say that I''m facing a weakened opponent who is two Phases higher than me. Why shouldn''t I kill him, knowing that once healed he will kill me?" "Kid, you can''t always reason like that. Sometimes that could work, but not always. And you must think about the reputations of who is backing you u-" "So, are you saying that if there was no one to back me up I could act as I pleased, without having to worry about whose reputation I am ruining?" "Stop interrupting me while I''m talking, kid! Yes, it would be just like that." "Master, I think giving up victory because the enemy is too strong is a way more cowardly thing to do rather than fight back in every possible way." "Listen, boy. Using tricks and killing an enemy while he''s down is not unheard of. But, if who''s behind those enemies found out, then they would hunt you down to the end of the world. They''ll call you a coward and a criminal. That''s why people do not normally pull stunts like those, to avoid giving others an excuse to target them¡­ You''ll understand when you''re older. Now you''re too young still." How can using tricks be wrong? Dying is wrong! People are just afraid to get their hands dirty¡­ but I''m not. I won''t let anyone hurt me or the people I love. I won''t be restrained by some stupid formalities. And if this will prevent me from getting into a Clan or a Guild? Fuck them! I don''t want to join them, I''ll go on by myself and I have Lumia. Or I could found my own Guild one day, a Guild of people that share my views, who do not want to be constrained by pointless rules. People that want to live free. A Guild of freedom, without rules, a place for people that want to live light-hearted. A Guild for outcasts, for people who do not want to fit inside their stupid box. Scared of strong powers? Scared of not being good enough? Scared of death? I am scared of losing myself. I''m scared of not knowing right from wrong anymore, confused by the rules imposed on us by fear and weakness. I''ll become strong, the strongest of all. I won''t let anyone tie me down. I won''t let fear clip my wings. And when I say I''ll be the strongest, I mean that I will never lose. I won''t take shit from anyone. I chose to be free and I''ll pay the price of it with my own blood. Helial has suddenly stopped asking questions. Vidio turned towards him and noticed that the boy had an unusually serious look on his face. He was sure the kid was thinking about something that went beyond his comprehension as Master of the Mana Congregation. "Enough with the long face. Let''s go on." Helial nodded, but the shadow did not disappear from his eyes. *** In the present Helial took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes. He could see the Shadow approaching fast. The hand that was gripping the Longsword of Mana was held behind the body, ready to strike a lethal blow. The corners of Helial''s mouth curled upwards. Your body is damaged by excessive mental strain. You lost 400 HP! There was blood on his lips now, but not even the scarlet liquid could wipe the smile on Helial'' face. His cheeks were streaked with blood that, mixed to tears, ran down from his blue eyes. Helial was crying. He''s¡­ crying? But why? He knew what he was facing. Is he hoping to move me? He wouldn''t be the first genius I watch dying, and he won''t be the last one. I''m sorry kid, you were blind. Did you really think you were that strong? You''re just a toad at the bottom of a well, whispered Kirin to no one in particular. The Skill Mana Pistol has been amplified by 500%. Helial felt the Meridians in his arm were about to rip. He had to hurry up. He had pushed the density of Mana in his fingertips to the limit. It was going to generate a bullet with devastating powers, but it also threatened to make permanent damages to his Meridians. Boy, that won''t be enough. If you could shoot him right in the face maybe you''d have a chance, but your shot won''t be fast enough. You can just hope to injure him. Your Shadow is too quick, you''ll never be able to hit him¡­ Wait a second! Kirin noticed something hidden in Helial''s right hand. Something was shining in his palm. A smile spread on Helial''s face. I am free and no one will stop me. 21 Time to prove yourself 4 Helial took a deep breath. He could not afford to make a mistake: he only had one shot. He''s getting closer. The Mana bullet lay ready in his left hand. He closed his eyes and focused entirely on Perception. You lost 600 HP! His body could not take the strain, however he had no other choice but to bear the pain. Two streaks of blood were now dripping down the corners of his mouth. Kid!, called out Kirin furiously. Helial was too focused to take notice. The Shadow was now only ten yards away. Helial''s eyes shot open. He first moved the arm back then let out a scream and hurled a tiny sphere of Mana at his own Shadow. Whooosh It was the Mana he had condensed during the first task. The Sphere, however, was not fast enough to hit the Shadow frontally, and even if it had hit him, it probably would not be powerful enough to kill him. The Sphere kept moving forward. The Shadow sneered. It was not going to it him. The Shadow kept advancing straight ahead, fearless. It moved slightly sideway just enough to avid the sphere of Mana. AHHHHHH After hurling the sphere, Helial did not break the momentum his body had gained and, twirling around violently, he aligned his right hand with the sphere of Mana. Skill Activated: Mana Pistol The Skill Mana Pistol is amplified by 5 times. The damage increases by 500%. Your body cannot bear the strain; the Meridians in your left hand are injured. You will be unable to use your left hand for 3 days. You lost 700 HP. KIAAAAHHHHHHHH Helial let out a bloodcurdling scream. His voice did not even sound human anymore, but it sounded more like the scream of a demon. BOOM A thunderous boom spread from his hand. Mana Pistol had just let out an extremely powerful shot. It was likely to have the same destructive power of the sphere of Mana generated by Kirin and condensed by Helial. The Shadow saw the bullet shooting towards him at great speed. It would have been impossible for him to dodge it, since he had the limited agility of a boy. Anyway, he just had to parry the Mana bullet in order to avoid serious injuries. But suddenly the Shadow noticed that something was amiss: the bullet was not coming his way! The Mana bullet was approaching at high speed but was not directed at him! Shit, thought the Shadow. He finally got it! The Mana sphere was dangerously close to him and the bullet was directed right at it. Mana Pistol had something different this time. The quantity of Mana was more or less the same as the other times, but Helial had Condensed the Mana to the point of emitting a monstrous charge. Mana Pistol was a Skill that was learned right at the beginning of the First Phase, destined to be forgotten soon enough, replaced by more powerful Skills. It was the first time a bullet of Mana Pistol appeared so magnificent. That Skill, void of any Affinities and without tendencies towards any kind of Energy, was now showing itself in all its terrifying splendor. Helial had not aimed at the Shadow. He knew perfectly well he had no chance to injure such a stronger version of himself. He had been forced t be clever. Helial had kept the sphere of Mana hidden in his palm, pretending it had long dissolved. No one had said that was against the rule, but he could tell from Kirin''s reaction that the Qilin was not happy about it. Helial was exhausted. He had lost half of his HP to pull that stunt. The skin of the hand that had activated Mana Pistol was now cracked due to the exploded capillaries. Blood was dripping copiously along his fingers coating the chunk of raw meat that was everything that was left of Helial''s hand. The boy fell on one knee, trying as hard as he could to not fall face first on the ground. Despite all this, only one thought was flashing in his mind: Victory. BOOM BOOM BOOM The bullet had reached the sphere of Mana, which exploded with unbelievable violence. The shockwave threw Helial off his feet, even if he was standing quite far from where the explosion took place. He slammed hard on his backside. But while Helial had not suffered much, the same could not be said of the Shadow. The latter had been tore apart by the blast of Mana, losing one arm and part of the trunk. The Shadow was now lying on the ground, puking blood. Even though the bullet was not aimed at him, the force of the blast had defeated him completely. Kirin just stood there gaping; that was not something you could see every day. During his long life, he had seen many things, including fights between great geniuses who could bridge the difference between Phases. But it was the first time he had seen anything like that. That kid¡­ was more a demon than a genius. He had almost lost a hand to generate a bullet well beyond his abilities and had used it to blow the sphere of Mana obtained from the first task¡­ Ruthless! He was flat-out ruthless! What genius would have put such a plan into practice? He had risked a permanent injury to his Meridians to secure his victory. What kind of kid had the guts to do that? Kirin knew the answer and it terrified him. It was not rare to meet supergeniuses in the universe. It was nothing out of the ordinary, just a matter of likelihood. How many people had an incredible innate aptitude for Mana? Kirin knew several even more talented than Helial in terms of Mana Control, but he could not say he knew any as ruthless as that boy. He could have had the greatest talent in the world, but he would have died for sure if not for his fast and lucid thinking. The Shadow was bleeding Mana from the deep gushes and was about to vanish. Helial made himself pick up Curse of the Demon, that had been waiting to be used since the beginning of the task. He stood up and, stumbling, he covered the few yards that separated him from the Shadow. Every step costed him an incredible effort, while dragging with only one hand the ridiculously large, but oddly lighter, weapon. Kirin was speechless. Fwooosh After managing to lift the Longsword and almost being crushed by the weight, Helial dropped a blow on the Shadow''s head, finishing the job. His doppelganger made of Mana vanished and Helial fell on his knees, letting the sword fall on the ground with a heavy thud. He was exhausted. He had put all his efforts into passing the second task. Everything had happened so fast but if he had waited a second longer he would have likely been hacked to pieces. It was a weird feeling: for the first time Helial had found himself in a life or death situation. He had to make a very difficult choice in just a fraction of a second. Despite having already killed Goblins, this could be seen as Helial''s true blood baptism. For the first time in his life, he had faced a desperate situation. He still had no idea, but this had initiated a change in his mentality that was going to be fundamental for his development. His heart, from that moment on, was not going to be overwhelmed anymore by envy for stronger opponents. Kirin had already understood that: no one would ever scare that boy again. Though, it was not entirely a good thing. He would have needed a Master now, to discourage him from starting on the wrong path. ROAAAAAAAAAAR A deafening roar made Helial''s ears whistle. The boy was expecting something like that, since after all he had smuggled the sphere of Mana. You brat! I''d never have thought you capable of such brazen act! Who allowed you to keep that sphere of Mana? I don''t recall I ever did, moreov- "But you didn''t forbid it either. I won. Heal me and let''s move on to the next task," interrupted Helial, who had no intention of questioning his, albeit reprehensible, victory. PWAHAHAHAHHA, do you really think you can trick me? You lost. You didn''t pass the task counting only on your strength. You tried to bite off more than you could chew. In the future, try to be more respectful of mythological creatures like myself, stated Kirin proudly. I will heal you and then send you back to the hole where you came from. PWAHAHAHAHHA. Learn to respect your daddy and maybe one day you''lli be strong enough to find another fragment of my soul. PWAHAHAHAHHA. "You''ve never said anything about that. Are you afraid I might pass the third task?" inquired Helial, with a frown. The Qilin was acting oddly. Could he really be afraid of Helial passing the task? No¡­ It was impossible. The first task was still doable, the second one was borderline impossible, the third one was bound to be mind-blowing. This all led to how strong the Skill at stake might be. Gaining the body of a Qilin would allow Helial to dominate everyone in his same Phase. Helial was deep in thought and suddenly it looked like he had an Epiphany. "What do you want me to do to gain access to the third task? I''m willing to take the second test again after being healed. Are you in?", asked Helial, the corners of his mouth curved slightly. I''m sorry, kid, stated Kirin solemnly, you did not prove yourself worthy of the Skill. "I''m willing to do the second task over again. Even raising the difficulty level, let''s say¡­ by 60 times?" This time, Kirin almost choked, but was able to splutter, K-k-kid, I''m sorry, I-I can''t make any exceptions. You lost. You will be sent back to the cave. Farewell. *** Some years earlier, in the Headquarters of the Mana Congregation "Boy, you have to understand that acting honorably is the basis to a successful life. You see, unfortunately I made a serious mistake when I lived in the Capital and now I found myself here to expiate my crime," Vidio sighed, in mood for heart-to-heart talks. Helial had almost become a friend to him, the only person, beside the servants, with whom he normally interacted. Vidio was the only real Master of the Congregation in the city. "Brat, if I had acted honorably¡­ well, I probably wouldn''t be here now." "Master, I have a question." "Tell me." "Were you forced to live the city and come here because you didn''t act honorably?" "Yes, exact-" "But what would have the consequences have been if you remained in the capital?" "I would have had to renounce to be a member of the Congreg-" "And why didn''t you do that? You''ve been here for ages and you''re unhappy; why didn''t you leave the Congregation?" asked Helial puzzled. "Kid," started saying Vidio, "it''s not as easy as you make it sound. First of all, after leaving the Congregation, one has to pay them back for all the resources they provided for your training. Plus, you have to fulfil very dangerous missions for them, so as not to end up on their black book. There are several conditions¡­ do you really think they would let you go as if nothing happened? Besides, without the Congregation''s aid, I wouldn''t have access to all the resources I need, I would have to restart from scratch. Do you think is that easy to give everything up? Everything in this world comes at a price, kid, everything." And there are some things that would cost me much dearer than a handful of stupid Skills, thought Vidio. *** In the present A beam of light shot out of Kirin''s paw and enveloped Helial, healing all his injuries, both the minor and the serious ones. The bleeding Helial found himself immersed in warm golden light, the same one that had cured him after the first task. This Qilin is full of resources. But I am no fool. Your Health has been restored to 100%! All of a sudden, Helial found himself in the cave where he had first sensed the presence of Kirin. Could he really have lost just like that? Because of a mere trick? Was that Qilin so touchy to reject him like that? The corners of Helial''s mouth curled in an amused grin. It was morning. An entire night had gone by since he had been carried in another dimension by Kirin. KYAAAAH Lumia? Helial turned around. The spot where Lumia had been sleeping was now empty. Only then he realized that the rocks that were blocking the entrance had been moved and were now shattered to pieces. The feeble light could now flood the cave undisturbed. 22 Time to prove yourself 5 Helial glanced at the entrance of the cave. He started walking slowly towards it, cautiously. He had heard his sister scream, but he had not lost his head, like he would have done in other circumstances. He looked at Curse of the Demon. It was lying on the floor by his side. Helial cared a lot about his sister, much more than about his own life. He would have never let anyone touch her. Unfortunately, sometimes certain events are out of the control even of the greatest genius. Helial was about to understand that. Kwiiii! Kwiiii! "Look, Boss, we found a little doll inside this cave. She was sleeping peacefully, unaware of our presence. We even stayed looking at her for some minutes before taking her outside, she was too cute! Kwyahahah!" A large dark vein appearedon Helial''s forehead. "Kwyahahah! Good job, boys! She''ll make for a nice toy! Kwyahahah!" cried the one of the three that looked like the Boss. His body emanated a terrifying Aura; the mere pressure coming out of the Goblin''s body made it difficult for Helial to breathe normally. "Kwyahahah! Boss! This girl''s lucky! We had to change route and she got to meet the Commander of the expedition. Not many people can say to have met a Goblin in the Third Phase! Kwyahahah!" one of the Goblins next to him was clearly a brownnoser, but the Commander did not seem to mind at all. What? Third Phase? Helial was getting all choked up. Three Phases. Three Phases was the gap between him and that Goblin. No wonder he was feeling upset just by hearing them talk. Even though in the Nation someone in the Third Phase was still far from having any real consequence, in a small-scale war it could be considered a sort of powerhouse. The Kingdom of the Goblins was at war with the Mountain Trolls and the Non-Dead of the East, much more threatening than the humans on the fringes of the Nation. "Boys, we''ve got company! Kwyahahah!" cried absent-mindedly the Commander. He had sensed a very weak Aura that could have been of someone in the First Phase at most. "Another doll that wants to play?" snickered one of the three. Helial clenched his fists and came out of the cave, without slowing down his pace. The Goblin saw a boy appear in front of them. He was tall but emaciated, with tattered clothes. After seeing him, they did not consider him worth even to be killed. After all, why rub it in? "Hey kid, get out of here. We''ve had our own share today and I feel kind, I''m not going to kill a shrimp like you! Kwyahahah!" On Helial''s face there was no trace of fear. Despite the incredible pressure he felt on his body, he still managed to walk standing tall and, slowly, he was approaching the three Goblins. What is he doing? "This is an Illusion", began Helial, "you are not real, and so isn''t that Lumia. Despite this, I can''t let you kill her, I would suffer too much, even if it weren''t real. This is the last task. That idiot of a Qilin really believed he could trick me this easily? I''m not so na?ve." "Kwyahahah! What are you blabbering about, kid?" asked the Commander, amused. It looked like he had found a kid who had lost some marbles. Helial kept approaching slowly. "Helial, what are you doing? Idiot! Run!" was screaming his sister. Helial felt a pang to the heart. He had immediately realized that that was just an Illusion, but he could not let his sister die under his eyes, not even there. He had to protect her. Kirin would not have refused to let him retake the test, if it had not been an Illusion. In fact, the questions Helial had asked were all aimed at confirming his hypothesis. He had won and he had passed the second task, even if by playing dirty. Kid, even if it is an Illusion, to die here means to die in real life. Illusions are based on people''s senses. Once you are dead here, your senses will be deleted and you will die in real life too. Do you really think the Illusions of the king of Qilins could be really compared to human hallucinations? This is a task, you are right, but do not gamble with your life. Your task is to survive. You cannot destroy the Illusion, because it is based on my Divine Sense and on your perception of the world. It is not something that can be altered easily. Very few people could destroy one of my Illusions, and we are talking about creatures that reign supreme over this universe, not a man cub that still has not reached the First Phase. Helial did not know what to do. The situation was getting really spiky. Should I forsake Lumia? Helial wondered. No, that''s not going to happen. Let''s see if I can find some way to destroy this Illusion using Perception. There must be another way out. Skill Activated: Perception Helial was dumbstruck. That world was no different from the real world. How could he have told the difference, if he had not noticed the trick from the start? It was really terrifying. "C''mon kid, go away. Why do you want to throw away your life? I have to hurry; I can''t even play much with this girl, because I have to go destroy that damned outpost! Kyahahah!" Helial could not perceive any difference with the real world. That was a problem. What should he do now? Run and abandon his sister? No, he could not, even if that was just a test. Did he have to prove that he was able to forsake his loved ones in order to walk on the way of the great ones? He was confused; he did not know which way was the right way. What the Qilin had said made sense: he was risking dying there. All of a sudden, thanks to Perception he noticed a bug. Though, it was not something odd in his surroundings, but in his own body. His Mana Seed was vibrating, as if it were seething. What? Helial focused his mind on that odd phenomenon. The Goblins saw the boy standing still, his eyes closed. "Hey brat, are you going to beat it or shall I kill you?" snorted the Commander. "Unbelievable, I can''t believe that after giving him a chance to save himself he still wants to court death this way!" Kid, you''re done for. Those three are not an enemy you can possibly face: give up. If you flee now, I will spare your life. Helial was deaf to all suggestions, he was too concentrated on understanding what was happening to his body. !!! Kirin was dumbstruck. He felt that Helial in the Illusion world was emanating a huge amount of Destructive Energy from his Mana Seed. "Kid, are you going or not? We''re busy here; I need to take this juicy thing in my tent right now and you know¡­ HEHEHE, we''re all men here, aren''t we? Kyahahah!" Helial opened himself to that Energy emanating from his Mana Seed. He let it permeate his entire being, insinuating itself in every muscular fiber and inside his mind. He felt like he could do anything now. A black glimmer covered every single one of his cells; he felt like a God. He was omnipotent. It was an incredibly odd feeling. He felt as though he were the king of all living things, as though everything could be turned to dust with just his breath. Helial had not lost his rationality, though. His eyes were still focused; for some reason, he had not been corrupted by all that power. Everyone else would have already gone mad. Skill Activated: ??? "HAHAHAHA!" Suddenly, Helial let out a wild laughter. From his body emerged a shockwave that almost knocked the three Goblins to the ground, including the Commander. "What''s wrong with this brat?" the Commander became suddenly very serious. Something was wrong. "Run and I will spare your life", murmured Helial, who perceived that devastating force coming from his Mana Seed. "What are you talking about? Brat, are you courting death?" snarled the Commander. "Wait, but¡­" The Goblin noticed that, while they had been knocked down by the shockwave, Lumia had not felt it in the least. The Commander grabbed the girl by the arm and shouted: "Shall I kill h-" "LET HER GO!" Helial let out a frightening scream. He did not look human anymore, but a Devil. Suddenly the sun lost its glow, all the world around them went dark and behind Helial''s shoulders there now were two demonic semi-translucent wings. His eyes were not those of a boy anymore, with savage flashes that constantly fleeted through them. Those eyes were two smoking craters, the color of blood. What''s happening? This Aura¡­ That boy¡­ How can he emanate such an Aura? Helial snarled and disappeared just to reappear a second later behind the Commander. Then, the arm of the Goblin that was holding Lumia exploded in a bloody mist. Helial scooped up his little sister and looked at the three Goblins. "You''re dead." Helial threw a palm. Skill Activated: ??? BOOM A giant ethereal hand appeared in front of them, though it was not a human hand, but something far more terrifying. The hand''s nails were pointed, the veins black and translucent, the knuckles scaly and grey. A supernatural pressure descended on the three poor Goblins, who got reduced to a pulp of meat and bones. It was a truly bloodcurdling scene. Helial had destroyed a Goblin in the Third Phase in just one move. Not even someone in the Fourth Phase Late stage could have been sure to achieve that. Helial looked like an ancestral being. Behind his back, there were two fearsome ethereal wings. His facial features had become pointier and his eyes were a window on hell. But he was still Helial. Behind his appearance, the boy was not lost. Seeing Lumia''s frightened look, Helial immediately loosened his grip on that terrifying power. Even if he was going to lose it forever, it would have been better than having his sister look at him with those frightened eyes. Suddenly, the wings on his back crumbled to pieces and everything around them went back to normal. A ray of light shone on Lumia''s face; the girl was now looking at him with teary eyes. Helial rested Lumia''s little head in the crook of his neck, hugging her in silence and waiting for the end of the test. After some time like that, Kirin still had not spoken. Helial felt confused. Why''s nothing happening? Could it not be over yet? !!! All of a sudden, Helial felt the cold bite of steel insinuating in his muscles. He had been stabbed in the back. The hand that was gripping the blade was Lumia''s. "You''re not my brother, you''re just a monster. Die!" A trickle of blood came running down Helial''s lips. The boy kept holding Lumia, in spite of everything. She was his sister, why should he have abandoned her? What should I do? Kill her? Prove that I would do anything to survive? Even though it is just an Illusion, she is always Lumia. I could never hurt her. Helial held her tighter, while the blade was sinking even deeper in his back. 23 Time to prove yourself 6 Some years earlier "Brat, you told me that you have a younger sister; why don''t you take her here? Maybe she too-" "I can''t. She''s too young and I don''t want to make her run unnecessary risks, for now¡­" muttered Helial, unusually shy. "How old is she?" "Too young to try to condense a Mana Seed¡­" The Master frowned, slightly irritated by that answer. "Boy", he rebuked, "you seem very protective of her." Then, Vidio saw something he had never dreamed of seeing before: Helial''s eyes were swimming in tears. He looked sad. "Kid¡­" Even Dragons, the undisputed lords of the cycle of life besides Qilins, had scales that grew upside down. In some parts of the body of these supernatural creatures it could happen that one scale would grow in the opposite direction. Touching that twisted scale on a Dragon''s body was not an ideal move, even for the strongest of people. Dragons hated it when someone touched their twisted scales. Lumia was Helial''s twisted scale. "It''s my fault if my sister is forced to lead a rough life. I can''t let her risk anything right now. Perhaps one day she will be able to stand her ground, but for now she is young and I have to take care of her." Vidio was about to speak, to say something reassuring, but Helial cut him short. "I know, Master, I know. I can see it in your eyes. But my sister can''t learn to defend herself for now¡­ she''s too delicate. Besides, she is trying to learn some things in the village and the women are helping us from time to time. Now she has been learning to sew and she tries to cook with that little we have. I don''t want my sister to suffer. I don''t want her to go down the same road that I chose for myself." Helial slumped in the chair. That day they were in a tavern; Vidio was looking for beautiful women and that was his daily patrol. He had invited Helial to chuck a glass of cider, wanting to learn more about that boy. After all, the kid was his major tool to make it back to the capital. If only Vidio had not lost all his winning cards in such a stupid way¡­ He had created a Skill that had granted him a promotion and also a death sentence. Without that he could not have become Master that easily. Helial was looking outside the window, unaware of Vidio''s thoughts. "One day you might be forced to let her in this world, to be able to protect herself." Helial looked at him and smiled. "Mas¡­ Vidio, I''m not a fool. I don''t have much experience, but if I''ll see her in danger I will do anything to protect her, including giving her a way to become stronger. Until I can become stronger for the both of us, I don''t mind. However¡­ Hey dirty old pig, would you stop staring at the waitress?" Helial was speechless and about to vomit blood¡­ Vidio was slobbering over a young waitress of the tavern. Get to know him better my ass. That old pig just wanted someone to go with him, to not look like the old pervert he was. The corners of Helial''s mouth curled. After all, even though he still had not taught him any Offensive Skills, that man was still fun to hang around with. *** In the present Helial stroked Lumia''s platinum colored hair, dirty and messy. His tears were dripping over his sister''s face. I''m sorry, Lumia, I''m really sorry. I can''t do it. I can''t. You''ll have to go on without me. You condensed a Seed, I hope you will survive. Run, go away without me, if you could reach a city, probably you could have a better life than if you followed me. Helial had a lump in his throat. He could not think about his little sister forced to live without him. Even though she was a smart girl, she was also awkward and clumsy. Helial thought about his clothes covered in red stains, the red of Lumia''s blood. How many times she had hurt herself trying to mend them. But she had always insisted to do it herself. For some time Helial had gone about town with visibly torn clothes, because of Lumia''s clumsy mending, but her Mana said otherwise; it was a stable, majestic Mana. Lumia had a clear Affinity with Earth. Helial still had not found out his own Affinity. If Lumia''s Mana was already so characterized at that early age, it meant she had a very strong inclination toward that element. The point of the blade was drawing closer to the heart, but Helial kept holding Lumia tight. Kid, are you just going to die this way?, asked Kirin in utter disbelief. Helial did not answer. There was a smile on his face. He was not going to have any regrets if it had been his sister to kill him. That girl had already suffered too much because of him; it was only right for her to kill him. Helial could not see anything wrong in that. After all, who would have been worthy of doing that, if not her? Lumia will always be the most important woman in my life. Actually, what Helial was thinking was not at all true. But this is another story. Here it is, I can feel it, he thought, about to be pierced in the heart. What is happening¡­? Kirin was shocked. That boy had first killed three Goblins, one of which in the Third Phase, inside his Illusion. But now he was letting his sister put an end to his short life. Helial just had to overcome his own fear. He felt tremendous guilt towards Lumia. He should have overcome them and go on, without trying to suppress them, without injuring his sister. But what Kirin was witnessing right now went beyond the most awful of fantasies. Helial was accepting his guilt and was ready to pay the price. He was embracing his mistakes. Was that boy a madman? Or was he a Saint? Kirin had dealt with all the major Saints of the whole universe, but how many of them would have chosen that same path? How many would have tenderly embraced their own death? Maybe this was the scythe of destiny, or was it Helial? Helial only wanted to be free. Was he maybe looking for freedom in his death? Kirin did not understand; he was literally tormenting his soul on that matter. It did not matter how old he was, he would have never understood certain mechanisms inside the mind of men. Why didn''t he at least push her away? "Qilin", whispered Helial, "do something for my sister, give her the strength to survive this silly war. I will repay my debt in another life. You got what you wanted." The blade was there, about to pierce his heart. Helial had only one regret. In all his life he had never been able to give his sister a little bit of happiness and a comfortable life. Two red lines were trickling down from Helial''s eyes. Tears of blood¡­ It was said that when someone reached the peak of all sufferings, they could weep blood. Kirin was almost moved by that scene. He had rarely seen something like that. None of the great geniuses in history who had followed him had ever showed such character. Helial was the first one to possess the nature of a dominator and, at the same time, such a tender heart. Other geniuses had been able to accept their guilt by fighting it, and some had perished. Some people had too soft a heart to evolve during a fight. Others were born with the countenance of a King, unable to admit their own mistakes, too proud to see beyond the end of their nose. Helial had not been arrogant to the end, but his methods showed a terrifying brutality, rare in a fifteen year old boy. That task had been awful, there was no way out. If Helial had run, he would have lost. If he had faced the Goblins, he would have died. But, even after getting rid of the Goblins, there was still Lumia. Helial had to acknowledge his mistakes and try to redeem himself. He maybe could have thrown himself to the ground, pleading and aching, thus passing the test. In all this, Kirin was merely a spectator; the Illusion was based on his Divine Sense, but it was Helial''s emotion to bring the scene to life. The helplessness, the Goblins, the regrets, and Lumia. "I love you", whispered Helial in Lumia''s ear, "I''m sorry I couldn''t give you more. You deserve to be the one to kill me; I would have never forgiven myself if it had been anyone else. Especially that dirty bastard. Run away, live your life. Goodbye, Lumia." After all, what is it to live this life if I''m not even free to choose how to die? Lumia¡­ I don''t know what Lumia will do. She is alone in hostile territory. I''m sorry, I could have killed anyone, I could have tripped a cripple, but I could never raise a finger on her. Not even in an Illusion. What is an Illusion anyway? What are we ready to do for power? Why would I gain the Skill, knowing that I would be ready to kill Lumia? What if one day I won''t be able to tell the Illusion from reality? Lumia is my only certainty, the only ray of sunshine in my life. Shielding it would mean to live in the darkness, even once back in the cave. I don''t want to live in darkness anymore; enough with the compromises. I do not want to run, I want to accept my destiny and be honest with myself. How many years Helial had lost because of his brother¡­ Helial had always been a talented youth, even though no one, not even Vidio, could imagine the real extent of his capabilities. Now Helial had a big smile on his face. Even if that was just an Illusion, knowing that he was going to be killed at the hand of his sister gave him an incredible sense of peace. If it had been anyone else, even Kirin himself, Helial would have fought it off until his last breath. Instead it had been Lumia, his sweet little sister, to slid a blade between his ribs. "What an idiot¡­" Lumia moved her lips closer to Helial''s cheek and planted a kiss there. "You passed the test." Two of the biggest chains that Helial carried tied around his heart had just manifested themselves. If Helial could overcome them, he was going to make a huge step forward on the Dao of Mana. Many people wrongly thought that the most important things on the path that led to become an Immortal were great Skills and a high level ¨C kill monsters, people do everything possible to gain Experience, or Grind Skills to their limits. Everyone thought that these were the fundamentals. Actually, the most important thing was removing the bottlenecks. Sooner or later, everyone was bound to get to a bottleneck on their Dao of Mana, but not everyone was able to get past it. Were it a Skill that could not level up or a breakthrough between Phases. The most important thing was not to have shadows in one''s heart, or to know how to master them. Helial would have understood the benefit of all this only in due time. The potential of the boy had increased once again. What the hell just happened?, Kirin opened his eyes wide, or better he would have if he had had a real body. The ethereal Kirin observed the scene, utterly puzzled. He immediately checked the Divine Sense present in the Soul fragment he was using. Everything was alright, nothing out of the ordinary. But then¡­ why wasn''t Helial dead? That was not how the Illusion was supposed to go. That was not the goal of the test. Why was Helial still alive?Kirin had not done anything and, according to his Divine Sense, Lumia should have done the deed. Why was Helial still alive? It can''t be¡­ The Illusion should have tried to kill him and he should have tried to defend himself, in order to understand his mistakes. But even if he had understood them without defending himself, he should have died¡­ how could this happen?Kirin had a horrible headache. This whole matter was very fishy. Suddenly Kirin shuddered violently with fear, as if someone had put a chunk of ice in his guts. That feeling lasted only a split second, but still long enough to not go unnoticed. Kirin looked again at Helial, more stounded than ever. What was that kid hiding? How could he survive to the Illusion? Who had cracked his Illusion? 24 Time to prove yourself 7 Few times in the course of his long life had Kirin feared someone, and even then, they were all truly terrifying creatures, capable of destroying the whole universe. Not even the King of Dragons could instill in him such fear, at least since he had become the ancestor of all the Qilins himself. How many creatures could boast of having startled a beast almost as old as a universe? Helial did not know that what had just happened was an anomaly. That boy should have died stabbed in the heart, unable to react. Why had he embraced death? Couldn''t he at least dodge his sister? Could he wish for death? Kirin''s head was now killing him. After seeing Helial pass the test that way, he really wanted to vomit blood on the ground. What happened? What was that shudder? Could it have been because of the boy? Kirin kept wondering at those events, without finding an answer despite of how hard he thought about it. How many people in this universe could take control of one of his Illusions, even if generated only by a fragment of his Soul? No Immortal on this planet could accomplish that, let alone a boy not even in the First Phase. Not even an Immortal could do something like that, but more than that how many Immortals would have the courage of renouncing to their lives? And why someone would throw away their life to save a loved one in an Illusion? Many would have attacked the Illusion, being aware of its deceitfulness. But if one day you could not tell apart reality from illusion anymore, would you kill your loved ones? This kid has a terrifying amount of Destructive Energy in his body, but despite this he spared the life of his sister and accepted his own death at the hand of the girl. Clearly, these old bones still cannot understand some things, even after all this time. The boy is not evil, but he has too much Destructive Energy. Maybe his passing all the Test and obtaining the Partial Skill is a good thin-, wait a second! I almost forgot! He didn''t get the Partial Skill, but the Complete one! In the midst of things, Kirin had almost forgot about what was at stake. Body of the Qilin is a Skill that originates from the biggest Flame of the Forces of Life. This Skill merely at the first level will increase exponentially the amount of Life Energy in the body of the boy. At his level is normal to have a mix of the two kinds of Energy. Usually, after progressing, the man cubs gradually took one or the other path. This kid, however, already possesses such powerful Destructive Energy. What will happen with Body of the Qilin? Body of the Qilin gives an unlimited amount of Life Energy; this cub cannot hope that the Destructive Energy prevail on the Life Energy, but¡­ seeing how much Destructive Energy he has in the body, I seriously doubt he can eliminate it. He will likely go mad due to the clash of the two Energies, so different from one another that have always been the essence of the world. But since the being came into existence, they have been immiscible, though still tightly connected. Not even Kirin could imagine the outcome of two forces so powerful and different in the same vessel. Helial watched Lumia dissolve in front of his eyes, still smiling, she winked at him and then vanished, and the surrounding landscape with her. Helial blinked and found himself back in the dimension created by Kirin. The boy was still shaken by the emotion he had to face just a second before. But a moment later took a gasp of air and said: "Give me the Skill, I need to rush back." Why the hurry, now? "Lumia is outside alone, I have to stay close to her." Boy, time in this dimension is extremely dilated, only a couple of seconds elapsed since you left that filthy cave. Even if days or weeks went by, for your sister it would be just a couple of minutes. Do not worry, in case something happened I will protect her as long as you are here. Now¡­ Kirin sighed and, without saying anything else, let out a roar. ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAARA Suddenly, Helial was surrounded by sparks. He could feel the extreme heat let out by those tiny yellow-reddish speckles. "What''s happening?" Do you think it is that easy? Now we will see if you are able to earn the Skill. To get Body of the Qilin you must let your body be completely remolded from head to toe. Your Mana will change, and so will your blood vessels, your muscles, your bones and Meridians. Not even I have ever experienced a complete change of the Meridians, since they were already atrophied. You could not only gain enormous power, your body will also become nearly indestructible among people at your level. You will become a living treasure. If anyone knew about the properties of your skin, you would be used to make armors. I anyone knew about the properties of your bones, you would be used to make weapons. But all this comes at a price. You will have to survive my Flame. Until today, no one in the universe has ever gotten the complete body of a Qilin, since my Legacies are scattered over all the Planets and they disappear after being collected. So, you will have the greatest of privileges. But there is a reason why no one has ever managed to get the Complete Skill. When someone picks up the third Legacy, the pain that must be borne is so great that they often get lost and consumed by the flame. Even if the pain is proportionate to one''s Phase, since a higher level brings about a more radical change, you might think you have an advantage, but remember that you will have to endure the equivalent of three Legacies. Until today, no one has collected the third Legacy, for it is very difficult to get. Let alone three together¡­ are you ready? You will need to stay lucid in the pain; if you lose consciousness, the flame will stop working on your body, destroying it. The faster the process, the grater your chances of survival. So, man cub, pray that the process be a short one. *** Some years earlier, in the village "Hey, Idiot! Look, I sewed the tunic!" Helial looked at Lumia, who was handing him his badly patched clothes, and smiled. "You are really getting better. Was it hard?" Lumia beat proudly on her chest. "Umpf! Those women are always saying that I am hopeless at sewing, but they are just jealous. Look what a beautiful seam, and it wasn''t even that hard!" Helial looked atcrooked seam that bulged visibly in contrast with the flat fabric. He smiled again. His sister had put a lot of effort into that mending, why should he criticize her? How many people in that world were as nice to him as his sister? "Lumia, you have to stop using those words, though. You''re a girl, and girls have to-" "Shut up, idiot", that angel with platinum hair and eyes green like jade puffed her cheeks, almost angrily, "why can''t I say those words? In the village everyone talks like that, how should I talk? Helial was speechless. Of course Lumia had always lived in the village and the cultural standards there were not very high, quite the contrary. Most of the people lived off subsistence agriculture, a couple of animals to get by in tough times and they traded some low-quality Alchemic Herbs. None of the villagers had ever embarked on the Dao of Mana. They were all mere mortals. Growing up in that place, Lumia had learned to cuss with every single sentence. Hearing her talk like that, Helial did not know whether to laugh or cry. That lovely girl talked like a sailor on leave. But after all what should have he done? Punish her? He could never. Helial was quite a detached person, able to not get his temper up easily, but when Lumia was concerned¡­ The girl, after being reprimanded or her language, was pouting with her hands on her hips, like she had seen the angry wives do with their husbands, and she had turned the other way. Lumia acted like an adult, but her lovely sweet face betrayed her young age. Helial smiled and rolled his eyes. He already knew how that was going to end. He squatted to lower himself to Lumia''s height, hugged her and planted a big kiss on her cheek. "C''mon, I was kidding", he sighed, "you can talk how you want." Lumia wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. Then, remembering something, she hurriedly let him go. "That whore growing carrots in the patch behind her house stares at you too much." "Lumia, what are yo-" "You''ve seen it too!" "But¡­" Helial did not even know what to say; the girl was not ten years old yet. Why did she go on talking like the crudest of farmers and why was she concerned about these things at her young age? "Lumia, that girl is my age, she looks at me only because we are about the same ag-" "She looks at you ''cause she''s a slut!" "Lumia! A little freedom is alright, but watch your mouth!" Helial had raised his voice. Hearing the raised tone of her brother, Lumia changed expression. Her emerald green eyes welled up with tears and she sobbed. "You''re a monster!" Seeing that she was about to cry, Helial felt a pang to the heart. "C''mon, come here, come here." He took her in his arms and stroked her dirty hair. Lumia put her head in the hollow of his shoulder, while a big smile spread on her face. He always falls for it. Lumia enjoyed that warm hug. Her brother had always tried to make her eat healthy and teach her what he knew, but had to spend a lot of time outside. Though, Lumia had never understood one thing. She was already aware of her brother''s abilities, so she did not understand why he was still stuck in a village like that, peopled by simple farmers and housewives. Helial excelled in everything he did, or almost everything. Why hadn''t he found something better to live off? It almost looked as if he wanted to keep a low profile. Helial experienced that unique feeling that always enveloped him whenever hugging his sister: the unconditional love he felt for her was so great it warmed his heart like no other emotion. That was really loving someone. You know how the saying goes, right? Blood is thicker than water. Helial was smiling stupidly while his sister hugged him. He had never really cared about other people''s opinion, and even Vidio''s had only a small influence on his conscience, but Lumia''s opinion had a great sway over him. Lumia was his anchor, his small ray of sunshine. There, if there was anything Helial could always count on to keep going, that was Lumia. *** In the present Boy, are you ready? Helial stripped naked, piling his clothes very far away to prevent them from getting destroyed. "Do not let my clothes get destroyed, please." Kirin nodded without saying anything. It seemed that Helial really cared about those rags. The Qilin noticed that on the front of his filthy tunic there was a big seam that bulged somewhat ridiculously, probably done by a blind man. Helial took several deep breaths, his chest heaving. He sat on the ground. Skill Activated: Communion with Mana He closed his eyes and focused on his own body. Besides his Meridians, there was only one image in his head: a small head full of platinum hair and a loving smile. Helial was more determined than ever. He had took that stance because it allowed him to focus better. It would have been to no use to activate Dragon''s Breath as well. This time it was not a matter of training Mana, but of training the body. "Let''s begin." 25 Time to prove yourself 8 Let''s begin. The sparks all around Helial vibrated violently, triggering a sudden vortex of terrifying flames. Helial was right at the center of that hell. The flames swallowed him. Immediately, he was overcome by great, indescribable pain. He almost lost consciousness at the first contact with those flaming tongues, because of the great pain. It felt as if a million needles were piercing his skin at the same time. It was something that could not be described with words, to understand it one had to experience it on the flesh. Helial had suffered much in his life, but it was nothing compared to this. He tried to steady his breathing and think of Lumia. It was the only way to keep an hold on his consciousness. Think of his sister. The Flames began to penetrate his bones, to the marrow, to every cell in his body. It was Origin of the Universe, the most powerful Celestial Flame in the known universe. Not even the King of Dragons could boast such a terrifying fire. But it is told that, hidden in the darkness, some ancestral beings possess even more frightful Flames. However, for now that was universally acknowledged as the most powerful Flame. One of the reasons why Kirin was so powerful, even without the ability of flowing Skills through his Meridians was Origin of the Universe. In that moment Helial was experiencing an incredible transformation. Every time that one of his cells died, another one was induced to duplicate. It seemed that the destruction brought about by the flame was second only to its incredible power to stimulate life. You lost 97 HP! You recovered 65 HP! You lost 30 HP! You recovered 42 HP! You lost 239 HP! You recovered 234HP! Kirin glanced at the Longsword next to Helial. He hadn''t told Helial to put it away, since he had a very bad feeling concerning that weapon. This way he could get rid of that creepy sword. Curse of the Demon could be, in Kirin''s opinion, one of the reasons why Helial''s body contained so much Destructive Energy. Helial had now dark veins bulging on his forehead. The pain was really unbearable and, unfortunately, not even twenty second had gone by since the beginning of the test. He could not think of anything else but Lumia to avoid falling into death''s open arms. If he had been able to pay attention to what was going on around him, he would have seen the King of Qilins gaping at him. How come that Longsword still has not vanished into thin air? Origin of the Universe had enveloped Curse of the Demon, but it seemed like it was not even able to make it hot. The Longsword lay still on the ground, unperturbed. Even though that was not the highest temperature that Origin of the Universe could reach, Kirin was shocked. That was the most powerful of Celestial Flames, how could it not- "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" His train of thought was cut short by a bloodcurdling scream. Helial was drenched in sweat and looked in a state between consciousness and unconsciousness. His body was shaking violently. You lost 54 HP! You recovered 35 HP! You lost 23 HP! You recovered 33 HP! Skill Failed Communion with Mana is no longer activated The pain was becoming unbearable. Helial was about to be overwhelmed by it. One minute had barely gone by. What should he do? He could never endure at this rate. *** Some years earlier, on top of the mountain behind the village You gained one Strength Point! Helial was drenched in sweat from head to toe. Like every night, he was trying to train his body to become stronger. He could not slack it off. I have to become stronger. We have to leave the village, we can''t go on like this forever¡­ But that damned guy has too many contacts inside the capital. He knows too many people. With every day that goes by, it gets riskier to be this weak and the difference between us is getting bigger and bigger¡­ I have been a fool to believe that he could have been sincere somehow. Helial was pondering over events occurred a long time before. *** On the ground there were several unevenly-shaped bricks that Helial was using to build a house for himself and his sister. Actually, he knew perfectly well that that was not a practical place for a house, he was not an idiot. But that was his excuse to train the body. He had been meeting with Vidio for a while already, and he suspected his brother knew about that. At the right chance, he could have run away with Lumia, but even if he fled, he was still too weak¡­ He had to get stronger. AUUUUUUUUUU Helial heard a wolf calling in the distance. "HEEEEEEEEEEELP!" Lumia?! Helial began running at full speed; he had heard his sister screaming just after a horrible howling. It was not a good omen. After running for about thirty seconds, he reached another small clearing. Lumia, her arms and legs covered in scratches, was perched on top of a small tree. Below there was a wolf. Actually it was just more than a puppy, but it was enough to tear to pieces a helpless girl. Seeing that scene, Helial growled angrily at the wolf, that had just noticed him. Thanks to all the training, he already had quite good Physical Strength, more than enough to deal with that wolf cub. The wolf bared its teeth and pounced. It was one of his first real fights. The eyes of the predators were fixed on Helial''s flesh. The hunger it had suffered lately had made him vicious and reckless. Generally, when someone gets to their first duel or fight with a wild beast, they cannot show more than half of their real strength, because they cannot keep calm. Only after numerous fights and trials a person can show their true potential. Or at least, this was true for a normal person. "Watch out!" screamed Lumia. Helial was only smiling, no other emotion showed on his face. He was not going to appear weak in front of Lumia. Helial walked slowly toward the crazy racing wolf. As he was advancing, he did not leave Lumia with his eyes not even for a second, trying to reassure her. The beast aimed at his neck. Always smiling, Helial moved slightly to the side, just enough to avoid the trajectory of the fangs and threw a terribly precise punch at the temple of the wolf cub. Critical Hit! Young Wolf lost 388 HP! The wolf collapsed on the ground dead. You killed Young Wolf! Helial ignored the notification of the experience gained and walked to the tree where Lumia was perched. But the girl did not look reassured in the least. She covered her mouth with her hand and, with glassy eyes, pointed at something behind Helial''s back. She looked completely terrified¡­ What''s with her now? Helial turned around. Twenty yards from him there was a wolf at least double in size the one he had just killed. Judging from the fierce and resentful look, it must have been one of the cub''s parents. He sighed and turned more serious. "Lumia, are you hurt?" "Watch out!" "Lumia, are you hurt?" repeated Helial, slightly annoyed. "Just a few scratches and a cut on the leg done by the little wolf." Having heard those last words, Helial''s eyes grew cold. He moved forward at normal speed, as if he were just strolling in a field, getting closer to the big wolf step after step. His eyes shined with a disquieting glimmer. His face was trying to conceal the anger, without much success. He opened his mouth and slowly uttered these words: "I will kill you and your kind up to the ninth generation." Instead of running and trying to save himself and Lumia, Helial had become furious, knowing that his little sister had been wounded. That wolf was likely stronger than him, with keener instincts and better Fighting Skills. Nonetheless, uncertainty shone in the eyes of that grieving parent. animals have some sort of sixth sense, an ability that allowed the big predators to perpetuatethe species over the centuries. It was the ability to recognize another predator higher in the food chain. In that moment, Helial had the Aura of a being well higher than it in the food chain. *** In the present Overwhelmed by rage for his own weakness, Helial dived forward and hit his head on the ground. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" You lost 50 HP! You lost 56 HP! You lost 42 HP! Malus Received: Minor bleeding You lose 1 HP every 10 seconds until you stop bleeding To keep clear headed Helial had hit his head on the ground several times, so strong to make himself bleed. You recovered 43 HP! You recovered 22 HP! It was not the first time Kirin saw a scene like that and it usually directly preceded death. Too bad. But this kid has underestimated the difficulty of the test. He tried to fly too close to the sun and he got burned, in every way! PWAHAHAHAHHA. (A/N: bad Qilin''s humor, please forgive him.) Among the flames, Helial began to experience hallucinations. He saw the smirking shadow of his brother, the blurred shapes of his parents, Vidio¡­ and last, just before losing consciousness, he saw Lumia. He saw her dirty hair, her tattered clothes, her small bloody hands after sewing. He saw her daily sufferings, the hardships she had to endure because of the condition they were cast in. He remembered the sweet way she always smelled, even if she could not afford to be clean like a princess. He felt the warmth of her kisses on his cheeks, the ones she gave him after he spoiled her in some way. Would he be able to feel all this again? You recovered 62 HP! You lost 11 HP! You recovered 53 HP! Kirin saw with surprise that two bloody tears had reappeared in Helial''s eyes. Even though it had just happened in the second test, that did not mean that it was something common. Actually, Kirin had never seen that phenomenon appear in many people. Only people that had experience true suffering could manifest that unusual sign. It seems like he''s about to give in, but¡­ what''s happening? Helial had stood up and was picking up Curse of the Demon. That did not look like a big effort, despite the pain inflicted by the flames that almost stopped him from thinking clearly. His body had undergone the first transformation and his Physical Strength was at its peak, matching the strength he possessed before being under the influence of the Curse. The huge black Longsword, brightened by the flames, glowed with a sinister light. I have to speed up the process. At this rate I won''t survive. I have to make my cells change faster, thought Helial. Kirin shook his head. He had understood the boy''s intentions. He was trying to speed up the body transformation. Maybe he had not clearly understood what he was dealing with. That was Origin of the Universe. Countless Immortals had perished among its flames, just because of a moment''s distraction. And he was planning on moving? Foolish. Gripping tight the hilt of Curse of the Demon, Helial realized with surprise that the handle was cold. It did not show the least trace of warmth. How could that be? That Celestial Flame had a terrifying power. Only the ground was not affected by it, since Kirin did not want it to turn into a boiling magma. The contact with the icy hilt of the Longsword gave him a tighter grip on his consciousness. Without giving it much thought, Helial visualized his sister among the Goblins of the third test and once again felt fury build up inside him. The flames had completely engulfed him and for five yards all around him, there was nothing but wild dancing tongues of fire. He gripped the hilt tightly with both hands, so tight that it hurt. You lost 5 HP! You lost 8 HP! You recovered 23 HP! In that sea of suffering, one more wound was not going to make any difference. He began to slowly move the sword, as if he were striking a blow. Fighters have a way of training that does not require an opponent. It is called Shadow Boxing and consists of visualizing a fight with an imaginary opponent and act as though he were right in front of you. In that moment, Helial was standing in front of the person he hated most in this world. 26 Time to prove yourself 9 Helial was not surrounded by his hallucinations anymore. Now only two were left, the two main ones. Behind his back was Lumia, in front of him was his brother. The latter was wearing a big armor. That armor¡­ thought Helial. He was completely covered, even his face, but Helial could feel a sneering grin behind the visor. His brother wanted to take everything away from him, he had been left with nothing. Nothing, but the hatred towards him and the love for Lumia. Helial had sworn he would make him pay for that. But not to avenge himself, he was doing it for Lumia. Helial was not interested in a life of pomp and splendor, but he could not bear the thought of his sister leading a life of misery because of his own weakness. All the power he longed for, he wanted it for Lumia. He would have killed anyone. If it had been necessary, he would have single-handedly destroyed empires, he would kill anyone that dared lay a finger on her. Anyone. That boy has the eyes of a madman, now. What''s happening? Is he having hallucinations? I wonder what he is seeing¡­ Helial had recovered enough mental lucidity not to die among the flame. Love and hate were sustaining him. His heart was divided between the irreconcilable duality of those two feelings. War and peace, pain and joy, Destruction and Life. BOOM BOOM BOOM The air around him began to shatter and explode because of the high temperature. It seemed as though Helial had fallen in semi-unconscious state. But that was what Kirin thought. Actually Helial could not feel pain anymore, at least not physical pain. He felt a huge transformation taking place inside his body. Despite that, he could not rejoice, having that shadow still in front of his eyes. The image of his brother towered threateningly before him. His eyes, though, were not on Helial anymore, they were fixed on Lumia. He could not see his lips, but he knew they were curved in a grin. It looked like he were saying: Weakling, you will lose everything. I won. You can''t protect her, you know that too. Helial turned around. He looked at Lumia down on her knees, the hands through her dirty hair. Make him stop, please! Helial swallowed the huge lump he felt in his throat and let go a breath of stale air from his lungs, all that was left inside him since before the purification had started. He closed his eyes. Brandishing Curse of the Demon in one hand, he swung it behind himself, perpendicular to his body and parallel to the ground. When he reached his shoulder''s maximum rotations, everything around him seemed to become covered in ice. Crack Crack Crack Only the cracking of the flame could be heard creating small explosions in the air and modifying Helial''s body. Helial had not taken notice that Curse of the Demon now weighed almost six hundred pounds. Everything was still and grey, as if in that moment all the colors in the world had faded. There were only his Illusions and Origin of the Universe, that was destroying and rebuilding his body. Unknowingly, Helial had already become much stronger, while Curse of the Demon kept growing heavier. 310, 320, 350¡­ Helial''s armed was covered in dark, pulsing veins and black blood was oozing all over. His body was expelling the impurities from blood, bones, muscles¡­ You lost 252 HP! You lost 234 HP! You recovered 433 HP! You lost 243 HP! You lost 532 HP! You recovered 748 HP! Suddenly, everything went quiet and a young man briskly breathed in. Hush! KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Letting out an almost demonic scream, Helial charged against the Illusion of his brother at full speed. Crack! Under the soles of his feet, the ground started to crack. While he was charging forward, the image of his brother was looking at him with spite. He was laughing at his risible strength, at his weaknesses, at the stubbornness he had shown by wanting to raise and protect Lumia when he couldn''t even take care of himself. Helial struck a powerful blow, leaving a large crack in the ground, while advancing towards his brother. Thanks to Origin of the Universe he can use a strength even greater than his own. It seems like he is fighting his own demons. It is not the first time I see something like this, but during the acquisition of a new Skill¡­? It looks like his muscles are continuously breaking and reconnecting again. Usually people try to stay as still as possible to make the process slow and smooth and to prevent the Energy from traveling too freely, so that it won''t destroy everything in its path. This boy, with his behavior, has dramatically increased the speed of the process and the level of danger at the same time. At this rate everything could be over in just a few minutes. He won''t need days or weeks, on the contrary, this time it will be too fast even. Helial did not care anymore about the pain that was flooding his body, rather he seemed to embrace it to allow him to throw his own weakness in the oblivion. Those flames made him feel alive. He finally had a chance to redeem himself. He finally would have become stronger. He could have changed Lumia''s fate. He could not allow his brother to ruin his little sister''s life. Fwooosh! The energy blade was approaching his brother at full speed, but the Illusion dodged it with ease. Then Helial and his brother began a game of cat and mouse. Helial attacked him continuously, with unprecedented brutality. The Illusion kept dodging the blows and sneering at him. It seemed impossible to hit him. It actually made sense, since it was all in Helial''s head. But every time the bastard dodged the blow, Helial became even more ruthless. His blows were so vicious that, if someone had seen the fight, they would have not seen Helial the boy, but a Devil. At times, circumstances require men to become much more than they really are. Some think that maturity and strength are intrinsic to human nature. Actually, they are qualities that are applied only when needed. A strong men is he who can be strong at the right moment; not before, not after. Helial was now proving to not be weak, he was bearing unbearable pain only to protect Lumia. The illusory Lumia was standing still and crying, scared to death. Seeing that, Helial felt blind rage mounting inside him. *** Some years earlier, in the village "Hey girl, let''s see if you learned to make a seam¡­" the old lady stopped short. "What the fuck do you call this?! How will you ever find a husband if you can''t even patch up a sock?" That was one of the oldest ladies in the village that taught women work to little girls. Lumia was looking curiously at the seam. Turning up her nose a little she said: "Well, it''s closed anyway." "But it''s all sticking out! It sucks! Bah¡­" The little old woman sounded exasperated, that girl had no talent whatsoever for a precision work like sewing. "Gimme here, I cut it out and redo it, at least your brother won''t have to go around wearing this thing." As soon as she saw the outstretched hand of the old woman, Lumia jumped backwards. "Damned old hag, I''m the only one to touch my brother''s stuff." Lumia pursed her lips disdainfully. "He likes them. It''s no problem as long as there are no holes, hehehe." "He''s saying he likes them only to humor you. How could he like such ugly seams?" Those words wounded Lumia''s pride, but she recovered immediately. "Old hag, it doesn''t matter how beautiful a seam is, as long as I am the one that made it. I think Helial would be pleased even if I made him a Goblin costume." Lumia''s love had always made the world better in Helial''s eyes. Not because of the beauty of the seam, but because of what it represented. Helial was convinced that every woman in the village, and probably even himself, could be able to patch up clothes, but he wondered if ever existed a love better, purer and deeper than the one between him and his sister. And the answer was no. There really are things that cannot be always estimated by their absolute value. Lumia though kept fighting with the little old woman, even though such a insensitive and basic countrywoman could have never understood such deep a concept, having never felt it herself. *** In the present BOOM! 500, 530, 570¡­ The weight of Curse of the Demon kept increasing, but Helial seemed not to have noticed and he continued to attack like a madman. Having seen the vicious glance that his brother had thrown at Lumia, something unbelievable happened, or at least something that Kirin thought unbelievable. Origin of the Universe was burning with an even greater intensity, increasing the range of its tongues of fire. Helial was now enveloped by a huge incandescent globe. A truly frightful sight. Clac Some of his tendons were breaking off with a clacking sound, and then reformed right away. Crack His bones were cracking and rebuilding themselves. Plop You lost 705 HP! You lost 898 HP! You recovered 823 HP! You recovered 722 HP! The health bar kept increasing and decreasing rapidly. A huge amount of black blood was dripping from Helial''s body onto the ground. He was already entirely soaked in it. His body was eliminating all impurities through the skin. It was not a matter of simply tempering the body: Helial was reforging his body from scratch. Those that once had been human limbs were now becoming more and more similar to the ones of the Ancestral being in the legends. The body of Helial could be already considered a treasure. With the passing of time and the increasing Phases, he would have become exponentially stronger and stronger. In theory, he could have reached Kirin''s level, one day. Helial stuck Curse of the Demon in the ground, leaning over it to support himself. He was exhausted, his body bombed by the pain had reached the limit. His mind was being affected too, almost about to give in, unable to cling to the last glimmer of conscience left. It felt as if someone had driven an axe through his skull, splitting it in two. Helial fell face first onto the ground. He couldn''t move anymore. His body had reached the limit. The Celestial Flame had become unbearable, the process of reforging the body was no longer endurable. He was to die then and there, so close to becoming a whole new person. You lost 1034 HP! You lost 898 HP! You recovered 1548 HP! The speed at which his body was heading towards destruction began to surpass the speed at which his body was regenerating. He vomited a large amount of his blood, unable of any other movements. His limbs were not responding anymore. Could it be really over? He tried to scream, but he could not manage even that. He had used up all the resistance he had, but it had not been enough. Was this the end? Malus Received: Temporary Paralysis ??? Why all these anomalies occurred since I have known this boy? What''s happening? How could Origin of the Universe burn with increased intensity? This man cub seems to be exempt from the laws of common sense. If he survived the test, I could consider taking him as my disciple, so as to keeping him from taking the wrong path. With such a great power in his hands, he risks unleashing a catastrophe among men. If I took him under my wing, I could probably teach him the way of Life: how to create from ashes, how to mak death come to life. I will keep him from becoming a monster. Besides, with this potential, mphf mphf, he could almost be on of my first tier disciples¡­ Almost. Poor thing, there are geniuses out there with a potential you cannot even dream of. But maybe you are more determined than they are. I have seen many talents capable of changing the destiny of the universe, one day. Right now, aside from Body of the Qilin, your affinity for Mana is barely decent in my eyes, a minimum requisite to join my ranks, if you had talked these test with honesty, who knows if you could have won¡­ It looks as if you are about to die now. Will you be able to pull off one more miracle? Considering the previous events, Kirin had learned not to immediately write off Helial as dead. That kid had something monstrous inside him. There was something that, in the darkest hour, allowed him to shine like the brightest of suns. 27 Time to prove yourself 10 Many years earlier Helial was five years old and Lumia was little more than a newborn baby. They were almost five years apart. Helial brushed aside the untidy streaks of hair from little Lumias'' forehead and kissed her. Helial gave some money to the young women of the village where he had gone to live so they would nurse the baby. Helial stroked the back of his hand. He sat on the ground and started thinking. What can I do? I can''t stay here forever¡­ but¡­ He clenched his fists. He was helpless. Will I be forced to stay here all my life? He sighed, feeling very lost. After all, a boy of five had appeared in that small village out of nowhere and was leaving alone with a little sister only a few months old. Many worried that some bad people might attack them, and some of the villagers had offered Helial to go and live with them. Helial had a pair of bright eyes that betrayed an intelligence well beyond his age. He had refused those offers; he knew that he wouldn''t do to get other people''s help, he could only rely on himself. I can''t start with Mana, my Meridians aren''t developed yet¡­ Otherwise¡­ That bastard would not have lasted. Helial clenched his fists and stood up. There was nothing he could do. He turned around to look at his sister. Life¡­ Why should a flower like that be let to wither? He had accepted to scrub the tavern''s floors and do some odd jobs to earn enough money to buy food for his sister. He still had money in his pockets, but it would not have lasted forever. He didn''t even have his Interspace Ring anymore. He had to give everything away, the only things left were those that he could carry. It often happens to think ourselves the most miserable people in the world and to blame fate for its cruelty. Helial was not that kind of person and he blamed only himself. He was too young to fight against his brother, who had reached the First Phase at ten years old. He would have to wait to become strong enough to turn the tables on him. In the meanwhile he could only wait, but not passively. He had to find a way to become stronger than his brother. He would wait until his Meridians developed and could learn a Breathing Technique. Just like many rivers, or rains that fall from above, the abundance of water does not alter the taste of the sea, nor does it weakens it, so the hardship encountered by Helial were not going to alter his great spirit. Maybe someone else would have tried to diminish these hardships, but not him who, despite the young age, had completely embraced his fate. He had become responsible of his own choices. Helial did not fear the future, but wanted to conquer it. After all, as hardships can knock us down, they can also make us great. *** In the present The pain was about to overwhelm Helial''s senses. His perception was subdued, unable to discern clearly the world around him. There was only an indefinite and large amount of pain. Am I alive still? Helial''s conscience was struggling, desperately trying to cling on to something, looking for an emotion to ignore all that pain. However, he could not stay lucid, slowly consumed by Origin of the Universe. Suddenly, he heard a voice in his head. Freedom comes at a price; the weak cannot afford that price, only the strong can bend their own destiny. Can you? Observe carefully what you have in front of you. Are you able to take a decision and carry it out? Helial looked up, without questioning the source of that voice. After all, it was not the first hallucination since he had started acquiring the Skill. For some odd reason, his sight was not blurred anymore. He could clearly see what was happening before him. His brother was approaching Lumia with a wicked grin on his concealed face. Lumia looked completely terrified. Helial did not need anything else. BOOOOOOOOOOOM You lost 1709 HP! You recovered 1801 HP! You lost 1907 HP! You recovered 1909 HP! Helial was now recovering slightly more health than he was losing. His condition was stabilized. Suddenly, the flame started to expand and flaming tongues could be seen inside it, like lightnings. As soon as Helial had witnessed that scene, he had abandoned his state of denial of the pain. He had allowed pain to permeate his whole being, he had let the Celestial Flame destroy him and make him new in every part of his body. He put a hand on the ground. Crack! You lost 2601 HP! You recovered 2603 HP! Bones could be heard shattering and tendons snapping, like stings on a bow. He was covered in black blood from head to toe, unrecognizable. Helial had slightly less than 3000 HP, he could not afford to lose more or he would have died. He could not afford to lose control again. Origin of the Universe has flared up again? I do not understand. It is true that such a flame has its own conscience, but these events make no sense¡­ Bah, I give up, do what you want kid, I will not interfere again, it is useless. Regular logic does not apply to this little monster. He! (A/N: the "e" is silent, so it is to be read H(e).) Helial struggled to his feet. What he was doing went beyond human comprehension. The power of the Celestial Flame had increased to the point that allowed the body to be regenerated faster than it was destroyed. The pain he felt was similar to the one said to be endured in the legendary hell. You lost 2701 HP! You recovered 2704 HP! Helial''s eyes were bloodshot. He did not look like himself anymore. He was down on his knees, shaky and off-balance. His looks were disfigured. It looked as if they were flaying him and then dipping him in salt. At that point, the pain had greatly surpassed what a normal Immortal could have felt. Not even Kirin could understand how it was possible that Helial were able to bear it. Determination can push people to a certain limit, but beyond this there are physical and natural barriers that do not allow further developments. Kirin had some suppositions. Control over one''s own emotions goes hand in hand with Mana Control. The heart of a person can control in the same way emotions and the surrounding Mana. But if the Soul could restrain the Divine Sense, it could not do the same with Mana. Ironically, could have existed someone at level 10 with a greater Mana Control than someone at level 500. But these were mere speculations. The people at level 500 would have encountered thousands of experiences that would have been useful to temper and develop a much more refined control. Meditating was a great practice, because it let people free their heart and at the same time control Mana more easily. Helial, however, had never freed his heart. Kirin could clearly perceive that mix of Hatred and Love that flowed inside Helial. Boy, on the path to Immortality one has to practice the alienation of all emotions, not to dive in head first¡­ you''re only destroying yourself. Kirin did not understand how Helial could survive, but he was curious to see what was about to happen. Actually, the pain Helial felt had not reached the same intensity that other people were forced to endure. There was a substantial difference between him and other people. Helial had always accepted the pain and responsibility brought on by his actions. He was not afraid of making the wrong choice, and did not fear the consequences; he had always accepted them, with greater or lesser difficulty. From the beginning to the end of his hallucinations, Helial had never let go of Curse of the Demon. The Longsword was still there at his side. Crack You lost 2714 HP! You recovered 2720 HP! Helial raised it vertically, as if he were about to thrust a blow. Crack! Crack! Crack! You lost 2734 HP! You recovered 2740 HP! You lost 2754 HP! You recovered 2770 HP! You lost 2790 HP! You recovered 2799 HP! 980, 990, 999¡­ While raising the weapon, his tendons, bones and muscles were exploding and reforming one second after, shaking his limbs in the process. Helial was a mess. He was barely recognizable hidden under all that blood. *** Some years earlier "Idiot. Hey, idiot! I''m talking to you!" Helial was exhausted, he had just come back from his errands. He had been sleeping only a couple of hours a night for the past two days, but he could not afford to rest. He had to train. "Idiot!" "What do you want, Lumia?" he asked. "Why are we still here?" "Uh?" "Why are we still here?" "I don''t know what you me-" "You understood well enough! Why are you still here? Everything you do is awesome. Even when you walk it looks like you do it better than others. I saw you training, let alone that time you killed that giant wolf. Why are we still here? I heard the old hag saying that who is very capable can try to learn Mana Control. Then why are you still in this dumb shitty village?" Helial had a bitter smile on his face. Without replying, he walked near Lumia with that weird look. She was taken aback by that reaction. What is he doing, is he going to slap me? Lumia instinctively took a step back, but Helial caught her by the arm and fell on his knees, hugging her. "Heli?" Helial was crying. It was the first time that Lumia saw a scene like that. For the first time, Helial could not give an answer to his sister, he could only say one thing: "I am weak, forgive me." Helial continued sobbing for a while, hugging his sister tight. Lumia was almost regretting her words. Helial had always been her greatest pillar, he had never swayed once since she had known him. But now he was there before her, helpless. "Heli, what¡­ I''m sorry", said Lumia saddened, her eyes glistening. "Don''t cry. Please. It''s not your fault. It''s all my fault. There are some things I can''t tell you about our brother, sorry. I have to become stronger, for me, for you, for us. It''s no use crying", Helial sniffed and let go of Lumia to look her in the eyes. "Don''t cry. I''ll change everything. I just need some time. For now, I ask you to bear with my incompetence." Helial had now a crooked smile on his face, red eyes and a broken voice, but to Lumia that smile was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, his eyes gave her hope and his voice warmed her heart. 28 Lame Dragon, stop the tes "Freedom comes at a price; the weak cannot afford that price, only the strong can bend their own destiny." Carving on the Sacred Stele of the Immortal Clan of Destruction You lost 2794 HP! You recovered 2804 HP! Helial was about to reach the limit of his health bar. The only thing for him left to do was hoping that the process would soon be over. Helial looked at his hand. The skin was torn, the muscles kept losing and regaining shape. He was not even sure to have whole bones anymore; it was as if every single piece of his body was crumbling to pieces. In spite of everything, he tightened the grip on the sword''s hilt. He had raised Curse of the Demon over his head, his arm outstretched. I can''t lose my head just now. Against all odds, a smile appeared on the boy''s face. During the test he had lost sight of his path. Pain was clouding his judgment. I am free. I have a chance. The swirl of emotions that had overwhelmed him had made him forget all the priciples he had imposed on himself until that moment. Helial had never wanted to be a slave of his own emotions: he wanted just to live them. Although it might sound like a simple difference, it is not. In this life, there are people who succumb to their emotions and those who indulge them. Is it the same thing? What would happen to the former if one day he lost control over his emotions? Would he be a free person? Free is not he who always follows his heart, but he who can dominate it. *** Some years earlier, in the Headquarters of the Mana Congregation, Private Training Hall "Boy, today I''ll tell you a very interesting stor-" "Oh please, no. Not again", complained Helial, who was fed up with Vidio''s stories. "Damn brat! The women in the Capital rejoiced everytime I told-" "Then go back to the women in the capital, what the fuck do you want from me?" Helial rolled his eyes, exasperated. "I''ll have you hanged in the square! Outrageous!" threatened Vidio to scare him. "Better hanged than listening to another one of your stories." If someone had asked Helial what his favorite hobby was, he would answered for sure that he found great satisfaction in provoking Vidio. "In an Immortal Clan there was a young woman. Her name was Siche. She was the most beautiful woman in the Clan and, even though she descended from a low status branch, she still served in an Immortal Clan. She was the most beautiful woman ever seen in all the surrounding galaxies", Vidio began telling the story, ignoring Helial''s protests. "Have you heard? Siche has reached the Tenth Phase, but she has been stuck in a bottleneck for a while now and she can''t get past it." "Well, I doubt she will stay stuck forever. All men would be willing to provide her with any resource necessary for training. Have you ever seen a more beautiful woman? Entire planets could collapse before her elegance and beauty. Her eyes are like stars stolen from the skies, her skin is finer than any jade on this world. What man would not give up his life at her request? Not even the Clan Leader can rival her beaut-" "Shhh! Are you crazy! Do you want to get us both killed? The Clan Leader''s Divine Sens-" The recruit that was rebuking him had no time to finish the sentence. That day the Clan Leader was thoroughly examining the performance of her Clan. Being at an incredible level even for an Immortal, keeping an eye on the Clan was a piece of cake for her. She was Revene, one of the most powerful women in the universe, known by everyone as "the Goddess". She looked as if carved out of the finest of marbles, but even that was not enough to rival with Siche''s beauty. Fwoosh! The air rippled and in front of the two men appeared a very beautiful woman, with the most frightening look they had ever seen glinting in human eyes. It was the stare of a wild beast in the body of a Goddess. "So, if I understood correctly, that little bitch is the most beautiful of all, uh?" snorted Revene. The pressure emanated by her body was enough to choke anyone in a hundred yards radius, and that was why the two boys, who had just reached the Third Phase, were fearing greatly for their lives. The two terrified boys immediately bowed, hitting their forehead hard on the ground, and said in unison "Pardon!" Then one of the two took the lead: "Clan Leader is obviously the most beautiful woman in the known universe, and surely even of the unknown ones. My friend''s foolishness has made him say something that¡­ even a child could tell that he is completely delirious¡­" Revene was already used to the excuses that everyone came up with to be spared, and those two boys were no exception. It was not the first time she heard someone praise Siche''s beauty and elevated it above her own. She let out a sigh infused of cruelty, powerful enough to make the boys explode in two bloody puffs. "This affair is starting to get on my nerves. That girl must be punished." There are people who, despite their incredibly high status, cannot help clinging to silly and useless pretexts, and so was Revene. On the path to Immortality, feelings were of fundamental importance. If Revene had let Siche live in peace, her negative feelings were likely to make it difficult for her to continue on the Dao of Mana. A knot would have formed on the way, blocking her Dao of Mana. She absolutely had to remove it. If she had killed her though, she would have put herself in great danger. There were several Elders who for some time had been waiting only for the right excuse to oust her, since they did not want a woman ruling the Clan. In spite of this, Revene had always silenced them with her outstanding Dao of Mana. Among the Immortal Clans, theirs was in a middle range. They could not boast to be at the same level with those monstrous Clans that ruled the entire universe, and still these same Clans would have never dared to offend them. Theirs was the Cyan Arrow Clan, who in the course of millennia had trained some of the best archers in the universe. The only way to not ruin her life was to find a way to ruin that of Siche. After pondering the issue for some weeks, she assigned a task to her son Sore. She told him to make Siche drink an Elixir, telling her it was going to remove her bottleneck. Actually, the Elixir was going to be a love potion that would have made her fall in love with the first man she saw. Revene had decided that Siche was to drink the Elixir in front of a simple farmer, with whom she was bound to fall so madly in love that she could not think of anything else, thus completely neglecting to improve her level. Lost in the coils of love, Siche would have lost all will to continue on her Dao of Mana, forsaking every chance she had to become an Immortal. Actually, it was not such a plausible excuse, since the bottleneck to become an Immortal and the following Nine Sufferings were closely connected to the Dao of Mana. It was a matter of Intuitions regarding Mana, rather than accumulating more of it. Acquiring new intuitions on the way became more and more important with the progressing of level and Phases. Siche was unable to find her own path as Immortal and because of that she was stuck at the peak of the Tenth Phase. Sore went to Siche, as his mother had ordered. Sore had inherited his mother''s talent and was a powerful Immortal. He was one of the most skilled archers in the Universe. Few among his generation were able to match his Fighting Skills, while in archery, if he had declared himself second in his generation, who would have dared to claim the first place? But something went amiss. Sore used to roam the universe, seeking to improve his archery Skills and to better understand his Dao of Mana. Even though he had had many women and was known to be skilled in finding the right partner for his friends, he had yet to find true love. He had often contributed in creating well-suited couples, finding a match even for lone Immortals who he had met in his travels. Sore was able to match couples that would never have found each other otherwise. But this time his task was of a different nature: he had to deliver the Elixir and leave. Or so he believed. Revene had assigned that task to him because she believed it of paramount importance and there was no one else in the world she trusted more than her son. So Sore had disguised himself as a normal human being, to avoid being recognized by anyone. But something went amiss. Sore had never seen so beautiful a woman. But Siche was not only beautiful, she had something more about her. His mother too was so beautiful to look like a Goddess, but while his mother was an icy, unattainable beauty, Siche could have made a field of wheat grow with just one smile, quenched a pestilence with one kind word or dispelled hatred with one look. Her beauty did not belong to that dimension, it had something supernatural. Whole Clans could have been ruined because of that formidable beauty. "Lady, this is from the Matriarch. It is a gift to help you overcome this bottleneck", whispered Sore, totally bashing in her beauty, with a simple farmer accompanying him. "I see." Siche had a bad feeling about that, but she could not refuse a gift from the Matriarch, for risk of offending her. Sore had been instructed to ascertain that she drank all the Elixir right away, and then disappear before it kicked in. With Sore''s abilities, it would not have been difficult to disappear one moment before Siche swallowed the Elixir. The more Sore looked at Siche, the better he understood why his mother hated her so. Siche was everything the Matriarch was not. Siche was the soft divine breath that infused life in all things, Revene was the fearsome storm that destroys it all. Siche was about to accept the gift, when Sore suddenly drained the Elixir, preventing her from drinking one single drop. "I''m sorry, madam, I fe¡­ I feared¡­ I feared it was poisoned¡­" whispered Sore. "?!" That servant had just taken for himself her gift from the Matriarch. However, even before Siche could pour out her wrath on him, the young man disappeared, leaving behind only a puzzled farmer. "Mpf, go now, old man. Go back to your family. I''ll spare your life today, since it was not you who disobeyed the Clan Leader''s orders." The hideously-looking farmer hesitated, still wanting to bask in Sche''s beauty, but she disappeared into thin air, leaving him to stare at nothing. Although Sore had drunk the Elixir, he did not fall in love; love for Siche had trapped his heart at first sight, long before drinking the potion. From that moment on, Sore began to furiously court the girl in secret. He always talked to her in the darkness, hidden in the shadows, unable to reveal his identity. He was a dark and mysterious knight, trying to win over the girl''s heart. Siche had been cautious and wary at first, but every day she trusted just a little more that shadow that spoke to her from the window. Sore was already promised to one of the direct heiresses of one of the supreme Clans of the universe. He could not offend a woman so powerful, or he would have risked ruining his own Clan. Nonetheless, even though every day he swore that he would not meet Siche that night, every night he found himself breaking his own promise. Sore began meeting Siche shrouded in a shadowy mantle of Mana, that prevented her from recognizing him. Over time, when they got to know each other better, Siche fell in love with him too. That mysterious man, whose face was unknown to her, had stolen her heart. Finally, one night Siche gave herself to him. Everyday she felt overwhelmed by emotions. Her love was consuming her, burning her relentlessly, and her only desire was to see her lover''s face. She could not stop thinking about him, she had already forgotten about the bottleneck; she just wanted that shadow, see his face, talk to him, embrace him, kiss him, and nothing else. She had lost control over her life; the love for the mysterious man had become her only reason to live. "I want to see your face¡­" whispered Siche one day, embracing him in the shadow. "I have no face, just like Love. If you see me, then you will not be able to see me anymore. And our love will stay a fruitless flame that burns forests in vain and not the purifying fire of our bountiful hearts. This is not a wish that I can fulfil." Despite the warning of her lover, Siche could not restrain herself any longer. Curiosity was literally consuming her. She could not even train anymore. She was completely overwhelmed by emotions. Day after day, she suffered for her situation. She had a lump in her heart, and to loosen it she had to see her lover''s face. But one night, Siche approached her loved one holding a bow, fearing to see a horrible enemy emerge from the shadow. She was determined to look him straight in the eye. "Boy, what Siche saw left her speechless. Before her was Sore, the son of the Matriarch, the second most important person in the Clan, and promised to one of the direct descendants of one among the most powerful Clans in the universe." "So what?" asked Helial. "Why did Siche do it? Why did she have to see him no matter what?" "Boy, do you really think it easy to play with love and don''t get burned? I wish it was¡­ for my sake, too¡­" a tear appeared in Vidio''s eyes but, having realized to have shared too much, he coughed. Pulling himself together, he went on with the story. Siche immediately understood what was going to happen. Sore would have never been able to see her again, for fear that the secret they shared would be revealed. Their love story had just come to an end. Sore had a remorseful look on his face. He tried to speak: "Siche, I¡­ I can''t." Siche closed her eyes, with blood trickling on her cheeks, staining her unblemished face. When she opened them again, she was another person. "Sore, my emotions have dominated my heart and killed our love¡­" "Siche, I love you¡­", whispered Sore. "Can your feelings really be called Love? Could you possibly oppose others for me? No, I know, don''t speak. I know who your mother is, I know who your fianc¨¦ is¡­" "Siche, forget your feelings. Emotions can only bring disaster on the path of an Immortal¡­ look what happened." "I love you, but be quiet. Who are you to tell me who to love? I have loved you like I have never loved before. What would I be if I renounced to my feelings? What? I can''t afford them, so what? Look at you, you don''t even look sorry. Where is your pain? Sore, what are we without emotions, who are we? What is our identity if there is nothing to associate it with? What is a man?" Siche looked about her, "Matriarch, reveal yourself." "You guessed I was watching you?" sneered Reven, appearing in front of them. Siche lifted her eyes, fixing them on the Goddess feared by everyone. "Today I will leave the Clan, you''ll never see me again. Do you want to kill me? Be my guest. I have no desire to stay among you. I will take with me my bow and my love; my feelings will give me the strength to keep going. The strength that your son has never found, the kindness that you''ve never had¡­" "My dear, I have never wished¡­" "People talk. We know how many recruits ended up badly just because they misspoke¡­ I do not care, you are the Matriarch, I am just a woman in the Tenth Phase. But one day you will regret this choice, your son will regret his weakness and cowardice in front of love. What good is it to be alive, if our emotions are frozen at the bottom of our heart?" The once timid girl was now towering on mother and son like a titan. Both felt an enormous pressure coming from her, as though in front of them was not a woman but an ancient monster. Suddenly, spinning Mana vortexes appeared around Siche, making the air vibrate all around them. "I am weak, very weak. My emotions have made my weaker, or maybe they have given me a chance of becoming stronger¡­" Siche seemed to have just achieved an Epiphany on her path. Revene sensed a change in the surrounding Mana. "!!!" Siche had just solved her bottleneck and was soon to face the Nine Sufferings. Sore took a step forward as if wanting to speak, saddened. But Siche walked to him, smiling placidly, and put a hand on his mouth. "I''m sorry, Sore. You were not strong enough to change your destiny. If you want to live on like this, rather than dying, I will not blame you. We all fear death, but what I fear is not being able to hold my love tight. But¡­ Goodbye Sore, goodbye." Siche leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "I love you, Sore. Wait for me, I will be back." The air quivered and Siche disappeared, ready to leave the planet. "Sore, stop he-" "No. Let her go. Please, mother, do it for me." Revene regarded him coldly, disappointed with her son''s reaction. However, she did nothing to follow Siche. Sore had been hurt enough already. The icy Goddess turned around and vanished, headed for her palace. "It is told that Siche became later one of the greatest Immortal. Despite that, she never forgot Sore¡­ What a romantic story." "Did they get together in the end?" asked Helial, who had taken an interest in the story. He had to admit that Vidio was without a doubt a skilled storyteller. "No, boy. Sore died, victim of a feud of his wife''s Clan. In the meantime, Siche had surpassed even Revene on the Dao of Mana; she had dominated her emotions, deriving strength from them. According to the legend, he was guided by one of the most terrifying beings ever existed. That is how she became one of the supreme powers in the universe. When she found out about Sore''s death, she cried again bloody tears. After suffering for days, Siche decided to declare war on the Clan that had caused Sore''s death. She did not care about the innocents." "Bow down, touch your forehead to the ground and plead forgiveness for Sore''s death. Then, maybe, you will be granted a swift death." Siche fixed her icy gaze on the Clan court, that had clearly been startled by Siche''s sudden appearance. The girl had not triggered any Formation and had arrived completely undetected. This mere detail could only begin to suggest the extent of her powers. The Patriarch snorted and took a step forward. "Siche, girl. I''ve heard about you, who gives you the right to come here just like th-" He could not finish the sentence. Siche had already nocked an arrow. Time seemed to stand still. Mana archers were terrifying people: a single arrow could contain the archer''s full strength, even their own life. Siche had mastered many weapons, but she was born as an Immortal of the Bow and thus she would remain, even at the peak of her life. Despite that, a Mana Archer could only shoot a limited number of arrows containing their full strength, at least according to the rumors. BOOM As soon as she released the string, time and space all around them exploded. The Patriarch frowned and his expression turned very serious. He reacted swiftly, activating the Clan Formation through his Divine Sense and evoking immediately the Mana of all the Clan members in the form of a shield. His Clan was one of the most ancient in history. It would not have fallen easily. In a fraction of a second, while he was evoking the shield, he wondered at how much power Siche had accumulated in just a couple of millennia on her Dao of Mana. She could be even stronger than himself; not even the strongest among the Dragons, the Qilins, the Devils, the Saints and all the other creatures in the universe could boast such outstanding development. It was odd though, that none of the other Clans had yet come to aid them. Even though the Patriarch had relations with the greatest lords of the universe, probably no one feared that girl or thought of her as a threat. To them, she was not more than a lover who went berserk. Karma Dart! That blow seemed to be carrying the threads of destiny, all wrapped around the shaft of the arrow, headed towards the huge barrier formed by the Patriarch. BOOOOOOOOOOM Crack The barrier cracked slightly, and then resealed itself immediately. The Patriarch was sneering. Siche was truly powerful, but not powerful enough to single-handedly destroy his Clan. A second later, that sneer vanished from his face. Siche had nocked a second arrow; her face saddened, but not astonished. "How many arrows can she shoot?" whispered the Patriarch. "Could she shoot more than ten? She doesn''t look at all tired. But I''m not worried ¨C this barrier could last for days at this pace, before the Mana runs out." "And it was true, the Barrier lasted for several days. But Siche kept shooting arrow after arrow. Many super-powers in the universe came to try and dissuade her, but with little success. Some among the strongest fighters left, some even seriously injured. Only the most powerful beings still had not intervened, they stood by watching at the events." "Master, you said that a Mana archer can shoot only a few arrows with maximum strength. How did Siche do it?" "Kid, it''s a legend. According to the legend, Siche had reached such a high level on the Dao of Mana that she was second only to the greatest monsters in the universe. But you know, these are just children''s tales, cheesy and full of plot twists. Hahahaha." Siche looked at the ruins of the Clan. The barrier had given in and the people were all dead, either because of over-consumption of Mana or her arrows. She headed towards the treasury, deactivating the defensive Formation on the way. Siche was covered in blood, mostly hers. Everyone was dead. The metallic smell of meat and guts filled the air. She began going through all the items, seizing them. She had decided to found a Sect and those things before her were going to be the foundations. She would have taught love and pain, Life and Destruction. Finally, she came across what she had been looking for. Before her, on a pedestal, stood a finely chiseled bow that emanated an untamable, tyrannical Aura. It seemed to dominate all the space around with its mere presence. It was Sore''s bow. Siche''s steps slowed down and she drew closer. She picked it up and caressed it, as if her lover had been there. With tears running down her beautiful cheeks, she whispered, "From now on, Love will have the shape of this Bow. Its name will be Love, the first and last Bow that I will use in my entire life." That was Sore''s last existing memory. No one in the Clan had ever been able to tame that weapon. "In the end, Siche retrieved Sore''s bow and from that she forged the Soul weapon she later used to dominate on the entire universe, becoming a power second only to beings like the Dragon King." "Master, why this story?" "Boy, did you understand what made Siche stronger?" Vidio smiled, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Maybe we both understood, but I didn''t prove able to follow this path. Will you?" *** In the present Now, Helial''s eyes were not red anymore, they had gone back to their natural dark blue. He was swept by a swirl of emotions. There was hatred and love, suffering and life, there was resentment towards his brother and the unconditional love for Lumia. The Immortals of the Clans that existed since the dawn of time lived and trained in seclusion, trying to understand the different kinds of Energies. They lived completely alienated from the outside world. Helial, at the moment, was a climax of emotions. Smiling sweetly, he stepped forward and in an instant he was in front of Lumia. Then, he turned around and slashed a terrifying blow with Curse of the Demon. He had kept the sword raised above his head the whole time and it towered like the greatest of Devils, ready to devour the existence of all. I will kill you and your family up to the ninth generation. Only Lumia and I will survive, I promise you this. His brother''s image ripped and vanished into thin air. It is really not that difficult to destroy an Illusion. The real one will need a greater effort. Helial turned around and looked at Lumia, a smile still on his lips. Lumia''s cheeks were streaked with tears but, seeing her brother so calm, she quieted down and dissolved, a peaceful expression on her face. The flame around Helial began subsiding too. The transformation process seemed to have come to an end. Helial had lived through an odd climax that had resolved itself in an easier way that he could have imagined. Many people believe that great people are those who manage to accomplish difficult tasks in the flashiest way possible, but the truth is that the true geniuses are those that, faced with a complex enigma, find the simplest answer. Helial had dominated the emotions inside his heart in his own way. From now on, he was going to be one with his emotions and capable to bend them to his will. It''s not possible¡­ Kirin understood what had just happened. Did this boy just dominate the heart? It''s impossible. How can he have reached this level before getting to the First Phase? Not even in the great Immortal Clan I''ve ever seen anything like this. Could this boy be the young descendant of some great Clan? The chosen one of a Sect? Maybe the first born of the leader of a Universal Guild? Where does this boy come from? Kirin had no idea how Helial could show such a firm control over his emotions. He had first used them to explode, then he had taken advantage of that control to channel his strength. In one hand love, in the other one hate. Helial was like a big vessel , but Kirin wondered how could he have resisted without shattering. When an Immortal was overwhelmed by emotions that was the end, because judgement got clouded. On the Dao of Mana, many people sacrificed their emotions, sometimes even eliminating their loved ones, to be sure nothing would hinder their heart. Helial had turned this hindrance into his strength. He had created the biggest obstacle for himself and then had used it to gather the strength necessary to overcome it. PWAHAHAHAHHA. This boy is unbelievable! PWAHAHAHAHHA. Kirin was laughing out loud. Some many idiots tried to get rid of emotions, including myself. And now, look at this! PWAHAHAHAHHA. Kirin was not close-minded, otherwise he would never have become who he was. Is there anything that frightens this boy? Is there anything he can''t do? He seems to be able to achieve anything, even the impossible, and still, he is unlike other geniuses. I have seen geniuses with more outstanding absolute abilities. But this kid is something more ¨C the bigger the obstacle, the greater his skills. What a monster he can become in the future! Kirin began reflecting on one thing. He had almost resolved to take the child as his pupil and was about to communicate it to his main body. Helial was a good Seed to cultivate, and this way he could have averted the birth of a Devil. In the meantime, Helial had fainted. He had the Skill now, but he did not have a chance to glance at the notification window of the newly acquired Skill. What a shame! Now kid, you''ll become my disciple, how lucky. Your Karma''s looking good! PWAHAHAHAHHA. He has just exponentially improved his Mana Control. No one can calculate with precision the law that governs Mana Control, but the heart is clearly a fundamental variable. So this boy must have gone through a very narrow bottleneck. Now, if he called himself second in Mana Control on this planet, who could claim the title of first? Probably, only in the top Clans in the universe one could find better. I doubt that on this planet there is someone with more potential than him¡­ Kirin sighed. While deep in thought, he tried to contact his main body through Divine Sense and Soul connection. Skill Failed, Unable to Connect. Hm? Skill Failed, Unable to Connect. Kirin tried again. Skill Failed, Unable to Connect. What''s happening? Why isn''t it work- Suddenly, everything around him turned grey, heavy, dull and lifeless. Giant vortex of pitch black Mana started appearing, as though part of a terrifying hurricane. What was going on? Kirin''s eyes were open wide. The eye of the storm was centered on Curse of the Demon! Was that sword responsible for all that? How could that be possible? This Aura¡­ Kirin felt a shiver run down his spine. He had sensed that Aura before. He had felt it on some ancient artifacts, even older than himself¡­ Lame Dragon, snorted a spiteful voice. It can''t be¡­ You are¡­ Do not dare say my name, you are not worthy. A Mana wave ran over Kirin and shattered his Soul fragment. Mpf. Do not joke, Lame Dragon, not with me. Only a few are worthy of saying that name beside- The shadow fell quiet. Its tone was resentful. That shadow shrouded in darkness drew near Helial. It seemed to take an interest in the boy. It sat down cross-legged before Helial''s stretched out body, watching him closely. Suddenly, the shadow let out a diabolic laughter that could have made a Dragon shiver. Boy, how curious I am to see what will happen to you! I almost pity you. You think you have become stronger, now, thanks to a stupid Skill? Hahaha! Classic Life scum. They think Skills are everything. Brat, the greatest reward of these tests was not the Skill, it''s being you, right now! *** Outpost of Alabard "Master, how come my eyes are still forced to bear your sight?" snarled Pausan. The general of the outpost was a hard man. Raised by a people that had been subjugated by the Nation of Fiercelake, in him had grown a great desire of liberation for his motherland, even though he did not possess great talents. In the world of Mana, the common people see the Tenth Phases as the highest level possible, at the peak of which one can become an Immortal. Pausan was peaking the Fourth Phase; his talent was not too lousy, so much that he had become the Commander of an outpost. But the truth was that the fort he commanded was just for show. No one expected the Goblins to attack seriously, all the more because that were the fringes of the Nation, a barren land, poor in Mana, that had never seen great geniuses. Recruits from those lands were rare. Despite all this, Pausan, being the honorable man he was, had taken to heart the training and security of that place. He was not the kind of person to do a sloppy job only because he had not gotten a more prestigious post. After all, in recent years the Nation of Fiercelake had not been involved in great conflicts. It had supported some alliances and conquered small regions, like that of Parsta, thanks to the new Immortals fostered by the Congregation. There were several types of associations in the world. On one side there were the Clans, based on blood ties, where one could enter only by marriage. Then there were the Guilds, with a looser structure, therefore more accessible and equally fearsome in some respect. Guilds were large paramilitary organizations, formed by independent individuals. Then there were the different armies of the Nations. In the East continent, the Nation of Fiercelake was one of the weakest ones, but not entirely at the bottom of the ranking. There were also several renowned academies, but they did not have the same influence of the other giants and were often subordinate to some Clan or Guild. They functioned as training ground for future generations, to see who were going to be the leaders of the future. Coff Coff Vidio cleared his throat: "You see, much-esteemed Commander¡­" "Cut the flattery", snorted Pausan annoyed, clearly wishing to not have to see that dirty deserter one second longer. "So, let''s say that I have a very talented boy as a pupil and¡­" "What?" "Well, you see, I think he''s still alive." "Was he in the war zone?" "He was", Vidio nodded. "He surely fell under some Goblin sword, you can leave now." "Actually, without him knowing, I had a Mystical Jade Tablet crafted with his blood. It indicates the person''s strength. Even though it''s not imbued of Divine Sense, it can still detect the vitality of a person in the short range. It might look like a primitive method, compared to Tablets imbued of Divine Sense, but I had no other option. After all, Divine Sense is developed only in the Third Phase and my pupil still has to reach the first one, but you see¡­" Vidio fished the tablet out of one of his wide sleeves. Pausan took it and observed it. It shined brightly, as if Helial''s vitality had never been stronger. Pausan frowned and sighed. "I''m afraid I don''t want you here." "I see that. I''ll keep to myself, I just want to wait and see what will happen. If he''s alive, he might come here after the conflict with Goblins. I heard from the soldiers that the Commander of the Goblins is only in the Third Phase. It should be a piece of cake for you¡­" "I know. But there is something fishy. If you plan to interfere in any way¡­" Pausan made a threatening move. "I have no such intention. I''ll keep to myself. You just worry about winning the battle", Vidio giggled, pleased with his own sophisticated sense of humor. It was hard to tell if Pausan would have rather skinned Vidio alive to dip him in boiling tar, or first dip him in tar and then skin him. 29 Shithead ¡­ Wake up. ¡­ Helial''s eyes flew open. He looked around, gasping for air. He was once more in the cave, wearing his clothes, and Curse of the Demon was lying beside him. He did not know how he got back. He opened the Skills window and skimmed through it. Passive Skill: White Mana Seed Lv: 1 Gained Exp 5,6% Effects: Mana absorption is 500% faster Mana Skills Cast Time is 100% faster. The amount of Mana inside your body has a 1000% increase. Influences and fortifies every Skill that directly employs Mana by 50%. ??? ??? ??? Active Skill: Mana Scan Cost: 300 Mana Gives information on the status and skills of things and people. You are consuming more Mana than necessary: power increased by 300%. Active Skill: Dragon''s Breath Lv: 7 Helps the Mana flow throughout the body. Slight resemblance to the terrible roar of a Dragon. Exp: 19,6% Active Skill: Mana Reflowing Lv: 6 Grade: Brown The Mana power flows through your body and heals minor wounds. Mana power purifies the body. Detox power 2% Cost: 30 Mana/Sec Exp: 77,3% Active Skill: Perception Lv: 10 Grade: Mind''s Eye Mana Control allows you to perceive the outside world with incredible clarity. You will be now able to distinguish other people''s unique Auras. From now on, any physical disguise people might use will not be able to fool you. Range: 10.000 yards Exp: 3,13 % Active Skill: Mana Pistol Lv: 4 Range: 15 yards Damage: 3800-5000 Effects: Damage decreases with an increase in distance. Cost: 500 Mana Cast Time: 30 Sec Efficiency: 99.8% Condensing the Mana to the maximum Density withstood by the body, you can release a long-range attack of pure energy. Exp: 24% Active Skill: Communion with Mana Lv: 1 You are able to flow Mana Energy through the most suitable Meridians. You can move while storing and regenerating your Mana. Exp: 6.2% Effects: MP Regeneration: 200 Mana/Sec Skill Amplification: 3% Physical Skill Amplification: 1,3% Passive Skill: Body of the Qilin Lv: 1 Strength in your arms and legs increases by 2000 lbs per limb. Vitality Regeneration: 1800% Physical Resilience: 3000% Resistance to Magic: 3000% Your body has received the gift of the build of a Qilin. One of the supreme Skills among the Forces of Life. This Skill gains experience by tempering the body through hardships. There is no other way to make it level up. Exp: 0% Helial was dumbstruck, rooted to the spot. He could not believe his eyes. That Skill was really unbelievable¡­ 3000%... No armor could ever boast such a figure. Helial could now give up entirely on defensive equipment; those values were more than enough to protect him from any weapon, like layer over layer of steel. He had become a living treasure. Even if an arrow shot with a Skill by a Goblin in the First Phase were to hit him right in the chest, he probably would not even get a damage. 2000 lbs¡­ Helial clenched his fists and the air cracked. He was not weak anymore. He now had a little strength to defend himself. But there was no smile on Helial''s face. He picked up Curse of the Demon and headed out of the cave, after removing the rocks as silently as possible. The Longsword now weighed 2000 lbs. But thanks to the combined strength of both his arms he could handle it decently enough, without having to drag it around. He wanted to test the strength of the weapon, but did not want to wake Lumia; also because he absolutely needed to do something else before that. He stroked the hilt, then took a deep breath and opened his Stats window, almost trembling all over¡­ Name Helial Race Human Primary Class None Primary Affinity None Primary Profession None Level 18 Exp 18.566/30.000 HP 2890/2890 MP 29.390/29.390 Strength 117 Vigor 123 Intelligence 189 Wisdom 172 Dexterity 115 Effects: Physical Resilience: 5% Vitality Regeneration: 1800 % Health Regeneration: 1800% Physical Resilience: 3000% Resistence to Magic: 3000% White Mana Seed Helial did not have the Curse on him anymore! At last he was free from those damn Maluses. Now he could really hope to defeat his brother. Then he noticed something weird and touched the blade of Curse of the Demon. Why is it heavier and stronger? What''s changed? Helial did not have an answer. There were ancient weapons bounded by Curses that would regain their old abilities, once blessed. Maybe, being in Kirin''s presence and absorbing all that Energy of Life, he had finally been able to dispel the negative effects of the Longsword. Who knows, maybe that weapon could be useful after all. He headed back to the cave, always careful to not make too much noise. Helial looked at Lumia and went by her side. Inside it was dark and only a few feeble rays of moonlight filtered in, shining on the girl. He moved his lips closer to her cheek and tried to wake her up with a kiss. "Hey, Lumia¡­" Helial smiled. "MMN?!" Lumia spun around. She could not make out anything in the dark, the cave was pitch black. It was still in the dead of night. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT!?" "Lumi-" "GO TO SLEEP!" Helial frowned. Lumia could be really cheeky sometimes. He pinched her butt. "Ouchouchouch!" Lumia jumped, rolled on her side and, leaning towards her brother, tried to blindly hit him, just as any other girl would have done. "C''mon, stop it, we have to go. I''d like to remind you you still need to Condense your Mana Seed." Lumia stopped, taken aback. She did not know what to reply. Helial was saying the truth. Her brother had come back a few hours earlier, having found a suitable spot. She could hear Helial breathing right in front of her. Lumia stretched out one hand and groped around, feeling for Helial''s chest, then hugged him. "I''m ready. I don''t need to meditate more, I know what to do." Lumia puffed out her little chest, proud of all the progress accomplished during the day. Although Helial had perceived the lapsing of time, in the cave only a few seconds had gone by, just like the Qilin had told him. "Lumi¡­" Helial snorted. "What?" "I spent a whole month meditating and examining my Meridians, how can you possibly believe to form your Mana Seed so easily?" "I''m not as retarded as you are." Helial gritted his teeth, while the girl kept hugging him tight, and growled: "Who did you just call retarded!?" Pleased to have bothered her brother, Lumia let out a light laughter. Helial sighed hopelessly. He had no idea how to get his way with that girl. So, he returned the hug and said:: "Listen, little monster, I have news for you." "Little monster!?" This was Lumia''s turn to get angry, and she tried to bite Helial''s arm, but something went wrong. "Ouch!" she felt as if she had just bitten a steel plate. "Hahaha, I told you I had news!" Helial smiled and tousled her hair. Then, without letting go of Lumia, he sat on the ground and began telling his story. He obviously omitted all the parts about her and their brother, skirting some of the details. Lumia listened open-mouthed, almost incredulous. Her brother had risked his life over and over again and apparently, she had just been there sleeping without knowing a thing. Two warm tears welled up in the sad eyes of the girl. As always, Helial had done all that just for her. Lumia had been feeling guilty for a while now. She had never been able to really help him, she was always a burden. By the time Helial had finished his story, Lumia was sobbing quietly. She was scared. For as long as she could remember, Helial had always been one step ahead, not just of her but of all the kids his age. She had never showed it, but living with him Lumia had noticed: her brother was unlike anyone else. Her greatest fear was that one day she would be left behind, unable to keep his pace. At her age, Helial had already started training and earned a living for the both of them. And her, what could she do? Heli, I¡­ I don''t want you to go ahead like that, all alone. I will do my best. Lumia grabbed Helial''s tunic tight, still crying. "Lumia¡­" he could not be entirely sure, but Helial could guess the reason behind those tears. So, he smiled and, sliding a finger on Lumia''s wet cheek, he added: "Little monster, listen: you''re still young. If I weren''t stronger than you, who could I look at myself in the mirror without vomiting blood? I am four years and some months older than you¡­ the important thing is that you will be as strong as I am now, when you''ll turn fifteen." He kissed her on the cheek and tried to get up, but Lumia suddenly pushed him, making him lose his balance. Lumia stood up with an arrogant look on her face; she dried her tears and spat. "We''ll see who''s stronger! I''m not going to stay here like a doll!" Having said this, Lumia let out a roaring laughter that immediately died in a sweet smile. She blindly aimed a loving kick at her brother''s stomach in the darkness and turned around. She sat up and started training. Skill Activated: Roar of the Earth Lv: 1 Grade: Red Helps to flow Mana throughout the body. This Skill is suited for someone at peace with their body. Exp: 3% ¡­ Seriously? Seriously? I''m gonna barf. What''s this, incest? You seem so anxious to prove yourself. Kid, what do you think has changed? Nothing. You''re still the same weak brat. You haven''t got the Curse on you anymore. Bah, maybe I should have left it, make it tougher even. But it doesn''t look like you could have survived, considering the current situation of this small region. Who knows, I''m really curious to see what you''ll do next. Your Meridians are mediocre, but talented enough to make you one of the most talented people in this continent, at least. Pf, pf. It is also true that Meridians change with time. I have sore eyebrows because of all the frowning I have been doing, Shithead: you have really left me speechless. I never thought you''d achieve this much. Your Mana Control has grown exponentially. That idiot of a Qilin has made you believe he has given you a Supreme Skill. Yes, it is true that only few in the whole universe possess such powerful Legacies, but do you really think you are the only one with a special body? Do you really think there is no one with a Dragon''s body, a Devil''s, a Saint''s? Kyeheheheheh We''ll see what you are able to do and, for heaven''s sake, spare me your revolting scenes with your sister. I''m not a man of principles, but¡­ incest, seriously? That little Mana Pistol had potential, I wonder if you''ll let it go and forsake a long term investment, deceived by quick profit. If you want to count of that Skill of Life to establish your domain on others, be sure that sooner or later you''ll be crushed. However¡­ if you noticed your potential error, you could go far. I''m really curious to see what will happen. But I refuse to act again. Next time, come what may, I''ll let you die, even if it would be an unfair death. Karma wants its share. There is not only strength, nature also plays a part in this. This time I have interfered because that Lame Dragon would have created too many problems and, maybe, my presence would have been perceived. That would have been¡­ unfortunate. I want to have a little more fun. Brat, will you be able to keep me company? Ha, anyway, didn''t you notice that Mana Pistol upgraded? Shithead. ¡­ 30 sBreak up the groups "Commander, are we ready for the attack?" asked a curious Vidio. "We?" Pausan rolled his eyes. That Master was a pain in the ass: he did not seem to be leaving, despite all his threats. He had told him many times he did not belong there, but Vidio was stubborn and headstrong, he was rooted to the spot like a tree. "You shouldn''t be here." The outpost had been fortified, ready to withstand the Goblin horde. Several low-level Mana Cannons had been put into place, enough to tear the life out of the chest of a Fist Phase Goblin. The Goblin horde was almost there. Threatening columns of black smoke could be seen from the tall walls of the outpost. Those little monsters were just a couple miles off, hiding in the thick bushes. The outpost overlooked an artificial wasteland. Over the years, Pausan had forced his men to uproot all the trees in a few miles'' range, depriving attackers of that natural shield. The general was extremely dedicated to his job. However, unlike many other warriors, he was not mean-spirited: he had a fine sixth sense and could almost always predict the enemy''s move. And that was why at the moment he felt like something was not adding up. Why would they attack us? The spies reported that their Commander is not above the Third Phase¡­ What do they hope to achieve? Pausan had received a rigid military education and had grown up studying both famous war tactics and guerrilla strategies, considered deplorable in the high echelons of the Nation of Fiercelake. They had never been able to defeat those damn Goblins, even though they were stronger than the Parstans, just because they could not counterattack their sly tactics. They had won only once, and only with the support of the Immortals of the Mana Congregation. The corners of Pausan''s mouth curled in a smile, remembering the veterans'' tales, the excited tone they used to recount the many times they had defeated those idiots of the Nation, to set an example for the young people. Pausan clenched his fists. If it had not been for those damned Immortals¡­ Pausan stopped brooding. He mounted on the walls to take a look at the enemy army. It would make no sense to attack. They''ll all die. Why are they doing this? This smells like politics. Vidio had followed his beloved Commander and was now approaching him again: "Commander, do you think they are going to win?" Pausan snorted spitefully, glanced at Vidio and put a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Uhm, Commander¡­" "What?" "Your hand¡­?" Pausan glanced at his hand on the hilt and said: "Does it bother you?" Being refused an answer to his indiscreet curiosity, Vidio began asking other generals, hoping to get an update on the current situation. *** Helial and Lumia had started their journey across the mountains. Helial was now strong enough to guarantee the survival of both. The boy''s feet sank a few inches in the ground with every step he took. He had tied Curse of the Demon to his back, since he could not fit it in the Inventory anymore. It had become very heavy, but thanks to Body of the Qilin, he could carry it easily. He was just slightly slower than he would have been without the weapon. As long as we don''t bump into someone in the Second Phase, I can take care of it. The silver-haired girl ventured a question: "Idiot, will you be able to get rid of the wolves, now?" Helial''s mouth corners curled in a smile. "Sure, don''t worry. You should rather worry about training and meditating, you need to be able to perceive the Mana inside your Meridians and¡­" Meanwhile, in his head: Am I sure? Only idiots are sure. We will see. He began explaining to his sister what he had done to achieve a complete awareness of his Meridians. Helial''s greatest priority was Lumia''s safety. He wanted to teach her how to condense the best Mana Seed possible, so she could defend herself, in case Helial would be far away, or worse, dead. As long as Lumia was not able to protect herself, Helial would have guarded her as his most valuable treasure, preventing her from getting even a tiny scratch. Dawn was upon them, giving a golden sheen to Lumia''s dirty hair. Auuuuuuuu They had entered the area of the woods closest to the mountains, full of wolves. Usually those beasts did not venture too close to human settlements, but that was still their territory. Suddenly, three large wolves with black fur sprang from the thicket. Their eyes were crimson and they gave off a dense killing Aura. Against all odds, Lumia remained calm, aware of Helial''s protective presence. The boy had untied Curse of the Demon from his back and was wielding it with two hands, a hard look on his face. His eyes shone with a fierce light. Skill Activated: Perception The three wolves were at about the same level as the Goblins he had faced before finding the cave where he and Lumia had been hiding. Defeating those Goblin had cost him a huge effort. Who knows what was going to happen this time. He began condensing Mana on the fingertips of his right hand, trying to make it as dense as possible, while with the left hand he gripped tightly Curse of the Demon. Those wolves were brothers and had hunted together before. It was not the first time they faced humans, but thanks to their team play, they had always been able to gain the upper hand. "Stay behind me", Helial tried to speak to his sister in a neutral soothing tone. Actually he felt quite nervous. One of the wolves focused on Lumia to distract Helial, while the other two suddenly pounced on the boy, aiming at his throat. Fwoosh! Right when one of the wolves was flying midair, a few feet from him, Helial slashed at him from the front and below, slicing the wolf in half with his left hand! Black Wolf lost 5433 HP! You killed Black Wolf! You gained 4.000 Exp! Helial quickly shifted his right hand in front of the wolf that was trying to attack Lumia, who was standing behind him. Skill Activated: Mana Pistol Boom! The wolf disintegrated into a bloody mist. Helial did not even notice that Mana Pistol had taken less time than usual to charge. Black Wolf lost 8456 HP! You killed Black Wolf! You gained 4.000 Exp! One of your Skills evolved! Helial had no time to check what had happened, since the third wolf was already way too close. Curse of the Demon was too big and heavy to counterattack, he did not have time. So, he let go of the hilt and did the unthinkable. He punched the wolf. The Black Wolf was frothing at the mouth, its jaws open wide. Its two brothers had been killed; he could not let go that little man so easily! The beast was sure to be able to immediately tear off Helial''s arm. Even though the boy was truly terrifying with that Longsword in his hand, he had not time to prepare another Skill nor to slash again. And sure enough, Helial had just thrown Curse of the Demon to the ground. A regular Black Wolf had around 3.000 HP; how could a small boy hope to even just injure it? Helial changed the trajectory of the fist, aiming it at the temple of the beast, while moving the other arm in front of the wolf''s jaws. The air whistled and deformed as Helial''s fistflew by. Let''s see how powerful is this Skill¡­ Crack The wolf''s jaws snapped fiercely at Helial''s arm, but he did not seem to be in pain. As a matter of fact, three of the wolf''s teeth had just shattered. Helial''s arm seemed as tough as a sheet of steel! Aiiii Black Wolf lost 35 HP! The wolf was bleeding from a mouth with gums that now held half of the teeth it just had a moment before. The injured animal whimpered, ready to withdraw, but Helial did not leave him time to flee and his fist landed against the temple of the Black Wolf. Boom! The head of the wolf exploded at first impact. Helial had become really too strong. If he had called himself second under the First Phase, no one could have claimed the title of first. You delivered a Critical Hit! Black Wolf lost 3333 HP! You killed Black Wolf! You gained 4.000 Exp! Helial took a look around, picked up the fur and claws of the wolves, then he and Lumia set off on their journey one more time. Lumia had stayed behind her brother all that time, completely still, knowing to be perfectly safe. But that situation had left her with a bad taste in her mouth. She had not been of any use to her brother, on the contrary she felt like a deadweight. She had levelled up, but she had done nothing to deserve it. How could she hope to go on like that all her life? "Heli, break up the group." "Why?" asked Helial, amazed by that demand. "I won''t become stronger if you are here to make me level up. Rather I''ll become more and more dependent from you¡­" Lumia''s eyes filled with tears, but she managed to hold them in. She really felt like a deadweight. Those were tears of anger. Helial nodded silently. She was right: he could not make Lumia level up before she could learn some Skills and grow on her own¡­ He had to come up with a solution. At the moment, however, he could not think of anything. ¡­ The girl got it and you didn''t? What an idiot. You really haven''t noticed anything yet? ¡­ Helial looked as if he suddenly remembered something. He opened the Skill window and checked Mana Pistol. Skill Activated: Mana Pistol Lv: 4 Grade: Amplification Damage decreases with an increase in distance. Range: 15 yards Damage: 3800-5000 Effects: Cost: 500 Mana Cast Time: 10-60 Sec Thanks to the amplification you can condense the blow to 500% of its original power. Further condensation of Mana will require longer time. Efficiency: 99.8% By condensing Mana and bringing it to the highest Density that the body can endure, you can release a long-range attack of pure energy. The farther the target the lesser will be the damage inflicted. Exp: 63% Helial stood there, his mouth gaping. He had not noticed that Mana Pistol had levelled up! Now it was much more powerful and, what''s more, the Cast Time was reduced to one third. Now to create a bullet he just needed ten seconds. Plus, by condensing more Mana, he could obtain a similar effect to the one in the test of the Qilin¡­ ¡­ Well, you are not a total idiot, after all. I hhhope you will not focus only on that stupid Skill of that Lame Dragon, Shithead. You have a lot to learn. That little girl seems a lot smarter than you, at the moment. I''m almost sorry that Curse of the Demon has not ended up in her hands. Kyeheheheheh ¡­ Lumia walked to Helial and with a filthy handkerchief, she mopped up the blood spattered on his face, then kissed him on the nose with so much tenderness to make him blush. ¡­ Blergh! Seriously, incest? Seriously? You people are revolting, really revolting. Shithead, I''m curious to see your next moves. Even though you''re a giant shithead, you have some, mpf, let''s say, mpf, mediocre skills. The voice paused briefly. Later you will have the great honor of meeting me and, if you will prove to be worthy of me, I could, perhaps, accept you as my pupil. Kyeheheheheh ¡­ 31 Fourth Phase Late stage "Heli..." "Yeah?" asked Helial, curious. "Do you enjoy killing?" The boy turned around while examining the dead bodies of the Black Wolves, taken aback by that question. "They''re just beasts", he said, trying to minimize. "Idiot, that was not my question", Lumia pouted, "I asked you if you enjoy killing." He did not think his sister capable of asking such a question, even though, from the first encounter with the Goblins, Lumia had showed great sensitivity towards the life of other creatures. Helial raised his eyes to the sky, now lightened by the first rays of dawn, then he looked at the carcasses, slowly disappearing in beams of grey light. "I don''t feel anything when I do it. Should I?" he muttered. "I only kill when it is necessary and, if I did not do it, we would be the ones getting killed. For now, I will only kill when necessary." "But¡­" "I know what you are thinking and I understand, but we can''t afford to hesitate. If we want to get stronger and reach higher levels, we''ll walk on a road soaked in our enemies'' blood. These are just monsters, but I would kill a person, if it were to protect you. We can''t live and not hurt anyone. If you want to live, if you want to stay with me, you need to be ready to understand that to live is to fight, and you just have to accept that." Helial held out a hand to his sister, tenderly. "Do not fear, I will be here to protect you." Lumia could not understand why an action like that could be justified, she did not even want to understand, but something told her that Helial was right. She took two hesitant steps toward her brother, but just when it looked like she was going to hug him¡­ Crunch! The girl bit the hand her brother was reaching toward her with love and complicity. Helial smiled, amused by his sister''s vain attempt to hurt him. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. After retrieving his hand, he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close and kissing her on the forehead. *** Some years earlier "How are you feeling, old hag?" asked Lumia to one of the elderly ladies, curling up a silvery strand of hair and putting it in her mouth. The woman had often tried to teach that cheeky girl the duties of a woman. When she saw her entering the room, after a violent coughing fit, she said: "Stop torturing that poor hair!" She stopped to cough again. "Do you think your brother would like to see you chewing your hair?" One of the women, who had been Lumia''s wet nurse, had told her that the old woman was not well. She was likely to pass away soon. The hair chewing was a bad habit that she had when she felt nervous and she had always kept it a secret from Helial. Partly because she rarely felt nervous in his brother''s presence, and partly because she feared his judgement. "Little brat, I know that you care a lot about your brother''s opinion, even if you act all tough¡­" muttered the old woman, before succumbing to a new coughing fit. As much as she did not want to admit it, Lumia really care about that woman and did not want to lose her. Suddenly changing expression, Lumia asked again with trembling lips: "How are you feeling?" The old woman tried to smile. "Coff not so good, but it will take more than this to- coff coff coff!" The elderly woman had a sudden fit and Lumia called for help. She died that same day. Beyond the pain, the little silver-haired girl that day experienced loss for the first time. For all her life she had lived with her brother, she had never lost anybody. It felt as if a piece of herself had been lost in the flow of time. What if that happened to Helial? *** In the present Lumia looked at her brother. She wished Helial would not kill. She did not want other people to suffer for their loss, to feel the same desperation that had overwhelmed her at the mere thought of losing Helial, her only anchor. How much would they suffer? But, more than that, could they survive such a blow? That little angel with dirty silver hair sighed and kept walking next to her brother. They headed towards the mountains. Now the terrain was rocky and interspersed with natural caves. They were attacked again and again by small packs of Black Wolves, but Helial was able to get rid of them quite easily. "Lumia, look! The entrance of that cave is glowing: I think I know what that is. It''s a Dungeon!" shouted Helial, all excited. Dungeons were special zones subject to mysterious rules that allowed the monsters inside to regenerate indefinitely, after a certain amount of time. Vidio had often told him about those mysterious places, full of treasures and possibilities. In there, more than one person had been able to find Bloodline Legacies or Secret Skills that were thought to be lost forever. "Judging from the color, it should be a first degree Dungeon. Inside it should have only monsters until the First Phase¡­" Helial stopped dead. He was really eager to test his abilities. Although it was unlikely that that Dungeon contain anything valuable, it was a chance to prove himself nontheless. But he had Lumia with him. Would he be able to protect her? Not having reached the First Phase yet, once dead they would not be granted a second chance. "Heli, can you defeat a monster in the First Phase?" Helial hesitated. He was not sure. Probably, he could have easily killed a monster in the First Phase Early stage. Killing one in the Intermediate stage was doable, with a little effort. But one at a Late stage? Who could say? After all, his were mere speculations. He could not be sure. He stared at Lumia. They would have to walk across the mountain ridge anyway, circumvent it and go north in order to reach a city. That would mean risking encounters with very powerful monsters. "I need to think; I cannot make a rash decision." Lumia nodded, aware of what was going on in her brother''s head. But then¡­ Grumble The girl''s stomach grumbled. Helial looked at her and burst out laughing. "What are you laughing at?" snapped Lumia. She picked up some rocks and began throwing them at her brother. You lost 1 HP. A rock hit him hard in the forehead, but nothing happened. He had the same Physical Resilience as a sheet of steel. It would have been hard to injure him even for a Goblin in the First Phase. We need fire to cook, thought Helial, who still had wolf meat taken from the carcasses in his small Inventory. The Inventory varied based on the objects a person owned. Backpacks and Bags could increase the capacity in a rudimental way, while Interspace Rings could increase it exponetially, without having to carry around bulky items. Helial had lost his Interspace Ring ten years earlier. He fished out some meat and sat down cross-legged. The laws to create Skills are the same for every element. It shouldn''t be too difficult to generate a flame from Mana. "Lumia, don''t bother me", said Helial to Lumia, who kept bombarding him with rocks, "I am trying to create a Skill to cook. If only I had Cooking at least at level 10, I could directly use that Skill to cook the meat. But, as it still is at a low level, I have to generate a flame first." Lumia turned around and sat down next to a tree to meditate, muttering swearwords directed to her brother. Helial stretched his arms in front of himself, palms a few inches apart and facing each other. Let''s see¡­ He activated his Meridians. Skill Activated: Communion with Mana He focused his attention on perceiving Mana through his Meridians. He began flowing the Soul Energy along his arms, trying to evoke a feeling of warmth. Maybe this one¡­ Half an hour later, small sparks burst out of Helial''s hand. Too weak. This other one¡­ Helial was trying to flow Mana through the most suitable Meridians and improve the flowing sequence. Even inside the single Meridians, flowing the Mana more towards the left or right, up or down, could make a big difference. Plus, the speed of the flow could concretely influence the efficiency of the Skill. Faster here, and slower over there. Here it has to whirl violently. Helial found himself sinking into a state of deep concentration. He seemed to be in a trance, completely put off from the outside world. There were only his Mana and his Meridians. ¡­ What is he doing? Is he trying to create a Skill to cook or to exterminate an entire civilization? That boy has no Affinity with Fire, actually¡­ I should give him a good talking to. Kyeheheheheh The Skill he''s creating, though¡­ That energy¡­ Brat, you really are a lucky bastard. ¡­ Helial felt a mysterious vibration in his Meridians. Since he had begun the creating process, he had noticed something odd in his body. It was probably the influence of Body of the Qilin. His Meridians now had traits that made his similar to a Qilin. Actually, if Helial had wanted to learn the Skills of a Qilin, he could have done so with great ease. He began following that new feeling that seemed to be guiding him through the development of the new Skill. His intuitions were taking him to unforeseen results. ¡­ ?! He''s developing.. no, it''s impossible. That Shithead¡­ ¡­ Helial''s Meridians began giving off an incredible heat. Suddenly, all the grass in a five-yard range burst into flames, then regrew immediately. ¡­ Damn Lame Dragon, this will only increase the Energy of Life inside his body. Now, it will be all the more difficult¡­ Shithead. ¡­ Screeeeech A cascade of sparks sprang from Helial''s hands. It was about to create a new Skill that felt extremely powerful. Funny to think that he had started from wanting to generate a small flame to cook some meat, and now look where that got him. Boom! You have created the Skill Flame of the Qilin! Helial looked at his hands and saw a small white flame. It was giving off a terrifying heat. All around him, the grass kept burning and regrowing, in a seemingly endless cycle. *** Outpost of Alabard "Commander, the Goblins are about to attack", announced a guard. Pausan nodded as the young man took his leave. He was on top of the walls, observing the scene before him. The Goblin army was badly deployed, not in close ranks. A frontal charge would have broken their ranks right away, throwing the army in total chaos. The walls of the outpost were not made of common stone, but of special materials that would have made any attack difficult. Moreover, the outpost possessed a powerful Formation. Battles of that size were not fought frontally, or they would have immediately ended in a bloodbath. Once on the Dao of Mana, killing became easier and easier. So, the defensive measures necessary in a fight had to be very strict, even in just the first three or four Phases. Pausan glanced at the inner courtyard. ! Vidio was telling one of his embellished racy adventure to some of the younger guards, who were laughing their heads off. Pausan almost popped a vein. That Master was an endless source of headaches. Maybe I should lock him up, thought Puasan. Just then, Vidio noticed the Commander and called at him: "Boss, come down and have a laugh with us before the battle." Pausan sighed, at the limits of his patience. A wave of pressure pushed the recruits away from Vidio. Then, Pausan unsheathed his weapon and struck a tremendous blow, after having activated a Skill. Fwooosh! Skill Activated: Earth Shattering Death. He regretted it almost immediately, but he had acted without thinking and had launched the attack before even realizing it. Vidio gaped speechless at the attack, but a second later he grew serious. The attacker was a man in the Forth Phase Late stage. Vidio was in the Second Phase Intermediate stage. Logically, he should have died on the spot. However, the air all around began exploding, the Mana seemed to have gone crazy, while Vidio gathered Energy on the Fighting Staff he had just produced from his Inventory. The space snapped and seemed to start collapsing. Skill Activated: Thunder God Lunge Boom! With a terrifying boom, the tip of the Staff and the Skill collided with the amazing Aura of Earth Shattering Death. Boom! Vidio was thrown backwards for a dozen yards, swept off by the shockwave. Yet he was still alive. You lost 6523 HP. He was vomiting blood on the ground, but he was still alive! He was in a wretched state, but he had survived a full scale attack by someone in the Fourth Phase Late stage. Thanks to his Parstan inflexibility, Pausan had learned to not underestimate his opponent and he instinctively delivered his blows and Skills with all his might every time he attacked. Everyone was staring at Vidio wide-mouthed. The Skill and the mastery of Mana he had just displayed had shocked everyone, including Pausan. No one better than him could fully understand the extent of what that foolished Master had just achieved. Pausan leaped and landed in the courtyard, then grabbed from his Inventory some Potions too rare to be used without giving it proper though, and threw them to the Master. Vidio caught the vials midair, before they shattered to the ground. "Drink those. You''ll take part in the battle. Have the Generals explain to you where to position yourself." He turned around and returned on the walls, to keep observing the enemy army. The Commander was certainly not a fool, he could see the strength and ability of who was standing brefore him. It had taken him time, but in the end he had seen Vidio''s strength. Commanders like himself, in the Fourth Phase, could be found by the thousands in a Nation as big as Fiercelake, or even more. But people in the Second Phase Intermediate stage who could repel such an attack¡­ Who knows if there was another one in the entire Nation. It was not for nothing that Vidio was the youngest Master in the history of the Congregation of Fiercelake. Because of the clash, Vidio was now lying on a pile of rubble: the wall he had crashed into had been seriously damaged and had collapsed extensively even in the bottom part, near the village. Luckily, the villagers had evacuated. Vidio looked carefully at the potions, before getting up and drinking them without the slightest hesitation. 32 A quick one? Helial was looking at the small white flame in the palm of his hand. ¡­ I can''t believe this¡­ I thought he would have to wait for me to¡­ ! ¡­ Sensing the changes occurring about her, Lumia suddenly came about from her meditative state. She saw the grass around Helial burst into flames and regenerate itself in a seemingly endless cycle. "Idiot, what are you doing?" Helial seemed to suddenly wake up. What? He was only trying to generate the best flame possible and, without meaning it, he had just created a terrifying Skill. That was Flame of the Qilin. Qilins didn''t have the power to control Mana, but every Qilin was able to control an extremely powerful Flame. Qilin Flames were way more formidable than those of Dragons. While a Dragon drew from Mana to generate a Flame, a Qilin used the natural resonance of their body with Mana to generate Skills that were linked to fire and did not need Mana. Helial glanced at what was lying in his hand. The tiny tongue of fire that was burning there was truly mesmerizing. It seemed that Body of the Qilin had allowed him to achieve such an outcome. The fact that he had been able to generate that Skill was not surprising in itself; what was surprising was the ease with which he had been able to generate it. In the meantime, while checking the small flame, he opened the Skills window to take a look at its effects. Active Skill Flame of the Qilin Lv: 1 Damage: ??? The damage generated by Flame of the Qilin differs according to the user''s resonance with the Forces of Life. It inflicts triple damage against the creatures of Darkness. Effects: ??? Cost: None Efficiency: 100% This is Flame of the Qilins, lords of nature and Life! It is one of the most mysterious Skills in the universe, able to dominate even the fire of the Dragons, lords of Mana. Helial stared at the window before him. Sometimes, some Skill information was not provided: it was random and he did not know the variables, but for the few Vidio had told him about. He needed to learn more, as soon as he had the chance. "Now we have something to cook the wolf meat with", Helial flashed a smile at his sister. Lumia shrugged and went back to meditating. She could at least show a tiny bit of interest¡­, thought Helial, annoyed. ¡­ Cooking? ¡­ Helial tried to get the intensity of the flame under control and once at the minimum, he started to use it to roast the meat. Fshhhhhhhh Grease was sizzling and dripping from the wolf steaks. ¡­ Kyeheheheheh I can''t believe this, Kyeheheheheh! He''s using it to cook! Kyeheheheheh! If that Lame Dragon could see him now¡­ He would probably vomit blood ''till he croaked! Kyeheheheheh! Kid, you just spat in the face of all the Qilins in the universe! Kyeheheheheh! ¡­ Helial was cooking quietly, while considering what to do with the new Skill. He did not have much details, but the best thing to do would be to directly test it on some monster. He looked at the sky and sighed. He still knew too little and was still too weak. True, Body of the Qilin had raised him above mediocrity, but he was far from considering himself strong enough. He looked at his sister meditating under the tree and a smile crept over his usually frowning face. Lumia was his personal ray of sunshine. Lumia loved him unconditionally. Even if she insulted and mistreated him every now and then, he knew that she would always be on his side, no matter at what cost. The meat was almost ready. Thanks to his excellent control he had managed not to burn it, despite the intensity of the Flame. "Lumia, the food''s ready!" called Helial. "I''m not hungry!" retorted his sister. "Wha-" "Shut up!" Helial was at a loss. He walked close to his silver-haired obnoxious angel. "Why don''t you want to eat?" he asked her, tousling her hair. When she felt Helial touching her, Lumia''s eyes flew open, shining with a fierce light. "Leave me alone!" ¡­ Is she acting like that because her brother killed them? ¡­ "What''s wrong?" "Nothing!" Helial was thrown off by Lumia''s behavior. But after a moment''s thought he asked: "Are you upset because I killed them without thinking twice about it?" Helial could not hold back a smile, which seemed to infuriate his sister even more. "What if they had cubs?" Lumia sprang on her feet and kicked Helial right in the shin, "what if that was their only choice, there was no need to kill them!" Helial grew suddenly very serious. He looked his sister in her emerald eyes and said: "Sit down for a second." Feeling the gravity in his voice, Lumia understood that it was better not to answer back, so she sat down. ¡­ Let''s see¡­ ¡­ Before sitting down on the ground in front of her, Helial picked some leaves from a tree nearby and laid them down before Lumia as a makeshift tablecloth where to lay the meat. Then he sat down and punched the ground so hard to make the entire forest tremble and boom. "What would you have done?" "I would have taught them a lesson and then let them go!" bellowed the little girl. "Okay, what then?" "What then what?" "The pack. Wolves move in packs." "I would have moved far enough to not run any risks!" "Wolves have a much more powerful sense of smell than us. And we have no way to disguise ourselves." "Then I wouldn''t have given a shit!" Helial grew even more serious. He explained: "Do you really think I mind killing a couple of wolves? They''re beasts; if they have cubs it''s none of my business. But if I had let them go, a bigger pack would have come, or even worse, a huge pack. How could I protect you then?" Lumia had seen his brother so serious only on a couple of other occasions. She almost felt intimidated. Helial went on: "Listen, do you know who is able to do what you say?" Lumia looked at him puzzled, shaking her head. "The strong." ¡­ What¡­? ¡­ "Only the strong, those who can protect themselves and their loved ones, in any circumstances, can act of their own free will. Do you think I would be able to deal with a pack of wolves and protect you at the same time?" Lumia stayed quiet. "Best-case scenario, we would both end up seriously injured, worst-case scenario, you would be dead for sure", said Helial solemnly. "I don''t care who, what or how someone tries to hurt you, they will always die." ¡­ This way, you''ll make her feel guilty. ¡­ "So it''s my fault!" "No, it''s not. It''s my fault. When I''ll be strong enough to afford that luxury, I''ll be willing to take bigger risks to spare lives. But they are monsters and we are human beings: it is in the nature of things that we should hunt each other. Come here." Helial took Lumia in his arms, who was already starting to well up, "you don''t have to be afraid of killing who wants to harm you. It''s part of our life, of our path. Let''s rather worry about defending who we love. Would you be willing to lose me to spare the life of a wolf?" ¡­ Interesting, kid. ¡­ Lumia looked at her brother in the eye, two big tears coming out of her light eyes. "N-no¡­" Helial smiled. "Don''t worry, your brother has no intention of becoming a Devil for now, but not a Saint either. We will do what is necessary and, when I''ll be able to choose of my own free will, there will come a time to take different decisions from the ones we are being forced into right now. But now let''s eat, today is not the day when I''ll stop killing wolves, or Goblins, or, if it''ll come to that, people." ¡­ Oh yeah? Kyeheheheheh ¡­ Right when Helial''s words spread in the air all around them, two six-foot high Black Wolves appeared in front of them. They growled at the two kids. Their exceptional sense of smell was telling them that the roasted meat used to be one of their brothers. Helial stood up, putting the piece of meat in the hands of his sister, whose tears he had just dried. He ran a hand on Curse of the Demon. Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin. He spread flames on the weapon, creating a vortex from tip to hilt. Curse of the Demon was now completely engulfed in white flames. The colors created a strikingly fascinating contrast. Helial had used that Skill following an intuition, trying to find a way to apply it in combat. The two wolves leaped forward at the same time, their crimson eyes exuding bloodlust. They wanted to avenge their fallen brothers. Auuuuuu! Helial advanced slowly, raising Curse of the Demon above himself. Fwoooosh! He slashed with calm and precision, releasing a huge burst of flame, while the wolves were still a couple of yards away. The tongues of fire enveloped the two beasts, leaving them no way out. Kshhhhh! The sleek black fur was consumed in instants by the flame and, right after, the two bodies of the wolves were also turned to ash. Black Wolf lost 7457 HP! Black Wolf lost 7213 HP! You killed Black Wolf! You killed Black Wolf! You levelled up! You reached Level 19! *** In the Outpost Vidio took a look at the generals beside him; for the most part they were in the Second Phase, and a couple in the Third Phase. They were the strongest of the outpost. Pausan was busy explaining how to proceed. "We have laid out traps, here, here, here and here", his words were straight to the point, he spoke little but could get through to anyone listening in the clearest way possible, "we will wear them out. Then we will use special Formations to scatter poison on the field¡­" At those words, some of the generals turned pale. The bravest in the room ventured a question: "Commander, don''t you think that employing poison and all these tricks will¡­uhm, how to say this, make us lose face?" Pausan''s look remained unchanged, while staring at the general. "Tell me, Nida, what do you reckon most important: a man''s life or his honor?" "Honor without a doubt, Commander." Pausan nodded. "Lock him in a cell. If in three days he won''t kneel down and plead to get out, hitting his head on the ground and if, once freed, he won''t scrub the recruit''s privy for a month, execute him. Every single objection will be considered as treason and you will all be put to death on the spot, including you, Nida." It was as though a gust of icy wind had hit them right in the chest. Everything the Commander said was not a laughing matter. This brat wants to teach me how to do my job? To hell with him! Rivers of blood will have to run by my feet, before I let an idiot kill my men in the name of honor. After a brief hesitation, two of the men loyal to Pausan stepped forward and escorted Nida to prison, who did not oppose any resistance. After all, the commander was in the Fourth Phase Late stage, while he was in the Second Phase Intermediate stage. What could he have done? Vidio cleared his throat. "Master, do you have anything to say on this matter?" asked Pausan. "Me? No, no. No objections. The Commander is really good at giving orders. If I weren''t so fascinated by other kinds of graces", he drew in the air the curvy shape of a woman, "I could maybe fall in love with so much virility and intelligence!" A huge vein popped on the neck of the Commander. Vidio was a pain in the butt and everytime he opened his mouth he managed to annoy him immensely. However, the capability he had shown made it worth having him among his men on the battlefield. Pausan suppressed a fit of rage and ran a hand over the map spread on the table, where Goblin shapes had been drawn all around the outpost. He focused on the action plan to not be overwhelmed by rage. For the thousandth time he noticed how, given the terrain, they could only launch a frontal attack. Thanks to the Formation set in the outpost, the training of his men and the tricks he had in store, that looked like an easy victory. But in spite of everything, Pausan had a horrible foreboding. The easiest battles are the ones that fuck you over. He started planning additional measures to save as much energy as possible and maximize the efficiency of the Goblin slaughter. "What do you say, Commander, a quick one before the battle¡­?" Pausan almost vomited blood on the ground. *** In front of the first degree Dungeon Helial locked eyes with Lumia with a serious look. "We''re going in. I don''t want to wait until I''m strong to make plans, or we''ll never make any progress. We will have to get our hands bloody. Once in it''ll be a carnage. Do you have a problem with that?" 33 A bloodcurdling cry Some years earlier "Master, don''t you think it''s time you taught me how to wield a weapon?" asked Helial, fed up with the middle aged man''s chatter. Vidio seemed to consider it for a while, then replied: "Kid, which Mastery would you like to learn? What about the Staff? Because you know, I know a legend about a man that once¡­" "NO, I BEG YOU, NO", cried Helial exasperated. "You see¡­" Helial put his hands over his ears and began screaming: "BLABLABLABLA." Vidio did not show the slightest hint of annoyance at that and kept going: "The Staff is one of the most well-rounded weapons. The legends tell of Immortals able to wield this weapon that can¡­" "I doubt you''re good at wielding your staff, seeing how the women of the tavern react when they see you", sneered Helial. Vidio looked puzzled for some seconds, before understanding the not-so-subtle banter. "Damn brat, today''s going to be the day I have you scrub the floor with your tongue!" "Easy, easy." Helial raised his hands in surrender, still with a sneering grin. When he managed to pull a straight face again, he added: "The Sword, Master. I want to learn the Mastery of the Sword. I''m not interested in any other weapon." Vidio raised an eyebrow. "Why?" Helial rolled his eyes, then after a few moments of silence he looked again at Vidio and said: "Master, shall we get started?" "Eh-ehm", Vidio cleared his throat. "I''d like to learn to use Skills to attack both at melee and long range. I don''t like neither bows nor spears. The Staff that you mentioned before¡­ I don''t care for that either. I don''t want a well-rounded weapon. I want to wield a sword; I don''t know why but I feel it''s the right weapon for me." Vidio looked a little taken aback by Helial''s determination. It seemed that the little brat had a clear idea about what weapon to use¡­ *** In the present, Outpost of Alabard "Master, what kind of weapon do you use? Only the Staff?" asked one of the generals. "Hehehe, you know, I''m very good with the staff", Vidio winked at him. The general, who clearly didn''t get the joke, stared at him with a puzzled look on his face. Vidio sighed. These boorish military people¡­ "Well, I became a Master when I was still very young", Vidio scratched his head, "I didn''t have a chance to master many other weapons. I know how to wield a sword, of course, and even a bow, but both Masteries are at a very low level. I''m still stuck at the Beginner stage, so I think I''ll stick to my beloved Staff." The general nodded. It was nothing unheard of. When a Mana Warrior or someone belonging to a different class chooses to master a weapon, this will accompany them for the rest of their lives. That was why choosing the right fighting tool was so important. Besides, making the Mastery of a weapon level up was not at all easy. A Mastery is similar to a Skill, but varies depending on the ability with a single weapon and allows not only to get Bonuses on attacks and Skill, but these Skills also usually require the Mastery to be at a certain level to be learned. Vidio clenched his fists and looked at the window he had opened while talking to the general. Passive Skill: Mastery of the Sword Lv: 3 Vidio sighed; that was one of the reasons why he could never teach anything to Helial. Plus, hard training with a weapon or magic was required to learn these passive Skills. There are Masteries both for weapons and elemental magic, but they are very special and mysterious Skills. Every Skill has levels, secondary levels and stages. While a Skill is at Beginner stage, the stage is not displayed together with the level. The three most common stages are: Beginner, Master and Grandmaster. The remaining stages were mostly unknown, since they belonged more to the legends than in the real world. In order to pass from Beginner to Master stage, the Skill had to reach level 20 of the Beginner stage. Then, between Master and Grandmaster stage there were other 10 levels, each as difficult to surpass as a mountain and so far from each other as the distance between heaven and earth. In general, the Effects of a Skill change only based on increases of level or secondary levels, and in some cases based on efficiency. But the Passive Skills of Masteries were a totally different thing. It required a lot of time to level up but, even at the same level, they could differ greatly one from the other. Mastery of the Sword level 3 could vary in strength based on someone''s Affinity with the weapon. Just like with elements, every person shows an inclination towards some kinds of Magic or weapons. For example, there are people whose constitution is more suited for Fire Magic and others for Light Magic. But no one knows for sure on what these parameters are based. Common folks think that these are totally random values. But it seems that the high echelons of the Mana Congregation are in possession of information on the matter. However, the information is so secret that no one knows what position is necessary to reach to obtain it. Anyway, to gain access to these Passives, the first step is reaching the First Phase, in which Meridians undergo all necessary changes to learn new Skills and to clearly define the Elemental Affinity. *** You entered Dungeon ''Wolf Lair''. Helial looked at the notification window in front of him. It seems like I''m not the first one to discover this Dungeon¡­ The first person to find a Dungeon earns special Bonuses for ten days, including double the Experience and money earned, and the chance to find objects created from the killing of Monsters. Wolves, uh? Helial was standing inside the cave, in a vast circular space, and only one path opened in front of him. Many Dungeons were huge mazes full of deadly traps, but this was a low-level one. Probably it had just the one path. We''ll see¡­ Helial took a couple of steps forward, his right hand tightly grasping Curse of the Demon. The veins on his arms were pulsating because of the incredible weight of the weapon. A wolf in the First Phase could have weighed 2000 pounds at most, but Curse of the Demon alone must have weighed 2500 pounds. A dead weight¡­ Helial''s relationship with that weapon was not great. Before going in, he had tried to check the window of Information of the Longsword one more time, but could not do it even with Mana Scan. It was a lost cause. He would have to find someone with Mana Scan at least at the Master stage. Despite all his attempts made after coming back from Kirin''s dimension, it seemed like the Longsword was unwilling to show him anything more. He could only give up and look for someone more knowledgable than him. He warily stepped forward. Skill Activated: Perception He began condensing Mana on his left hand, a frown on his face. Raaawr! Suddenly, a wolf leaped from behind a rocky spur, pouncing on Helial with his open maw. Skill Activated: Mana Pistol Helial did not lose time. He reached for the head of the beast with his left hand and¡­ BOOM! The head of the monster exploded in a pink mist. Helial spun around immediately, ignoring the notification windows. Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin He let the flaming tongues engulf the sword and slashed at another boulder. Fwoosh! The boulder was hacked in two and with it also the Black Wolf that was hiding behind it. Black Wolf lost 5432 HP! You killed Black Wolf! "Lumia, stay close. Let''s go." The little girl walked on carefree, following her big brother as if she were going on a picnic with her boyfriend. ¡­ This Aura¡­ There is such a creature on this planet¡­ Is it possible? ¡­ Helial looked around. Thanks to Perception he had sensed a very powerful Aura, probably a Black Wolf over level 60 in the First Phase. He began condensing Mana once more, getting ready to use Mana Pistol. He had reached a round room in the Dungeon. The room had stone walls and rocky spurs all around it. The Black Wolf was 100 feet from him but did not try to show itself. "What''s happening, why is it not attacking?" muttered Helial. It seemed that the monster was not planning on coming out in the open, so Helial kept getting closer very slowly, after bekoning Lumia to keep at a distance. When he got very close to the spur where the Black Wolf was hiding, Helial jumped in the air and, when he flew above the rocky spur, he activated the Skill. Boom! The monster, even before getting hit, yelped and put its muzzle to the ground, as if it were terrifyied by something. The Mana bullet hit it right in the back where it left a deep wound, so deep that the bones were showing. Black Wolf lost 2432 HP! Black Wolf has suffered a Malus: Serious Bleeding! Effects: the opponent loses 40 HP per second until the bleeding stops! Why didn''t it try to react? After getting hit, the monster seemed to get out from a kind of trance and achieve a new state of consciousness. RAAAWR It growled and its eyes turned crimson. A bloody Aura surrounded the shiny black fur of the wolf. The eyes of the monster flashed with fierceness. It was as if the wound just inflicted were strengthening more than weakening it. Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin Helial did not loose his cool not even for a second. While he was still midair, he used Flame of the Qilin to turn the wolf into ash. He had a cold look on his face; he wanted to kill it fast. A ring of flames surrounded the monster, but it managed to escape death leaping to the side. The tongues of fire melted the stone where the four paws of the wolf were a moment before. Witnessing that scene, the creature felt intimidated but it had made up its mind to tear that stupid kid to pieces, one way or another. Having dodged the attack, the wolf seized the moment Helial landed on the ground to jump on him. Its jaws snapped shut around Helial''s left arm, which the kid had used to protect his neck. Stupid human, you might as well say goodbye to your arm! A sparkle of joy lightened up in the wolf''s crazy eyes, but it lasted only a second. CLANG It was like biting down on a steel plate. Helial glanced at a notification. You lost 8 HP The look on the wolf''s face changed immediately, when he realized he had just barely scrached the skin of the brat. "Dead." Boom! Helial mercilessly lowered Curse of the Demon against the side of the wolf, completely shattering its ribcage. You killed Black Wolf! You earned 7435 Exp! This time he had earned a lot more experience than the previous wolves. Helial clenched his fist and the air all around him crackled. Crack Could he be considered strong now? "Helial!" Lumia ran towards him. No, kept thinking Helial, maybe he possessed the same strength as a mediocre monster. He picked up the fur¡­ What''s this? Helial spotted something pearly white, while the carcass of the Black Wolf dissolved in a beam of gray light. He took the object with his thumb and forefinger to give it a better look. It was a fang. Skill Activated: Mana Scan Name: Black Wolf Fang Consumption: 6/10 Can be used to forge weapons and armors. Value: ??? ¡­ Is he picking up also that kind of crap? Shithead¡­ ¡­ Well, this should make me at least a couple of silver pieces. It wouldn''t be a bad idea to stay here killing wolves and picking up objects to sell in the town markets¡­ Besides, I could even stay he- His train of thought was cut short by a bloodcurdling cry¡­ MIAAAAAAOWWWW 34 Gash Some years earlier "Kid, today I have a big one for you." "A big load of bul*****?" snickered Helial. Vidio scowled and went on: "The other day I was browsing an ancient manuscript¡­" The master put a giant volume on the table in front of him, blowing off the dust on the cover right into Helial''s face. Coff! Coff! Helial got smothered by the cloud of dust and was shaken by a coughing fit. "Damn old fart¡­ Coff coff! Do you think you''re funny? How old are you, five? Coff coff!" Helial fanned himself frantically. "On the path to Immortality, you could find mythologial creatures you have heard of only in my stories. Not even I know where the legends stop and reality begins. But I''m sure that opening your ears will only do you good", grumbled Vidio. Helial rolled his eyes and conceded: "You''re right this time. Let''s hear what this is about, then." The look on the boy''s face grew serious. Vidio mentioning the path to Immortality was not without reason. The Master knew his pupil well: when things turned out to be useful, Helial never missed a word. Vidio, also intoxicated by the dust, coughed and cleared his throat: "Ehem, besides Qilins and Dragons, there are many other kinds of incredible creatures in this universe. One of these is the Heavenly Star Tigers¡­" "Heavenly Star Tigers?" Vidio nodded. "According to the legend, the first Heavenly Star Tiger was born from the firmament. That means from a star. Their heavenly bodies are huge conglomerates of Life Energy, so together with the Qilins, these creatures are one of the greatest among the ranks of the Forces of Life. "They were born from the star Alfa in the Orion constellation after a great catastrophy. The first of their kind has fought side by side with Kirin in one of the many battles against Dragons. Tigers and Qilins are natural friends", Vidio smiled, "however, even though there is one of the most recent species, Dragons and Qilins have nothing on them. They are the fastest creatures in the universe. The Heavenly Star Tigers are without a doubt the fastest living creatures. If a Heavenly Star Tiger called itself the second fastest creature in the universe, no other could boast the title of first." Indeed if Qilins represented the peak of physical ability and Dragons the peak of Mana Control, then Tiger were the symbol of speed. Qilins had the most destructive physical strength, but could not control Mana. Dragons had a terrifying natural aptitude for Mana, to say the least, but could not rival the other two either in speed or physical strength. "Master, I have a question", uttered Helial. Vidio''s eyes sparkled. Helial rarely took an interest in his stories, unless they were purely technical lessons. "What do they look like?" "What?" "These creatures. What do they look like?" Vidio shrugged and said: "The book did not say." "Do you ever know anything useful?" "¡­" Heavenly Star Tigers had white fur with black stripes. Although not as resistent as that on Qilins, their constitution was envied by many. Their claws very deadly weapons, sharp ad lethal. A Heavenly Star Tiger could have ripped your head off without you even noticing. Adult Tigers had the symbol * on their forehead that set them apart from other cats. Their pure white fur had inspired many ballads and the Tiger''s elegance and refinery was known in all the corners of the universe¡­ *** In the present MIAOWWWWW Miaow? Aiiiiiii Right after the miaowing, several wolves began yelping. What is happening? Boom! Boom! Boom! Fwoosh! Helial heard some terrifying booms and what sounded like a battle. He was not liking that at all. Skill Activated: Perception Helial sensed various Auras some hundred yards away. One of these seemed to be surrounded by thirty or so wolves. Helial told Lumia to wait for him there, after checking that there were no wolves waiting for a surprise attack. He hid her. He opened the Inventory and his hand vanished through a translucent window and then reappeared grasping a cloth. "These are very powerful protective runes; they will completely screen off your presence. Take it." Lumia nodded and Helial, without saying anything else, ran away in the direction of all the Auras. Thirty wolves and only one opponent. If I don''t kill them, those thirty wolves will come to look for Lumia and me, after getting rid of that fellow. Right now I have an ally. He could not let the wolves rally and attack him from every side. He had to do something. He put Curse of the Demon behind his back and began condensing Mana on both hands. Fwooosh! As soon as he got in the next room of the Dungeon, he saw a wolf flying midair. It was only after a couple of seconds that he noticed that the body of the beast had been slashed in two and now the two parts were separating, falling some feet apart and smashing on the ground. A shadow landed on the stone floor on¡­ fours paws. It turned around. With a clean sweep of a paw it slit open the throat of another wolf. What the f***? Helial did not think twice. Crack crack A web of racks spread under his feet. He bolted towards the wolves. Skill Activated: Mana Pistol Skill Activated: Mana Pistol BOOM! BOOM! The heads of two Black Wolves exploded in a bloody mist. Now there were almost fifty wolves. While Helial had been running there, their number had increased. It looked as if all the monsters of the Dungeon were there. Helial sensed movement behind his back, but could only defend himself with his forearms. Fwoosh! The attack was too swift even to hope to dodge it. The claws sank deep in his flesh, leaving eight bloody wounds. You lost 98 HP! The wounds closed up immediately, stopping the Malus of bleeding. "Brat, get the f*** off, make room for the Supreme Cat. These puppies haven''t learned their lesson yet. If you behave though, I might spare your life and keep you as my pet." Helial could finally see the creature clearly. It was a humongous white cat with the face of a kitten. His sweet and cute face was in stark contrast to his savage, arrogant eyes. "Now let''s kill the wolves, we''ll talk later." Helial ignored him and took a step towards the wolves, or at least that was what he meant to do. Skill Activated: Heavenly Star Tiger Thunderbolt The cat hissed and swiped his paw at Helial, but this time he did not catch him off-guard. Grasping Curse of the Demon, Helial slashed to parry the blow. BOOM! Both flew backwards, crashing against the stone walls. The wolves were looking at each other, confused by that turn of events. "WHAT THE F*** ARE YOU DOING? I''M HELPING YOU!" furiously yelled Helial. "Make room for this Supreme Cat. I don''t need the intereference of a man cub", the huge adorable pile of white fur snorted and licked the paw that had clashed against Curse of the Demon. Even if it didn''t show, I''m at a slight physical disadvantage. Who the hell is this brat?, thought the cat to himself. Helial suddenly spun around and slashed at the First Phase Black Wolves with Curse of the Demon. Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin He enveloped the sword in whitish flaming tongues and struck two nearby wolves. The wolves were caught off-guard and, without a chance of dodging it, got the full power of the blow. Fwoosh! Black Wolf lost 8153 HP! You killed Black Wolf! You earned 7435 Exp! Black Wolf lost 7866 HP! You killed Black Wolf! You earned 7435 Exp! Helial did not lose a second. The wolves were too many to engage in a futile fight. "Cat, I''ll see you after killing all these wolves, how about that?" Helial smirked, turning towards the white furball. "Or maybe you don''t think you can win in a fair match?" "Umpf", the cat snorted, "do you think you''re up to it? Do you have any idea who I am- Are you listening to me?!" Helial was fighting four wolves, slashing furiously. He turned around for a second, while a wolf was biting his arm as hard as steel and retorted: "So?" "Alright! I''ll give you the honor of beholding my magnificence from up close!" Helial rolled his eyes. If he had to die and reincarnate one day, he hoped to finally find normal people and a quiet life. You lost 20 HP! You lost 15 HP! You lost 31 HP! The Black Wolves were mauling and clawing Helial''s arms, who was trying to awkwardly fight them off. Another wolf reached Helial. The boy is about to come to a bad end, or is he¡­?, the cat observed from afar. He had suffered some injuries and now his pure white fur was stained with blood. Crack Boom! The cat heard a sudden explosion and was hit by a heat wave. Helial was surrounded by a ring of fire that had engulfed all five of the wolves, turning them to ash. The fire started disappearing into beams of gray light as soon as all the wolves were dead. Helial had let the monsters get as close as possible and then, when they least expected it, he had burned them alive. He wiped the sweat off his face with a hand. It was not over, not at all¡­ "Brat, do you think you can show off in front of this Supreme Cat?! Forget it, let''s now see who is the most magnificent between us!" Skill Activated: Heavenly Star Tiger Thunderbolt This time the cat activated the Skill on both the soft pads in his paws, condensing as much Mana as possible. Crack! Crack! The air started crackling. "This time I will get it right!" He kept the Skill and darted towards five Black Wolves. Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Afterimages were created as the cat slashed devasting blows against the monsters. The blows that hit the mark did not need to be repeated and all the wolves ended up beheaded in just a few seconds. ¡­ Meeting such a creature right here, very interesting¡­ But what about his personality? ¡­ Boom! Boom! Boom! The fight went on for about ten minutes. Helial and the cat were able to kill all the wolves, all the while having a dig at each other. Anf anf By the end they were both exhausted and panting. Helial had disheveled hair and a blood-streaked face, his arms were all chewed and clawed. He was trying to catch his breath, while leaning on Curse of the Demon. Even the cat was in a pitiful state: his fur was drenched in blood, giving him a dreadful appearance. The both of them were not doing so good. "Cat, are you done yet?" The cat slit the carotid of the last wolf, then landed a couple of feet from Helial. He raised a claw, waving it in front of Helial''s face. "Guess who''s next." Helial scowled. He had just sensed too powerful a presence to mind that cat. "Cat¡­" "Human scumbag, my name is Snowflake, but you can call me Master Cat, if you like." Helial looked in those icy blue eyes. "Did you feel it?" "I did." A terrifying Aura was approaching. the cat and the human grew suddenly very serious. ¡­ Let''s see which one of these two loudmouths will be the first one to be ripped to shreds. ¡­ Coff coff Helial started to snicker. "What are you laughing at, human? Didn''t you get that we''re about to be in BIG trouble?" "I certainly did, SNOWFLAKE! Puahahahah¡­" It took a second for Snowflake to realize that the human was mocking him, but when he did he went ballistic. With claws unsheathed he said: "How dare y-" AUUUUUUUUUUUUU A wolf with silver fur and crimson eyes appeared out of nowhere. It must have been about 13 feet high. It was just humongous. ¡­ First Phase¡­ Late stage. What will you do now? ¡­ Match with the Dungeon Boss: Silvery Lone Wolf. Special mission: Defeat Silvery Lone Wolf to receive the title of "Wolf Hunter". Since this Boss has never been fought before, you have the chance to find a special object. At "you have the chance to find a special object" Helial forgot all about how scary that monster was and began wishing to obtain some good object for Lumia and himself. He went into some kind of frenzy. Pshhhhh Helial felt something hot against his leg. He turned towards Snowflake at his side who was busy pissing on him. ¡­ Seriously? And these Tigers should be the most elegant and refined creatures in the universe? ¡­ "****!?" "Hohoho, this Supreme Cat had a full bladder", Snowflake was laughing his head off. Helial threw a kick, which was dexterously dodged by the pile of white fur. Fwooosh! The Silvery Lone Wolf struck with a paw, sending an air blade towards the other two to test their strength. Helial was caught off-guard and the air blade hit him right in the chest, shaking him slightly. It did not leave any signs on his body¡­ but it had completely torn his tunic. ¡­ Interesting. ¡­ Snowflake suddenly sensed a bloodthirsty Aura override that of the Silvery Lone Wolf. His animal instinct told him to take a few steps back. It was Helial. Now he looked like a totally different person. His eyes had grown cold, a blue ocean of death. His knuckles had turned white while gripping Curse of the Demon. He stared furiously at the Dungeon Boss. Despite the rage, he slowly lowered Curse of the Demon to the ground and took off his faded tunic, putting it down carefully. "Snowflake, that tunic must stay intact until the end of the fight. Were it to receive even just one scratch, I''ll behead you right after I am finished with this giant pile of s***." Helial''s cockiness seemed to be coming straight from hell. There was something dreadful about that boy, right at that moment. Snowflake was arrogant, but not a fool. He sensed a deep hatred in those words and snorted: "All yours¡­ When you''re done we''ll see if you''ll still have enough courage to talk like this to this Supreme Cat, mpf mpf." Having picked up the Longsword, Helial took a step forward and rose shirtless against the huge monster. Crack A thick web of cracks suddenly spread on the ground where it came into contact with the soles of his shoes, while he dashed forward. 35 How to live the life? Some years earlier "Hey idiot, are you sure it''s alright?" asked Lumia, with a self-satisfied look at a horribly-done mend on the faded tunic. After looking at it for a while, she lowered her eyes and muttered: "No, okay. I''ll do it again. It sucks." Lumia''s fingers were blood-stained, as she had pricked her hands several times while mending the tunic. She had rubbed the hands together to hide from Helial the blood that was coming out of the tiny wounds. She had spent hours trying to make a decent mend, but she seemed unable to do it. She had done her best and the result was that horrid mend that was now ostentatiously bulging on the front of the fabric. Helial looked at his sister with a raised eyebrow, he got closer and stooped down to kiss her on the forehead, while taking the tunic from her hands. "But¡­" Helial ignored Lumia''s reaction and put on the tunic, even though that mend could easily be defined as the biggest monstrosity ever made in the sewing world. Lumia looked sorry, but Helial responded with a beaming smile. Helial had always owned very few clothes, so few that they could be counted on one hand. He had never cared about his looks. He would rather get his sister something yummy to eat than a new tunic for himself. But Lumia was not a stupid girl and she knew perfectly well how much her brother did for her. That was why she always gave it her all in every small matter. Despite this, she was really hopeless at precision work such as sewing. There was something that prevented her from having the kind of surgical precision that Helial showed in everything he did. "Hel-" "It''s perfect", Helial got closer to Lumia and took her in his arms. The girl''s hands stained all the tunic, leaving behind tiny crimson stains. *** In the present Snowflake glanced at the tears on the tunic. His eyes focused on some tiny bloodstains on the front. "This brat is really peculiar. You''ll see if this Supreme Cat will make you pay for this, mpf! Making me babysit a fucking piece of fabric", muttered the huge furball. Despite all the whining, even Snowflake had understood how important that tunic was for Helial, though he did not know why. ¡­ Let''s see what happens now. Did the blood rush to your head? ¡­ Crack crack crack Helial was running at breathtaking speed towards the Dungeon Boss, leaving behind a web of cracks. This little monster is really strong, but that Boss is in the First Phase Late stage, plus it''s a class Boss monster. It''ll be hard for him to make it alone¡­, thought the cat. Monsters were divided into different classes: from Normal to Elite to Boss, and so on for other minor subclasses. Every Class made the monster different from others. A class Elite Black Wolf was stronger than a normal one, but weaker than a class Boss one. AUUUUUUUUUUUUU Skill Activated: Mana Pistol Additional Effect: You can condense Mana at 400%. Your body receives damage, but the Damage inflicted increases exponentially. You lost 80 HP! Helial stared at the wolf, so big that it looked like a house with mighty fangs and claws. BOOM Helial pointed his hand against the Boss'' snout and shot a terrifying Mana bullet. The air whistled and deformed at its passage. That Boss, however, was not an ordinary monster. It leaped to the side, promptly dodging the bullet and got ready to hit the brat with a claw. BOOM The Mana bullet hit the Dungeon wall with a deafening boom. Helial''s eyes were incredibly cold, while his lips were pressed so tight together they had turned livid. The Silvery Lone Wolf seemed to have noticed something, so it immediately lowered the paw and landed far from Helial. It looked at the wall. In the stone there was a hole as big as a fist, but so deep that it was impossible to see the bottom of it. That boy was scarier than it had imagined. The Boss suddenly grew serious: the boy was strong, it was not going to lose time with silly games. It looked at Helial and scowled. Skill Activated: Bloodthirst Effects: Damage +300% Defense ¨C 200% Your blows have a higher probability to inflict the status Bleeding. When your health goes lower than 20% you go in Berserk mode. In Berserk mode, you do not feel pain and your blows inflict 150% of damage, but your senses are clouded by rage and you risk losing control. A scarlet Aura enveloped the huge body of the wolf. A terrifying Skill. ¡­ Bloodthirst? Such a weak Autobuff¡­ and this should be a Boss? Pfui, disgraceful¡­ Kid, hurry up and get rid of this garbage, or drop dead here and now. ¡­ The crimson eyes of the Boss met Helial''s eyes as blue as death. The Boss growled, unable to talk. Only monsters above the Third Phase could normally speak the tongue of men. Above the Fifth Phase they were also able to take on a human form. The smile on the wolf''s face seemed to be mocking Helial. "Kid, to you want to-", tried to say Snowflake. Skill Activated: Mana Pistol BOOM! Helial had gotten closer to the wolf and had used Mana Pistol again, condensing Mana as much as possible, but this time he did not fire at the wolf but at the ground. He dumped Curse of the Demon and leaped in the air, jumping at least 30 feet high and almost touching the Dungeon ceiling, thanks to the kickback. The corners of his mouth curled up in a sneer directed at the monster. Usually the kickback was absorbed by his Meridians, but this time Helial had prevented it from happening, so generating enough power to propel him up to the ceiling. Now he was exactly above the Silvery Lone Wolf that was waiting for him to come down and tear him to pieces. I want to see what you''re planning on doing and how strong you are, thought the wolf. Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin Helial covered his body in white flames. Snowflake stared at him wide-eyed and pricked his ears, observing attentively the scene. Those innocent-looking white tongues of fire burned to death in just a second several wolves that had let their guard down whie fighting Helial. That boy was really dangerous and devious. The cat had already seen what was coming right after that. The Boss, however, thought it had an easy victory in sight. After all, a monster in the First Phase, as strong as it might be, was not necessarily clever. The only exceptions were those creatures with outstanding Blood Legacies, like Snowflake, whose intelligence was probably way higher than most humans. Like an asteroid, Helial fell on top of the Boss. The Silvery Lone Wolf activated one of its strongest Skills. Skill Activated: Bloody Wolf Claws! A scarlet flash surrounded the paw of the monster, which immediately launched a frontal attack on Helial. ¡­ Despite the Phase gap, the flames of the lame dragons are not something that a normal wolf can withstand. Congratulations! You''ve just lost a limb! ¡­ Fwooosh! The blow hit Helial straight in the chest, knocking the breath out of him and leaving him gasping for air. The claws did not sink past the ribs, but they left behind four gashes all the same, deep enough to show the bones of the ribcage. Helial was flung against the wall, like an arrow which had just left the bow, and vomited blood on the ground. You lost 1074 HP! Helial had received quite a lot of damage, but was not at risk yet. Body of the Qilin had given him a body able to resist a stupid wolf. The cuts slowly started to heal. In all truth, he was not the one to have it worse. Silvery Lon Wolf lost 4455 HP! Silvery Lone Wolf lost 2335 HP! Silvery Lone Wolf 3153 HP! AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII The Boss immediately jumped back, but it was too late. Right before being flung backwards, Helial had thrown on it Flame of the Qilin, which was not going to die out before having consumed the beast to the bone. The wolf''s health started plummeting while the tongues of fire kept eating away at its leg. But it did not move. If the flames had touched any other part of its body, it would have probably been burned alive. Damned brat! Let''s see what your flesh tastes like!, thought the Boss. Helial looked at it coldly. "The next time think twice before ruining my clothes." While the monster was trying its best not to let the flames catch on beyond its leg, Helial grasped Curse of the Demon and activated Mana Pistol one more time, condensing Mana as much as possible. He felt as if his Meridians were about to shatter, but he did not stop to accumulate Mana and, suddenly¡­ Skill Activated: Mana Pistol The excessive condensation increases the damage by 600% and slightly damages your Meridians. In the next few days, your Mana Control will be 5% weaker. BOOM! *** Outpost of Alabard On top of the walls, Vidio and the generals were looking at the advancing Goblin army. The green little monsters were charging at full speed but, while doing it, they had activated all the booby traps that had been laid down to welcome them. Everywhere blood was spurting like from fountains. A stray piece of shrapnel slit a Goblin''s throat. Another Goblin was ripped in shreds by a hidden pool of explosive liquid. Another one had fallen victim of spikes dipped in lethal poison. What''s happening?, thought Vidio. That same question was likely to be gnawing at the hearts of all the generals. No one knew what was really happening. It almost looked as if the Goblins were throwing themselves in the arms of death, indifferent to their own lives. It was totally irrational. Goblins were humanoid creatures, as intelligent as humans, not real monsters. They enjoyed the same privileges as the higher races, after all. Once dead, a monster would disappear in a beam of grey light, without any chance of coming back to life. Men, however, together with Goblins, Dragons, Qilins and Heavenly Star Tigers, enjoyed a great privilege above the First Phase: on the brink of death, unless their body was completely destroyed, they could keep on living by injecting themselves with Mana in the next 24 hours. After that period of time, their body would disappear in a beam of grey light, just like any other creature. The only monsters that enjoyed such a privilege, besides the higher races, were Dungeon monsters. They were not in fact normal creatures, but beings born from great masses of unstable Mana, who came back to life after being dead for a certain period of time. Pausan feared that the Goblin attack were just a stunt to trick them into coming out and then catch them off-guard with a trap. Who knows, maybe inside that army hid a Goblin in the Fifth Phase. After all, it was very odd that the Goblin would mobilize such a small army for an attack. Of course, even odder was the fact that the Capital had not sent any backup. There is something so rotten in this whole business that I cannot afford to let the battlefield out of my sight for even a second. Pausan could have fought in the battle in the frontline. Being in the Forth Phase Late stage, together with his men he could probably have slaughtered the entire enemy army without effort. But it was all too weird. Why did they attack? Why do they want this outpost? Why are they making this suicide move? This smells like politics and the stink carries for miles and miles. Curse them¡­ Pausan clenched his fists, while the air all around him started crackling. The mere idea of being a pawn in that war was driving him crazy. After a couple of hours, the battle seemed to be drawing to a close. Pausan and his men had done nothing but launching attacks from afar and the Goblin army had been almost halved while trying to climb the walls. Pausan approached Vidio and said: "Master, it is time to take the field. Are you ready?" "Of course I am ready, let''s fuck them up good!" said Vidio, swinging his hips and grasping the air in front of him. Pausan stared at him in shock, then decided to ignore him. "Open the gate! Let''s clear the field!" Too Goblins had died already and no one thought of a trap anymore. It had been just an attack too stupid to work. While the gate was been opened by the soldiers, Vidio made a suggestion to Pausan, with a mischievous grin: "Listen, Commander¡­ Don''t you think that after the victory we could all deserve some nice girls-" Vidio was not expecting Pausan''s complicit smile to be followed by an attempt to punch him. But luckily, the master''s wits were sharp enough to dodge the blow and the fist wooshed through the air. "Ah, Commander, I should teach you how to live the life!" cried Vidio, walking past the gate, ready to engage in battle. 36 Caesar BOOOM! The Mana bullet hit the right side of the Silvery Lone Wolf, where it dug a hole as big as a fist. Blood came gushing out, drenching the fur of the beast. Silvery Lone Wolf lost 12.234 HP! Silvery Lone Wolf received the Malus Serious Bleeding. Effects: until Serious Bleeding is removed, you lose 150 HP per second. ROAAAAAR! The Boss let out a furious roar, but the battle was already decided. There was no other possible outcome. However, thanks to Bloodthirst, the Silvery Lone Wolf had just entered the Berserk mode. Now it would have been impossible to contain it if not killing it. The atmosphere grew tenser. Helial did not lose his cool. On the contrary, he kept looking at the wolf coldly, while covering Curse of the Demon with Flame of the Qilin. The white tongues of fire were in stark contrast to the pitch black Longsword. It was both fascinating and enigmatic. Snowflake squinted: "The little bastard has won, mpf mpf, this Supreme Cat would have done a better job, but it was not too lousy, not lousy at all", Snowflake yawned and stretched. The cat looked again at the tunic almost ripped in half. He sniffed the air. Besides wolf blood, he could smell a hint of human blood on the tunic, but gentler than that of a man. A girl perhaps? ¡­ And this should be a Boss? Shithead, hurry up and kill it. I''m bored to death¡­ ¡­ The huge enemy had already lost the use of a leg. Its health was probably only around 10%, but this was the moment were it would be most dangerous. Helial knew well that a wounded beast can be a fearsome enemy, but he kept calm. "Let''s see if you''ll like to play with your claws now. Next time, shove them up your ass", growled Helial, in an expressionless voice that seemed to come directly from hell. The air all around started crackling, while the flames on Curse of the Demon became more intense. ¡­ Tainted with the flame of a Lame Dragon¡­ ¡­ It was not Helial''s first time facing a wolf or a creature much stronger than himself, it was also not the first time a monster made him furious. Helial could tolerate many things, but everything that had to do with Lumia was taboo. It was his twisted scale. And everyone knew that touching a Dragon''s twisted scales could have terrible consequences. The Boss vomited blood on the ground, then looked up again, fixing his eyes into those of Helial. Its maw was shut, bloody saliva trickling down in scarlet rivulets. Blue and Crimson, their eyes had met again in an ethereal battle. Anyway, the boy should really hurry up. Every second spent waiting might be fatal¡­ Anything could happen any second now. Snowflake was completely engrossed, caught up in the exchange of looks that seemed like a battle. Helial wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. He could feel the wounds burning in his chest. It was as if his flesh were on fire, while Body of the Qilin was slowly regenerating the wound he had suffered. The corners of Helial''s mouth trembled with rage: he was still too weak. If he had not had that Skill, he would have been killed by the Boss in just a few minutes. He reached for his chest and mopped up the blood, then with an abrupt gesture, he swung the hand to the side. Crimson droplets splattered the rocks near him. He grasped Curse of the Demon with two hands, ready to finish the monster. It was risky to delay the matter further; it could have turned into a dangerous situation¡­ Helial was about to take a step forward. Sniff sniff "What?" Snowflake sniffed the air and spun around, as if he had smelled something. ¡­ Things are getting interesting. ¡­ Snowflake''s eyes fell on a helpless girl with fair, almost white hair. She was standing at the entrance of the Dungeon hall, exactly behind the wolf, only a few dozen yards from it, grasping a piece of cloth covered in mysterious runes. Snowflake''s whiskers quivered, as if he had just understood something¡­ he turned towards Helial. Helial was in shock. Why is she here?! Shit! Shit! SHIT! He darted towards the Silvery Lone Wolf as fast as he could. The beast turned around, unaware of why the boy was causing such a commotion. The bloodshot eyes of the wild beast locked with the meek eyes of Lumia, who almost got scared. The Silvery Lone Wolf was standing exactly in the middle between Helial and Lumia. "RUN!" shouted Helial. The Boss grinned mischievously. It was doomed, but it would make sure that the boy paid dearly for defeating him. He dashed towards Lumia with his mouth wide open. Unfortunately, Snowflake was standing even farther away, not far from Helial at the other end of the room. He could not have reached Lumia in time, not even at full speed. The little one is done for¡­ *** At the outpost Skill Activated: Ascending Lightning Vidio swept the Staff upwards, generating a terifying explosion that turned to dust a dozen Goblins in front of him. Then he spun around gracefully, twirling the Staff. Skill Activated: Heavenly Thunderbolt A giant shockwave wiped away the other enemies standing behind him, throwing them ten yards back. Pausan was looking from a distance how the battle progressed, his arms folded. "Commander, are you sure it''s a good idea to throw that Master into that bloodbath all on his own?" asked an official. Pausan frowned, while Vidio was going deeper and deeper into the Goblin lines. Lightning Mana Affinity, ideal for battle. All the same, that Master looks so meek and yellow-bellied. Why did he throw himself in the battle without even looking back?, he thought. His answer, though, was very different: "If I didn''t manage to kill him, that douche won''t die that easily. The Goblin Commander is only in the Third Phase Late grade; that filthy Master should be able to handle him. I suppose¡­" "What?" Boom! But the general''s answer was cut short by an explosion in the Goblin ranks. Right were Vidio was standing, a group of Goblin had just been blown up, as if electrocuted. Vidio felt his eyes burning. Kid¡­ Hold on, please. The Mystical Jade Tablet was giving off a slight heat, feeling warm against Vidio''s chest. He had chosen not to keep it inside the Interspace Ring, to not miss any changes. Once the war was over, he would start looking for Helial. He would have known where to look for him, following the brightness of the tablet. After all, the boy could not have gone that far. Vidio kept on butchering every Goblin with shocking fierceness. He had lived in Floralivory City for years and, as much as he hated that isolated and forsaken town, Vidio had left there a piece of himself. Now he could go back to the Capital, but the warm smiles of the tavern wenches, the weekly meeting with the boy and all the stories he had told him¡­ It all seemed to have been wiped away by that ridiculous war. A useless conflict that had not given the Goblins any benefits, but had given them fear. It seemed such an easy victory. There was something completely rotten in that whole business. It could not be that easy to win a war. What sense did it make attacking Floralivory City? And why attacking the outpost? Why? Pausan had shivers running down his spine. He feared a catastrophe any moment now. His Parstan instincts told him that something was off¡­ And then suddenly¡­ The air seemed to freeze, the sky went dark and everything stayed still, like in a picture, as if all the colors had been washed off from the world. What was happening? In the middle of the Goblin army, Vidio felt a huge pressure crush him, making it impossible to breathe. It was not the first time he had experienced something like that: the first time had been in the Congregation when¡­ An Immortal! He looked up, trying to make out the source of all the commotion. A middle-aged man with a muscular body and an unyielding gaze descended from the heavens. His slightly greenish skin was enough to recognize his race. Shit, was likely to be the thought that flashed in everyone''s mind. Everyone stood still, not daring to move. The unyielding gaze swept guiltily on its men. "This folly end now. Go back home", a handful of words, but a tone that did not take no for an answer. A crown of golden leaves was the symbol of the Immortal. It was him, Caesar ¡­ The Immortal King of all Goblins! What was such a big shot doing there in their stupid battle? Caesar regarded the Goblin ranks with a furrowed brow. "Damn you¡­ How many brothers have you killed for a stupid game?" he whispered. He lowered his head and muttered a couple of words with his eyes closed. He stretched his arms in front of him and rays of light descended from the sky, shining on everyone there. You recovered 10.000 HP! All Maluses have been removed! Everyone present saw the same two notification windows. Men or Goblins, all had been healed. Caesar descended slowly and everyone held their breath. He landed in front of Pausan. "Hello Commander. I hope you''ll give me face and stop the fighting. I think you did not suffer many losses, did you?" Pausan stood there frozen for a few seconds, while the king stared at him, expressionless. "Alrigh-" "King!" shouted a Goblin. Everyone froze and Pausan was cut off in the middle of speaking. Caesar scowled and turned around to see who had dared interrupt that moment. A burly Goblin was approaching. He was covered in wounds from head to toe and his eyes shone with a murderous Aura. "They''ve butchered us, we died by the thousands. How can we end it like this? Why don''t you kill them all?!" Caesar coughed, but to everyone it seemed as though the sky was falling down, with a deafening boom. The shockwave threw the Goblin Commander on his ass. "I take full responsibility for everything. If you need to be mad at someone for your brothers'' death, blame me." Caesar turned to the other Goblins and went on in a serious tone: "Brothers, I know you have suffered for my foolishness! Forgive me, let''s go home. Your king will escort you in person and, once home, you will be handsomely rewarded!" The Goblin looked at one another. Some rejoiced, but most of them sulked in silence. Their king was there, but not to bring justice¡­ The corners of Pausan''s mouth slowly raised in a smile. Although an Immortal, that Goblin could not afford to offend the entire Nation. But then everything froze. Caesar turned suddenly around. He had sensed Pausan''s scorn. He gazed intensely at him, one eyebrow raised, and said: "Do you really believe I am scared? What a shame¡­" Puff Pausan vanished in a bloody mist, without a single sound. The blood seeped through the earth. The men were standing there, their mouth gaping. The Goblin had killed their Commander just for smiling! Caesar looked at the outpost, reached out one hand with the palm open. He flexed his fingers in a fist. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM The outpost was destroyed in a few seconds, crushed by an invisible pressure. The fortifications had not lasted one second against that terrifying attack. The power of an Immortal could not be comprehended, only experienced. Caesar reached out with the other hand, and¡­ Skill Activated: War God Steel Palm Half of the army got crushed by a giant palm that seemed to belong to some majestic and unattainable god. It had the same strength and resilience of steel, and had worked like a meat grinder. Desperation flooded the ranks of men. However, it looked like the king had scaled down his power on purpose, otherwise they would have all died in an instant. Caesar had killed all the strongest men and now there were only a couple of real warriors left, besides some talented recruits. Now it was time to give his man a chance to quench their thirst for blood. "Butcher them", was Caesar''s categorical order to his men, who answered with a cheer. "Caesar! Caesar! Caesar!" 37 Shi Helial saw the Boss pounce on Lumia. A voice pierced his mind, as though trying to shatter his conscience: What a weak Shithead. Darkness swallowed the cave, time seemed to stop and everything stood still, as if life had gone out of the world. As though some higher entity had taken control over space and time. Helial took a look around and realized he was unable to move. What''s more, the world was not standing still. It was simply moving so slowly to look frozen. Helial could see the Silvery Lone Wolf run towards Lumia in slow motion. Every second, the monster was getting closer by a fraction of an inch. *** Ten years earlier "Are you really ready to give up everything?" "Take whatever you want", said Helial, throwing the Interspace Ring at him. The young man standing in front of him was wearing a flashy colorful armor, like a peacock tail. The ring bounced against his chest and fell to the ground. The young man was handsome as a statue, with dark, deep eyes. He was surrounded by a kingly Aura, a feeling of innate grandiosity that permeated him from head to toe. "Why?" Helial stayed quiet, his eyes filled with hatred and contempt fixed on him. He was clutching a baby girl at his chest, as if trying to protect her from the young man. "Are you kidding me?" "No." "How do you plan to survive? You aren''t even in the First Phase", a mocking grin spread on the young man''s face. "By becoming stronger." "Hahaha. Stronger? You''ll likely die in a couple of weeks, hahaha!" The young man was clutching his belly while laughing his head off. "You''re just a shrimp, I could crack your skull open like a melon before you even realize what''s happening." Helial sighed and said: "And you, do you think yourself strong?" "I suppose so", replied the young man, now looking calmer. "I believe I have all reasons to call myself strong. I can crush someone one Phase above me, now that I found this Blood Legacy." He paused and looked in awe at his hands, his eyes sparkling. "Hahahaha! Cool, uh? This place seems to be made for us, or rather, for me." "Why do you need to become so strong? What do you want to prove to them?" "Stupid brat", he uttered, dramatically opening his arms wide, "do you really think I have to prove anything to those filthy pigs? Do you really think I am doing this for them?" He walked up to Helial and whispered in his ear: "I''m doing it only for me." "And you are willing to abandon us here¡­" said Helial through gritted teeth. "Exactly." "You are ruthless. We are¡­" The young man cut him off: "Brat, you are weak and nothing else." He slapped Helial so hard that he sent him sprawling to the ground, still holding the baby tight in his arms. In the fall, Helial did everything he could to protect that innocent little creature. "You don''t care at all, do you?..." asked Helial, tears welling up in his eyes. The corners of the young man''s mouth curled up in a ruthless, cruel smile. "¡­ that a poor child and I will be completely defenseless? So?!" "Hahaha, and why should I care? I can''t kill you, but see the both of you die would give me great pleasure", the young man spat on the ground. "You would kill children for your gain¡­" "Do you really think I care about two useless children? Hahahaha, I would gladly raze an entire city to the ground if I gained anything from it! Hahahaha! Why don''t we kill our sweet little sister? You could actually achieve something in life, instead of being a baby sitter." The young man with the colorful armor walked closer, then kicked Helial in the face and crushed his head to the ground with the sole of his boot. Helial tried with all his might to protect the baby. Helial''s eyes locked with the scorn-filled eyes of his brother. "The only person I''d like to kill is you", roared Helial, sobbing. His brother looked satisfied rather than annoyed by those words. In response, he dug his boot even harder on Helial''s face, making him cough up a lump of blood and saliva. "You keep refusing a better future because of your stupid stubbornness! You''re just a useless, weak brat. Take a look at yourself and then behold my splendor. I have the guts to make difficult choices to win, while you are unable to make even the easiest one¡­ you will always be a craven. Power, Glory, Victory: I''ll keep shattering all limits to obtain them. I want all." The young man with the flashy, colorful armor looked at the sky for a second, then turned his scornful eyes to Helial one more time. He said: "You, brat, what do you want?" *** In the present Weak¡­ So weak¡­ A deep breath. How much had he endured? Blood began to boil in his veins. How much more would he have to suffer? His eyes became blurry with tears. How much more would he have to lose? His hand gripped Curse of the Demon. Would his sister die right there or maybe at the hand of their brother? "NO!" Helial felt his chest explode, while a terrifying amount of Mana seemed to converge towards his Meridians. Aaaaaaaah! He let out a horrible cry and his eyes changed color. Fwoosh From a blue full of death and desolation, they slowly turned lighter and lighter. First bluish, then light blue, then greyer and greyer, greyish¡­ and then white. The iris turned completely white. Crack He ground his teeth so hard that they seemed to crack. Everything was still moving in slow motion, and now Helial too was starting to move slowly. From a slight movement, almost unnoticeable, his hands started to come together faster and faster. Half inch per second. Boom! Boom! Boom! The air was crackling and exploding as he pushed his hands together. Helial let out a shriek that seemed to come out from the deepest reaches of Hell. Two sharp translucent horns appeared on his head. He looked like a demon. He was now moving faster, about an inch per second. He grasped Curse of the Demon with both hands. He was not going to lose his sister like that, not after all he had to go through. Space started quivering, while Helial was moving quicker and quicker. He was now moving at almost normal speed. But it was not enough. Even though the Silvery Lone Wolf was moving only a fraction of an inch per second, Helial was still too far away. Helial looked at his sister, who was beaming at him. She''s smiling? Helial had a black-out. He lost his head. His body seemed to be moving of its own accord, while breaking the sound barrier. The sweet smile on Lumia''s pretty face had just made Helial''s heart bleed. Trust. On Lumia''s face there was the kind of trust that laughs in the face of death. Until her last breath on that planet she would keep thinking that her brother would save her. Lumia would never doubt her brother, never in her life. She would keep believing that her brother would protect her at any cost. She placed blind trust in him. The na?ve trust of children. Do you want to let her down? Flames and fire, it seems that Helial was spitting flames and fire, while foaming at the mouth, he slashed at the Boss with all the force of his hatred. He was now moving at a higher speed than normal, but the world was still in slow motion. FWOOOOOOOOOOSH A terrifying blade of air and Mana was released from Curse of the Demon, headed towards the wolf like death''s scythe. *** On the battlefield Caesar slapped his Commander on the back. Immortals were generally not easy to approach. But Caesar had always been close to his people, had never turned his back on them or asked them to kneel before him. He left those barbarity to men. Caesar loved his people, how could he have asked them to give up their dignity and kneel before him? In spite of everything, sometimes someone would kneel anyway, him being unable to stop them. In the great Clans, Sects and Guilds, who disrespected the Immortals was likely shredded to pieces, even for a minor offence or on a whim. Caesar, however, had never killed one of his men without good reason. He was an unusual Immortal. "I''m sorry, Commander." The army Commander turned suddenly around, unaware of his king being so close to him. He opened his eyes wide and panicked, completely at a loss. "Your majesty¡­ You¡­" Caesar fished out a weapon from his Interspace Ring and handed it to the Commander. "This will not bring back your troops and my brothers, but could maybe help us to protect them better." "Your majesty¡­ I¡­" "Do you dare refuse the gift of an Immortal?" Caesar scowled for a second. The Commander suddenly felt very useless. Then Caesar smiled benevolently and nodded. He then went to cure the dying Goblins; for an Immortal that was a piece of cake. "Your majesty, allow me to take out that devil that killed a bigger number of our brother than Commander Pausan¡­" "Ah?" "A middle-aged man with a Staff has wreaked death and desolation on us, but I think I can handle him. I''ll take a couple of men with me. Then, I''ll come home with his head and I will be finally able to look my recruits in the eye. Else, I would be a laughingstock." "I will wait for you. In the meantime, I will gather the bodies so they will have a proper ceremony once home", said the king solemnly. The Commander nodded and turned around. How many Goblins had died in that battle? He took a look at the battlefield where piles of greenish body could be seen everywhere. Tears streaked the Goblin''s greenish cheeks, while he sniffed. *** A few miles from there, the Goblins were seeking their revenge. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." Vidio was running through a flower field. The Master was covered in wounds from head to toe and blood drenched the meadow with every step he took. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." Birds chirped merrily, singing love tunes. Vidio stumbled, sprawling to the ground, but with a risky somersault he started running again at breakneck speed. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." Two deer were nuzzling, showing each other the sweetness of their loving hearts. Vidio fished out a potion, gulped it down and, after a loud belch, he flung the vial to the ground, where it shattered. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, sh-" Thump thump thump Clac clac Suddenly, he heard a deafening clatter of weapons, first far away, but getting closer and more pressing. While Vidio kept running like a madman, that small earthly paradise was flooded by howling, bloodthirsty Goblins, who swarmed the place like locusts, wreaking death and desolation. A Goblin with sharp fangs was running after Vidio. "It''s him! The one that killed our brothers!" "Hell if being strong is my problem, puah", muttered Vidio, followed by about 300 Goblins. A little bird, bothered by all that racket, decided to take a stand. Plop Vidio felt something warm trickling through his hair. "Shit?" 38 Kitty FWOOOOSH The blow delivered by Helial relentlessly cut the air. ¡­ The first time I lend my own power to the Shithead so he would pass the test, but this time it seems like he was able to forcibly extract a part of my demon energy¡­ mpf, is he trying to become a Devil? If I hadn''t allowed him to access it, he would have never been able to deliver that blow. However¡­ it seems like his body could barely bear the weight of all that energy. He still doesn''t have the right constitution to utilize this power. But what''s odd is that he was able to sense it¡­ Did he maybe remember the feeling during his second test? But that was just an illusory realm and he could not feel the damage. Now everything is real. The wings have not appeared yet, otherwise he could have risked to die¡­ This brat is too eager; he should wait for me, instead of rushing it. Lame Dragon, if this boy today can evoke demon energy without the body of a demon, it is only thanks to you! A creature of Life that lends his body to a monster! Kyeheheheheh ¡­ Time had gone back to its usual speed. The world did not look frozen anymore. Lumia was still watching Helial with that trusting smile on her face, but she now realized that something was wrong. Her brother suddenly fell to the ground and immediately after that, the Silvery Lone Wolf exploded into a million pieces. ¡­ Couldn''t get clean shot, could you? ¡­ Lumia was showered with blood, while Snowflake ran towards her. The cat immediately turned towards Helial and saw him lying on the floor. "It was him¡­" Snowflake had faintly felt the air blade, but everything had happened so fast while he was running to save the girl, and the Boss had exploded out of the blue. "That shot¡­ not even I could follow it. I think that no one below the Third Phase could have received such a blow! That brat, mpf mpf, has some nice tricks up his sleeve. But I think that creating a blow like that cost him quite a lot." Ignoring the white cat and the exploding Boss, Lumia let out a scream and ran to her brother. Snowflake slowed down and followed her, checking the area for other wolves. Dungeon Boss Fight: Silvery Lone Wolf. Special Quest Concluded You earn the title of Wolf Hunter. Whoever contributed most to the killing of the Boss receives a special object. The object can be found in the Inventory; in case of insufficient space, it will fall on the ground. Snowflake had not earned experience, but he had received a title for his participation. They had completed the Dungeon. Him and the brat had received the quest and now it had been accomplished. Snowflake curled his whiskers, licked his lips, then whispered: "Little monster, who the fuck are you?" Lumia had run at Helial''s. There were two lines of blood trickling from the corners of his mouth, but he seemed to be still alive. The girl sighed in relief, then bent over his chest, sobbing. Her long silvery hair cascaded on Helial, like a waterfall of stars. She was aware to be the reason why her brother ended up that way. She should have listened to him and stay hidden below the cloth he had given her. Snowflake watched the scene from a distance. "Uhm, that monster is really terrifying¡­ but this little human could make for a perfect pet! Uhm, I should find her a name¡­" Snowflake had a sudden thought and addressed Lumia: "Hey, little girl!" Sniff sniff. Lumia turned around, sniffing, and saw an enormous white cat looking her up and down. "Uhm, yes, yes. Perfect. Listen, kid, I am the Supreme Cat, also known as Snowflake. The little brat is still alive, so no need to cry. What do you say of becoming my personal pet-" "A cat?" "Yes, exactly: this Supreme Cat is in need of a personal pe-" "What happened to Helial?" "Uhm, well. He clearly employed more energy than his body could withstand all at once. But look, he''s regaining color. Now, let''s talk about serious matters. What do you say of becoming my house pe-" "Ah. What can we do to help him?" The girl was not letting him finish. Snowflake squinted at her. The girl however seemed unimpressed by his mean look, being too worried about her brother to care, so Snowflake resolved for a cold helpless stare. He approached the boy, glanced at him and felt aghast. This little monster is healing already¡­ What kind of terrifying creature has such regeneration powers? Help him? He seems alright to me! How can it be possible¡­ Body of the Qilin! An almost legendary Skill. Even among the Blood Legacies, there were not many creatures that could rival with the body of a Qilin. Without a doubt, no one could hold a candle to a Qilin, in terms of physical strength. Not even a Dragon would have dared to face head-on a direct descendant of Kirin. Probably, only the Black Turtle could boast higher Defensive Skills than a Qilin, but no one could rival their physical powers. "That wolf was in the First Phase Late stage while this sucker here is not even in the First Phase and he managed to make it explode¡­" Lumia was clearly puzzled by Snowfalke''s muttering. Helial was simply a monster. At his age, how many people could have done the same? Snowflake had already understood that Helial was in possession of some amazing Blood Legacy. However, he himself was a descendent of the Heavenly Star Tigers, how could he not understand that that blow went clearly beyond a stupid Blood Legacy? ¡­ It shouldn''t take him too long to come to. But I don''t want to get bored, it won''t make a big difference if I give him just a little push. ¡­ Lumia and Snowflake were talking and did not notice the translucent black light that enveloped Helial''s body for a moment. "Mmn." Helial moaned and his screwed up and pained expression relaxed all of a sudden. Now it looked like he was resting. The wounds on his body had healed, leaving only white scars. Lumia put her tiny hands on Helial''s chest and looked at him intently¡­ *** Some years earlier Helial was lying on the ground in a poll of blood. Beside him lay the carcass of a giant wolf with the skull split open. The boy was completely drenched in blood. He looked at his health bar. There was only 10% left. He scrambled to his knees, vomiting blood on the grass. "HELI!" Lumia threw herself down the tree and ran towards her brother. "Stop¡­" panted Helial. He opened a status window. Malus Received: Bleeding You lose 8HP/sec until the bleeding stops. He took out some bandages from the Inventory and began to slowly dress his wounds. While he was trying to stop the bleeding, the world started spinning and Helial went limp. Am I dead? He had fought against the mother of the wolf cub he had previously killed. The fight had been a tough one. The beast was savage, but Helial had embodied the highest expression of violence. Lumia had never seen her brother like that. Every blow he threw seemed to be meant to rip the life out of the wolf''s chest. Who was the real beast in that fight: the wolf or Helial? One thing was certain: they had both fought for the life of the one they loved the most. Despite the physical supremacy of the beast, Helial had slowly gained the upper hand. Then, after the fight, he had fainted. When he came to, he found his body had been bandaged. Lumia had stopped the bleeding. Helial reached for his chest and clutched at his wounds, while looking at the health bar that was slowly replenishing itself. The ground where he was lying drank the warm tears that kept pouring from the boy''s eyes. He turned on his side, but a stabbing pain at his ribs almost made him faint again. DAMN IT! He gritted his teeth and sat up, blood beginning to stain his bandages. Lumia was sleeping at his side, while a pale dawn was appearing on the horizon. He had almost died; he had risked Lumia''s life. They had been lucky that no other wolf had attacked them in their sleep. But that had not been enough. No, not at all. Lumia had to save his life. Such a little girl had to dress his wounds to keep him from dying. Helial could only imagine how much willpower that had required. Maybe one day you will choose to fight by my side. But not like this, forced into it¡­ Helial grabbed his head, but then jumped to his feet, as if trying to distance himself from an unpleasant thought. He looked at the sky with eyes full of tears. The pain he felt in his heart made him forget the pain from his wounds. Why? Why?! He clenched his fists and spat a lump of blood on the ground, feeling deep contempt for himself. He had to become stronger. Vidio should have helped him, but as long as he stayed in the village, his chances of becoming stronger were going to be almost inexistent. What will he have to give, what will he have to sacrifice to become stronger? *** In the present "Mpf, mpf, little girl, come here. This Supreme Cat wants to make you an offer", said Snowflake proudly, holding his head high and showing himself in all his magnificence. "Shush, kitty, Helial''s sleeping." Snowflake was about to vomit blood. Kitty? Did she just call the Supreme Cat "kitty"?! "Girl, are you aware that I could reduce you to bits before you even noticed?" retorted the candid cat, threateningly swinging a paw with soft pink pads in front of Lumia. "Be a good kitty, later I''ll come play with you. But now don''t bother Helial. He looks better¡­" Snowflake felt a couple of veins pop in his head. It was the first time in his entire life that someone showed him such a lack of respect. But what could he do? "When Helial wakes up, we''ll flee to the mountains¡­ Hehe, only him and me, alone in an awesome adventure", Lumia''s irises turned into two beating hearts. Snowflake looked at her, puzzled. Incest¡­?, thought the cat. ¡­ Incest? ¡­ *** Meanwhile, in the forest "For fuck''s sake, don''t these Goblins have something better to do?" Vidio was running his heart out. He had already killed around 50 Goblins in the way. Thanks to the potions and elixirs he carried with him, he had regained all his Mana and Health. Unfortunately, the objects he had used were extremely rare, almost unique, and that made his heart bleed. Those green monsters had forced him to run through all his fortune. Thump Thump Thump There still were large troops of Goblins swarming the forest like a tsunami. Wherever they stepped, the vegetation was corroded by their killing Auras. "Fuck it. I''m out of here, fuckers", muttered Vidio, while arrows whistled all around him. Vidio did not possess any Blood Legacy; even if an arrow shot by a Goblin in the First Phase would not have killed him, it would have cause serious damage all the same. So, if a hundred Goblins had hit him with their arrows, they would have turned him into a sieve. "Uhm." Vidio looked in the distance and saw a nameless mountain range. Beyond those peaks he could have reached a safe haven. Heading directly towards the Capital in the East would not be the wisest choice. Deal. I''ll go through the forest and then up the mountains. There should be only low-level monsters there, after all, thought Vidio. While he was running, he did not notice that the tabbed hanging from his neck was shining brighter than ever. 39 Shit 2 Helial opened his eyes. He had a slight burning feeling in his chest, but nothing that could prevent him from sitting up. "Listen, little girl, do you or do you not want to become my personalpe-" "Kitty, can I touch your whiskers?" What the fuck is happening. Helial turned on his side and saw a girl with platinum hair and a giant pile of white fur fighting vigorously. All in all, despite the arrogance and insolence of Snowflake, it looked like Lumia was gaining the upper hand. ¡­ It looks like someone made a new friend while Shithead was fast asleep. ¡­ Helial sighed and waited for them to notice him, but it did not look like that was going to happen any time soon. He cleared his throat. Lumia spun around. While she was turning, worry and guilt flashed in her eyes. Helial ended up like that because of her. She ran towards her brother and hugged him, while tears came streaming down her eyes. Helial held the little girl tight and ran a hand through her hair. It was a very sweet scene. Lumia could finally hug her brother, after he had risked his life to save her. Helial was not mad at her in the least, he even took a good look at her to make sure her little body had not suffered any wounds. Once reassured that she was safe and sound, he planted a big kiss on her cheek and gave her one of those smiles that were only for Lumia. "Idiot¡­" "Don''t worry, I''m alive. Nothing to worry about. The Boss¡­" whispered Helial, still confused on the last events. "It''s dead", snorted Snowflake, destroying that family idyll. "Little monster, what kind of Forbidden Skill did you use? That huge pile of crap exploded like BOOOM, you know? Billion pieces, entrails flying. Aaah, what a sight." The cat then realized he had just paid a compliment to Helial, so retraced his steps immediately: "Coff, coff, I mean, uhm, you suck and deserve to die." Helial frowned, while Snowflake kept curling his whiskers, very satisfied of how he had finished off his speech. "Listen Shitflake, we have stuff to do, thanks for your help. Now we have to go, goodbye", he tried to get rid of the cat. "How did you call me?! Hey you, Shitial, listen, I don''t hack you to pieces just because that poor baby would cry too much and this Supreme Cat needs a personal pet. She happens to look perfect", sneered Snowflake. ¡­ A tavern full of ignorant boors would have more significant conversations than this one. ¡­ "Eat your shit and go kill yourself", continued Snowflake, "this Supreme Cat has no intention of taking orders from a little brat. Rather, what did you find with the Boss?" Helial suddenly remembered of the Mission and the reward. Plus, after killing all these wolves, he should have levelled up. He opened the Stats window. Name Helial Race Human Title Wolf Hunter Primary Class None Primary Affinity None Primary Profession None Level 26 Exp 4.566/80.000 HP 3100/3100 MP 30.090/30.090 Strength 144 Vigor 102 Intelligence 148 Wisdom 125 Dexterity 90 Effects: Physical Resilience: 5% Vitality Regeneration: 1800 % Health Regeneration: 1800% Physical Resilience: 3000% Resistance to Magic: 3000% Helial stared at the Stats window. Level 26¡­ Not bad, but it was not enough. Will it ever be enough? He waved a hand in front of himself and the Stats window disappeared, replaced by his Inventory. A new translucent window was now floating in front of Helial. The boy looked inside and frowned. He reached inside and his hand disappeared in the Inventory. He fished out a small, slightly rusted ring. Snowflake looked at it with disdain: "A stupid Interspace Ring, and even a low-level one, judging by the look of it. What a catch! All hail our Brat King!" The cat began rolling about on the ground, incapable of restraining the laughter. Apparently he thinks to be funny, thought Helial, looking at his with a raised eyebrow. "About 3 cubic yards, better than nothing", he shrugged and put it on his finger. Lumia asked: "How does it work?" Helial answered with a smile: "Simply put, when-" He could not finish: "Hahaha, little girl, don''t you even know how an Interspace Ring works? Where did you live until now, in a village at the end of the world?! Hahaha!" Snowflake was now crying with laughter. Sigh ¡­ This cat is retarded¡­ ¡­ Helial sighed and continued with his explanation: "You use it to carry objects. It is essential equipment for who wants to embark on the journey to become an Immortal. The best Interspace Rings can contain hundreds of cubic yards, but cost a fortune. This is a low-level ring, but it is better than nothing. Plus, the Boss has left on the ground also some materials to forge low-level weapons and armors. I guess we could use them in some tribes to get money or food." Snowflake was still on the ground, with the hair on his chest raising and lowering furiously. That cat did not seem to have all his marbles. ¡­ Heavenly Star Tigers are famous for their elegance and refinement¡­ Who the fuck started this rumor? ¡­ Helial was feeling well again and said: "We have to go, the Goblins might have already taken the outpost, for all we know. The forest should be clear, but just to be safe we should move fast to the North and pass the mountains. This way, we''ll ditch them for sure. There is nothing in the North that might get their attention." ¡­ Actually, I think that if you go out now, you''ll find a nice surprise waiting for you. Kyeheheheheh ¡­ Helial walked to his sister''s side and putting a hand on her head he said, awkwardly: "Uhm, you see", Helial''s eyes were full of insecurity, "the tunic got torn, split in two. Could you sew it up? I''m sorry, but I wasn''t able to parry the blow in time." The boy had a very remorseful look on his face, almost afraid of Lumia''s reaction. Insecurity clouded Helial''s eyes; he hoped Lumia would not be mad at him. "Yes, sure. Give it to me, I''ll fix it!" said the girl, with the utmost confidence. "Little girl, do you have the Sewing Skill?" "No." Snowflake stroked his chin, deep in thought. After all, Sewing was a Passive Skill; it would have been impossible for Lumia to have it. At most, she could learn some low-level Active Skills, like Helial had done with Demolition. In order to learn a Passive, one had to be in the First Phase, when the Meridians undergo a substantial change. Lumia took the fabric and observed it. It looks like the little one is a sewing expert! Snowflake was thinking, after all it was not unusual to develop a talent even before the First Phase. Helial did not have the Passive for Mastery of the Sword, but it was clear that that was going to be his path. "Uhm, little one, could you sew me a red cape later?" asked Snowflake, fascinated by the attentive gaze with which Lumia was scrutinizing the tunic. "With a red cape I would look even more magnificent than I already am. My magnificence would reach unheard-of levels!" "Be quiet, pussycat, if you''re a good boy I''ll make you one." Pussycat?! Snowflake stomped his feet, irritated and helpless at the same time. That girl had absolutely no respect for him, but what could he do? Should he act overbearing with a little girl? The Boss had tried to hurt the girl and it had been the death of him. What would he do if Helial went ballistic? Minding his own business was definitely the best solution. "I''ll show you, bah, who''s the pussycat here¡­" Lumia began to sew, as focused as a surgeon. The more the stitching was taking form, the deeper Snowflake''s frown lines grew. Helial, however, kept smiling, as if everything were perfectly fine. The new stitching was just below the old, horribly bulging one. Snowflake raised an eyebrow. But- "Done!" Lumia handed the fruit of her hard work to Helial. Now there were two stitchings in the front of the tunic, one more bulging than the other. Snowflake''s jaw dropped. The girl was not even remotely able to sew. That horror was painful to look at. In all likelihood, even him, without opposable thumbs, could have done a better job. He was about to make a biting comment, when he suddenly felt a killing Aura crush him to the wall. That icy grip to the heart was coming from Helial, whose blue eyes looked like direct trapdoors to hell. The look only lasted a split second, then Helial turned to Lumia and said, grinning: "It''s perfect, now we can go." He hugged her and kissed her on the forehead to thank her. "We still have plenty of meat. Now that we have the Interspace Ring, crossing the mountains shouldn''t be a problem." Inside Interspace Rings, time stood still. The food took much longer than usual to go bad, so they did not need to worry about provisions. Helial arranged the meat and the objects in the additional space in the Inventory, created by the Interspace Ring. Every time an object was added that could increase the available space, the new space was added to the existing one in the Inventory. Once the Ring was removed, though, the space would have disappeared from the Inventory, together with the objects inside it, that were going to stay with the ring. "Let''s get out of with dump and go, we still have things to decide. We need to find a city and find a way to make some money, what comes next we''ll decide later. We need to become stronger." "Can we take the kitty?" asked Lumia with sparkling eyes. "What?" said Helial and Snowflake together. "The kitty. He looks so lonely¡­ let''s take him with us." The corners of Helial''s mouth trembled. Kitty¡­ that "kitty" has almost killed more wolves than me¡­ "Are you coming with us, kitty?" "Who the fuck are you calling kitty? Why the fuck would I come with you? What''s all this fucking bullshit", grumbled Snowflake. "Do you have any plans, Snowflake?" asked Helial. "What the fuck do you want?" "If you''re just going to wander aimlessly, you might as well come with us. You''re not bad and you don''t look like the kind of animal that would hurt a little girl¡­ with you here, I could protect Lumia more efficiently. Who knows how many wolves we will encounter in the mountains. I''d feel safer, with you by my side", said Helial earnestly. He was not the kind of person to waste time with pleasantries, he was always direct and frank. "Your mama''s an animal, you little monster", grunted Snowflake. Exiled to this place¡­Snowflake shook his head and said: "If you''ll kneel down and beg me, hitting your forehead on the ground three times, this Supreme Cat will grant you the honor of accomp- Where are you going?!" Helial and Lumia had already turned around, headed for the exit of the Dungeon. Snowflake ran after them. "So, will you kneel or not?!" Helial and Lumia exchanged a glance and laughed. The pile of white fur would keep them company on their journey, making their travels less daunting. They stepped outside of the cave. Suddenly they heard the leaves rustling and other noises. But there was one noise that could be heard above all others: "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" 40 Vidio? Thump Thump Thump The swearing was followed by a clatter of weapons and heavy steps. "This voice¡­" Helial frowned. He had recognized that voice, how could he not. "Who the fuck is shouting?" swore Snowflake, annoyed by all the racket. Skill Activated: Perception Through Perception Helial saw about 50 Auras in the distance and one closer by. They were all very dense, especially the one in the front. All of a sudden, he broke out in a cold sweat. "Snowflake, take Lumia and run! There are more than 50 Goblins between the First and Second Phase coming this way, if they catch us we''re dead!" Snowflake saw the anguished look on Helial''s face and immediately put the girl on his back. It wasn''t the right time to ask questions. "You see what I''m reduced to¡­" grumbled Snowflake, starting to run as fast as he could. Helial was about to follow Snowflake, when someone suddenly ran out of the woods. "Vidio?" "Helial?" The Master quickly glanced behind his back before shouting: "There''s no time to explain, run!" The boy did not need to be told twice and followed Vidio, running at breakneck speed after Snowflake. "What the fuck''s happening?" swore Helial, "why are you being followed by all these Goblins? What did you do?" With a dark face, Vidio replied: "As if it were my fault! They attacked the outpost. We were just one step away from victory, but then Caesar came¡­ Do I need to say more? He razed the outpost to the ground with one hand, and with the other he decimated our army. Even Commander Pausan died." Vidio gritted his teeth, while a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes. Pausan. A tough guy, but not a bad one. He did not deserve such a death. Vidio looked at Snowflake and the girl riding him: "Is that your sister? And what''s that supposed to be? A steed?" "Your mama''s a steed, old fart! How dare you?!" snorted Snowflake. Vidio ignored him and said to Helial: "Let''s go in the mountains, we''ll be safer there, perhaps. If we''d face them in a frontal attack, I couldn''t guarantee your safety. Maybe not even mine." Helial nodded and did not question him. He had already understood the situation. Vidio was running from a large group of Goblins, all bloodthirsty and with bad intentions. They had to take cover. Even though Helial and Snowflake were able to fight one Phase higher than their own, all those Goblins were too much to take on. Plus, Helial had to protect Lumia as well. If I could evoke that power one more time¡­, thought Helial. ¡­ If only it were that simple. ¡­ The power he had used inside the Dungeon against the Boss had been truly terrifying. Not even him knew exactly where it came from. But that power had to be somewhere inside his Soul. While he kept running, he tried to sense it, but it looked as if it were gone. Helial indulged in a bitter smile and shook his head. I don''t know if I would be able to use it again, after so little time¡­ Where did all that strength he had felt in the Dungeoun come from? How could such terrifying and evil energy reside inside him? He felt Curse of the Demon with his finger, strapped behind his back. He was running with all that weight on his shoulders without even noticing. ¡­ Before, your body has taken serious damage and Body of the Qilin levelled up, but you didn''t notice. How could you run so fast otherwise? ¡­ But now was not the time to ask this kind of questions. Even if he were stronger, he could not face more than one enemy in the Second Phase at the same time anyway. "There might be more coming, don''t stop", shouted Vidio. Helial had kept Perception activated and had noticed something. "Stop!" he shouted, stopping dead. Snowflake and Vidio gave him a puzzled look. The cat stopped dead, minding to not unsaddle his precious pet human. The Master seemed to have suddenly noticed something and rolled on the side. Boom! Where he was standing a second before, now there was a giant crater. "Damn human, you won''t survive the day", growled a Goblin in front of them. He looked much stronger than all the others Vidio had faced. He was the Goblin Commander, a creature in the Third Phase Late grade. Vidio immediately produced his Staff and mocked him: "Does a stupid Goblin really think to stop a Master of the Mana Congregation? Learn your place; if you kill me today the consequences will be tremendous." The Goblin hesitated for an instant at those words, but Vidio did not miss the chance. Skill Activated: Ascending Lightning The Master lowered the Staff and generated a white lightning that struck the Commander in the chest. Goblin Commander lost 1579 HP! Snowflake stared at the Master in awe. A few seconds earlier he had used his identity to make the Goblin hesitate and now was striking with a surprise attack. He was shameless! "If you want to fight a Master, don''t complain about my bad manners!" snickered Vidio, all the more shamelessly. Helial felt himself blush. That Master was indeed hopeless. The blow, though, did not seem to have done serious damage to the Goblin, who had more than 30.000 HP and excellent equipment for his level. The Commander cleaned the blood from a corner of the mouth and spat on the ground. "You humans are all the same; you disgust me. You kill each other for power, you kill your enemies, you kill your friends. Who wouldn''t you be willing to kill for your own gain?" "Commander, you are forgetting the death of one of our Kings at your hands. Our King had come to you as a guest to pacify our peoples, in name of all the men in the continent. And what did you do?" Vidio did not waste any more valuable time in idle chat. Skill Activated: Heavenly Thunderbolt The Goblin Commander raised an eyebrow. Vidio had used an AoE Skill, more indicated for melee than for 1 on 1. The Goblin did not miss the chance and chained a series of attacks. Skill Activated: Split Earth Skill Activated: Shockwave The first Skill was going to undo the effects of Heavenly Thunderbolt. Split Earth was a Skill with very high damage, but quite slow. Shockwave was a Skill performed with the shield. It was better to stun the opponent than to inflict damage; it had a Cast Time of a couple of seconds, unlike Split Earth that activated instantly. The Goblin Commander meant to destabilize Vidio with Shockwave and make him lose balance, then activate the second Skill with higher damage, to finish him off in just one exchange. The corners of the Master''s mouth curled upwards. "Not bad, but far from enough." He forcibly deleted the Skill that was half way through charging and leaped in the air, dodging Split Earth. The energy blade passed a few inched below him. The Goblin Commander was still busy casting Shockwave and could not deactivate it anymore. The momentum of the blow could not be stopped. Vidio produced one of the most powerful Offensive Skills he owned. Skill Activated: Gash in the Clouds He raised the Staff above his head with both his hands. Suddenly, a lightning struck the weapon, but it did not explode, on the contrary, it seemed to hover above the Staff. Vidio struck and the lightning descended relentlessly from the sky, directed against the Goblin Commander''s neck. Crack The air seemed to deform wherever the white lightning passed. Vidio was panting; that Skill had cost him a lot of Stamina and Mana. (A/N: Stamina is how much energy the character has left and it indicates tiredness, unlike Life (HP) and Mana (MP).) The Goblin Commander managed to avoid the blow at his neck, but could not help being struck in the chest. Goblin Commander lost 12304 HP! Vidio was sneering. In just two exchanges, the Goblin Commander was left with only half of his original HP, according to his calculations. The Goblin Commander was hurled against a tree and vomited a mouthful of blood. That Master was truly a monster. Vidio knew that the Commander was stronger than himself, and because of this he had avoided a frontal attack. Instead he had used two unforeseeable attacks to halve his HP. If he was not going to be careful, it could cost him his life. Shit just got real. The Commander stood up and became surrounded by a reddish Aura, giving off a murderous intent in all directions. Vidio gritted his teeth: "A Berserker." Vidio was a Lightning Warrior, specialized in Skills that converted Mana into electricity. It was one of the most offensive and attack-oriented Classes. The Berserker Class allowed to ignore the damage received in battle and to jump in the fray, ignoring all danger. Those who belonged to this Class had a strength increase directly proportional to the HP loss. This was the perk of the Class and that Skill was one of the most characteristic Autobuff. Skill Activated: Berserker Aura Effects: You receive a Bonus on Physical Damage proportional to the lost HP. The Goblin Commander threw the shield to the ground and wielded the weapon with two hands. Vidio did not lose time and attacked. He could not allow the Berserker to gain the upper hand in the fight, or else he would have been at a disadvantage. He had to keep attacking if he wanted a chance to win. "My old bones are not what they used to be", sighed the Master. Helial looked at him, discouraged. They are not what they used to be? Once reached the First Phase, a person''s lifespan increased and the body stopped ageing like that of a common mortal. At every Phase, the lifespan increased accordingly, until it reached the point where the person would not age or die because of the lapsing of time. That was Immortality. Skill Activated: Run on the Cumulonimbus Several threatening-looking black clouds gathered under Vidio''s feet. Boom Vidio took a step forward and a cloud exploded, increasing his speed tremendously. Boom! Boom! Boom! Vidio got closer to the Goblin Commander, leaving a series of afterimages behind him. The Goblin frowned. "Can he really be only in the Second Phase?" Being a Commander, he was much stronger than other Goblins in the Third Phase Late stage. He could probably face someone in the Fourth Phase Early stage, with a little effort. So how could that Master of the Congregation be so strong? Actually, as a matter of brute force, the Goblin Commander was definitely stronger than Vidio, but the latter was not looking for a direct fight and was avoiding a frontal attack any way he could. Vidio struck the Goblin, without activating any Skill, to not waste too much Mana. An intense fight broke out between the two of them. Vidio dodged all the blows thanks to his Movement Skill. Run on the Cumulonimbus was a Skill that exploited the power of lightnings to move at high speed and catch the opponent unprepared. However, while Vidio was absorbed in the fight, he remembered something. He took a step back, dodging another blow from the Commander, and looked towards Helial and the others. They were surrounded by Goblin soldiers. Snowflake and Helial were standing back to back, while the soldiers kept getting closer and closer. Lumia was looking around, helpless and terrified. "Shit!" cried Vidio. 41 Lightning Dance Helial, Snowflake and Lumia were surrounded by a large number of bloodthirsty Goblins. In the Goblins'' eyes one could see their thirst for blood and the hatred for those little humans. They had killed their brothers, they could not get away with it. "Who''s going to kill the brats? How about we roll for it?" "Uhm, right, they''re too juicy¡­" said a Goblin, who''s mouth was distorted in a compassionate grimace. Then he smiled viciously and added: "We should pick who''ll have the pleasure to cut them to pieces!" Another one said: "Or we could skin the furry one first, then take turns to torture the stupid Master and the boy and then ****¡­" Boom! A huge shockwave struck all the Goblins, making them fall to the ground. Helial took a step forward, Curse of the Demon tightly clutched in his fist and death flashing in his eyes. Like an unrivaled colossus, Helial took another step forward. Boom! His Aura had suddenly exploded, catching all the Goblins off-guard. Now, heedless of all consequences, he was advancing towards the soldiers, while a black Aura that seemed to belong to a Devil was slowly covering him from head to toe. It looked as if his Aura was eager to turn to dust all living things in its path, to directly wipe out Life. "You''ll all die today, so disfigured that not even those bitches of your mothers will be able to recognize you", snarled Helial, while his eyes started to slowly change color. Like an Emperor, he took a third step, while all around the Goblins felt the urge to run away as fast as they could. The arrogance in his words looked almost like modesty, when compared to the horror emitted by his Aura. The forest was enveloped by a terrifying pressure, as if under the foot of death. **** Lumia? The Goblin first would have to rip him to shreds to ensure he would not exterminate their race. He would have kept fighting even without his head steady on his head. Crack The air surrounding Helial bent to his will. Those eyes. The gaze of Helial burned the skin of the Goblins on which it rested. The veins in his neck seemed to be about to explode. The tyrannical rage that he was feeling in that moment could have pierced the heavens and ripped the fabric of the universe itself. His Aura showed no sign of decreasing, on the contrary, it was expanding more and more. The Goblins looked at him completely dumbstruck. One took the initiative: "Alright, brat, you''ll be the first. Come here! Then we''ll have fun with the girl!" BOOM! Helial''s Aura exploded one more time. The Goblin that had dared speak literally imploded. Kyaaaaaaaaaah! Helial let out a bloodcurdling scream, that did not seem human, while the Goblins kept explodingall around him. Helial started bleeding from all his facial orifices, falling to his knees on the grass. He let Curse of the Demon slip out of his grip and grabbed his hair. He looked like a demon; his face completely disfigured by a mask of scarlet blood. Kyaaaaaaaaaah! He spat a mouthful of blood on the ground. That Aura was consuming him; it was too powerful and it was damaging his Meridians. In the meantime, more Goblins had turned into pink mist. It felt as if someone was ripping his soul out of his body. Now the warriors were staring at Helial, convinced that he was not human, but an evil spirit. They were staring at him with eyes full of terror. For the first time, they smelled the true stink of death. ¡­ Congratulations, you have evoked again a shred of the Aura inside your Soul. But do you really think it is so easy to control this power? Without Body of the Qilin, you would be already dead at this point. Consider those minor wounds you''re receiving as a blessing. What a Shithead¡­ ¡­ Helial kept screaming as if a blade was slashing his organs from within. The last time he had used that Aura, he had fell in a state of deep concentration that had helped him to not suffer serious injuries. This time the Aura was directly destroying his body. But he knew he could not let go of that power. He had managed to handle the Aura and make several Goblins explode on the spot. I he had kept going, he could probably kill them all. Even if had had to pay with his life, Helial would not have hesitated. Vidio was there; he would take his sister to safety. Helial suddenly heard a voice inside his head. Weirdly enough, many people see death as a kind of liberation. Many, yes. The weak, those that fear life. Do you wish to die? Do you really think it''s easy to handle this power, do you think you can bend it at your will? Death, a liberation. Let me see if you wish death or power. What do you want? Abandon your sister or try to live with the idea of failing every moment of your life? You did not amuse me enough, let me see more! A diabolic laugh resounded inside his head and then everything was quiet. The voice had disappeared. Helial felt tears stream down his cheeks and shook his head hard. He vomited a mouthful of blood, then took Curse of the Demon by the hilt. In That weapon seemed to have some kind of magnetic power on him, the moment that he stretched out his hand. He made an effort to turn around, to look at Lumia. His sister''s eyebrows were knitted in a preoccupied frown. Helial looked like he was suffering like hell. The boy, however, smiled at her warmly, his eyes full of pain, while trying to stand up with unsteady legs. Suddenly, Helial felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked at the hand, then the arm, then the face of whom was touching him. Master. Vidio looked very grave; he motioned to Helial with his head and said: "Stop, I''ll take care of it. You''ve done enough." Helial nodded, gritting his teeth. He started to recall the black diabolical Aura inside his Soul. His chest was raising and falling rapidly, while watching Vidio step forward and give his back to him. Vidio flexed his neck to one side, then to the other. Crack crack "I''m too old for this", said he, resting his hands on his hips and stretching, "but since I''m here, let''s see if I remember how it''s done¡­" The Master''s words fell in the air and the sky suddenly began to darken, while electric shocks went through the air all around. Vidio inhaled slowly, then exhaled, eliminating the impurities of the Mana he was gathering. He put the Staff horizontally in front of himself and panted: "Forbidden Technique: Lightning Dance!" A large number of lightning started dropping from the sky, like a deadly rain. The Goblins ran for cover, terrified by that attack. But, contrary to their expectations, no one was struck by the lightning. The lightning bolts started to struck Vidio, one after the other, although they did not seem to hurt the Master. Every time Vidio was hit by lightning, a faint bluish halo appeared where it had made contact. After a number of lightning bolts, Vidio was already surrounded by a truly mysterious bluish mist, emanating a terrible Aura. Despite all this, it still aroused less desperation in the Goblins'' hearts than Helial''s Aura. Blood appeared at the corners of Vidio''s mouth, while his forehead was shiny with sweat. That Technique was clearly claiming a high price from Vidio''s body. "What the hell is that Technique!" whispered Snowflake. "It looks really monstrous¡­" said Helial frowning. Snowflake curled his whiskers and looked at that little monster, not sure if he was joking or not. If the Master''s Technique could be called monstrous, what should Helial''s be called? The biggest monstrosity in the universe? The lightning bolts kept exploding on the Master''s body, tearing his clothes to shreds and scattering bluish Mana sparkles all around. Finally, the last ten lightning bolts fell from the sky at the same time and shattered on the Master''s body simultaneously. The Goblins and the Commander stared at that man being covered in a shower of electric shocks and getting out of it mostly unharmed. "AH!" Vidio shouted and the bluish mist immediately condensed, covering him from head to toe. His eyes changed color, becoming completely blue. Not only the iris, but even the pupils and the entire eyes had turned light blue. Forbidden TechniqueActivated: Lightning Dance The Heavenly Bolts of Lightning momentarily temper your body, allowing it to access a spark of the power of the Lightning God. If your body will survive the damage caused by the Technique, you will momentarily receive a spark as a gift from the God. Lv: 16 Effect: You lose 30-100% of your HP, when activating Lightning Dance. You receive a bonus equal to the number of bolts of lightning that struck your body. For each bolt of lightning you receive a 5% bonus on every Statistics. HP and MP do not benefit from the Technique. When the Technique is deactivated, you receive a one-week Malus, during which your HP and MP will be halved and your Stats will suffer a 20% decrease. Duration: 5 minutes It was truly a monstrous Technique. Vidio had withstood the impact of more than a hundred bolts of lightning and now his body was immensely more powerful. He glanced at the life bar: he had only 10% left. Vidio had only a handful of minutes and could not afford to waste any time. The backfire of the Technique would have prevented him from fighting longer and if he did not get rid of all those Goblin within five minutes, Helial, Lumia, the cat and himself would die. 04:59 Skill Activated: Run on the Cumulonimbus Amplification from Lightning Dance: 500% Boom! Vidio dashed against five Goblins that still had not recovered from the latest events. Where he was standing a few instants before, there was now a big crater. Boom! Boom! Boom! Whenever he moved, the Master left behind himself afterimages and explosions. Lightning Dance had enhanced all his Skills. Despite the price to pay being very high, that Technique was definitely a game-changer. Boom! When he was a couple of yards from the Goblins, he lunged with the Staff. The shockwave created immediately destroyed the five Goblins, leaving only bits and pieces of meat flying about. They had been pulverized; it would have been impossible to revive those Goblins, even if they had long reached the First Phase. Two conditions had to be satisfied in order to revive someone: first, Mana had to be injected in the body within 24 hours from the apparent death; second, at least part of the body had to exist, even a couple of bone could suffice. So, as long as the remainings could be retrieved with 24 hours, that someone could be brought back to life. After the 24 hours, however, nothing could be done. The same could be said about the first requisite: if the body had been ripped to shreds, not even Caesar could have resuscitated it. 04:57 It had taken only a few seconds to destroy those Goblins. Vidio did not stop, taking another step forward. Skill Activated: Run on the Cumulonimbus Amplification from Lightning Dance: 500% After the attack of Helial''s Aura, there were about 40 Goblins left. Now there were 35 and Vidio did not waste more time. Skill Activated: Casting is forced and the Skill activated immediately. Heavenly Thunderbolt Amplification from Lightning Dance: 500% Vidio activated an AoE Skill and another 10 Goblins disappeared that instant, turned to dust. 04:51 Helial believed that the Master would have to make an effort to kill all those Goblins. However, he had killed almost half of them in just ten seconds. ¡­ According to the standards of this planet, the Master must be some kind of monster, I suppose. But in the universe he would be barely passable, almost mediocre actually. ¡­ 04:21 Only a handful of Goblins was still live now. The Commander stood there, paralyzed by the terrifying power exercised by the Master. Vidio looked like a deity, continuously appearing ad disappearing and wrecking death and desperation wherever he went. "Damn, that monster. He''s too strong, not even I can stop him. Fuck, fuck!" snarled the Commander desperately, ready to engage in battle at any second. *** On the other side of the forest Caesar was donating weapons to the soldiers who had contributed greatly to the annihilation of the enemy; sometimes he even had to force the weapons on the more unwilling soldiers. Only a few of them really felt to deserve a gift from Caesar for their deeds. After all, after the intervention of the King, they would have all died. Caesar had a smile for each and everyone of them, regardless of their status. The soldiers had heard of Caesar''s deeds and generosity, but witnessing it was a whole different story. They were all proud of such a King, generous and not overbearing with his own people. Would else could they wish for? While he was healing the wounds of a recruit, Caesar suddenly frowned and gazed at a forest in the distance. He slapped the recruit on the back and said with a smile: "Your wound has healed. Do not fight in the next few days, try to rest and be with your family. I''ll have someone send you some money, I''ll have money sent to all of you! Now excuse me, I''ll be right back." This being said, he soared and disappeared into thin air. 42 That thing with the fee Some years earlier Vidio had his thumb and index finger pressed on his forehead. His eyes were shut and he was deep in absolute concentration. "What the fuck are you doing now? You''ve been sitting like that for five minutes." Vidio scowled, gesturing with his free hand to be quiet. "Learn", replied Vidio with a hoarse voice. Helial tried to pay more attention to the Master''s movements. They were inside the tavern and Vidio was clearly trying to use some kind of special Skill. Helial narrowed his eyes in concentration, trying to grasp the meaning behind those movements. All of a sudden, Vidio pointed at something in the distance. "Pink!" he boomed. Helial looked in the direction where the Master was pointing. On the trajectory there was a sweet and innocent-looking young waitress wearing a long skirt. A small black cloud appeared out of nowhere and a gust of wind lifted up the waitress'' skirt, revealing a pair of¡­ pink panties! "Hahaha!" Vidio clutched his belly, bleeding from the nose. The smug look on his face could only be summed up in one comment: that Master was a swine. Helial stared at him, dumbstruck. After making sure that the waitress would not kick them out of the tavern, he covered his face with his hands, while all around them customers were whispering. "That Master''s a pig¡­" whispered one of the mercenaries seated at a table. "Stuck here, in the asshole of the Nation, he has to amuse himself somehow", commented the Commander of the mercenaries. The others shrugged and kept drinking in silence. They did not dare make trouble inside the tavern, or the city guard would not let them off the hook easily. Mercenaries were not liked in the Nation. They could become enemies at any moment. "You''d do me a great favor if, instead of wasting time with this bullshit, you''d tell me why you don''t have a breakthrough to the next Phase. From what you''ve told me several times, you''ve been in the Second Phase for more than 20 years now, right?" Vidio began to laugh: "Who needs a breakthrough? All you''ll ever need in life is the love of a woman, little brat!" "I don''t think so, Master. Without power, how can you love a woman? What meaning has love in front of weakness?" asked Helial, shaking his head. "In love, and I don''t mean your love for panties, in love there are some tough choices that can ruin us because we''re weak." Vidio looked at Helial with a weird light in his eyes and asked: "Brat, why do you want to become strong so bad?" Helial was a very odd boy. He did not like Vidio''s sense of humor, but did not dislike it either. The Master knew him pretty well now, but there was still something imperscrutable in that boy. Every time he talked about Phases, Skills, Techniques and the lot, the boy did not miss one single word. Besides, he could always understand everything straight away. His thirst for knowledge and accuracy in solving problems did not belong in a boy that young. Only someone that has been marked in the depth of their soul can become like that. As much as someone is willing to train and become stronger, apart from some monsters, there must be a reason behind it, a motive that pushes them to ignore self-preservation to obtain more power. Vidio knew very well that, if necessary, Helial would have been willing to jump in a sea of flames and climb a mountain of blades if it could help him become even a little stronger. But he did not understand. Fifteen years old. How could have life marked him so deeply? "You''re so lazy and laid-back. You can afford to be like that." A fleeting glimpse of spite flashed in Helial''s eyes. "You have capabilities that allow you to be who you are. I can''t afford to be like you, I need power to aspire to such a life¡­ otherwise, I will never be free to make any choices. Why do I want power, you ask? To choose, to have the freedom to choose my life. I just want to be free¡­" Helial fixed his gaze on a distant point, while his eyes became blurry. There was a shadow on his heart that would not dissolve easily. "Free, huh?" sneered Vidio. Inside one of his usual empty laugh, though, there was a trace of bitterness. Better be at the tail of a tiger than at the head of a dog, brat. His face remained emotionless, he was just the usual fun-loving, care-free Vidio. "Today I''ll tell you a story, a fantastic story!" said Vidio, dramatically. "Actually, I would like to talk about how to know how many HP an opponent has left¡­" "Shh! We''ll talk about those trifling matters some other time." Stupefied, Helial resigned himself to listening to that lazy Master. If I had the same opportunities you had, Master, I wouldn''t be here wasting my time on these trivialities. "I''ll tell you the story of when the big wigs of the Congregation, including the Episcopus, almost shit their pants in front of my astounding talent!" Helial glared at him: "The story of how you passed your test to become a Master?" "That''s right, brat!" "You''ve already told me that one, uhm, like 30 times?" Helial raised an eyebrow. "Cut the bullshit, please", snorted the Master, Helial was about to retort, when Vidio cut him off: "Just 26 times." Helial stared at him with his mouth open, stunned by the Master''s complete lack of modesty. That old fart even kept count of how many times he had told that story?! And when was he going to wipe the blood on his nose?! Everyone in that tavern was still staring at them! Cori sweetly stroked Vidio''s hairy cheeks, tracing with her slender fingers the broad features of the naked young man lying at her side. Vidio had the same foolish smile he always had when he looked at her, and Cori could not help giggling. Her crystal-clear voice warmed up the room as she drew closer to the man. Vidio ran a hand through her hair, caressing it and tousling it from time to time to bother her. Cori was squirming, but just for show. She loved that young man, she loved him like she had never loved anyone else. Vidio sighed; he wished he could freeze that moment. He stretched out a hand, generating a small Mana sphere. "See", he explained to Cori, while the sphere began to tremble and change shape, "everything''s made of Mana. The energy the circles in the universe, the tiny particles we are made of. Even our feelings can somehow be traced back to Mana Energy." While the globe kept shifting to different geometrical shapes, Vidio whispered: "Everything changes, because everything is energy and energy cannot be harnessed, except by corrupting its nature. There is always Life and Destruction, death and rebirth." Vidio smiled, looking at the ceiling. "Nothing escapes this law. Or at least that''s what we believe. However, in this life longing for change, there is a tiny part inside humans that has decided to rebel against the universe." Vidio looked away and fixed his gaze in Cori''s eyes, shining on her the warmest of smiles. "Love. Love is a vapid feeling that titanically subverts all the laws of the universe, including logic. There is no explanation, but once someone has felt true love, this feeling is everlasting. Everything can be corrupted by the energy, but nothing yet has been able to corrupt love and thwart it. And the love that I feel, Cori, could not be broken even by the legendary Iblis and Amaterasu." Cori smiled and got closer to Vidio to kiss him on the lips; then she seemed to change her mind and she pulled back at the last second. "Like the love for that courtesan whose beauty you''ve praised during the last council?!" SLAP Vidio found himself with a swollen cheek, while trying to explain: "Which courtesan? The one with the blue dress and big boobs, the one with an ass that looked sculpted in marble or the one who is said to suck even the anim-" SLAP SLAP SLAP Vidio got bombarded with slaps by the young and jealous Cori, who was punishing him for his insolence. After venting her rage on him, Cori turned to the other side of the bed, clearly annoyed. They stayed quiet for some minutes, before Vidio suddenly heard her weep. He put a hand on her shoulder and leaned forward to look her in the face. Warm tears were streaming down her face, falling on the white sheets. "He knows", whispered Cori. "Your husband?" asked Vidio with a frown. "Not only him. My father, the Episcopus¡­ he knows everything. I think they both know", her feeble voice trailed off, while a great weight oppressed the heart of the young woman. "I don''t give a damn", snorted Vidio, letting himself fall back on the bed, his hands behind his head. "It makes no difference, they can''t touch me. You know the rules of the Congregation. You cannot kill a brother and both your father and your husband are big wigs inside the Congregation, very high-profile people." "My father hasn''t become Episcopus, head of the national branch of the Mana Congregation, by chance, silly. In the tests, he''ll find a way to hinder you and kill you. You know that too." Cori sank back on the pillow, deeply anguished. "I don''t know if you remember who''s about to become the youngest Master in our Nation. I haven''t gotten here only thanks to strength, Cori, I have a brain too. Your father is known to be an exceptional man, but your lover is far more incredible", Vidio chuckled, pinching her butt. Cori spun around, enraged by the indecent gesture in the middle of a serious conversation. SLAP! "Do you want to make me a cripple even before tomorrow''s test?" complained Vidio, rubbing the cheek on which Cori had poured her wrath. "I wish I could do something, Vidio, I wish I could help you." Vidio smiled at her reassuringly and then looked at her as though he just had an Epiphany. All of a sudden Vidio grew extremely serious. "I''ve just thought of something you can do to help me, Cori", he said solemnly. Stunned by that sudden change, Cori replied with the same serious tone: "I''m listening." Vidio looked torn, as if unwilling to tell her what it was about. He hesitated. "Tell me!" snarled Cori, eager to be of help. "Are you sure?" asked Vidio, even more hesitant, with a very worried look. "I''m here for you. I love you and I don''t want to see you die tomorrow." "Well, you see¡­" Cori was drinking in every word, holding her breath. She was ready to suffer and sacrifice herself, had it been necessary. "There''s that thing you do¡­ you know, that thing with the feet would surely give me the right motivation!" SLAP! 43 Farewell Some years earlier, still in the tavern¡­ The customers were slowly leaving the tavern, glancing one last time at the Master that had amused them with his great show. "And then what happened?" asked Helial. "Can we skip the part of the lovebirds and go straight to the fight scene?" Vidio took a deep breath. "Don''t die", Cori''s words were bouncing around in his head, while a smile crept across his face. "Die? Who''s going to die?" said he, shaking his head. "Cori, today we''ll find out how much I''m worth. The shadows where your father will try to finish me are just another test. Should I die, then I wouldn''t deserve to be happy with you." Vidio looked at the sky, his eyes shining with a strange light. "In this life, there are people who shine like suns and can infuse this radiance to other people, making them shine in turn. Today I''ll find out if I shine enough to rip the darkness." Vidio clenched a fist in front of his face and said through gritted teeth: "I will find out if I am able to fight destiny and win. If I will be defeated, this will probably be the last time you see me alive." "In my life I have committed two great sins: you are one of them. I indulged so much in love I lost myself. But I couldn''t have committed a better mistake. The other one¡­ In order to reach the greatest brightness I had to plunge my heart into darkness, and I fear I have never resurfaced completely. I created something I should never have created. If anybody found out¡­ But after all, what aren''t we willing to do to warm the heart of those that love us with such intensity¡­" The corners of Vidio''s mouth trembled as he was seized by a trace of melancholy. "And what if tomorrow someone was be forced like me to plunge their essence into darkness, in order to shine like the brightest of suns? Is there such damnation? Can we embrace evil to do good?" Cori was looking at him, confused. Sometimes the words of that man became obscure and enigmatic. Not even she had managed to pierce the blanket of shadows that covered the bottom of his soul, which remained hidden by his laughter and his cheerful shallowness. The woman took cover between his arms and began sobbing quietly. Vidio chuckled and hummed a tune, all the while stroking her hair. Helial was puzzled. This was not the story he remembered. But something was telling him to stay quiet and listen, for once. With a carefree look on his face, Vidio glanced at the big wigs of the Congregation, including the Episcopus. An Immortal. Vidio clenched his fists. He would reach Immortality too one day and bend those pieces of shit to his will. "You have passed the first two tests brilliantly", began the Episcopus, speaking in an emotionless voice. "The third and last test consists in fighting a creature in your same stage and Phase. Once passed this test, you will receive the title of Primary Master. Kneel and give thanks to the Mana flows that allow us to witness your deeds." Vidio kneeled, but got back up right after reciting a brief formula. He had spent only a few seconds in that position. Usually, Masters would wait the Episcopus'' permission to get up. What arrogance! All the big wigs scowled. Vidio cupped his hands and said: "I want to give thanks to the hard work I have done in my live to get here and the people that supported me. I am ready to face the creature." Vidio''s words had an ill-concealed meaning that was not lost on those crafty old foxes. "I can clean my ass with the Mana flows. If I''m here it is thanks to my hard work and my talent, and not thanks to some weird astral conjunction", that was basically how Vidio''s words sounded in the head of the Episcopus. The Episcopus smiled and sighed. "These young people are so full of life." He would have appreciated that kind of spirit from someone else, but not from that man. No, Vidio was destined to die, and he would have died that same day. The other big wigs were sitting stiffly, outraged by those words. The Episcopus looked at them and rolled his eyes. "Look at this bunch with sticks up the ass. That''s why I''m in charge and not you, you bags of shit." One did not climb up to a top position, if they were close minded. It took a lot of belief in one own''s path and firmness in one''s decisions, but that did not mean being a bigot. There were other Episcopi sterner and more close-minded than him, but they did not have his connections. "Vidio¡­" the Episcopus shook his head, "Let the test begin." Vidio paused and took a sip of wine from the goblet in front of him. Twenty-five years. Still an open wound. In front of Vidio there was a huge, majestic winged serpent. It emitted an oppressing Aura. But something was amiss. Hidden beneath the pressure of the Aura there was a hint of weakness. Its body was several feet long and on the back sprouted two giant wings the winged serpent snarled, approaching slowly. "Winged serpents, the bastards of the Bog Dragons. Strong, but not invincible", whispered Vidio. It was all too easy. That creature was not as terrifying as Vidio had expected. Had the Episcopus made a mistake? He had heard that the Episcopus in person had caught the beast. An Immortal could have done better, couldn''t he? "Master, what are the characteristics of a winged serpent?" asked Helial with curiosity. "It can''t spit fire, but has great Mana Control and it can evoke several Skills. It is some sort of Dragon, but a lot weaker. A Dragon could kill a hundred winged serpents with a blow of his paw." Then he added: "According to what we know, winged serpents are descendant of the Dragons and can evolve into superior life forms." The body of the winged serpent was coverd with blood and it had lost many of its scales, where Vidio''s Staff had hit it. The serpent looked exhausted and Vidio still had many tricks up his sleeve. The beast was covered in burn marks. "Your excellency, don''t you think the creature to be far too weak?" someone asked the Episcopus, raising an eyebrow to such an easy test. "Oh, I''m afraid my old bones are not what they used to be. Have I picked too weak a creature? Should I have sent one of your young men to capture one for the test?" sneered the Episcopus. Blood curdled in the veins of those around him, when they heard the Episcopus stifled laugh. That man was no fool; there had to be more to the story. Even those that a moment before had observed the fight with a bored look, now were focusing on it with renewed interest. Vidio too had a very bad feeling regarding that whole business and wished to end the test as soon as possible. Vidio stopped. Even though he had just ordered another glass of wine, his throat was getting dry and his eyes burned. "And then? Why do you keep stopping?" asked Helial impatiently. That old pig was thinking for sure about some other waitress. "It turned into a Dragon." "What?!" "The ruined scales started charring and turned to ash, replaced by black-bluish ones. The legs became ten times stronger¡­ but aside from all the physical changes, the Aura was the most terrifying thing. In front of me there was one of the lords of the skies¡­ not even Lightning Dance, my strongest Technique, managed to take me to his level." Helial noticed that there was something wrong with Vidio''s face. The face muscles of the Master kept contracting, in order to hide the true feelings behind those words. "Once the third test has started, the Mana Congregation dictates that one cannot withdraw. One has to die: either the creature or who is taking the test¡­" Vidio smiled a half smile at Helial. "But Dragons", said Helial hesitantly, "are definitely superior creatures compared to everything else¡­ What happened next?" "We fought hard." "And then?" "And then I won." All the big wigs of the Congregation, including the Episcopus, were staring at him in awe, a hint of horror in their eyes. Covered in black and red, Vidio was standing next to the corpse of a huge Dragon. The frightening creature had a hole as big as a grown man''s head right in the chest. His heart had shattered. There was no trace of life left in him. The Master, however, although gasping, was leaning unsteadily against his chipped Staff. His hands, and actually the rest of his whole body, was shaking. Thump The gazed was fixed on those men, who looked back at him with hatred and spite. Vidio''s sight became blurred, his eyes full of tears. A faded figure appeared in front of him. A vision¡­ that hair, those curves¡­ A warm tear rolled down Vidio''s cheek and fell to the ground. Plop "HERESY!" "Farewell, Cori¡­" whispered Vidio. Vidio''s story was fragmented and incomprehensible at times. Helial could not understand how his Master had managed to win. But the man was silent now, unable to go on. It was so out of character for him. "I''d better go", said finally Helial, while Vidio kept staring at the bottom of the glass he was holding. Vidio did not reply or move. The boy pushed the chair from the table and stood up, heading towards the exit together with the few mercenaries left in the tavern. Vidio looked up at Helial''s back and his eyes filled with tears one more time, after twenty-five years. Master for one day, father for a lifetime. "Cori, I think I have found a son. Are you still waiting for me? I''ll come back. He will let us be together." A na?ve and pathetic smile crept across Vidio''s face, while tears streaked his cheeks. There is a sort of bliss in tears¡­ 44 Game over "How high do you want to go? I''d want to hop like a Monkey and jump above the treetops. That''s it? Well, I''d also want to be like a Tiger and climb on the steepest cliffs. Only that? Or like an Eagle and soar in the infinity of the heavens. That''s all? A Dragon, then. Like a Dragon I''d want to touch the windows of the skies and glimpse at the universe from there. Are you done? I believe so. And you, how high do you want to go? Like no one else. What do you mean? Like no one else, I will dominate all heavenly bodies, I''ll be free and unattainable. I will be like the unreachable sky for Monkeys, Tigers, Eagles and Dragons. The universe will be but a tiny spark of my conscience, life will be but the formation of one of my thoughts, death will be but one of my sighs. I will reign unrivalled; nothing will exist above me." Sacred Incision of the Clans of Destruction In the present 04:21 Only a handful of Goblins was still alive now. The Commander stood there, paralyzed by the terrifying power exercised by the Master. Vidio looked like a deity, continuously appearing and disappearing and wreaking death and desperation wherever he went. "Damn, that monster. He''s too strong, not even I can stop him. Fuck, FUCK!" snarled the Commander desperately, ready to engage in battle at any second. The Commander was gripped by a terrible anxiety that strangled his throat and twisted his bowels. Boom! Skill Activated: Run on the Cumulonimbus Amplification from Lightning Dance: 500% Vidio appeared behind the Commander who barely managed to raise his weapon to parry the blow. Skill Activated: the Casting is forced and the Skill activates immediately. Ascending Lightning Amplification from Lightning Dance: 500% BOOM! A merciless blow. Goblin Commander lost 1405 HP! Even though the Commander had parried the blow, the hit had been devastating. The Goblin was thrown against some trees, which split in two one after the other, due to the impact. The Commander landed ten yard further away, completely stunned. Helial and Snowflake were looking utterly bewildered at the Master''s display of strength, who was fighting against someone one Phase above his own. Lumia, on the other hand, was witnessing the scene wide-eyed, stroking Snowflake''s head in a panic. "When are we going to the mountains?" she whispered. "Very soon, it seems", replied Helial, sighing in relief and relaxing his shoulders. ¡­ Not too soon, I believe. ¡­ Vidio threw a palm against the last few Goblins, making sure they would not hurt Helial, the girl or Snowflake. The two soldiers disappeared; two pools of anonymous blood were the only remainders of their previous existence. Vidio approached the Commander and used again his Movement Skill, Run on the Cumulonimbus. The two clouds under the Master''s feet seemed to contain endless propulsive power. 4:09 "It''s over", said Vidio, gritting his teeth. He glanced at the surrounding area, looking for an escape that would take him and the others as far as possible. Remaining there was way too dangerous. The battle had lasted much less than he had foreseen, but there was a problem puzzling him: the Commander was for sure not the strongest enemy he could be facing at the moment. Vidio could still take care of a Goblin in the Third Phase, but if he were to come¡­ The Commander stared at Vidio with eyes full of terror and shouted: "Wait, I beg you! Stop! I''ll let you go!" The corners of Vidio''s mouth trembled: "Why should I believe you? Stinking piece of shit, you almost killed my disciple. If it weren''t for me, those three would now be ground meat. Hehe, I know I''m too strong, right guys?" he cried, turning to the others standing several yards behind him, and so unable to hear him. "Hahaha, let''s not waste time, anyway. One of us has to die today. Guess who''s that going to be?" A great amount of bolts of lightning gathered around them. The Commander stared at them, petrified. He cast a last desperate glance on Helial, Lumia and Snowflake, who had come closer to the fighting ground. The girl was getting down the cat to run in her brother''s arms. The Goblin saw in Helial''s cold eyes that there was no mercy to be sought in them. He clenched his fists, until his fingernails sank into the living flesh of his palms. Plop plop Drops of blood fell to the ground. That was it, there was nothing more he could do. Vidio brandished the Staff with two hands, ready to bring out his strongest Skill. Skill Activated: Divine Lightning Winged Dragon! The Staff seemed to turn into a huge, magnificent dragon, with blinding blue scales. That being seemed to reign on all and intimidate every other living form. The Lighning Dragon looked at the Commander with flaming eyes, ready to devour him. ROAAAAR! With a deafening roar, he launched himself at the tiny Goblin. "Save me, my King!" A flash of blinding light violently hit Vidio''s eyes. Helial shielded his eyes with the back of his hand. DONG! There was a deafening boom, but no shockwave, as if the Skill had vanished into nothing. What''s happening?, wondered Helial. A deadly silence fell all around them. When the light died out, a translucent barrier became visible, protecting the Goblin Commander from the Divine Lightning Winged Dragon. The atmosphere got immediately tenser. Vidio, Helial and Snowflake looked beyond the barrier. "Shit." On the other side of the barrier stood an impressive Goblin, tall with a hook nose. He looked much more like a human than a Goblin, but his greenish skin was unmistakenly that of the mountain people. Caesar. "I cannot let another one of my brothers die this way; I''ve lost too many today. Stupid humans", boomed Caesar. With a solemn look and slightly furrowed brow, he gazed at the man in the Second Phase standing in front of him. He dissolved the barrier and took a step forward. Boom! Boom! Both Vidio''s arms turned into pink mist. The Master fell helplessly on his knees. Caesar sighed, pursed his lips, then turned and beckoned the Goblin Commander. The Commander understood immediately and drew his sword, launching himself at Vidio. Fwoosh! The blade sliced Vidio all the way through. "Die, filthy human!" cried the Goblin Commander, almost delirious with Schadenfreude. One moment. Such a long description for a scene that had lasted for a breath, for a split second. Dreams, hopes, all shattered. Vidio spat a mouthful of blood, looking at his HP bar dropping relentlessly. With trembling lips, he glanced at the wound in his chest, staring at the blood with a mixture of awe and disbelief. "And so, today I di-" the words died in his mouth, together with his half smile. After all, he had been dead for the last twenty-five years. This time, irony was not going to work, his foolish smile was not going to save him. Tears began to stream down his cheeks and all his body was shaken with painful sobs. Vidio lifted his clouding eyes on Caesar. "Mercy¡­" Caesar was looking at him, an emotionless look. "Not for me", Vidio moved his frantic gaze on Helial, Lumia and Snowflake. Caesar saw the wrenching pain in the eyes of the man and got lost in it for a moment. His eyebrows moved ever so slightly, while he got ready to pulverize that man, so he would not suffer pointlessly. "My son¡­" said Vidio, in a voice broken by sobs. Caesar nodded and then granted Vidio eternal rest. Boom! Vidio exploded, while the blood spattered Helial. Helial, Lumia and Snowflake were showered with a dense scarlet rain. Completely unnoticed, some drops of blood fell on Curse of the Demon and got absorbed. Helial reached at his jaws with trembling hands to touch the sticky liquid that had spattered his pale face. He felt the drops roll down between his lips and his mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood. "An Immortal", whispered Helial. Vidio had died just like that, without putting up a fight, without leaving behind a body to bury. Nothing was left of him, but for the blood spattered on Helial''s face. Caesar took a couple of steps forward, the Commander was rooted to the spot: it looked as if the King were interested in the kids and in that weird cat. The Goblin in the Third Phase had felt surprised, but now that the danger had passed, he could finally relax. Caesar was a just king, but it was better not to oppose him. After all, he had already gotten his revenge. "Kneel down, you three. You''ll be taken as war slaves to the Capital. We need people to work in the kitchens and we''ll put the cat in the Colosseum to amuse the crowds." They all felt a tremendous pressure descend on their heads, almost forcing them to kneel in front of that great Immortal. It seemed that even their lungs felt the strain: their breathing became shorter and shorter. Thump thump Lumia and Snowflake fell on their hands and knees , unable to withstand the pressure. A big pulsing vein appeared on Helial''s body. He felt as if something was exploding inside his chest. His heart was beating frantically. You''re dead, Shithead. Game over. Here ends your path as a free man. Helial'' breathing became labored, as Caesar increased the pressure on him, without the slightest effort. The grass surrounding Helial started to bend and the ground sank by an inch, while the space appeared distorted. But it was not enough. Helial found it harder and harder to breathe now. His lungs were wheezing and his bloodshot eyes shone with incredible madness. Sometimes destiny plays awful tricks, uh? You''ve lost this time; maybe becoming a slave again will give you a second chance. Cling to a miserable life, no? You''ll climb back up later. "WHO ARE YOU?" roared Helial with all his might, surprising even Caesar with that reaction. "Caesar, King of Orma and the Goblin Empire." Despite standing at a distance, Caesar took notice of an odd phenomenon. Helial''s Aura kept spreading incessantly. It had already surpassed the level of someone in the Second Phase Intermediate stage, even though his true level could not be above the First Phase. He looked well beyond level 140. "Kid, don''t waste my time. In name of the mercy I granted your father, I decided to enslave you", snorted Caesar, increasing the pressure even more. Helial''s pupils narrowed to two slits, while he tried not to kneel under that terrifying force. His Soul started cracking under all that pressure, but a weird dark energy kept welding the cracks as soon as they formed. Caesar''s gaze rested on Lumia for a moment, and Helial noticed. A flash. Time slowed down and the world lost all his colors. "Surrender. Nothing can save you. Resist me and you will be killed", sighed a familiar voice. This time though, it was not in his head. In front of him, there was a black-haired boy, who kept fixing his bangs with a hand while talking: "Servitude is a kind of survival. Sometimes it is better to be weak, to surrender, to bend, don''t you think?" he smiled at Helial, but there was nothing human in that smile: it was icy, and that iciness spread to the bones of whoever looked at it. Helial was trembling, even though he did not feel Caesar''s pressure on him anymore. He looked around. The world looked like a frozen black and white picture. "You don''t have much time to talk to me. In about ten minutes, the effect of the Mana I can move will end and time will go back to flow as usual. Tell me what you want to do: if you surrender I can guarantee your survival." Helial felt something rush up his throat, his chest rose and fell rapidly. When he managed to gather enough breath to speak, he shouted. "WHO ARE YOU?!" An even bigger smile spread on the little boy''s face. He was several inches shorter than Helial, wrapped in a pitch black cloak. "You don''t fulfil the requirements to know my name, I''m sorry. Anyway, there are not many people worth pronouncing it. Since I began my holidays inside this sword, the sound of my name is hanging on many undeserving lips. Let''s just say, I''m what you human would call a Devil, even though I''m not as evil as people make me", the little boy feigned an annoyed grimace and put his hands on his hips, as if to express his resentment. Then he burst out laughing, "Alright, alright, enough with the jokes." His expression relaxed and, looking Helial in the eye, he said: "If you want to be sure to live, servitude is not a lousy option." Helial stared in the dark irises of the little boy, who seemed to come from the deepest reaches of hell. Everything in him emanated a terrifying Aura of death and Destruction. "Servitude. Just like the last 15 years of my life?" Helial''s voice was full of resentment. "Do not let anger steer you to the wrong choice. That man thought of you as his son and he died hoping you would live. Do you really want to spit on his sacrifice, are you that heartless?" sneered the Devil. Helial''s eyes filled with fury: "I know who you are. "You are¡­ You are Curse of the Demon. You crippled my Mana Seed first, then made me a cripple. If it weren''t for Kirin¡­" "Hahahaha! Call me whatever you want! Do you really think that stupid Lame Dragon could stand between me and my goals? I have crushed entire races with my bare hands; a brain-dead Lame Dragon could not save you from me. Do you really believe that this is a curse? Look at yourself now, look at the strongest Skill you have, look at your Mana Control. Look at yourself and tell me that I crippled you. Was it really a curse?" The little boy shook his head helplessly. "You have two choices ahead of you: step into the abyss and attack an Immortal, or run. I have already helped you too much in this life, I won''t waste more time on you. Your destiny, that of your sister and of the Star Tiger are all in your hands." Helial clenched his fists and stared at the ground. Then he looked at the grey sky above, as if he could catch a glimpse of someone beyond the heavens. "You have given me power before, I''ve felt it. Can you give me more? Can you make me able to protect who I love?" The little boy smiled creepily and said: "It wasn''t me. That power resulted from the contact with the essence of a Demon, after the transformation caused by my presence in your Soul ¨C or in your Mana Seed, as you people call it now. I simply made the Destruction Energy that was in you emerge. I have just awoken your potential during the second test of the Lame Dragon, you did the rest on your own." "If I evoke that kind of power again, could I win?" asked Helial almost desperately, trying to hang on the the hope of salvation for Lumia and himself. The little boy shook his head: "Immortals are no joke. The difference between you and an Immortal cannot be filled even by sacrificing your own life." Helial closed his eyes, while rage flooded his body. There was nothing he could do. He was weak, he had always been. His brother was right: the weak cannot afford to choose. Helial clenched his fists in an iron grip around the sword, whose evil spirit had just revealed itself to him. Choosing was not a privilege given to those that, like him, were unable to fight. In the last 15 years, he had been able to make only one choice. "I know your story, brat. You know that, right?" Helial slowly opened his eyes, seemingly calmer, as if the recent crisis was already behind him. Only a huge pulsing vein on his neck betrayed the fury he harbored inside. He looked at Caesar, whose eyes where fixed on Helial''s sister. "Which do you think is the best choice?" asked Helial to the Devil. "There''s no best choice. There is only who has the strength to choose and who doesn''t." "Are we humans or beasts?" Helial smiled and sighed. The Devil looked at him with a weird light in his eyes. "Little monster," began Helial, while his gaze fell on a white pendant similar to a sun, that hung from the Devil''s neck, in stark contrast to everything else, "for an animal, the only option to survive is to run and surrender. Wouldn''t a person that has only reason left choose the easiest way out? Well, it is obvious." Helial paused briefly. "You know my story. The only stupid choice I have ever made has brought in my life a light brighter than the sun. So was that choice really stupid? Was it really foolish to go against my survival instincts? Is it really life if we just live to endure other people''s choices?" Helial looked at the sky. "I am here to find meaning in my life, or so they told me. This is what we are here for. To find meaning in this mindless machination", he laid his dark blue eyes on the Devil and smiled, "but it''s wrong. There is no meaning in what we do. It is just an endless sequence of stupid thoughts inside which we locked our freedom." Helial took a breath and clenched his fists tight. "This is true for everyone else. I am here to make sense of my pointless life; and I will make sense of it through every word that I utter and every slash of my sword." His gaze fired up and his heart started to pound crazily. He snarled: "And one day I will be my own master. I will trample on the rotting bones of whoever will step between me and who I love, between me and my freedom. But I cannot have this freedom if today I lower my head one more time. "There is always a choice to make in anything we find in front of us, always, as trifling as it can be. If I truly want to be free, I am ready to seize every trifling chance of choice that is granted to me. I will step on the unbeaten path of the choice that goes against common sense and I will build my own unique path." Small rivulets of Mana began to condense all around Helial, who unconsciously had again increased exponentially his Mana Control. "Today I will create a chance. Today I will change everything!" The Devil suddenly furrowed his brow and shouted: "What an arrogant!" Boom! A shockwave threw Helial backwards and moved his internal organs, making him spit a mouthful of blood. He felt his heart boil with hope. This time he would have given all. He did not care about winning or losing, but he wanted to live a life that was uniquely and wonderfully his. He was ready for anything but for death, not because he feared it, but because he had chosen to fight it. And he had chosen to win. He was going to fight for his freedom and for Lumia''s, and for Snowflake''s. It did not matter that facing him was an Immortal. A new flame burned in his eyes, a flame that could set on fire the whole world. Helial looked again at the black and white sky of that space time block. He put a hand on the grass and tried to stand up. When he looked again at the Devil, he noticed something weird. There was a hand in front of his face, reaching towards him. Helial observed the hand, the arm, then the shoulders until the face of the little boy with pitch black hair and bluish lips. He grasped the hand and squeezed it tight, getting up with the help of the Devil. "Make my day, Shithead!" The Devil vanished. His words were still ringing inside Helial''s head, who was now once again standing in front of Caesar. Don''t worry, little monster, I won''t let you down! 45 A New Beginning The world began to slowly regain its colors and time started flowing again at its normal speed. Caesar had the same enigmatic and pensive look as before. Helial suddenly turned his back on Caesar and walked towards Lumia. In his grasp, Curse of the Demon was shining with a black light, opaque and yet blinding. It seemed as though it was trying to swallow the light of all the stars in the universe. The black weapon began to seethe with Mana Energy. I will help you only circulate the power inside your body. You will likely die, but first we will have some fun, if you are willing. Helial sighed and nodded ever so slightly. Then he slashed upwards, emanating a terrifying Aura of death and Destruction, much stronger than what one would have expected from the level of that boy. Caesar knitted his brow: "Third Phase. That blow is already at the Third Phase. Who is this brat? Could he come from some great Clan? No, or he would have already whipped out some big name to scare me with." The pressure that was crushing Lumia and Snowflake suddenly shat-tered and Helial helped his sister stand up. The Goblin Commander was losing his patience and was ready to jump on Helial, but Caesar blocked him with a hand, shaking his head. He was curious to see what the boy would do. The life of an Immortal could be strangely monotonous sometimes, and ignoring an usual event like that one could mean the beginning of a new boring year. If in the end the boy turned out to be a mediocre opponent, Caesar would have wast-ed only a couple of minutes of his eternal life. Snowflake looked at Helial with ill-disguised concern: "Dickhead¡­ what are you doing?" Helial beamed at him with such warmth, that irradiated even to the heart of the animal. He hugged his sister and kissed her sweetly on the cheek. "Do you trust me?" he whispered in her ear. Helial was not even in the First Phase, why should Lumia trust him? What could he vouch for? Nothing, not even safety. However, Lumia had never had such a thought and with eyes brimming with tears, she nodded with some effort. Her eyes were stinging and she could not talk, but she did not want to let her big brother down. Helial stroked her hair, then he turned to Snowflake and said: "Things are going to get really dangerous, take her and go as far as possible. I will catch up with you when I can." Having said this, Helial did not waste another word. He finally turned back to Caesar and took a deep breath. "AH!" Boom! His Aura began to violently erupt a huge amount of Destructive Ener-gy. The space all around him was savagely distorted, while the energy ex-ploded in all directions. The grass all around where Helial was standing wilted, and so did all the plants in a five yards range. His irises became whiter and whiter, until they blended in with the cornea. Boom! A second shockwave scared the crap out of Snowflake, who grabbed Lumia''s clothes in his teeth and ran away. Your body is approaching its limit and your Aura is only in the Third Phase. You haven''t got a chance. Helial was in a great deal of pain and not losing consciousness was becoming harder with each second. On his head there were two translu-cent horns, while his Aura brimming with death flooded all his body. Inside his Meridians, the energy roared savagely, destroying everything in its path. Helial was not even in the First Phase, he was just above level 20, but he was controlling an amount of energy equal to that of someone at level 220. This power goes against order, it represents the freedom of chaos, the force of Destruc-tion, which is not an end, but a new beginning if you want. Show me your new beginning, brat. BOOM! "Even though he could not reach this level without my help, he is truly remarkable", thought the little boy with the black bangs and the bowl cut. Helial''s Meridians started breaking, but Mana kept flowing constantly inside his body. 230, 235, 240. Fourth Phase. His Aura kept growing against all reason. Meanwhile, Meridians were shattering, muscles tearing and Body of the Qilin was unable to regener-ate quickly enough. Helial''s body was now held together only by his willpower and his astounding Mana Control. A web of pitch black veins spread from around his eyes. 280, 290, 295. The rate at which his Aura was growing slowed down; it looked as if it were approaching its limit. Helial had already surpassed four Phases, a feat that no one else before him had accomplished. But it was going to cost him dearly. Even if he did not die, he would probably be a cripple all his life, unable to use Mana again. Caesar was now looking at him with new eyes. He was speechless. That brat in front of him was about to reach the Fifth Phase with his Au-ra, despite his true level being close to 20. What kind of monster was he facing? What creature in that universe could accomplish such a feat? What is happening to that boy? Those horns, those eyes¡­ The power of a demon, of a terrifying demon. What kind of a Legacy has he found?, thought Caesar in awe. The Goblin King looked at him and sighed: "So much wasted tal-ent¡­ stop, kid. If you go on, there will be nothing left of your body, lis-ten to me. I mean it." Helial saw compassion in the Immortal''s eyes and felt something ex-plode in his chest. Pity! He did not need anyone''s pity, not even of the strongest of Immortals! BOOOM! The tunic he was wearing got ripped in the back, torn by two majestic bat wings that opened forcefully, showing their giant wingspan. Helial looked like the harbinger of doomsday. Level 400. Helial''s Aura had entered the Sixth Phase Late stage. The boy was now emanating a terrifying and sinister pressure, as though he wanted to anni-hilate all life on this world. The Devil himself was observing Helial, deep in thought. "This kid, such control. No, it''s not really the control. The determination. His body is about to explode, and so is his Soul." The little boy with the black tunic made a gesture with his hand and a strange energy enveloped Helial''s Mana Seed. "I want to enjoy the show, before his Mana Seed explodes", said the boy, coughing. Helial could not feel anything anymore; even the pain had vanished. That was a sign of his imminent death. But what did it matter? Rage, re-sentment, grudge¡­ all gone. Helial was free, free of the fear of standing in the presence of an Immortal. He sensed his Mana Seed was about to collapse. Actually, it was incredible that it still had not exploded. He could go on further; now it was time to attack. He looked at the palm of his free hand. The skin had become a trans-lucent black shell. "Being a monster is not too bad, if you can be a monster for free-dom." The Devil was shocked by those words and kitted his brow in a dis-tressed frown. He crossed his finger before his mouth. "What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the rest of the world calls it butterfly", sighed the little boy. Helial slowly raised the arm that was holding Curse of the Demon, while his body seemed to be falling to pieces at any moment. A mischievous grin spread across the Devil''s face. He whispered to himself: "I''ll lend you a Skill, but for today only." Then he too raised an arm. The black outline of the sword loomed up defiantly in the sky. Out of the blue, all the light in the world was absorbed by the sword. The colors were washed out from every blade of grass, every piece of clothes, every tree, and even from the sky. "What''s happening?!" asked the Commander, alarmed. The Aura of the kid could not be described with words, and so the terror that had seized the Commander. Caesar scowled: "He''s activating a Skill." The Immortal chose not to intervene. Although the Aura of the kid had surprisingly reached the Sixth Phase, it was still not enough to threat-en him. But there was something in that attack that aroused a primordial fear in his limbs. Caesar, King of Orma and the Goblin Empire, was shivering. *** In an undefined time, countless years earlier. In the dead of night, a young man and woman were lying next to each other on a grassy field. The dim light of the moon shone on them, falter-ing whenever hidden by a passing cloud. The blonde hair of the girl was like a shower of comets on the grass, while her hands were intertwined and rested on her belly. Her skin was pure white jade, her slender fingers did not need jewels to shine. Her eyes were the same bright color of amber; a mere glimpse of those eyes could have soothed any pain. She emanated a warm and reassuring Aura. But what stood out the most of her appearance was the faint smile that rested on her lips. That smile shone with the light of a thousand suns; not even her hu-man appearance could mask the absolute grandiosity of that smile. Every-thing looked brighter next to the girl, as if shining from within. At her side lay a young man. His hair was pitch black as the darkest of nights, blending in the shadows. His hands were behind his neck, propping him up to take a better look of the sky above. He had a pale complexion, like an unearthly creature, while his bony fingers were morbidly fascinating. His intense ebony eyes were so deep one could get forever lost in them. He emanated an icy, steady Aura. What was shocking in that boy was his gaze. Those eyes could have swallowed all life in the universe. His gaze was so intense that not even his boyish looks could conceal those tyrannical eyes. Everything felt colder around him, as though the temperature dropped below zero. "Aren''t you scared?" asked the girl. "Of what?" replied the young man, in a casual tone. "Of my Clan. Who should you fear more than them in the entire uni-verse?" The young man seemed to ponder those words for a few moments. "Myself", he smiled. The girl shook her head, covering her mouth with her hand, while shaking with a giggle. There was unique and indescribable tenderness in that gesture. The young man sighed. "Why should I be scared?" "They won''t let you see me again. You are in the Third Phase and powerless against them. Even now we could be watched. If you stopped seeing me you wouldn''t run any risks, you know?" The girl rolled on her side and their eyes met. "There''s more danger in those eyes of yours than in 20 of their Im-mortals: if you give me a sweet look, I''ll be able to make it", he sighed again. "What those shitheads want to kick my ass for, anyway? Mpf, mpf, how many people in the Fourth Phase could face me? How many in the other Phases? They can only employ Immortals to stop me. One day, I''ll be the Patriarch of my own Clan and I''ll change everything. Actually, what am I saying, not a Patriarch!" He jumped to his feet, in a strange frenzy. "Not a Patriarch! May all those old bastards die: I''ll be a traveler, king of this universe only by my name, I''ll have no need for useless titles. I''ll be the lord of Monkeys, Tigers, Eagles and Dragons. I don''t give a shit about these stupid Clans. I''ll be a monster, like those people in your Clan say. You know, being a monster is not that bad, if you can be a monster for freedom." His Aura suddenly started seething, enveloping everything, washing the colors out of the entire world, but for the girl. She stood up and walked to the young man, softly putting a hand on his shoulder. All of a sudden, his Aura turned off and the world regained color. Even the young man''s pale complexion looked now brighter, next to her. "How can you say these things with a light heart?" asked the girl in a disappointed voice. "With a light heart?" the young man laughed, "which heart more than mine is always burdened by dark thoughts? Your Clans wants me dead and my Clan wants you dead. My heart is not light, and neither is death. But as long as we won''t step on a different path, as long as we won''t trace our own way towards what seems to be an abyss, what can we do?" The young man smiled sweetly: "What would be the point in denying what I love, what I am? Am I a beast? No, not at all. My life won''t be mere survival, but a full life. I''ll bend destiny to my will, even if it meant tearing the universe in two!" The girl rested her head against his back and whispered: "Don''t die, then. It''ll be just the two of us, together to change our destiny." *** In the present Helial''s Aura now looked like an insuperable mountain for the two Goblins. It did not matter that one of them was an Immortal, there was a primordial grandeur in the movements of the boy, as if he weren''t just a boy, but a terrifying demon. The Longsword that he kept raised above his head was collecting an incredible amount of Mana, by sucking in all the light around them. "This Skill is monstrous¡­" said Caesar, shocked by what he was see-ing happening at the hand of a brat that was not even in the First Phase. What would have happened if the boy would have been in the Sixth or Seventh or even Eighth Phase? Could he have been able to fight an Im-mortal? In his long life, he had had the honor of knowing many powerful and talented people, but no one had made such a deep impression on him like Helial had. Your people does have someone as remarkable as you, brother, thought Caesar. "Stop, kid, your body cannot bear so much Mana, stop it." Caesar spoke in a serious tone: losing a young talent for such a trifling matter was silly. Caesar took a step forward, but right at that moment, Helial attacked. An Unknown Skill is activated: Effects: ??? The world froze, faded, and life seemed to be wiped off the face of the earth, while darkness took over the air. The only hint of light seemed to be coming from the tip of Curse of the Demon. Helial slashed the sword, without any apparent effort. However, the moment the movement completed its course, it generated a gigantic ener-gy blade. FWOOSH OOHHMM The Aura of the sword emitted a dull metallic boom, as it collided at lightning speed with Caesar. In the exact moment when the energy left his body, Helial fell back-wards, completely drained. He was as pale as a corpse and started bleed-ing from all facial orifices. His bones turned to dust inside his body. There was nothing left of his Meridians, which had completely shattered. His body was now an empty shell; only his Mana Seed remained, shining feebly, as if it were about to go out at any moment. That blow contained everything that Helial had received from life, and now barely anything remained of him. "In order to become stronger, to obtain something, Shithead, some-times we have to lose something else", whispered the Devil. Helial remembered that moment when, after losing all Strength and MP, he had been able to develop and improve Mana Pistol. Maybe the Devil had not lied to him, he really had done it for his own good. Was that the end? Or was this end a new beginning? He fell to the ground. An impalpable layer of translucent black energy prevented him from hitting the hard soil. His conditions were critical, a single bump could have killed him on the spot. Caesar stared at the blow of the kid rushing towards him. In the moment right before lowering the raised sword, Caesar had seen two images merge. The outline of a tremendously fascinating Devil, with eyes that could have swallowed the universe, had appeared where Helial was standing. The two figures merged, becoming one, and threw the attack together. Caesar stretched a palm in front of himself, generating a shield of Mana. His had an Affinity with Earth, so his Skills were based on abso-lute attack and defense. Few people could survive a direct fight with someone with Affinity with Earth. The blow collided with the shield. Caesar sensed an abyss forming in front of him, a chaos ready to swallow him. Crack The shield cracked. !!! "What the hell is happening¡­" That blow was full of corrosive properties and was slowly making its way through the shield, to his palm. Caesar frowned and reversed even more Mana inside the shield. But that did not help: although the blow did not contain a huge amount of power, his corrosive properties were astounding. Not even the shield of an Immortal was able to withstand that. Crack crack A dense web of cracks spread on the surface of the shield. "Impossible." A puzzled look spread on Caesar''s face, his eyebrows slowly contracting in shock. Something was wrong. How could a boy not even in the First Phase exercise so much pressure on an Immortal? Fwoosh! Sweeping past the shield, the blow hit Caesar''s hand. He gritted his teeth, bracing himself for a good shake. But nothing happened. The blow quickly extinguished itself on the palm, as if nothing had happened. The sky regained its colors, the grass started waving again. The world was not in black and white anymore. "Good job, kid, good job", whispered the Devil to himself. Caesar looked about himself with a puzzled look, then saw Helial lying on the ground, the Longsword with the blade as dark as night still clutched in his hand. The Goblin King took a step forward to grant to the boy the eternal rest. The Commander was fretting. He had almost shitted himself in all that chaos. "Such a seemingly weak boy has managed to shatter the King''s shield? What kind of monster would he become if we let him live?" he whis-pered to himself. Luckily, the boy was unable to move and was not going to get up any time soon. It would have surely been a calamity for their race to let him live, knowing the grudge he would hold against all Goblins. But the Commander kept quiet. He did not dare to speak. Caesar''s pride had been wounded and he probably wanted to personally end the brat''s life. Even the biggest of geniuses in this world cannot survive without someone to watch their back. And clearly the boy had no one, or he would have spit out the name of some Clan, Guild or Sect, way before ending up in a state like that. "Sometimes one is just unlucky", sighed the Commander. He had to admit that he would never have such talent, and that made him really jeal-ous. Helial was not even 20 years old, but he already possessed such tal-ent to shock all living creatures walking on the planet. Caesar had raised a palm on Helial, ready to turn him to dust. And yet. For just a moment, he felt a slight sting in his palm. He turned it around to look at it. Caesar''s eyebrows contracted spasmodically. His skin was split in a thin cut, from which a drop of blood rolled out and fell to the ground, regardless of the indignation of the Immortal. Plop "Interesting¡­" Caesar smiled as his gaze fell on Helial. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Okay then, it''s PlainJane here. I couldn''t write longer comments in the author''s thought but I wasn''t done writing, so here I am. The authors often say that The Awakening of the Demon is somewhat imperfect - lots of flashbacks, slow start and stuff. The writing will become more refined, and the plot more compelling. Don''t you trust me? Go read it! :3 Leave a comment below and a review if you like! From now on I will be publishing 3 chapters per week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I live in Italy so I might take a bit to settle down with the time difference. Anyhow, see you on Friday guys c: 46 Prologue "Hick!" "You old fucker¡­" Helial cursed, as he held up Vidio down the streets of Floralivory City. He had found that fucker of a master wasted on an inn floor, as a result of yet another waitress'' refusal. Now, with his arm coiled around Helial''s neck, Vidio was struggling to take a few unsteady steps forward. He was staggering so bad he would have definitely fallen over if he hadn''t been leaning on Helial. "What the fuck were you even doing?!" "Hick! Hahahahah!" Vidio burst into laughter, as the expression on Helial''s face grew grumpier. His master knew too well how to get on people''s nerves; he never gave a shit about anything or anyone! "Hey boy! Hick! Why did we leave the inn? I wasn''t done drinking yet! Hick!" The moonbeams reflecting on Vidio revealed the traces of drunkenness on his reddened face. His master had clearly hit the bottle. "Damn old fart. My sister is waiting for me. But I don''t spend my free nights with her, and you know why? Because I have to babysit you, asshole! It''ll take me forever to go back to the village, you know that?" Helial glanced at Vidio with resentful eyes. "Hick! And how long will it take you to find a sweet lady, kid? Huh? Come with me, your Master will take you to the best whorehouse in this town! Follow your captain, you pirate!" What the fuck is he saying. "Do you even know I''m, like, twelve?" "So what? Peckers won''t work at twelve? Hick!" Helial looked at Vidio in puzzlement, as he dragged him down the semi-dark lanes of the city. "How about focusing on something a little more serious than women?" Vidio looked hurt by his words and dramatically staggered a few steps away from Helial. As soon as he had no stand though, he fell to the ground. Poff Vidio slammed on his backside, his eyes glimmering with unusual fierceness. "And how many things could claim to be more serious than women, kid? How many people sinned, killed and slaughtered in the name of one single woman?!" Vidio shook his head heavily, as if to regain a bit of his clear thinking. "But what does a brat like you know about love, anyway?" Vidio took a deep breath. He looked up at the sky and filled his lungs with the fresh breeze of the night, which differed so greatly from the inns'' stale air. The night looked somewhat melancholy and lonely. No stars were sprinkled around the moon, seemingly exiled from the sky itself. The moonrays glared down on Vidio, who seemed to turn elderly all of a sudden. Vidio was searching for something on the moon''s face, as his lips gently whispered one name. Cori. "Master, if you''re okay I''ll just leave you here. You can make it home alone. I''ve got my own business to do", Helial said coldly. How could Helial image what was going on on Vidio''s mind? How could he know whether his master had his mind actually set on women, or rather was hiding something deeper? "One last thing, then you can go¡­ Hick!" Helial gave his dead-drunk Master a disdainful look. "Don''t you ever look down on love. boy. This is no joke. There''s so much for you to discover¡­ Today you only have your sister by your side, but one day¡­ One day, maybe, you''ll find something different¡­ Let me tell you a brief story. It''s worth listening." Helial looked at him annoyedly, but did not stop him. He might as well let that boozer speak and then get rid of him as soon as possible. He nodded, and Vidio got started. "I was wandering in a demonic dimension and, hick!, met this Devil, or better, the reminiscence of a Devil¡­ Who bestowed me with the most extraordinary gift", Vidio unfolded his tale, as his vision blurred slightly. "He let me step into one of his memories¡­ And told me about a man, a Devil who lived time out of mind. Every Devil and creature of Destruction still remember his name¡­A name that is new to no one, but no being could pronounce without shaking. He was a man who almost razed the Universe to the ground, and never gave up on his love. He, undisputed King of all things, would only bow before his beloved''s gaze. One blink of his eyes and planets would crumble; one sigh of his would put the sun out. Yet this meant nothing while she was in front of him. Destiny undoes the might of the strongest. This Devil I met gave me his memories and showed me the origin of the power of Destruction, and the birth of this extraordinary man." Vidio stroked his unshaven beard, as his lips shaped a silly smile. "He would wipe races out just to show her he didn''t know what impossible meant..." "One word. One single word would be enough for her to stop the power of his Destruction. Well, let''s say two. But she never got to pronounce them. This woman''s beauty made the brightest of suns only reflect off her own light. She was good, an unbelievable good woman. And she made the most terrifying of all beings fall in love with her." Vidio''s expression changed drastically, as his solemnity increased. "Never would I have imagined a Devil could be driven by such reasons; love, longing for living happily ever after. This opened my eyes. If the mightiest of Devils, the undisputed King of Destruction, bent the knee before love, who was I to stand against it? Sometimes I think I shouldn''t have got mixed up with these matters. But despite everything, I gained an Epiphany." An abyss of obscurity and darkness was now glistening in Vidio''s eyes. "I had access to the greatest of Epiphanies. For a split second I immersed myself completely in that Devil''s words. In the words of one of the commanders of the King of Devils. And I became a sinner just by touching a shred of his will, as if something terrifying had started growing inside me. Why though? I''d always believed that one only kills for the sake of hurting, that one only destroys in the name of greed. That death follows the orders of lust instead of those of love. But I was wrong. Would you believe me if I told you the most treacherous monster of all times was just a loving heart? Hick!" Helial furrowed his eyebrows. "Why should I give a shit about this?" Helial asked, puzzled by the enigmatic words of his master. "You shouldn''t, that''s obvious!" Vidio giggled. "Just keep in mind, boy, that one day love could turn you into someone you would never imagine. I could never wish someone to be as ill-fated as that mighty yet helpless Devil. Doesn''t matter how far you can get; love will always be too strong to be tamed. Plus, that Skill¡­" Helial was now sure that Vidio''s hangover was so bad it had made him talk all nonsense. The old man had such teary eyes he could burst into tears any second now. "Well, Vidio, listen. It''s getting late. I got stuff to do. See you", Helial cut short, as he turned his back to the master. You pitiful boozer. "Goodnight, boy¡­ Hick!" Vidio whispered. He stared at Helial''s back as he faded away. "I just hope no man will ever suffer so much again, even while wielding the most terrifying power existing. Destiny is cruel and envies the strongest, whom it besieges in any possible way... Be careful, boy. Destiny condemns us to love when we least expect it." 47 The end? Helial was gliding through a seemingly endless darkness with no sound nor light therein. He found himself in a bottomless well. His senses were dull. He furrowed his eyebrows, as he tried to grasp where he was and why. He remembered everything clearly: the Goblin assault, Vidio''s death, the King of Goblins'' coming¡­ and the nearly-Sixth-Phase attack he had delivered. And now the time had come for him to pay the consequences. What if he was dead? It wasn''t out of the question. After all, Caesar was an Immortal. His brother''s words were rumbling in his ears: "You''re too weak¡­" Suddenly, Helial thought of his parents, of Vidio, then of that weird Snowflake who sided with him against the wolves. He thought of Lumia. Helial felt two crimson tears streaking his cheeks. Blood warmed his skin up, as that painful feeling made him feel a little more alive. What about Lumia? Was she dead? Helial had no idea what had happened to his sister. Was Caesar - an Immortal, the King of Goblins - so proud a man he would chase a cat and a girl to avenge himself? With all the strength that was left to him, Helial hoped the answer was no. Was he left powerless, now? And what about his brother? Would that bastard go on with his life, would he keep living as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn''t put Helial in such a situation? The corners of Helial''s mouth curled up in a bitter smile. No, he shouldn''t blame his brother. He could only blame himself and his own rash decisions. No one had told Helial to make such a risky decision, in an attempt to take his freedom back. It had been his decision only. His brother had little to do with that. The only thing he could point his finger at was his own weakness. After all, if he had turned back time, he would have gone down the same path. And maybe this was for the best. Death, rest, peace. What else? 15 years of suffering, and now everything had come to an end. Death was his well-deserved rest. Now he had nothing more to worry about. But then... then what about the boulder weighting on his chest? Why was his heart out of rage? Where did that desire to annihilate that bastard of a Goblin and all his race come from? Helial felt an insane fury mounting his body, and darkness seemed to thicken in response. Helial began to thrash about violently. "LUMIA!" His lips moved, but no sound came out. He was falling off into the darkness. Could this be the end? Helial closed his eyes. ¡­ Poff "Well, Shithead, you woke up eventually. By the way, your spiritual conscience was done for. Like, you really suck. Kyeheheheheheh." Helial slammed his backside on a lawn. His gaze swept around; it was nighttime. Moonbeams glared down on Helial''s gaunt face, making it seem like a skull. "Any idea on our whereabouts?" asked the black-haired kid beside him. He was laying a table for two, while wearing an apron with a bizarre motif made of bats and devilish flying creatures. Helial furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at his garment. It was so¡­ inappropriate? The Devil seemed to grasp Helial''s thoughts instantly. "Say a word about this, if you dare", he said with a frightening smile. Suddenly, Helial felt oppressed by a killing Aura that made it difficult for him to breathe. That child-looking Devil was all covered in black. So were his eyes and his hair. Around his neck hung a pendant in clash with the rest. It gave off a mysterious Aura and glistened in white, like a tiny sun set in a deadly dark galaxy. Helial gazed at his mismatched outfit for a while before asking: "Are we in a sort of¡­ clearing?" The kid stopped laying the table for a moment, then turned towards Helial and said: "Such quick wit." Helial gave an astonished look to the Devil, who was looking back at him mockingly. "Quick wit must be your strong suit, right?" the Devil insisted. "Can you just tell me where the fuck are we now?" "You tell me, actually¡­" the Devil answered as he shrugged. Helial couldn''t be patient enough to play along with that mouthy boy. He was about to lose his temper, when he suddenly noticed something weird. Everything there was exuding an uncanny force that flowed into him and resonated with his soul. That was exactly how he felt when¡­ "Am I dead?" "Your brain is, no doubt", the Devil sneered. Then his expression grew graver: "We are inside your Soul. The one crystallized inside your Mana Seed. I couldn''t tell you before, and your master ignored it, but Souls and Mana Seeds are essentially the same thing. The Soul wanders through one''s body until it crystallizes into a Mana Seed¡­ but I guess my words mean nothing to you, as things stand." The kid put a candle at the centre of the table, then placed it on one side, then back to the centre. And then he followed the same sequence once again. Lastly, he furrowed his pitch-black eyebrows and panted. The placing of that candle seemed to matter to him much more than Helial''s life. Maybe more than his own life as well. His eyes betrayed an extraordinary, almost magnetic focus. Helial stared at him speechless. He''s just moving a fucking candle. From one side to the other. What''s that effort for? "Am I dead?" Helial asked again. He wouldn''t trust the Devil''s words in the slightest. The Devil gave one last sad eye to his candle, then gave up and finally turned towards Helial. "No. But I wouldn''t say you''re much alive either. You destroyed your Meridians, the roots of your being. The only thing that kept you alive¡­" the kid stopped for a second. "Your Soul. Yeah. It''s your Soul that kept you alive." Helial gazed at him. Something was shattering in his night-blue eyes. "So I''m¡­ a cripple now?" "Yeah. Basically. For now you are", the Devil said, as he turned again and went back to laying the table. Helial stared at the way he was setting down the silver cutlery, that was shining like a thousand stars. They were so daintily and finely shaped it was a shame to use them for supper. "What do you mean by for now?" Tin Tin Tin The Devil shrugged, absorbed by the tinkling sound of the cutlery. "Is there a cure?" "No way", the Devil said calmly. He didn''t even turn. "What the hell! Then what does for now mean?" Helial snarled in fury. Would he lose everything? No Meridians meant no Mana. How could he even hope to change his destiny, at that point? The Devil turned towards him, curled up the corners of his mouth in an evil smile and spoke: "You''re telling me you never heard about the magnificent Devils? In exchange for your soul you will come back to li-", then he suddenly stopped and shook his head. "No, I refuse to stoop to that fatso''s level. I feel sick at the thought of it." The Devil shivered and looked at Helial. His glare was icy and piercing. "Do you know how Mana Seeds work?" Helial nodded: "A Mana Seed marks the talent of its owner. You can deduce how pure it is depending on its color. The purer the seed, the bigger the Bonuses you get once condensed it." The Devil sneered. "It was a rhetorical question, actually. I had access to all of your memories. I know everything you know." Helial gave him an irritated look, then the Devil went on: "And you don''t know shit. Or better, you don''t know shit of what''s worth knowing." "What the fuck. Stop playing with me! Explain!" "You only had to ask", the Devil shrugged and got started. "There''s no such thing as strong or weak Mana Seeds. Purity and impurity don''t exist while the seed is growing. Impurity is a concept only used when it comes to classifying Skills. Grade Black Skills are the weakest, whilst Grade White Skills are the strongest. But this doesn''t apply to Mana Seeds." "Why not?" "Because it''s a shitty classification, I guess. Anyhow, high-level Skills have attributes, while your Mana Pistol does not. But if you, for example, had access to all the attributes of Flame of the Qilin¡­" The Devil slapped his fingers and a window popped up in front of Helial. Active Skill Lv: 1 Flame of the Qilin Grade: White Range: 100 meters Damage: 1500-3000/sec Effects: The damage generated by Flame of the Qilin differs according to the user''s resonance with the Forces of Life. It inflicts triple damage against the creatures of Darkness. Malus inflicted: Burn Cost: 0 Cast Time: 0 Efficiency: 100% This is Flame of the Qilins, lords of nature and Life! It is one of the most mysterious Skills in the universe, able to dominate even the fire of the Dragons, lords of Mana. Exp: 0.8% "A White Mana Seed isn''t necessarily stronger than a Red one. That''s because the Seed Grade also has an Attribute." Helial squinted. "Why does this shit have to be so complicated?" "Good question. Just keep in mind that grade is a synonym to strength for Skills, but not for Mana Seeds. What you called impurity is nothing more than the Seed Attribute." The Devil could see puzzlement on Helial''s face. Being a seasoned master, he anticipated his question before he could even say it aloud: "Yeah, a White Seed gives you more Bonuses than the others. But that''s just a feature of White Seeds, as a resonance with the features of Life thanks to its Affinity for Light. Right now your Seed looks like a Black one, but it''s still White." Helial could recall perfectly well the moment when Curse of the Demon hit him with that dark ray. "It''s only black due to my presence. One day you''ll probably get to choose", the Devil warned him. Out of the corner of his eye, he glared at the table he could not finish laying and put his hand on it. "You''re saying I can change my Seed color?!" The Devil gave Helial a pitiful look. It was to tell him that he was only embarrassing himself by asking such lost-cause questions. What an idiot. "Sure you can, with my help. My deeds go far beyond changing your fucking seed. But it has to be your choice." Helial clenched his fists. "Go on." "Each seed resonates better with its element. Black calls for darkness, white for light, red for fire, brown for earth, and so forth. There are several kinds of Seed. The differences may seem triflying, but as you step forward on the path to Immortality you''ll discover what unconceivable benefits the right Seed can give. It''s better to go for a Seed that resonates with your Affinity than for a White one just to boast around. Time will teach you that the greatest benefits come from Seeds that resonate with an Affinity, not from the purest ones." Helial nodded. He got it. He stared at the Devil in the eyes, two dark wells stealing off all the light in the world. "How do I get my Meridians back?" "Get those ones back? You can''t." The kid paused for a second. "But you can get brand-new ones. Way stronger than those you had." Helial frowned. He pondered for a while, then said: "How?" The Devil smiled. He knew the guy would give in, eventually. "Easy. You have to pass a little test first." 48 Cripple The Devil tapped his fingers on the table. He looked cryptic and deep in thought. "Are you in?" "Could I make it without Meridians?" "Yeah, actually. There is a Dao of Mana that doesn''t require Meridians. Kirin makes the best example. Don''t forget you have Body of the Qilin, now." Helial clenched his fists. The Devil was right, but Helial had a feeling that the Qilin''s Skill could only work as a support, not as a life-changer. Although he couldn''t say where this feeling came from, Helial knew perfectly well that one day Meridians would prove necessary. "After all," the Devil added after a look at Helial''s reaction, "martial arts and physical strength aren''t your strong suit. Your Mana Control is. See, your control could be considered top-tier even among the biggest wigs'' pupils. Also, what''s most terrifying about you is your age. I''ve already had pupils with such control, but they were way older than you. As an absolute, your Mana Control isn''t so ridiculous. It''s the fact that you exert it at fifteen that upsets me." The Devil straightened his black bangs, a hint of a smile on his lips. "You''re in, then." Helial thought of Lumia. Lumia was still too weak to stand her ground. He had to stand by her side. How could he abandon her? He looked about himself. They were on a clearing. All around them, the moonlight glowed like a milky ocean. An eerie silence reigned, together with a deathly quiet. One could only hear the sound of the cutlery that the Devil was still putting on the table. "Waiting for someone to come cover?" The Devil stopped and answered: "Kind of." "I accept your challenge." The Devil slowly turned. "Well, we have to find out if you''re worth it first. I have two conditions," he started, "you pass my test and take a life for me." When he heard he had to pass a test first, Helial furrowed his eyebrows. He remembered too well Kirin''s test, that almost got him killed. That Devil, who inhabited his soul and seemed to have had access to all of his memories, knew that for sure. The Devil looked indeed amused by the frown he saw on Helial''s face, but thought it best to stop his mind from drifting too much. "Nothing mortal. You''re already a cripple, what''s fun about killing you? I just need to make sure you have, like, the right attitude. Kyeheheheheh." "What''s at stake?" "But¡­ didn''t the fact that I asked you to kill for me upset you in the slightest?" sneered the Devil as he turned towards Helial, this time completely. "No," Helial cut short, "it''s a fair price to me. Pick anyone but Lumia." The Devil raised an eyebrow. "Taking one''s life so easy a task for a kid?" Helial set his eyes on the lawn. "I''ve already killed before. And what''s my way out, anyway? A Devil is offering me the chance to get my Meridians back, maybe stronger ones than I had before. A life? It means nothing to me. Everything comes at a price. If these Meridians are worth one life, then I''ll do what it takes to get them. I won''t underestimate a Devil who''s stronger than an Immortal. Let alone if this strength comes from the mere reminiscence of his original power." The Devil curled up the corners of his mouth in an evil smile. "Looks like you''ve got some brains in there." "Kirin. Kirin wouldn''t let me go so easily after seeing all the Destruction that''s in my Mana Seed because of you. Yeah, you already know why I grasped this two notions." Helial paused for a second and looked up at the sky full of stars. He clenched his fists. "Life and Destruction¡­ you must have killed that shard of my Soul, or I wouldn''t have woken up like this. If that Kirin was so strong, a shard of his Soul musn''t be weak either. But you were much stronger than that, even in your current form." The Devil kept gazing at him with a withering smile on his face. He swept his black bangs from his brow and laughed: "Not bad, not bad." He was about to go back to laying the table, but suddenly stopped. "What''s at stake, right. Brand-new Meridians. You''ll get the Meridians of a Demon, which means the Meridians of a Devil. The only difference is that those of a Devil let you exploit Destruction Skills way better. But they don''t let out Life Skills either. This is a complicated matter though, so we''ll bring it up again if you pass the test." Helial looked slightly puzzled by his words, but made no sound and waited for an explanation. "So, the price that must be paid to access the test is one life. Then you''ll take the Mana Oath, and¡­" Helial stood up, bit off his left wrist and let some drops of blood pour over his right palm. Mana began to simmer all around and then twirled across the clearing in a small whirlwind. Helial''s black hair flapped in the wind, his eyes glistening with a divine light. "Give me that power and I''ll take that life for you," Helial cut short. He finished delivering the Mana Oath and everything around quieted down. The storm died stillborn and the forest sank back into its deathly calm. The description of a Mana Oath takes longer than its actual procedure. Indeed, it only took Helial a mere second. A Mana Oath called the forces of nature as witnesses. To break it would mean to be befallen by a devastating calamity along with losing the use of Meridians. It would mean to become a cripple. Not even an Immortal would have broken a Mana Oath too light-mindedly. "Good," the Devil nodded to Helial''s decision. "But I''m not sure you can pass this test. Your nature¡­ well¡­ we''ll see. Let''s get down to brass tacks." The Devil waved a hand and suddenly Helial felt an inner turmoil, like an endless desolation spreading inside his Soul. "I just stretched your Soul''s virtual space to the extent of the universe. No big deal, don''t worry. It''s just for me to test you," the Devil explained. "But first," he sighed, "let''s sit down. I may have to break the Oath you just took. I don''t wanna trick you. The point is, you''re about to get involved in a bigger matter than you imagine¡­" The Devil made two chairs appear in front of them. Helial sat down on one of them, his eyebrows furrowed. The kid gently sat down on the other one. "You''ll have to kill one of the people you''ll love the most in your entire life." "No life matters to me but Lumia''s." "Yeah. For now," the Devil shook his head. "This person you''ll meet is extremely strong and no less talented than you are. This is no prophecy, just a matter of fact. I master a Divination Technique only possessed by two people in the universe. It allows me to determine one''s Dao of Mana. This Technique let me discover that there is a loop in our universe, an error, a neverending recurrence of destiny. The person you''ll have to face isn''t Lumia, I guarantee you that. As well as I can tell you that you''ll end up belonging to the forces of Destruction, one day. When the time comes, you''ll be able to feel a love so pure it could heal the solitude of the strongest. And then you''ll drop to the depths of darkness. You''ll either kill that person, or let that person kill you. Kill her or spare her. Or¡­" The Devil paused for a second and then went on, his voice being lower: "Or this will reoccur over and over again, as it already had. Over, and over, and over¡­" The kid clung his hand on to the pendant that hung from his neck. He sighed as he held it tight. "This legacy," he went on, "is way greater than you could tell." "So what? I already own the legacy of the lords of Qilins," Helial said. "How dare you compare that miserable sack of crap to me?! Qilins? Those sacks of cheap crap only exist because Mana didn''t know how to shape the shit! "My legacy is much stronger than a simple Qilin''s. I created these Meridians personally. They are my legacy and you must never tell anyone where you got them from. Anyhow, if you''re willing to accept this burden, you''ll have the chance to erase the loop and finally break free," the Devil concluded. "I hate destiny''s guts. I despise the belief that something bigger determines our lives from behind the scenes. That something pulls our strings and cleanses our sins, our disgrace, our mediocrity. But¡­" "You accept?" the Devil interrupted him impatiently. Helial nodded. The Devil didn''t waste any more time and stood up, shrugging. "Stand up then, it''s time." Helial stood up. The kid glanced at the sky, as though he could seize the whole universe with one glare. Skill Activated: Eyes of Ambition The clearing disappeared, leaving space to a translucent platform that seemed to be gliding through space. An uncanny light sparkled io the kid''s eyes as his gaze began to glimpse flames soaring through the sky. "I created this Skill many years ago, almost for fun. It allows me to catch sight of my own ambition. And others'' too, if I want to." The kid''s eyes were a tsunami of black flames that engulfed the whole universe, as if in an attempt to swallow it up. Every plant, plot of earth, mountain or planet was now covered in black flames. Only one recess of the universe was spared. "Everything burns in the fire of my ambition," the Devil whispered, "yet I reached the very top just to realize that I was about to lose everything. My everything." The black flames were engulfing the earth and the heavens like the circles of hell, as everything they touched glistened in bright black. 49 A very funny story "Ambition. You''ll need ambition on your Dao of Mana. On the one I''ll show you, at least. You won''t be able to step forward without being ambitious." Helial furrowed his eyebrows. Ambitious? Was he ambitious? To be honest, apart from his desire for retaliation, Helial had never really been ambitious nor presumptuous. However, he and the kid would find out together. Maybe that test would turn out to show him something about himself he was yet to discover. ¡­ How high do you want to go? I''d want to hop like a Monkey and jump above the treetops. That''s it? Well, I''d also want to be like a Tiger and climb on the steepest cliffs. Only that? Or like an Eagle and soar in the infinity of the heavens. That''s all? A Dragon, then. Like a Dragon I''d want to touch the windows of the skies and glimpse at the universe from there. Are you done? I believe so. And you, how high do you want to go? Like no one else. What do you mean? Like no one else, I will dominate all heavenly bodies, I''ll be free and unattainable. I will be like the unreachable sky for Monkeys, Tigers, Eagles and Dragons. The universe will be but a tiny spark of my conscience, life will be but the formation of one of my thoughts, death will be but one of my sighs. I will reign unrivalled; nothing will exist above me. ¡­ These words kept resounding in the Devil''s mind. He put out the flames with a blink of his eye, then put a hand on Helial''s shoulder and said: "Time for a few questions, Shithead." Helial nodded and took a deep breath. The Devil directed his gaze towards the universe once again, and so did Helial. All around them was a galaxy full of planets and stars. They were now standing on a sort of translucent platform as their only ground. Helial held his breath and glanced at the Devil. He knew that his current form was the mere spiritual projection of his actual soul. Nevertheless, he couldn''t help being astonished by that extraordinary sight. Only an Immortal could travel from one planet to another. Helial looked at the suns as they burnt, at the asteroids as they rained down through the bleak space, and at the universe as it bustled with countless planets. Let''s see how high you want to go. "Uhm?" The Devil''s eyes swept over the universe, observing it cautiously. But there was nothing to see. No flames, not even a spark. It had all quieted down. He glanced at Helial in astonishment, but something drew his attention. A little black and white flame was shining above the guy''s head. It had the size of a fist, and rustled slightly, as if it could die out at any second. The Devil smiled bitterly. Without ambition, talent is nothing more than a wingless Dragon. For as fiercely as it roars to the sky, he can never get to defy it. The Devil shook his head, but decided to keep traveling through the universe and give it a chance anyway. "How high do you want to go?" the Devil asked solemnly. "Not much." "Just- what, pardon?" That definitely wasn''t the answer he was expecting. "I don''t aim very high. Should I?" The Devil closed his eyes. At first, he had thought Helial''s ambition would be great. There would be no match with his own, but he still expected more than a little flame that could hardly reach the size of a fist. "Don''t you want to become stronger to lay your hands on an boundless power?" "No. That''s not what I aim at." Had the Devil only got his hopes up? He grinned his teeth and held back the sudden urge to punch that guy in the face. Suddenly, a light flashed in his eyes, as if he had just recalled something. Just like her¡­ He smiled. "I once had a disciple who answered just like you did. Like you, she didn''t desire to lay her hands on power." For the first time since they had met, the Devil''s glare brightened with a warm light. It seemed to convey a great deal of sweetness. One second later though, his glare turned withering. The kid said: "Well, then. Now I know what to ask you." ¡­ Countless years before Anf A girl was panting before her master''s gaze. He had two enormous bat wings and was staring at her with stern icy eyes. "Again!" screamed the master as he spread his wings fiercely. "I already told you! I don''t care about putting my hands on power!" ROAAAAAAAAAAAAR The terrifying Devil roared so loudly she risked having her eardrums exploded. Two rivulets of blood started dripping down the girl''s ears. "You don''t want? They killed him, Shithead, killed him! Look at you! Your talent, your knowledge¡­ they could take you so much farther on your Dao of Mana, but they won''t! Because YOU DON''T CARE ABOUT PUTTING YOUR HANDS ON POWER!" The Devil''s chest kept raising and falling furiously. The girl in front of him was covered in wounds from head to toe. "I chose to be your master to help you get rid of this bullshit. And you''re saying you don''t want power? We all do! We all want to step over everyone else''s head." The Devil insisted: "I''ll ask you one last time. How high do you want to go?" The girl clung on to her bow tight and whispered: "Please, master¡­ stop this." "Stop this?!" The Devil wielded a huge black sword and pressed it against the girl''s throat. "Stop this?" this time he scanned every single syllable. "Let''s try this way," said the Devil as he gazed at the tiny white flame above the girl''s head. It didn''t get any bigger even after the girl got severly beaten. "Do you know the reason why he died?" Tears started welling up in the girl''s eyes. "Please¡­" she begged with teary eyes. "I left¡­" "Exactly!" the Devil shouted. He moved the blade aside and grabbed her by the throat. "Look at me in the eyes. Look at me and tell me you would let him die like that again. Without one last chance to say goodbye! Without fighting for him! Tell me you refuse the power that would enable you to save him! Tell me you don''t want to wipe that Clan out!" The girl held her slender hands around the Devil''s arm and suddenly felt all the Mana seething inside his Meridians. "Can you feel that? Now answer me!" A mysterious spark glowed its way out to the girl''s eyes as her Soul started absorbing Mana relentlessly, draining it away from the whole planet. Boom! A shockwave pulverized the surroundings. The Devil was standing unharmed. He smiled. Before his gaze was an ocean of crimson red flames. He looked up at the sky and saw those flames engulfing the universe. Like his, those flames were now swallowing everything up. They only spared one single recess in the depths of space. Looks like ambition is bound to be restricted. The Devil let her go and heaved a sigh: "I had to come to terms with this too. Ambitions doesn''t necessarily originate from ourselves. It could spring from a desire, from love, from pain, from fear. You''d better keep in mind, girl, that there''s no power without ambition. And you''ll never be able to seek revenge if you don''t wield any power. Don''t forget this feeling and cling to it." ¡­ "Now imagine someone is about to execute your sister", the Devil began. Fury instantly flashed into Helial''s eyes as his expression showed a hint of madness. The little black and white flame erupted. The planet caught fire. This little? The Devil didn''t allow him to answer and quickly went on: "What if one day Caesar will be getting set to kill you sister? Wouldn''t you want to possess his power? Wouldn''t you want to be the strongest man alive?" Helial''s pupils shrank as he clenched his fists. "Power" Helial sighed as he relaxed his fists and his flame quieted down, "still ranks second to me. I''d rather get freedom instead." As his words dispersed in the vacuum of space, the flame that had just got smaller suddenly flared up with unheard of violence. It started spreading at breathtaking speed. Boom! Boom! Boom! "I''d rather be free to fly, free to choose whether to be weak or strong," the flame widened with every word he spoke, while petrifying explosions went on devouring entire galaxies. Fwooosh A gentle Mana whirlwind soared up, as if the guy''s Soul were bursting all around them. Helial looked at the Devil, a smile on his face. "Ambition, right? I''m not sure that''s the right term. But still," the Mana suddenly flew into a frenzy of chaos and violence, "if one tried to steal a frail life like Lumia''s, I would tear the sky apart to stand in their way." The flames had almost reached the universe''s ends. They hardly lost out to the Devil''s ones. "Not bad," the Devil started off. He swept his bangs from his forehead and straightened his bats-and-devils-patterned apron, "I''d say this is enoug-" He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes wide open. He had just caught sight of something astonishing. The black and white flames had taken shape into concentric rings that reached his own flames'' size. Actually, they looked slightly bigger. Like the circles of hell of Sanjiva, those concentric rings had something mystic and mysterious. The Devil furrowed his eyebrows; he couldn''t grasp the reason behind that particular array. Just like an Ouboros, the white flames were engulfing the black ones while the black flames were engulfing the white ones. It was a seemingly endless spiral. The Devil focused and noticed a never-ending cycle of white flames following the black ones and vice versa, as they blazed dazzlingly throughout the entire universe. "My appetite for strength has never been induced by someone else. You said¡­ you said that destiny will have me face the person I''ll love the most in my entire life. You said she''ll make me experience the purest happiness, and then make me fall off to the depths of pain. That''s fine. As long as I breathe, though, I won''t step forward on any particular Dao of Mana. Keep it in mind, Devil: I won''t follow any path. I will create one instead," Helial smiled, "because by following one already traveled by, I''d just let destiny play along with me. But I am free. I''ve always been free despite my weakness, and my choices will always belong to me only." Boom! Boom! Boom! Helial''s ambition went suddenly beyond the limit of the Devil''s. It spread through the universe and spared no inch. The Devil stared at that strange phenomenon, an enigmatic light flashing in his eyes. Those flames¡­ I wonder what''s their Dao of Mana. I''d never seen anything like that before. We''re gonna have fun here! "So, how did I do?" Helial asked. He couldn''t see anything while he was going through the test. The stern glare of the kid wasn''t helping him get a hint, either. "Well, I guess this is the beginning of a very funny story. Of a long, painful, desolate path, but full of love and greatness as well. Okay then, let''s get started!" 50 Requirements "Well, I guess this is the beginning of a very funny story. Of a long, painful, desolate path, but full of love and greatness as well. Okay then, let''s get started!" Helial furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the Devil. He didn''t get what he meant, he didn''t get it at all. "You''ve passed the test, kid." The Devil waved a hand and everything disappeared. They wound up back in the clearing revealed by the moonlight. The table so erratically laid by the kid was still there. "So that''s it?" "Yeah, that''s it," the Devil explained, "I don''t need to attempt on your life to make you grow stronger. After Kirin''s test, your talent soared to the sky. But your lack of experience burdens your potential enormously. Let''s imagine you''d have to prove yourself in another test out of your reach. If you survived, your talent would increase even more. But then what?" Tin tin tin He wasn''t done with that table, apparently. The Devil went back to laying it, as if nothing had happened. The silence was shattered only by the tickling sound of the cutlery. After a while, he went on: "As your talent increases, gain true experience will get harder and harder. You''ll have to find stronger and stronger opponents, and each one of them will put your life at risk. Don''t underestimate people who already reached higher Phases, because they will master their Skills better than you do. You''ll have to work hard to keep up with your amazing talent. That''s what ambition is for." Helial gazed at the kid''s shoulders. The latter was standing on tiptoe and was maniacally adjusting everything that was on the table. He kept putting the cutlery on one end of the table and adjusting them by a few millimeters, before going for the opposite end of the table and starting all over. His eyebrows remained furrowed during the whole process. "Waiting for someone to come over?", Helial couldn''t help but ask again. His behavior seemed a little suspicious. The Devil stopped and brushed his fingers against his shining white pendant. He shrugged and sighed: "Kind of." The same answer as before. Who the fuck can he be waiting for inside my Soul? It wasn''t worth insisting on, Helial concluded. He wouldn''t speak, and Helial was sure that the kid couldn''t be actually waiting for someone. Judging by how much he struggled to replace the plates and the cutlery, he was very likely to suffer from obsessive-compulsive behavior. He''d better change subject. "What about those Meridians?" "Give me a sec," the kid answered, as if he were talking about a fruit box instead of a legacy than was even more domineering than that of Kirin. Helial pondered over it. If Kirin didn''t lose out to the King of Dragons, and that kid didn''t lose out to Kirin, then how strong could that Devil be? At the mere thought of it, a shiver ran down his spine. He decided not to think too much about it. Given his current level, he would only have bitten off more than he could chew. "There must be some hidden test like the one of Flam-" "I don''t fucking play tricks," the Devil cut short. Before Helial could even answer, the kid slapped his fingers. As his fingers slapped, a deafening rumble made Helial''s Soul shake. A thick, viscous pitch-black Mana of Destruction started rising from the very depths of the universe. It quickly began to soak every galaxy, planet and star. "You won''t even notice. You''re unconscious, after all. This is only your spiritual projection, not your body. The process will end as soon as you wake up." The Devil walked towards the guy and patted on his shoulder. "I won''t let you cultivate this talent while your training and experience are nowhere near as developed as they should be." Helial furrowed his eyebrows and answered: "Looks like you want to be my master." The Devil raised an eyebrow. He suddenly knocked Helial down without even touching him, while a suffocating pressure kept the guy stuck to the ground. Thump Helial''s spiritual body hit the ground violently. He spat out a mouthful of what was supposed to be blood. "Watch your words. From now on I''ll be your master. Keep in mind this could be the greatest chance you''ll ever get¡­" *** "... the greatest chance you''ll ever get." The girl was gazing at him. Timeless gratitude glimmered in her eyes now that she had escaped death. "I thank you, Master." She was about to bend the knee, but the majestic Devil stopped her. "You''re no slave, you''re no underling. You''ll never bend the knee before anyone, because no one is worth such gesture. "Even if your greatest fortune¡­" *** "... could bring about unimaginable suffering for your life, one day." The Devil pressed his foot against Helial''s face and sighed: "Youths¡­" The fact that a boy-like monster was lecturing him got Helial quite pissed off. However, he reckoned that he was in no position to rebel. "These Meridians¡­ You''ll notice the difference as soon as you''ll reach the First Phase. Up to then, they''ll look as any other Meridians," the Devil said as he put his foot off Helial''s face. "What do you mean?" Helial asked. He stood up, his eyebrows furrowed. "Meridians vary with the owner''s race. Men''s natural talent is above average, for example, but still not as great as that ofElves and Dragons." "So, it''s like some races are naturally more inclined towards strength than others?" he asked curiously. "Strength only depends on one''s choices. Inclined? That''s bullshit. Some people show a natural tendency, but I''ve seen so many incense-smelling sluts so sure that they were the goddesses of a brave new world¡­ You know what the only way to acquire strength is, Shithead?" "Enlighten me," Helial smiled. The Devil shook his head. He waved a finger and knocked Helial to the ground once again. He approached him, as the latter coughed up another mouthful of blood. "I''ve never asked you to become my underling, but you''d better show respect to who''s giving your life a second chance. Who treats you well deserves a totally different attitude." Helial grinned his teeth and hissed: "What about Vidio? Why didn''t you save Vidio if your strength and prestige are so unparalleled?" As the Devil heard Vidio''s name, an enigmatic smile flashed on his face for a split second. He isn''t ready yet. The Devil shrugged and dispelled the pressure on Helial: "I''m your master, not your babysitter. I''m here to shed a light and help you find your path. I''m not going to hold your hand while you go picnic. I won''t solve your problems and I''ll be asking for nothing more than what we agreed on." The Devil walked towards the table, as black Mana whirlwinds began to gather all around. "When you wake up, your body will have ordinary Meridians. As you advance to a new Phase and meditate on Destruction, though, you''ll gain more and more advantages and Bonuses. And if you want to keep Body of the Qilin up, you''ll have to meditate on Life as well. Usually, those who split their attention into such different paths end up misguided. I wonder how you''ll do. You might as well get by. Maybe you''ll work some miracles, eventually¡­ Who knows. If a pupil of mine can''t possibly do miracles, who could? Kyeheheheheh." "Why misguided?" The Devil went back to fiddling with the cutlery. Tin tin tin "Each Skill has its requirements. Flame of the Qilin makes for a good example. It''s a Skill you generate if you have either the body of a Qilin, or a terrifying physical affinity for the forces of Life. So, you either employ your body or your Affinity. The higher you reach, the more challenging the Skills requirements will be. Very few people can cultivate both the principles of Life and Destruction. But every principle must be integrated either inside one or the other anyways. It''s the same old story; you can''t stand in the middle, in the end you''ll have to choose which side you''re on." As his words died out, a fork slipped from the kid''s grasp and fell on the grass. The Devil stroked the white pendant around his neck. It looked like he cared a lot about that thing, that seemed to remind him of some painful memories of his. "Strength and Mana are linked, but they''re different things. They influence each other partially, but they''re not one and the same, and they''ll never be," the Devil went on explaining. "Only those Classes that engage in melee-combat need Strength. The other ones don''t need it so desperately. But keep in mind that Strength, for example, could be required for a sword technique. As you approach the realm of Immortals, you''ll figure that each Skill shows a tendency either towards Life or Destruction, and that''s impossible to acquire it without complying with the proper requirements. What you''ll have to do is master two contrasting forces in one body, and try to harmonize them somehow. There''s a theory behind this, but it''s almost impossible when it comes to practice." To cultivate both Life and Destruction successfully turned out to be impossible. "You''ll need my Meridians to master one of my Skills, but you must have a strong Affinity for Darkness and a solid knowledge of Destruction as well. However, the Affinities for Light and Fire you''ll need to cultivate Flame of the Qilin related Skills won''t let you cultivate the Darkness ones easily. You''ll have to force their way out. Anyhow, this will only concern you once you''ve reached the First Phase. You won''t be able to learn Affinities nor Masteries up to then." (A/N We''ve already gone into Masteries. They''re Passive Skills regarding one''s capability with a particular weapon. Sword Mastery points to one''s capability with the sword, Spear Mastery points to one''s capability with the spear, Ax Mastery with the ax, and so forth.) "So if I didn''t choose Darkness, then I couldn''t possibly learn your Skills, right?" The Devil shook his finger no, as he bent to pick up the fork. "Nope. The Affinity of your Soul should be strong enough to overtop the Affinity you go for¡­" Helial was extremely confused, but he knew he still couldn''t grasp everything, as things stood. Once he had studied and deepened his knowledge though, those dynamics that now seemed to be so unclear would become straightforward. He stared at the Devil and waited for a little more thorough explanation. 51 Death of the Desolate Universe The Devil stared at Helial as he stood up, his spiritual body looking quite bad. "You already chose," the kid made a brief remark, his eyes sparkling with a mysterious glow. He had caught sight of something in Helial''s eyes, something that only Helial himself and his brother could grasp. "Light, huh? It''s gonna be fun." "How d-" he interrupted mid-sentence. "My memories¡­" Helial grinned his teeth. "I know everything, even if you don''t tell me," the Devil smiled slyly. "Then you also know why I chose it." "Yeah. It''s an interesting choice, very appropriate for one of my disciples," he approached him with an evil smile on his face. He patted his index finger on Helial''s forehead. Suddenly, a shiningly black sphere got into Helial''s head. Its darkness was unfathomable and looked as bleak as a timeless glacier. All of a sudden, Helial''s mind was flooded with an endless flow of information, which slowly converged into a Skill. You learned a new Skill! Death of the Desolate Universe The Devil raised his hand, his index finger half raised, and said: "This is my Breathing Technique. You''re the first person¡­" *** "... I''ve ever showed it to. Congrats!" *** "... to ever access it. Congrats," the Devil laughed icily as he shook his head. Then, he curiously lowered his arm, that was in midair."If you really want to cultivate both Life and Destruction, you''ll have to tell one''s powers from the other''s altogether. Now, sit cross-legged. I''m going to teach you a principle I once found in some ruins I came across along a space-time boundary. I couldn''t cultivate it myself because I represent Destruction, or one of its forms, so I''ll never be able to represent Life as well." Helial sat down after staring blankly for a moment. That terrifying Breathing Technique was enough to scary him to death, yet the Devil just gave it away to him so easily. Helial smiled. Maybe he wasn''t that evil, after all. One moment after though, the smile vanished from his face. That same Devil could have possibly saved Vidio, and decided not to. Why? Once he sat, the Devil began to explain calmly: "Now put each hand on the corresponding leg, palms upwards. Next, try to generate two Mana spheres. Doesn''t matter if this isn''t your actual body. The training will work anyways." Helial stretched his hands, palms upwards, and evoked two Mana spheres. "Okay. Now feel the force of Destruction that fills my Breathing Technique, without activating it yet, and try to lead your knowledge towards the sphere on your right." Helial closed his eyes and followed the instructions, trying to probe that mysterious Skill. He sensed some hints of the Breathing Technique hidden powers and his shock intensified. He felt a violent rage and an excruciating pain spread through his body. They seemed to be trying to rip his gut to pieces. And yet he wasn''t suffering. That pain seemed to belong to someone else. It was no ordinary pain. It was the apotheosis of all pains. If let free, then it would have probably razed the whole universe to the ground thanks to its unrivalled fury. That feeling filled his body with bleakness, as if his heart and bones were about to freeze. "Destruction is death, annihilation, but no absence," the Devil explained, as his profound words started resonating with Helial''s heart. "Life is birth, renewal, but no plenitude." Helial pondered the meaning of these words as he repeated them: "Destruction is death, annihilation, but no absence. Life is birth, renewal, but no plenitude." He began to make the deep feeling sprung from Destruction flow into the Mana sphere in his right hand. The sphere suddenly turned from translucent into light-bluish, before getting darker and darker. After a while it looked murky, like a greyish mud. "Now feel the principle behind Flame of the Qilin, make it your own, and then move it towards your left hand, without stopping sensing Destruction in your right hand. And keep in mind: Life is birth, renewal, but no plenitude. Destruction is death, annihilation, but no absence." The boy started feeling the heat of the flame seething inside his chest. He felt a sudden urge to soar through the sky and face death, as his flesh got infused with a sweet warmth. A the same time, his bones were still engulfed by that raging bleakness, which seemed to be about to put out the heat given off by the flame. Such conflicting forces made him feel like he was split apart; a world made of ice on one side, a world made of lava on the other. He furrowed his eyebrows as he whispered: "Life is birth, renewal, but no plenitude. Destruction is death, annihilation, but no absence." He pondered over these words once again and tried to summon the energy of Life on the palm of his left hand. Suddenly, two figures appeared on Helial''s mind. Lumia and him. His brother. "...it''s no plenitude... it''s no absence¡­" The Mana of Life began to flow through his Meridians. First into through body and then through his arm until it finally reached his palm and the sphere. The sphere slowly turned from translucent into bright white andstarted giving off a vague milky light. Helial felt his left palm enveloped by a gentle warmth. The right one felt like pin and needles instead, due to an indistinct, itchy cold. Helial opened his eyes. Before his gaze were two Mana spheres; one vaguely murky, looking like filthy water, the other one creamy and whitish. The Devil stared at the shape of the two spheres and, his expression unchanged, said: "Is that it?" He stretched his hand out and created a pitch-black Mana sphere. It was so dark it seemed about to swallow the moonlight up any second now, just like a black void. "While you cultivate Life and Destruction, your knowledge needs to resonate with your Mana. The more Epiphanies you''ll experience, the more powerful those forces will get. If you succeed in developing the two of them in parallel, you might as well become the first man to master them both in the whole universe. Now, look at his," the Devil slightly furrowed his eyebrows, as the pitch-black sphere glowed even darker. It was ready to devour any life form existing. While he stared at all the Destruction condensed in that sphere, Helial looked mesmerized. "Enough for today. If I go on, you risk slipping into a coma," the kid said as he dispersed the sphere. "You just got a glimpse of real Destruction. Nothing like the gentle itch you felt in your bones. It feels like embracing death, and grasping its deepest meaning." Helial closed his eyes and a moment later the sphere in his right hand tuned murkier and deeper. The kid held his astonishment back. Usually people don''t even get to sense Life nor Destruction on their first try. This boy already touched them both and managed to fortify Destruction within a few minutes. How is it possible for Lif- The Devil approached Helial with a weird light flashing in his eyes. He brushed his finger against the guy''s forehead, a bitter smile on his face. He made another shining sphere get in Helial''s mind. This time it felt warm. Helial suddenly wound up immersed in a blinding flash of light. Light was all around, as though he were surrounded by a thousand suns. His skin peeled and his eyes dried out. Suddenly, in that world full of light he caught sight of the stunning silhouette of a woman in the distance. One second later, everything had faded away. The sphere in Helial''s right hand turned shinier and whiter. "Okay, then. Keep meditating on these two forces and one day you''ll be able to benefit from their principles." Helial opened his eyes and stood up, after dispelling the spheres instantly. "What''s happening out there, meanwhile? Will these Meridians help me save Lumia?" "What you''ll see once you wake up will surprise you. Shithead." This formula he''ll meditate on runs way deeper than he thinks. This guy can reach much higher than whoever has developed a particular Dao of Mana. If a super being who masters either Life or Destruction laid hands on this formula, he or she would only benefit from one single force. The force that prevails, be it Life or Destruction, would swallow the other up. The Devil gazed around, gave a sigh and went back to the table, still wearing his odd apron. How weird. He''s not merely willing to learn both principles, he''s also as determined as very few are. Even though his past¡­ could it really be his past that made him become like this? Helial furrowed his eyebrows in suspicion. The Devil had gone back to placing the cutlery a few millimeters away from where he had placed them before. What was the point in repeating the same actions over and over again? Was that some kind of ritual? Helial''s eyes widened. Without even him turning, an evil smile showed on the Devil''s face: "How long did you think you meditated for?" You entered in contact with the basics of principles that many of the greatest creatures alive still ignore, Shithead. You''re already lucky enough you haven''t been meditating for weeks or months, before getting your Epiphany. "Time for you to go. Someone''s waiting for you, out there. And remember," the Devil said as he disappeared in midair and reappeared a few centimeters away from Helial, his lips brushing against the guy''s ear, "power is going to demand a lot, and will require you to face the person you''ll love the most in your entire life." The kid pushed him, and Helial fell off into the darkest abyss. 52 Whos shouting? Helial''s eyes struggled to open. He flickered his stiffened eyelids repeatedly before being able to focus the surroundings. He was enveloped by a sweet, soothing embrace. His palms touched a fluffy feather blanket, and a mattress as soft as the skin of a princess. A sweet female fragrance filled his nostrils. He realized his arm was pressed by a little body huddled by his left hip. He swallowed to clear his dry throat and lowered his gaze towards that cascade of silvery hair. He coughed, but her little body didn''t show signs of moving. The little girl''s chest was raising and falling slowly, with the heavy rhythm of late night breathing. Helial''s heart was going to burst in tenderness, as he thought about how to awake her swee- "WHEN THE FUCK ARE WE GONNA EAT HERE?!" A huge white cat, as big as a tiger, rushed into the room boisterously. "I''ve been waiting for this girly to eat all day long. Your fucking lord is hungry! So? What are you waiting for? Feed me!" Lumia''s eyes shut open. She sat up without even noticing Helial. "WHAT DID I TELL YOU, KITTY? STOP SHOUTING. HE''S RESTING." "WHO''S SHOUTING. AND WHO''S THE KITTY HERE?! WHAT YOU HEAR ARE THE THUNDERS MADE BY MY SUPREME TUMMY!" "YOU ARE!" Lumia blurted out. "NO, YOU ARE." Snowflake roared. Helial felt the urge to slip back into a coma for the next two days. Or maybe forever. Unfortunately, Snowflake had noticed his eyes were open. "That guy-looking sloth is awake! What the hell, he got me to wait all day long to grab a fucking bite! Where the fuck are we, in the huts of some stray dog tribe?!" Helial closed his eyes, pretending he was dead and hoping for a lighting to make him drop back into his coma. But it was too late. Lumia has taken notice that he was awake too. And she wouldn''t let him slip back into coma without her permission. His little sister pounced onto his neck, as she coiled her arms around him vigorously. She began to brush up her cheek against Helial''s skin. "You''re awake¡­" Helial ran a hand through her hair and opened his eyes. He turned towards her and kissed her gently on her forehead. "I''m awake. Where are we? Did someone take us somewhere safe?" "We''re¡­" Just as Lumia was about to start explaining, a majestic silhouette materialized in midair. A tall, royal-postured, greenish silhouette. Helial turned slightly pale, as a fierce light flashed in his eyes. "Caesar." The King of Goblins nodded, a smile on his face. "You finally woke up. We''ve got a lot to discuss," he said solemnly. Told you. Things are getting interesting. Helial heard the Devil''s mischievous voice rumble inside his head. "Why didn''t you finish me?" Helial asked, his eyebrows furrowed tightly. He didn''t get what was going on. Caesar gently nodded and answered in a low voice: "This world is full of geniuses. Thousands, if you count the whole universe. But how many of them could hurt an Immortal without having reached the First Phase yet?" Helial''s pupils shrank. Did he really hurt Caesar? "It''s a minor wound, obviously. I thought you had torn your Soul into pieces to strike that blow. I tried to exert my control over your body, but some strange force wouldn''t let me access your Meridians." I may have turned into a fucking sword, but if any shitty Immortal whatsoever in this shitty universe could do whatever he wants with me before my eyes, then I would lose my face once for all. Very few beings can face up the true lord of everything. Helial was more and more astonished by that kid''s power. How strong could his actual body be? But he soon went back to focusing on Caesar. "My Meridians are intact, but I won''t be able to use that Skill again without risking my life." It was indeed true. Despite the fact that he now had the Meridians of a Demon, if he had tried to evoke such terrifying power once again, then he would have definitely become a cripple for life. "No need. Not even a one million First Phases army could defeat an Immortal. But you made it, alone. I don''t need any more proofs." Helial''s heart started pounding. Every beat was a new ounce of hatred. His eyes flashed with fury, as they poured all his hatred into Caesar''s gaze. "You killed my Master. We had no blood ties, but he was the first person who treated me like a human being in my entire life," Helial pronounced every word calmly, as his body gave off a terrifying killing Aura. Suddenly, the temperature in the room dropped by several degrees. Caesar''s glare turned icy. He waved his right hand and let a bunch of little metal foils fall off on his bed from out of nowhere. They were metal tags engraved with names. "We use these to name those who fell in combat. Those we find some body parts of, at least," Caesar started off. "Every tag you''re looking at once belonged to a Goblin. They were my brothers, and got killed by your master. Do you think they had no family, no wives, no children, no friends?" A hint of sadness and severity flashed on Caesar''s face. "This is what war brings about¡­" "Then why did you attack in the first place?!" An even darker shadow flickered in the King''s eyes. He gave a sigh and said: "It was due to unforeseen circumstances I take full responsibility of." This Goblin didn''t attack the outpost directly. He came to stop it and bring his troops home, the Devil explained. Helial furrowed his eyebrows and got lost deep in thought. He ran his hand on that bunch of metal tags imbued with Mana. Vidio was dead, but Caesar didn''t act cruelly. After all, what should that Goblin have done? War¡­ Caesar cleared his throat. "You''re alive and well because I brought you, your sister and¡­" he pondered for a while "that magnificent cat there." Snowflake nodded in approval; the definition seemed to satisfy him. That huge pile of white fur made a scene every time someone said anything at odds with him. Even Caesar, the King of Orma, was afraid to trigger off that foul-mouthed cat. He had even thought about having him skinned and served to the beasts in the Colosseum, but that wouldn''t turn out to be a wise move since he wanted Helial by his side. (TN/ Orma is the anagram for Roma, "Rome" in Italian.) "I want you to become my disciple," Caesar cut short as a swift wave of his hand made the metal tags disappear. Caesar''s words hit Lumia and Snowflake like a bolt from the blue. Even though they did expect it, hearing those words from Caesar in person had a great impact on them. In contrast with what Caesar expected though, Helial didn''t react surprised. Quite the contrary. Helial had a gloomy expression on his face. He didn''t seem thrilled to bits nor shocked. "I''ll pledge to become your disciple if you do pledge to always protect my sister at all costs," Helial said slowly, a smile on his face. He set aside the rage aroused by Vidio''s death to seize what seemed to be a great chance to become stronger in leaps and bounds. His heart was racing, but he had to keep his cool. Good choice. Just don''t sell out. Helial secretly nodded to the Devil''s words. He would never sell out his values and his loyalty, but he knew that Caesar didn''t kill Vidio for selfish reasons. They were at war, and Helial knew it perfectly well. Someone had to pay for the blood that had been shed, though. An image flashed before his eyes. And someone will, that''s a promise¡­ The request took Caesar aback, but he nodded in agreement. "That''s fine. You''ll be a full member of the Goblin population. They will be your equals, just like humans have been up to now. They will be your people¡­" "Wait," Helial stopped him in a low voice, "I wasn''t done speaking. I''m not going to waste my time speaking about the dead, but I don''t want to see any more tragedies either. I want you to keep Lumia under your wing and train her, since you two have the same Affinity. I don''t need no trainer, because I already have my¡­ ways. I just need access to the resources that I''ll need for my studies." "It''s no problem, as long as you don''t fail to meet my expectations," Caesar said slowly and grumpily. "I don''t think many people could actually afford to dismiss the guidance of an Immortal, but your capabilities speak clear. Just¡­ how do know what''s my Affinity?" "Through Perception. I feel like a big pile of Mana of the Earth in front of me." "Perception? Why would you level up that Skill when you could rather detect things and people with the Divine Sense once in the Third Phase?" Helial shrugged. He had learnt that Skill a long time ago and didn''t mind it at all. Nobody levelled it up, since indeed people could go for the Divine Sense once reached the Third Phase, but Helial had decided to swim against the tide. Snowflake furrowed his eyebrows slightly. That Immortal was speaking with cold-heartedness and conviction. He couldn''t care less about formalities. That Caesar must have been a very peculiar Goblin. He didn''t waste time making a scene about outrages nor showing indignation or any other feeling that the mighty usually showed. He was extremely pragmatic, and only focused on the final outcome. Caesar had accepted. Helial stroked Lumia''s hair in satisfaction and said: "So Caesar will be your master, how about that?" "Why can''t you?" The fact that she and her brother wouldn''t share the same master wasn''t good news to Lumia. Caesar knitted his brow and narrowed his eyes. They weren''t about to dismiss him twice in a row, were they? What were the chances to meet two people not even in the First Phase, one of them being a girl who hadn''t yet developed a Mana Seed, who would refuse an Immortal as a master? How many people would have bent instead, willing to lick his shoes to get at least one piece of advice? And yet he found himself snubbed by two kids who didn''t have any pubic hair yet. "I must be getting old," Caesar whispered. "Listen, oldie, what time do you serve dinner in this fucking palace?" A vein started bulging on Caesar''s forehead. "Mind out for your pet, kid. I am this close to get him skinned and feed my beasts with-" "I ASKED WHEN THE FUCK YOU PEASANTS SERVE DINNER HERE. KEEP YOUR BEASTS FOR YOURSELF AND TELL-" Caesar could not help but slap his fingers and made Snowflake''s mouth taped up with some sort of cement. The cat''s whimpering though left no doubt on the fact he was still offending the King of Goblins. Every member from the Goblin population would think twice before insulting Caesar. The mere thought of their King''s reaction scared them to death. And yet, the Immortal got involved in some sort of stand-up comedy show with a cat and a kid, to the delight of Lumia, who giggled under her breath with her face hidden in her brother''s shoulder. 53 Herb of the Nine Deaths and Root of the Sacred Phoenix Helial slowly got off the bed. He was surprised by that quick yet complete recovery. Renewed vigor was flowing powerfully through his body. Plus, it looked like he had levelled up. He clenched his fists fiercely and felt Mana seething through his brand-new Meridians. He opened his Stats window: Name Helial Race Human Title Wolf Hunter Primary Class None Primary Affinity None Primary Profession None Level41 Exp 4.566/80.000 HP 3100/3100 MP 30.090/30.090 Strength150 Vigor163 Intelligence199 Wisdom 180 Dexterity 120 Effects: Physical Resilience 5% Vitality Regeneration 1800% Health Regeneration 1800% Physical Resilience 3000% Resistance to Magic 3000% Stat Points to be sorted out: 138 He nodded in satisfaction. His fight against Caesar had let him level up. Actually, killing a monster or a person wasn''t the only way to level up, and sometimes not even the quickest. The direct temperament that the body underwent in a great combat made it get stronger in leaps and bounds, but it was a very risky way. The overcoming of one''s limits required an opponent that was only slightly stronger. Otherwise, unless one had some hidden tactics like Helial did against the Shadow cast by Kirin, a too strong opponent would have been impossible to defeat. However, the great physical strain he had experienced made his Stats increase. Helial approached Caesar, his hands cupped: "This disciple pays his respects to his master." Caesar nodded and threw a ring to him. Helial caught it and looked at it carefully. It was an Interspace Ring. Judging by its fine workmanship, it surely was a very high grade. You obtained Call of the Mermaid! "The Creation of Mana requires Elixirs. Some of them are particularly effective to those who haven''t yet reached the First Phase. There are also Elixirs to Temper one''s physical strength, but I don''t think they could prove useful to you, since your body already seems to be indestructible among those at your same level. You''ll find some money and a few items as well," Caesar explained. "Let''s call it a gift from your master. I gave a similar ring to your sister too. Yours is called Call of the Mermaid." Those Elixirs are useless. We''ll grab some herbs and I''ll help you use them to refine the Elixirs. You need to come in contact with herbs characterized both by Life and Destruction properties. First we''ll have to catch the Herb of the Nine Deaths and the Root of the Sacred Phoenix. Their grade is not so high actually, but they''ll help make your body the right receptacle for both forces. Helial examined the Interspace Ring even more cautiously, while secretly nodding to the Devil''s words. On its surface was carved a charming indigo mermaid, who was moving through the ring seemingly alive. He wore the Interspace Ring. "Call of the Mermaid" has been added to your Equipment! Effects: Space Left +50yd2 Lumia showed him a ring at her finger and smiled: "I''ve got one too! Something to wear before our wedding ring, brother!" But you and your sister¡­ "Oh shit¡­" Snowflake cursed, "can''t stand no more." "Uhm." Caesar shrugged. It''s none of my business, he pondered. As long as I can train a warrior who will protect Orma, he can do whatever he wants with his sister. I''m afraid the Caryatids won''t agree, though¡­ "C''mon, Lumia. How many times have I told you not to make these jokes in front of others?" Lumia suddenly jumped up from his bed, walked towards Helial and¡­ Slap! She gave him a blow that left him baffled. Tears welled up in Lumia''s emerald eyes. She shouted at him: "This is no joke!" She started trapping her brother in a flurry of fists on his chest, which turned out to be as effective as punch a huge metal foil thanks to Body of the Qilin. "C''mon, stop this. You''re gonna get hurt. C''mon, come here," Helial stopped Lumia and hugged her. She showed an evil, smug grin on her face. She had clearly achieved her goal. "Now listen, boy. Before you step outside this room," Caesar explained, ignoring that weird hug, "there''s something about Orma''s balance of powers I need to inform you about. Our political stability has been hanging on the thinnest of threads, lately. I don''t want you to cause any diplomatic incident. You''re the King''s disciple and everyone will respect you, but don''t expect any warm welcome from my people. In the recent decades, the Sect of the Worthy has opposed every possible diplomatic affair between Goblins and humans, and therefore humans have a rough time here. The Sect of the Worthy considers the human race a lesser one, and they are trying to sway the younger generations their way by glorifying the Goblins'' prominence." Caesar gazed into the distance, ice flashing in his eyes. Your stupid power play caused so many Goblins to die¡­ Despite being Goblins'' capital city, Orma was home to various races. It hosted Trolls and Un-Dead as well, even though their actual homelands were at war with the Goblin population. It hosted humans too, who were subject to serious discrimination by the Goblins. If a man were killed in public, before everyone''s gazes, the issue would be of no one''s concern. "Three are the pillars of Orma. The first one is my Clan of the Heavenly Eagle, that holds the most power in all fields. The second is the Sect of the Worthy, led by the second Immortal in Orma. The last, and somehow the least, is the Guild of Life and Death. Their forces has always taken the side of the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle, while the Sect of the Worthy has been trying to take control over Orma since time immemorial. Hence, you''d better not to arouse the Sect of the Worthy''s indignation, or otherwise they would cause you trouble. You are the one and only disciple of the King. I only have two children, so there aren''t a lot of people I need to take care of. One of them is at the Tenth Phase. He''s traveling in search of an Epiphany on his Dao of Mana." Helial nodded and furrowed his eyebrows. He was catapulted in a high position. In rational terms, he now had to act very, very cautiously. "I''ll need to know much more in order to blend in," a baffled Helial concluded. "That''s obvious. You''re the disciple of the King now, not some random pleb. My wife, your Queen, will take you down the streets of Orma to let you know the landmarks of our city. A servant will show you the wings of our Royal Academy. You''ll have access to the library and the training grounds. Just keep in mind that your sister will need to take the entrance test before training at the Royal Academy." Helial''s glare became icy. "If anything happens to Lumia while she''s not with me¡­" Caesar''s Aura oppressed him immediately. "You already have my word. The girl will be educated and protected by me. As long as you don''t fail me, at least. Also, I''d like to test your actual strength now, if you let me." Caesar raised one of his palms in front of him and said: "Deal a blow with all your strength. Your capabilities already got you here, but I need to test if you ended up crippled somehow. I want to make extra-sure you won''t make me lose face in front of the Senate, the Sect of the Worthy and that old fart of the Guild of Life and Death. He would mock me ''till the end of time. That insolent bastard, just because his daughter is talented¡­" Caesar went on babbling, while Helial started taking a fighting stance Could use Curse of the Demon? the Devil asked. No, it''s better to directly show my physical strength. If I''m here, it''s thanks to my talent. There''s no point in concealing it. I''ll just show him my actual potential, or we risk losing a roof over our head overnight. The Devil nodded as he kept placing a knife now on the right and now on the left of a plate, in a seemingly endless loop. Helial, who could see what was happening inside his Soul with a single thought, sighed in puzzlement to the behavior of that weird Devil. Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin "Don''t hold back," said Caesar with a solemn expression on his face. Helial engulfed his fist in white flames, which rippled through the air as though in an attempt to tear it apart. He sensed all the changes undergone by the Skill, that now looked far stronger than it was after his first meditation on Life and Destruction. Fury flashed instantly in Helial''s gaze. He dealt a blow with all the strength he had. His punch hit Caesar''s palm directly, yet without causing any shockwave. Caesar raised an eyebrow. That kid was as physically capable as someone in the Second Phase Early stage. What was his body made of, steel? "Did you sort out all you Stat Points in Strength?" Caesar asked. "I didn''t," Helial answered while stepping back. It took him all his strength to strike that blow, but Caesar did not move an inch. The gap between Helial and Immortality was the same as the distance between heaven and earth. "Kid, I''m your master now. I''d like you to explain to me how you made your body grow this strong." Helial slightly narrowed his eyes, before relaxing his eyelids and telling him about the Qilin''s legacy. Caesar nodded, thoughtful. "Fine. What about your Mana Control?" Helial stared the King in the eyes and calmly answered: "That''s my strong suit." Caesar couldn''t raise his eyebrows more than he was already doing. He pondered how Mana Control could possibly be the strong suit of a guy who already possessed the build of a Qilin. Did he own a greater control that a Dragon''s? "How could that be?" Caesar asked, baffled. "I''ve been through¡­ a lot," Helial cut short, "you saw what I''m capable of." Caesar nodded. It was indeed true - Helial wasn''t arrogant, he was just self-aware. "Well, kid, if you don''t let power drive you insane, then you''re on the right track to become an Immortal," Caesar smiled. Helial joined fist and palm, and said: "I thank you, master. Can I ask for your help before you go back to your work? There''s two herbs I need." Caesar nodded and said: "Please." "I need the Herb of the Nine Deaths and the Root of the Sacred Phoenix," Helial explained. Caesar was increasingly baffled by that kid. "But only people in the Third Phase can use those herbs. They fuel the Divine Sense, and their effects are already quite violent. If you swallow one of them before reaching the Third Phase, your Meridians will probably get hurt." "I think my body could stand their effects," Helial explained. "The physical strength of a Qilin is way more resistant than the one of any other creature. And as I told you, I own a Qilin''s complete legacy." Caesar pondered for a while and said: "Alright. How much do you need?" 100 pounds each. Helial swallowed and said: "Uhm, coff coff, let''s say, like, 100 pounds each." Caesar stared blankly. Not only was it hard to catch that amount of two unusual herbs like the Herb of the Nine Deaths and the Root of the Sacred Phoenix in their storage, it was also very rare to find someone who intended to use them in his cultivation. They were highly dangerous, and yet Helial had just asked him for 100 pounds each. What did he intend to do with it, exactly? "You''ll have them by tomorrow night," said the King as he waved a hand. He could not afford to look like a stingy scrooge before his disciple. Caesar was generous, and he cared a lot about his face. He often spent large amounts of resources to provide his Clan with all they needed for their training. The gratitude he received in return was a double-edged sword though, since many people flattered him wheedlingly just to secure more gifts to come. "Okay. I''d say I have told you everything. My wife will take you around Orma. Don''t cause any trouble. Now, go to the yard of the Royal Academy. It''s where our First Phase disciples train." Caesar exchanged a few words with Helial. He scheduled a meeting with Lumia later that afternoon and then disappeared in midair, just like he had come. 54 Brewed Helial allowed himself to bask in Lumia''s hug for a while, then glanced at Snowflake: "Did you come here too?" "Tsk, like I got to choose. The green dude took us here in a split second. No chance to rebut. It''s two days this Emperor here needs to wait for that shitty girl to grab something to bite. Every fucking time. So, can we go eat now before this Emperor has to shit on you fuckheads?" As soon as he stopped talking, the cat let a deadly fart that immediately infected the whole room. Helial and Lumia held their nose, disgusted, and gave Snowflake an upset look. The smell was so nauseating it could kill someone instantly. "That was my heads up." It was at that point that Helial realized he wasn''t wearing his clothes anymore; a light-blue, white-hemmed tunic had taken their place. He furrowed his eyebrows and gave a sigh, his shoulders curved. The fight had blown his old tunic into pieces. "Lumia, I¡­" Helial touched his tunic and began to tell Lumia he was sorry. No sound followed. Lumia smiled and said: "No worries. I''ll sew up something for you as soon as we come back home from the yard tour!" Her words made Helial frown. "Home"? Lumia had already got used to the idea of living there. Helial pondered over the matter for a while before just letting go. That was indeed a safe place for his sister to live in, and for him as well; the two of them would be able to train in peace. All in all, everywhere was "home" to Helial as long as he had Lumia by his side. "Let''s go eat downstairs." The three went and grabbed something to eat. Lumia and Snowflake seized the moment to show Helial the magnificent halls of the Royal Academy. All along the walls were splendid frescos; every room was full of statues and paintings. Who would daredcall the Goblins barbarians? Helial stared at that display of refined artworks with eyes wide open. The marble statues depicted ancient Kings and heroes. After eating, they reached the yard where the queen was to meet them any moment now. Helial was struck by what he had just seen. He had always thought that Goblins inhabited caves and shacks in the mountains, and now they turned out to have a more refined taste than most humans. The yard was full of groups of Goblins intent on training by fighting one against the other to improve their melee-combat skills. Skill Activated: Perception Judging by their dense Auras, Helial thought, they''re all in the First Phase Intermediate stage. Late stage, actually. Helial''s eyes turned to look at a particularly tall and muscled Goblin. His body size was tyrannical enough to arouse a sort of reverential fear in anyone he loomed over. Usually, Goblins weren''t that huge. He clearly made for an exception. As soon as Helial, his sister and the cat stepped in the yard, the Goblins turned to stare at them in disdain. After all, Caesar had warned them about that. "What are they looking at?" Helial asked, baffled. "Well, two humans and a cat I guess. As the green dude said, they don''t like humans here. No race is willing to blend in with the others. There''s no written racial profiling in Orma, but humans aren''t exactly welcomed here. The only rule in murdering them is to do it according to the will of the big shots in charge," Snowflake informed him. "Fantastic," Helial said gloomily. The brawny Goblin in the First Phase Late stage exchanged a few words with his companions, who burst into loud laughter. That Goblin''s body gave off a tyrannical and suffocating Aura. His eyes betrayed a wild arrogance and defiance. The veins that bulged visibly along his arms left no doubt on his physical overpower. Snowflake gave those Goblins a scornful look and remarked: "That retard probably put all his Stat Points in Strength. Foolish. He''s sure he''s whizz." Helial nodded in response and furrowed his eyebrows slightly. How idiot could one be to sort out his points so recklessly? On the Dao of Mana, as Vidio had taught him a while ago, every Class should strike its balance. Be it an Elemental, a Warrior or an Archer, besides worry about their Class-related Skills one should avoid a too imbalance Stats sorting. To put all the Points in either Strength or Intelligence would be counter-productive for anyone, regardless of their Class. And also, Stat Points acquired by levelling up are overrated. We''ll go into that during our first class. Helial listened carefully to the Devil''s words and secretly nodded. He knew perfectly well that no one could guide him better than that monster. The Goblins kept laughing wildly in front of them. Snowflake was all intent on his usual flat-out swearing in response, whereas the taunt didn''t seem to affect Helial and Lumia, who were busy talking about what Lumia had done during Helial''s coma. Helial found out that Lumia had already visited Orma. She had been escorted around the city and already got to know it better. A warm smile spread across Helial''s face. His sister had finally got to live in a better place than that rat-hole village. As the talked, the brawny Goblin approached them in all his enormity. "Hey, boy. You''re Caesar''s new disciple, aren''t you? I''m Maximum. Nice to meet you," the Goblin sneered. Helial nodded and went back to chatting with Lumia. He was anxious to know what else she had been doing during the last days, and whether someone treated her bad. "I''m talking to you! The white cat got your tongue?" Snowflake, even more annoyed, appeared in front of Maximum. "Get the fuck out, you slut. This yard already stinks enough and your filth is of no help to these Emperor Cat''s nostrils." The cat''s answer left Maximum baffled. A second later, a great fury was mounting his body. "Fucking cat, you''re talking t-" PRRRR Snowflake had turned to let a devastating fart right towards Maximum''s face. The sudden typhoon forced him to take a few steps back. BLERGH Maximum threw up a supposedly big breakfast on the ground. "Hohoh, that one was brewed, huh." Helial and Lumia shuddered at the firepower of that cat. These Heavenly Star Tigers, always famed for their sophisticated manners¡­ the Devil mumbled. "You scum! Come here, I''ll rip you apart!" Maximum had lost his temper. He wiped the last traces of vomit from his mouth and rushed towards Snowflake. Helial took a swift step forward and put his palm on Maximum''s chest. Dong Maximum''s momentum dispersed as though he had crushed against an iron wall. Despite all his attempts to step forward, he could only stand still. Helial was like an unmovable mountain, and fatigue didn''t seem to affect him in the slightest. His palm didn''t move an inch. Helial''s calm gaze turned towards that huge mountain. "Let''s avoid the fuss, please," he smiled while pushing Maximum back. The latter almost slammed his backside due to the power of Helial''s hand. Maximum gaped at Helial, utterly shocked. The Royal Academy was arranged in three Courts according to their power: Outer, Inner and Special. Maximum was an Outer Court disciple, and his strength had never lost out to anyone before. Though, with a simple palm, Helial forced him back as if he were a fly. The Goblins stared at Helial in puzzlement and swallowed all together. What kind of monster must he have been to block Maximum that way? Physically, no one in the Outer Court could compare Maximum''s strength. "Did you see that?" a Goblin asked to another. "Yeah, I got eyes. I''m just not sure they work, at this point¡­" "How did he do it?" They were shocked. The most puzzled expression was the one on Maximum''s face, though. He was aware of his capabilities, and therefore he could not come to terms with what had just happened. Helial was waving a hand to remove the dust from his tunic and, as if nothing had happened, he went back to his conversation with Lumia. He didn''t cast him a second glance. "What the fuck are you doing?!" a furious roar resounded out. Everybody turned towards its source. To his great surprise, it wasn''t Maximum but Snowflake! "Forget about it. We don''t have to cause trouble, remember?" in front of the crowd, Helial gave a dejected sigh. "That pile of crap wants to be beaten to a pulp. Get the fuck out of the way, kid, or I''ll shit on both your heads!" Snowflake seemed to be nervous, or rather - foaming. His white fur was standing on end. His green eyes began to glisten in disquieting crimson shades. Maximum swelled his chest, ready to skin that cat alive. At that moment Helial asked inwardly, gimme the sword. Oh, how do you know it''s inside your Soul? the Devil asked. It''s my soul. How could I not know it? said Helial, looking annoyed. Fwooosh Curse of the Demon flashed into existence in a black beam. It was stunningly beautiful. The black blade was as wide as an arm and as long as Helial. Helial clutched its hilt and suddenly furrowed his eyebrows. Yeah, I increased its weight. It''s 2000 pounds now. I''ll increase it again during our future training sessions, so as to destroy your muscle fibers and let Body of the Qilin level up. Helial secretly nodded. Body of the Qilin was indeed a mysterious Skill, that levelled up according to the damage undergone by the user''s body. If he wanted to take it to a very high level, a truly painful path would expect him. After all, Kirin had spent three days of suffering inside the Judge of the Dead''s flaming globe before molding a new body. At the sight of the black beam, Snowflake and Maximum narrowed their eyes. "No one will get hurt today¡­" Helial sighed, ready to resort to violence if necessary. Lumia let out a giggle, showing proud of her brother''s reaction. Helial''s clothes were flapping fitfully in the wind as his Aura grew even fiercer. Before Snowflake and Maximum could even reply, however, air rippled gently and a female figure appeared in midair. It was a woman of outstanding beauty. She was wearing a tight-fitting dress that enhanced her curves, its white color in a slight clash with her greenish complexion. On her dress were embroidered in gold thread the insignia of the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle. Her sight made the Goblins turn pale as they bowed their head in unison. Nelia! The Queen of Orma! 55 Nelia A majestic silhouette appeared before them. She was thin and wore a tight dress that emphasized her voluptuous figure. Her skin shimmered in pale green like the purest of jades. Nelia. In front of Helial was the queen of Orma, her back turned on the Goblins. Helial''s pupils shrank at that sight: the sudden appearance took him aback. The Goblins bowed and paid their respects: "All hail the Queen!" but the Queen didn''t seem to take notice. She addressed Helial instead, with a sweet and warm smile that revealed her shiny, pearl white teeth. "Already putting on trouble, little guy?" Helial gave her a puzzled look. Was that how the Queen of Orma spoke to a human? There was a world of difference between Caesar''s soldierly, cold attitude and that of Nelia. Helial gave a sigh and said: "I''m sorry. It wasn''t me," Helial''s gaze turned to look at Maximum, "but I''ll to take full responsibility of this little incident." He waved a hand and Curse of the Demon disappeared in a black flash, going back into his Soul. Nelia curled up her lips in a lovely smile and said: "Time out of mind, our races tried to reach a rapprochement thanks to a great human King. We were too different though, and never managed to smooth things over. Now you''re my husband''s pupil, so it''s your task not to worsen these relations. You''re not in behalf of yourself, here. Every action of yours counts for your entire race. Don''t fuel hatred, try to dispel it instead." Nelia spoke just casually, but her words struck a deep chord within Helial. He nodded solemnly, his hands cupped. Nelia then turned to gaze at Lumia and stretched out a hand to tousle her hair. "What about you? Haven''t you already visited Orma with me? You''re joining us to go with your brother, aren''t you?" Lumia nodded as she let out a light-hearted giggle. Helial looked at that scene, wondering how such familiarity was possible already, but rather than bitter it made him quite happy to know that Lumia was fitting in there. She deserves to feel home way more than I do. The Queen turned towards the Goblins: "You can go. I''ll put up with this silly conflict, today. But there will be no next time." At these words, the Goblins bolted instantly, gripped by a reverential fear. "Okay, let''s go for a walk then. I''ll take you down the most important landmarks in Orma. Being secluded in that palace bores me to death. My husband is always busy levelling up or grinding his Skills. His Dao of Mana, like it often happens, is full of wild training. He forgets about his duties as an husband way too often." Despite her extremely regal Aura, Nelia was speaking like an ordinary woman and just showed as the annoyed wife she actually was. Suddenly, Helial realized there was an anomaly and asked: "No guards?" He had seen several prominent figures in the past, but none of them would ever go out unguarded. He was surprised by the fact there was no escort around. Nelia laughed and said: "Very few can threaten my safety, actually. And if I weren''t in the Tenth Phase, I would now be dead of old age. I hope I''ll become an Immortal, one day. I mean, I don''t want my husband to become a widower nor force him to live with a damn old relict." Her words struck Helial. That woman was a step away from Immortality¡­ "Snow, how about tasting the meat of our Storm Shark when we get home? Our merchants brought us back plenty of it, and I''m sure it would be to your liking," said the Queen with her usual smile on her face. Snowflake raised his furry head proudly: "Someone is treating this Supreme Cat as he deserves, finally. I''m glad to accept. This two assholes would dare let me starve, and deprive the world of my magnificent existence." Helial was about to pull out Curse of the Demon once again, when Nelia laughed and walked on. She was a stunningly calm and kind woman. She had made the best impression on Helial since second one. After all, how many people could boast to have conquered that pile of white fur who only shouted insults from dawn to dusk? As they stepped outside the palace, they were set against towering grand buildings made of white marble. The landscape was a canvas out of old tales. Helial gazed at those finely carved pieces of architecture; every detail was perfectly well-finished. "In this world of sufferings, nothing can mend your soul like art. The art forms you''ll see here in Orma took inspiration from other nations'', and then we evolved our own expression. Some of these sculptures were crafted by men who worked for over a hundred years to produce one single piece of art. They have a voice of their own, which often turns out to be of great use. While meditating on Mana, you need Epiphanies to grasp the deepest meanings of life, and artworks make a wonderful way to gain one." True that. At some point, it''s no use to just give you simple memories like I did. Benefit from the will get difficult, unless you''ve got some godgiven talent. On the contrary, art sublimates one''s knowledge and crystallizes it in a shape that anyone can access with the simplest glimpse. The universe is scattered with such meaningful works of art that I would slip into a coma just by accidentally catching their sight, the Devil said. Helial swallowed. There was still so much for him to learn. After all, he had lived in a godforsaken village all his life. He clenched his fists. He must study hard to grasp the mysteries of Mana. "My husband must have told you about our political arrangement. The King and the Senate take decisions on the most important issues. The King''s decisions have to undergo scrutiny by the Senate. When the King is absent, the Senate decides in his behalf." They reached a majestic building guarded by several brawny Goblins holding weapons. They paid respects to their Queen, who nodded in response. The simplicity of their greeting to one of the rulers of Orma took Helial aback. "Goblins don''t need a strict etiquette like humans do. We don''t oppress our brothers and we fight as one, not as just soldiers from the same Nation." Helial stopped to observe the striking grandeur of that majestic structure in ecstasy. It was covered in the finest marble, which sparkled under the sunrays. "What''s that?" he asked, enraptured. "That''s one of most characteristic places in Orma, the Colosseum. Several mortal combats took place here. Everyone comes here to train as soon as they can. Not all fights are to the death, most battles are just for training. Whoever has a feud to resolve usually comes here too." The Queen briefly paused and looked up at a marble sheet in front of the entryway. Helial imitated her and saw a list of names glimmer on that white marble sheet. "This is the Heavenly Ranking of our Colosseum. Those you read are the names of the warriors who won the most battles. The contestants for every battle are selected on the basis of their Phase. Only people in the same Phase get to compete. Each victory has a score. You also can accept the challenge of a warrior in a higher Phase. If very few people can hope to possibly win against a warrior in a higher Phase though, no one would think to challenge one two Phases above." Helial gazed in curiosity at that place where warriors and disciples took the field. He read the first name: "Pseudonym¡­" An unusual glow shone in the Queen''s eyes: "He''s the most talented warrior we''ve seen in the last century. His strength is unrivalled. He''s an enigmatic individual who always wears a black armor. No one knows his face. His conduct is never in conflict with anyone, and he''s a Special Court disciple, even though he never attends classes nor comes to the training grounds." "Circe¡­" Helial read the second name. "The Witch. The Guild of Life and Death leader''s daughter. Her temper is¡­ peculiar. I''d suggest that you don''t bother her if you were to meet her. And most importantly, don''t provoke her. She''s unpredictable. But her talent is outstanding enough make her the brightest gem in Orma. Or rather she would be if there wasn''t Pseudonym. That guy is way too ridiculous to be evaluated by mortal standards." Nelia brushed aside a lock of hair that looked like a cascade of melted gold: "Pseudonymous and the Witch are no doubt our rising stars, two legends-to-be. And now, if my husband''s right, we have the third one here." Nelia winked at Helial and stroked his cheek with a motherly movement of a hand. "Goblins, Humans, Elves, Dragons. We''re all the same, as my husband says, and I trust him completely. But you''ll need far more talent than usual to be accepted by the Goblins and make the third legendary warrior of the younger generations. Can you live up to it?" Helial pondered for a moment and sighed: "I have no interest in honors. I''ll meet the requirements to stay here as your husband''s pupil, and nothing more. In the meantime I''ll focus on my Dao, that''s it," Helial smiled and walked past Nelia to read better the Heavenly Ranking on the Colosseum. This little guy is way more interesting than you hinted, my beloved. I really hope he could make a miracle for Orma. The major powers of the city are stepping back day by day. The Goblins don''t live as brothers anymore, they''re starting to revolt one against the other. Is it a human who will turn the tables for our people? 56 sWe wonst make any troubles Helial''s gaze turned to look at the Heavenly Ranking one last time, as those names etched in his mind vividly. Pseudonym and Circe¡­ "This is no doubt Orma''s crowning jewel," Nelia said pointing at the Colosseum, "and besides artworks and temples, we boast a huge and highly developed Merchant Guild. I think it could prove useful to you guys, so that''s where we''re heading to¡­" As Nelia''s words died out in the wind, a servant came running from one of the roads that unrolled away in the surroundings. "Your Grace, an allied delegation just arrived at the palace, and the King is busy training behind closed doors." The servant talked to the Queen while bowing. Nelia shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows: "How lazy. All diplomatic affairs are always of my responsibility. I should be the one appointed King, here." Nelia sighed and addressed Helial and the other two: "Excuse me, it looks like I have to leave you earlier than expected. I''ve already brought your sister to visit the Merchant Guild though, so she''ll guide you there. No won''t will bother you, since you wear the royal insignia." Nelia pointed at the white embroideries on Helial''s and Lumia''s clothes. Snowflake curled his whiskers in disdain: "This Supreme Cat needs no insignia to show his own majesty. The crowd will part and bend down instinctively as I pass." Helial ran a hand on his face, as if trying to wipe away the embarrassment he was feeling right now. That Snowflake was a real pain in the ass. Helial nodded and said: "We won''t make any trouble." Nelia gave him the sweetest look and said: "I know." A second later the Queen dematerialized and vanished. Her graceful and majestic figure left them in front of the servant, who looked at them embarrassed and took his heels a moment later. Lumia said to his brother: "Are we going to the Merchant Guild?" Helial nodded: "Yeah. We need resources for training. Caesar will provide us with everything, but today may be our luck day." Lucky day for what? the Devil asked. My master has lived for thousands of years, right? Helial answered. You want me to help you find some artifacts? At the Devil''s question, Helial nodded solemnly. Too many unforeseeable events in this world. I have to grow as stronger as I can as fast as I can. I think I could help, then. But keep in mind that I won''t step in in any predicament whatsoever, even if an Immortal were to kill you and your sister. That''s your business. I''ll stick to the teaching, the rest is up to you. Got it? Helial gave a sigh. To have such a Devil as a protector would have been the greatest insurance. But still, he knew perfectly well that it would have unconsciously induced him to not exploit his full potential. "Got it¡­" Helial whispered. As they walked on, Snowflake wore an usual expression on his face. He looked extremely serious and deep in thought. Helial was surprised by the sudden thoughtful attitude shown by that cat, who was usually up to all sorts of things. "How come you''re not a cripple?" he suddenly asked Helial, after walking beside him. Helial hinted a smile: "Luck, I guess." Snowflake''s tail lashed the air. The answer left him frustrated. Helial had clearly no intention of telling him how he managed to not become a cripple. According to the rumors, that guy had succeeded in delivering a nearly-Sixth-Phase attack. Normally it would be impossible to strike such a powerful blow, let alone survive it without becoming a cripple. The conversation was cut off. Helial and Lumia started chatting about what was for dinner that evening and about the Seed Lumia would develop in a matter of days. For a couple of minutes they talked in peace and calm, and even Snowflake resolved on walking quiet by their side. But, as is well known, peace never lasts. On a street corner appeared a female Goblin dressed in black. She was wearing a close-fitting bustier and long leather boots. Her clothes emphasized her voluptuous figure and her raven hair wrapped her shoulders obscurely. She was giving off an icy, bewitching Aura. Helial got struck by that woman. He slowed down his pace, stopping mid-sentence. For a second, time seemed to stand still as any other shape blurred. She was the only figure Helial could perceive distinctly. The eyes of the woman in black met his. She gave him an irresistible smile as she winked at him. Helial furrowed his eyebrows and glanced away. Skill Activated: Perception Helial detected a terrifying amount of Mana exuding from that woman''s body. Though, despite the fact he couldn''t determine her Phase, he was sure that she must be in the Third at least. She was so strong that Helial''s Skill couldn''t yet grasp all the secrets of her dense Mana. He clenched his fists. These were the moments when he most felt the urge to become stronger. The three were about to walk past her, when Lumia suddenly approached that woman who hadn''t taken her eyes off Helial for a second. Helial had a bad feeling about this, but there was not much he could do since Lumia had already reached the woman. With a frown on her face, she said: "What''re you looking at, you slut?" Snowflake curled his whiskers, puzzled, but a second later he fell to the ground and burst out laughing wildly: "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Helial''s eyes widened and met those of the woman. She still hadn''t stop gazing at Helial intently, and Lumia''s words went totally unnoticed. The girl though didn''t give in and topped it off instead: "Would you please stop staring at my brother, dirty slut?" Helial couldn''t move; he was still mesmerized by her enchanting eyes. A hint of annoyance flashed in the eyes of the woman. Her fascinating gaze turned to look at the silvery-haired little girl standing in front of her. "Can''t I? Is he yours?" "I made myself clear. Now get the hell out of the way before my cat stomps on your face!" Snowflake stopped laughing. That snotty girl was trying to make this about him. Things had gotten funny, but he could sense the wild Aura exuded by that woman too. He knew perfectly well that provoke her wouldn''t be a wise choice. And also, they had promised Nelia not to cause any trouble. The woman in black could not help but shake her head and let out a ghastly laugh. "What''s your name, little one?" asked the woman with her mellow voice. "None of your fucking business," Lumia said gloomily. "How about this: I''ll tell you my name and you''ll tell me yours," she said as he bent over, providing them with a generous viewpoint over her low neckline, "I''m Circe, nice to meet you." Helial''s throat went dry as a shiver ran down his spine. His sister had just insulted one of the most powerful warriors in Orma. What a great start for their stay in the Goblin capital! Lumia slightly furrowed her eyebrows and said: "I''m Lumia." "Alright, Lumia. You know, I love playing," Circe said as she bit her bottom lip, "but not with little girls, actually." After saying that, Circe stood up with a loud boing of her bosom and disappeared from Lumia''s sight. Skill Activated: Earth Restriction Helial''s pupils shrank violently. Circe reappeared right in front of him, while rock rings immobilized him. Circe''s gaze left nothing to the imagination. She grabbed him by the collar of his tunic and pulled him towards her until he was a palm away from her face. "And you, do you like playing?" Helial tried to wiggle out of her grasp, but he was completely immobilized and powerless. Circe was definitely too strong an opponent for him, despite him owning Body of the Qilin. He couldn''t even evoke Mana inside his Meridians. That Skill ran way deeper that he thought; the rock was preventing his Mana from flowing normally. Meanwhile, the Devil paused from his usual practice of laying his table for two to glance behind his back: "Third Phase Intermediate stage. Give up." He shrugged and went back to his table. He was busy choosing which piece of cutlery to put near a plate among the huge amount he had. Helial was about to answer when Circe planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Helial blushed from ears to neck. He turned crimson. Circe''s full lips were soft and emanated an attraction far beyond what words can describe. Helial got spellbound by that kiss. After a moment, Circe backed off as she laughed seductively. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear: "Don''t tell me it was your first kiss." After one more giggle, Circe disappeared into thin air and the rock rings around Helial''s arms shattered. Helial stood there blankly, unable to come to terms with what had just happened. He raised a hand to his lips, brushing his fingertips where Circe had just stolen his first kiss. Snowflake and Lumia were shocked as much as he was. Suddenly, Lumia blurted out: "She poisoned you!" Snowflake and Helial stared blankly and said, in unison: "What?" "That Circe is Orma''s famous Witch! She must have transmitted some poison to you through her lips!" an upset Lumia cried. "Come here, I''ll suck the poison away from your lips!" Snowflake mumbled: "This brother and sister relationship is making me sick¡­" As Helial warded off Lumia, who was desperately trying to steal Helial''s second kiss, the fascinating woman stared at them from the roof of a palace, hidden in the dark. "Caesar''s new pupil seems interesting¡­" A second shadow appeared beside her. The figure was taller than her and wore a pitch-black armor that didn''t even reveal the eyes. A slightly cavernous voice resounded from within: "Rocking the boat as usual." Circe turned abruptly, taken aback, but quickly got herself together. "None of your business," she snorted, "and why aren''t you training anyway? No fights tonight, champ?" The black armor shrugged and calmly said: "Just wanted to have a look-see at the new entry. Rumors have it that he left a wound on Caesar''s palm. Either the King has turned weaker, or that guy is a real whiz." Circe narrowed her eyes, increasingly irritated by that person''s presence: "That guy is mine. Don''t make any move, champ. He looks a bit of alright, and he has something more to him¡­ I could use him as my personal toyboy." Pseudonym scratched his helmet and sighed: "You''re the only one making moves here." A second later, the slightly cavernous voice turned serious: "His Aura is dense, but he''s not yet in the First Phase. Do you believe the wound thing is true?" Circe''s gaze grew gloomier. "No idea. Not even we could wound an Immortal. Someone in the Ninth Phase could barely injure Caesar, probably. And yet he brought this human here and took him as his pupil. It can''t be totally fake news." Pseudonym''s gaze turned to look at Helial, who still looked crimson. "Judging by his reaction, I guess that was his actual first kiss. You''ve basically harassed a kid. Don''t you feel the least hint of shame?" Circe curled her lips and whispered: "A kid? He must be one or two years younger than us, champ. And if he lacks experience¡­ well, I''ll definitely help him gain some." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi guys^^ Hi guys! Today''s chapter marks an important step. Me and the authors have made a decision. We strongly believe in this series and we love what we do, despite how time-consuming it may be.That''s why we created a Patreon account! And I''m launching it with today''s chapter.I devote most of my time to translation. As you''ve probably already seen, translating from your language to a foreign one is challenging, but this doesn''t prevent me from improving and it actually only fuels my ambition. I just want to point out that I''m not a greedy, money-hungry one. As you can see, our tiers offer several chapters a week in exchange for pretty small amounts of money. We''re seeking passionate readers willing to support this project. There''s like 200 Italian chapters still waiting to be translated, and it''s only the second book of the novel. There''s plenty of material, and I don''t want you guys to wait forever to catch up with the raws or get a glimpse of what these characters are capable of. And it''s going to be a hell of a ride. I''m already thankful, and so are the authors, for how the novel is going. Your comments and reviews warm our heart. Now I hope I aroused your curiosity! Hit us up c: You''ll notice that the chapters I uploaded on Patreon start from chap 56. That''s because Webnovel.com doesn''t require an author to specify the chapter number (you only need to insert the title and it will automatically appear as. "Chapter N. - Title"). On the contrary, the Italian raws didn''t number the Prologue, whereas here it appears as Chapter 46. The Italian Chapter 46 is therefore your Chapter 47. This was to say you''re not being robbed lol the chapter 56 on Patreon isn''t one you''ve already read :) https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13484748 57 The Merchant Guild Helial brushed his fingers on his lips, on which he could still sense Circe''s luscious presence. He couldn''t even tell whether it had been reality or an illusion. How could it be possible that Circe, the second best genius among Orma''s young generations, had actually¡­ kissed him? The blushing spread over his face even more intensely. No woman other than Lumia had ever been so close to him. He had been ignoring the feeling of being in close contact with a girl up to that day. The acute and weird sensations he was experiencing were all brand-new to him, who could not even tell whether he minded them or not. Lumia was still bouncing around him. She was on the verge of crying and kept screaming about how she should kiss her brother to save his life. Helial shook his head, glanced at Snowflake and said, his face still bright red: "Let''s go, we still have the Merchant Guild to visit." "HAHAHAHAHAH! LOOK AT YOU, INNOCENT KITTY, HAHAHAHAHAH!" A huge blue vein started pulsing on Helial''s forehead, as fierceness flashed in his eyes. That cat could really have pushed anyone on the edge. "Can you st-" "HAHAHAHAH! SMACK," Snowflake did a noisy parody of a lips smack and kept mocking Helial aloud: "Look at me, I''m an Immortal''s pupil, I injured the King of Orma but I have no defence against a smooch!" Snowflake fell to ground laughing and coughing, almost choking himself to death. A red teary Lumia, on the other hand, had started bombarding Helial''s back with a flurry of fists. The tiger-sized white cat was laughing so hard he was on the edge of collapse. Helial was about to cough up blood. He was totally powerless. Master? Huh? the Devil answered, you''ve never called me master before. What''s up? I''ve got a bit of a situation here. Can you help me out? an hopeful Helial asked. If you can''t handle a cat and a kid, I can''t imagine how you''ll handle your nemesis, one day, when you have to face the greatest geniuses in the whole universe. And what''s so embarrassing about a kiss anyway? after these words, the Devil ignored him and went back to laying his beloved table. He had no other occupation, apparently. Helial stomped on his feet in frustration, as he smiled bitterly and said: "Are you done?" Actually, the Devil had a point. Despite him having the mature mindset of an adult man, Helial''s struggle in facing any girl but Lumia was real. He had no idea on what a kiss should be like, he just secretly felt that it hadn''t been that bad, after all. After a while, the three finally calmed down. The Goblins around them had stared at them all that time, their eyes wide open. "Did you see that? Circe kissed the guy!" "I did! Oh God. Did she set her sights on Caesar''s new pupil? Like, the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle and the Guild of Life and Death have always been close, after all. A marriage would get them even closer!" "What the hell? Miss Circe would never get her hands dirty with a filthy human! She''s just fooling him for fun." "Everyone sure? I saw a strange light in her eyes this time¡­ like a tiger''s before its prey." While everyone began to gossip about the latest news, as well as to spread it all over Orma, Helial had succeeded in calming Lumia and Snowflake. He had forced them to follow him to the Merchant Guild. Once before the entrance, they saw a portal embellished with refined low reliefs. It was bustling with liveliness. As they admired the majesty of that multistory building, a Goblin suddenly stopped them. It was a young black-dressed man with elegant manners, who welcomed them with open arms and a warm smile: "Good afternoon, my dear guests! My name is Caliban and I''m here to serve you. The Queen''s servants told me you were coming. I''ll be your guide for today! If you need anything, don''t hesitate to ask. The Queen asked me to tell you that everything you''ll buy is on her." The guy, who had 20 years at most, had a beaming smile hung on his face. The friendliness in the Goblin''s eyes immediately made Helial feel at ease. He looked like an honest and candid guy. Helial nodded and smiled calmly: "Hi Caliban. How many floors does this place have? Are you a Guild member?" Caliban nodded, as his smile spread all over his face: "My father is the Guild leader, but I''ll need to prove my entrepreneurial skills if I want to take his spot one day." Judging by his refined manners, Caliban must have been a skilled merchant. "You see," Caliban began to explain while smiling, "there are seven floors. Each one displays items of any kind: Skills, Weapons, Armors, Formations and so forth¡­" Skill Activated: Perception Helial observed Caliban as he went on talking. He concluded that he was only in the Second Phase. We''ll, he''s a merchant after all. It''s not his ability to fight that will take him far. Helial deactivated Perception and kept listening. Caliban had a confident way of talking and his smile never disappeared from his face. "On the first floor you''ll find ordinary objects, whose value increases with each floor. From the fourth on, you''ll need a special permit. Since you''re the King''s pupil in person, you guys have access up to the sixth floor. I''d like to make you visit the seventh floor as well, but it''s reserved only to those who received honors all over the Nation or the Country." Helial nodded. They were already lucky enough to have access up to the second-to-last Guild floor, he couldn''t ask for more. Goblins were quite suspicious of humans, after all. He smiled and said: "It''s no problem. One day I''ll be able to visit the seventh too." His assertive words made Caliban''s eyes sparkle. Sounds like Caesar found a very interesting guy, he thought. The guy''s voice had no arrogance, and his eyes exuded determination. That was the kind of person he got on with, and being in Helial''s company proved indeed pleasant to him. "So, where shall we start?" Caliban asked Helial as he rubbed his hands together. Helial glanced at Lumia, who was stroking Snowflake''s furry head. He let a smile escape. They were calm again. And yet, a second later Helial''s expression turned suddenly serious. He took a step forward and put his hand on Caliban''s shoulder: "I won''t squander the Queen''s funds, but I don''t want to waste my time either. Where would you suggest that we start?" He had a calm yet solemn expression on his face. Caliban was struck by his enigmatic and soulful gaze. Caliban perceived the strong desire for strength in Helial''s heart and gave a sigh: "I''m afraid the first couple of floors won''t be of great use, then. The fifth and the sixth host objects useful to those at least in the Fifth Phase, so I''d say we shall start from the third floor." Helial smiled and said: "Lead the way, then." As they headed towards a grand staircase in white marble, they noticed a multitude of people intent on driving bargains inside the numerous sections of the first floor. Every corner displayed a great amount of goods, while hardy guards wearing the emblem of the Merchant Guild monitored the area. Master, Helial''s voice echoed out and reached the Devil''s ears. Tin Tin Tin Clac Interrupted, the Devil let some cutlery fall off the table and gave a sigh. Tell me, Shithead. Keep in mind I need your help here, Helial clenched his fists. Unfortunately, he still wasn''t skilled enough to be able to recognize something interesting without the Devil''s help. Fine. But here''s something you have to keep yours; you have to pick a Class before acquiring the Skills that suit you best. Your Class affects both the Bonuses you''ll receive on Skills and the actual learning of Special Skills. My beginning Class, the Shadow Warrior, doesn''t fit your Skills. This means you''ll have to pick a Class that can combine both Life and Destruction, if you''re still willing to go down this particular Dao of Mana. Are you? Helial nodded and whispered: "Willing to do anything." Alright, the Devil answered, then don''t let me down and I''ll be your greatest help. You''ll reach peaks no human can barely think as possible. Legends, myths¡­ as it already happened eras before, everything will get clear in the end. But I''ll just show you the way. To pave it and etch it on your heart will be up to you only. I''ll be watching from the sidelines. Helial nodded once again. If he wanted to become stronger and protect Lumia, he would have to fight with all his might and spare no efforts. Going down someone else''s beaten road would only have prevented him from paving his own. Helial knew it perfectly well. Power. Immortality. Greatness. This was all Helial needed. He promised to himself that once he had become unrivalled, no one would have to pay the dear price imposed by freedom. No one would have to suffer their way to freedom anymore. The three walked past a myriad of people, while Caliban led the way. He was intent on explaining what they would find once on the third floor. He talked affably and compellingly. Business was his thing. The third floor was a luxurious place. All around the walls were splendid statues and breathtaking artworks, that could give you an Epiphany on your Dao of Mana by the mere glimpse of them. And yet, they seemed like nothing to Helial if compared to the black Mana sphere the Devil had generated during his first meditation on Life and Destruction. When, within his Soul, he had seen that light¡­ Helial had caught glimpse of a dazzling light, and in that light he had made out the silhouette of a stunning woman, as shining as a thousand suns. But he had still no idea on her identity. "Here we are. Do you want me to list you out the most valuable objects we have here?" Caliban asked. Snowflake grunted: "No object here can meet this Supreme Cat''s standards. Anyway, I''ll take a look around to see if something can barely satisfy me." The cat''s words took Caliban aback. If the objects displayed in that room didn''t meet his standards, what could? Many people in the First Phase could only dream to afford one of the things sold in there. Despite this, he smiled back and, addressing Helial, said: "Your cat looks funny!" Helial sneakily glanced at Snowflake. Fortunately, he hadn''t heard, or he would already have started freaking out. "Uhm¡­ funny, right¡­" 58 Waste paper Helial kept looking around the floor. He had politely declined Caliban''s offer to guide them around the stalls of the third floor of the Merchant Guild. As Caliban had announced, the Merchant Guild was full of any possible item one might need on any possible Dao of Mana. However, Helial was no ordinary practitioner. If he wanted to strengthen himself, he would need resources that were out of the ordinary. His build was on a completely different level from that of a common mortal; he now possessed Body of the Qilin, that only existed in legends about Ancestral Creatures. Even though Caesar had provided him with Elixirs for Mana Creation, they couldn''t be so useful to a peculiar build like Helial''s. He now possessed a Devil''s Meridians and the Body of a Qilin. Even if he had swallowed hundreds of Elixirs for Mana Creation, the effects would have been weightless. Hence, he needed herbs with a far more violent effect. "Master," Helial said secretly, "should we buy more Herbs of the Nine Deaths and Roots of the Sacred Phoenix?" The Devil glanced behind his back and stopped with a napkin in his hands. "100 pounds each will suffice. It would be useless to buy more, because they would gradually lose their effect and you''ll get more and more used to their active substance. We''ll employ huge amount of both substances to let your body experience two opposite forces at the same time, and then we''ll analyze how your body reacts." Helial knitted his brow in a depressed frown: "You speak like I''m a guinea pig." The Devil shrugged: "Because you are. You''re the first person who seriously intends to step forward on this Dao of Mana. As I''ve told you at a thousand times now, one usually trains a single principle, either Life or Destruction, regardless of what they stand for. But eventually one principle will be absorbed by the other. For instance, one can meditate on Black Flames, a Destruction Skill, to mix their principle in the Heavenly Flames. Or else, one can meditate on the energy sprung by sun to blend its principle with Darkness. Got it?" Helial slowly nodded. No road looked more unbeaten than the one he had chosen. He would be the first man to ever step forward both towards Life and Destruction. As Helial was deep in thought, the Devil''s voice resounded out in his mind: "And there''s more. You already chose an Affinity, but what about the Class? As I warned you before, my Class was the Shadow Warrior. It''s a powerful one, with very high requirements, but it could never fit you. Once in the First Phase, you''ll see a Stat window showing the requirements for each Class you might choose and pick your own. Along the Dao of Mana, every Class can then evolve into different specialized Subclasses. When I still had a body, my Class was the Sovereign of Darkness. It''s a Single Class, only one person can own it. There are various Classes, from Single to Hidden to Special. They can show a tendency towards an Affinity, towards Life, or Destruction¡­ They''re quite workable, and it''s fundamental that you pick the Class that suits you best." The Devil''s words weighed heavy on Helial''s heart, who asked gloomily: "Any suggestions?" The Devil glanced up in the sky, deep in thought, and said: "Not really. No, I still don''t. There''s plenty of details you need to know about Classes, first. We''ll go into that during our lessons. For now I can anticipate that the Classes for the path you''ve chosen are limited. Every Affinity-related Class shows a specific tendency either towards Life or Destruction. There''s no specific Class for both. You''ll need a neutral Class that only tends towards Mana, not towards some element. The Formation Apprentice makes for a good example, but I''m afraid it won''t suit you. An Elemental could meet your needs as well, but you have definitely no inclination for Elements Control. You have a good Affinity with Light and Darkness, but since there''s no Class specifically regarding one of them you''ll have a hard time finding the right one, let me tell you." Helial seemed to get his point. Class with an Affinity for one element in particular could not work, because each Subclass had a specific tendency either towards Life or Destruction. Light and Darkness repelled each other, so there was no point in picking a Light or a Darkness Class. Formations? Helial preferred melee-combat. Body of the Qilin would let him have a significant advantage on opponents in his same Phase, but only physically speaking. To pick the right Class wouldn''t be easy at all. Helial gave a sigh and his gaze turned back to look at the stalls, though no object caught his eye. He examined the displayed items with a distressed frown. Like him, the Devil was peeking without finding anything interesting either. "Looks like there''s nothing for you here. Try with the fourth floor," the Devil said. He was currently facing internal conflict. Where to place the dessert spoon? Despite his previous nagging, Snowflake was scanning the third floor stalls. Lumia was twirling in a silk light-pink dress with very good Stats. Helial asked Caliban to put it on their account and informed him he would go to the fourth floor alone. The black-haired guy nodded and pointed at a huge staircase in marble. After a brief thanks, Helial hurried upstairs. Once walked up the staircase, Helial found out that the floor was quite empty. If compared to the third floor, the objects were fewer but looked far more rare and eye-catching. As he walked around looking about himself, a gentle voice resounded out behind him: "Wait." Helial turned . In front of was a gorgeous girl. Her skin was goblinly greenish and looked as pure as jade. Two sharp eyebrows gave her gaze an amazing perspicuity, like that of an ambush predator. Helial smiled and cupped his hands: "How can I help you?" The girl pointed at his tunic and said: "A human wearing the royal insignia. So much like my father, really. Who are you?" Helial furrowed his eyebrows. The girl was indeed wearing clothes of the same workmanship as his. Skill Activated: Perception Third Phase, maybe. Helial examined the girl''s Aura, which was as sharp as a dagger, but lingered in the shadow and was difficult to probe. Without Perception, Helial could have likely mistaken her for an ordinary girl. A thought suddenly ran through Helial''s head. Master, Helial''s voice resounded out inside his Soul, she''s an Assassin, isn''t she? The kid swept his black bangs away from his forehead and said, Wow, Shithead, you''re not so retarded after all. Yeah, she''s an Assassin, Subclass Shadow, Third Phase Early stage. Helial answered respectfully: "I''m Caesar''s new pupil, Helial. Is your father a member of the royal family?" The girl smiled, yet without answering. "Well, then. This sounds fun. I''m Francesca, a member of the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle. Which means we''ll get to meet quite often. Are you here to find something useful for your training? What Phase are you in?" A quite embarrassed Helial answered: "I''m about to reach the First¡­" "Oh, I see. To walk so calmly must be a struggle for you, then. Once dead you get no second chance, unlike someone in the First Phase. Not afraid some cute girl might kidnap you?" Francesca winked. Master, are all women so damn aggressive? Helial asked inwardly. The Devil decided his question wasn''t worth answering and resolved for a sigh. "This Shithead¡­ He made me stoop to this.. I once was the unrivalled lord of all things¡­ now I''m a babysitter¡­" he went on grumbling something unclear and then kept quiet. Helial scratched his head and said: "I was assaulted down the street today, actually. My life wasn''t at risk, though. At least¡­ I think it wasn''t." Francesca gave him a baffled look and said: "You serious? By whom? If someone bothers you just tell me, I''ll deal with it! You can call me big sister from now on!" Helial looked at her, puzzled, and said: "Uhm, nope, thank you Francesca. I''m fine. It was Circe who assaulted me¡­ She, like¡­ nothing. She assaulted me, that''s it." Francesca''s lips curled up in a smile as she looked at Helial with the expression of who knows more than they show. "Circe, huh? Wild girl¡­" However, she didn''t offer to deal with that and changed subject. "Since you''re the King''s personal pupil, you can''t fall short of the expectations placed in you. Your role here in Orma¡­" As Francesca went on talking, Helial, whose Perception was still activated, took notice of a scroll that emitted a dazzling light. That was Mana! But why was a scroll emitting so much Mana? Helial stretched out his arm and reached for it. It was hidden in a bunch of ancient scrolls containing Breathing Techniques and high-level Skills. The scroll was crumpled and scrunched up. Its characters were faded, almost illegible, but some Runes were shining on the surface like a thousand tiny suns. Helial stared at them. Slowly, he made out the sketch of a man whose body was covered in Runes. The Runes seemed to dance all over his skin as if they were part of himself. Francesca had noticed that the scroll had caught Helial''s attention and said: "That isn''t a Skill nor a Breathing Technique. Just random Runes. Useless, basically. Runes usage went lost time out of mind. Not even the King knows anything about them. They''re ancient artifacts and don''t belong to anyone. I wonder how that waste paper ended up here. Is the Merchant Guild running out of steam?" Helial''s gaze turned enigmatic and asked Francesca: "What''s so particular about Runes?" He already had some vague knowledge of Runes, but it wouldn''t hurt to go a bit deeper. "Runes look vaguely like Formations, but their basic principles are quite the opposite. Formations catalyze Mana by employing external objects. They''re made of various minerals or artifacts that catalyze Mana from the outside or, even, from other people. On the other hand, you create Runes with your own Mana. Runes don''t need objects, which is also why Runes are extremely weaker than Formations. How can one person''s Mana be compared to a Formation''s artifacts?" Helial inspected the scroll. He looked uncertain. Despite Francesca''s words, he had the feeling that that scroll was something more than a mere piece of paper. Suddenly, the Devil drew his attention to those Runes and a spark of fire flashed in his eyes. "Do you know what you''ve just found, Shithead?" What? asked Helial, struck by his sudden interposition. A mischievous grin spread over the Devil''s face: "Your Class." 59 Someone yousd better not mess with "My Class?" Helial whispered. "Buy that scroll. I''ll explain everything when we get to talk more privately", the Devil answered, slightly shaken. How could an item like that end up here? the kid thought as he swept his black bangs. Francesca gave Helial an amused look and said: "Throw away that piece of waste paper and let me show you something worth your interest!" After saying this, she charmingly winked at Helial. Helial suddenly felt embarrassed, but he dodged the hand Francesca had stretched out to snatch his scroll. "Thank you, but I think I''m going to study it instead." Then he smiled and his gaze swept around to find Caliban. Hopefully he wouldhave already reached the fourth floor. He ignored Francesca''s annoyed expression as she started: "Kid, people at your age are all the same. You don''t know what ambition is and just settle for whatever you happen to find. You never seize the chances you''d get if only¡­" Francesca''s glare grew gloomier as she realized she was saying things she shouldn''t. She gave a sigh and a sad smile spread over her face, while her eyes got slightly fogged. "Never mind. Enjoy that scroll, don''t let the King down. You''re way more important than you think." After these words, Francesca give her back to him and left the fourth floor. Helial stared at her in puzzlement, but he had no time to decipher her words. Caliban magically appeared from behind him. A thousand little beads of sweat were crowning his forehead. He looked worried. "What''s wrong?" Helial asked. "Don''t you know who''s that girl you were talking to?" Helial turned again towards the direction where Francesca had just disappeared, stack his bottom lip out and shrugged: "Should I?" "Uhm," Caliban scratched his head, clearly confused by Helial''s naivety, "I think so. She''s your master''s daughter, the one and only Princess of Orma. Francesca, the Shadow of the Moon, direct descendant of the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle. She''s one of the greatest geniuses among the young generations." His words shocked Helial. Princess of Orma? Caesar''s daughter? Damn, he had still so much to learn about that world. He thought back at the conversation he just had with Francesca to make sure he had not said anything disrespectful. He could see no reasons behind Caliban''s worriedness. "And what''s there to worry about?" Caliban''s eyes shot wide open. He looked about himself cautiously, leaned towards Helial and, after lowering his voice, he murmured: "Francesca is promised to Comodus, son of Aure, who''s the leader of the Sect of the Worthy. The second greatest power in Orma. Comodus already killed quite a few men over trifles. He has some¡­ mood swings. He''s definitely someone you''d better not mess with. He''s in the Fifth Phase and he''s only thirty five¡­ If he were to find someone into a too friendly conversation with his fianc¨¦... " Caliban wen on explaining what could then be the consequences. Helial raised an eyebrow, puzzled. That Comodus'' talent didn''t look so unbelievable to him. "You don''t have to fear his talent, but his ruthless and cold-hearted attitude. Comodus knows every Venom Mastery on this planet. If your conversation with Francesca lasted a second too much, you could wind up poisoned during a banquet!" Caliban was speaking almost short of breath. He looked completely different from what he was a couple of minutes earlier. His concern was sincere. Helial shrugged. Thirty five years old, Fifth Phase. His brother was far younger and more dangerous, and yet the only thing Helial had a fear for was the fact that he could hurt Lumia. When it came to confronting himself with someone, Helial knew no fear. Helial put his hand on Caliban''s shoulder and gave him a confident and warm smile. "No worries. I''m not here just because Caesar spared me. If someone wanted my life, they would have to pay the dearest price to take it. Anyhow, thank you for your advice. I''ll take it as a sign of friendship." His words reassured Caliban. His expression began to regain its color when suddenly, Helial abruptly raised his voice so as to let the whole floor hear him: "Fifth Phase? If someone in the Fifth Phase wanted to take my life, they would have to pay with theirs at least!" Caliban''s face turned back to deathly pale. All the customers turned towards Helial. Who seemed to have understood whom he was referring to started discussing immediately. "Wasn''t he chatting with Francesca a moment ago?" "Is it Comodus he''s talking about?" "This guy is fucked." Helial slightly squinted. All of a sudden, his body started exuding a terrifying Aura. Helial hadn''t reached the First Phase yet, but his Aura showed the result of the completion of all his knowledge of Life and Destruction. The immiscible yet kindred principles contained in his Aura left the crowd into a trance. Life. Destruction. Who else in the First Phase could showcase such knowledge? Everyone in the room immediately quieted and stared at him speechless. His majestic and domineering Aura seemed that of a King, not of an ordinary kid who had yet to reach the First Phase. Helial''s hand tightened its grip on Caliban''s shoulder as he said smiling: "I''ll pay your kindness back. I''m no ingrate." Helial''s words had once again scattered the shadows lingering on Caliban''s heart like a sunray. Caliban smiled back at him instinctively. That human didn''t seem to be a bad guy, and his care for friends was touching. And also, that Aura¡­ Caliban did not ask any question though. As a wise merchant, he knew that asking too many questions wouldn''t be nice of him. Caliban could not help but shake his head and hope for that young human not to get into trouble. "Oh, by the way, I''d want to buy this," Helial handed out the scroll to Caliban, who furrowed his eyebrows. "A random piece of paper with Runes on it? How did this end up in this floor¡­" Caliban shrugged and added: "This is on me. Take it as a gift. Now, there''s some artifacts I''d like to show you..." The guy hinted that Helial put away the scroll and draw his attention to him. Just as Caliban began to pull some objects out of his Interspace Ring, the Devil''s voice resounded out in Helial''s head. "That''s trash. Not interested. Your body is more resistant than those pieces of armor. And don''t forget that the more your body gets injured, the more Body of the Qilin will level up. Also, the weapon isn''t even worth discussing. Techniques and Skills? I already had my Divine Sense inspect the area, there''s nothing useful here. Now, activate Perception and check if there''s anything with a high concentration of Mana. You may find other things rich in Runes around the Guild." Helial nodded and told Caliban that he wasn''t interested in the objects he was showing to him. Disappointed, Caliban looked at Helial wander off. Then he gave a sigh and smiled. That human was the most intriguing person he had ever met. Perception As he sifted around the fourth floor, Helial whispered: "Why can''t you teach me how to read Runes?" The kid sighed and got away the bangs from his eyes: "Runes are more mysterious than you think. Most Runes Techniques went lost eras ago. When I still was of flesh and blood, real Techniques had already disappeared. So no, not even I can read Runes. Unlike Formations, Runes have always been too weak to catch my attention. Until today, at least. Try to gather as many Runes as possible, so that you can study them and decipher their effects. I barely know a couple of Runes, but I know how they were jotted down and at least I might be useful in this." Helial wandered around the first, second and third floors and found several Runes scrolls. He bought them all. They only contained excerpts with some faded runes. But what looked like useless scribbles on waste paper to any other eye, Perception made it shine like a thousand suns to Helial''s. "Perception is way more powerful a Skill than you think. It''s immensely stronger than the Divine Sense. The thing is, very few people can level it up. You seem to have a natural inclination for this Skill, so it''s one of those you need train the most," the Devil told Helial, who was still looking for scrolls. Eventually, Helialgathered several interesting scrolls, while Snowflake and Lumia had bought any kind of things, be they useful or not. Caliban looked at them leave the Guild helplessly, as he waved his arm goodbye. Just as he was about to go back to the Guild, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him, making it impossible for him to step forward. An imposing black armor came into his view. Caliban furrowed his eyebrows and said: "How can I help you, Pseudonym?" Pseudonym slowly pointed his helmet towards Helial and the other two, who had almost disappeared from their view. "Rumor has it that the kid made a joke of Comodus inside your Guild. You know what that means?" Caliban clenched his fists. He had hoped the news wouldn''t spread so swiftly, but tongues would appear to fly faster than arrows. "We both know what that means," Caliban sighed. "What''s he like?" asked Pseudonym, his voice turning slightly raspy. "Not bad at all, for a human. He seems to be very strong as well. He said that if someone in the Fifth Phase wanted his life, they would have to pay with theirs to take it. He''s an arrogant¡­ and yet I can''t dislike him somehow. I hope he survives, one way or another." Pseudonym gently nodded, surprised by his words. A second later he darted away, vanishing from Caliban''s view. Caliban shrugged and sighed: "Sounds like you guys are drawing the attention of all the best talents in Orma. I hope this storm won''t sweep you over." *** Helial addressed Snowflake and said: "Okay, I think I got this right. Orma has three strong powers: the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle, the Sect of the Worthy and the Guild of Life and Death. The Clan and the Guild are allies, whereas the Sect is somewhat hostile to Caesar. Correct me if I''m wrong. Comodus is the descendant of the Sect of the Worthy, and he''s a dangerous one who''s able to command the Masteries of Venom. Francesca is the direct heir of the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle, whilst Circe is the descendant of the Guild of Life and Death. Is it correct?" Snowflake looked him up and down and said: "And you thought it best to inform yourself only after provoking the worst madman in Orma? Good job, retarded. It''s correct, indeed, except for one thing. Francesca isn''t the one who''ll inherit the lead of the Clan. Caesar has one more son, who''s currently traveling. He''s in the Tenth Phase and is searching for a chance to reach Immortality." Helial gently nodded and said: "He''s not part of our generation then, so it''s none of your business. Circe, Comodus, Pseudonym, Francesca¡­ How many geniuses! Our stay here will be¡­ cool, I believe." 60 Still too weak Helial thought of the best geniuses in Orma and felt a jolt of electricity. The Goblins turned out to be something other than the unfit creatures the human propaganda had depicted them as. Helial was starting to realize he barely knew anything about that people, and felt the strong urge to gain the right knowledge to survive. He clenched his fists tight and set off to the Royal Palace. "It''s dinner time, finally," Snowflake remarked. "I won''t join you," said Helial, "I need to visit the library and start training. From now on I''ll sleep on the training grounds and I''ll eat the food I can save. Lumia, go to Caesar first and then come to the Royal Library. Snowflake, do as you prefer. You can join us, as long as you don''t bother anyone. If you just want to fuck around, then go gallivanting around the palace." Snowflake''s glare suddenly glimmered with fierceness. With his paw, he suddenly struck a deadly blow right towards Helial''s neck, which the guy blocked just by casually raising his arm. Clang Snowflake''s sharp claws didn''t scratch him and crashed against his forearm instead. It was as tough as iron. Cat and human ended up face to face. Helial could feel Snowflake''s nervous breathing upon his skin. "You piece of shit.We all have a desire for power. You''re not the only one here who needs to get stronger," hissed Snowflake a palm away from his face. "And you know what? This Supreme Cat will start training harder than you do and will rule unrivalled over the whole fucking universe. I have a few scores to settle too." As soon as he finished speaking, Snowflake bounced backwards and backed off. A moment later, he was licking his paw as if nothing had happened. "Now we can go eat." The fact that Helial had referred to him as a no-good had actually hurt Snowflake. Helial gazed at him with a strange light in his eyes, trying grasp the meaning behind that snarky cat''s words. Maybe he shouldn''t have talked to him like that, after all. Helial nodded, but suddenly he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. He got paralyzed. "Go now¡­ I have some¡­ stuff to do," smiled Helial as little beads of sweat condensed on his forehead. Snowflake curled his whiskers, his tail slashing the air, and set off to the Royal Palace. He looked still offended. "Do the fuck you want." Lumia, on the other hand, wanted to wait for her brother, and said: "What stuff?" "I''ve got someone to meet. Alone. Go, we''ll catch up later," Helial smiled. Although Helial had acted fairly natural, Lumia saw that something was off just by observing her brother''s eyes. She should stay with him. In the wolves Dungeon though, she had learnt that she had better listen to what Helial would tell her. However, Lumia was still weak and despite her worries she knew perfectly well that, since Helial was under the King''s personal protection, no one would have laid a finger on him. Helial waved at her sister and, as soon as that tiny silvery-haired angel turned, he dashed into an alley. A figure impossible to overlook was standing before him, perfectly still. The figure''s face was covered by a cloth in the flashiest green. Helial grabbed him by a shoulder and violently pushed him against a wall. The figure was imposing. He had something heroic about him. His eyes, the only thing the drape left uncovered, could bewitch any onlooker only by their color; one was blue, one was green. A mere glimpse, and Helial''s blood froze. "What are you doing here?!" Helial snarled, his eyes bloodshot. A curt and brief sound made its way out of the green drape as the figure''s sardonic eyes brightened. "Why, can''t I pay a visit to my beloved brother?" The figure grabbed Helial''s wrist so brutally that he forced him to loosen the grip on his shoulder. Helial could not help succumbing to his force. "Your strength improved, apparently, but you still have a long way to go." The figure paused for a second and focused on Helial''s face. "They say Caesar took you as his pupil. Remarkable. Did you forget about our little deal?" Helial pulled his arm and tried wiggle out of the grip that was pressing his wrist. With a voice filled with hatred, he said: "How many years have you forced me to live in that rat-hole, Hades? Did you even count them?" Hades smiled and moved the green drape away from his face, revealing an heroic and terribly charming face whose different-colored irides were the undisputed crowning jewel of. "Ten years, I guess, give or take. Was it fun?" What Phase is he in? Helial asked the Devil inside his Soul. The Devil, intent on laying the table as usual, cast a glance behind his back and said: "Fifth Phase Late stage. Level 350, more or less. You can''t win, not even paying with your life. He''s got more asses up his sleeve than you think. His actual fighting strength is beyond the Sixth Phase." Just like Helial could face an opponent in the First Phase Late stage without having reached the First Phase yet, the same went for other geniuses, whose fighting strength could overtop that of their actual Phase. Helial felt as though the world were crashing all around him. He had become stronger and now possessed two powerful Legacies, but he was still too weak. He was a shrimp at the mercy of his brother. He ground his teeth and growled like an animal: "What do you want?" "Not much¡­ How is our little sister doing?" A macabre smile spread over Hades'' face. "I asked Caesar to take her as a pupil as well, so I guess she''s fine," Helial smiled back at him scornfully. "Would you dare offend even an Immortal?" Hades furrowed his straight dark eyebrows and said: "Sounds like you''ve got it all figured out, my little brother. But never mind, I''m just here in visit. I wanted to chat a bit, you know, but you don''t look happy to see me¡­ Tell me, what are your intentions?" Helial closed his eyes. All around him, the temperature dropped by several degrees. An atrocious bloodlust spread all over. The sight of such a powerful Aura made Hades furrow his eyebrows even tighter. But suddenly, he unleashed his own. He let all the knowledge he had acquired on his Dao of Mana rush through his Aura unrestrained. It began to gradually suppress Helial''s. Hades'' Aura was so oppressive that it made Helial spit out a mouthful of blood. The guy didn''t give in though, and instilled everything he had took in from Life and Destruction into his Aura, falling into a deep meditative state. He sensed the depth of his desire to kill, of the bloodlust he had experienced every time he had glanced at his brother, and his Aura grew even more glacial than before. Looks like this reunion has unblocked something. He''s already made progress towards Destruction¡­ the Devil whispered to himself. Not bad, Shithead, not bad. When he sensed the energy rippling through the air around him, Helial''s brother realized that Helial''s Aura was immensely deep. Despite the kid had not yet reached the First Phase, his Aura showed a strength he had better not undervalue. His body seemed to exude obscure and tyrannizing principles. Hades let out a sigh and withdrew his Aura. "Come with me," said Hades as a shroud of darkness veiled his eyes, "I''ve already asked you ten years ago, and I''m asking again now. Come with me, Helial, and I''ll guide you up the path to power. Come with me and we''ll fight together. We could desert as well, you know? You and me. Together." "Why did you ask me to kill her?! Why?!" Helial hissed, his gaze giving off all his hatred. "I had always admired you, you wretch!" Hades shook his head helplessly. "You''re still weak. If you can''t kill a girl, how do you think you''ll handle them? Do you really think no blood will be shed? The more your weaknesses, the more their leverage on you. Look at you. How many years did you spend in that damn village due to that useless girl?" Hades'' gaze turned to look out afar and he said: "I need to be surrounded by the strong, Helial. I intend to fight place out in this world. I''ll be nobody''s vassal. They want to put us in chain, to take away our freedom, and you just shot yourself in the foot." He paused for a moment and then put a hand on Helial''s shoulder. "Do you really think Caesar can make you run from your destiny? Do you really think it''s that easy? He gently tightened his grip on Helial''s shoulder, then slowly retracted his hand and heaved a sigh. He pushed back a lock of hair hanging over his forehead. "Your weaknesses will stand in the way of your freedom. E freedom isn''t going to conquer itself. Together we can bend your destiny, divided we can''t win. Think about this. When you make your decision, you''ll find me in the Capital." Helial could not bear listening to that hypocrisy any longer. He made Curse of the Demon flash into existence in a black beam and raised it over his head. Along his neck, the veins pulsed violently. He was ready to slash, but Hades smiled, winked at him and placing the green drape back on his face, he vanished into thin air. Helial looked at him disappear, his arms still raised and strained. They were swollen. His muscles seemed to be about to explode. Hatred. That was the only thing Helial could feel towards his brother, along with the urge to get rid of all that negative energy. As he was deep in that sea of hate though, a voice resounded out behind him. "If you want to bring half the palace down, go ahead. But then you''ll have a hard time explaining why. Put that down." Helial got distracted by a hoarse voice. It surprised him in a very particular moment. It felt as though someone had just thrown a bucket of cold water over his body. Skill Activated: Perception He saw a pitch-black armor covering a figure slightly taller than him. When Helial sensed the immensity of that person''s Aura, his pupils shrank. Despite looking weaker than his brother, he was giving off a suffocating amount of Mana. All of a sudden, the Devil frowned. He turned abruptly. "This Mana¡­" The Devil had showed that interested only when testing Helial. After that, nothing else had drawn his attention away from his usual practice regarding that half-lain table. He gazed at that figure with a dark light flashing in his eyes and murmured: "Interesting, very interesting." That person was giving off a dark Aura that, through the eyes of Perception, seemed to be engulfed in an abyss of Black Flames. The space around him looked as though he were about to be devoured by the devastating energy he himself exuded. Helial was taken aback. All he could do was ask: "Who are you?" 61 Our sworn enemy Lumia contracted her facial muscles in a worried frown. She glanced at Snowflake and asked anxiously: "Did you see his expression?" "You mean, besides his usual dick-face?" Lumia scowled at him and delivered a swift kick to his shin. "Ouch! Dirty little snot! You can''t kick your Master!" Snowflake shouted. Despite this pantomime though, he too had the feeling that something was off. Helial had looked weird. His face had revealed a concern not even the Goblin horde hunting them in the forest had aroused in him. What could have shaken him so full-tilt in a split second? Snowflake licked his hit paw and looking at Lumia, he sighed: "Stay put." Suddenly, flashes of silvery light appeared under Snowflake''s feet. A second later, Lumia couldn''t see him anymore. The cat reappeared on a roof overlooking the alley Helial had disappeared into. He pricked up his ears, trying to intercept every single sound. He heard Helial''s upset voice: "What are you doing here?!" "Why, can''t I pay a visit to my beloved brother?" the other one had answered. "They say Caesar took you as his pupil. Remarkable. Did you forget about our little deal?" "How many years have you forced me to live in the rat-hole, Hades? Did you even count them?" Snowflake was shocked but what he had just heard. "What? Is that his brother?" Snowflake curled his whiskers, a grave light flashing in his eyes. The figure in green suddenly vanished. Snowflake was ready to reach Helial in one quick jump, but another figure in a shiningly black armor approached the guy instead. The cat resolved to stay on the spot and kept overhearing in silence. "Who are you?" asked Helial as he stared at that person in astonishment. Skill Activated: Perception It was a dark and blazing Aura. Despite the fact that his irises were almost completely covered by the helmet, the Flames gleamed visibly in his eyes. The warrior''s phase seemed to be high, but what Helial was more concerned about was the mysterious nature of that barely endurable Mana. The Devil suddenly froze. The fork he was holding fell from his grip and landed on the table with a sharp sound. That Aura was familiar to him. "This Aura¡­" "Who are you?" Helial repeated. The majestic warrior was now a yard away from him and seemed to be gazing intently at him from behind his visor. The armor slowly raised a hand to let the guy know he had no bad intentions. "Your interlocutor looked quite bloodthirsty while you two were talking. He did his best to conceal it, but it was impossible not to notice it." Helial''s eyes opened wide. Not even him, whose senses were now sharpened and developed, had detected some specific intention in his brother''s Aura. "I suggest that you keep away from that person." Helial frowned and said: "It''s not like I need you to tell me." The one in the black armor shrugged and said, laconically: "I warned you." Warn? Who the hell was he? Did he know something about Hades? "Cat, you can come out now," the hoarse voice resounding from the armor changed subject. In a split second, Snowflake appeared near Helial together with a silver flicker. Strangely, he uttered no sound. Helial and the cat exchanged a meaningful look. "Third Phase Intermediate stage," the Devil said, "but his actual strength is way greater than that¡­" Helial held Curse of the Demon tight as he said, for the third time: "Who are you?" "What is a human doing here?" the other one said in a peremptory tone. Helial ground his teeth. "I''m Caesar''s pupil." "You''d better leave Orma. Goblins will never accept you." "Why shouldn''t you?" Helial asked, a flash of disdain glimmering in his eyes. Helial had grown up with the notion that Goblins were an uncivilized race, and a less than twenty-four hours stay in Orma could not eradicate a prejudice he had always had completely. "I warned you. Twice."After speaking these words, the armor turned and began to slowly walk away. Helial was about to stop him, when he felt Snowflake''s puffy paw touching his shoulder: "Don''t." Helial glanced at Snowflake and his words died in his throat. The silence between them was only shattered by the sound of the hobnailed steps tramping away. Only when the sound could not be heard anymore did Snowflake speak again: "That was Pseudonym." At these words, Helial''s eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?" "One hundred percent. Very few people in the Third Phase can detect this Supreme Cat when he relies on his Speed, unless they master Speed as well, and I''ve heard that Pseudonym is the only one in the palace who is capable of almost everything. "And anyway," the cat went on, "Pseudonym wears a pitch-black armor and is known to be a laconic person who never shows his face. And he''s in the Third Phase Intermediate stage. He''s enigmatic and ruthless, someone you''d better not provoke. Him and the Witch make two sides of the same coin, but if the Witch is moody, Pseudonym is way more dangerous, because he''s cold-hearted. Don''t provoke him." Helial slowly nodded and tried to process all that information. "Well, so you met the two greatest geniuses in Orma and a brother who seems to want you dead. Not bad for a day''s work," Snowflake remarked sardonically. When he heard Snowflake mention his brother, Helial grew gloomier and gave a sigh: "My brother is a delicate matter. One day I''ll explain everything to you. All you need to know for now is that he''s our sworn enemy." Who would have ever imagined it? Only a few days before, Helial wouldn''t even dream that he could ever defeat his brother. And now he knew he would become the strongest of all, one day - strong enough to destroy him and avenge himself for all the suffering Hades had made him go through. "Master," Helial let his voice echo out inside his Soul, "if I reached my brother''s Phase, who would to be the stronger?" "You, obviously. You own the Legacy of an Ancestral Creature, along with my Meridians, my Breathing Technique and me as a guidance." "Will it be enough though?" Helial asked, his eyebrows furrowed. "Kyeheheheheh, I don''t think you realize the extent of your possessions. There''s no wiser master, there''s no resistant Meridians, there''s no stronger body of that of a Qilin. Everything else is up to you. Will you be enough to prove yourself the strongest?" Helial''s eyebrows furrowed even tighter as he said: "Will I gain freedom?" Do you really think that the freedom you yearn for lies in power? whispered the Devil to himself without letting Helial hear his words. Then, he went back to laying the table. How come he was never done? Helial and Snowflake walked in silence and went back to Lumia. They looked thoughtful. In the past few minutes, they had opened their eyes. They both had to face the fact that, if compared to those two geniuses'' brute force, their talent was no more than a downright mediocrity. They both felt their desire for strength burn fiercer than ever. *** A few days later In the library, Helial and Snowflake were leafing through some manuals that listed out countless Skills and general information. It was a week now that they studied all day and trained all night, together or separately. The Devil still hadn''t begun to teach Helial how to read Runes. Instead, he was focusing on Helial''s progress in fighting. Every evening, that black-haired kid whose straight bangs was as sharp as a blade cut held a copy of Curse of the Demon made of Mana and brutally knocked Helial to the ground. He left him very few openings, so as to make that boy overcome his limits and strain every fiber of this body. Within the first days, Helial had started assimilating a particular attack pattern, while changing, tempering and twisting it with every move he made. Now, as he sat in the library, Helial was holding an ancient textbook about Runes he had detected through Perception. It had been shining like a burning sun over a bunch of books piled up disorderly. Every evening Helial made a step forward in tempering his body. Every strike that hit him made Body of the Qilin level up. His limbs could now exercise a 5000 pounds strength each. No one in the First Phase could possibly keep up with him, at this point. But still, he was too weak to face someone in the Second Phase. He had to gather far more Mana, reach the highest peak before First Phase, and then level up. During the time he spent in the library, Helial had taken notice of a very peculiar servant. He looked overly poor; he was dressed in rags and his face was always covered in dirt. And yet, under the dirt, his eyes shone brighter than stars. When nobody was watching, the Goblin opened some books and skimmed through them, trying to assimilate as much information as possible before someone noticed him. After all, that was the library of the Royal Academy and he was a common plebeian. However, his swift readings would prove useless, since the Goblin had no Mana-related capabilities. Only those who mastered Mana could have learnt a number of pages in a second, and not even them could memorize an entire book''s content while taking it from a shelf to another. One day, Helial wound up in front of him just while the Goblin was devouring a manual on Elemental Skills. He accidentally hit him and the book slipped off of the servant''s hands. The Goblin gazed at him like a wounded animal. Fierceness and terror glowed in his eyes. If Helial had told anyone, he would have been harshly punished. Helial calmly bent over to pick up the book. The Goblin felt a jolt of terror through his body and his eyes started stinging, when suddenly Helial handed the book back to him and patted on his shoulder. "Looks like you dropped this while putting it back. Everything alright?" The Goblin swallowed, astonished by the nonchalance of that human. He had clearly seen him devour that book. Could it be he was not aware of the rules of the Royal Academy? Manuals were consultable by disciples only, and with a few restrictions as well. The only ones who could study every book in the library were the big wigs of the city. "This isn''t the first time I see you. What''s your name?" Helial asked. "Frankenstein," was the Goblin''s answer. He still felt quite terrified, but something in that boy''s eyes managed to reassure him. 62 Training "Frankenstein," said the Goblin with a strange light flashing in his eyes. "Frankenstein¡­ Are you a warrior? A Mana practitioner?" Frankenstein''s face betrayed a sincerely sorrowful and bitter expression. Helial had never seen those feelings on the Goblin''s face; he had always just showed worried that someone would find him reading. "How could I practice? I have no right to read these books, nor someone who can teach me a Breathing Technique suitable to my Mana. For now." A golden flame flickered in Frankenstein''s eyes. It seemed to devour all the darkness holding him back, making his Aura shine with madness. "These lacks are only temporary. I''m ready to learn everything step by step. To discover, create, mold my body and temper my mind. I won''t let Goblin rules stand in my way. There''s so much I could accomplish without these pointless rules¡­" Then Frankenstein began to mumble nonsense under Helial''s frown. That Goblin swung from servility to rashness. Helial ran a hand over his chin and let a question echo out inside his Soul: "What''s his Mana like?" The Devil shrugged and said: "Check it for yourself." Helial consulted quite often that black-banged kid who lived inside his Soul and whose only occupation was a table to lay. From time to time, the Devil tried to cook something as well. Every time he wondered where the ingredients came from, or how and why his Soul had become a dining room, Helial could not help but feel a headache. Skill Activated: Perception Helial had made some progress with that Skill lately, and now more than ever Perception helped him detect people''s Mana. As Helial squinted repeatedly, the world began to resonate with the Mana before his gaze and painted bright colors all around him. Every Mana had a distinctive shade depending on its Affinity. Helial''s Mana was almost completely White, whereas Lumia''s Mana was more brownish. Helial was indeed inclined towards Light, and Lumia towards Earth. Helial''s gaze turned to look at Frankenstein, frankly surprised by what he had just seen. He furrowed his eyebrows tightly, while pondering over that view. He had been doing some digging on Circe and Pseudonym. Now he knew pretty well his future opponents. Circe was an Elemental, which meant that she mastered all Affinities at the same time. Fire, Water, Earth, Wind. These were the Affinities one must have to become an Elemental. Since the four of them were to be mastered in parallel, it was difficult to find someone who had enough talent to acquire this Class. Every Elemental could make the fullest use of the four elements. Any practitioner could use them, but without the right Affinity their efficiency would have never been the same. Was it possible to cultivate an Affinity from scratch? Helial had already asked this to the Devil, whose answer had been yes. The price would be dearest though. One couldn''t develop all the Affinities needed to become an Elemental, not before decades of training. But now, before his eyes, four feeble lights were gleaming. A Red light, a Blue light, a Brown light and a Green light. An unusual smile spread over Helial''s face as he patted on Frankenstein''s shoulder and interrupted his gibberish by saying: "Come here tomorrow by lunch time. We need to talk. You have my permission. Here, carry this locket with you. The King gave it to me, so nobody will bother you. Now I have to go." Frankenstein stared blankly at the locket in his hand, bewildered. Meanwhile, Helial had turned and was walking away. *** Evening, Training Ground "HAAAAAA!" Helial erupted in a terrifying cry which gave birth to a sea of white flames. Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin Lv: 3 Grade: White Radius: 150 yd Damage: 2,500-5,000/sec Effects: The damage generated by Flame of the Qilin differs according to the user''s resonance with the Forces of Life. It inflicts triple damage against the creatures of Darkness. Inflicts Burn Malus Cost: 0 Cast Time: 0 Efficiency: 100% This is Flame of the Qilins, lords of nature and Life! It is one of the most mysterious Skills in the universe, able to dominate even the fire of the Dragons, lords of Mana. Exp: 7.8% The Devil was standing in front of him in an incorporeal form. He curled his lips disdainfully and mocked him: "Is this the best you can do? Nowhere near as enough, Shithead. What are you thinking? This sea of flames is way too weak." Helial looked about himself. The sea of flames he had created had a 20 yards diameter. Although the maximum distance that Flame of the Qilin could reach was as much as 150, Helial wasn''t able to unleash the same amount of flames in every direction. He could reach a 150 yards diameter only if spreading the flames in one single direction. As the flames burnt wildly, the Devil waved a hand and extinguished that wintery white hell. "Your flame descends from Kirin''s, the strongest one in the whole universe. It doesn''t need Mana to activate and has no Cast Time, so you can use it however you like. It''s the first Grade White Skill you acquired, and Grade White Skills make legends in this continent. Actually, I wouldn''t expect a disciple of mine to have other Skills than Grades White. But don''t think that merely possessing a Skills will make you stronger. When you have to face the real geniuses in this world, you''ll realize how mediocre your talent really is. And remember that training a Grade White Skill is way more difficult than training an ordinary one, because you have to first grasp its deepest meanings and then practice it regularly." Helial asked, panting: "So have I to acquire a certain grade of Knowledge of the Skill before being able to level it up?" The Devil nodded. "It won''t be much of a problem to level it up to the tenth level, but once things get hard you''ll definitely need to focus on Knowledge to make it. Which means you''d better meditate on his principles than just practice repeatedly. This actually makes the best way to learn all Skills, not just this one. My pupils have always went for meditation, leaving the repeated practice to lesser creatures, as it should be. No powerful entity in this universe would let young generations train like that." Helial cupped his hands and gently bowed: "I thank you for this lesson, master." In the past few days, he had learnt more than he could have ever hoped for. That Devil would appear to be a truly superior entity. Helial could barely believe that someone could have such deep knowledge of Mana; and this sufficed for a great respect to spring into Helial''s heart. "Master, there''s something I want to ask you," said Helial staring at him in the eyes. The Devil raised an eyebrow. "The Goblin?" Helial nodded: "The Goblin, right. My brother built a powerful Guild, I have reasons to believe he will found a Sect one day. When the time comes, I can''t be fighting alone. Wouldn''t be wise. I can''t fight alone and make sure that my loved ones are safe, so I might as well take someone to fight by my side. The Goblin''s Mana is weak yet somehow incredibly dense. I think his talent wouldn''t lose out to Circe''s." The kid with the black bangs sat cross-legged in midair and said in a calm cold voice: "Indeed. His talent is even superior. It would be a Seed worth developing even in a powerful Clan. The thing is, his status made it impossible for him to access any suitable Breathing Technique. How do you think he could grow stronger?" Helial heaved a sigh. The Devil asked questions to which he already had the answers. "Master, your knowledge is boundless. Do you know any suitable Skills and Breathing Technique?" The Devil smiled, a hint of wickedness gleaming in his eyes: "And why on earth should I offer a supreme Breathing Technique to some random Goblin?" With a sinister light glowing in his eyes, Helial smiled: "Because you don''t give a shit about any living being. Because you were bored and thought that I could make for a nice time killer. Let me make your stay inside my Soul a little fun until I get to meet the person you asked me to kill. Nothing more." The Devil burst out in a wild laughter, as though a thunderbolt had suddenly hit him. A ghastly frenzy made its way to his eyes, as he stared at his disciple, Helial, who appeared to have perfectly grasped that side of him. "You have a point, Shithead, you have a damn point. Kyeheheheheh, alright then, I''ll help you find some powerful allies and let them learn some of my teachings. After all, these techniques and Skills I know I''ve stolen them from the biggest Clans in the universe after razing them to the ground. So, since I own almost any supreme Skill in this world, I''ll offer him the strongest Breathing Technique Elementals have ever used. It belongs to the Forces of Destruction though. Whether he can master it or not is up to him. I can show him a path, he''s the one who''ll step forward. How about that?" Helial nodded and said: "Thank you, master. I won''t let you down. The show will be spectacular, eventually." The Devil gave a sigh and said to himself, I really hope so, boy. Suddenly, Helial clutched Curse of the Demon from the depths of his Soul. The Longsword flashed into existence in his right hand, leaving behind a black beam and an ear-splitting thunder. The Devil looked at him with a raised eyebrow. What is he trying to do? Helial''s glare was saying: "I think I might have figured something you haven''t told me yet." Then, Helial gathered all the flames he possessed around his body. The temperature dropped frighteningly, raising a small hell in the surrounding area. Helial started sweating, as he pushed his mental faculties to the limits in order to control that flame. Suddenly, he began to make that flames resonate with Curse of the Demon, as if they were two parallel existences which had both bent to his will. The Devil''s eyes narrowed as he stared at how Helial converged the flames around the black longsword. That brat was¡­ "HE!" BOOM! Suddenly, Helial let out a cry followed by a deafening roar that made the ground quake violently. The white flames started expanding like a tsunami, covering a 50 yards diameter, twice as much as before. Plus, they were now condensed in a string of concentric rings that burnt like the circles of hell. Amidst the white flames, little shiningly black sparks were exuding death and desolation. Panting, Helial smiled at the Devil. "We''ll have fun, you and me, so much fun, Kyeheheheheheh," the kid burst into laughter and tousled his pitch-black bangs. 63 Quiet! Helial walked slowly around the perimeter of the library pondering how to address the matter with Frankenstein. All along the walls of the Royal Library were frescos which depicted war scenes and portraits of every monarch who had ruled over Orma before Caesar. Some paintings were of the mythological origins of the proud Goblin population. During his stay in their capital, Helial had discovered that Goblins were other than the barbarian people he had always thought them to be. On the contrary, he had found out that they were far prouder than humans. They clung tighter to their culture. They could also boast a refined taste for artworks along with skilled artisans capable of creating masterpieces of undisputed value. Presently, Lumia and Snowflake were training on their own. Helial didn''t know where, exactly. Caesar''s help was letting Lumia advance faster, but the Devil had strongly suggested that she developed a Brown Mana Seed. Helial had indeed asked for the Devil''s help for Lumia and Snowflake too. The Devil had accepted smoothly. Helial was more and more dumbfounded by that monster who lived inside his Soul and would just easily hand people techniques that were violent enough to raze the planet to the ground. His only concern was that the show would be worth watching. Honestly speaking, Helial liked that attitude. He was trouble-free and couldn''t care less about the human devious logics. The being he had chosen as a master proved to be teaching him something far more valuable than some Skill or fighting technique. While he was deep in thought, a sudden thud distracted him. Boom! Helial glanced up to three Goblins in front of him. They were looming over a fourth one, who lay on the ground covered with blood. "You filthy cracker! How dare you read the books of our Royal Library?! You''re a servant, don''t you know your place?" shouted one, while forcefully pressing a foot on the servant lying on the floor. Crack The sound of breaking bones hit Helial''s ear. The Goblin lay still on the ground and made no sound. Helial could not see it, but the singular flames that burned down his eyes were turning into ashes the cries of pain that tried to leave his mouth at every blow. Helial looked about himself. Among the people that were presently studying there, no one dared step in. One could hardly tell whether they feared the Goblins, very likely given their menacing appearance, or they were silently agreeing with their gesture. Helial furrowed his eyebrows tightly and leaned slightly forward. Frankenstein. That Goblin was Frankenstein. Judging from the odds, some descendants from the noblest families in Orma had found Frankenstein reading some book. Nothing could compare that Goblin''s thirst for knowledge. Helial admired him from the bottom of his heart. Sure enough, he''s an ambitious Goblin. Even though this one is the weakest planet possible, itactually hosts some nice geniuses, the Devil briefly commented. Helial''s eyes narrowed. If even the Devil somehow praised Frankenstein, he couldn''t let him go. "How dare you ransack your library, pleb? Who do you think you are? And what about the locket, huh? Where did you steal it from?" Helial felt heart-wrung. It was probably his fault if Frankenstein had got into trouble. Those Goblins were very unlikely to believe that such an important locked was a gift. They would rather accuse him of having stolen it. The three Goblins were in the First Phase Late stage, while Frankenstein didn''t even have a Breathing Technique. It was just as fair as adults kicking a baby. Frankenstein had no way of counterattacking. "So what, filthy cracker? Answer me!" another Goblin shouted, ready to kick Frankenstein right in the face. If he had stricken the blow successfully, he would have killed the poor Goblin instantly. After all, Frankenstein was still far too weak. "Stop, you slobs." His words resounded out calm and icy like a wintery wind. Everyone in the room fell dead silent. The three Goblins turned to look at who had dared offend them so shockingly. Tap Tap Tap Helial''s steps rumbled through the silent library. Was it really that brat, that filthy human who had called them "slobs?" The three Goblins immediately seethed with anger, but before they could even react Helial boldly appeared in front of them. "Step aside", was his laconic comment. One of them raised his right arm to punch at that reckless kid. Suddenly, Helial''s hand rushed to block his arm and squeeze it in a firm grip. Then, he lowered it as though it were no effort to him. A number of veins started bulging violently on the Goblin''s forehead. That human''s Strength got him terrified. Without further ado, Helial put his other palm on the Goblin''s chest and pushed him gently. Behind his calm gesture though lay a devastating power. The Goblin was forced to back off a dozen steps back before regaining balance. Helial kneeled and smiled at Frankenstein: "Forgive me. It''s my fault if they did this to you. If you can stand up, it''s time you and me have a talk." Frankenstein looked at him in astonishment, and then his gaze turned to look at the disciples of the Royal Academic right behind him, who were staring at the human with bloodshot eyes. Before he could even warm him though, they heard someone shouting. "WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?! IT''S TWO FUCKING HOURS I''M LOOKING FOR YOU TO GET DINNER! WHO THE FUCK TOLD THE COOK IT TAKES AT LEAST TWO TO HAVE DINNER IN THIS SHITTY GOBLIN RAT-HOLE?!" Everyone exchanged a stunned look. Helial''s eyes started stinging with tears. Why on earth had that curse of a cat to follow him everywhere? "AND SO?! ¡­ WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT? KEEP QUIET IN THE LIBRARY? GET THE FUCK OFF OF MY WAY, THIS SUPREME CAT IS STARVING, GO ASK YOUR FUCKING KING WHY THEY WON''T FEED ME IN THIS SHITTY LIBRARY. MY TUMMY IS A STAR GUEST HERE. IT''S COME TO SHOW YOU WHAT GOOD MANNERS REALLY ARE, YOU FUCKING GREEN STINKY PEOPLE." Helial truly took into account the hypothesis of banging his head to the ground and drop dead. At least he would have saved himself that four-legged cataclysm. Snowflake approached them boldly, followed by several servants who were dashing behind him to keep him quiet. Their eyes were stinging as well. "WHAT QUIET AND QUIET?!" boomed out the cat as he shot a withering look to a student that was staring at him, annoyed. "HERE YOU ARE, YOU HUGE SACK OF CRAP. I KNEW I WOULD FIND YOU SHUT IN THE LIBRARY WITH THESE GREENISH FAGGOTS." Now Helial took into account the hypothesis of darting away instead. If only he had been quicker than Snowflake, he would have probably done so already. Then, he reflected that leaving Frankenstein there wouldn''t turn out to be a wise choice. "Just wait for our friend to stand up, Snowflake. We''ll go and have lunch right away," Helial said in frustration. Snowflake nodded and wore a smug expression, but a moment later¡­ Pffff! "Snowflake? Hahahahah, what a shitty name is that? Helial froze. He glanced at the Goblin who had just spoken, his eyes full of terror. He knew there was nothing left to do to avoid disaster. Indeed, it took less than a sigh for Snowflake to turn into a silver thunderbolt. He was too quick, even for Helial. During the past few days, Snowflake had been training hard and had come home only to eat. His Skills appeared to have levelled up, since now Helial could hardly keep up with his speed. Boom! Crack The Goblin who had mocked Snowflake suddenly found himself with his head pressed against the floor, just close to Frankenstein''s, who still lay on the ground unable to move. The impact was violent. Several stones cracked open. The Goblin fell unconscious, half-dead. Helial looked at Snowflake and said: "You can''t kill them. You know the rules." Snowflake licked his paw, staring at the unconscious Goblin whose face was covered with blood. "Easy, slut. I''ll take care of the other two and then we''ll go eat. No one mocks this Supreme Cat''s name." Frankenstein was utterly shocked. Astonishment was dribbling out of his face. How could that cat knock down so easily an Outer Court disciple in the First Phase Late stage? Who were they, the human and the cat? Helial shook his head sadly and turned to look at Frankenstein: "Stand up." He pulled some Elixirs out of his Interspace Ring, Call of the Mermaid, and handed them to the Goblin as he said: "Take these. It should be enough. Then follow us." "Hurry up," Helial added angrily as he addressed Snowflake. Snowflake delivered a new attack before he could even finish talking. Fwooosh! His claws slashed with a frightening whistle. Helial furrowed his eyebrows. Snowflake had really grown stronger. It was highly likely that he didn''t even need the Devil''s help, for the moment. "How strong is he?" Helial asked secretly. The Devil was staring at two perfectly identical glasses, trying to decide which one was the most suitable for his half-lain table. "Given his race, he couldn''t have a better Breathing Technique in the whole universe. He doesn''t need my help on that. This Heavenly Star Tiger is way stronger than you imagine." Helial nodded slowly, wondering about Snowflake''s real origins. "Then he would be considered as one of the strongest even among Heavenly Star Tigers, right?" "Strongest? There''s probably a couple of Heavenly Star Tigers with such a Breathing Technique in the whole universe. I don''t know who this cat is, but I would compare his level to the heir of a great Clan or the descendant of a powerful Sect. But you can''t really grasp this comparison¡­ or can you? At any rate, don''t look down on that mouthy one. I actually think that¡­ Never mind. He will be the one to tell you, in due time." A strange light flashed in Helial''s eyes. The Devil had just deliberately withheld something. All in all, that Devil''s Divine Sense was so powerful it could have plumbed the depths of an Immortal''s Soul without even his knowing it. However, he had respectfully concealed something. Despite being shameless, the Devil seemed to abide by a honor code of his own. The better Helial got to know his personality, the more stupefied he was. Meanwhile, Snowflake had torn to pieces the two Goblins'' clothes. They were covered from head to toe with red scratches from which blood leaked in rivulets. It was quite a miserable show. 64 sPull the herbs outs Chapter 63 - "Pull the herbs out" Helial looked up from the pages of his book. He was studying a manual about the creatures lurking around Orma. On the far end of the table, opposite him, sat a disheveled yet terribly smart Goblin. His eyes betrayed an endless thirst for knowledge. He was reading three books at a time, leafing through them quicker than Helial, Snowflake and Lumia altogether. The human let a smile escape his lips and glanced at Snowflake, who was sitting at the same table and was intent on reading a strange volume with an ancient binding. Lumia was browsing a book on Support Skills. A few weeks had gone by since Frankenstein joined their group. Helial had asked Caesar to have Frankenstein as a fellow, given that he would need allies one day. After seeing the progress Helial had made with his training, Caesar had agreed. The King was very satisfied with Helial, even though he could not get why he hadn''t reached the First Phase yet. The boy had actually explained to him that he would squeeze out any MP before advancing, but the king had still no clue on his reasons to do so. Caesar had indeed no way of comprehending him, since Helial''s trusted adviser for any strategy to improve his physical abilities was the Devil residing in his soul. The Devil had basically ordered him to squeeze out every single droplet of Mana before reaching the First Phase and, generally speaking, before reaching any higher phase. The concept behind this was simple; every Phase had a maximum amount of Mana one could get, which varied with each person and their Breathing Technique. If Helial waited long enough every time he was about to reach the next phase, then his foundations would be much more grounded. Thanks to the progress achieved through meditation and training, Helial felt that the highest peak he could reach before entering a new Phase got closer with every passing day. Caesar, meanwhile, had the Herb of the Nine Deaths and the Root of the Sacred Phoenix delivered to him¡­ Nighttime, on the training ground The Devil was using a formation, so that him and his pupil hid away from prying eyes. "Pull the herbs out," said the black-banged kid in front of him. Helial took the Herb of the Nine Deaths and the Root of the Sacred Phoenix out of the Interspace Ring. There were 100 pounds each. The Root of the Sacred Phoenix and the Herb of the Nine Deaths contained the energy of Life and Destruction respectively. No other herb had the same principles as those, at such a low level. Even though they were relatively weak herbs, however, only practitioners in the Third Phase used them. If someone in a lower Phase had taken them both harshly, it would have caused irreversible damage to their Meridians. Helial looked at the two piles of Herb of the Nine Deaths and Root of the Sacred Phoenix, one on his right and one on his left, and wondered what he should do now, exactly. The Devil waved a hand. The two piles of herbs began to levitate. Suddenly, a black flame that seemed to be glowing from the depths of hell appeared before him. With a snap of fingers, the flame started burning the herbs slowly. It did not look like it was carbonizing them though. It was more like the flame was cleansing all their impurities from within, to let him extract their very essence. "What follows, Shithead, will hurt. You need to dive into these herbs'' essences simultaneously. The Herb of the Nine Deaths contains the principles of Destruction, while the Root of the Sacred Phoenix contains the principle of Life. Now, start meditating. I will immerse you in their essence. You''ll need to refine it inside your body, which will automatically increase its Affinity with Life and Destruction." The Devil went on: "Life will be your primary Affinity, but you have to develop an Affinity with Destruction as well. You Meridians need to get used to this. Taken separately, these herbs have already quite a violent effect. As we are merging two contrasting forces though, the destructive effect will be ten times as much. Not gonna be an easy task." Helial nodded as he sat cross-legged with his hands on the knees, palms upwards. Skill Activated: Death of the Desolate Universe Helial activated his Breathing Technique and exerted a great pressure on his Soul to squeeze every principle of Life out of it. While he started using the two contrasting forces at once, two Mana spheres appeared over his hands. One was milky, one dirty grey. Little beads of cold sweat formed on Helial''s forehead. That simple action was exhausting. To meditate on Life and Destruction at the same time and try to keep them balanced was extremely tough. The Devil asked: "Ready?" Helial looked in his deep, inscrutable black eyes. He gently nodded, then closed his eyes and activated his Breathing Technique to its fullest intensity. He focused his mind as never before. The Mana spheres began to gain greater depth. Meanwhile, the essence of the Herb of the Nine Deaths blended in with that of the Root of the Sacred Phoenix. They poured slowly into the body of Helial, who had purposely taken off his clothes. The viscous liquid began to envelop Helial''s well-built yet slim body, penetrating through every pore of his skin. It soon reached his Meridians. Helial felt a terrifying energy seething inside his body. He could feel the two immiscible principles assault his Meridians and open up small cuts all along them. The pain was unbearable. He felt like he was about to get dismember from within. He ground his teeth and his focus started reaching the peak. "Lead the principles of Life and Destruction inside your Meridians through your Breathing Technique. But use Life only. Try to perceive its warmth and to strike a balance." Helial put the instructions into practice while staying still. It was far more difficult than he had imagined. The energies of the Herb of the Nine Deaths and the Root of the Sacred Phoenix clasted relentlessly inside his body, tearing to pieces everything they found on their way. If it hadn''t been for the Meridians of a Demon and Body of the Qilin, Helial would have probably ended up severely injured. However, his unique build made every wound would heal gradually. Helial grunted and began to lead the two energies inside his Meridians while using Death of the Desolate Universe to absorb the principles of Destruction contained in the Herb of the Nine Deaths. At the same time, the other half of his mind was letting the energy of Life contained in the Root of the Sacred Phoenix permeate his body freely. Since Helial had a tendency towards Life, that energy flowed far more naturally than that of Destruction, which he should guide more precisely through the Breathing Technique. He was now sensing both energies, but he clearly knew that it wasn''t enough. He fell into an incredibly deep meditative state, while bringing back to mind the two things that were most imbued with Life and Destruction. In that very moment, it was like Hades and Lumia were standing beside him. One was the person he hated the most in the world and intended to attempt on his life; the person who had left him without freedom of choice, without the chance of living happily. The second, on the other hand, was his greatest chance to aim for goodness. Before having Lumia, Helial had had no idea on what goodness meant. However, whenever he looked into her light emerald eyes, their pureness made for an answer. In Hades'' eyes, instead, Helial could only see the darkest side of himself, the side he need to slaughter and rip to pieces in order to protect the pure one. As he meditated on these two principles, the essences that were filling his body stroke a delicate, mystical balance. Meanwhile, the Devil furrowed his eyebrows and murmured to himself: "This boy¡­ When did the absorption of even one of these principles become this easy? Deinus¡­ not even he could accomplish such feat. No one of my disciples ever did. Not even the girl, not even her." The Devil felt a boundless fury mount his body, which aimed at ripping the universe to pieces. His eyes became two black wells. Anyone who would see him now could not help but think of¡­ Death. Death and destruction reigned in his eyes. The ultimate will to annihilate the world. "So many scores to settle," he sighed, "there''s a lot of people waiting out there, kid. You got yourself into something way bigger than you are. Still, with that talent you''ll definitely push your way up to the highest ranks. We''ll see, Shithead, we''ll see." While he was deep in thought and guided the herbs essences towards Helial without the slightest effort, he took notice of something. He uttered no sound and vanished into thin air, disappearing from the shadow formation that was surrounding them. On top of a tower, some thousands of yards from there, someone had his gaze set on the training grounds. His vision though was slightly blurred due to a shroud of darkness that covered the area where the guy he was interested in was training. The black shadow heaved a sigh and gave in. He turned around, ready to leave. A second before he left that spot, however, a voice resounded out behind his back. "Good evening." It was a cold and malicious voice. The black shadow turned abruptly as two pitch-black swords flashed in his hands. He promptly went into a defense stance. "Why so jumpy? If I wanted you dead, I would have killed you with a single thought," laughed the person, or better the kid, that stood before him. A showy black bangs framed his deadly face. The shadow frowned and clutched the swords firmer. Standing in front of him wasn''t his enemy, but a reminiscence. However, only a terribly high Phase would let him take the shape of a kid. "Who are you?" asked the coarse and strident voice to the kid. "Hohoho, you''re not qualified enough to know that. Now, I''m interested in what''s inside your body¡­" the kid said as he took a step forward. The shadow ground his teeth and said: "What''s that?" "You play dumb now? I have no time to lose, idiot!" the kid shook his head and snapped his fingers. Doooong! In the blink of an eye, the black shadow wound up rooted to the ground, unable to lift a finger. His black armor had clanged down heavily. It was Pseudonym. He was watching the human to determine his actual strength. Being Caesar''s pupil, he was doubtless a whiz, but he wondered where his talent actually lay, so he had made up his mind about following him. He didn''t expect that a little monster come out of nowhere would knock him out without him having a chance to react. He decided to summon his Black Flames, but noticed that no droplet of Mana would leak from his Meridians, seemingly sealed. "Incredible talent, really. My congrats. What''s not so impressive though are your intelligence and your manners. I''m afraid you have no clue on the strength gap between you and me. Don''t wiggle, I just sealed your Meridians to prevent you from doing anything stupid. I''m not here to hurt you. What arouses my curiosity is your Legacy, actually¡­" The kid approached and gazed at Pseudonym''s half-hidden eyes with such a deep gaze he could have easily caught a glimpse of the farthest ends of his soul. "Looks like you have a complete legacy in there. That girl is indeed a strange one. I wonder how she''s doing¡­" whispered the kid a few inches from Pseudonym, who remained still and kept quiet without grasping any meaning behind these words. "It''s a very important legacy. Make sure you won''t smear the name of the Creature who gave it to you. Still, I don''t sense any particular Skill inside your body. Maybe the Legacy was restricted to the build. She''s still the same, everything has to be tricky¡­ Tsk, like she developed her Skills herself!" The kid shook his head and stretched out a palm towards Pseudonym. A pitch-black sphere grew from his hand. It shone like a second moon. The sphere left his palm and entered Pseudonym''s body, without any effect on the world outside "Enjoy it," the Devil smiled as he disappeared. When he managed to stand up, Pseudonym was astounded. Inside his body was now something that he would have never imagined to get that easily... 65 The minimum requirement for freedom The Devil was gazing at Helial from close up. With a distressed frown, he watched him suffer while the Herb of the Nine Deaths and the Root of the Sacred Phoenix flowed their way through his Meridians. "You''ve already absorbed the 50% of the principles contained in that essence. The worst is over." The Devil started paying less attention to Helial, who was now off the hook. Once the principles started refining his Meridians, everything would flow smoother. The Devil observed his hands. The hands of a kid. He shook his head slightly and felt a huge fury mounting his body. He thought back to every score still left to settle; they were so many that every common mortal would have already given up hope. He inhaled gently. Then he stretched out a hand, making the laws of time and space shiver around him, and tore apart every single particle of Mana in his presence. He looked up at the sky and his eyes pierced the dark barrier of his Formation. A sinister light gleamed in his gaze, as though he wished to destroy everything. The moonbeams fell on him despite the darkness, as fierceness flashed in his eyes. His new disciple, Helial, was in desperate search of power to gain freedom. With his will, Helial had managed to awaken the Devil''s past, quiescent beneath memory. To become stronger to be free? The kid clenched his fist so tight that his spiritual body got wounded. Space all around him collapsed and rippled until the texture of space and time cracked open in several spots. If he hadn''t stopped, the whole planet would have risked shattering. However, after a moment he heaved a sigh and withdrew the force of Destruction he was exerting, intertwining space and time back together. The kid curled his lips and grimaced with disdain as he shook his head again. You, Shithead, will find out that the minimum requirement for freedom isn''t power¡­ While the Devil got lost in his train of thought, a deafening roar suddenly boomed. The cracks in space and time had been tied back together, so the source must have been a different one. Boom! Boom! Boom! Abruptly, the kid turned towards Helial and noticed that the essence had started rushing at breathtaking speed through his Meridians. He slightly frowned, then surveyed his pupil''s body with his Divine Sense. With a raised eyebrow, he whispered: "No need for me to step in. He fell into a deeper meditative state than I thought." After he finished speaking, the Devil''s spiritual body dissolved and sneaked back in Helial''s Soul. *** Helial had fallen into a semi-conscious state. Stuck between dream and reality. Hades, his brother, was on his right side. On the left side was Lumia. The inner turmoil caused by those two people was sublimating his Mana into Life and Destruction. Helial knew he had made some progress, though he was still far from being satisfied. As his mind focused more intensely, he saw Lumia and Hades move. The latter was chasing her. Helial felt a jolt of electricity run through his body. He gazed at his brother, his eyes brimming with hatred. Meanwhile, he could not help but feel the natural instinct to protect Lumia. The two Mana spheres containing the principles of Life and Destruction were constantly gaining depth, as the essences of the Herb of the Nine Deaths and the Root of the Sacred Phoenix kept being refined and reflowed throughout his Meridians. Death of the Desolate Universe was helping him deal with that enormous amount of Mana. By that time, someone else would have probably lost every Meridian and ended up an unfortunate cripple. However, Helial possessed a Demon''s Meridians and Body of the Qilin. To compare him to a common person would have been an understatement. Helial had already refined half of the herbs, when he felt something blasting inside his Soul. Instantly, he thought back to two figures, which overlapped those of his brother and sister. He remembered the black Destruction sphere that the Devil had showed him, and the woman enveloped in golden rays he had seen just after, as shining as the brightest sun. The principles of Life and Destruction in those two figures overlapped those of Hades and Lumia. The result was breathtaking. Suddenly, the essences of the Herb of the Nine Deaths and the Root of the Sacred Phoenix rushed with great speed through his Meridians, flooding them with Mana as he had never experienced before. Helial felt that his Meridians were about to rip up. They did, but they regenerated instantly, with a renewed resilience thanks to the principles of Life and Destruction contained in the herbs'' essence. No more than two hours had gone by when Helial finished absorbing the last drops of the herbs'' essence. He pulled on his clothes and let his voice echo out inside his Soul. "Looks like it worked." "It did," the Devil said laconically. He was sitting at one end of the table and stared at the opposite end with a faraway look in his eyes and a lump in his throat. Helial didn''t pay much attention to the Devil''s tone and stretched his hands outwards, evoking all the Mana gathered inside his body and making it flow through his Meridians. The principles of Life and Destruction that flowed inside his Mana were now markedly thicker. He had acquired a deeper knowledge on those mysterious energies. Most likely he had achieved the best results when the figures of the Devil and the mysterious woman had overlapped those of Hades and Lumia. Despite the overlapping, though, the figures had not melted. There still was a difference. Helial sat back down and tried to meditate calmly. He recalled that feeling and let it flow inside of him. He separated Lumia and Hades'' images from the energies showed him by the Devil. "They won''t blend in¡­" After several hours of meditation, when the sun was about to shine its first ray, Helial stood up and pulled out a few books and scrolls. "I studied the basic Runes, but I can''t decipher this scroll. I need to know its content to acquire the Class of Rune Warrior. I grasped almost everything, except for how I should train. Even if I have to be in First Phase to pick a Class, I can already start training. I only need to know how. There''s something I can''t get¡­" The Devil raised an eyebrow and said, sardonically: "Haven''t you read all the books on Runes in the Royal Library?" Helial slowly nodded before answering: "And I still can''t see why this scroll says I have to condense Runes on my body¡­" "So you''re saying you didn''t grasp the main principle? Kyeheheheh. Runes are Mana catalyzers. They amply some Skills'' effect. Since Runes are made of Mana, Runes Warriors condense Runes on their body before fighting. Once condensed, each Rune can be used only once. On a long fighting, this Class would be in disadvantage, but in the short term it''s no doubt one of the most powerful Classes. Plus, an amplified Skill is unpredictable. You have a thousand ways to take your opponent aback." Helial''s gaze grew darker. He didn''t look much convinced by that fighting style. He started pondering. The Devil smiled maliciously and said: "I know what you''re thinking." Helial''s gaze became as withering as the Devil''s as he asked: "Do you think it''s possible?" The Devil smiled back at him with his same evilness and burst into laughter: "Kyeheheheh, let''s find out." Nation of Fiercelake, Capital In the middle of a hall, enveloped in a purplish drape, a young man was sitting on a throne. A dozen of people stood in front of him. A dark shadow stepped forward. It was the Assassin who had delivered Curse of the Demon to Helial. "Boss, did you get why the boy isn''t under the curse?" One of the arms of the thrones exploded, scaring the crap out of the Assassin. Even though he was in the Fifth Phase as well and his talent overtopped all regular standards, the monster before him would have defeated them even if they had attacked him altogether. "Something went wrong. To give him that sword was already risky enough. Not even an Immortal could remove that Curse¡­" "What are we gonna do?" the Assassin asked with his eyebrows knitted. "Nothing, Jack, that''s what we''re gonna do. If we laid a finger on him or his sister, we would cause a diplomatic incident before due time. A time will come when we won''t need even to lift a finger. Orma will be their grave. It will happen so fast that they won''t even know to be dead." *** Orma, Throne Room Caesar''s icy glare was planted on the little girl standing before him. "Why did you condense a Brown Mana Seed?" Lumia looked at the King of Orma in the eyes: "I have an Affinity for Earth. It''s the best choice." Caesar felt a huge headache. That girl wouldn''t listen to him. Despite all his attempts to convince her that she should create the strongest Mana Seed possible, she had deliberately grown it into a Brown Mana Seed. Caesar shook his head helplessly. "So are you sure you don''t want to learn any Offensive Skills?" Lumia shook her head vigorously: "I aim to protect people instead of killing them." Caesar gave her a puzzled look. Suddenly, he dematerialized to reappear an inch away from Lumia''s face. "Do you know you own a terribly violent Mana, little girl? You clearly show an inclination towards the forces of Destruction. Still, you insist on learning Skills that tend towards Life, at least those in the branch of Earth. Are you aware you are choosing Support Skills over a future as a valiant warrior?" The news didn''t seem to upset Lumia in the slightest. She slowly nodded. "I am. But I aim to stand by my brother forever. How could I touch him if I was busy wielding weapons? I want to be his support, not a burden." Caesar pondered over her words solemnly. After a long silence, he gave a sigh and said: "Show me what you can do." Skill Activated: Titan''s Shield Lv: 2 Grade: White Knowledge Grade: Earth is Life Effects: Forms a shield as resistant as the user''s Mana. Current Effects: 1000 Defense/200 MP Efficiency: 100% Sometimes, sheltering is better than assault. Lumia began to make Mana flow throughout her Meridians and evoked a huge translucent Mana shield of the same color as topsoil. Caesar nodded in satisfaction. "Let''s see." Tap Caesar tapped his finger on the shield. It didn''t move. The King wore a pleased expression. "Strong enough to resist the attack of a First Phase Late stage practitioner." Tap "Second Phase Early stage. Still strong enough," said Caesar after tapping his finger once again. Tap "Second Phase Intermediate stage." Tap "Second Phase Late stage." Crack Crack Crack A web of cracks spread over the shield and Caesar furrowed his eyebrows. "How much Mana did you use?" "30% of my overall Mana," said Lumia, slightly disappointed by her shield. Caesar pondered over her words attentively. Lumia wasn''t even in the First Phase, and yet she had evoked a powerful shield whose principles of Earth seemed to go quite deeper than usual. What Caesar didn''t know was that Lumia had followed her brother''s instructions, told him by the Devil. Therefore, despite Lumia''s Skill wasn''t that powerful, her Knowledge Grade and its inner principles were already at a very high level. 66 Hold back the instincts Helial walked across the hallways of the Royal Library with stealthy and regular steps. He was looking for Frankenstein. The Devil had handed him a great Breathing Technique for the young Goblin. A friend of mine created his Breathing Technique and gave it to me. He asked me to teach it to the disciples of Destructions so that it wouldn''t fade. Curious, actually. Among the ranks of Destruction, no one gives a fuck about who owns certain Techniques. But among the ranks of Life¡­ Inside Helial''s Soul, the Devil kept quiet, then shook his head and went back to laying the table. Did he change the centerpiece or what? Never mind, Shithead. One day you''ll have a lot to settle, but just focus on becoming the strongest for now. His disconnected train of thought took Helial slightly aback. Though he knew perfectly well that the Breathing Technique the kid had given him for Frankenstein was no ordinary technique. It had been created by an Immortal called Paralexus, one of the greatest Elementalists ever existed according to the Devil. Helial furrowed his eyebrows. If the Devil praised that Elementalist so much, how strong could he possibly be? After all, that black-fanged boy had extinguished the shard of Kirin''s Soul in... "AHHHHHHH! MHHN!" Suddenly, a cry resounded out from a library hall. Helial immediately changed direction to check what was going on. "How dare you scream, you whore? The only reason why you''re still alive is thatyour body looks too peachy and we wanted to have some fun with you, which you refused! Are you courting death?!" When he heard these words, Helial lost his temper. He had still no idea on what was happening, but what he heard was enough for him to get worried. Helial had seen too many disciples of the Royal Academy abuse the plebeians. He was beginning to understand the social framework in which Orma was set. Helial''s Aura started trembling. A wild energy rippled the air with every step he took on the white marble floor. "Shut up, whore!" Crack The floor cracked under Helial''s foot. He turned the corner and a grotesque scene appeared before his eyes. Two Goblins were holding still a young Goblin girl who was thrashing about in a vain attempt to wiggle out of their grip. The great knowledge hidden in the shelves of that library drew the attention of many, even though very few had the right to access it. That wasn''t the first time that a plebeian was found reading and got heavily beaten because of the boundary he or she had overcome. This time though the Goblins would appeared to have overcome any limit too. Since whom they found was a nice-looking girl, weak and defenseless, the disciples had thought it best to go for a different punishment. The Goblin who was ravenously ripping her clothes off blurted out: "You set foot where you shouldn''t and would deserve to die instead! This is our mercy! Be grateful to your do-gooders!" When he finished speaking, the Goblin seemed to be howling instead of speaking. In the Goblin capital, the strong preyed the weak. No law forbade those with an high status like the scholars of the Royal Academy to abuse whoever happened to be weaker than them. There was no distinction between good and evil. Only between strength and weakness. Witnessing that scene, Helial could not help thinking back to Hades, who had slaughtered dozens of people without the slightest hesitation in the belief that they were too weak to deserve to live. Helial had been watching with a bundle held in his arms. A bundle that Hades would have likely killed like any other person. In his world, there was no room for dead weights. Helial''s carotid started bulging on his neck. It seemed to be about to explode. He could still feel the warmth of that bundle in his childish little arms. He was only five when he had to abandon everything he knew because of someone alarmingly similar to those Goblins. Someone who could not tell the difference between tyranny and humanity, but only that between strength and weakness. This blind rage built over the years had the same taste as the metallic drops from his bleeding tongue, tortured by his teeth. Hatred didn''t show often at Helial''s door, though he could not feel otherwise before such repulsing people as those. People who denied others'' free will and could not care less about respecting other people''s freedom until someone deprived them of their own. What is freedom anyway? Does your being free mean that you''re allowed to step over someone else''s weakness? Helial gritted his teeth and shook his head slowly. A dark ray gleamed in his right hand and a Longsword flashed into existence. His breathing left space to a death rattle. Or does freedom require us to hold back our instincts instead? Is he free that blindly obeys his impulses and lets his beastly side take over? Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin Helial had seen many people convinced that they were free in their weakness. But they were only following beaten tracks because they could not do otherwise. Because they could not face their fears. Those who followed this path, like Hades, were just scared. Those who acted like the Goblins before him lacked the ability to handle their power. You''re not free if you let your strength rule over you. You''re free if you''re strong enough to rule over yourself. Helial remembered his sister''s warm breath as she hugged him in a house whose walls couldn''t shield them from the winter cold. He could still hear her hunger pains when he wouldn''t find enough food to make it to the next day. He could still see Lumia''s tears as he spent yet another night outside to train in order to bring the both of them out of that slime. His bloodshot eyes swept over the Goblins, who had just noticed him. The third one was still intent on fondling the body of the young Goblin girl. He looked up only when he saw that his fellows'' gaze was directed elsewhere behind his back. There stood a human, whose eyes were flaming with fierceness. The girl let out a groan for help. "Can''t you see we''re busy, brat? Why don''t you get out of here?" the Goblin snarled and began to turn again. "Flee now and I''ll spare you all," Helial''s voice fell on them like a death sentence as it echoed out through the white walls of the library. The Goblin immediately frowned and mocked: "The fuck you want? Who d''you think you are, huh? Get the hell out of here, filthy human." Helial ignored him and his gaze turned to looked at the girl, now half-naked. Her eyes were emerald green. Same eyes as Lumia, Helial thought. And he felt a wring at the heart. That could have been Lumia. "Is the girl you''re struggling for?" another one grinned. "We''re Inner Court disciples! Do you know what would happen if you killed us all, supposing that you could? Hahah! But who would do anything if we touched this pussycat?" Helial''s icy glare warned the three Goblins one last time. Then, the boy went into a fighting stance and prepared to slash down. "Don''t!" a voice resounded from behind Helial''s back. It was Snowflake''s. The cat was standing fifty yards away from Helial. He had felt a familiar Aura blasting in the library. As soon as he recognized him, he had hurried to follow the killing intent that was spreading through the library. He had a feeling that something awful was about to happen. When he saw that scene, everything had gotten clear. He let out a cry to warn Helial to stop. Even though Helial was Caesar''s pupil, to kill a scholar of the Royal Academy was a grave offense, usually mortal. If Helial had killed one of those Goblins, he would have signed his own death sentence as well. Besides, those Goblins were Inner Court disciples in the First Phase Late stage. They were far stronger than those of the Outer Court in their same phase. The Skills and Techniques they acquired were indeed more powerful. A fight against them would prove tougher than Helial imagined. "Look at them! Hahah! Who do you think you are?!" the Goblin shouted. He grabbed the girl''s uncovered breast and mocked, "if you behave, your silvery-haired little friend won''t follow!" The temperature dropped below zero. "Say goodbye to this freedom you pay such respect to, slobs." Snowflakes'' pupils shrank as silver lightning bolts appeared under his feet. He rushed forward at breakneck speed, trying to stop Helial. But it was too late. The Goblin''s mouth wasn''t done laughing yet when Curse of the Demon hissed through the air and split him in two from chest to groin. Flame of the Qilin reduced the Goblin to ashes. In a split second, nothing was left to testify he had even existed in this world. Villius lost 12340 HP! Helial ignored the pop ups. He compressed the Mana in this Meridians so violently they risked ripping apart. Skill Activated: Mana Pistol Forced Activation: Mana Pistol Cost increases by 500% Mana Pistol Damage increases by 300% No Cast Time required Helial spat out a mouthful of blood. He let go of Curse of the Demon and raised both indexes toward the heads of the two Goblins left. In a split second, they exploded in a bloody mist. You delivered a Critical Hit! You delivered a Critical Hit! Duilius lost 12340 HP! Minitius lost 12340 HP! "NO!" Snowflake cried in despair. He watched the three Goblins die as easily as a flower that is plucked from a field. Their lives got snatched away in a mere second. Helial destroyed their bodies with Flame of the Qilin. He was on the edge of a mental breakdown. Snowflake arrived a second too late to fix anything. Helial, deaf to Snowflake''s cries, kneeled to help the girl stand up. She had fallen to the ground with a thud after the two Goblins had gotten burnt to ashes. Helial wore a warm smile. He took a dress out of Call of the Mermaid and gently put it over the girl. All around him, the servants had begun to mutter lively. They had arrived just in time to witness the death of the three Goblins. Someone had promptly called their superiors. Some guards had already hurried there to arrest the human responsible for that outrageous tragedy. The scene looked unreal. Helial paid no attention to them and kept smiling at the little girl: "What''s your name?" "Lu-Lulu," she said through a rush of tears. She looked at Helial with veiled eyes. That human had just sacrificed more than he could tell in order to rescue her. She felt an unbearable pang of guilt as she saw two guards approach the human who stood before her. The guards grabbed Helial by the arms, speaking gravely, and urged him to step away. Helial didn''t resist them. On the contrary, he kept smiling and said: "Don''t worry, Lulu. Everything''s gonna be alright." 67 The Orman Law Three Goblins in scarlet tunics were advancing in a triangle, one slightly forward and the others behind on his sides. The one ahead wore a frown on his face. The other two were glaring at each another. "Binius! Don''t let your crazy hatred for humans take you over!" one of the two Goblins exclaimed. His name was Philopappus. Those three were the Great Seniors of the academy. In the Royal Academy, their authority did not lose out to anyone. Even the King had to give those three some face and could not go against their decisions concerning the Academy. "Philopappus, you damned old fart! Why did your Clan of the Heavenly Eagle have to protect humans?!" barked Binius furiously. Philopappus glared back at him equally aggressively: "Your Sect of the Worthy can''t help worsen every relation we have with humans! You sent an army to die without asking for the King''s permission! Our brothers'' blood was shed because of you!" "The blood they shed made them martyrs of your missions!" As the two of them went on quarreling like kids, forgetting their authority and status, the Senior ahead knitted his forehead in disapproval, but uttered no sound. Ommmm! Suddenly, a frightening Aura dropped down like an unsheathed sword, preventing them from breathing. "Quiet, both!" the Senior solemnly blurted out. "If one of our students saw you, what would he or she think? Two Major Seniors bickering like bloody teens! Shame!" Flapping his huge sleeve angrily, he removed the pressure he had suffocated the other Seniors with, withdrew his Aura and got lost deep in thought. "I apologize, Crispius," Philopappus tried to justify himself, his hands stretched towards the third Senior who walked ahead of them, "but I can''t let the Sect of the Worthy pervert the course of justice with their usual pressures!" Binius was about to reply when Crispius turned towards them slowly. His eyes were flaming. Binius grew gloomier, but he dared not make a sound. "Pervert the course of justice? That kid killed off three Goblins. What could the verdict possibly be?" said Crispius with a hint of anger and bitterness in his voice. Crispius had devoted his entire life to the Goblin population. He had been educating the younger generations all his life. He was in the Tenth Phase Late stage and despite the fact that he wielded more power than the other two Seniors, who were in the Ninth Phase, he could only watch the domestic conflicts torturing Orma from the sidelines. The Clan of the Heavenly Eagle and the Sect of the Worthy were diverging with each passing day, irretrievably. Nothing could bring them back to join forces. Not even the fear that the delicate balance that was shifting from time out of mind now could finally break and lead them towards a civil war. The catastrophe would befall them, eventually. When Crispius had first heard about Helial, his hopes had livened up. Hopefully, the great Hero arrived in Orma could help them maintain the order once and for all. Germanicus, Caesar''s son, wasn''t strong enough to turn the tables for Orma, despite being in the Tenth Phase. Comodus, Aure''s son, was a cruel individual. Crispius wished that his talent stopped increasing; no good could come from a person like him ruling over Orma. Caesar and Aure, leaders of the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle and the Sect of the Worthy respectively, were the only two Immortals in Orma. Their worldviews, however, couldn''t differ any greater. Caesar wished that the Goblins would implement peace agreements with other nations, whereas Aure claimed that the Goblin race was naturally superior to the others and had a natural right to put them under their rule. Moreover, regarding the two best geniuses of the younger generations, Circe wasn''t talented enough to upset the balance and Pseudonym had never taken a stand. He was still an unknown variable. Crispius heaved a sigh. Helial had managed to hurt Caesar before even reaching the First Phase. That kid¡­ he could be considered a little whiz. He could have made a feeble ray of hope for Orma. However, his hopes did not last long. Apparently, Caesar''s pupil had decided to break the law that governed the Goblin population. By killing indiscriminately three Goblin with the most trifling excuse, Helial had proved to have the heart of a monster. Crispius, who had been protecting the Goblin population all his life, thought back to how coldly that human had killed three Goblins and shook his head furiously. According to the servants, Helial had acted without the slightest hesitation. What kind of a monster must one be to kill someone so easily with no valid reason? Crispius ran a hand over his wrinkled face where old age had left its marks. He had been stuck in the Tenth Phase for long, too long. Despite his remarkable lifespan, his chances of advancing to Immortality vanished with each passing day. That was why he had felt the urge to devote himself to Orma''s stability by focusing on the younger generations. That strength and that power would be essential to restore an order that had long been lost, and to do justice to their past magnificence. Orma couldn''t bear a civil war, and Crispius had no way to stem that risk despite his high Phase. He had clung to the hope that a young hero would stand out from the younger generations. A young hero who could lead Orma towards a sustained period of peace and prosperity. The weight of all of the responsibilities falling on his shoulders was burdening him. Suddenly, Philopappus cupped his hands and said: "I apologize for offending you like his, Crispius. I will step back and defer to your final judgement. I know you''ll ensure the impartiality we need." Philopappus had indeed had an idea. If he deferred all judgment to Crispius, Binius wouldn''t dare argue with the latter. After all, even though they all had the same title, Crispius'' authority had undisputedly no equal in the Royal Academy. Binius couldn''t deny him face. Binius glared at Philopappus, enraged. However, he could only repeat his same words and cup his hands similarly: "I apologize for offending you too. I will defer to you judgement as well, brother Crispius," but promptly added: "in the hope it will be a wise judgement." The emphasis behind his words left no doubt on their hidden meaning. Binius wanted Helial dead. Aure had consulted with him personally. He had suggested causing a severe blow to the King''s authority by sentencing his new disciple to death. Philopappus, on the contrary, had received Caesar''s order to make his best to let the boy live. The final judgment, however, depended on Crispius only. Crispius. He was one of the most fearsome warriors in Orma. Despite his old age, his fame only lost out to that of the two Immortals. Major Senior of any Clan or Sect could barely compare him. And yet, Crispius had devoted himself to his people entirely. He had ignored all advantages he would have benefitted of if he had joined a faction. If he had joined a particular Clan or Sect, indeed, he could have probably accessed more resources and had Immortality closer at hand. But¡­ there''s was a huge "but". If he had joined one of those great Clans, Crispius would have never been free enough to protect his people''s interests. He would have had to answer to the members of the side he had joined. He would have had to protect the interests of a limited amount of people instead of those of the entire population. And that was not what Crispius aimed at. He had no interest in power itself; he wanted Orma to flourish. He couldn''t care less about that warfare between individuals. Crispius swept his tired gaze over the two Goblins and sighed: "I will take care of the boy. Impartially. I won''t stand on either side. Today we''ll have justice. You''d better leave your interests out of that room." A hint of disapproval flashed on the Seniors'' faces, along with some kind of admiration. Crispius was one of the very few warriors who had never asked for anyone''s help on his Dao of Mana. During the wars, rumor had it that Crispius had even killed an Immortal. His name was legendary. Only Aure and the King could possibly overshadow him. And Crispius hadn''t lost many times before them either. Crispius made one of the greatest heroes in Orma. Every strong authority acknowledged him credit and paid him respect. No one would offend that oldie in the Tenth Phase. Not even Caesar and Aure would ever disrespect him. Though, despite everything, Crispius had never supported one side over the others, be it a Guild, a Clan or a Sect. Crispius had pledged faith only to his people. The three kept walking until they reached a dark hallway. Suddenly, Crispius spoke: "The boy killed three Goblins. Unless he had reasonable grounds, he will be executed. So speaks the Orman Law." Hearing these words, Binius was thrilled to bits; Aure wouldn''t scold him and would pay him a renewed respect instead. However, Crispius wasn''t done talking. "But if his choice did have reasonable grounds and he shows promise as a warrior for Orma, I won''t throw his life away so uselessly." 68 Guilty Tap tap tap The Seniors'' footsteps echoed throughout the dim passageway in shiny marble. They walked the last few yards before the Senate entryway in silence. In Orma, the Senate was composed of the most powerful and eminent Goblins in the city. It scrutinized every decision made by the King. Caesar had no full power and every issue was indeed to be debated by the Senate. Equally, the Senate couldn''t issue decrees without the King''s final approval. They were the two mutually greasing wheels of the Goblin political mechanism, which guaranteed the best functioning of the power network. Every friction between them would put the State stability at risk. However, Crispius knew perfectly well that the Sect of the Worthy was increasingly yearning for power and had begun to oppose Caesar''s decisions through every Senate representative. The Senior in the Tenth Phase was deep in thought and, as he pondered over Orma''s status quo, he reached the entryway together with the other two right behind him. They were enveloped by a dazzling light. The white marble walls glimmered with every sunray, making the room an outstanding sight to behold. The warm beams of sunshine were beating on the three Major Seniors'' faces. The faces, visibly marked by time, of the three men who presided over the most important proceedings of the Royal Academy. Crispius, Binius, Philopappus. One was impartial; the other two sided with one of the two greatest powers in Orma each. Actually, Orma had a third great power, namely the Guild of Life and Death. The Guild though was more active militarily than politically. Crispius took a few steps forward under the grave gazes of the Senate members. Everyone knew perfectly well that the final outcome would only depend on Crispius'' judgement. As he approached the ancient bleachers where the Senate members usually sat, Crispius'' gaze turned to look at his right, where a human in chains was standing still. He blocked the Mana of everyone under the Third Phase. The human''s face gave off a seraphic peace. His inscrutable eyes bewildered Crispius. Crispius glanced at Binius and Philopappus, who glanced back at him and nodded. He stood opposite the human. His voice resounded loudly. The Senate, that had been slightly bustling, fell silent. "We are gathered here today to preside over this humans'' trial. He tarnished himself by committing an unrighteous crime, murder, perpetrated against three young Goblins." A few feet behind Helial sat Caesar, who was staring at his disciple from the senators'' seats with worried eyes and furrowed eyebrows. "He''s charged for having killed three Goblins with to reasonable ground. Three Court disciples," Crispius added. A deep contempt flashed on Helial''s face at these words. Three Inner Court disciples? You wouldn''t have made this fuss for three plebs! The Senior''s words betrayed the not-so-implicit value given to the Orman social pyramid.The lives of three Goblins from the Inner Court were noticeably more valuable to the Senate than those of the common people. Once again, Hades'' mindset seemed to echo throughout the Goblins'' worldview. The Goblins treated life just like Hades did, judging people by some sort of price tag. Helial shook his head, but remained silent. While Crispius got into a detailed description of the seriousness of the indictment, by listing out previous cases in an exemplary declamation, Helial heard a voice inside his soul. "Are you aware that they''re gonna kill you?" asked the Devil chuckling to himself. "Very likely," Helial let his voice resound back and shrugged. Tin Tin "And are you aware that I won''t rescue you?" "I am," Helial said. The Devil wouldn''t save him from death to avoid affecting his personal growth. If Helial had had the Devil to rely on at last, then he wouldn''t have unlocked his full potential. Hence, the black-banged kid would never let him escape from the clutches of death. Helial had to stand his ground, alone. "Why did you even do it?" asked the Devil with a puzzled smile on his face. "Why shouldn''t I?" Helial let a loud laughter echo out inside his Soul along with his words, "why on earth? I could have let them free after beating them, but would they learn the lesson? Don''t think so. I don''t care if I stand here, in front of my brother or anywhere else. I don''t want my actions to be limited by my fear for consequences. If there are consequences, I''ll accept them willingly." The Devil nodded slowly and said: "But you have to be strong enough, in order to accept them." The corners of Helial''s mouth curled up in a smile as he said: "I know." Then, while Helial was secretly talking to the Devil, a solemn voice deafened him aggressively: "Human! How do you plead?" Helial''s gaze lingered on the forehead of the man who had addressed him with that reprobative tone. He slightly furrowed his eyebrows before relaxing them a moment later. Crispius. Helial had read about his heroic deeds in the history books of the library. The information spoke clearly; that man was one of the most influential figures in the whole capital. Crispius didn''t stand for any faction. He would have made the perfect ally to be protected by, if Helial hadn''t killed three Goblins in the Royal Academy. Helial''s voice sounded seraphically calm: "I plead guilty." His expression didn''t show that slightest hint of shame as he spoke. The Senate went into an uproar. "Disgraceful!" "Execute that bastard!" While a wide range of insults and slanders rained down on him, Helial began to turn his head left and right extremely slowly, ignoring every offence directed to him. He started examining that place. The walls were frescoed and embellished with low reliefs. The marble the Senate was covered with had some special properties which would let it resist a Third Phase assault without a single scratch. But it was not like there were chances of an assault, anyway; the room was indeed full of the strongest men in Orma, who could have stopped anyone with a slap of their fingers. Even an Immortal would have had a hard time trying to escape. "Quiet!" boomed Crispius. The Senate obeyed immediately. Crispius'' gaze turned to look at Helial as he scanned every syllable: "Are you really pleading guilty for the cold-blooded murder of three Inner Court disciples?" Against all expectations, Helial smiled and said: "I am. I plead guilty of the murder of three Inner Court disciples." Crispius stared at the weird smile on the guy''s face and, before the Senate could hurl at him again, he raised a hand with a sharp and meaningful movement. "And what were your reasons to do that?" "They were raping a girl," Helial said calmly. Crispius furrowed his eyebrows. The report he had received didn''t mention that. "It''s all lies! You''re just the umpteenth cruel human that steps in here! Three of those Goblins were part of the Sect of the Worthy! How dare you smear my Sect''s name?" Binius suddenly shouted. He unleashed a suffocating Aura that dashed towards Helial as though trying to suppress him on the spot and turn him into ground meat. Philopappus closed his eyes and unleashed his Aura in response. It immediately blocked that of Binius. "Binius! The trial must be carried out according to our law. Do you intend to kill the guy before Crispius makes his decision?! We agreed to defer the judgement to him and step back to guarantee impartiality, didn''t we?!" Binius kept silence as his face blushed heavily. Philopappus had caught him on the wrong foot. Meanwhile, Crispius had stared at them in silenced. The whole Senate began to discuss in whispers. "The final judgment will be Crispius''?" a member of the Senate asked. "Apparently," said a member of the Sect of the Worthy between gritted teeth. Crispius heaved a sigh. His shoulders had been burdened with a heavier weight than usual, that day. "If whatyou say is true, then why would the servants and the guards do nothing?" Crispius asked Helial. Helial curled his lips in a disdainful expression. "It''s you, Crispius, that Orma boasts as its altruist hero, isn''t it?" Crispius raised an eyebrow, astonished. Did the human know him? "How dare you talk like that you filth-" Binius assailed Helial, but Crispius'' terrifying Aura almost choked him dead and he resolved to stay quiet. "Shut up," Crispius whispered to prevent the crowd from hearing them. His eyes were flaming. Binius swallowed what he was about to say back into his throat. He bowed slightly, cursing the damned strength of that old hero. Crispius focused back on Helial. "It''s me, indeed. I am one of the Major Seniors of the Royal Academy." "You led the Goblin army towards many victories. You have always fought for your people. And yet you''re speaking naively." Helial stopped talking and waited for a reaction. The entire Senate was listening with eyes open wide to the insolent words of that human, but no one dared interpose. They all waited for Crispius to say something which would stop the guy''s ramblings. Crispius furrowed his eyebrows. Against all the Senate members'' expectations, he only said: "Go on." "You''re wondering why the guards didn''t mention the **** thing, right? We, it''s clear: the life of an Inner Court disciple is more valuable than that of a simple girl. That''s it. What conspiracy did you imagine? Every servant knows that, every guard knows that. And you know that as well." Crispius narrowed his eyes. That human had hit a sore spot. His words were likely to be true. Every servant from the lower classes suffered violence and discrimination on a daily basis. And no perpetrator stood trial thanks to their social status. These abuses had been going on for too long. The weak were weak, and got suppressed by the strong. The strong dictated laws and justice. Justice depended on the will of who stood on top of the social pyramid. Crispius thought of the naivety of that guy and a sympathetic smile spread over his face. "Whoever owns a great talent is a priceless resource for Orma. That''s why some lives are more valuable than others," said Crispius in a sigh. "And that''s also why I am guilty of protecting a girl and executing three deranged Goblins, isn''t it? Because they happened to be stronger than her," Helial blurted out as his lips shaped a bitter smile. His words struck Crispius, who felt a deep wring at the heart. And yet he was right; things stood just like Helial had described them. It was just that hear it aloud was enormously more painful than just accept it as a matter of fact. But Crispius had to hold back. He declared: "In this world, the strong dictate our law. Only who stands above the others can rule over them and decide what is right and what is wrong." Helial nodded with a singular light in his eyes and said: "Alright. Then let me decide what is right and what is wrong." 69 In chains Helial raised up his sorrowful eyes as though his gaze could go beyond the ceiling and glimpse at the sky. Two shiny tears swelled up at the corners of his eyes, like dew on thin blades of grass. Helial took a deep breath, blinked his eyes to force the tears away and set his gaze on Crispius. The latter''s eyebrows were slightly furrowed in the middle, in a strangely sympathetic expression. "This soil and these people¡­" said Helial in a hoarse voice, before clearing his throat and going on, "power grabs us, blinds us, exiles us in this limbo. People only seek power to hurt, not to deliver justice. If power is so important, why won''t you step in in cases like this?" But it was a rhetorical question. He didn''t let the three Seniors a chance to reply. "Because that is the duty of the new generations, yeah. Pathetical. The truth is that the entire lot of you has already accepted this course of events, unconsciously. Even you, Crispius, even you!" Crispius violently knitted his eyebrows and snorted icily. But there was nothing we could reply. Helial was right; he had been overlooking these matters for a long time now. As he shook his head, the most powerful of the three Seniors revealed a bitter smile and said: "I''m sorry, but currently no one in Orma is strong enough to tell what is right and what is wrong. Not even our King, sadly." From behind Helial, Caesar had not yet uttered a word. Crispius'' words though darkened his expression. That was indeed true; there was nothing he could do. Not even him could erase every domestic dissension in Orma. He wasn''t that strong. Suddenly, Binius addressed Helial and blurted out: "You really speak about power?! Look at you! Chained to the ground and unable to move. Where''s your power? Hahahah, you''ll pay your arrogance with your life before the sun is set!" Crispius heaved a sigh. As things stood, Helial had to pay with his life. He had killed three Goblins intent on raping a girl. Even though the mere thought of the **** flared Crispius up, this matter was pure politics and many spirits should have been placated that day, one way or another. Unfortunately, Helial would never become the hero that Orma had been waiting for. Helial curled his lips in a disdainful expression that vanished a second later, while his eyes began to emit a singular sympathy. "Is that what you mean by power?" Binius furrowed his eyebrows. He didn''t get what he said, but a second later he wound up open-mouthed. The cage of chains that pinned Helial down could have blocked the Meridians of anyone under the Fourth Phase. Not even a warrior in the Third Phase could have possibly wiggled out of them. And yet the Senators were witnessing an inconceivable scene. Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin A white flame reflected on Crispius'' eyes. A terrifying abyss of white flames had just engulfed Helial and his chains. Every chain was slowly vaporizing. Helial stepped back into freedom. Helial took a few steps forward until he stood a couple of yards away from the Seniors, whose expression had remained unchanged. Helial''s expression betrayed a sort of worriedness for those three. The gaze of that young guy struck Crispius deeply. Similarly, Binius and Philopappus kept quiet as Helial''s eyes scanned them one by one. They were still shocked by his tyrannical power. Caesar satisfactorily nodded to himself. He was ready to rush forward at any second if his disciple''s life were in danger. After witnessing his strength for the second time now, he had made up his mind about saving Helial at all costs. Even if he hadn''t left the slightest shed of face to that damned Senate. You old fuckers. If you plan on laying a finger on my boy, I swear I''ll dismember every limb of yours, along with those of that son of a bitch who craves my seat. A flash of fierceness glimmered its way out to Caesar''s eyes as he stared at the Senate in malice. He gradually began to unleash his Aura to make everyone clear on his intentions. Crispius awaked from his trance and panted. He unleashed his Aura, which collided with that of Caesar. Despite the fact that he was actually weaker than an Immortal, he wouldn''t bow even before the two Immortals of Orma. He hadn''t earned the title of hero thanks to chitchat. Caesar ground his teeth; the power exuded by the King''s Aura turned Crispius pale. Everyone else, meanwhile, gasped and started shouting. "Look!" said a Senate member. "That Mana!" someone echoed him. Caesar and Crispius withdrew their Auras and set their gaze on Helial. There was no gust of wind, and yet Helial''s clothes flapped fitfully. His eyes glimmered like two shining suns. Little Mana rivulets began to materialize all around him. With the merciful glance that a god would throw to some poor humans, Helial finally spoke: "I, Helial, swear on all the Mana that reigns in the universe that no evil thoughts on the Goblin population has ever blemished my mind. I swear to treat all Goblins in Orma like brothers, as long as they prove to be brothers instead of beasts. I swear to abide by the law and become his hands whenever due. I swear to never smear my hands with cruel acts towards just Goblins, as well as I swear to erase any Goblin that stands in my way with the worst intentions." When Helial ended his Mana Oath, his body was enveloped by a majestic divine light that made him look more like a god than a man. At the same time though, his ruthless resolution suggested that he looked more like a demon than a god. Everyone witnessed the scene open-mouthed. Helial had just delivered a Mana Oath in which he promised that he would protect every Goblin who had acted correctly. How many member of the Senate would have pronounced those words with his same casualness? Mana Oaths could not be broken, otherwise Meridians would be irreparably damaged, forcing him or her to live as a mere human for the rest of their lives! No, no Senator would have sworn anything so irreversible. On the contrary, they were gaping at him in fear. Every Senior, including the King, was now staring at him with eyes hugging fear. Helial''s words left no room for doubt. Helial was no evil; he only aimed at protecting every Goblin who deserved it and erasing those who perpetrated any dishonest and malicious act, be them powerful or not. Many Senators began to pondered deeply over his words. That human had accomplished an incredible feat. Even if he had only done it to save himself, his terrifying talent would be enough to allow him to stay in Orma. He could have made one of the most fearful weapons against all Orma''s enemies! And yet, as many people as those wanted Helial dead instead. Despite his Oath, they feared his strength and were afraid to offend him somehow, causing him to get around his oath and finish them off. Those who were most afraid were the members of the Sect of the Worthy. Caesar, who had been watching from the sidelines up to now, took a step forward and finally spoke: "Well, then. It would appear that we can shut this matter down, can we not? The boy has expressed his clear intention to protect the Goblin population. Does anyone have a problem with that?" The King''s words hadn''t died out yet that Binius objected: "Your Majesty! You can''t favor this damn human only because he''s your pupil! He tarnished himself with the most terrible crime! This strength he showed would be of no use. He burned down some chains, so what? Maybe he used some trick!" Actually, Binius knew perfectly well how much talent was needed to burn down those chains before even reaching the First Phase. However, he would try to put a stick in Caesar and Helial''s wheels down to the last. A puzzled expression appeared on the face of many of the presents. What if Helial had resorted to a ploy and wasn''t actually that strong? Binius'' words made everyone on their ear. Unexpectedly, it was Helial who bothered answering him. Curse of the Demon appeared in a dark beam in his hand. "If you want to taste my strength, I can prove it to you." Then, he turned towards Caesar and said: "I beg your pardon, master." "What for?" Caesar asked, confused. "For the damage," said a smiling Helial. He raised Curse of the Demon over his head as veins bulged violently all over his arms. He gathered all the Mana inside his body and squeezed every bit of energy out of his muscular fibers. He desperately tried to cling to that feeling¡­ The Senior saw his frightening Aura ripple and distort the air all around them. Apparently, Helial had another twist in the store. Caesar didn''t see through his intentions, at first. But then he saw what stance Helial went into. "That move!" Caesar shuddered. It was the same move that aroused a primordial fear in him when Helial wounded his palm. He was about to stop him, afraid that the boy would get hurt, when he noticed that his Aura seemed to be more stable this time. Equally, the strength seemed to be somewhat lacking in power. But before slowing down the pace, Helial''s Aura had already reached the Fourth Phase. Most likely I''ll be bed-ridden for a week if I want to recover, Helial thought to himself with a sigh. But there was no time to hesitate. BOOOM! With a terrifying explosion, his Aura increased again as the Mana gathered inside his body began to seethe, waiting to be unbridled. The world seemed to lose his colors in various points, as though life had been wiped out in some areas of the Senate. Caesar witnessed the scene and knitted his forehead. Last time, the Skill''s effects had been far more terrifying than that. Helial was holding back to avoid excessive damage. After all, he wouldn''t risk his life this time. As soon as he realized it, the King relaxed and resolved to enjoy the show. The expression on the Seniors'' faces betrayed the utmost shock. They stared in astonishment at that boy who rouse divinely before them. The Aura exuded by Curse of the Demon instilled a primordial terror in their very bones. BOOOOOOOOM! Helial slashed down. The energy was unleashed all at once. In the blink of an eye, the slash covered the distance between Helial and the Seniors. A dazzling light blinded all of the spectators. Crispius brought a hand to his face to block the blow. DOOOONG! Helial''s slash extinguished on Crispius'' palm as though it had hit an iron bar. The light grew gradually dim, letting everyone behold the result. Despite the fierceness of that slash, Crispius was still in the Tenth Phase. Besides an inexplicable terror, the blow hadn''t pose the slightest threat to him. Helial lay unconscious on the ground. Caesar had appeared by his side, ready to fend for him with his life. Crispius looked at his hand, then glanced behind his back with the corner of his eye and shook his head. He whispered to himself: "Innocent." The entire Senate fell silent. Crispius repeated, this time louder: "I plead Helial, Caesar''s disciple, innocent." Everyone was too shocked to object. Only Binius, indignant, spoke: "Excuse me?! The boy isn''t strong enough! How can you plead him innocent?" Crispius headed back to the hallway ignoring Binius'' protests. "Crispius! I want an explanation!" Binius boomed out furiously. Crispius, who was about to step outside the room, raised a hand with the thumb turned backwards. After a second, he walked away. Binius stared at him in puzzlement before turning towards the back of the room. Then he gasped and opened his mouth wide enough for a chaffinch to nest in it. Before him, half the Senate had been blown away by Helial''s attack. Only half building was still there, the rest had turned into dust. Those walls that could have resisted the assault of a Third Phase warrior without a scratch had been pulverized by a single slash. He had definitely undervalued that human''s strength and Caesar''s resolution in taking him under his wing. As he stared blankly at some blocks of marble crumble to the ground, a stone come off the ceiling and fell right on the head of Binius who, still seized by shock, barely felt any pain. 70 Honor Two young girl slaves were massaging the shoulders of a young Goblin the dim light of a luxurious room. A third one was knelt between his legs, trying to satisfy his every whim. The Goblin''s face revealed a bored yet vaguely smug expression. He gave a scornful look at that candid-skinned slave. She was human. He had received her among the spoils from a successful expedition. Blue blood ran in her veins, and yet she was on her kneels in an attempt to gain his favor. Otherwise she would have been thrown to his subordinates, who most likely would take turns and **** her to death. He felt a touch of her teeth and lost his temper. "Dirty slut!" he abruptly stood up and slapped her. The woman''s face turned livid. She flopped on the ground and scarcely forced tears back. "Forgive me, young master! Forgive me! It was a mistake! Forgive me, I''m begging!" The woman tried every prayer. However, the Goblin''s eyes, full of hatred and disdain, looked like there was no reason for her to hope. The Goblin seemed to be about to forgive her, when a voice suddenly resounded outside the room. "Young master!" one of his men rushed in the room. He was wearing a golden armor with the insignia of the Sect of the Worthy. "What''s up, Artemus?" the Goblin furrowed his eyebrows as he saw his subordinate burst into the room in that rush. "Young master Comodus, you asked me to report every news about the trial," he panted. He stopped, took a deep breath and then: "Caesar''s new human was acquitted. They say he''s really powerful! He razed half Senate to the ground with a slash of his sword!" Comodus. Son of the second Immortal in Orma, Aure, and first in line for the Sect of the Worthy. Comodus'' face turned gloomy. Fierceness flashed in his eyes. "Filthy humans. Send for the others. We must discuss this inferior being that''s come here to pollute our air. Humans. We should put them all in chains and let our soldiers **** their women," Comodus growled. It was a while now that the Sect of the Worthy had been promoting the idea of the superiority of the Goblin race, that should never blend with humans. Every Sect member had been brainwashed. Just like Zealots, they must all comply with the rules of the Sect - above all the one that commanded to kill every human they would stumble upon. This shed a significant light on the hatred that Comodus felt towards humans and the degree to which he considered them inferior. When he was informed that Caesar had taken a human as his pupil, the Sect of the Worthy had been on the brink of a riot. The reason why the King couldn''t accept the human and his sister directly in his Clan was the fact he was afraid to cause the uprising of the Seniors and the Sect of the Worthy. They would have declared him traitor of the Goblin population. "So that fucking human killed three Goblins, and both the King and the Senate allowed him to go unpunished. Seems like my father is right when he says that our Orma has turned wimp." Artemus instantly sensed what his master was going to say next. "You master, there are three humans in this room¡­" Those useless women could have likely leaked every revelation on Comodus'' plan. If they had succeeded in that, the Sect of the Worthy would have had a hard time. Without batting an eyelid, Comodus raised his right hand and let three needle fling from his palm. They pierced the three women. Instantly, their skin turned dark as their body fell to the ground and, without a sound, began to putrefy in a black puddle. Artemus looked at Comodus in terror and lowered his head, as if he hadn''t seen anything. Comodus mastered a Mana what had an Affinity for Venom. All the greatest warriors considered venom a womanly weapon, though Comodus couldn''t care less about it, as long as he could rely on such lethal means. Comodus looked at the three black puddles and made them disappear with a snap of his fingers. They vaporized in a black smoke that penetrated through his pores. Comodus was indeed used to tempering his body by providing it with Venom. In order to inure to this medicine, he had got used to giving himself countless different poisons. He glanced at his servant once again and said: "Go. Send for them." *** A few days later, Orma, Royal Palace Helial directed his gaze behind Caesar''s back. The King was leaning slightly forward from the railing that ran along the terrace. He was gazing across Orma with melancholy eyes. The entire city seemed to be weighting down on his shoulders. Caesar heaved a sigh as gusts of wind flapped his clothes, Orma''s bastion. Caesar sighed and turned, loosening the hands whose fingers were intertwined behind his back. "You made a bell ring inside of me when, a week ago, you made those ginks eat their own shit." He pondered for a moment, in low spirits, and then went on talking with a singular light in his eyes: "Through the years I grew inured to the goings-on here in Orma. I confined my ineptitude within the excuse of my weakness. Orma needs a deserving authority now more than ever. Justice, equity, morality¡­ Our ancestors'' values marked our footprint in this world in branding iron. They let us go down in history as a proud race, even though heavily despised and looked down as barbaric." Caesar dived his light-blue eyes in those dark blue of Helial and his solemnity intensified: "My path along the Dao of Mana is far from finishing and there is still much I can give my brothers. I didn''t realize it, but I do now. After seeing a brat not even in the First Phase destroy half of our Senate, I realized what Orma really needs." Caesar paused briefly, raised his gaze up to the sky and smiled: "Even if the Senate were to oppose him, I will now do everything in my power to give my people what they deserve." Caesar seemed like the hero of a tragedy now more than ever; ready to face anything and anyone, even his own fellow brothers, in order to give dignity back to his people. He wanted Orma to be revived, so that their values would be worth handing down to the generations to come. In that very moment, a wall was built between Caesar and Helial. The indestructible wall of responsibility. On Caesar''s side lay the responsibility of an entire population to care for. On Helial''s side lay that of who can barely take care of oneself. Unconsciously, with that barrier Caesar had just put him and his disciple on two completely different planes. Any ordinary person couldn''t hope to ever overcome that barrier too easily. After all, on the opposite side stood the King of Orma, a powerful Immortal what was anything but ordinary. And yet Helial''s reaction went against any expectation produced by common sense. After listening to Caesar in silence, Helial stepped forward and looked at the King in the eyes. He bent the knee and said in a deep voice: "Even if the sky were against me, I will do everything to let the Goblin population and you, master, get what you deserve." Helial''s words rumbled through Caesar''s ears like a thunderbolt; Caesar gave his disciple a curious and respectful look. Then a beaming smile spread across his greenish face. Despite Helial kneeling before him, it was actually Caesar who felt like he were in front of a god. Helial''s words conveyed indeed an outstanding resolution that would let everyone''s blood seethe with reverence. Once again, Caesar felt proud of his choice to keep that boy as hi pupil. He wasn''t merely strong; he had a lot more to him. "Then, it would appear, I''m not the only one who will shoulder the responsibility brought by this honor," Caesar smiled and stretched out a hand to help Helial stand up. Helial clutched Caesar''s hand firmly and stood up without withdrawing his gaze. Caesar gave a sigh, turned once again and said: "Lumia, Snowflake, Frankenstein and the girl will have to pass the entrance test if they want to stay in the Royal Palace. Otherwise, we''ll have to look for a new accommodation for them. I can''t disobey all Orma''s protocols. People revolted against me only because I took you. I''d have a hard time justifying for them as well." Helial nodded and shrugged: "I''ll deal with that." Caesar furrowed his eyebrows and said: "Snowflake, that cat, and Lumia will definitely pass it. But Lulu and Frankenstein¡­" A flash of uncertainty crossed the King''s eyes, who added: "But don''t worry. I can''t have an accommodation settled¡­" "No need, Master. Don''t worry. I''ll deal with everything," Helial smiled. By which you mean that I will deal with everything, don''t you? Shithead¡­ An irritated voice resounded out inside his Soul. But nothing else followed. The Devil had already accepted the role of trainer for Lumia and Helial''s friends. It was no big deal for him. *** Forest of Orma Snowflake swiftly dodged the claws of a huge Cursed Dark Bear, bouncing aside light at lightning speed while silver flares flashed under his feet. The Cursed Dark Bear was in the Third Phase. Even though Snowflake hadn''t been able to hurt it, it hadn''t been able to hurt that miserable white-furred cat either. "Hey, piece of shit, your mom made you with reversed paws? Never thought to, like, shovel your tail up your ass instead of wagging it like a doggo? Look at you, fatso, do you really think you can hit this Supreme Cat? In your dreams, whore." The Cursed Dark Bear had developed a high level of intelligence and could grasp Snowflake''s words. He lost his temper and started throwing blows with its paws with increasing fury. Snowflake''s focus reached its peak. He kept dodging blows relentlessly. After all, the Cursed Dark Bear was in the Third Phase, while he wasn''t even in the First. The gap between was as wide as the distance between heaven and earth. After a few minutes, Snowflake thought it best to run for the hills. He was running out of Mana and his Vigor wasn''t high enough to let him keep dodging for much longer. "Stronger, faster, I have to grow faster¡­" Snowflake whispered to himself as the mysterious symbol on his forehead began to shine. However, a black light extinguished that glow immediately. A warm tear streaked his furred cheek as Snowflake kept running at breakneck speed towards Orma. 71 Just a matter of persistence Inside his room in the Royal Palace, Helial closed his eyes and cast his conscience inside his Soul. When he reopened them, he was in a grassy clearing under a sky filled with stars. Before him was the black-fanged boy, laying the table as usual; his life had no other purpose, apparently. In that place where gust of wind dared blow nothing ever happened. There was only that kid intent on laying a table almost higher than him. He changed the tablecloth and the silverware fairly often. He would match the most clashing colors and, after an accurate examination, he would disdain the result and start all over with a frown on his face. Helial furrowed his eyebrows and said: "You gotta tell me who you''re laying that table for, one day." The Devil kept laying without answering. Helial concluded he had better change subject; to be honest, he had a feeling that he would get no proper answer. He shrugged and sat down on the grass before saying: "The entrance test will be in a week. I ask you to train Lumia, Frankenstein, Snowflake and Lulu. Lulu is part of our team too." Helial had managed to find the girl and had asked her to follow him and join his group. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to protect her from all the bad-intentioned nobles of Orma. The Devil finally turned and raised an eyebrow: "Isn''t that Lulu you''re talking about only a dead weight? Frankenstein and Snowflake, as well as your sister, show promise. But what''s her potential? Her talent is non-existent and, what''s worst, no flame burns down her eyes. She''s an ordinary girl who has probably never wanted any different life than she has now. How high do you think she could reach?" At these words, Helial curled his lips in a grimace and replied: "What else should I do? Abandon her? The member of the Sect of the Worthy would hunt her¡­" "... down to the world''s end, yeah," the Devil snorted in disdain. He turned back towards the table to fiddle with some forks. "Don''t you think there''s an entire lot of people who suffer abuse on a daily basis? Why are you convinced that by saving one everything will change? If she wanted a better life for herself, her eyes would glimmer with the same flame as that of the others, and I would get why you want me to be her teacher. But I won''t train who doesn''t want to grow stronger. Ambition is key, Shithead, if you want to get out of this shitty mud." "So we won''t help who was born untalented?" asked Helial with a gloomy expression. "That isn''t the point. The point is, you can''t help someone who doesn''t want to be helped," the Devil said without caring too much about Helial''s indignation. "If she doesn''t want to save herself, she might as well die choking on this shit. I won''t waste my time with this kind of people." "But if one were born in particular conditions which¡­" "If, if, if. Do you have anything to say that''s worth my attention? Look at you. Has life ever given you a reason to believe in yourself and yearn for more?" asked the Devil as he shook his head. "No, but this doesn''t mean that¡­ "It does. It does mean everything," the Devil interposed, "stop trying to save her life so desperately. I''d help her willingly if that was what she wanted. But her life doesn''t mean anything to her either. She''s never felt the least hint of ambition. So - yes, some people just choose to live on a lower step. And it''s not about talent, Shithead. Some people won''t step outside their degrade, that''s all. They enjoy it, it''s their element. But look at your face! Is this too heavy to bear? What do you think will happen to the girl? Even if she had an extraordinary talent, what would she reach without ambition? I might as well kill her now and spare her a miserable life, Kyeheheheheh." Helial looked at the Devil. His gaze gave off pure disgust. Then he glanced up at the sky. "What are you thinking about, brat?" sneered the Devil. "Is this the belief system of Destruction?" Helial whispered to himself. "Indeed. We believe we must accept reality," the Devil laughed. Helial gave him an even more puzzled look and said, solemnly: "When I decided to follow you and take the life of someone of your choosing, Master, I considered you a terrifying Devil who was powerful enough to go against his destiny and that of anyone else¡­" The Devil shook his head and said: "I never speak empty words. My Divination Technique taught me that fate is already written, and to change it-" "But you don''t even try!" Helial blurted out, "Your power is frightening and still you''re afraid to change the destiny of a girl! To me, you''re just as powerful as the most insignificant being on this planet!" The Devil smiled. He seemed unable to get angry at the insolence of his pupil, whom he appeared to appreciate instead. "Kyeheheheh, well, well, well! How about this: if you''ll prove me the girl''s persistence, then I''ll train her. But I wanna see it burning down her eyes!" Helial fixed his gaze in the pitch-black eyes of the kid. "Fine. If I were to succeed though, I also want you to teach me that move. The one I tried to emulated in the Senate. I didn''t even reach one millionth of the true power of that Skill. If only I could¡­" "It''s okay, it''s okay. I''ll teach you the principles behind that Skill. But only if you make her pass the entrance test." The kid kept quiet for a moment, his lips shaping a sneer. "Oh and by the way, Mana Control will be tested too. People usually think that Mana Control derives from talent, like some sort of innate gift. Tsk. In order to increase their Mana Control in a week time, your friends and your sister will need to suffer the tortures of the damned. Are you aware of that?" "As long as they''re willing to, and you don''t try to kill them, I have nothing to object," Helial said. For a split second he was seized by doubt and was tempted to ask him to go easy on Lumia. However, he immediately pushed the thought away and kept quiet. Helial should let her free to make her mistakes and go through her sufferings if he really wanted her to gain her own independence. "So, according to what you told me, Mana Control is deeply affected by one''s mental toughness and emotional resilience. I''ll do my best to make Lulu''s heart grow unyielding and let her develop a firm decision-making." Helial started pondering on how to best train Lulu. The Devil smiled, his face betraying pure evil: "Alright. I can generate more than a spiritual body, so I''ll train them individually. I''ll provide every little friend of yours with a special training. Tell them that a great master will guide them. Go and work on the girl, now. I''ll be watching." *** Training ground "Why did you take me here, Helial?" a girl with a greenish complexion asked the King''s pupil. Before her stood one of the most wonderful people she had ever met. That human slaughtered three Goblins right in front of her. Then, after standing trial, instead of being condemned for his inconsiderate action he was acquitted on the basis of his strength. And last but not least, he razed half Senate to the ground. Lulu was frightened and mesmerized by him at the same time. "If they saw me with you again, Helial, I¡­" "You''re already marked for death," Helial said in a low voice, "I''ve spoken with Caesar. The Sect of the Worthy doesn''t place any importance in your life. They think they can kill you without the King losing any face. When it comes to someone as uninfluential as you are, they don''t think twice. You''ve got two choices now; you either follow me or die." Helial was brief and concise. And pretty brutal too. At these words, Lulu''s eyes began to sting. The girl was struggling. She tried to cling to any feeble ray of hope: "But maybe precisely because I am¡­" Helial shook his head and said dully: "They''ll kill you, Lulu. As soon as you don''t have me protecting you, they''ll kill you. They can''t lay a finger on me, but they can hurt you and go perfectly unpunished. If you were to be alone, then your life will come to an end. You must train inside the Royal Academy." "Inside the Royal Academy?" Lulu''s eyes shot wide open, as though she had seen a ghost. "But with my little talent¡­" she started moaning, flopping to the ground with her arms around her waist as she shook like a leaf. A surge of piety flashed its way out to Helial''s eyes, which he pushed aside immediately. Lulu was weak, extremely weak. She was a Healer, or rather she would be one once in the First Phase. One could indeed pick a Class only after levelling up to the First Phase. Class-related Skills couldn''t be acquired before. If Lulu kept crying and moaning though, she would probably never reach Level 60, the First Phase''s milestone. Helial moved closer to her. She was now weeping quietly. He kneeled down and smiled at her. Lulu looked at him and, for a second, she saw again the Helial who had reassured her by saying that everything would be alright, that she should stop worrying, while the guards had been violently carrying him away. Helial had already saved her once. "I¡­" Lulu began to cry quietly. "Trust me. Here, hold my hand. If you immerse yourself in Darkness with me, you''ll go through fear and pain but, once reemerged, you''ll finally win the right to walk tall. As things stand, actually, you can only choose to follow me down this desolate path. But I promise you that I''ll lead you to Light, one day." Helial''s smile widened with every word. Lulu felt her heart warmer as the temperature seemed to be dropped. She had accepted the ugly truth about her destiny. Lulu hesitated: "If I follow you, then I''ll live?" Helial shook his head: "I can''t assure you that. It mostly depends on you. I can''t do too much. Just keep in mind that power doesn''t belong to the talented. It belongs to whomever tries to change their destiny. If you keep hesitating, nothing will save you. But if you step forward and try to react, your destiny will lie in your hands." Helial stretched a hand out towards the girl to help her stand up, but she wept even louder, turned her head and shut her eyes closed. Helial was about to give up; he thought that Lulu would refuse, at that point. One second before he pulled his hand away, though, Lulu gently laid her fingers on his palm and nodded, with her head still turned and eyes still teary. An even wider smile spread across Helial''s face. But a serious expression suddenly stole it over. Can you create a Mana sword smaller than Curse of the Demon, Master? he asked secretly. No answer followed, but a translucent sword of black Mana flashed into existence and materialized in midair. He grabbed it, nodded and examined the sharp blade cautiously. "You''re a Healer, Lulu, aren''t you?" asked Helial as he stood up in front of her. "Yeah, I wanna be a Healer. I''m not keen on Offensive Skills, but I''m not bad with Cures and Buff Skills," she said with her eyes still closed. She hadn''t move from her position. Fwooosh A gush of some warm liquid poured down on her tunic. Taken aback, she reopened her eyes. What she saw terrified her. Helial had thrusted the sword into his hip, and was now removing it! Lulu stared at him in astonishment. She had no idea how to react. "You gotta heal me, Lulu, or I''ll die," Helial smiled at her, increasingly paler as blood gushed down from his wound. Helial suppressed the regenerative properties of Body of the Qilin and kept the Mana inside his Meridians under control, so that the wound wouldn''t heal over easily. In the windless clearing inside Helial''s Soul, the black-fanged boy whispered: "That guy is a fucking lunatic. So lunatic that¡­ that it could even work¡­" 72 Wager In a vast hall whose ceiling was over sixty feet high, hundreds of Goblins were turning left and right continuously, and from time to time directed their gazes towards the Seniors of the Royal Academy. Today was the day; if they passed the entrance test, they would finally be part of the Royal Academy. A particularly excited Goblin couldn''t take his eyes off of the huge platform that glided up in the air, near the ceiling. "Hey," he said to the fellow sitting next to him, "do you think we''ll make it to the top?" The other looked at him and rolled his eyes. "Cut the bullshit. In the last hundred years only that monster made it to the top¡­" The first Goblin shrugged and kept staring at the platform with dreamy eyes. It was the base on top of which rouse a holy temple, the Shrine of the Black Phoenix. An Immortal had brought it to Orma time out of mind. No one knew what it was for. Only those who hadn''t reached the First Phase could set foot on it; anyone else would be pushed away by a mysterious and unfathomable force. That force didn''t even spare Immortals, who, whenever they imposed their strength, still ended up in a temple whose mysteries remained impregnable and beyond their reach. The temple was part of the test itself. Every contestant of the Royal Academy had to reach it by creating a staircase in Mana. The Mana one had to used was scattered across the room and sprang in light-blue sparks. Contestants were supposed to gather those sparks and form a flight of one hundred steps to reach the temple''s platform. However, the Aura exuded by the Shrine of the Black Phoenix only made Mana Control more difficult a task; the closer one got, the harder Mana Control proved to be. This was the reason why it was almost impossible to reach the top. In the past century, only one practitioner had accomplished that feat. And that practitioner was standing on a lateral room whose balcony gave on the main hall. He was gazing down at the noisy kids who would start the test any moment now. Suddenly, his contemplative silence was shattered by a mellow voice that resounded maliciously from behind his back: "I''m surprised to find you here, champ." The black shadow sighed and said: "Stop harassing me. What do you want?" "I saw you visited the boy. I wanted to warn you to keep your hands off me, or¡­" said the Witch as her mellow voice was distorted by a hint of jealousy. "Or? Or you''ll ask your daddy to get rid of me? Have you lost your marbles once and for all and want to challenge me again? I can make you eat the shit of all the lions in the Colosseum any time you ask," the hoarse and icy voice threatened. "There are more mysteries concealed in the Shrine of the Black Phoenix than you could imagine. Reaching it isn''t for everyone. I had to go all out and risk my life to pull that off. That boy is strong and he''s more talented than you are, I''m too curious to see how many steps he''ll form." Circe lost her temper, even more than usual: "So why don''t we make a wager, champ?" The hoarse voice replied: "It''s not like you''ve got something I''m interested in." "Why so sure? I''ve heard you''ve been looking for the Root of the Dark Flame, lately. A Seventh Grade herb. I have no idea why." Herbs were indeed sorted out like Phases. The Root of the Sacred Phoenix and the Herb of the Nine Deaths were Third Grade herbs, which meant that they fitted best a Third Phase practitioner, even though Helial could absorb their essences anyway thanks to his peculiar build. Seventh Grade herbs and plants were extremely rare. Pseudonym''s voce got shaky: "And you have a Root of the Dark Flame?" "Got you, bastard!" the mellow voice rang, "So, apparently there is something I''ve got you''re interested in, huh? Yeah, I have one. I convinced my father to give it to me as a gift. I''m perfectly aware of its value. I have no clue how you might absorb it at your current level, actually, but it''s none of my business. Shall we make this wager or not?" For a while, the only thing that could be heard was the clamor of the contestants below. Then, Pseudonym spoke again: "I''m in. What is it that you want?" "Hehe, easy. You steer clear of him. As I''ve told you, he''s mine. We''ll guess how many steps he''ll make. Who gets closer is the winner. How about that?" "Mhn," the black armor nodded. "Okay, then! I bet it''s 93!" the mellow voice said. "All," Pseudonym calmly replied. "What?" "He''ll reach the shrine." And the black hoarse-voiced shadow disappeared from the room. The thin yet voluptuous figure of Circe leaned slightly forward over the terrace. The dim light of the room glowed on her face as she looked down, wondering when Helial would arrive. Meanwhile, the three Major Seniors had entered the room. A huddle of older students than those already present was following them. When the three appeared, the room fell silent and no sound could be heard. Crispius. Binius. Philopappus. All three were present, their eyes set on the new blood. They hoped to find new young promises in the caliber of Circe and Pseudonym. Unfortunately, the latter had isolated himself and took no part in any academic activity, but his unparalleled talent prevented everyone from harming a hair on his head. Crispius glanced up to the lateral rooms. He had sensed two dense Auras. "Those two bothered coming here? We''re all eager to see if the boy will make it, apparently." With a distressed frown, Crispius curled the corners of his lips upwards. "You''d better dazzle me, boy." While Crispius mumbled to himself, Binius and Philopappus stared at him with a puzzled expression on their face. Did Crispius lose his marbles once and for all? Since Helial had stood trial and razed half Senate to the ground, Crispius wasn''t the same anymore. Lately, he had become more silent and pensive. He had even beaten the hell out of Binius and Philopappus when they disturbed him during the arrangement of turns for the classes. The old man really seemed to have lost his marbles. However, since they were still suffering for the punches of the day before, they thought it better to keep quiet. Crispius looked even moodier than usual; provoking him wouldn''t turn out to be a wise choice. Crispius glided up in midair and, his eyes on the crowd and his arms wide open, he said: "Good evening! Today is the first day of our entrance test. As you know, from time immemorial our Royal Academy sorts its future disciples through an entrance test and assigns them to the proper Court. Those of you who are new must remember that the test requires all contestants to create a staircase to the Shrine of the Black Phoenix by forming up to one hundred steps. Whoever forms less than twenty steps won''t be accepted as a disciple of the Royal Academy. Whoever forms from twenty to forty steps will be accepted as an Outer Court disciple. Whoever forms from forty to seventy steps will be accepted as an Inner Court disciple. Whoever forms more than seventy steps will be accepted as a Special Court disciple. Every single Court has its own privileges to offer, along with an inner ranking on which every disciple is placed according to their score and strength." Then Crispius got into a long speech that remarked the importance of the Orman traditions as well as the younger generations'' responsibility to meet the expectations placed on them. Mainly, the youths seemed to be incurious. They appeared more interested in their own outcome. Some of them looked enraptured by Crispius'' words though, and in their eyes one could catch a glimpse of an incredible patriotic fervor. Once the speech was concluded, the contestants were divided into groups and directed to different spots of the hall, so that more than one person could try to reach the Shrine of the Black Phoenix at the same time. Yet, despite his gaze sweeping over the crowd continuously, Crispius couldn''t find Helial nor his friends anywhere. He had been told that Helial would come with a human girl, a rather singular cat and two Goblins. I wonder what they meant by "rather singular"... Oh well, they''re fashionably late. After all, the great ones are always the last to step on stage, Crispius thought. In that very moment, a catlike voice resounded out from the corridors, filling the silence of the hall. "WHO THE FUCK WANTS TO DO THIS SHITTY TEST? AHHH, WATCH OUT, THAT''S MY TAIL! YOU, SHITTY QUEEN OF A SHITTY RATHOLE. WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT WE''RE COMPELLED? ARE GOING TO FORCE US OUT? WELL, THIS EMPEROR CAT HAS BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN WASTE HIS TIME WITH PEASANTS! LEAVE ME ALONE, STUPID OLDIE! HAAA, NO, MY TAIL NO!!" An endless string of foul words followed. Snowflake''s cussing skills could have likely pierced an iron wall and parted an ocean. The hair on the back of Crispius'' head stood on end. For hell''s sake, who''s this one? This cussing could knock an opponent out without even resorting to Mana. Is he cultivating the Sacred Technique of the Heavenly Insult? Crispius kept scratching his beard while listening to Snowflake''s string of curses in bafflement. Suddenly, a woman glided through the room in midair. She had a majestic posture and a refined crown on her head. Her right hand was holding a white furry tail to the end of which hang a huge cat, the source of the string of curses. Everyone turned pale. Not only had the cat filled the room with more cussing that the Royal Academy had ever heard, but the one he was insulting was no other than the Queen of Orma. Even though Caesar and Nelia always had a benevolent attitude towards their people, they were known to sweep away whomever dared go against their authority. Meticulousness. Caesar had even killed on the spot some Senators who had insulted him publically. And why was Nelia giving face to a cat, when she wouldn''t think twice before eliminating the biggest shots in Orma? That cat must have been¡­ rather singular, indeed. 73 Through the worst of hells Almost a week before Lumia was sitting in the library and was busy reading a large volume. Since she began training with her Breathing Technique, her memory skills had frighteningly increased. Moreover, she had sorted out several Stat Points and put them in Intelligence; now, even though she couldn''t yet match that monster of her brother, she would read a large book in a few hours and remember its whole content without much effort. Whoever would choose a Dao of Mana was forced to witness or take part in a number of carnages, but the benefits they would gain would be outstanding. Her silvery little head was completely hidden in that overly large book. The volume was slightly leaned backwards; the bottom part of the binding was pressed against Lumia''s chest, who made the book move with every breath she took. Her view was blocked, but from time to time, when her chest fell to the rhythm of her breathing, she would catch sight of the library. The library was empty. There was no one there. Every time that she caught a glimpse of the opposite end of the table, Lumia shrugged. Very few people attended the library as regularly as they did. Helial though had made himself clear; they needed to get all the knowledge they could. The better they knew the world, the easier it would be to survive it. He had been this assertive that Lumia and Snowflake often spent the night reading volumes on secret, trying not to be seen by the others. Lumia had uncovered him, but she kept the secret and hadn''t told Helial. Even if now and then she saw Snowflake and Helial quarrel, Lumia knew that they admired each other. Their initial hostility was evolving to a weird yet beautiful friendship. Lumia was still immersed in the stillness of the library. From time to time she heard some sounds from the outer yard. Nothing else disturbed that ghastly quiet. Even the servants were so gentle that she couldn''t perceive them breathing. Everything around her seemed to be dead. The book kept swinging slightly back and forth to the rhythm of Lumia''s gentle breathing. Back and forth. Back and forth. Suddenly, her silvery hair was swept by a gust of wind appeared from out of nowhere. All windows were closed. "Kyeheheheheh!" A spooky laughter made her hair stand on end and caused her to get the goosebumps. Dong The large volume the girl was holding fell on the table, allowing her to see what was before her. A kid with a black bangs was sitting on the table a few dozens of inches from her face. He was staring at her with two pitch-black eyes whose irises were impossible to distinguish from the pupils. The kid burst into another laughter and looked at her: "Today''s your lucky day, little girl¡­" Lumia, still shaky,tried to conceal the terror that had taken her aback a moment before. With a hint of fear glowing in her eyes, she angrily replied: "No, thank you. I already love my brother. Not interested in a little brat like you. Can you leave me alone, now? You''re disturbing me." Lumia grabbed her volume again as if nothing had happened. She plunged her head back into the pages. The kid heard a sound of glass breaking inside his head; his brain couldn''t stand that incestuous affair. Without giving up in the slightest, he started gliding through air upside down and floating around her in circle: "I''m not here to seduce a little girl you might be the daughter of the grandniece of one of my grandnieces of my¡­ I mean, you got me. I''m here because in a week''s time there''s the entrance test of the Royal Academy." Suddenly, Lumia furrowed her eyebrows, reemerged from behind the book and said: "So what?" "So you, Snowflake, Frankenstein and Lulu will have to take it. Your brother is training Lulu, while I''ll train the three of you. I''ve already begun with Frankenstein, whereas Snowflake is still reluctant. Actually, the cat wouldn''t even need me. I''m just curious to see what he''s capable of when guided along the right direction," said the Devil in a yawn. He was talking to himself more than to the little girl in front of him. "There''s too many people around, so I''ll create another temporary dimension for you too." The Devil yawned ever louder, so much that Lumia could not help but shout: "Cover your mouth, rude pig!" The kid swept his black bangs from the eyes, that were stinging. He had once been feared, revered, worshipped. And now? Now even snots scolded him! "But who are you even?" Lumia asked. It occurred to her that she had never seen that kid before. The Devil wiped the tears away from the corners of his eyes and answered: "Your brother''s master. And now, for a little while, yours too." With a snap of his fingers, the kid generated a terrifying time-space stream. Lumia shot her eyes closed and, when a second later she reopened them, she found herself catapulted in a completely different place. Before her eyes was a rocky reddish wasteland. The kid''s glare turned icy. "Your brother told me to train you to make sure you won''t be dead weights, Kyeheheheh," the Devil laughed. Helial''s words had sounded slightly different, actually¡­ Lumia looked about herself and asked: "Did my brother ask you to train me?" "Asked?" the kid raised an eyebrow, "more like he begged this magnanimous master, who¡­" "Wasn''t Caesar his master?" Lumia interposed. The Devil gazed at her gloomily. "You must never interr-" "Is he or not?" Lumia insisted. "Just on paper. It''s actually me who''s guiding your brother since your arrival in Orma. If he didn''t end up a cripple, it''s me you have to thank." Lumia gave him a puzzled look. In fact Snowflake had warned her that, in case of Helial''s awakening, he would have needed weeks or even months to recover, and that he would have definitely become a cripple. However, not only had Helial waken up in less than a week, but he had also looked far stronger than he was before! Cripple who? The girl kept staring at him strangely. She didn''t show signs of gratitude for the creature who saved her brother''s life. Seeing her insolence, a vein started pulsing on the Devil''s neck along with an uncontrollable urge to turn the girl into a meatball. Though, he shook his head and let it slide. Since she appeared to have the same attitude as her brother, there would be no point in arguing with her. He resolved for a glare and sighed: "Any more questions?" "So it was my brother who asked you to train me¡­ But you''ve just opened up a new dimension, haven''t you? What if you''re lying?" said Lumia as she curled her lips. The Devil shook his head once again. He felt depressed. The little snot was just like her brother; her analytic skills exceed those of everyone her same age as well as those of many adults. He gently massaged his temples. He looked at Lumia''s silvery cascade of messy hair and said: "Your Mana shows a faint inclination towards Destruction¡­" He got into a description of the differences between Life and Destruction to explain to her which path was the most suitable to her. "...which means, in the end, that Offensive Skills would definitely fit your Mana better." "I only want to learn Support Skills. I can acquire one Offensive Skill maybe, but I just need to be able to support my brother. I want to fight by his side, but he looks already too strong. I could never match his destructive power, right?" The Devil nodded slowly, in silence. "I want to live by his side without getting in the way. What''s a dagger for, when you already own a longsword?" Lumia heaved a sigh which betrayed some sort of melancholy bitterness: "What''s this training about?" "Wait," the Devil said. His gaze exuded an unheard of evilness. He licked his lips and went on: "You want to become as strong as your brother, don''t you?" Lumia furrowed her eyebrows and said: "I can''t match his standards, can I?" The Devil seemed to hatch an insidious plan as his face contorted in a sinister expression. "You can''t yet you can. You''ll never acquire as much destructive power as he has. Though, if you merely aim at Support Skills, then your Mana can match the level of your brother''s Offensive Skills. He owns the strongest Qilin legacy, the toughest Devil Meridians and the most powerful Breathing Technique that a Destruction practitioner could ever dream of. His destructive power would be unparalleled even if he had half his talent and resolution. But when it comes to Support Skills, the requirements to meet aren''t that many. So, even though you have no Legacy and your Meridians look awfully mediocre¡­ I have a Breathing Technique that might suit you. But before laying hands on it, you need to reach the same Mana Control level as your brother." Lumia looked puzzled. She asked: "Is it even possible?" The Devil shrugged. "No, in theory. Mana Control depends on one''s grade of knowledge of Mana as well as on the results one achieves on their Dao of Mana. Your brother went for a new path, as unique as his knowledge is. However, you haven''t even reached the First Phase, and we''re only talking about Mana Control. So let''s say it''s possible. The only restriction here is time. We have a week, but in this week I can let you go through the worst of hells. In an Illusion, time tends to dilate terribly, so I can easily make you live ten years. This is sort of a rudimentary approach actually, and I couldn''t pursue it in a practitioner in a higher level. Anyway, since in Illusions you have your real Soul, if you survive, your Mana Control would get extremely stronger. Maybe as strong as that of your brother." "So if I stayed in this Illusion for a week, you could dilate time to the extent of ten years?" Lumia asked in astonishment. It was only then that she realized how strong that kid must have been. She did not know how difficult it was to open a fold in the time-space and generate a new dimension from scratch, but she could imagine it vaguely. The Devil nodded and said: "In the past fifteen years your brother has suffered more than a common person. However, he managed to grasp the deepest principles behind Mana only thanks to his marked sensitivity. We''ll have to condense your training in three days in the real world, which means five years inside the Illusion. Then I''ll teach you a Breathing Technique and we''ll work on Skills. It doesn''t only depend on¡­ but never mind, it''s too complicated. Are you in? Five years. You''ll go through the worst of hells. You''ll wish for death every single day. You''ll have no one to turn to, not even your brother." Lumia didn''t speak for several seconds. Before she could reply, the Devil said: "I''ll let you taste what a day inside the Illusion feels like. Then you''ll decide." Suddenly, the Devil appeared in front of her and tapped his index finger on her forehead. A second later, Lumia was writhing in agony on the ground. She was bleeding from every orifice on her face as dreadful screams left her lips. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The Devil shook his head and said: "It''s only a foretaste. You''ll have to experience this nightmare for as long as five years if you really want to suffer as your brother did. You''ll learn what it means to have a weight on your heart that you can''t share. To live with a shadow that''s always about to take your life away from you. Are you ready?" Lumia was shivering, lying on the ground. She gazed up to the Devil, wiped blood away from the corners of her mouth and tried to slowly stand up. Did her brother suffer that much? What did Helial experience before she was born? What was so obscure about his past? Lumia had many questions, but very few answers. Once on her feet, she limped towards the kid, grabbed his hands and said: "I''ll see you in five years." She put both palms on her temples and her gaze went out as she immersed herself in the most agonizing nightmare of her entire life. 74 As long as you keep going The Devil ran his eye over the Goblin before him. He had just finished explaining what the training during the week before the entrance test of the Royal Academy would be like. He had taken Frankenstein too in a new dimension. He had engulfed him in frightening whirls of four elements energy. Inside the whirls, the raw energy was hardly divisible into the four principles of the elements - Fire, Water, Earth and Wind. The kid with the black bangs raised an eyebrow. The Goblin dived into the energy whirl like an obsess. The whirl was tearing his body apart, but the Goblin kept breaking it up into its bases and essences, which he absorbed while grasping all the knowledge he could derive from them. "I guess I happened to meet the weirdest Goblin alive. The madman to end all madmen¡­" The corners of the Devil''s lips curled up in a melancholy smile, "My Breathing Technique won''t be wasted, my dear friend. When you gave it to me during the war, I¡­ I just couldn''t-" He heaved a sigh and fell silent. He felt a huge weight on his shoulders. With his neck slightly leaned forward, he shook his head. "This Goblin won''t need anything more. Now I only need to make sure he won''t get himself killed while maniacally searching for knowledge. Once his control has improved, I''ll teach him the Breathing Technique that Shithead hasn''t yet handed to him. And then my job will be done," said he as he sat down on a chair that appeared in midair just under his backside. *** Fwooosh Fwooosh Air blades were slashing through space relentlessly, leaving deep marks on the ground. A silvery flare was bouncing left and right, and let a thunderbolt echo out with every move. It dodged every blow at such breathtaking speed that it looked nothing other than a blurred spot. Suddenly, an air blade far too swift hit the huge white spot. The huge white spot tumbled on the ground and spat a mouthful of blood that stained the candid furry corners of his mouth. The Devil, who was lying on a beach chair and sipping a peach juice, gave him a smug look. "Its speed is out of your league," he yawned. His tiny ghoulish hand could barely cover that excessive mouth opening. He had taken him to a new dimension without much explanation. The kid had understood what terrifying skills Snowflake had since the latter''s very first day of training. After all, his prior know-how was higher than that of Lumia and Frankenstein, and even of that of Helial. That cat had indeed some mysterious origin. Snowflake stopped and started talking, in a very different tone than usual. His voice was calm even if his eyes were giving off an enormous fury. "What am I supposed to do?" The Devil leaned his underlip forward and shrugged as he said: "There''s a Seal, is there not?" Snowflake ran a paw over his forehead. His face turned darker as his whiskers lowered. He nodded woefully. "Why haven''t you asked me to cancel it out?" under his beach umbrella, the kid yawned. Meanwhile, he kept sipping his peach juice. Snowflake gave him an interested look. Then he frowned and said: "The Seal will cancel out itself when I''m as fast as that thing is." He let out these last words in an almost unintelligible whisper. "How can you be as fast as that is with that Seal on you?" the Devil asked with a wicked smile on his face. Snowflake was depressed. He looked completely different than the swaggering cat he usually was. After a few seconds, he grumbled some swear words and said: "Reactivate the wind blades! I gotta be faster!" The Devil suddenly stood up from his beach chair with a smile. He reappeared near Snowflake and put a hand on his head. "Wait." Then added, solemnly: "It doesn''t matter if you''re not fast enough as long as you keep going." Snowflake was struck by the profundity of those so seemingly common words. He felt that, if he reflected long enough on their meaning, his Dao of Mana could benefit from then enormously. All his Speed-related Skills probably would. "Most people think that Heavenly Star Tigers are the fastest beings in the universe, but they''re wrong. The fastest creature isn''t a Heavenly Star Tiger," the kid said with a proud smile. What? How was it possible that the fastest creature in the universe wasn''t a Heavenly Star Tiger? Didn''t the Emperor of Heavenly Star Tigers himself stumble upon his Movement Skill? Snowflake looked baffled. His Movement Skill was without a doubt one of the most profound Skills of the whole universe, if not the most profound of all. It was the Skill used by the Emperor himself. How could it not be by far the fastest Skill in the world? The principles behind that Skill were stunningly mysterious. Snowflake opened his Skills window and pondered for a while. Skill Activated: Divine Tiger Lightning Dance Lv: 2 Grade: White Knowledge Grade: I''m the fastest Effects: Speed +800% Agility +900% Affinity for Lightning +200% Cost: 400 Mana/Sec Cast Time: 0 Efficiency: 100% The Skill of the Heavenly Star Tigers'' Royal Family, the most profound Movement Skill in the whole universe. Exp: 7.8% The Skill had an exorbitant growth rate for Speed and Agility; it not only made them accelerate terrifyingly, but it also let the user have an unparalleled freedom of maneuver. How could that kid''s Skill exceed such a monstrous one? Moreover, this was only the Skill form before Immortality. Once evolved, the Skill would definitely be unrivalled. The kid finally activated his Skill. "But I''ll show it only once." Snowflake gazed at him with unheard of focus. The Devil moved. But¡­ what was he doing? Why wasn''t he moving? Ha! Wait, he was moving! But then why was he still on the spot? He was moving so slowly that it could hardly be defined as a movement to begin with! Damn, what was that Devil doing? Was he kidding him? Snowflake couldn''t get it. Several seconds passed. The Devil stayed on the spot. Snowflake was about to lose his temper. Was that some sort of joke? Was the kid making a fool of him? He was basically still. He didn''t even seem to inch forward. Though, now that he took a better look, Snowflake noticed that the kid''s limbs were actually trembling. He seemed to be slightly vibrating, as though every fiber of his body was about to rush forward. Snowflake curled his whiskers in puzzlement. Then he tried to touch him. A split second before his paw touched the Devil, a terrifying boom exploded. Snowflake almost ended up deafened; the spot where the Devil had stood a moment before turned into a big crater. The explosion swept Snowflake away. He was now lying on the crater that had just formed, covered in earth and stones. Five yards away, the Devil was smiling maliciously at him. Was it even possible that he had moved that far? "That was the Skill''s power before reaching the First Phase," said the kid as he rubbed his palms to remove some invisible dust. The next second he was lying on his beach chair again, with a new juice purposely appeared in his hand. "The basis his simple. Slow but unstoppable." Snowflake stood up from the ditch, unable to grasp the words the Devil was speaking. He was so wide-eyed that his eyes seemed unable to catch the faintest glimpse of light anymore. He fell silent, shocked. Snowflake approached the kid on the beach chair with slow steps. The Devil smiled at him, ignoring his reaction completely. Heavenly Star Tigers were one of the proudest and haughtiest races in the world. They had always sided with the forces of Life, but not even Life''s biggest shots had ever managed to bend them to their will. The Heavenly Star Tigers Clan lived according to the collective consciousness of the pack, that differed greatly from the liberal attitude of the forces of Life. The members could only interact with members of their same race. Once reached Immortality, the noblest of them would take human shape. Even then though, Heavenly Star Tigers were forbidden to blend with other races. Every transgressor would be sentenced to death. Snowflake bowed until his head brushed against the ground. His face was basically soaking in the soil. Two warm tears were streaking his furry cheeks as the cat wept quietly. That Skill wasn''t merely more powerful than his Divine Tiger Lightning Dance, it was immensely more profound. It doesn''t matter if you''re not fast enough as long as you keep going. Snowflake could now grasp the meaning of these words. If his Skill was to be defined as majestic, elegant and powerful, that of the Devil could only be described as tyrannical. Before Snowflake tried to touch him, the kid hadn''t even moved, because that Skill was founded on the most incredible arrogance in the universe! Or rather, the unmatched self-awareness of being the fastest! Snowflake couldn''t help weeping; he realized that he had just received a gift he would have never been able to repay. The cat was arrogant and despotic, but he was no fool; he had understood what that Skill was meant to teach him. Only the Tyrant of Tyrants would have been able to master that Skill. Only someone unrivalled who despised the natural laws of the universe could acquire it. That Skill was indeed a slap on the face of every living Heavenly Star Tiger. That Skill was screaming: "Are Heavenly Star Tigers the fastest creatures alive? Oh well, let''s see! I could stand still until you move, and you still wouldn''t be able to touch me!" While Snowflake kept crying and tried to interiorize the principles of the Skill, that were beginning to take a vague shape in his mind, he reflected on who that kid might be. That Skill wasn''t something one could hope to find from out of nowhere. In all likelihood, every Clan in the universe would have taken the field to put their hands on it and teach it to their younger generations. However, such a Skill would have likely driven every lord in the universe insane, being them Ancestral Creatures or great Immortals. And yet, the kid gave it to him as if it were nothing! That being was too ridiculous! Would he bestow him with such a Skill just to let him grow stronger? That Devil had just let him bridge the unfair talent gap people were born with. The talent gap people were born with¡­ Snowflake''s voice was breaking, but he forced himself to articulate a speech all the same: "This S-Skill¡­ I¡­" Snowflake took a deep breath and tried not to ridicule himself, despite the face he''d already lost: "Not only is this Skill powerful enough to make the Emperor himself turn pale, not only is it the brightest glimmer of hope I have ever received, not only is this the most terrifying weapon my paws could ever brandish¡­" Snowflake gazed up and fixed his green reddened eyes in those black of the Devil: "... this Skill is also the kindest gift I could ever be given. The meaning of this Skill goes far beyond any prejudice, breaks through any barrier dictated by race. This Skills shows the entire universe that you don''t need to be born a Heavenly Star Tiger to be the fastest. It''s a slap to all living beings. I¡­ I won''t use this Skills as a Heavenly Star Tiger. I hereby deny my origins and my race. I''ll use this Skill simply as Snowflake!" Suddenly, Snowflake was hit by a beam of divine light that let all the information on how to learn the Skill rush through his mind. Snowflake''s Dao of Mana was so developed that such a Skill had deliberately unveiled itself to him. The Devil smiled, took a sip of his juice, and sighed: "I didn''t think you''d grasp that much after seeing it only once, cat." Snowflake shook his head: "I''m forever in your debt. Now I see who that brat learnt his strength from. I will fight for you willingly whenever necessary." Snowflake curved down again and, with the proudest look he had, he raised up. There were no more tears in his eyes. "Not credit for me, actually. You couldn''t have grasped any of these principles, nor overcome your limits, without enough willpower. Shithead did everything alone too. I only played a small part in this story." He smiled at him cross-eyed and added on: "I''m only here because it''s worth watching. I''m a spectator, you are the main characters." Suddenly, the kid''s glare turned icy. He smiled as he wind black were reactivated. "We''ve still got a week ahead, cat. Let''s liven things up." 75 A mangy Supreme Ca In the present Nelia entered the room with Snowflake''s tail held in her hand. The cat was still hurling at the queen, but his back paws were loose on the floor. His complete incapability of rebelling against Nelia''s strength left him helpless. Behind them walked a Goblin and a silvery-haired girl. Frankenstein''s face was almost disfigured by an uncanny expression of fanatical enthusiasm. He seemed out of himself; he was holding a book and couldn''t help leafing maniacally through its pages, creasing them noisily. A honking sound followed every sentence he read. "Ha! Got it! Mh! Noep!". He seemed to have lost some marbles, and the violent Aura he gave off only confirmed the impression. Whoever had a fine sensory perception took notice of the ripples that Frankenstein''s Aura was leaving behind. Everything suggested that he was a madman. Beside him stood Lumia. Or rather someone like Lumia, but deceptively so. The childish expression always hang on Lumia''s face had indeed left space to a seraphic calm. It looked as though her gaze concealed an insurmountable mountain behind it. She conveyed the impression that whoever looked at her was actually admiring a stone monument time has left its trace on. Everything suggested that she was majestic. Every now and then Nelia glanced at Frankenstein and Lumia. On their way to the hall where the test would take place, she could scarcely recognize them. They had undergone a radical change, as though some traumatic experience had conditioned their existence. Lumia''s gaze was what Nelia was most upset about; she didn''t look like a girl anymore, she now looked like a woman. Her gaze betrayed the resoluteness of she who has explored hell''s far ends and then reemerged. After some seconds, other two figures arrived. A young human and a Goblin girl. Lulu was sitting on Helial''s shoulders as he repeated: "So have you grasped the principle behind that reasoning?" Lulu furrowed her eyebrows heavily and answered: "Yeah, but if I¡­" "No, it wouldn''t work. Try to lead your Mana towards this spot instead," said Helial as he touched her arm. "What if I made it resonate with this?" said Lulu as she touched Helial''s shoulder. They were talking about Mana. Lulu seemed different too. Her eyes were still fearful, but her sparkling irises revealed an unhesitating gleam. By looking at her now, one could never have guessed that she once was a shaky servant in the clutches of a bunch of Goblins. However, what people got most shocked about was Helial. His tunic was drenched in blood. The cloth was scattered by stains of dried blood, while fresh blood was still dripping. He had a slightly open wound that was leaving a trail of tiny crimson blood stains behind him. That wound was the last one of the long and painful training undergone by Lulu. It had ended just a minute before, which was why Helial had had no time to change clothes. The training had made the both of them, teacher and learner, suffer. But they had both benefitedgreatly from it. Helial had inflicted a terrible wound to himself, but Lulu had managed to heal it and had also found an unfathomed tenacity inside her heart. Thanks to this new experience, the girl had molded a totally new, resilient disposition that led her to build a strong self-confidence. If compared to Lumia and Frankenstein, however, Lulu had started off at a disadvantage; her mindset was still influenced by the Goblin hierarchy, so she was clearly weaker than them. On the contrary, Helial had spent that week meditating on Life and Destruction and had ignored any other training style. Actually, the guy wasn''t there to take part in the test. He had come to witness his friends'' performances. Suddenly, he realized that everybody''s gazes were set on him. He looked down at his feet and noticed the blood stains dripping down from his tunic. He scratched his cheek and sighed. He had no way to get changed. And, honestly speaking, it wasn''t like that made a priority to him. He thought back to the folly he had done and felt satisfied with himself. Without Body of the Qilin, Helial wouldn''t have probably survived the blood loss and, after a few hours of agony, his life would have come to a very ugly end. And yet, the Ancestral Creature''s Skill had let him resist to a physical strain that could have proved lethal to anyone else. Helial glanced distractedly at the balconies brimming with spectators. Their chattering resounded out even through the test hall. With a frown, Helial asked Nelia: "Do we really have to get mixed up in this brouhaha?" Nelia looked at him, an eyebrow raised. She was highly surprised. "You can''t become Royal Academy disciples without proving yourselves worth it. Or rather, your friends can''t. As far as you''re concerned, this test isn''t really necessary¡­" The queen looked about herself. "Anyway, did you decide if you''re taking part or not?" "We''ll see," Helial evaded the question and shrugged. The corners of Nelia''s mouth curled up in a sweet smile. She finally let go of Snowflake''s tail. And as it''s commonly known, he landed on his feet just like every cat. Huh? Not really. Snowflake crashed its face on the floor in a noisy DONG, causing every spectator to burst into laughter. Even the Seniors let a smile escape. Snowflake stood up immediately and gave Nelia a murderously furious look. The damn old rag did it on purpose. It must have been her revenge to all his insults. Normally, Snowflake would have been swift and agile enough to land on his four paws easily. Some strange force though had prevented him from twisting his trunk and made him fall off on his face. Despite the tumble and the general laughing, however, he thought it best to ignore the offence. He would have plenty of time to show that bunch of peasants what the Supreme Cate was made of. Crispius asked for silence. The spectators kept quiet and he began to arrange everything. He had some of the contestants stand on different spots of the hall, so that each could start creating their flight of Mana steps and reach for the Shrine of the Black Phoenix. The remaining ones walked to the side and waited for their turn. Every step had to be high enough to be useful to a potential walker trying to reach the Shrine. One could form up to a maximum of 100 steps. From the hundredth on, creating a new step would be of unimaginable difficulty. Nobody knew why. It was probably due to some hidden effect produced by the Shrine of the Black Phoenix itself, since the closer you got, the more unstable Mana Control turned out to be. Helial took place along with the others, all ready to face the test. "Who''s first?" asked Nelia as she ignored the reverential look of every Goblin standing on that side of the hall. Crispius gestured towards her, hinting at approaching her. Nelia though didn''t want to bother the three Seniors and resolved to wave a hand in response, a smile on her face. The mere wave of her hand made Snowflake remind the ignominy he had just suffered. He immediately forgot about his good resolutions about seeking revenge by passing the test and growled, foaming with anger: "You shitty oldie, this Supreme Cat is overly ready to kil-mhhhhhh. Mhmmm?! Mh! Mmm?" Snowflake suddenly had his mouth clamped by a Mana muzzle that prevented him from speaking. Nelial smiled reassuringly yet frighteningly at him. "Why don''t you go first, sweet little cat? I was just now thinking that, if you were to get a high score, we might as well take care of that white fur. We''ve plenty of tools to shave cats off with. I''m sure that my husband will agree with enthusiasm. He''ll shave you personally, I daresay. I wonder how a mangy Supreme Cat would look like¡­" A cold shiver ran down the cat''s spine as every hair he had stood on end. 76 Hard-pressed Nelia glanced one last time at Snowflake and reminded him: "Mind your words, or next time I use that muzzle you won''t get rid of it before a week." Then, with a wave of her hand, the Mana muzzle disappeared from Snowflake''s mouth. Snowflake was still furious. He opened his mouth to hurl at her, but he closed it right away. He knew that Nelia wouldn''t hesitate to muzzle him again, and so he resolved to turn his back on her in anger. Meanwhile, several students had already begun the test. A Goblin quickly formed twenty-three steps. From the twenty-fourth on, however, he started sweating profusely. The difficulty in advancing seemed to have increased greatly. The Shrine of the Black Phoenix had a mysterious strong effect on the would-be disciples. Even though its force didn''t alter Mana directly, its properties would make Mana Control more and more difficult a task with each closer step. Helial looked attentively at that Goblin; he was curious to witness someone else''s test. Once reached the twenty-fifth step, the Goblin began to show signs of exhaustion and couldn''t advance any farther. The Royal Academy Senior in charge of his group announced: "Twenty-five steps! The candidate is admitted to the Outer Court!" The Goblin nodded and went down, smiling. All in all, being admitted to the Royal Academy was already a pretty good result. The fact that he wasn''t admitted to the Inner Court didn''t discourage him. He would improve, given time. While he went down, another Goblin standing a few feet from him formed one Mana step more. And even after reaching the twenty-fifth step, he didn''t show the least fatigue. He seemed to be able to go on easily. 25, 26, 27¡­ The Goblin went on untroubled. A cocky smile was hang on his face. "That''s one of the members of the Sect of the Worthy!" panted a student who had just descended its flight of steps, that came apart and disappeared in a bunch of Mana sparks. "He''s one of the latest recruits of the Sect! Look at him. He''s at the thirty-fifth step and doesn''t even look weary!" The Goblin on the staircase was still wearing an arrogant expression indeed, but secretly he started cold-sweating. The pressure over him was becoming tough. Luckily, the admission to the Inner Court was only a few steps away. To qualify as an Outer Court disciple, one must form from twenty up to forty steps, whereas a staircase from forty to seventy steps would have granted an admission to the Inner Court. Lastly, whoever would form from seventy-one steps onward was considered a freaking genius. Among them were the greatest geniuses in Orma, like Circe and Pseudonym, who took part in the Special Court indeed. Special Court disciples had fewer rules to follow and could benefit from many more resources than any other common student. After a great deal of trouble, the Goblin managed to create the forty-first step. After that, he figured he wouldn''t be able to accomplish more and backed down. Now that his goal was achieved, he didn''t need to risk damaging his Meridians. "Can''t wait to see if anyone of those filthy humans and company will pull off as much as I did," the Goblin sneered. He didn''t speak too loud, to avoid an explicit slur, but it was still loud enough to let those directly concerned hear him. Helial''s face remained neutral. No ripple warped his expression. Frankenstein and Lulu felt wounded in their pride and were seized by the urge to punch that Goblin instantly. Snowflake still had it in for Nelia and didn''t take notice of the insults made my that insignificant being. A few yards away, some Goblins from the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle and the Guild of Life and Death qualified as new Inner Court disciples. Crispius, Binius and Philopappus were looking at the Seniors who wrote down the scores on small boards. The year before, the best result achieved was sixty-two steps. And the year before that, no one had been admitted to the Special Court either. A disciple could be admitted to the Special Court even thanks to credits achieved through their studies, but true geniuses would qualify as Special Court disciples from the very start. Mana Control was an almost infallible indicator of one''s talent. Everyone was eager to see if Orma would finally find a genius in the caliber of Circe and Pseudonym ¨C or one a little more interested in the well-being of the population, hopefully. "Yawnnn," Circe covered her mouth with a hand as she yawned noisily. The hustle was boring her to death. Her mind ran back to the memory of her own test. Two years had gone by, but she still hadn''t swallowed that bitter pill. She clenched her fists. Her result would have been considered a semi-legendary feat, if Pseudonym hadn''t stepped in. That damned freak really went beyond any common sense. Her eyes surveyed the crowd keenly all over. Suddenly, she caught sight of Helial''s pale skin and dark hair. She immediately forgot about her past. Her eyes glowed with fire; the kid hadn''t yet taken his test though. His companions seemed as confident as he was. Circe had gathered a great deal of information about Helial''s little group. From her balcony, she scrutinized them from head to toe: two Goblins, his silvery-haired sister, and a cat¡­ Wait, where was the cat?! Just beside the Goblin from the Sect of the Worthy, who was about to step down, a long staircase appeared all of a sudden. Every living creature with a faint hint of good sense would have formed one step at a time in order not to consume too much energy. On the contrary, Snowflake once again appeared to lack any good sense, or either he was the genius Orma was waiting for. "Get the fuck out of my way, you sacks of crap," Snowflake cursed. He was still mad at the queen for the liberty she had taken with him. "That damned oldie. Just because she do-" Suddenly, Snowflake felt a chill down his spine and turned slightly. His eyes met those of the Queen, who was staring at his white fur. Nelia winked at him. Snowflake shuddered and shut up. In the meantime though, he had formed more than fifty steps almost effortlessly. He had been so swift that he caught even Crispius, Binius and Philopappus'' attention. They looked astonished. Every spectator was sure that all attention would have been drawn by Helial, but that cat had just gained an admission to the Inner Court without a blink of its eyes. And moreover, he didn''t seem about to stop. Snowflake went on, this time a little slower. Now he covered three steps with each leap. 60, 63, 66, 69¡­ Snowflake was now about to reach the seventy-first step as if that were a piece of cake. Helial was looking at him with the most beaming smile. He knew perfectly well that the Devil had been training that pig-headed cat, so he wasn''t surprised by the outstanding progress he had made. Helial wondered quite often who that black-fanged kid might be; he was too overpowered and his knowledge was unmatched. Though, he was becoming increasingly aware that, by asking himself those questions, he was seeking a very dangerous answer. Such a creature wouldn''t travel unnoticed through the universe. Most likely, someone was already looking for him. Or so Helial thought, at least. Since the Devil had lost his physical body and was exiled in a sword, and being him stronger than a common Immortal all the same, his real body must have been terrifying. Helial couldn''t help glancing inside his Soul, where the Devil was naturally laying the table as usual. He really couldn''t do anything else¡­ Helial''s attention was drawn back to the test. While Snowflake advanced over the seventy-first step before the astonished gazes of the crowd, Helial approached Nelia and said: "Do you know what score Circe and Pseudonym achieved, Your Grace?" Nelia smiled calmly at him, without withdrawing her enchanting deep eyes from Snowflake: "Circe formed ninety-one steps. Pseudonym¡­ he formed one hundred." Helial furrowed his eyebrows violently. "One hundred? Pseudonym set foot on the Shrine of the Black Phoenix?" Nelia nodded as she heaved a sigh: "That guy has way more talent that it shows. If he weren''t a lone wolf and didn''t live as a secluded, he would do so much for our Orma. And what''s more, he¡­" the queen interrupted mid-sentence, as if she preferred not to go on. Frankenstein and Lulu gaped at her words. After hearing about the results of the two best geniuses in Orma, they both started feeling little beads of cold sweat down their spine. Helial looked at them and understood their uneasiness. "Chill out, guys. You started mastering Mana way later than them. Especially you, Frankenstein. Your talent wouldn''t lose out to Circe''s, but she grew up in the most powerful guild in Orma, you lived as a pleb. She began to train at a tender age, you - less than ten days ago, basically. Now relax." Lumia was unusually silent. Helial found that she was profoundly different, that day. The girl hadn''t even coiled her arms around her brother yet¡­ Helial approached his little sister. He knelt down to look at her in the eyes, and was about to speak. But he didn''t. The astounding profoundness he glimpsed made him hesitate. Where did the innocence that had always characterized her go? Taking advantage of her brother''s moment of hesitation, Lumia caressed his face and said: "What''s up, brother?" Helial smiled. "Nervous?" He quickly recovered and tousled her silvery hair. His sister''s gaze had taken him aback. Lumia winked at him and said: "Wanna make a bet?" Helial stared blankly. "A bet?" Lumia nodded, her silvery hair glimmering like a cascade of stars as they waved back and forth elegantly. "The Queen said that Circe reached the ninety-first step¡­" Lumia leaned forward and grabbed his arm vigorously, wrong-footing an increasingly confused Helial. "If I win, I''ll get a kiss too," Lumia whispered in his ear. Helial started cold-sweating. What the hell did that monster do to my sister? Why do I feel more and more hard-pressed?! These damned women¡­ He forced a smile and tried to decline her offer: "Lumia, we''re brother and sister, and I¡­" Lumia''s eyes immediately won their innocence back as two big tears started welling up. "But, but, but you kissed Circe!" Lumia wept. The sight of his sister weeping left Helial helpless. Everyone was turning towards them, and whoever noticed the tears in Lumia''s eyes wondered how cruel that human must have been to make that innocent girl cry. Helial quickly backtracked: "Okay, let''s make this bet, just don''t cry, okay?!" Helial had accepted. After all, despite having his master as her trainer, Lumia had only had a one week training. She couldn''t likely have reached Circe''s level yet¡­ Lumia plunged her face into her brother''s shoulder knot and said: "Thank you, brother!" Malice filled her eyes as the corners of her lips curled up in an evil smile. Inside Helial''s Soul, the Devil stopped laying the table. His heart froze instantly as he said to himself: "Women are the worst disgrace in this world. A tiger disguised as a little child...!" Sudden roars shattered the calm of the hall. "I''M SORRY?! WHY IS NOBODY BEHOLDING THIS SUPREME CAT? WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU SHITTY BRAT, HUH? YOU BETTER WITNESS THIS EMPEROR''S ROYAL CLIMB!" Snowflake had formed the ninetieth step. He wasn''t advancing three steps at a time anymore; now every step required his fullest focus and a decent deal of time. As soon as he found out that the little group wasn''t paying attention to him, he erupted in a furious outburst. Helial gazed up at Snowflake, who had walked past the ninetieth step. It was an outstanding feat. The corners of his mouth being raised in a proud smile, Helial let his voice echo out inside his Soul. "Good job." "Me?" the Devil laughed. He had gone back to laying the table, of course. "It wasn''t me who did well. That cat is way more terrifying that you could tell." The black-fanged kid paused briefly and, his voice being almost impossible to hear, he added: "And you''re also more similar than you could tell." No one had gone past the ninetieth step, that day. The only two who was qualified as Special Court disciples had merely formed seventy-five and seventy-four steps. They were member of the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle and the Sect of the Worthy respectively. 91 92 Snowflake began to sweat. The pressure was increasing frighteningly. Mana was harder and harder to control. 93 94 Snowflake had almost reached his limit. Even though it let him touch unknown peaks of his knowledge of speed, his training with the Devil had only lasted a week. 95 Miraculously, Snowflake formed another step. And then he stopped. He was panting; due to the concentration he had needed, he couldn''t keep his eyes open. From the ninetieth onward, every step was at abysmal distance from the ones before. The gap that each step required was had wide as the distance between heaven and earth! Snowflake gazed down at his spectators and gave them a triumphant look. Every Goblin, including Seniors, were staring at him with their jaw dropped. Even Circe, who had kept calm up to that moment, couldn''t help cursing: "Where the fuck did that cat come from?!" Helial looked about himself in despair. Snowflake had drawn everyone''s attention. Once again. The Seniors began to discuss among themselves. The case of a cat taking part in the Special Court was rather unprecedented, but as long as he fought by their side willingly, they wouldn''t have nothing to object. Snowflake glanced at Helial and Lumia, who had stopped looking at him and were intent on chatting. "Now it''s your turn, shitheads! Can you pull this off, huh?" Helial raised his thumb and waved a hand. "Stay put and wait for us." 77 I donst yearn for the moon nor do I crave the stars Snowflake was sitting on the ninetieth step. He took advantage of the pressure exuded by the staircase to step forward on his Dao of Mana; as long as he was still under pressure, he could make further progress. Maybe he could even form another step or two before the test was over. He was almost sure. In the meantime, everyone was wondering what Snowflake was possibly up to over there. Crispius furrowed his brow: "Is the cat trying to advance even farther?" Binius stared at him, still shocked, and said: "Is it even possible to improve Mana Control just like that, on the fly?" No debates occurred that day; everyone''s attention was completely drawn by the new would-be freshmen. Snowflake, moreover, had terrified the entire crowd with his awe-inspiring performance. The whole hall was still dead silent. Not even Circe had proved able to display such masterful talent. It was the first time in history that more than a great genius showed up within very few years, and very few years had gone by since Pseudonym and Circe had done their heart-stopping performances. It would already have been a miracle if someone went past the eightieth step once every ten years. And now, within a handful of years, a new great anomaly was climbing its way up the steps leading to the Shrine of the Black Phoenix. "I have no idea," said Crispius, "Mana knowledge is no prerogative of mere mortals as we are. We live in a small dimension, you see. Maybe the greatest Clans in the universe are in hold of some real information, but we, as tiny ants, can claim no access to these kind of deep knowledge¡­" Binius nodded. He was well-aware that Orma, if compared to the vastness of the universe, was but a grain of sand that could be wiped out at any moment. While everybody was still busy mumbling about Snowflake''s deeds, their faces painted in awe, Helial turned towards Frankenstein and Lulu. "Do you wanna go next?" The two nodded and took a step forward. Frankenstein looked insanely focused. He stretched his hands out. His next move left everyone speechless. All around him appeared a flame, a watery globe, a small tornado and a sharp rock. They all began to revolve relentlessly, orbiting around him like planets around the sun. Frankenstein inhaled. He took a few first steps forward as he gathered all the focus he was capable of. "He''s trying to increase his control on the surrounding Mana by taking it over the power of his elements'' Mana," an utterly shocked Devil said to Helial, his voice resounding inside his head. "I didn''t come even to my mind, actually, but that technique makes a good way to reduce the disturbing effect of the Shrine of the Black Phoenix. He''s a damn mastermind, that Goblin." Helial kept quiet. He beamed at Frankenstein. Helial had basically saved that Goblin''s life, and now he was rewarded with what turned out to be a far more powerful companion than he thought. His eyes flew to Lulu, and his gaze turned sweeter. The greenish-skinned girl had already reached the fifteenth step. Helial had no idea how far she would get; all in all, he had resorted to a rough yet efficient method to temper her heart. Would she get by smoothly? It would appear so. After heaving a satisfied sigh, Helial nodded slightly and kept witnessing their tests. Frankenstein was a genius; Lulu had worked hard. After a few minutes, the spectators'' expression betrayed the wildest terror. The hall was pierced by a deadly silence. Not even the Seniors could utter a word. All gazes were set on Helial. After laying his hands illegitimately on a prominent position in the Orman society, that human had succeeded in creating from scratch a real group of talents - or rather, monsters. Snowflake, ninety-five steps. Frankenstein, eighty-two steps. The crowd stood dead silent in the quiet room. The Seniors'' shock led them to forget to announce the results. With his thumb raised, Helial showed Frankenstein his satisfaction. He had accomplished more than he could have imagined. The most upsetting accomplishment though was that of Lulu. She had started from scratch and was now reaching the forty-sixth step. She glanced down at the Goblin crowd under her feet, whose disbelief had left them aphasic. She was standing so high as she would have never imagined to be. Lulu had always been considered useless by her people, let alone the three Inner Court disciples who had regarded her as ground meat. And now Lulu had gained the title of Inner Court disciple herself. Helial gazed at her and smiled in tender satisfaction. "Am I next?" A sweet voice, slightly high-pitched, resounded out beside Helial. The boy gazed down and his eyes met Lumia''s, who was looking calmly at him. Helial could scarcely recognize his little sister in that completely different attitude. He nodded his head and said yes. She would go next. He planted a kiss on her forehead and whispered in her ear: "If you feel that your strength is failing you, just stop, no matter what. If you fall from that height you might get hurt." Lumia seemed to ignore his words and, with a malicious smile on her face, said: "Keep our bet in mind. If I beat Circe, you''ll owe me a kiss." Circe had formed ninety-one steps. If Lumia overcame the ninetieth-first step, Helial would be bound to kiss her. Helial didn''t doubt his sister''s abnegation in the least, but he did doubt that she could outdo Circe. Despite her not having reached the First Phase, Circe had indeed been training for years before taking her test, or so they told him. Lumia had only been training for a month, instead, and the Devil had become her teacher only a week before. How could her Mana Control possibly exceed that of the Witch? Lumia took a first step forward, and the first stair appeared under her feet. ¡­ two, three, four¡­ *** "Hey, you little one! You came back here? Does your sister know?" asked a boy with pitch-black hair and sharp features. "Shhh, don''t you dare tell her. I like to come here and play with big bro. Would you do again that trick when the world loses its colors?" Before the boy stood a fifteen years old girl whose outstanding beauty could have likely made empires collapse. Her silvery hair lay on her shoulders like falling stars, her red lips were in striking contrast with her pale, smooth jaded skin. "Hahahah, trick? Are you aware that your entire Clan is trying to kill me? I have no idea how you found me myself, actually," said the boy with pitch-black hair as he tousled the girl''s shining locks, then he added: "Tsukuyomi, I''ve already told you that you can''t come and play with me. You''re an Immortal of the Forces of Life, now, and you''re supposed to kill people like me. Didn''t you know I became a Devil?" "A Devil? So what? You wouldn''t hurt Tsukuyomi!" The boy shook his head helplessly. "How could I, little one?" Tsukuyomi jumped in his arms and said: "When are you marrying old sis, big bro?" Her question made sadness flash in the young boy''s eyes. It only lasted an instant though, and escaped little Tsukuyomi''s notice. After holding her tight, the boy made her land gently on the ground again: "I wish you could stay this cute forever, you know?" Tsukuyomi giggled, covering her mouth, and replied: "Tsukuyomi will be like this forever, then! Big bro is the only one who''s kind to Tsukuyomi." The boy suddenly seemed to be worried "You''re a Life Immortal. If your father saw me now, he would send for every ally your Clan has to get rid of me. What do you think you can do, alone?" "But without big bro, Tsukuyomi wouldn''t have anyone left!" Tsukuyomi frowned. "What do you mean? What did you do, little one?" asked the now suspicious boy. Little Tsukuyomi seemed to panic. She fell silent, her hands behind her back, and stared down at her feet. With her right toe, she starting drawing little circles on the ground. *** A week before the test "You''ll live your worst nightmare in any possible form..." a voice resounded out inside Lumia''s head. She had just materialized in a completely different place. She had a feeling that something was wrong though. She looked at her hands, trying to figure out what it might be, but¡­ instead of her tiny tapered fingers, she saw feathers! She wasn''t in her human form anymore; now she was a bird. She was a chaffinch that flew free in the sky under the warm rays of a golden sun. Lumia began to get a taste for soaring through the airstreams; she pirouetted, somersaulted and dived into the wind. Suddenly, she found another chaffinch to twirl around the airstreams with. They danced for days, performing in breathtaking choreographies. Their harmony seemed to evolve stunningly with each passing day. For how close they got though, they wouldn''t touch each other, as if they feared that by brushing one against the other they could shatter their idyllic illusion. Despite their not touching even slightly, however, every day they experienced the sweetest happiness. They lived immersed in a never-ending magic. Their chasing after one another gradually turned into a tender love. Now, running wouldn''t suffice anymore. Perched on a tree branch, the two chaffinches tried to get over their shyness. The slowly drew nearer and nearer, when suddenly a violent gust of wind announced that a hawk was coming. Before the two lovers could even realize what was happening, the raptor clawed at one of the chaffinches. It grabbed him in its fierce talons and left the other alone, unable to act, to fly, to reach the lofty distant cliff where the hawk eased down in his rapacious evilness. Lumia was still perched on the branch, alone. She stared powerless at the hawk as it devoured the chaffinch, who was still twittering one last cry for help. Lumia felt a pang of pain tear her apart while, in a flash of light, everything around her changed. This time she was a girl, an unwed mother. Lumia had all the woman''s memories wandering through her head. She had had a difficult life. She got pregnant when she was very young, and had to raise her baby alone. To give him all that he needed to grow up healthy, she had worked days and nights on end. They lived together in a small wooden house that she had built with the help of the villagers who lived in her same small town. It was in that small wooden house that she was presently sitting. The small wooden house at whose door someone suddenly knocked violently. The woman opened the door. Before her stood her son, covered in blood from head to toe. His arm was pressed against his stomach as a gush of blood erupted from his mouth. The blood gushed down on her legs and feet, as warm as relentless lava. Some swindler must have stabbed him on his way home to steal over his belongings. Lumia instinctively resorted to all the medical knowledge the woman had in her memories, but she could nothing to save the guy''s life. Her son''s life. Her heart got immediately clasped in the metallic grip of an excruciating pain. It ripped her apart and drove her to the edge of insanity. The chaffinch first, now her son. The two losses inflicted an unbearable pain, an unbearable pain that no being could experience in a single life. She felt lost, disoriented, defeated. As Lumia transmigrated from one body to another, in an endless cycle of pain and sufferings, only a few minutes had gone by in the outside. Lumia kept suffering. She kept facing her body''s weakness and her mind''s fragility. Her incapability of saving those she love. Lumia was weak. Helial had to face her same problem in his life, and the issue still obsessed him every single day. Helial though had found an answer; he would become so strong as to be able to crush out of the way anything that would step between him and those he cared for. But what about Lumia? Lumia gazed down at her small hands as she changed life for the umpteenth time. Pain was tempering her mind, letting her grow mature far quicker than any girl her same age. She felt a lump in her throat as she witnessed the umpteenth death of someone she loved. Would she end up like that, eventually? Would she witness the death of anyone she had ever loved until her very last day? Would her brother die before her eyes, just like the chaffinch, the son, and all the people she was presently meeting? Would Lumia remain forever too weak to change people''s destiny? Initially, Lumia had tried to oppose this fate in any possible way. After an initial hesitation, she had desperately tried to climb up the cliff and save the chaffinch, and she had struggled to come up with a rough cure to save her dying son. And yet, suddenly, perhaps in the grip of folly due to the pain that besieged her mind, she had an Epiphany. The chaffinch, the son? Lumia brought both scenes back to her mind, but rather than on those creatures, she focused on what was filling the sky. The sun was shining from up high in the sky, majestic, unmovable, invincible. The sun warmed up every living being and ruled unrivalled over everything. No one could dream of moving it. A chaffinch, a son? Lumia suddenly wound back up in the body of a chaffinch, like in her first imaginary life. She was flying with another chaffinch. He flew in the distance and looked at her, visibly in love. This time though, Lumia suddenly accelerated towards the sun. Chaffinch? Love isn''t a changeless experience. For how hard we strive to consider it unchanging, the subject and the object of love do vary continuously. Lumia was indeed powerless, but Helial was not. Her brother was nowhere near as weak as a chaffinch; he had nothing in common with a little boy who was stabbed to death. Her brother had turned the Goblin capital upside down, had wounded an Immortal before reaching the First Phase! Could he be considered a common person who was doomed to die? No way! Lumia knew perfectly well that she would never lose her brother. Someone might accuse her of being too naive, because her faith was blind and silly. But there was more to it. There was an entire world to it. Lumia had touched her brother''s strength personally; she had witnessed his invincible willpower. And the choice to believe in him was totally conscious. She hadn''t let her naivet¨¦ nor her inexperience cloud her judgement. Lumia had made her choice. Helial was her sun. Lumia flew higher and higher, until she was so close to the sun as to get burnt by its rays. Lumia would die, one day. Everything would die, one day. But this didn''t apply to Helial. Helial would stand by her side. And while her brother would titanically fight to protect everyone and everything, Lumia would go for something different.She could never go down the same path as her brother, because she would never be able to. This, however, didn''t mean that she would be able to do nothing. Lumia would live as a reflex of that fiercely burning sun, trying to never glance away and absorb his power until the day she died. Living in the light of someone else would have never allowed her to outdo them nor shine brighter. But who could possibly shine brighter than the sun? Who could ever outdo Helial? No one could, Lumia had no doubt! Boom! Boom! Boom! In her imaginary dimension, space began to collapse as a terrifying amount of Mana started flowing throughout her Meridians. As inevitably as it shone on everything existing, the sun would disappear at some time of the day, leaving the world in the dark. But it was then that another figure, as majestic as he was, would replace him The moon would be in charge to reflect the sunrays and shed that light on a darkened world. Then, at every dawn, the moon would step back. However, even though her only task was to reflect light, no creature would dare to diminish her. You discovered a Dao of Mana! Your Mana Control increases exponentially! A wide, translucent moon appeared behind Lumia. The Devil beheld the show with teary, wide-opened eyes. The kid stretched his hand out towards Lumia. A pang of melancholy dried his mouth and made his nose burn. "Tsukuyomi¡­" *** "Tsukuyomi chose to renounce to everything, big bro! Don''t look at me like that, big bro, I beg! It''s up to me. What''s the point in following dad and old sis if they don''t love Tsukuyomi? From now on, the only aim of Tsukuyomi''s life will be to make her big bro happy. Tsukuyomi only wants to live by her big bro''s side. Because you want to conquer the entire universe, you''ll be the King of Kings, and Tsukuyomi will serve as your princess. One day, old sis will get this too and you''ll make up, Tsukuyomi is sure." The girl twirled around and her splendid silvery hair waved in the air. "And then you''ll get married. Tsukuyomi will bring flowers and we''ll all live in peace! But until that day comes, I will fight by big bro''s side. Tsukuyomi has found a new Dao of Destructive Mana, and will always side with you. Tsukuyomi will destroy her body and her mind, in order to take the fullest taste of this life with you. This is my Dao of Mana, big bro, just accept it. Because this is a decision I will not take back." *** 78 Roar During the test 91, 92, 93 Lumia set foot on the ninety-third step without a single bead of sweat. She had formed her staircase with the most seraphic expression on her face. There was nothing she wouldn''t have done to gain a place by Helial''s side. Her life would have been a low price to pay, let alone becoming frighteningly strong. Helial''s pupil shrank violently as he saw her stop on the ninety-third step. "WOAH!" The students and teachers clustered on the ground, who had been speechless up to the moment, suddenly erupted in an ear-splitting roar. They started screaming and shouting. A ten-year-old, a human girl, had just bulldozed the Goblins from every generation. Now she was sitting up there, still, as she smiled strangely at Snowflake. "My goodness!" "Did you see that? No single bead of sweat!" "Then why did she stop?" "Could she go even farther?!" The shouts were drowning everything out. Helial though didn''t even notice. He was standing inside a cocoon-like bubble that muzzled all sounds. Only Helial and Lumia stood inside of it. Suddenly, Lumia turned and their eyes met. Helial felt a jolt of electricity through his body. What had just happened? Did his sister just break Circe''s record? Without a single bead of sweat? What the heck was happening there? Helial had learnt how Mana Control worked, but he definitely wouldn''t have without the Devil''s advice. It was all due to a Hidden Stat that was impossible to command freely. Despite everything, the Devil had revealed him all the principles needed to train it. It all depended on one''s Dao of Mana as well as on the level of the Epiphany that heart and mind would gain. How could his sister, who had never shown such talent before, have possibly reached that level in a week time? Helial knew perfectly well how much hard work was required to accomplish that feat. He had been helped by his natural talents as well as by his past. After all, he had lived a lot of adventures before arriving in Orma. Lumia had had several near-miss with death and she had obviously matured, but Helial couldn''t still come to terms with how his sister''s Control could have reached such levels! Snowflake appeared even more terrified; the girl didn''t show the least sign of fatigue, not even for a second. On the contrary, Lumia had just begun to chat casually with him, as though her result didn''t surprise her in the slightest. Lulu and Frankenstein blushed in embarrassment. A younger girl than them had just outdone them completely. Circe was about to cough up blood. How could possibly a little girl, far younger than she had been at the time of her test, outdo her results? Helial heard the Seniors whisper as they glanced at her in terror. "One still to go," said one of them. "Do you think he''ll try? He really doesn''t need to. He''s the King''s pupil, which gives him the right to be part of the Royal Academy anyway." "I can''t tell. If he doesn''t test this strength, how can we be sure he deserves his position?" "What?! He razed half Senate to the ground when someone doubted his power. That''s a monster!" "He would certainly outdo the cat and the girl, but reach the last step¡­? I don''t think he could. I mean, the last one who did that was Pseudonym." The Seniors started discussing. They were sure that Helial would outdo Snowflake and Lumia, since he was clearly the strongest of their group, but they didn''t think he could actually reach the top. Legends had it that Pseudonym had reached the top effortlessly, but very few people had witnessed him, so many still doubted whether that must be true or not. What monster could possibly reach the shrine effortlessly? Meanwhile, the King''s Divine Sense was plumbing the training ground. Crispius was silent. He had sensed the King''s presence, but he didn''t react. Caesar only wanted to witness his pupil''s test to see the outcome. It was legit; after all, the King didn''t show up very often at events like that one, and he might have conditioned the contestants'' mood. "Will you try?" a voice resounded out inside Helial''s mind. "What score do you think you would do, Shithead?" "Who knows?" Helial laughed. A moment later though, his expression turned gloomy. "Lumia¡­ why did she stop? She could have gone on, couldn''t she? What training did she follow? No one could reach that level without going through the worst of hells." No answer followed. The Devil was too busy laying the table and cooking dinner. Helial shook his head. That Devil was far too weird. While every gaze in the room was set on him, Helial approached Crispius, Binius and Philopappus. As he walked towards them, Helial heard the Devil''s voice again. "Climb up all of the steps. There''s someone in that shrine I want to talk to, and I want you guys to meet." A yawn followed, and then silence. Helial smiled and said to the three Seniors, with a bewildering calm: "I''d want to take this test too, even if I''m already the King''s pupil. May I?" Binius grumbled icily and turned the other way. He despised that arrogant human, but he couldn''t forbid him to take the test. It wouldn''t have made any sense, would it? For how much Binius despised humans, he was supposed to keep his posture as was advisable for a Major Senior of the Royal Academy. Crispius nodded with his head and didn''t say anything. He was overly curious to see what Helial would pull off. "Rumors has it that Pseudonym didn''t shed a bead a sweat. He formed one step after the other without slowing down his pace. Can you live up to his performance? Kyeheheheh," the Devil said. Helial''s gaze turned grew profound as the boy inspected the majestic shrine suspended over the hall. He wondered who this person the Devil wanted him to know might be. However, he knew there was no point in asking the Devil for thorough answers. Suddenly, Helial had an idea. Curse of the Demon flashed into existence in a black beam as it appeared in his right hand. With a smooth, swift motion he drove the Longsword into the ground just before him, and then sat down. Why would that silly human sit down instead of forming his Mana staircase?! The crowd stared at him with curiosity. They couldn''t get what he was hoping to do. Philopappus scratched his head: "What do you think he''s doing?" Despite him being an experienced warrior among the oldest in Orma, Crispius didn''t get it either. Frankenstein had taken advantage of his affinity for the elements to diminish the pressure exerted on him by the shrine. But what did Helial have in mind, now? Sitting cross-legged, Helial closed his eyes. Skill Activated: Death of the Desolate Universe Helial started to reflow his Breathing Technique and fell into a meditative state. His eyebrows trembled slightly as two shining spheres appeared in his hands. A milky sphere shone in his right hand, while a darker one, tending to a pale black, sparked in the other. The two spheres rose from his palms and started floating around him. In that very moment, Helial''s Aura blazed out and engulfed the room like raging waters. Helial began to swiftly flow his Mana through his body. After two rounds, he stretched both hands outwards. Helial touched the blade of Curse of the Demon with a finger. He let all his Mana rush inside the sword. The light-blue Mana sparks scattered across the room were dancing around his hands. They twirled around the boy''s wrist until they got absorbed by the blade and disappeared as if they had never existed. Helial must have discovered something about the hidden properties of the Longsword, and without the Devil noticing. Inside his Soul, the kid put on the table the fork he was holding. He smiled maliciously. He wiped away a fake tear from the corner of his eye with a napkin he should have placed on a plate after shaping it as a rose, just like he did with the other one. He didn''t believe that Shithead would discover the secret of that sword that soon. Then, he shrugged and, still smiling in surprise, satisfaction and fun, he cleared the table and started all over for the millionth time. In the meantime, a new silence full of tension had fallen on the hall. A roar shattered it. Boom! From the very spot where the Longsword lay, a huge whirlwind blasted. The soil was shattered in a rain of dust, guided by spontaneous currents generated from the sword itself. The Goblins had to cover their eyes not to get blinded. Given the power of the currents, some even feared for the hall itself. When the wind stopped blowing and the whirlwind disappeared just like it had come, the crowd gazed up simultaneously to check everything was alright. Fortunately, there was no serious damage. What they saw, however, left them shocked and terrified for one more time. Helial took the dust off this tunic with a few elegant moves of his hand, and stood up. He put Curse of the Demon back in his Inventory and gazed intently at what was in front of him. One hundred shining steps rose up before the boy. The corners of Helial''s mouth shaped a smile as he set forth... 79 The Black Phoenix Helial took his first step forward. Under the gaze of a shocked crowd, he set foot on the first stair of the one hundred that would take him to the Shrine of the Black Phoenix. Heedless of the upheaval he had just spread, he slowly began his climb. Tap Tap Tap Fwoosh Meanwhile, a black shadow appeared on a balcony overlooking the hall. His hoarse voice resounded from behind Circe''s back: "Not bad, that kid." Without even turning, Circe answered with a grumpy expression on her face: "Could you pull that off?" Pseudonym gazed up and his pitch-black armor clinked slightly. "Dunno¡­ At his age? Maybe. I''ve never wondered, actually. It wouldn''t be easy for sure." The champ of the Colosseum fell silent. Circe pretended to be looking at something in the distance, a mere excuse to catch sight of Pseudonym out of the corner of her eye. His black armor outlined a slim agile body that didn''t do justice to the terrifying strength of who lived inside it. "How long have you been wearing that armor?" Circe suddenly asked with a strange light flashing in her eyes. "Since long before arriving in Orma," said Pseudonym without taking his gaze off of Helial, who was already halfway through the climb. Pseudonym was indeed an enigmatic puzzling figure. No one in Orma had ever seen his face. Rumors had it that he had never taken his armor off since his arrival in the capital. He seemed to be appeared from nowhere. His results in the entrance test of the Royal Academy had turned him into a legendary hero overnight; he had been the first to reach the top in the past centuries. Everyone thought that a few more centuries had to pass before the arrival of a new hero. No one would have expected that a new monster would stand out among the freshmen of the Royal Academy that soon. In that very moment indeed Helial was creating a new legend. The entire community, who couldn''t withdrew they eyes from him, would honor that extraordinary event with great pomp and ceremony. Never in the history of Orma had two legends come out in the same period. Not even Caesar and Aure, despite being both Immortals, could boast the title of "legends"; when they were the same age as Pseudonym or Helial, they only had a third of their talent. And they both became Immortals, eventually. What terrifying future was ahead of Helial and Pseudonym? "Are you going to eliminate competition?" said Circe as a vague killing Aura exuded from her body. "Shut up," was Pseudonym''s straight answer. "We should all be provided with the same chances, the same wealth and the same resources. Judging by his character, Helial will only bring justice to this society. Hopefully. If he really is willing to sacrifice himself for the good of Orma, then the Goblin capital will come to an era of flourishing and prosperity we haven''t seen in a long time. Why should I want to eliminate him? These people are rotten to the bone. Mindset and costumes are corrupt. But things can change and, in order to change them, we''ll need someone from this generation who''s ready to represent a true ideal. And from my point of view, no one could embody this ideal better than him." Circe went silent and tried to guess Pseudonym''s expression under the armor, but in vain. Impatient, Circe''s eyes flew black to Helial. The armor''s words didn''t shake her in the slightest. Everyone always liked to speak, but Circe was one who thought that actions speak louder than words. Meanwhile, the crowd was still shocked at the kid''s creation. The staircase was an incredible feat, and very few people could come to terms with what they saw. Helial was advancing. He walked higher and higher with each step. A fifteen-year-old¡­ not only had he passed the test, he had also formed the entire lot of steps¡­ Outstanding! As he walked on, Helial reached the step where Lumia had stopped. He brushed his hand against her creamy cheek and said: "How did you do that?" Helial''s gaze betrayed a mixture of emotions where sternness complemented with worriedness. Lumia didn''t react as anyone being accused after such a breathtaking accomplishment would. She didn''t push his hand away, but held it and pressed it against her cheek instead. She closed her eyes. No answer followed. She couldn''t reveal to her brother what Dao of Mana had open folded before her. The choice to reflect the light of the brightest sun is one to be carried out quietly. Or so Lumia thought. The little girl didn''t say anything, she just enjoyed the contact to the fullest until Helial, slightly angry at her, warned her: "We''ll go into this later. Now I have to go." Helial glanced at the baffled Snowflake and then turned on Lumia, ready to set off for the last steps. An instant before taking the next step though, Lumia''s voice resounded from behind him: "Don''t forget you lost our bet." At these words, Helial tripped and risked smashing his face against one of the steps. He did forget about the bet! His sister had made him promise that Helial would owe her a kiss if she outdid Circe''s result in the test. Helial though had been so sure that the silvery-haired girl wouldn''t be able to achieve such a result that he hadn''t given the least weight to her words. He swallowed the lump in his throat and kept climbing up the stairs. He would take care of this later. What will I find up there? Helial let his voice echo out inside his Soul, but got no answer. He thought it best not to insist. The Devil had clearly no intention to reveal anything to him before time. He could not but go forth. After a few stairs, Helial reached the last one. Now he was a step away from the shrine. He stretched his leg out and, a moment later, the entire Mana staircase collapsed and dissolved in a million tiny fragments that flitted about like rose petals. Helial stood in front of an ancient-looking and majestic building. He had been suddenly beamed through to an underdimension like those where the Devil had trained his sister and friends. He looked about himself. He was in a vast hall, at the middle of which an enchanting black flame was burning inside a terribly tall brazier. "Boy." A luscious voice resounded out and made Helial''s heart shudder. "You''ve arrived as far as here, but I have to disappoint you. The legacy has already been taken. These vestiges are merely¡­" "Hush," a single word blew to pieces the reverential Aura spread stunningly by the voice. The Devil materialized in front of Helial. "Stay put and give me a sec," he said to the boy as with a wave of a hand he had them covered by an impregnable shroud of darkness. Then he opened up a gap and went out alone, leaving Helial enveloped in absolute darkness. After a moment the gap reclosed, without letting no beam of light in. "Jeanne." With another wave of his hand, the kid opened a tear in the space-time of that dimension. A woman fell down from the crack and landed on her knees. "You can''t get in touch with your main body, I''ve sealed the entire dimension." The woman rushed up on her feet, her narrowed eyes giving a death stare. Her generous curves could have likely destroy entire races and were emphasized by every fold of her close-fitting dress. She was wearing all black. Her raven hair framed a white-milk face with two pink plump lips. The woman surveyed keenly the figure before her and in a split second, her terrifying glare changed dramatically. In a few seconds, a wide range of emotions crossed her expression: killing spree, doubt, disbelief, bafflement, sadness, joy, pain. Finally, the Devil''s gaze sweetened. "Yeah, Jeanne, I''m still alive. More or less." A these words, that terribly stunning woman in black, who was no less than a shard of the Black Phoenix''s Soul, the ancestor of her race in the current universe, dematerialized and reappeared on her knees before him. She hugged the kid''s legs with all her might. "Master!" she moaned in a heart-breaking scream. "I''m here, Jeanne, I haven''t left you guys," the Devil said, "I''m here." The kid ran a hand through her hair and helped her stand up. Jeanne looked at his face and his childish features left her stupefied. What must have happened to her master? As she stared at him with quizzical eyes, a majestic figure appeared behind the kid. Two horns hanged from his forehead as two bat-wings spread imposingly, making it impossible to not recognize him. It seemed as though Jeanne''s gaze had cracked the space-time open to catch a glimpse of something that was long lost. "It''s you," Jeanne whispered, her eyes stinging, "it''s you¡­" "It''s me. How are the girls doing? Did someone die while I wasn''t here?" "No one, master." Jeanne blinked twice and went on talking. "During your absence, the Forces of Life didn''t dare attack. Since they lost¡­" Jeanne stopped immediately as she realized to have barely brought up a sore spot. "No one died. Your pupil, the girl, kept looking for you throughout the universe. I mean, your first pupil. She wiped out a couple of Clans of Life and left Qinguang half-dead." "Good." The Devil stopped briefly as he looked about himself. "I''m sorry, but I can''t let your main body know I''m still alive. Not yet. The universe isn''t ready for me to return, and will never be. And, as you''ve seen, I''ve not come alone." The Devil nodded in direction of the shroud of darkness behind his back. "Who''s that?", asked Jeanne, the Black Phoenix. "My very last pupil, probably. He''ll inherit the task to put an end to what I wasn''t able to end myself." A flash of astonishment flickered in the eyes of the Black Phoenix. "And why are you here?" "I stumbled on this shrine by chance, actually. And I stumbled on your heir also. He''s got a complete legacy," the Devil said with a strange expression on his face. "Indeed," the Black Phoenix nodded, "he needed power and that''s what I gave him. I even prevented him joining the Forces of Life. His heart showed a tendency towards Life, at first. His ideals are impressive, they vaguely remind me of¡­ hers. But all the Destruction in his heart isn''t weak either. I worked on this power to impede the birth of a new terrifying enemy. You''ve certainly witnessed his strength. I don''t think he would lose out to your pupil, since they both reached the same results here." "Indeed. But he didn''t have your Skills. Not the real ones, at least." "I haven''t left memories of my Skills, in this shard of my Soul. Just the legacy and the Breathing Technique," she sighed. "Well, I gave him all of your Skills," the Devil sneered as he pointed once again to the shroud of darkness. "All of them?!" "All of them," the kid said firmly. "Anything to object?" Jeanne thought of who she was standing in front of and decided she had not. "No, master. If this was your decision, it can''t be the wrong one." The Devil seemed deep in thought as he said: "I did make one wrong decision in my life, actually. And here''s the result," said the Devil as he pointed at his child-looking body, "but now¡­ the time has come for me to introduce someone to you." 80 An unbeaten road Somewhere at the universe''s far ends In the exact middle of a vast hall, a figure was levitating. She was cross-legged and her slender hands lay on her knees. A majestic inscrutable energy was revolving around her. She was a woman of bewildering beauty, whose narrow eyebrows and lips gave her an extremely elegant look. Her posture gave off the most mystique charm. Before her glided an exquisite bow finely worked. The white veining of the inlaid bow streaked a totally black frame. The bow''s Aura seemed to resonate with that of the woman, as if some tacit sentiment bound them together indissolubly like a resistant thread. Her calm contemplation was suddenly interrupted by a voice bursting in. "There was a fluctuation, Siche! I lost contact with one of my legacies." The voice belonged to an enchanting woman dressed in total black, the main body of the Black Phoenix. Despite her unheard of beauty, she couldn''t compare the magnificence of the other. "Could this mean that a big shot just destroyed it?" the woman in black added. "Wouldn''t be the first time they do something like that." Siche opened her eyes slowly. She unclosed a profoundly contemplative gaze. "Our master used this hall to train his pupils. Who would have ever dared burst in here so hurriedly, at that time?" "The master is long lost. Very few of us are still here to face his enemies. There''s no point in clinging to memories when much more urgent issues require our attention," Jeanne replied. Siche glared at her and scolded her again: "When out master returns, I will tell him personally about everyone who violated-" "Oh, please. Stop. I know how much you care about this place, and I''m sorry. I''m sorry, okay? But what are we supposed to do anyway?" said Jeanne as she rolled her eyes. Siche landed gently on her tiptoe, her purple dress flapping about. She took a deep breath. "Nothing, for now. We need to delve deeper before acting. If the Forces of Life have really tried to destroy our legacies, I''ll come and visit Qinguang personally." Jeanne became alarmed: "No, I didn''t mean we have to seek conflict! Don''t do like last time! We risked a war after you slaughtered all those disciples of theirs!" Siche shot her a disdainful glance. "Our master wouldn''t have allowed anyone to step over him. Last time I did, I lost what I care most about in the whole world." Siche lowered her gaze and looked at the bow, brushing it tenderly. "The day I am afraid of that bunch of idiots, I''ll stop following my master''s footsteps." Jeanne, on the brink of despair, pondered out loud: "I was the one leading riots, once. I used to consider myself as a fierce daredevil before I met you. But if you called yourself the second fiercest daredevil in the universe, who would claim the title of first?" Siche shook her head. "Let''s find out more, Jeanne. We''ll analyze the situation and wait for what comes next." *** Inside the Shrine of the Black Phoenix The shard of Jeanne''s Soul glanced behind the Devil''s shoulders, where a shroud of darkness was floating through air. According to what her master had said, that darkness enveloped his last and most important pupil. "What plans do you have for the boy, master?" Jeanne asked. The kid raised an eyebrow and gave a sigh: "No point in hiding this from you¡­ I will delete your memories anyway, even if I''ve already erased every connection with your main body. The great war left unresolved, my distress, my feud will come to an end with this new disciple. He will engage in the battle I have not been able to win. Who knows if Shithead will live up to his task¡­" Jeanne shot her eyes wide open, deeply moved by her master''s esteem for that boy. Judging by the burden he had placed on his shoulders, he must hold him in very high regard. The Black Phoenix glanced again at the shroud of darkness as she fell deep in thought. She kept silent, waiting for a more thorough explanation. She didn''t have to wait long. "If I''m here, Jeanne, it''s because that Shithead might benefit greatly from a meeting with you. He''s still unaware of the feuds devastating our universe, so there''s a couple of details you''d better omit. However¡­" The Devil told Jeanne about Helial''s Dao of Mana, about his choice to wield both Life and Destruction, and about the goals he had set himself. "Is it even possible to reach Immortality by following this path? Whoever tried it has failed miserably. We all know that your knowledge guides you either towards Life or Destruction, and you then begin to develop the principles of the one you''ve chosen. Our centuries-old experience though has taught us that you can''t cultivate them both, not at the same grade and in the same time." "Jeanne," the kid''s voice resounded imperiously, even more profound that what it should have been, "When, Jeanne, have I stepped on a beaten road? When has anyone among us ever chose a path already traveled by others? Look at you, look at Siche, look at any of us. Did you forget who you''re talking to?" An imposing titan had taken the place of the child and was now standing before Jeanne, or at least that''s what she felt like. He seemed ready to squeeze the entire universe with a single move of his hand. Jeanne nodded: "You''re right, master. You must forgive me." After a short hesitation, she said: "Take me to your pupil." With a wave of his hand, the Devil dissolved the darkness that had been locking up Helial. "Well, Shithead¡­" Helial couldn''t even look about himself. He was immediately astonished by an overly beautiful female figure who was scrutinizing him a few inches from his face. "Say hi to Jeanne, one of my disciples," the kid went on. "I was a very good teacher, so much that her knowledge on Black Flames has outdone mine." Helial stood still, without taking a step back. He could feel the woman''s warm breath upon his skin as she smiled warm-heartedly. "Nice to meet you, boy," said Jeanne as she tousled Helial''s hair. "Hierarchy suggests that I''m a step above you, but just call me Jeanne anyway. I hate formalities." Helial went straight: "Who are you?" A beaming smile spread over Jeanne''s face from ear to ear. "I''m a shard of the Aura of Jeanne, the Black Phoenix¡­" Jeanne started introducing herself, but Helial paid her little attention and gazed at his master instead. The Devil glanced back at him and slowly nodded. "Jeanne will teach you the principles of her Black Flame. If you grasp them, the power of Body of the Qilin will advance to a new level. It''s always useful to learn all the principles despite having chosen either Life or Destruction. But in your situation, I think it might be more than just "useful". It''s a nice path you''ve chosen. A path out of the ordinary will definitely bring things out of the ordinary." Jeanne swiftly stretched a hand towards the brazier inside the room; she wanted to waste as little time as possible. "Unfortunately, this shard has already given away its legacy, but my knowledge is still here." "But aren''t Black Flames weaker than White Flames? From what I''ve heard, White Flames contain the principles of both Life and Destruction, while Black Flames don''t. That''s why the Black ones are on a lower level," Helial said, puzzled. Jeanne put a finger on Helial''s forehead. ROAAAAAR! A vision seized Helial''s mind. He saw an enormous creature with white scales and two big horns. It looked like a dragon, yet had no wings. It only took Helial a few seconds to recognize him; that was Kirin! Kirin was engulfed by Origin of the Universe. Suddenly, a dark beam flashed and a terrifying flame hit the web of flames that were enveloping him. Incredible! That flame had just overwhelmed the defence of Origin of the Universe ¨C of Kirin''s flame, the most powerful one in the whole universe. But not only! It had also hit the hip of the Ancestral Creature, opening up a huge wound in his body! On one side, a huge black phoenix was sneering¡­ The vision suddenly stopped. A bunch of pitch-black characters appeared before Helial''s eyes. Hell Hell was the name of Jeanne''s Black Flame. "The destruction generated by my black flame is second to no flame of Life, because my Black Flame renounced to the greatest gift of my race; the ability to reborn. As long as a single particle of a phoenix''s body exists, a phoenix will always be able to reborn. No regenerative properties can compare those of a phoenix!" Jeanne proudly informed him. Qilins have the most terrifying physical strength, Dragons have the best natural control on Mana, Black Turtles have the most powerful defence, and Phoenixes have the most outstanding ability to regenerate! 81 The one I like the most, I guess Jeanne tilted her head slightly to one side, deep in thought. A Qilin''s flame. No ordinary flame for sure. Hell is the most destructive flame existing, but Origin of the Universe is by far the most catch-all. This kid has both a strong flame and my master as a guidance¡­ My master getting mixed up with the Forces of Life; I never thought this day would ever come. But sadly, I was wrong¡­ as usual. The Devil was glaring at her to hint that she was wasting his time, but the Black Phoenix paid no mind to him. It was only after several seconds that she broke her train of thought with a long, deep resigned sigh. "I''m merely the shard of a Soul, just like that Qilin you met. Maybe one day we''ll have the chance to meet face to face." Helial asked with curiosity: "How does the shard thing work?" At the kid''s question, a glimmer of enthusiasm flickered in Jeanne''s eyes. She could play the teacher for once, instead of being the one scolded by older disciples. Jeanne inhaled and started t- "Soul shards are but one part of the Blood Essence of a creature that paved the way of a new Dao of Mana," the Devil said as Jeanne was forced to shut up and nod quietly, "that is to say, of an Ancestral Creature. We call Ancestral all those creatures that form a new Dao of Mana and make it evolve up to the highest levels of Immortality. Then, they can hand their legacy to the most talented youths, who will therefore inherit their Blood Essence. A Blood Essence, however, forms a key part of an individual. It isn''t bottomless and takes a lot to regenerate. It''s no problem for an Ancestral Creature at its peak to give out a few legacies, no problem at all. But if it were to give away too many, it would end up weakened for a certain amount of time." Helial nodded slowly. He was used to his master''s detailed explanations. Then he turned towards Jeanne and asked her: "So does this mean you''re going to leave me part of your legacy?" Jeanne shook her head and smiled helplessly. "I already gave my whole legacy to someone else. My shard of Soul is still here because I still have some Mana Energy left, but it will dissolve in a matter of years. These are just the vestiges of what I used to be, and my strength isn''t the same anymore. Now my level could scarcely compare that of an Immortality newcomer." His eyes narrowed, Helial tried to analyze how strong the Devil must be to boss around like that with such a being, and define himself as her master. How terrifying could his original body possibly be? This question had been running through his head for a long time now. "You own the Flame of a Qilin," the Black Phoenix went on. "It surely can''t match the quality of Origin of the Universe, but you still have the legacy of the most powerful Qilin alive. Your body is no ordinary body. Even a Qilin would unlikely match your resilience and Physical Strength. Kirin seems to have been quite generous. Damned old bastard¡­" Jeanne''s colorful words made Helial raise an eyebrow. Judging by her frown, there must have been some bad blood between the two of them. "However, let''s cut to something a little more practical, my little one. Show me your flame," Jeanne said. Helial stretched his hand out and a milk-white flame rippled out on his palm. He began to swell it until it reached the size of a globe big four times as much as his head. Inside the flame were gleaming scattered black sparks. When she saw them, Jeanne was struck dumb. Destruction had tampered with Flame of the Qilin, somehow¡­ Wait, no! It hadn''t tampered with it! The black sparks were actually carrying a terrifying latent power that left Jeanne utterly shocked. The Black Phoenix grew serious and scrutinized Helial all over. The kid was far stronger than it seemed. He managed to let that Destruction power flow through Flame of the Qilin - a White Flame that embodied the Forces of Life - without no force being altered by the other. What a breathtaking Dao of Mana¡­ Jeanne and the master exchanged a quick look. He sneered in satisfaction. There was a reason why the master chose to bring him to the Shrine of the Black Phoenix; there was an inclination towards Destruction hidden inside that boy that needed to be awakened. And who could possibly awaken it better than Jeanne, who mastered Hell? "What flame would you prefer to maturate?" Jeanne asked enigmatically. The question left Helial startled. "Maturate? You mean like, develop?" Jeanne nodded, eager to hear his answer. "Uhm, the one I like the most I guess¡­?" Helial hadn''t felt so uncertain in ages. Jeanne''s expectation for the ambitious answer of that promising boy was miserably failed. She knitted her eyebrows in disappointment. The Devil brought thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose, trying to prevent Helial''s idiocy giving him a headache. "I must say I expected a slightly¡­ different answer," whispered Jeanne, trying to wipe away the hint of embarrassment that had appeared on Helial''s face. Then she stretched a hand out. She began to gather around her the black flames burning in the towering brazier in the middle of the hall. The flames in the brazier were completely black. They started to shoot out and revolve around the woman''s voluptuous body. "It will take a while to learn it all, but let''s start with this. By renouncing to what you care most about in the whole world, you will reach the highest peaks. Just like by renouncing to the greatest of my privileges, I let my flame increase tyrannically as no other flame ever did. Everything comes at a price. I''ve already refused the path of those who cling desperately to life just to keep their head down and their eyes downcast. Unlike my past race, that bunch of cowards, I chose to¡­" *** One week later Helial had been inside the Shrine the Black Phoenix for seven days now. No one had the least clue when he would come out. The King had had some attendants placed in the hall so as to be informed about any news or change. Caesar was overly curious to see what benefits the week inside the shrine would bring. What happened to Pseudonym has created a terrifying warrior. His damn armor that appeared out of nowhere forced us to acknowledge him as the greatest hero in Orma of his generation. But I don''t know whose potential is more terrifying, if Pseudonym''s or Helial''s. Circe is weaker than the both of them anyway. It clearly shows from their results in this test. In the past centuries, Pseudonym and Helial were the only ones who pulled that off. Even I wasn''t able to do that, in my day. Standing on his terrace, Caesar gazed up at the sky: "A shroud of mystery envelopes their future as well as their past. Who are these terrifying beings?" The King of Orma was pensive. His train of thought though was interrupted by the sudden coming of a servant. "Your Majesty! He came out!" Caesar immediately disappeared in midair, leaving the servant baffled. The next second, the King materialized inside the training hall, just in time to spot Helial climb down the Shrine of the Black Phoenix, descending with slow and steady steps the Mana staircase he had formed during the test. The boy looked exhausted. His clothes were worn-out. It could only mean that a tough training had made him tear up also the clothes inside Call of the Mermaid, his Interspace Ring. His clothing, however, wasn''t the only thing that had been tore up; his skin was covered in burns and his face was sooty. What did Caesar''s pupil go through? Why that appearance? And why did he spend a whole week inside the shrine, when it had only taken Pseudonym three days to come out? Was it possible that Helial actually gained the legacy?! At the thought of this possibility, Caesar went into raptures. If Helial had got that legacy too, then he would advance to a completely different level. He would reach a completely different dimension than his current one. Helial''s strength was already jaw-dropping. How much could he have improved once laid hands on the legacy? If Helial actually inherited everything, even Aure would be left powerless! The Sect of the Worthy would have never dared lay a finger on the heir of the legacy of the Black Phoenix, a huge resource for Orma''s survival! After all, how many Goblin warriors tried to put their hands on that legacy through the years? Everyone knew the answer! Helial had almost reached the last step when his strength failed him, his legs collapsed and he fell unconscious on the ground. Caesar took notice. With a wave of his hand, he unleashed an energy that sustained the boy and made him glide towards the King''s arms, ready to hold him up. With a solemn expression on his face, Caesar examined the boy''s body. Something had indeed changed. Even though the eye could catch no change, Helial was exuding a natural Aura of Destruction that suggested he had taken several steps forward on his Dao of Mana. Caesar raised an eyebrow. Many people were unaware of their Dao of Mana up to the Fifth Phase, let alone before the First one. Everything about that boy couldn''t but leave everyone speechless. His capabilities were exceptional, and he himself made an exception among exceptions. 82 Information Helial was twirling Curse of the Demon right in front of him. Every slash gave birth to wind blades that cut through the ground. Spheres Black Mana appeared from nowhere and dashed towards his as he engaged in what seemed an endless deadly dance. The Devil, meanwhile, was leisurely sitting under a beach umbrella. He was sipping the freshest orange juice in the hot morning weather. A fan of white feathers suspended in midair was moving back and forth to cool him down. The kid had gone for a new technique; he would perfect Helial''s fighting style by casting Mana bullets in his every opening. It was as if Helial had been put under a huge roller made of sandpaper. Every imperfect move was continuously polished as his movements became swifter and smoother. Also, he was training to fight left-handedly. This way he would learn how to best master the Longsword in every situation. The Devil nodded in satisfaction. With an imperceptible move of his right forefinger, he increased exponentially the training''s difficulty level. Dozens of spheres appeared all of a sudden. They dive-bombed Helial relentlessly. Helial slowly put his right hand on the sword and began to let all the Mana inside his Meridians flow throughout him. Fwoosh Boom He suddenly disappeared. He left an afterimage behind. Where he had stood until a second before there now was a web of cracks. Fwoosh Fwoosh Fwoosh Without activating any of his Skills, he unleashed Mana blades from the tip of the sword. He was using Mana as his only weapon; the most basic by-the-book attack possible. It was probably the first attack that was taught to every disciple in the Mana Congregation whose goal was to become a Mana Warrior. The black spheres were split open one after the other. They exploded sequentially. Helial escaped a number of near-misses by performing evasive maneuvers that pushed his body to the limits of physical strain. Boom! Boom! Boom! After every single sphere had blasted out, a new gigantic sphere darted from nowhere right toward Helial at breakneck speed. The Devil wanted the training to end with that last, lethal attack. Helial narrowed his eyes. He let Mana reflow inside his Meridians and then inside Curse of the Demon. He had indeed found out that by flowing Mana inside the sword, the latter cleansed it before reflowing it back with a purer essence and an amplified power. It was as though it both purified and invigorated Mana at once. It was a mechanism he had discovered just recently, and he was still trying to trace back the principles behind it. The Devil had seen him trying to grasp this mysterious process many times, yet withoutgiving him any answers. He was waiting for Helial to come up it the answer alone. Having someone feed him wouldn''t be of great use to his personal growth, would it? Once condensed all his strength inside his limbs, Helial slightly bent his knees, closed his eyes and focused on every fiber of his body. Skill Activated: Perception Lv: 14 Grade: Mind''s Eye Range: 12,000 yards Mana Control allows you to perceive the outside world with incredible clarity. You will be now able to distinguish other people''s unique Auras. From now on, any physical disguise people might use will not be able to fool you. Exp: 57 % Perception was now much more powerful than before. Helial was beginning to vaguely detect in which spot the density of something varied. According to their Mana agglomeration, every single thing appeared to have at least one natural weak point indeed. Once sensed a faint fluctuation near the vertical axis of the Black Mana sphere, he didn''t hesitate and heaved the sword in a devastating slash that generated a far sharper energy blade. After striking the blow, Helial turned slightly pale. He had clearly employed all his strength to deliver the attack. Fwoosh! The blow hit the sphere. After a few seconds of silence, the sphere was cut in half and blasted away. Clap Clap The Devil''s tiny hands applauded him in a thud that let out a dull echo through the training ground. "Not bad, not bad. Now we can finally go, the others are ready too. Time to level up, guys. Now, you all have reached the peak. You won''t be able to gather any more Mana at this point. The First Phase is waiting for you." When, after all the weeks spent waiting for those words, Helial finally heard them, he nodded in relief. Suddenly, while he was practicing on the training ground as usual, a servant came running. He stopped a few yards from Helial and said: "I''m here on behalf of the Merchant Guild, young master. Young master Caliban asked me to inform you he has something that might be of your interest." After speaking these words, the servant stood still and waited to be dismissed. Helial narrowed his eyes. Caliban? The young heir of the Merchant Guild? That guy had given Helial the best impression since second one. The geniality that went on between them could hardly go unnoticed. Helial could not but appreciate Caliban''s frankness in business affairs. The boy slightly nodded and said: "Thank you for coming. I''ll go and visit to the Merchant Guild right away." *** About half an hour later, Helial arrived at the Merchant Guild followed by Snowflake, Lumia and Lulu. Helial seized the opportunity to ask Snowflake and Lumia to get something useful for Lulu, since she might need it to start off the long journey that expected them outside Orma''s walls. He also suggested that Snowflake bought an Interspace Ring filled with food and the gear they would need to survive. Once arranged everything, Helial followed the servant of the Merchant Guild down a corridor. Helial was in need of some Equipment too, since he had nothing to wear anymore. He was still wearing the same clothes he had received on the day of his arrival. They were full of the patches Lumia had sewed up after his training with the Black Phoenix. Despite Caesar giving him free access to all his funds - which basically meant he could buy almost everything -, Helial only wanted to invest on highly valuable artifacts¡­ A sinister grin spread over Helial''s face. That was the day he would make the King broke. Helial reached the end of the corridor and stepped in a private room. It was clearly designed to receive the most prestigious guests, in order to keep them out of the racket that went on in the other floors. Some guests deserved a special treatment, and the lack of hustle was one of them. Who wouldn''t appreciate the gesture? Helial concluded that the members of the Merchant Guild must be very clever negotiators. Otherwise, they surely wouldn''t have reached that high position in a social class that required them to be patient and persuasive bargainers. As he stepped in the room, Helial saw a young guy with straight yet relaxed eyebrows. He was sitting on a chair nice and comfortable. As soon as he saw Helial enter the room, he stood up and welcomed his with the brightest smile: "We meet again, finally. I heard about your feats." Caliban laughed. He had naturally heard about the day when Helial had razed half Senate to the ground. Helial heaved a sigh, scratched his head and said: "I swear they forced me to." They burst into laughter. It was the first time Helial could interact with a peer and enjoy that kind of company. In his childhood, Helial had frequently felt the urge to talk to some peer. He had wanted a friend to hang out and occasionally vent with, but he had never got the chance to find one. Even though he had recently met Snowflake, Frankenstein and Lulu, the perils they had to face prevented them to turn their relationship into a true friendshi¨¨. They were all too tense, always immersed in training. They hardly had any conversation on something other than Skills, fighting or dangers from the outside world. Helial inhaled deeply. He was ready to enjoy these short moments of calm. Caliban offered him a tea and began chatting casually about Orma. Despite the conversation being easy, Caliban''s vast knowledge of the capital struck Helial. The roots of the Merchant Guild''s network of informants must run deep in Orma''s social structure. After a while there happened to be a pause, which Helial seized to grow a little more serious and ask: "Well, I guess chitchat isn''t the only reason why you sent for me." Caliban grew serious as well. He became as collected as would be expected of the young master of the Merchant Guild. "Well, I received some information. At first I believed it was just waste paper, but then I recalled the young human wandering around the Goblin capital who took interest in Runes. Runes have long been lost. It''s an unknown technique to us, but you can still stumble upon a few leftovers. The thing is, last week our recon squad found a Dungeon with First Phase monsters. According to their reports, the walls were covered in Runes. Once cleared the Dungeon, I think we might uncover something new about Runes. I have sent no squad yet though." "How come?" Helial asked curiously. A malicious smile spread across Caliban''s face: "I''ve heard that you and your friends have been training hard lately, but you still have to reach the First Phase. Knowing you, I guess that facing monsters below the First Phase it''s completely pointless. If you want to gain Experience and level up, there will be nothing better than First Phases Dungeon Bosses. This pure coincidence was incredible, so I saw it fitting to ask you to explore this Dungeon before telling anyone else. You might as well find something interesting in there." Helial raised an eyebrow. He was surprised by Caliban''s cunning. The young Goblin had indeed done him a huge favor. He was in his debt. With a calm smile on his face, he replied: "It''s perfect. As fate would have it it''s time for me to advance to the First Phase. I might have to bother you, since me and the whole group will definitely need the proper Equipment for our level. I don''t need anything for my current level, but we do need the best possible Equipment for once reached the First Phase. Feel free to put it on the King''s account." Caliban smiled conspiratorially. "If you put together a whole set of the best First Phase Equipment, you wouldn''t still match the price of a single piece of Sixth or Seventh Phase Equipment. Today''s the King''s lucky day. You''ll have everything arranged in a couple of hours. You just need to tell me what it is that you want, exactly." Helial started to list out all the requirements of the Equipment needed on the basis of each Class they would choose. He selected some items for everyone to increase Intelligence, and added some pieces with Strength and Vigor Bonuses for himself. After all, in the fight inside the Dungeon Helial would be at the forefront. Unlike Paladins, Heavy-Armored Warriors and other Defence Classes, Helial had never focused on Defence Skills, but his terrifying legacy and capabilities actually made him more than fitting to play that role. 83 On the road to the Dungeon Helial was leading the group through a forest. They had set out as soon as the King gave his permission. The Dungeon was located nearby Orma, but the King had decided to secretly send guards to keep an eye on his pupil and his extraordinary fellows anyway. The armed men kept watch on them in secret. They were at least in the Fifth or Sixth Phase. Someone thought that the King was acting overcautiously. These precautions, however, were but out of the ordinary; it was pretty normal that a promise like Helial was watched over in any possible way. Despite all the meticulously arranged preventive measures though, the guards would only step in if strictly necessary. Name: Dark Bear Gloves Type: Skin Protection Consumption 50/50 Level: 60 Damage: 2-5 Effect: Strength x1.02 (2%) +15 Vigor +15 Strength It surely was no trash, but these gloves he couldn''t yet wear didn''t draw Helial''s attention in the slightest. They were highly refined, made with the leather of wild animals from Orma''s surrounding areas. Helial would love to find at least one piece of Equipment with a name; a unique, unreproducible item. But the truth was, it was basically impossible to find any unique First Phase item. Curse of the Demon made the best example for an artifact with a name, but it made a special case too; all in all, it was but an overly ample container that was home to a far too terrifying Devil. Helial surely didn''t expect to put his hands on Equipment of that caliber, but in the past short months he had raised his standards and was more and more difficult to make happy. Intent on his usual routine, the Devil sneered as he saw Helial''s disappointed expression towards its brand-new Equipment. Shithead''s reaction was actually relatable, but the Devil could not help but find it hilarious. "Well, Shithead, I must inform you that putting hands on items with a name will never be easy. You''d better find some expert that forges armors and weapons. You might ask for a favor¡­ let''s say a great master blacksmith¡­ or, to keep humble, maybe just an Elementalist. Generally, Elementalists'' affinity with the elements makes them suitable blacksmiths too. And as fate would have it you have a pretty skilled Elementalist there. If Frankenstein acquired the secondary Affinity for metal and later for minerals, he might as well become a great blacksmith for all of you." The Devil never ceased to teach Helial his way around world. Even though he had sworn that he would never help him, no matter how mortal the risk was, he would still share with him every information he had without sparing a teaching. Helial had noticed the Devil''s efforts to help him deepen his knowledge. He was deeply grateful for it. Helial was beginning to think that even wiping out an entire race would make a fair price to be the pupil of that terrifying being. This though didn''t mean Helial would willingly wipe out a race just to reach that power. Or would he? As Helial asked himself about his ethical and moral limits, someone beside him saw it fitting to bring him back to a little more¡­ concrete situation. "WHEN THE FUCK ARE WE HAVING LUNCH?" the sudden roar almost made the whole group stumble and fall off. They had been travelling in silence, since it was early morning and no one really wished to draw the attention of wild beats before even arriving at the Dungeon. "Stop the shouting!" cried Lumia. "WHO''S SHOUTING?!" "YOU ARE!" "I AM?!" "YES, YOU ARE." Helial looked about himself to spot some sharp tree branch at one side of the trail. Maybe it would work to get his life over with. "We''ll reach the Dungeon entry first. It''s just a half day walk. Then we''ll eat something." Snowflake snorted: "We are moving so fucking slow. Why doesn''t any of you useless shits have a Movement Skill?" Helial stared blankly. The cat was right; he had no Movement Skill. But he couldn''t learn a random one either. Since his master hadn''t brought the matter up, it was probably too early for him to acquire it. When was last time Helial had put all his faith in someone''s advice? Without even his noticing, Helial''s trust in the Devil had become complete. Being his mind on to something else, Helial didn''t quite take notice of this. In a few hours he would enter a Dungeon that would allow him to analyze Runes in more detail and trace items that could let him use them better. This expedition would definitely make him deepen his knowledge about Runes usage. He wanted to go farther than the general notion told him by the Devil, hopefully to catch a glimpse of their very essence. Unlike Formations, that were created by employing Inscriptions or other items, Runes weren''t written down with blood and brushes, but with Mana itself. Runes were therefore more volatile than Formations, that were written with demoniac beasts'' blood instead. Runes only catalyzed Mana by employing Mana. This was also a weakness though; Runes'' Mana consumption was heavy. They weren''t so practical, especially during a fight. Maybe Helial could use them to amplify his Skills'' effects, but he was convinced that, by going deeper in this study, he might find some other hidden benefit. He studied the creased scroll he had found inside the Merchant Guild in depth. It showed a very peculiar fighting style used by a strong Class, Runic Warriors. A Runic Warrior employed his or her own Mana to lay down Runes all over his or her body. By doing this, Runic Warriors accumulated a great amount of Runes for the long run, so that they could use them when fighting. But then it all depended on the fight length. The longer the fight, the more a Runic Warrior would be at a disadvantage. Moreover, Runes could only increase certain Skills'' and blows'' power, since every Rune could always catalyze only one single attack. It was a highly specific weapon indeed. Up to this point, Helial had grasped it all. Still, he thought that by investigating and exploring the matter deeper, he would find out more. And the Dungeon might be the perfect place to search for that more. He glanced at Lumia, Frankenstein, Lulu and Snowflake. The Dungeon expecting them was quite a demanding one. Despite them being kind of out of the ordinary practitioners, Lulu and Lumia were still an unknown variable in fights. They never trained together and the thought of group practice had never crossed Helial''s mind. He had no clue on his companions'' true capabilities. He only knew he could rely on them, one way or the other. Helial shrugged and said: "When we reach the Dungeon, we''ll make up the best formation to gain Experience. I''ll be in the forefront along with Snowflake. What about you, Frankenstein?" Lulu and Lumia had Support Skills, so there was no need to ask them what position they preferred. Helial though had no idea on Frankenstein''s fighting style. Technically speaking, Elementalists were best suited for long-range attacks. "Melee-combat for me too," Frankenstein said. A fanatic smile hang on his face. He had been training hard. When the moment came for him to break free from his low social status, he would be ready. He wouldn''t stoop to be kept in the rearguard, so despite Elementalists usually attacked long-ranged, he had developed a new Skill that would let him perform well also in melee-combat. And it was the only Skill Frankenstein had acquired. The one, the good; the Goblin had indeed cultivated it with all his strength, perfecting its every aspect so deeply as to advance in both Level and Knowledge Grade. The Devil had given him the original idea, but then Frankenstein had refined it meticulously. As things stood, Frankenstein doubted that any other Goblin inside Orma''s walls had developed such an outstanding Skill as his was. Lumia, on the other hand, had focused on the Skills she already had. She didn''t join their conversation though. She kept quiet and squeezed her brother''s arm. Before their departure, the little girl had snagged him to collect the kiss she had won during her entrance test. Helial, however, had been quite reluctant. He wouldn''t take his word but¡­ hehe, Lumia would settle it down somehow. The eyes of the silvery-haired girl flashed with wickedness. Lulu, on the contrary, didn''t join their conversation because she was too afraid to. She must prove her worth. Like during the test, when she had showed everyone what she was capable of despite her lack of experience. She clenched her fists. She had trained her Heal Skills very hard, and she was now ready to Support her team with all of her might! Snowflake clenched his furry paws. He had trained his belly very hard to get to eat like five people at once, and he was now ready to eat their provisions away with all of his might! 84 Old Spectral Ruins Lumia was chatting with Lulu as they all approached the Dungeon entry. The young Goblin girl looked slightly frightened, while Lumia was getting familiar with her Skills. Being a Support Healer, Lulu hadn''t just a couple of Skills, but at least a dozen. Not only couldn''t she remember every Skill''s usage and function, but she was also afraid to use the ones with a longer Cast Time, that would likely be a burden to the entire group. Lulu was too insecure. Lumia wasn''t. Despite being a couple of years younger than her, Lumia looked older and more mature. The wildest confidence was carved in her emerald eyes. Her figure exuded an elegant grimness that gave off an awe-inspiring resolution. Before the test though, Lumia was different. Lulu had noticed too, even though she had never really got to know her before that day. Lulu pondered. After training with the Devil, Helial''s master, they had all changed drastically. However, no one seemed willing to speak too light-heartedly about what they had gone through. Lulu''s training had been tough, and Helial had risked a lot to help her, but he had always kept a way out just in case, even when he had risked being bled dry completely. After all, he couldn''t boast the defence of a Black Turtle or the natural generation of a Phoenix, but Body of the Qilin had nevertheless such regenerative properties as no other divine creature but the two mentioned above could compare. Lulu felt a shiver run down her spine. My training was terrible. If I had made a single mistake, Helial would have lost his life¡­ But they¡­ they have changed completely, as if something pushed them to the point of no return. Lulu was abstract-minded. She had lost Lumia''s train of thought, but took noticed when she stopped talking. Only then did she raise her head and catch sight of a towering mountain that rouse up just before them. On the front side was a thirty-feet-tall opening. You discovered a Dungeon! Name: Old Spectral Ruins Helial inspected the Dungeon entry, but there seemed to be nothing awry. He turned towards his friends with a serious expression on his face as he said: "Time to show me all of your Skills. We need to arrange our formation." Everyone gazed back at him with equal solemnity except for Snowflake, whose eyes sparkled with excitement at the thought he could showcase his new Movement Skill. Actually, the cat was still astonished by his terrifying Skill. After all, he could still compete with other Heavenly Star Tigers despite the¡­ well, despite that thing. Compete? What an euphemism! Snowflake swelled his chest proudly as he got lost deep in thought. That Skill was indeed far more powerful than any Movement Skill his Clan had ever known. Every Heavenly Star Tigers generation perfected the profound Skills that were handed down from one member to another. Thanks to this, Heavenly Star Tigers were well-known for their unparalleled speed. The Skill the Devil had showed him though was enough to make the Clan leader himself hide his face in shame! After everyone had showcased their techniques, Helial began to explain what tactic they would use once entered the Dungeon. Curse of the Demon flashed into existence in a dark beam. Helial clutched it in his right hand and let himself get burnt by the spontaneous combustion of the white flame enveloping it. Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin Flame of the Qilin had no cost. Helial could kept it activated without any restriction. It was a terrifying weapon indeed. A prolonged activation though would deplete his mental energies quite quickly, leaving him exhausted after a small amount of time. Helial turned and walked towards the Dungeon entry. The other four followed him. As they stepped inside, a notification popped-up in front of each one of them. Welcome into the Dungeon "Old Spectral Ruins"! Helial ignored the system pop-up. There were ruins all about them. There seemed to be no path to follow. It must be some sort of labyrinth. Probably it once was an underground city that had long been abandoned. From that moment on, it had bustled with monsters until it slowly became a Dungeon. Skill Activated: Perception Helial sensed the presence of several monsters inside the Dungeon. The city seemed to be arranged in three levels. One would find three floors when venturing down, Helial guessed. After the second level though, he couldn''t detect anything neatly. His Skills seemed to collide onto something. He plumbed that level deeply as he mentally mapped out every building and monster. He decided what path was the best to travel by. He looked for a solitary monster to begin with. Caliban told him that the Dungeon had already been ranged over, but only on the first level. The others were still unexplored. Helial knew that the first floor was inhabited by giant cursed cockroaches, while he expected the lower levels to be inhabited by the Un-Dead. Judging by the number of monster lurking about that floor and their respawn rate, advancing to the First Phase wouldn''t be much of a problem. (NdA: by respawn rate, video-gamers mean the speed rate by which a monster reappears.) Actually, reaching the First Phase was far easier that it seemed, at least as far as Exp was concerned. The difficult part was to increase strength in parallel to one''s Phase. They had waited for their capabilities to reach the peak before advancing to the First Phase. A Mana-based training could be compared to filling a glass with water. By levelling up from one Phase to another, the glass capacity grew bigger. It varied in proportion to the height of the previous Phase. Through Breathing Techniques, one could train their ability to "contain" more and more with each Phase. Despite the fact that very few people chose to stay in a Phase until they reached its peak, those who tried would definitely benefited from it. Helial and his friends had very solid grounds for common people. By levelling up and reaching the peak of every single Phase, their strength would increase exponentially. Despite the great geniuses of the capital - Circe, Pseudonym and Comodus -, basically nobody would train the way they did. Finally, after a long way and a great deal of turns that had everyone''s orientation lost but Helial''s, they stumbled on a three-feet-tall, sharp-toothed cockroach. Helial activated Perception once again. Skill Activated: Perception Giant Cursed Cockroach Health: 10,234/10,234 HP Now he could see the attributes of the weakest creatures. Presently, Perception only allowed him to examine someone''s number of HP, but one day, given practice, he would be able to find out a lot more about his opponents. As soon as it saw them, the cockroach dashed forward. Helial motioned Lumia to act. Lumia raised the spear she was holding and closed her eyes. Meanwhile, she activated her Mana, that rushed through her Meridians like a waterfall. Skill Activated: Titan Shield Lv: 4 Grade: White Knowledge Grade: Earth is Life Effects: Create a powerful shield made of the Mana you employ. Current Effects: 1000 Defence/100 MP Efficiency: 100% Sometimes protecting is better than attacking. Lumia formed a half moon that temporarily blocked the cockroach. Helial wanted her to go first in order to analyze the actual power of her two Skills. The cockroach''s shell hit against the rock-hard shield. Dooong! The cockroach bounced off the shield without cracking it in the least. The recoil left the cockroach stunned. After a few second though it tried again, this more violently, and cracked it open. Helial glanced at Frankenstein and said: "Your turn." Frankenstein took a step forward. He was ready to show off the result of his studies. Skill Activated: Lv: 6 Elements Command Grade: Light-blue Knowledge Grade: Physical Manifestation Damage: 8000-8600 Effects: It allows you to converge elemental energy in your Palms, whose pure energy contains the principles of the four elements. Cost: 200 Mana/sec Efficiency: 100% Who wields the power of handling the elements can choose whether to give birth or death. Frankenstein bounced up and threw two palms in quick succession. Helial watched carefully as the air flexed when the Goblin darted his arms out. A moment later, two imaginary palms appeared half a palm away from Frankenstein, each with four different flares. "He extracted the principles of each element and then made them resonate with his Mana, so as to amply every natural particle and make even the simplest palm full of energy. Well, this is to sum it up. The reasoning behind such a Skill is a million times more elaborate than this. The actual procedure to create something like that is way more complex than it sounds. Frankenstein is a damn genius, but more than talent he fights relying on his solid studies," Helial heard the Devil remark inside his Soul. The two palms hit the shell of the Giant Cursed Cockroach. His carapace was destroyed at the first blow. The second one shattered its head. The power carried by that attack was stunningly tyrannical. The only ones still left to take action were now Snowflake and Lulu. Helial, however, knew he could trust in them both. He had already witnessed what the cat was capable of, and he had trained Lulu personally. Even though she couldn''t claim to be the most talented Healer in Orma, the little Goblin girl had nevertheless worked hard and could now compare the ability of many famous geniuses. A strange smile spread across Helial''s face. Meanwhile, a bunch of monsters had gathered around them. After checking their whereabouts once again through Perception, Helial fixed his evil eyes on a ruined house beside him. "Ready, everyone?" he asked. "Ready for what?" they all answered. Helial raised Curse of the Demon. Under the gazes of his speechless friends, he slashed down and blew the house to pieces. BOOM! Suddenly, the horrific shrieks of the cockroaches spread all over. The noise boomed out throughout the level as dozens of monsters rushed towards them. "Ready for this," said Helial as he shrugged. 85 Finally From time to time, Helial glanced at the others to check they were doing okay. But he only got glared back. If it weren''t for his bright idea, now they wouldn''t be assaulted by hordes of murderous cockroaches from all directions. He slowly began to believe that his friends were venting their anger at him on the monsters they were so furiously slaughtering. Flashes of Mana flew all around them as dozens of cockroaches were dismembered relentlessly. Giant Cursed Cockroach lost 12,234 HP! Giant Cursed Cockroach lost 13,552 HP! Giant Cursed Cockroach lost 12,263 HP! Giant Cursed Cockroach lost 13,590 HP! Helial ignored all the Exp pop-ups as he kept killing monsters. Those damned cockroaches were bigger than dogs and their sharp teeth could likely bite a human being to pieces. Helial though was no common person; his body was basically indestructible and couldn''t be possibly injured even by opponents in the Second Phase. He continuously shook Curse of the Demon at the monsters. They were cut off like grass blades. Helial shook his head; those cockroaches were far too weak. They were far from posing a real threat. They must be just as strong as the wolves he had fought against in the Dungeon where he met Snowflake. Helial though had improved a lot meanwhile, and what used to pose a problem to him now it could no more. He was something other than the defenceless guy he used to be. Even though he hadn''t reached the First Phase, no one in his same level would ever be able to defeat him - of this he was sure. "MEEEEEEEEOW!" It wasn''t the first time Helial heard Snowflake cry that way; it was the same shriek he had let out inside the Wolves Dungeon. He shot a glance at the cat. He was slaughtering dozens of cockroaches at a time at daring speed. That damned cat was indeed so swift that Helial was induced to suspect that wasn''t even the highest speed he could reach. The Devil had done a good job with him, but it was Snowflake''s capabilities that had made him evolve drastically. According to what the Devil told Helial, Snowflake was no ordinary Heavenly Star Tiger. His past was an arcane, but Helial wouldn''t investigate. Each of them had their own secrets. It wouldn''t make any sense to force their way out before due time. All of a sudden, Lumia''s voice resounded out. "Heli, watch out!" Helial felt the earth quake under his feet as he turned towards his sister and took notice of four cockroaches thrown in mid-air. With the smoothest move, Helial split the four of them open. Curse of the Demon now weighted over 6000 pounds and most likely, even a practitioner in the Second Phase wouldn''t recover easily after being hit by that sword. Meanwhile, Lumia kept defending herself against the cockroaches. Beside Titan''s Shield, Lumia had acquired a new Skill that would allow her to alter the ground any way she wanted. Skill Activated: Divine Gravitational Field Lumia planted the staff into the soil and formed a pointed rock. It immediately thrusted a cockroach that had been alarmingly sneaking towards her. That girl appeared to possess a frightening amount of Mana. Maybe it wouldn''t compare that of Helial, but a Manipulation Skill that took such control over the soil was either a high grade Skill or would likelier require a great deal of Mana. Helial felt the urge to ask his sister about this transformation, but he had a feeling he couldn''t just approach her the way he had always done. Despite the fact that she often acted like the same sweet, innocent little girl as always, her gaze betrayed that there was more to her. Lumia''s gaze was now stunningly similar to that of Helial; from time to time, a shadow flickered in her irises, a shadow that hinted that¡­ she had suffered profound wounds, somehow. All in all though, that transformation was no damage. Helial knew perfectly well that in a world where the strong suppress the weak, a girl needed to temper herself. Even though¡­ A flash of light engulfed Frankenstein. It was emitted by the staff held by Lulu. The little Goblin girl activated a Buff Skill that would help her teammates recover Mana far quicker. Their ability to restore Mana had also increased thanks to the Devil, who had taught them, beside others, the most basic Skill possible, Communion with Mana. Along the first levels, it helped restoring Mana quicker, but later on it could be developed even farther or be replaced by another Skill that would amplify its effects. The Devil had taught that Skill to each one of them, trying to point out how difficult it was to lead Mana in the most functional way inside Meridians. Helial realized that up to that moment, he had considered himself pretty good at creating Skills from scratch, but once understood the difficulty in commanding Mana through Meridians, he had thought it better to stop being an arrogant. Real Mana Control, the outside-inside control throughout Meridians, was still too challenging a task for him. He could only brush against the real understanding of that knowledge, in the hope he would learn how to absorb it given time. Helial twirled around and another cockroaches fell dead. In front of him, in the distance, he spotted Lulu as she hit one monster after another by employing her Buffs. Suddenly, a cockroach walked away from the horde to rush right towards her. She was unable to react. Before Helial could even move though, Frankenstein threw a long-ranged palm and without the least hesitation, he smashed it to pieces. Then he went back to fighting against the horde that surrounded him. "Thank you!" said Lulu in a shivery voice. Frankenstein smiled a smile she couldn''t catch sight of. Frankenstein was doing well. Unlike Helial and Snowflake though, he had suffered several injuries ¨C minor ones, fortunately. He was moving maniacally, as usual; he bent down in the weirdest poses and dodged the blows by twisting his body unnaturally. He let the monsters strike blows that brushed against his nose just to strike his terrifying energy palms in return. Frankenstein''s level had improved greatly in the shortest amount of time. He couldn''t compare yet with the two humans and the cat, but after all he had started from the lowest step, just like Lulu. At last, the group cleared the area. Helial began to pick up the dropped items, but threw them away after a few seconds. You found Cockroach Leg! Effects: It helps crafting weapons and armors. Description: it once belonged to a lively cockroach. He found nothing valuable. Then he started rummaging through the ruined house; hopefully, he would stumble on some hidden treasure. But he got disappointed. All items ¨C from weapons and armors to necklaces and bracelets ¨C were basically unusable. Time had left its mark on them. Being common items, they couldn''t resist the inexorable passage of time. "What level are you now?" asked Helial as he looked at the bright 52 inside his Stats window. "42," Lumia said. "51," Snowflake said. Frankenstein and Lulu had made significant progress too, since they reached level 34 and 38 respectively. The experience gained by a group was divided into its members according to their contribution, an then added to their previous points. During the battle, those three monsters had clearly helped more than Frankenstein and Lulu. Maybe me and Frankenstein only weight them down, Lulu thought sadly to herself. Without us, they could clear this Dungeon all the same¡­ After a moment though, her eyes flashed with resolution. Helial had taught her a tough lesson; one could only survive relying on their strength. It didn''t matter whether she was weak or not. She couldn''t afford to think like a weak one anyway, or she would deprive herself of any chance to become stronger. Helial activated Perception and probed out the surrounding area to plan what to do next. "Let''s go," he said peremptory. They needed to acquire more strength. After they realized how insignificant they were in Orma, this grew more urgent with each passing day. For how outstanding Helial''s capabilities were in theory, everyone from the Fourth Phase on could kill him almost effortlessly. He could maybe escape from the grip of a not so terrifying opponent in the Third Phase, but if he were to fight against Circe or Pseudonym, Helial wasn''t sure he could even hide away from them. They went on clearing the undergrounds, until a flurry of pop-ups boomed out all around them. Congrats! You advanced to the First Phase! Check your Stat window and scroll through the new Classes unblocked. You can now acquire Masteries! (NdA: "Sword Mastery" or "Spear Mastery" are a particular kind of Skill that points one''s capabilities of wielding a weapon.) They had finally reached the First Phase. Helial looked at his hands as he levelled up to Level 61, the one that marked he had advanced to the First Phase. He felt a new power envelop his Meridians and remold his flesh. Black blood started gushing out of his every pore, eliminating any impurity inside his body. The same went on for each of them. Once the process came to an end, they wound up covered in a gunky mug. They did their best to wash it away and then checked out their Stats window to witness what they had just gained access to. Helial tried to spot the differences too. He began by examining his body. Mana seemed to reflow far more naturally than before, but apart from this he didn''t seem to have undergone any extraordinary change. Helial had deluded himself into thinking he would improve in leaps and bounds once reached this Phase. His eyes betrayed all his disappointment for the tiny changed he could sense. He had expected to gain much more power than that. The Devil sensed his bad mood and decided to remark something: "Generally, the very change you undergo when reaching the First Phase is basically in Skills. Before the First Phase, you can''t acquire really powerful nor Class-related Skills, just like you can''t learn Masteries. This means that the upgrade you experience once in the First Phase is boundless, but just as far as these two things are concerned." Helial shot a glance inside his Soul and noticed that the kid had upholstered the chairs in silk. He was now placing the new-covered-chairs all around the table. "You completely exceed this planet''s standards. You guys are unparalleled here. Most likely, no one in your same Phase could compare your power. On this planet, at least. You won''t see any great change for now, because you already have pretty powerful Skills and solid grounds. But you''re now able to command the Sword Mastery. You can acquire it just by fighting in this Dungeon. The same goes for Snowflake and Frankenstein with the Melee-combat Mastery, as well as the Staff Mastery for Lulu and Lumia." 86 Picking a Class Available Classes: Elementalist Enchanter Wizard ¡­ Frankenstein opened his Stats window and scrolled through the Classes whose standards he fulfilled. Without too much thinking, he picked the Elementalist Class. After choosing, a ray of white light enveloped his body and slowly changed it. New Class, Elementalist! Effects: Spells linked to Elements you have an Affinity for casting 300% faster. Spells linked to Elements you have an Affinity for inflicting 200% more Damage. Frankenstein was reading with sparkling eyes. "So cool!" Becoming an Elementalist multiplied his abilities. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye he saw a cockroach walking by his side. Uh! My lucky day! He instantly used his Skill. He threw an Elemental energy palm. His Skill was now imbued with a new energy, that made it less transparent and quite more¡­ real! It was twice the original size! The benefits he harvested were crystal-clear for everyone to see. Frankenstein was now three times as strong as before. The team potential just skyrocketed to the stars. Lulu picked the Healer Class so as to be able to provide support for her team. Lumia and Snowflake were not speaking much; they kept their choice to themselves. Unlike Lumia though, he cat could not be quiet for long. It looked like this time, Snowflake just won the lottery. Apart from those Classes available to everyone, there were Secret Classes, Special Classes and Unique Classes. The Secret Ones were those you could unlock only by fulfilling the highest standards and stepping down a peculiar path. The Special Classes were quite similar but for one detail.If there was no written and pre-made method to obtain Secret Classes, there was one for Special Classes indeed; you needed to complete a Quest. Unique Classes¡­ Well, they were almost unconceivable. These Classes were out of reach for most people. Only the strongest could dream about them, let alone get one. Why? Because, as the name suggests, they were unique. There were no doubles in the entire universe. How many Elementalists, Mana Warriors, Ninjas, Assassins were there in the universe? Too many to number. But Unique Classes? They were the rarest ones existing. Each one was tailor-suited for its user. Nobody could get a Unique Class whose user was still alive. Kirin had gained access to the Lord of Qilins Class only after renouncing to his draconic vestiges. A Class created in parallel to the birth of a new race could only belong to its ancestor. That Class was indeed forged to fit him and was therefore immensely more powerful than any common, Secret or Special Class. A Unique Class could only belong to the unrivalled lords of the universe, whose existence was neatly superior to anyone else''s. Only the grandest powerhouses in the universe did own a such a Class. Who amongst Helial, Snowflake, Lulu, Lumia and Frankenstein deserved to obtain a Unique Class? They had just reached the First Phase, so there was no glimmer of hope to gain such a Class, not even by a stroke of luck. However, they all fantasized about the day they would gain one. All of them but Helial, who was scrolling through the Classes listed out in his Stats Window. Available Classes: Runic Warrior (Secret Class) Runic Master (Secret Class) Runic Swordsman (Secret Class) ¡­ Even if the list contained mostly Secret Classes available to Runes students, Helial''s face was painted with dissatisfaction. Helial knew perfectly well how good those Classes were as well as he was aware that by choosing one, he would likely bring a long-forgotten Class back to life on that planet. And then, one day, he could even choose to pick another one. None of those Classes sufficed him though. All in all, he had always laid hands on super elite stuff. Weren''t his Skills and Legacy powerful enough to belong to an unrivalled monarch of the universe? How could he be satisfied with such a regular Class? Without his noticing, Helial had left any arrogance behind all his life. He had renounced to any possible claim to cling desperately to each gleam of hope of becoming stronger instead. But still, despite his miserable existence, the virtues of a King had dwelled his body and soul. Now that he had grown stronger, his hidden regality had finally begun to emerge. Helial clenched his fists, furious at his own not being able to unblock a Unique Class. He angrily punched at a ruined house on his left, blowing it in pieces. Kyeheheheheh. A wicked smile spread across the Devil''s face. Did he really think he could unblock a Unique Class? Sounds like arrogance, kyeheheheh. Well, it''s not like a bit of arrogance hurts, anyway. Not necessarily. At this stage of his growth, he could possibly break down his mental barriers only if possessing the arrogance of a tyrant. This attitude is key to reach high. Or to fall down, who knows. We''ll see. Helial closed the Stats window, visibly disappointed. Nobody dared speak; it was the first time they saw Helial nervous. Lumia was the only one who dared to approach him. Like a tiny cat, she rubbed her silver-framed face on Helial''s sleeve as she tenderly bit his hand. Helial looked at his sister and his usual calm smile beamed back on his face: "We cleared this level. It''s time to venture down. There''s a flight of stairs over there. Un-Dead are next." He straightened his clothes up and then turned towards Lulu to inform her how to best fight against those opponents: "Your Heals can really damage an Un-Dead greatly. The Un-Dead were born from the most corrupt part of Destruction. They won''t be able to resist the damage of your Skills, that literally draw their power from Life." It was renown that Healers drew their power from Mana of Life. Even though Classes mainly served either Life or Destruction depending on the user''s choice, some of them were still tightly linked to either one Force or the other. Necromancers was indeed a typical Destruction Class, whereas Healers clearly belonged to the Forces of Life. Lulu nodded with resolution. "We''d better take a few hours to rest down before exploring the next level," Lumia suggested. Everyone agreed. The battle had been exhausting, and a an intensive research of items had followed. Also, they knew that by advancing through the Dungeon, difficulty will reach utmost levels. They even considered the possibility of spending the night inside the Dungeon. The idea didn''t seem to upset them, except for Lulu, who was anything but thrilled at the idea of staying the night in a literally spectral scenery. After replenishing their energies, they finally walked towards the staircase that would lead them all the way down to the second floor. Here, the scenery wasn''t merely spectral and abandoned; dead plants covered what used to be towering buildings and hanged from the walls smelling like death. Wherever they laid their eyes on, the only thing they would see was but bones and marks of previous fighting. That place seemed to have hosted a war in time out of mind. Roads were scattered with helmets, shields and a number of armor pieces eaten up by rust. Time had oxidized them just like war had covered them in dents. Snowflake approached Helial and said: "Well, filthy brat, what do you even know about this shitplace you dragged us into? This Supreme Cat''s instinct suggests that this Dungeon isn''t simple as it seems." Helial gently nodded, his eyes fixed somewhere in the distance. "The Un-Dead are low-level warriors. But I''ve started to believe they''re not the only Zombies in here. There must be more. Special Zombies maybe, the Cursed type." The news seemed to shock Snowflake. Cursed Monsters were indeed far more dangerous than the common Un-Dead. They were still classified as Un-Dead, but their power couldn''t really compare. "You''re telling me we risk stumbling on those Cursed ones down here?" asked Snowflake as he curled his whiskers. "Let''s say we may," said Helial as he shrugged. Even though the Un-Dead were quite disquieting e opponents, so much so were Helial and Snowflake. Now that they had all reached the First Phase, it wouldn''t be much of a problem to fight against a bunch of Un-Dead in their same Phase. Also, everyone in the group had picked a Class, except for Helial, and they had already undergone significant changes. They went on walking at a slow pace as Helial probed out the surrounding areas through Perception. Some weird force interfered with his senses preventing him from detecting anything clearly. Now and then, clouds of sulphur gas rouse up from the ground and caused a chill to run down their spines. At first glance, this Dungeon seemed far more difficult than one could imagine. The Devil gave a sigh as he placed some duck-patterned napkins on the table. "A bunch of idiots. A-bunch-of-idiots. That would be a first-tier formation even amongst a Clan of Immortals¡­" He didn''t say anything else as he kept shaking his head helplessly. He wouldn''t dare shatter the intense idiocy reigning over that Dungeon. What would a dragon wandering warily among sheep look like? The Devil knew the answer. Suddenly, a thick mist began to rise up from nowhere to envelop them in a mysterious shroud of fog... 87 Formation An uncanny whitish mist suddenly enveloped them. Their footsteps turned heavier. They looked about themselves, trying to figure out what was happening, but their sight was completely blurred. They grew short of breath. "I can''t see," Lulu moaned, frightened. Lumia stretched out an arm through the mist and reached for her hand. When she grabbed it, she felt the little Goblin''s fingers gently close around hers. Helial was trying to catch sight of something through Perception, when suddenly he recalled something that hit him like a bolt out of the blue. "Watch out! It''s a Formation!" he cried. He immediately turned towards his companions. He made out Lumia through the fog and tried to reach for her tunic, but as soon as his fingers brushed against it, Helial saw the silhouette dematerialize as if she had never been there. Helial''s eyes shot open. He began to look carefully about himself, but all his friends slowly disappeared one after another one second before he could reach them. A system notification popped out before him. You fell into the Formation Breath of the Lifeless Dragon! It was a Formation that generated a dense, powerful hallucination-inducing fog by employing the negative energy of disgruntled souls and putrefying bodies. The only way out was through its remains. Helial knew a great deal of information about the matter; he had spent tons of hours inside the library of the Royal Academy studying every kind of Formation existing. The Royal Library couldn''t boast as precious a collection of books as that of the great Clans in the continent, whose members were mainly Immortals, nor that of the boundless libraries of the most powerful Clans in the universe. However, despite being quite a second-tier library, Orma could offer a considerable vast range of knowledge. Helial looked about himself once again. Dozens of Un-Dead were surrounding him; Zombies, Ghouls and other kinds of low-level Un-Dead were approaching him threateningly. Un-Dead represented the weakest, most impure and inane part of Destruction. The real exponents of Destruction did despise these worthless creatures and wouldn''t miss a chance to blow them into pieces. Amongst the lowest creatures though, their physical resistance actually made them dangerous opponents. They could indeed fight without depleting their stamina, which enabled them to stand back up until their body got ripped apart entirely. The Formation they stepped into was a low-level one. So low-level that Helial could easily see through that Illusion; those monsters were actually hallucinations generated by the Auras of that Dungeon dark inhabitants'' putrefying bodies. Helial inhaled deeply. He tried to keep his cool despite no one of his friends being there. He grew worried about Lumia as well as bout the others; he wasn''t sure they could get free of the Formation alone. He exhaled. It was no simple situation. After all though, they were no simple people either. Helial spread his arms out as he converged his mental energy towards his palms. He closed his eyes, ignoring the bloodcurdling creatures that were getting closer. A Formation like that - one made of Illusions - would be enough to knock out any First Phase practitioner. Breaking free of a Formation whose level matched your Phase was no piece of cake. For example, a Fifth Phase practitioner would have a hard time finding a way out of a Fifth Phase Formation. There was indeed a precise tactic to get out of such a Formation. However, Helial wouldn''t seem to be looking for that. Even though he and his friends had just now reached the First Phase, their strength could totally compare that of anyone in the Second Phase. Nothing suggested that we were ordinary people. That was why Helial thought it best to get rid of the Illusion through his mere brute force. His palms flared up. Terrifying white flames engulfed his hands. Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin Helial inhaled a great deal of air before compressing the flame to the full. It condensed it in two little spheres above his palms, that slowly began to move towards his feet, to the ground. He leaned forward, bending his knees slightly. Beads of sweat crowned his forehead. Pa Pa The shiny drops of sweat began to drip to the ground. That seemingly banal movement was consuming his energy at incredible speed. After a while, his palms touched the ground. For a few seconds nothing happened. The air stood still as though the world had gone into stasis. Suddenly, Helial''s lips moved: "HE!" A flaming tsunami blazed out from his palms. It engulfed the ground and hastily swallowed up all the Illusions surrounding Helial. The flames rushed through the soil for dozens of meters as the air erupted with explosions. Boom! Boom! Boom! Air rippled out around Helial. The fabric of space and time unraveled. He seemed to be surrounded by a thin layer of glass that was about to shatter. Helial spotted the weak point of the Formation. After all his studies inside the Royal Library, that was no difficult task for him. But why waste mental energy when he could just rely on brute force instead? Wouldn''t it be better to climb over a low fence instead of walking all along for miles looking for an opening? Helial waved his hands and joined his palms in a clap. He got rid of the last white sparks. Space seemed to be burning all around him, as though the flames had burnt up the fabric of space and time itself. After a while, the Illusion began to dissolve, and so did the monsters. Only the real Un-Dead were left, with real bodies and posing real threats to whoever would be unfortunate enough to step inside the Formation. Helial took a step forward. Finally, he made out the figures of his friends. They looked quite confused. One second before, they were surrounded by hordes of Un-Dead either attacking them or running from them, and next thing they knew, everything rippled out and exploded away. The fog had magically dissolved. The number of Un-Dead had diminished. Then, their friends had reappeared around them. They were together again. Out of the corner of his eyes, Helial noticed a dozen of Zombies. Cursed Putrescent Dead Body Health: 16,234/16,234 HP Class: Zombie, Un-Dead "We need to be more careful. Pay more attention to what surrounds you," said the guy as he approached the bunch of Zombies. He didn''t even cast a glance before attacking. Curse of the Demon disappeared in a cloud of white flames. He slashed horizontally. Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin Fwoosh The energy blade thrusted three Zombies at once. Despite the monsters being strengthened by the Curse Stat, the slash cut them open. After a moment, the Skill had turned them into dust. Cursed Putrescent Dead Body lost 19,562 HP! Cursed Putrescent Dead Body lost 19,774 HP! Cursed Putrescent Dead Body lost 19,211 HP! Three monsters got cleared out with one, instinct-induced slash. He had struck his blow without activating any particular technique or power. Flame of the Qilin had been enough to blow them out. Flame of the Qilin was indeed the highest peak ever reached by Mana of Life. It was the nemesis of the mean creatures of Destruction like the Un-Dead. What would a common Goblin or a member of the Mana Congregation say, as well as anyone threatened by those monsters, if witnessing Helial''s easiness in killing off three First Phase Intermediate stage monsters? Snowflake moved forward too. With a couple of paw blows, he killed off a few Un-Dead as well. "The day hasn''t yet come when a human pet will outdo this Supreme Cat," he snorted as he hissed to Helial. The boy smiled at him and went into a fighting stance. In the blink of an eye, the two slayed the few Zombies left. Then, after exploring the surrounding areas through Perception, Helial hinted that they could go forward. The group slaughtered their way out. Their Experience was soaring through the sky. Helial let his voice echo out inside his Soul. "Is there a way to avoid gaining experience?" The Devil knitted his face in a thoughtful frown and didn''t answer. Helial waited for what seemed to be very long seconds. One moment before he resigned from getting his answer though, an evil smile spread over the Devil''s face. "Of course there is¡­" 88 A little testing Ahead of the group, Helial wreaked destruction non-stop as he slaughtered Un-Dead relentlessly. Curse of the Demon danced its death dance to the rhythm set by Helial. Every blow destroyed more than one Zombie. The edge of the Longsword blade was enveloped in white flames. The flames glowed shiningly as the purest of marbles, in striking contrast with the deep black weapon. At every motion, the flames took the shape of an half moon and blended with the energy slash, increasing every blow''s power exponentially. Every collision gave birth to tiny explosions that gleamed through the spectral cave. The long shadow of the kids and the cat were reflected all along the walls. Frankenstein and Lulu was gaping at Helial. They were totally astounded. None of them could hope to reach that level so quickly. In the beginning, they thought that there was no enormous gap between them and their three friends. After witnessing Helial''s capabilities though, their hearts turned heavy. Once again, Lulu could not help but feel useless. Lumia and Snowflake were fighting by each other''s side. From time to time, they would cast a glance to Helial. Lumia was reshaping the ground under the Un-Dead. Every time they would lose balance, Snowflake would seize the chance to tear them apart by hitting them right where their armor left them uncovered. However, the cat wasn''t so sure he could possibly kill monsters off with a single frontal blow like Helial was doing. Even though he was the swiftest among them, he knew perfectly well that his Damage could never compare that of Helial, who was unlike any other practitioner in the First Phase. Very few people could compare his strength even in the Second Phase. "How much do you think he''s holding back?" Lumia asked Snowflake. Snowflake glanced at her, then turned and twisted his face in a proud grimace: "Holding back? More like that shitty boy is tryharding. He must be using 101% of his strength to kill those shitty zombies off, unlike this Supreme Cat, who''s using only 0.5%." As he said these words, Snowflake turned away to conceal his doubtful expression. How many trump cards does he have? How powerful are they? Unlike the little girl and those useless pieces of shit, that asshole didn''t train with us. The girl has some terrifying Skills. I even thought she might outdo her brother at this point, but apparently I was wrong. These are only First Phase monsters. For how rusty their armors might be, they''re nevertheless quite resistant. And resistance is knowingly Un-Dead''s strong suit. And yet, that piece of shit is cutting them open as easily as one would slice up tofu. The huge white cat felt an ever more intense pressure. Despite their bond, the instinct of he who wants to stand on top of the food chain dictated a natural spirit of competition that flared him up anytime he could prove the strongest. Suddenly, Snowflake''s attacks grew fiercer. Before, Zombies didn''t always die after one punch. But now, a single paw blow was enough to dismember them. Around Snowflake, air seemed to vibrate slightly as if now and then the world stood still for several seconds. "So, what should we do to avoid gaining Exp too quickly?" Helial asked inside his Soul. The kid was intent on staring at some cotton-pink napkins with mice drawn on them. He tousled his dark bangs and said, thoughtfully: "Well, maybe a woman might like this stuff¡­?" "So? What should we do?" Helial''s voice boomed out once again inside his Soul. Just as if he had been caught raiding the cookie jar, the Devil turned the napkins to ashes as he coughed loudly. He answered: "Well, right, yeah, it''s a very complicated thing to do." Helial furrowed his eyebrows. If the Devil defined it as complicated, it really must be something terrifying. "How much complicated?" "Too much complicated," the Devil said thoughtfully. "You should first find a particular object, an amulet, that basically¡­ well, you have to soak it into an elixir, and then let them boil. Once the amulet has turned to liquid, you should drink the whole potion. And the-" "Where can we find those amulets? And the elixir?" asked Helial as he kept fighting the monsters. He had glanced away from his Soul for a second, and he missed the Devil sneer. "Well, you can find the both of them in a Dungeon situated on another planet, protected by a Boss in the Sixth Phase." Little beads of sweat appeared on Helial''s forehead. The Devil fell on the floor laughing. "There''s a command, Shithead. You only need to say ''Block Exp'' out loud," said the kid as he laughed even wilder after seeing Helial''s pale face. "What?" Helial was still baffled. He wasn''t sure he had understood correctly. "That''s right, Shithead. You can simply stop gaining Experience by voice-command," the Devil yawned, an half-sneer still painted on his face. A large blue vein started bulging on Helial''s forehead. He tried to keep his cool. But unfortunately, it had just been shattered. Helial delivered an attack towards the last monster in front of him, killing it off. The area was cleared. Helial stretched a hand outwards. "Block Experience." Do you want to block the chance to gain experience? Effects: you won''t be able to level up Yes I No Helial made sure the method suggested by the Devil did actually worked and then ordered that the others did the same too. If they said no, their Experience would likely increase limitlessly and they would have no way to upgrade their Skills before reaching the Second Phase. Helial was no fool. He knew perfectly well that their foundations were the most important thing to focus on. Despite them being nominally at the same level, not every member of the group could possibly face an opponent in the Second Phase. Since almost all of them picked a Class, their fighting potential would increase exponentially. "While we go back, take some time to check out your Class-related special Skills. Don''t forget training them. Even if they''re not so powerful," Helial said. "Bear in mind that every single effort will sharpen your senses and refine your future perception about your Class. If you work on one Skill only, you''ll have a great ace up your sleeve while you''re in the lowest levels. Once you level up though, the more you develop yourselves, the more your path will lack balance." Helial gave an exhausted sigh. He still hadn''t picked a Class. He couldn''t be satisfied with a simple Secret Class¡­ A sinister light flashed in his eyes. Helial wished for a Unique Class! But how could he get one? He had no idea. Asking the Devil for help wouldn''t appear to be a wise choice, since the kid could not escort him down a specific path that lay outside the field of logics and preconception, and diverged greatly from both Life and Destruction. Helial could only work by himself to create that totally new path. As Helial thought about this, new monsters flocked about him and the war began again. The guy went back to fighting. The white flames kept swallowing one Un-Dead by one. Helial had got so familiar with killing those monsters that he even got distracted. He was pondering about Flame of the Qilin''s tongues of fire as well as about the peculiar feeling he had when they touched his skin without burning it the least. Flame the Qilin couldn''t burn him indeed. He didn''t know why. Probably, since that flame was part of his body, it wouldn''t rebel against their owner. Under the baffled gazes of his friends, Helial suddenly left the field. Two Un-Dead stayed there foolishly, fighting against nothing. With a movement of his claw, Snowflake tore them apart before they could reach Helial. Thy boy must have had a reason to act like that. Also, the monsters weren''t too many and they could easily kill them off without his help. "WHERE YOU GOING, YOU SHITHEAD?" the cat roared angrily. Helial didn''t answer and kept walking. He reached a spot quite far from them. There, he was sheltered by any kind of attack. He focused. He began to probe the flame with his Mana, testing it, distorting and reshaping it. After a few moments, a strange warmth spread over the palm the white flames were enveloping. Apparently, he managed to sense the heat emitted by Flame of the Qilin. Then, he began to inspect it more closely. The flame did emit a significant heat, and yet Helial only felt a gentle warm. The boy tried to heat up the flame by sheer will. His first attempts failed miserably. Meanwhile, the others wiped out all the monsters and began to approach Helial, worried. They had seen several flames engulf him. Judging by the terrible heat they emitted, they concluded that something awry was happening. Helial took noticed and stopped them in time. "Stay there, guys. Just doing a little testing." But they paid little attention to his reassurances. Helial saw his friends'' eyes flicker with fear and slightly withdrew the flames, trying to control them more carefully. He focused on the Mana flowing inside his Meridians, using it to shape the flames the way he liked. When he saw it wasn''t working though, he changed approach. No point in going on if it doesn''t work. Control over Flames of the Qilin didn''t depend on Mana, but on mental energy. The bigger the flame, the faster those energies would deplete. Right, the Skill didn''t consume Mana, but nevertheless it was rather impossible to keep it activated indefinitely. Helial focused all his mental energies on the flame. He tried to excite the fire instead of spreading or reducing it. The tongue of fire crackled and let out a few sparks. It seemed to have reacted. Somehow, the flame appeared to be twisting the air all around it! Helial was terribly excited. It worked! 89 By himself You unblocked a new Stat! Mental Energy! Helial fixed his curious gaze at the pop-up. Apparently, he was wrong in thinking that Flame of the Qilin could be used limitlessly. It did require some effort indeed. Mental Energy was quite similar to Stamina, but it used brain energy rather than physical ones. Helial opened his Stat window and checked it out. The Mental Energy Stat had added up to the others, unlike Stamina, that was a hidden Stat that wouldn''t be viewed. Name: Helial Race: Human Title: King''s Pupil Primary Class: None Primary Affinity: Light Primary Profession: None Level: 85 Exp: 654,988/1,530,000 HP: 11,000/11,000 MP: 50,090/50,090 Strength: 185 Vigor: 203 Mental Energy: 210,324/210,324 Intelligence: 240 Wisdom: 195 Dexterity: 140 Effects: Physical Resilience: 5% Vitality Regeneration: 1800% Health Regeneration: 1800% Physical Resilience: 3000% Resistance to Magic: 3000$ Stat Points to be sorted out: 402 Helial glanced at the Stat Points he hadn''t sorted out yet. According to the Devil, he''d better leave them unsorted for now. The Devil had indeed suggested that he moved Points from one Stat to another just if strictly necessary. Stats could advance during the training. The lowest they were, the more effective the training would be. Helial cast a glance at the Mental Energy; it seemed to have regenerated the second the Stat had appeared. With a wave of his fingers, Helial had the window disappear. Only the line he was interested in was left visible. Mental Energy 210,324/210,324 He inhaled deeply. Without his expression changing, he joined his hands. Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin Mental Energy 210,314/210,324 Only a few seconds had followed Flame of the Qilin''s activation, and the ME Stat had already lost ten points. (NdA: ME stands for Mental Energy). The others were still staring at him, trying to see through his actions. Helial didn''t take notice though. He was so intensely focused that everything seemed to have disappeared. The boy got lost deep in thought. He wondered why he felt so tired a few moments before, after manipulating the flame. "Could it depend on how much I alter its original form? Like when I use it in circle around my body before an attack?" he whispered to himself. He made up his made to do a few little experiments and grasp how those so complicated Flame and Skill worked. He focused his mind on the white flame rising before him. He tried to touch it through some sixth sense. He sensed a gentle warmth. Then, he tried to intensify it by matter of will. Suddenly, the palm the flame rouse up from heated up. It was as though the temperature slightly rouse. Slightly¡­ well, air was so hot that the heat emitted by Flame of the Qilin distorted it. Helial didn''t notice. He only saw his friends'' forehead covered in beads of sweat. Helial furrowed his eyebrows. "Well, Mental Energy control is way more mysterious than I thought." He cast a glance inside his Soul. He saw the Devil sitting with his arms crossed and the bat-patterned apron on. "Will you teach it to me, Master?" Helial asked. At this point, the Devil was Helial''s anchor. He trusted him almost with his life. "Mental Energy usage is a delicate matter. It''s reserved to some kinds of warriors only. I''m not an expert, I must say. My strong suit is Mana Control. Given my level though, I can teach you handle Mental Energy all the way to Immortality all the same¡­ However, I think you''re the one who needs to find a way to control it. And I have never used a flame. I''m pretty sure you''ll end up with an unconventional way to use it. After all, Shithead, there must be something you learn without my help." Helial cussed in whispers. This time he must do it by himself. He shot a glance at the Stat, and noticed that the figures had changed. Mental Energy 209,845/210,324 He raised an eyebrow. "The usage rate increases visibly when I change the flames properties¡­" An idea flashed across his mind. "Let''s see if¡­" He slowly began to spread the flame radius until he created a flaming globe with a three meters diameter that glided in front of him. Mental Energy 208,845/210,324 He got that right! He grasped the basics about how the new Stat worked! Just like he suspected, Mental Energy kind of worked like Mana; the more complex the action, the greater the ME consumption. And if ME really did work like Mana, he would find a way to increase its efficiency and diminish the cost at the same time, to gain the utmost result with the minimum effort. He concluded Flame of the Qilin must become his utmost priority. He would cease training the rest of his Skills to focus entirely on this white flame. One day, it could turn out to be his trump card in fighting. The Skill''s destructive power was unparalleled. Even Mana Pistol couldn''t compare the damage output of Flame of the Qilin, and his slashes couldn''t even hope to. Finally, Helial put out the flame and turned towards his group. They had walked away to escape the heat the flame gave off. They had also started meditating. By focusing on Communion with Mana, they could restore the Mana lost while fighting against the Un-Dead. Snowflake suddenly opened his eyes. "Are you done playing with your fucking flame? Because of you I almost risked damaging my magnificent fur." Helial shrugged. The cat curled his face up. He went on talking nervously. "Up to now it was a piece of cake, asshole. What do you know about the Boss?" Helial shook his head and said: "The Merchant Guild only explored the first level. We''re by ourselves now." Snowflake grumbled: "Drippy Goblins. How much shit must a Goblin eat up before he realizes how easy it is to do a complete recognition? They wasted their chance to get the Bonuses available to whoever explores the Dungeon first, and they didn''t even scout the whole area. Goblins suck. Fucking useless bipeds¡­" It seemed to be a very tough day for Snowflake''s nerves. That spooky scenery was making him feel very little at ease. His beautiful candid fur was constantly threatened by dust, Un-Dead''s putrefying body pieces, and even Helial''s damned flame! How was he supposed to keep his cool? Lumia stopped meditating and opened her eyes. She turned towards Helial and gave him a beaming smile. Communion with Mana had definitely helped. Her face looked fresh and relaxed. "Shall we go?" Helial gazed up at the sky, deep in thought. They had defeated that level''s Un-Dead very easily, which meant they wouldn''t get many benefits from fighting against others just like them. They clearly needed to go to the next floor. "Yeah, let''s clear the last floor and practice our new Skills," Helial nodded. "We must make the fullest use of what this Dungeon has to offer. As far as items are concerned though, I don''t really think that common monsters can actually give us something valuable. Maybe the Boss could." Helial had just said out loud something everyone was actually thinking; none of them had much hope about that Dungeon''s drops. After all, it was a very low-level Dungeon. The items provided by the Merchant Guild, thanks to Caliban, already overtopped the best they could hope to get there! Ah, the items! Helial had almost forgot! Up to then, they had been using temporary Equipment that could fit any practitioner under the First Phase. It was time for some changing. Helial glanced down at his Interspace Ring. Equipped Item: Call of the Mermaid Effects: Available Space +50m3 Helial gave a sigh. He dug out all the items he carried inside Call of the Mermaid one by one. That Interspace Ring was the ultimate comfort. Inside of it, Helial was carrying food and water rations for an year, his and the others'' armor sets, and there was still some room left. Every group member had their Interspace Ring. The size of most capacious one though only reached as much as a dozen cubic meters. Call of the Mermaid, on the other hand, could contain five times as much as that. Being the King''s pupil, Helial was entitled to bigger privileges than any of them. They all started wearing their new Equipment except for Helial and Snowflake. The boy only wore a couple of pieces, while the cat had refused every Equipment. "Why aren''t you wearing anything?" Lulu asked the big furry cat. "Tsk. This Emperor Cat needs none of the crap you bipeds are wearing to protect your frail skin. This Emperor Cat''s fur itself makes a greater treasure than any shit you might wear whatsoever. If I tried to replace my inner properties with some silly accessory, I would make my entire race blush with shame!" Helial nodded. He agreed with Snowflake, since the same went for him as well. Besides a couple of pieces that gave him some strength and dexterity points, the effects of that Equipment were depressingly mediocre. They could even be in the way during a fight. And Body of the Qilin was by far more powerful than any Equipment. When everyone was finally ready, they began to walk slowly towards the entry of the third floor as they effortlessly cleared the area from the hordes of Un-Dead they found along the way. 90 Rabid Hounds from the Netherworld Snowflake was the last one to walk on the first step of the descending staircase. They were headed to the third floor of the Dungeon. As he climbed down the stairs, he realized how staler the air was getting. The lower they got, the more the walls were covered with spooky putrid plants in yellowish rotten colors. My poor fur... , the cat thought grumpily. The entire floor reeked of death. The smell enveloped everything, piercing their nostrils and making their body shake with nausea. Lulu retched heavily, but she resisted the gag response. Lumia and Snowflake didn''t seem bothered by the smell or the eldritch scenery. They walked casually, turning their heads left and right from time to time in an attempt to spot out in advance any other potential trap like the Formation they fell into on the second floor. On the contrary, Frankenstein looked euphoric rather than worried; he kept inspecting the vegetation and collecting samples that he put meticulously inside his Interspace Ring. "The deadly air around here might have tampered with the flora properties. If we imbued our clothes with them, we could even gain extra Bonus with an affinity¡­" Frankenstein was truly excited. He began speculating about all the benefit they could get from those plants. Everyone though, Helial included, stared at him in disgust. Despite his enthusiasm going unappreciated, however, he was still perfectly at ease and went on hypothesizing and whispering to himself without bothering to contain his excitement. His marbles was definitely gone for good. An uncanny feeling slid by Helial''s arm. "Stay put." Skill Activated: Perception The boy sensed a number of Mana piles draw near at breakneck speed from several directions. Luckily, the floor was wide enough for them to run and hide away, but they first needed to find somewhere to hide and run to. The approaching monsters were swifter than those they had fought against before. They also had a different shape. They looked shorter, longer and¡­ four-legged? Could they be some sort of animal? Helial calculated the distance between him and them. The monsters were a kilometer away from their group. "Get into formation. Triangle. Frankenstein, you''ll have Lulu and Lumia as your support. I will stand behind you with Snowflake. We''ll be the triangle corners. Now, be careful. Our targets look quick. Judging by their Mana''s density, they''re in the First Phase Intermediate stage. This means they''re stronger than those we met before. Watch out." Fortunately, now that they were in the First Phase they had the chance of reviving during the 24 hours following their death, if their body wasn''t completely destroyed. Not like Helial felt like dying. But still, this chance kind of reassured him. It was a special treatment reserved to First Phase practitioners. Despite natural deaths, they could go back to life if someone cast a healing spell on them, or injected a great amount of Mana into their body. In a dark beam, Curse of the Demon flashed into existence in Helial''s hand. Helial took a fighting stance. Skill Activated: Body of the Qilin Strings of fog rouse up all around them, intensifying the spookiness of the already eerie scenery. From time to time, a gust of wet wind hit them as they looked about themselves in alarm. The scenery was indeed spectral. None of them could help having chills running down their spines. If someone talked, he or she would express out loud what everyone else was thinking; they needed to get out of there as soon as possible. The deadly air was making them feel quite uncomfortable. Their mental health was one slip away from being shattered. Goblins and Humans weren''t meant to live underground like moles. The deeper they ventured, the more feeble the light. The only light source left was a misty glow emitted by the plants and the ceiling. The floor was scattered with torches; some were shining, but mostly they were off. As he passed by, Helial had turned them on with Flame of the Qilin. The white flame though helped very little in keeping them relaxed. Quite the contrary. They looked even more alarmed. Little beads of sweat covered their foreheads. Keeping a Guard stance without any clue on what move to expect from an unknown enemy was no doubt quite a challenging strain for their young minds. Helial heard footsteps echo out. He closed his eyes. He thought it could be Zombies. But Zombies walked slowly and a sound of broken bones followed their movements. This sounded a lot different. What he was hearing was more like the sound of nails on rock, and that pace was faster than that of an Undead. It must be animals. Helial was pretty sure about this, but he couldn''t guess any farther. All of a sudden, a bunch of deformed creatures popped their head out of the dark tunnels surrounding the cave. One after another, dozens of humongous beings appeared from the holes, their fangs uncovered. Their putrefying jaws were foaming. Dogs! Skill Activated: Perception Rabid Hounds from the Netherworld Health: 17,234/17,234 HP Their face was unshapely. Their sore creased skin dangled to the ground. Their chest was covered in putrescent wounds dribbling pus and serum. Their eyes were bloodshot. Ever more of them swarmed the tunnels and then ran out to join the pack. Helial furrowed his eyebrows. Now that he could examine them more closely, he noticed they had a basic Intelligence level. They wouldn''t seem to be Undead, despite them looking infected by some weird disease. And once again, the manuals Helial had studied inside the Royal Academy turned out to be of great use; he promptly selected the information he needed from his memory and quickly concluded what creatures they were. That monsters'' strong point in hunting preys was the pack. As individuals, those creatures weren''t too strong. Their speed and advantage in number, though, posed a significant threat. Even someone in the Second Phase would need to be careful in order to save their own skin. Ever more dogs gathered and advanced slowly as they gathered around the group in half circle. Helial cursed to himself for placing right in front of an escape route. By doing that, he jeopardized the group''s way out. He immediately decided to change formation. He would take Frankenstein''s position, ahead of the triangle, to slaughter as many Rabid Hounds from the Netherworld as possible with Flame of the Qilin. He wouldn''t let those monsters hurt his friends. If he had wound up there alone, he would have probably deal with them without much thinking. After all, his body was as strong as that of a Qilin. Even if ten of them had bitten him off, or tried to claw at him, he would have still remained unharmed. Very few creatures in the First Phase could possibly hurt him. "Frankenstein, I''ll take your pl-" But Helial couldn''t finish speaking. A thunder boomed out on his right. He wasn''t sure, but it was very likely to be¡­ "WHAT ARE THESE MOTHERFUCKERS EXACTLY? HOW DARE THEM IMPOSE THE SIGHT OF THEIR HORRID FACES TO THIS HEAVENLY EMPEROR''S EYES?" At these words, Helial almost stumbled. Not only would that cat always make him cringe, he also managed to defy the boundaries of any human logics. What could those creatures have done to deserve such a physical appearance? Couldn''t it be their fault, could it? "THIS IS DISGUSTING. THIS. IS. DISGUSTING. IF THIS SUPREME CAT ALLOWED TO YOU TO STEP ON THIS SOIL ONCE AGAIN AFTER INFECTING HIS SENSES, THEN HE COULDN''T BE CALLED THE PEAK OF FELINE EVOLUTION LIKE HE DEFINITELY IS¡­" Snowflake churned out a load of nonsensical insults. Helial was this close to explode. Maybe he''d better stop Snowflake before he¡­ Too late. Snowflake had just broken the formation by taking a step forward in fury, his fur standing on end. The mere sight of those being seemed to have upset him completely. Helial turned towards the cat. "Go back immediately!" Snowflake glanced at him, curled his face and took another step forward. In a split second, the cat disappeared in a frightfully swift thunder. The spot where he was standing a moment before became a one-meter-wide crater. Then suddenly, he became visible again for a split second, leaving an afterimage and another crater behind. In a matter of tenths of a second, he beheaded over a dozen Rabid Hounds from the Netherworld, streaking the soil in trails of blood and scattering the area with headless corpses. Helial gaped at his terrifying speed. After a dozen of seconds, Snowflake had beheaded all of the monsters. Helial could hardly follow his movements as the cat blazed past the dead bodies at such speed that outran their eyes. Helial concluded that if Snowflake attacked him, he wasn''t sure he would be prompt enough to defend himself, or even raise his sword! Helial thought that speed was outstanding. Despite the panting though, Snowflake didn''t seem to be about to slow down. "I still need to acquire the Skill properly. Just showcasing an imitation is enough to slaughter my way to exhaustion. Only a dozen of seconds went by and I''m done already. Judging by the difficulty, I could reach eighteen seconds max. Not one more, or my organs will end up injured," Snowflake whispered to himself as he shook his head. Merely showcasing the Devil''s Skill had been enough for him to unleash a terrifying power. And yet, if he wanted to acquire the Skill and bring it to such level as to be able to compare the greatest creatures in the universe, a long winding road was ahead of him. Cultivating a Skill like that one would demand much more effort than any other common Skill. But as far as a Skill like that one was concerned, Snowflake was more than willing to overcome every possible bottleneck in the world. 91 A shiver down the spine Chapter 90 - A shiver down the spine Inertia got the hounds to take one last step forward as their head fell to the ground. Then they collapsed. Snowflake had truly exceeded Helial''s expectations. The boy had always believed that the cat must have an extraordinary strength, but that was beyond extraordinary. Helial inhaled the moist air soaked in death. He had watched the cat attentively. Before every Snowflake''s sudden movement, the cat stood still for a split second. The human had a strange feeling about this. It didn''t seem a foolish thing to do, not at all. As soon as he noticed that detail, it had occurred to him that the Skill seemed perfect for an emperor who was terribly sure the common folk could never touch him. Unrivalled. No other word could define Snowflake, at this point. Helial pondered for a moment; he concluded he was far from being an opponent for such a quick target. Probably, only a Third Phase practitioner could hope to equal Snowflake in speed. How was it even possible for someone in the First Phase Intermediate stage to reach such terrifying speed levels? Helial promised to himself he would delve deeper into this. For now though, he could only stand there and ponder he didn''t even had a Movement Skill. When will his turn to acquire one come? The Devil could feel very easily Helial''s every mood swing, and smiled in response. He swept his bangs from his brow with a hand, while holding a baking pan he had just took out of the oven in the other. "We''ll go into that. Be patient." A warm whiff of souffl¨¦ filled Helial''s Soul. The Devil leaned slightly forward to have a smell of the sweet baking scent and nodded in satisfaction, making the bat-patterned chef hat bounce on his head. As he saw the hat, Helial caught himself wondering why he would only meet people with serious psychiatric issues. The group advanced slowly, Snowflake ahead. He went in a weird frenzy as he slaughtered every Rabid Hound from the Netherworld that dared step in his way. Helial and the others cleared the area from the Zombies. This went on for a while. Then suddenly, Helial gave a sigh. That Dungeon really didn''t pose a threat to them. There was no point in keeping training there. "Hey everyone," he said, "I think it''s time we find the Dungeon Boss. I''m afraid we won''t make much progress by fighting against these ones." The others nodded in agreement. The thing also was, Helial couldn''t wait to see the Runic item the Boss would drop. They were all in the First Phase Intermediate stage, about Level 85. According to the Devil, it was the best moment to stockpile Mana and train hard, which was why they had blocked the Experience. By advancing too quickly, they would slow down their Mana stashing within the First Phase, and they wouldn''t have time to reach the peak of their true potential before levelling up. Presently, they were traversing a narrow crossing which required them to walk single-file or double-file at most. Helial inspected the surrounding area through Perception. When he made sure there was no danger around, he decided to stop and rest for a bit before going any farther. Lumia seized the chance to move close to Helial and rub her face against his arm like a fearful kitty. "Hug me, big bro." "Lumia, we''ve got a situa-" Helial tried to object. "HUG ME." Lumia gazed up at him with teary eyes. "But-" Helial was helpless. He gave sigh and held Lumia in his arms, his lips brushing against her forehead. After planting a kiss on her brow, he said: "How are you? You afraid?" "I am, so much," Lumia said in a misleading worried voice, in striking contrast with the smug grin on her face. Fear made the perfect excuse to enjoy that long hug. And indeed, her brother kept cuddling her for a few long minutes more. "Stop this fucking incest thing you two, I have nausea now," Snowflake sentenced as he twisted his face. Lulu interposed with all her sweetness: "We should really keep walking and leave this place." Helial nodded and let Lumia go of his arms, when suddenly, as he glance up, he noticed something semi-hidden by the rot musk on the walls. He left Lumia free and slowly walked towards the wall, his eyebrows furrowed. The others stared at him baffled. "What is it now? I''m fucking hungry," Snowflake cursed. "Let''s kill this shitty Boss and leave this stinky place." Helial ignored the cat''s protests and stretched his arm to reach for the wall. He removed the putrescent musk from that segment. His expression grew solemn. Along the naked wall ran dozens and dozens of incomplete Runes. Helial removed the remaining musk with his palm. More Runes. Runes everywhere. Helial stared at them as a flash of excitement flickered in his eyes. His mouth curled upwards in a grimace. "These Runes are incomplete¡­ But why do they look like someone wrote them down here to practice? Since they''re incomplete it wasn''t even possible to dissolve them without using further Mana, so they''re totally useless. Apparently someone made a practice chalkboard of this tunnel." Helial could now boast a decent knowledge of Runes, and he could easily distinguish simple patterns like those on the wall. They were Offensive Patterns used to amplify the power of an attack. For some reason he couldn''t grasp, Helial felt a shiver run down his spine. You''ve received a new Quest The Enigma of the Dungeon Runes Grade: D+ You found Runes on the wall of an unexplored Dungeon. Now find who formed the Runes. Aim: 12 hours left to find who wrote the Runes. Reward: Runes Study Material Do you accept? Yes I No As soon as he was the system notification, Helial immediately furrowed his eyebrows. It was the second Quest he had received; the first one was the Goblin Quest. But that was classified as a Grade D, whereas this was a D+. It suggested that this was harder. The previous one was classified as such due to the fact that he was supposed to kill an entire Goblin army. How could this Quest be harder than that? Once again, Helial felt that there was something fishy about this. What kind of quest did the system just give out to him? Why a D+ one? Grade D+ Quests could even be assigned to Third Phase warriors. For how strong he might be, Helial would still be afraid to face someone much more skilled than he was. After all, his offensive capabilities didn''t go beyond the Second Phase anyway. He wasn''t sure he could defeat even someone in the Second Phase Late stage, let alone a Third Phase expert. Also, a Quest Grade usually reflected the strength of the Boss! If the Boss were to be a Third Phase monster, running away would turn out to be highly dangerous, if not impossible. Except for Helial and Snowflake, the group showed several weaknesses. Lulu, Lumia and Frankenstein weren''t melee fighters. Frankenstein himself fought through long-range palms. What should he do? Should he complete the Quest and risk his life? Or either renounce like a coward? Maybe I should do this alone. If I went alone, I might not be able to complete it, but at least I wouldn''t put anyone''s life at risk. If things get hard I will run away, Helial thought to himself. "You sure?" the Devil asked. "Would it be a wrong choice?" Helial asked. "How about you think for yourself, huh? You''re strong. You have a long road ahead if you wanna become independent and maybe, one day, a leader. You have no Movement Skills. You could hope to end up slightly damaged, but if you were to stumble on a stronger monster than you are, it would only be a matter of time before it knocks you out as you flee. But you''ve got some pretty nice ranks in your group. Lumia and Lulu are top quality Supporters, and they complement each other. Lulu can heal while Lumia''s CC Skills can lead the flow of the battle wherever she likes best. Snowflake is swift. He complements your weak points. Frankenstein might not be as monstrously powerful as you are, but his damage output is enough to exceed any normal standard. Why renounce to such a formation? Even if you happen to face a Second Phase Late stage monster, your teamwork will let you survive. If it were a Third Phase one¡­ Well, the fight could either end up deadlocked or you die, guys. Who knows." Helial pondered over his words. We definitely won''t grow stronger by running away from challenges. I have two of the most terrifying Legacies in the universe. Am I really afraid of a D+ Quest? "Fuck this shit." You accepted the Quest! 92 Much more than you have ever had Runes everywhere. The more he followed the wall, the denser were the Runes it was covered in. Helial was gazing about himself with a distressed frown on his face. Apparently, before deepening his Runes knowledge, he was supposed to meet the person who still owned the Skill. Would this person be friendly, or turn out hostile? Would they fight? Helial began to sweat as he analyzed the range of possibilities that might occur. A D+ quest. He was beginning to think that the outcome could not be as reassuring as the Devil had told him. Then, he gave a sigh and pulled himself together. He quieted down the Mana seething inside his Meridians and turned towards the others, who were staring at him in bafflement. "We''ve stumbled on some Runes, guys. And I''ve received a Quest. In a 12 hours'' time, we need to find whoever it is that wrote them on this wall. The person this knowledge belongs to. I won''t like; it sounds like a hard quest. The difficulty level is D+. We all know what this means." Frankenstein asked: "So you''ve accepted it?" Helial nodded slowly. "Backing off isn''t the best way to get stronger, is it? We never know when the moment comes for us to rely on ourselves only. We always need to be prepared for that, so we might as well begin now." Lulu looked puzzled. A second later though, her mind ran back to the day when Helial had whispered her the sweetest words after saving her life. She said nothing. Helial was the one who had taught her that despite her weakness, there was no feat she couldn''t accomplish. He certainly knew what was best for them. Lumia stayed silent. She just walked close to Helial to snatch a bit of tenderness under the awkward gazes of the rest of the group. Snowflake¡­ well, he just reacted as you would expect of Snowflake. "Grade D+? PFFF. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! This Emperor here could easily complete a B+ quest, if he wanted to! PFFF! What does D+ even mean?! Tsk! Worst-case scenario, we''ll have to kill off another bunch of stinky dongs. Let''s set off!" As he said this, Snowflake bounced forward and, at otherworldly speed, dashed away in search of more Rabid Hounds from the Netherworld to kill. He jumped for joy when he met a dozen dogs along the way, and killed three or four of them at a time as the others followed him at due distance, trying to avoid being covered in blood spatter. As they walked on, Helial would remove the dusk from the surrounding walls. He began to have an insight into this. The more he looked at the Runes, the sharper he saw through them. Those Runes had been written in an ever more definite way indeed. As they ventured down the third level of the Dungeon, the Runic pattern grew neater and more complete. Some of them, those that had been drawn crisper, even glistened in a feeble glow. Whoever it was that had used that wall for practicing, they must have drawn Runes over every single tunnel. Suddenly, Helial had an idea. Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin He drew the flame near the dusk, that evaporated away in a matter of instants. Fhhh What he unveiled left him rooted on the spot. It wasn''t merely the wall that had been written on, as he thought before; the entire tunnel, from floor to ceiling, was completely covered in Runes! How much time, how much Mana must all that practicing have cost? How long had that creature been drawing and studying Runes? Could that even be classified as a common Dungeon? An odd sensation was coming over Helial, a sensation he could not shake off. Somehow, he just felt the urge to turn back and dart away. Obviously though, he would never. The thirst for power eroding him away since he was a child, or rather, the thirst for freedom that drove him, would never let him run away from a challenge. In order to be free, he must become stronger and stronger. Power and freedom were thickly intertwined in Helial''s mind. Only a fool would renounce to the power overload that such a challenge would bring about. That was a luxury Helial had not. Snowflake was slaughtering monsters wildly, when suddenly he stopped. He had sensed danger. All of a sudden, his white fur stood on end as he arched his back incredibly. His tail lowered, his paws plunged into the soil slightly, scraping the ground as he pulled out his claws. "Where the fuck are we going?" the huge white cat grumbled. There was something dodgy about his. He cast a glance behind his back and saw that Helial was just as worried as he was. "If the little whiz feels that something''s fishy too, danger must be close," Snowflake said to himself. "You all right?" asked Lumia as he gave Helial a puzzled look. Helial calmly curled up the corners of his mouth in a reassuring smile: "It''s alright." Despite that odd feeling, Snowflake kept stepping forward. And so did the others behind him. After a dozen more meters though, the tangible feeling of danger could not be ignored anymore. They had indeed stopped stumbling across monsters. Before them was nothing. The ground itself looked darker. Helial was seized by a doubt that wouldn''t let words get past his throat. He leaned down and touched the sandy ground. Then he brought the moist sand to his nose. Sniff Sniff "Clotted blood," he whispered. He slowly let go of the sand. As it gently fell back to the ground, his gaze met that of Lumia, so serious and mature¡­ For an instant, it seemed to him to catch a glimpse of an innocent smile flashing on his sister''s face. A smile that was unaware of the dangers hounding the world. A smile that placed a total trust in the only center of her world, her big brother. The ground they were stepping on was made of someone else''s previous attempts to become stronger. And now, they might become themselves someone else''s soil to step on. Once again, Helial brushed his fingers against the ground. "Even the weakest of all can get to pierce the bluest sky, but a touch of the heavens will always come at a price," Helial whispered. *** A few years before "Boy! You finally made it. You took forever! One more minute spent waiting in this rat-hole, and I''d throw up!" said Vidio as he pointed at the Mana Congregation. The servants glanced back at that ungrateful Master with resentful eyes. He never really bothered getting a hold of the contempt he had towards the poor conditions he lived in, as well as towards the place that had hosted him after the exile. Helial nodded, helpless. They walked past the main doorway of the Congregation and set out for the city center, probably heading to a tavern full of nice-looking waitresses. "This is a real rat-hole," Vidio heaved a sigh. "This town smells like shit. I say, why can''t these barbarians just copy the Capital''s sewer system?" Vidio started off his usual tirade about the town. "Master?" Helial called his name, his eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah?" said Vidio. His voice vibrated with the hope that Helial''s question would let him unfold one of his awesome stories. "Why would you still live here then?" Helial asked in puzzlement. A doubtful expression hung on his face. "Ahem," the Master griped, "come on. You know how things work. I can''t leave this shithole, I just can''t," Vidio said. His faint smile could cause a pang in the heart of any onlooker. "Why so?" Helial insisted. "Why so? Because¡­ Uhm. Because I''m too weak. Yeah. Well, wait. What the fuck am I saying. Like, not really weak," Vidio cursed. "The fuck are you blabbering, Master? If you''re not weak, then why wouldn''t you run away and take me with you?" Helial asked again. "See, boy, things aren''t so simple, they aren''t at all. Even the weakest of all can get to pierce the bluest sky, but this doesn''t mean they would always choose to," Vidio sighed. "Why not?" Helial''s expression grew more and more doubtful with each Vidio''s word. Why would someone not choose to claim what they had a right to? To claim what does belong to them, what they have fought for? Wouldn''t someone who has worked hard willingly grab their hard-earned salary and just shove it down their pocket? Was it even possible to do otherwise? Helial couldn''t follow that line of thinking. He racked his brains to come up with a reasonable answer. But it wouldn''t appear to come to him. Power, glory, wealth¡­ who would renounce to all of this, when it all lay within their grasp? "Sometimes people just choose not to reach for the sky, boy. And you know why?" Vidio paused briefly, trying to force sobs back into this throat so as to be able to speak. He gazed up at the sky and the clouds, that had presently taken the shape of a woman whose tender eyes were full of concern for him. He fished out a golden coin from his pocket. Then, he hinted at the entry door of a tavern. "Because¡­ because¡­ everything comes t a price, boy. You can have the world. But even then, you are one step away from losing much more than you have ever had." *** Helial fixed his gaze on Lumia as he whispered: "Everything comes at a price. You can achieve whatever you want, but you would still be one step away from losing much more than you have ever had." Helial saw the strangest melancholy flash across Lumia''s eyes. It was an inexplicable vacant stare, almost suggesting that Lumia really got what he said. An iron grip clutched his heart in its steely claws. How much is left for me to pay? How long will the people I care for have to suffer? The question echoed out through his head unanswered. 93 Behind the door They went on walking for a few more minutes. Suddenly, they found a towering wooden door that stood imposingly before their eyes. For some reason, that sight made them shudder. "So, this door should basically lead us to the Boss Room," Helial said calmly. "Let''s get ready. We don''t know what''s expecting us behind that door, and we need to make up an offensive formation, so we¡­" Helial hadn''t yet begun to explain what array was best, when a bloodcurdling voice rippled through the darkness and echoed out behind their back. "Behind that door?" Beware: the Dungeon has just evolved The Boss is now free to wander through the entire Dungeon area Beware: this Dungeon''s difficulty level has just increase by one Phase. They had decided to venture into the Dungeon hoping to stumble across some Blood Legacy or Secret Skills, which they knew would usually happen. At the same time though, they seemed to have forgotten how many people that would venture into a Dungeon never really came back. As they saw the system notification, the thought of their potential imminent death loomed over them and clouded their clear thinking. Helial and his friends turned to inspect the surrounding area. Unconsciously, they positioned themselves in a circle, turning their back on each other. All of a sudden, a scarlet shadow flashed in the middle of their formation. "Oh, so these tender humans have so politely come here to hand me their flesh? I appreciate that. Last time I tasted human fresh flesh I had just become Dungeon Boss. Uh, and what about that one? Is it a cat? I wonder what it might taste like, huh." You''ve met the Dungeon Boss: Queen of Spiders Special Quest: Defeat the Queen of Spiders to become "Defender of the Living" Since the Boss has never been fought against before, a special item is likely to be dropped. Helial slowly turned towards the voice, in terror. There was no one there. The shadow was crawling from one side to another at unbelievable speed, so much that it could only be compared to the peak reached by Snowflake''s Movement Skill when activated. Suddenly the shadow stopped. Now it was standing back in the middle of their circle. It was a stunningly beautiful woman, totally naked. Her body was scarlet, with some intense dark edges marked in straight lines and acute angles. Her skin though was glossy and looked by far more resistant than steel. Just like that of a poisonous spider. Skill Activated: Perception Queen of Spiders Health: 180,234/180,234 HP Level: 167 Helial felt somehow reassured; the Queen of Spider wasn''t in the Third Phase, but in the Second Phase Late stage. They could still cling to a glimmer of hope. Without the least hesitation, Helial cried at the top of his lungs: "LUMIA, ENCIRCLE ME AND THE BOSS WITH A SHIELD! AND YOU GUYS, GET OUT OF THE WAY. NOW!" The Queen of Spiders checked him out with a terrifying yet seducing gaze, both quizzical and curious. She put a hand on her generous hip and waited for the boy''s friends to follow the instructions. "All right. These kids feel like playing with me, huh. It''s gonna be fun." The Queen of Spiders saw something take a cup-headed shape over her head. It looked quite resistant. It had been activated by the little Human girl with silvery hair. The Boss wound up under the Titan''s Shield just in front of Helial, who was wielding Curse of the Demon with both hands. The others seemed to have stepped back. They had surrounded the Titan''s Shield, and were now anxious to witness the fight outcome. If she has human form, it means she can''t be that strong, Helial analyzed. The more powerful the blood legacy, the harder it would be to take human shape indeed. That was why Snowflake had the shape of an animal. Since he belonged to one of the mightiest races in the universe, he must wait until Immortality before being able to take human shape as well. "Fine. You insisted to be alone with me, huh? Be careful what you wish for, boy," the Queen of Spiders hissed in her deep voice. "You look soft. I might as well play a bit with you before killing you. Women feel certain instincts, you know, instincts we need to follow¡­" Helial didn''t reply. He just planted Curse of the Demon into the soil and screamed: "He!" Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin The Queen of Spiders stared blankly at the white flames gliding through the air around the boy. It was indeed quite uncommon for a brat in tender age as he was. But she paid little mind to this. She took a few slow steps forward as she seductively approached her prey. "I''m a little bemused, you know¡­ Like, would you prefer to have a little fun with me after I''ve got rid of the others, or rather to be eaten up right away? You look like an interesting one. Maybe¡­" The Boss fell silent, her eyes wide open. The flames revolving around the boy seemed to be attracted to the sword by some strange magnetic force. Helial''s body was unleashing new white tongues of fire that compressed and gathered around the Longsword relentlessly. In the meantime, inside Helial''s Soul a Caribbean beach had taken the place of the usual dining room. It was completely empty. Wait. Not completely. Under a bat-shaped beach umbrella lay a black-haired kid indeed. His eyes were covered by some huge catchy sunglasses. He was holding a coconut, from which a straw stuck out. "What better place to witness such a mismatch from," said the Devil as he fiddled with the lei that hung from his neck. Urrr The kid drank a sip. "I''m curious, so curious," he mumbled again as he looked at the Queen of Spiders approach Helial. The Queen''s expression changed with every step she took. She was growing more and more baffled. When she got a couple of meters away from Helial, the flames suddenly froze as everything around her seemed to stand still. Once again, the expression of the Queen of Spiders changed drastically. Her face was disfigured by disbelief. Before her was a terrifying energy. "Damn. And he''s not even in the Second Phase!" She realized she had underestimated Helial. The Boss stepped back in an attempt to flee. Tough, she smashed into the Titan''s Shield, that didn''t move an inch. A creature almost in the Third Phase was afraid to lose her life against a brat that was hardly in the First! Helial sneered and winked at the Queen of Spiders. BOOM! The flames erupted in a white hell. They white tongues of fire, randomly scattered with black sparks, swept over the Boss. The Queen of Spiders was suddenly swallowed up by the flames. The blaze was so furious that Helial''s sense became dull. The whiteness of the flames blinded him. Helial was sure that nobody could survive an attack like that one, but no system notification popped out; the Queen of Spiders wasn''t dead. How could not she be dead though? Maybe the notification had been covered by the pure light the flames gave off. Lumia kept the Titan''s Shield activated. She knew she must wait for Helial''s order. She kept letting her Mana flow throughout the shield. Her arms were stretched outwards, her palms were red-hot and let out an alarming smoke trail that dispersed in the Dungeon''s air. Her face though was unchanged. Every hint of the innocence suggested by her tender age dissolved in her knitted brow and firm expression. She had turned pale due to the effort, but she was resolute enough not to collapse and just hold on. Any mistake, any weakness would lead them to a very ugly end. Everyone was anxiously trying to catch sight of Helial under the Shield as they caught themselves wondering if Helial''s blow would be powerful enough to kill the Boss. 94 Flee Helial looked terribly serious. His eyes glistened in white reflecting of the pure tongues of fire that slowly put out in front of him. Helial gazed down at his palms. He turned his hands downwards. He shook his head no. Not enough. "You sure you don''t wanna leave her? You''re damn weak. How will you survive without any equipment? Do you really think you''ll be able to take care of her when you clearly can''t even take care of yourself?" These words - Hades'' last words before abandoning him - boomed out inside his head. To Hades'' eyes, Helial had never been more than a weak damn burden. He had always been treated like a deadbeat. And despite his attempts to grow stronger, Helial was still feeling as if the millstone of weakness kept weighting his ankles down. But how could he feel weak after gaining two overpowerful Legacies, the guidance of the most fearsome master in the universe, and the funds of Orma''s best Clan at his disposal? Helial was terribly shocked by himself. Weak? With slow and seductive moves, the Queen of Spider stepped outside the pool of smoke caused by the blaze. Helial wasted no time. He let go of the hilt of Curse of the Demon and pushed it aside. Then he stretched both hands outwards, his palms joined, and they slowly distanced them. The flames split up as his will commanded. In that very moment, every fear that had dwelled Helial''s heart was left behind. Now there was only him and his outstanding Aura. The boy turned towards Lumia and slowly nodded. Lumia nodded back. They didn''t really words to communicate. The girl immediately reinforced the Titan''s Shield. "The fuck are you doing?" cursed Snowflake. Just like the two Goblins, the cat believed that it was finally time for them to come into play. Helial though, instead of having the shield dissolved, just asked to strengthen it up. "Let''s trust him," Lumia whispered. Snowflake was speechless. He knew perfectly well how strong Helial was, but that Boss was truly too dangerous. Before that monster, he himself felt somehow helpless. He had sensed the Queen of Spiders'' presence long before stumbling across her, after all. Despite the fact the her Race posed no threat to a Heavenly Star Tiger, the entire one Phase gap between them actually did. Also, she was no ordinary monster. She was a Boss whose Stats were exponentially amplified by the Dungeon special effect. "Weak?" Helial murmured as his eyes got bloodshot. Before him, the Queen of Spiders was looking perfectly fine. "Still on our feet after that blow?" Helial activated Perception to examine the inflicted damage. Skill Activated: Perception Queen of Spiders Health: 100,234/180,234 HP Level: 167 The attack had depleted a great amount of his Mental Energy, but the Queen of Spiders'' HP hadn''t even halved. And yet Helial didn''t panic. There was no room for fear. His previous terror had been replaced by some strange self-confidence. "Looks like I underestimated you, brat," said the Queen of Spiders in a low, slightly irritated voice. Bear in mind that at the very core of a melee-combat isn''t the sword, but the hand that wields it. Learn to fight in a small range. Be the King of what lies within your arm''s reach and you''ll be the Emperor of what lies within the reach of your weapon. Helial kept repeating these words to himself. It was something the Devil had told him one day during the training. And now, in an act of unheard of arrogance, he had decided to fight bare-handed. A strange smile hung on the Devil''s face. His blood was seething. "Exactly," the kid whispered to himself as he drew the straw to his lips. Body of the Qilin guaranteed Helial a strength of over 3,500 kilograms per arm. The Queen of Spiders might as well be fast, but could she be as strong as he was? As he saw the boy approach her, the Boss stepped closer to the Titan''s Shield and threw a punch. Her eyebrows grew vertical. To her dismay, she realized she couldn''t pierce it. She opened no crack in the translucent shield. She unleashed a flurry of fists, but all in vain. Lumia''s Titan''s Shield really had reached a terrifying defensive potential. Even though she could not keep it activated for hours, it was still remarkable that she could even deal with such a resistant shield. Very few people under the Third Phase could boast to be able to destroy a shield like that one. The Queen of Spiders lost her temper. Those squirts made tougher opponents than she thought. The Boss felt deeply ashamed to be unable to react as promptly as she wanted to. The only thing for her left to do was face the boy. The Queen turned towards Helial. The boy''s slim figure, in clash with the power of the flames he mastered, lead her to concluded that he must be some unknown warrior who mastered fire. Since he had a terrifying fire control, he was unlikely to be an equally skilled melee-fighter as well. However, the Queen of Spiders didn''t know how uncommon that flame was. That was Flame of the Qilin, directly descending from Origin of the Universe, namely Kirin''s Flame. It was universally renown that owning Flame of the Qilin implied that the user must also have such a resistant body as to control it. The Queen of Spiders didn''t delay any longer. This time she wouldn''t attack Helial by relying on her incredible speed. She went a little more primitive and threw a palm frontally, employing all the eroding Mana that filled her Meridians. Skill Activated: Corrosive Palm Helial paid no mind to that Skill''s corrosive properties. Someone else would have had to be extremely careful, but the case just didn''t apply. Helial engulfed his fist in Flame of the Qilin before striking a blow directed to her palm. Flame of the Qilin was one of the purest expressions of the Forces of Life. Its sheer power couldn''t be neutralized by some corrosive property. Helial''s fist punch made the walls tremble and caused a blazing explosion in midair which was as vast as Body of the Qilin''s impact on his physical capabilities. Helial''s Strength had always exceeded the common standards, even if he always sorted out more Stat Points in Intelligence first. The expression of the Queen of Spiders changed drastically. Her heart started pounding. Judging by the looks of that blow, the boy''s Physical Strength overtopped hers. There was no turning back though. Both blows had been struck. The Boss could only grin her teeth and let more of her Mana rush inside her Corrosive Palm. BOOM! The Queen of Spiders lost 1200 HP! The punch and the palm collided. Helial had employed no particular Skill and had only relied on his body''s brute force. However, it was the Queen of Spiders that was forced back. Helial stood still instead. He didn''t move an inch. The Devil smiled, leisurely sitting under his umbrella. Weakness has little to do with body, capabilities, talent or random chances. Weakness lies¡­ "...inside my mind, I know," Helial finished, borrowing those words the kid had told him countless times now. "You''ll be weak for as long as you wish to be. You''ll be weak for as long as you want to flee. When you''re ready to throw it all away, even to throw away your life, just to prove you''re not weak, then you''ll fulfil the requirement to join the ranks of the strong." Exactly. Are you strong enough now, or you still wanna flee? said the Devil as he uncovered his teeth. He was really having the time of his life. He already knew that the answer was. "Flee?" Helial said with a sardonic expression on his face. Meanwhile, his Aura had grown fierier and was now seething wildly, rippling the space all around it. Two flares, a white one and a dark one, melted together inside Helial''s Aura as he walked towards the Queen of Spiders. She was backing off. "Yeah, you can flee. But I happened to realize that I''m not really the fleeing type. Despite how hard this life can be, running away is not an option. Not to me. I''ll never learn a Skill that would help me flee in case I''m in danger. Flee? That''s for the weak to choose. I''ll stand here instead." Suddenly, Helial''s Aura increased through the roof as the two flares, the white and the black one, rushed through his body and reflowed repeatedly inside his Meridians. Helial seemed to glisten metallically with each flow the flares completed through his body. You can open a new Dao of Mana! Effects: All Stats increase by +50 Every Skill related to either Life or Destruction advances by 2 Levels. Helial felt a jolt of power run through his body. He had never felt that strong. He clenched his fists as the new vigor flowed deep inside his veins. Clap Clap Clap A clapping that none but Helial could hear echoed out inside his Soul. "You''ve just created your personal Dao of Mana. Some people only manage to do that after reaching Immortality. Beware though. The fight is not over yet." Helial nodded in satisfaction and enjoyed the new power he felt to the fullest. The Queen of Spiders narrowed her eyes and licked her lips. "You seem to have just grown even stronger." The change Helial had undergone couldn''t indeed escape the notice of such sharp senses. "Fine. Let''s play this through then." Some strange symbols began to shine over the Queen''s body, glistening in shades of black and scarlet. 95 Stronger Quest The Enigma of the Dungeon Runes You found Runes along the walls of an unexplored Dungeon. Now find who wrote them down. You completed the Quest! A Chain Quest follows! You''ve received a Quest The Enigma of the Dungeon Runes Grade: D+ The Queen of Spiders seems to have Runes. Inspect her body to find out if she has any secrets. Aim: defeat the Queen of Spiders. Reward: Runes Study Material. Do you accept the quest? Yes I No There was a very tense atmosphere now inside the Dungeon. The air was soaked in the energy ripples generated by the Auras of Helial and the Queen of the Spiders. They were so dense they made it difficult to breathe. Despite the Titan''s Shield screening them off, Lulu and Frankenstein were struggling to bear the pressure of such two Auras from that close. Snowflake and Lumia seemed to be doing much better, but they both had a complicated expression on their face. The body of the Queen of Spiders was sparkling with black and scarlet Runes all over. Their intertwining created weird patterns. Helial accepted the Quest without the slightest hesitation. This time, the two opponents spared all the chitchat. Fwoosh! Helial rushed forward. His steps cracked the ground open. A Rune came off of her body and wound up right in front of him. Skill Activated: Corrosive Palm Her Corrosive Palm flew through the gliding Rune. What used to be a translucent, illusory palm blow looked now much denser, as though it had gained body. Helial hastily let Life and Destruction reflow through his body. Mana began to seethe inside his Meridians. The palm hit against a punch. Boom! This time, nobody seemed to back off. Clearly, the Rune employed by the Queen of Spiders and Helial''s new upgrade had brought the match to a dead end. Boom! Boom! Boom! Several up-tempo exchanges of blows made the ground tremble. The floor and the ceiling immediately shattered in a number of spots covered by the Titan''s Shield "Lumia, more Mana!" Helial cried suddenly. Lumia didn''t need to hear that twice. She immediately increased the Mana she was flowing throughout the shield. Her painful expression though betrayed that she could not endure much longer. Having seen Lumia''s face, Lulu decided it was time to step in. She began to cast Buffs towards her silvery-haired friend to amplify her Mana regeneration. Helial had better let the match end as soon as possible. His fixed his gaze at the Boss''s sparkling body. Runes. The Queen of Spiders knew how to master Runes. Helial felt a chill run down his spine. Runes allowed users to amply their Skills'' and attacks'' effect. It was a crazy weapon indeed. They had a weak point though; unlike Formations, that could be reused over and over again for thousands of years, Runes were one-use. One single use was enough to deplete the Mana of a Rune. Each effect would be unique. This meant the Queen of Spiders couldn''t rely on that tactic for long. The mysterious pattern on her seductive body had already several blank spots. Helial inhaled deeply. He gathered as much Mana as he could in his muscles and threw a punch. Boom! The punch was so swift that the air exploded in a whirlwind. And yet, despite being almost about to be hit by an attack twice as strong as before, the Queen of Spiders curled up her lips in an evil smile. "I must say this was fun," the Queen of Spiders whispered maliciously. Suddenly, Helial had the worst feeling about this. He clearly sensed that his life was in danger. Fear clouded his gaze. It was too late to back off though. He could only grin his teeth and envelop his body in Mana as he cast one last punch at his opponent. This time, five Runes came off of the Queen''s body. Helial understood. "Fucking shit," he cursed. His friends'' expression changed drastically. They all had understood. Skill Activated: Corrosive Palm Not only was this Corrosive Palm much brighter than before, but it also exuded a terrifying Aura as well as a revolting smell. Its Destructive power wasn''t the only thing that had increased. The corrosive properties seemed to have made some headway too. Helial''s punch collided with the Corrosive Palm. BOOM! Helial was flung away like a cannonball and crashed against Lumia''s barrier. Thud Helial fell off on his knees. He threw up an alarming amount of blood. He hit the ground with his fist, extremely dissatisfied with his performance. You lost 4432 HP! The Queen of Spiders stared at the boy pitifully as she furrowed her eyebrows. "How can he still be alive? His body must really be as resistant as some divine creature''s¡­" Helial''s eyes were bloodshot. He touched his chest to check it out. He had a few broken ribs. He examined his internal organs through Mana and noticed that many of them were hurt. The blows have severely injured him. However, this wasn''t enough to make him pick up Curse of the Demon, or employ Death Mana Pistol. But why so? Because Helial had obtained Body of the Qilin by matter of sheer strength. What about Curse of the Demon and Death Mana Pistol then? It wasn''t like someone had exactly gifted him with those. But it wasn''t like he had fought for them either. Truth was, up to that moment, one thought had been torturing Helial and keeping him awake at night. Without what someone else gave me, would I be strong just the same, would I have become stronger than those around me? Without his realizing it, this thought had become an obsession. On his Dao of Mana though, Helial could not afford having such shadow burden his heart. For once, merely once, Helial needed to show to himself that his strength didn''t just depend on his helpers. He had deserved Body of the Qilin. And now he needed to prove to himself he could be the strongest even just relying on his own efforts. There was no reason for him not to benefit from Curse of the Demon or from the deep knowledge he had got in touch with through Hell. But this time, and this time only, he must win alone. He stood back up pressing his arms heavily on the chest. Meanwhile, Body of the Qilin was healing his wounds at unheard of speed. Helial spat out another mouthful of blood that stained the ground red. "I need you to rush all of your Mana through this barrier, Lumia. All of it. Don''t let any of you get hurt," Helial said solemnly. His words caused a chill to run down each of their spines. What was Helial up to? The Devil hastily sat up on his beach chair. He put aside the coconut he was holding and took his sunglasses off. Two pitch-black eyes appeared. His face showed no amusement now. It looked baffled, almost worried. "Okay, stop. You can''t use that tactic now. You just can''t develop a Skill like that one. Last time you tried during our training, you almost ended up killed. Your body won''t stand it. You''re already injured. You also risk harming the others." "Protect Lumia and the others, Master. Please. I know you wouldn''t step in and save their life If I weren''t able to do it myself. But I need to try this out. There''s a shadow I need to scratch off my heart," Helial whispered to himself. The Devil didn''t reply. His pupil''s every fiber was imbued with resolution. Suddenly, a dark-haired kid appeared behind Lumia without anyone noticing. "May I." The kid put his hand on Lumia''s shoulder. Next moment, the barrier turned slightly metallic. Despite its quite common looks, that barrier could now be considered Ceasar-proof. Lumia said nothing. Helial inhaled deeply. Thump Thump Thump His heart began to contract violently as blood was plumped impetuously inside his arteries. "Stronger," Helial wheezed as he approached the Queen of Spiders. A sardonic expression hung on her face. "So, one attack was not enough, huh. Let''s put this on end." The Aura of the Queen of Spiders grew even fiercer. All of a sudden, twenty Runes came off of her body as she narrowed her eyes to exert the fullest control over her next attack. Helial gritted his teeth. His Aura was slightly vanishing. "Stronger!" The Runes began to give off a blinding light before the Queen. Skill Activated: Corrosive Palm: Helial was now running light-heartedly towards an hopeless plight. A crazy smile hung on his face as two faint gleams, not even comparable to the dazzling Runes of the Queen of Spiders, appeared on his index fingers. He reached the imposing Palm. He was looking majestic. A single word boomed out through the cave. "STRONGEEER!" 96 Every once in a blue moon The sunlight was seeping through the tree branches, warming up the sparrows perched on their nests in search of heat. The birds were chatting in a string of twitters that flew from one branch to another. The sun shone unclouded in the clear morning sky. One of the sparrows took a leap and left its safe home to fly about, and then winged its way down to the soft dewy grass. He frisked in the green as he looked about himself. He caught glimpse of a cave in the distance. It was exuding a bleak Aura. No ray of sunshine could pierce its shadow and no vegetation adorned its entryway. No animal dared step too close. The same went for the sparrow, who gazed at it fearfully from afar. It looked as if every life form avoided that cave purposely. Suddenly, five silhouettes peeped out from the ghastly lair. The sparrow jumped in bafflement and took flight to its comfortable nest. His eyes though followed the bold group as they fearlessly walked outside. Ahead of them was a guy covered in wounds that looked in quite a bad shape. His wounds had no regular shape and were still pouring blood, giving him the most ghoulish look. And yet, none of his wounds seemed to be caused by a weapon. It kind of looked like his skin had burst apart due to some internal pressure that had torn it up from within. "Okay, this place is fine, let''s settle here," a silvery-haired girl whispered in the guy''s ear. She helped him sit on the grass and lean his shoulders on a trunk, and then sat down next to him. The others imitated her and sat down, all worn-out. The guy gazed down at his hands and gave a sigh. His index fingertips had turned black. The index was a fundamental finger to wield a weapon. Judging from the looks of his indexes though, and from what he noticed while examining his Mana, he wouldn''t be able to clutch his sword naturally before a week. The guy instinctively brought his hand up to the hilt of the black Longsword, that now hung from his back. Curse of the Demon. Obviously enough, the guy was Helial. *** Twelve hours before Snowflake violently furrowed his eyebrows. A terrifying roar had just boomed out through the cave. It raised a dust cloud that blocked their view. They had no idea on what was happening inside the Titan''s Shield. Judging from the energy rippling the air, Snowflake concluded that if that attack had been delivered to Lumia''s barrier¡­ The huge white cat shook his head, pushing away the idea that swirled around in it. The barrier didn''t seem damaged. He wondered how was it even possible for Helial to have delivered a blow like that one. Despite the dust, the shadow of Curse of the Demon was still neatly distinguishable on the edge of the shield. The attack delivered by Helial was a bare-hand one. Could he really pull that off without his weapon? Frankenstein, Snowflake and Lulu, as well as Lumia, were all thinking the same thing. The dust cloud slowly dissolved, letting them see what had happened inside the shield. Everything came into focus. What they saw left them speechless. Helial had fainted. He was lying on the ground unconscious. Before him opened up a crater several meters deep. Its V shape suggested that the impact had been generated by the attacks of the Boss and Helial. There was no trace of the Queen of Spiders. Lumia''s face, already pale for the extreme Mana consumption, turned even paler. Behind her, the Devil put his hand off her shoulder and clapped in overjoy. Thanks to the kid''s help, Lumia was exhausted but not hurt. The Titan''s Shield slowly disappeared. For several second none of them could move. They were all petrified by shock and worry. The first one to take a step forward was Lumia. As soon as she saw Helial''s chest raise and fall feebly, she walked towards him. She glanced at Helial''s life bar to check if he had any Bleed Malus or any damaged internal organ. (T/N: Malus is a Latin word that means "evil". It indicates an Anti-Bonus.) Helial had barely 500 HP left. They kept going up and down. "This regenerative power is terrifying," Lumia whispered to himself as she knelt down in front of her brother. "Lulu, cast all of your Heals on Helial. Start by those with a lowest Cast Time. This damage will need a couple of days to recover. Judging by the nature of these wounds, he must be able to walk in a matter of hours. We don''t know if the monsters'' Phase increases once they regenerate at the end of the 24 hours, so we''d better get out of here in half a day at most." Lumia seemed to have taken over. Snowflake thought to himself: Where does this confidence come from? She''s become a complete different person after training with the little freak, really¡­ Lulu obeyed and Frankenstein immediately rushed to check the area out and made sure the noise hadn''t attracted too many monsters. A strange atmosphere filled the Dungeon. It was enigmatic. They all realized that the Queen of Spiders had been pulverized by Helial''s last attack. Many questions whirled around in their head though. They could hardly come to an answer. What did Helial do exactly? How did he defeat the Queen of Spiders? What power peak did the boy reach? How much of his potential was yet to be uncovered? How stronger could he turn out to be? Snowflake caught sight of a gleam out of the corner of his eye. Something was glistening from down the crater. "The drops!" the cat said, cursing at himself for not having thought about this. Snowflake jumped inside the crater right away and saw three items. You obtained Solomon''s Ancient Scroll! You obtained the Guide to the Corrosive Palm! You obtained the Shell of the Queen of Spiders Snowflake picked up the items and brought it near Helial under Lumia''s attentive eyes. The girl nodded at him. The cat looked unusually silent. There were times where even Snowflake could keep his mouth shut, even if they only occurred every once in a blue moon. Outside the cave "WHEN-THE-FUCK-ARE-WE-HAVING-DINNER?" Snowflake cried on top of his lungs. He immediately woke everyone up from their trance state. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Frankenstein cursed. He had been deep in highly difficult calculations about the use of his Skill. Now that Snowflake distracted him, he lost count. "ARE YOU CHALLENGING THIS EMPEROR CAT HERE? I GOTTA BITE YOUR HEAD OFF YOU PIECE OF SHIT. I GOT NO TIME TO WASTE WITH PLEBS," Snowflake''s bad mood worsened drastically whenever he wouldn''t eat for several days in a row. Frankenstein didn''t even bother answering. Lulu approached Snowflake and started caressing his fur, in an attempt to calm him down. The little girl gazed at Helial with fearful eyes and asked with the sweetest voice: "Can we sit here for a bit to grab a bite of something, Helial?" The cat wasn''t the only one feeling hungry for sure. Helial smiled calmly as he nodded. They chopped off some trees and sat down on the stumps. They used the wood to light a fire, by which they started warming some quality meat. It soon began to sizzle. The smell was so nice it made all of their mouths water immediately. Lumia jumped right in Helial''s arms, stealing away cuddles and some kisses on her cheek. Lulu and Frankenstein turned away, embarrassed and uncertain on what to do. Snowflake didn''t take his eyes off them instead. He kept staring at them with a disgusted expression on his face. "Gross," the cat remarked as he chewed a piece of meat. Neither Helial nor Lumia paid attention to their friends though. Lumia sat on one of Helial''s legs. Suddenly, she noticed that he was gazing at something in midair. She fixed her eyes on that direction too, leaving her brother''s shoulder. Her eyes lay on Helial''s Stat window. Without even her noticing, Lumia''s mouth opened wide as she froze. Her eyes were glimmering. Despite her sudden growing wiser and mature, Lumia didn''t lose her ability to be amazed by things. Well, actually none could have been but amazed by what she was looking at. Primary Class: Runic Overlord (Unique Class) 97 The secret to the perfect fried fritters Helial had now recovered completely and could finally train all night again. The training ground was desert. Helial sat cross-legged alone in the darkness. He was carefully examining a scroll in his hands. His eyebrows would furrow often, and he would gaze up at the sky to seek advice in the moonlight, and then he would lower his head to read again. It was a seemingly endless cycle. On a gliding armchair suspended one meter off the ground sat a black-haired kid with a black bangs over his eyes. His face was hidden behind a huge manual he was pretending to read. Actually, his mind was filled with nostalgia, and memories he couldn''t help being blown away by. One same image was set before his eyes¡­ *** Countless years before "Why do you have to take part in this war, big bro?" asked Tsukuyomi. A young boy, whose gaze was way deeper than the universe itself, put his hand on the girl''s forehead. He exuded a diabolic elegant charm. "We need to win this war so that your Clan won''t be able to put the whole universe in chains. I have to travel ''cause there''s an army we need to build up. Destruction has no clear centre, which is why the Forces of Life have always been free to lord over anyone undisturbed." "But, brother," Tsukuyomi said doubtfully, "why didn''t you stand by big sis''s side? Have you ever considered fighting with her, instead of fighting her?" The young boy spread his huge bat wings onward. A dark shadow covered the girl. He enveloped her in a plumed sheltering hug. He cradled her slowly as he whispered in her ear: "What would you do if someone were to kill your big bro, little Tsukuyomi?" Tsukuyomi fell silent as a homicidal Aura peeked out of her body. The young boy with pitch-black hair shook his head as he held her tighter. "Tsukuyomi! Kyeheheheh!" suddenly cried the young boy as he let go of her. He spread out his wings in all their spectacular width. The youngster was now standing in front of little Tsukuyomi with his arms stretched outwards, his eyes glistening in a sinister shade: "A war? What''s so frightening about a war? Tsukuyomi! Look at the vastness of the sky, glimpse at the profoundness of your heart, and then tell me, do you really think that something exists which could possibly contain the sky or your feelings? Would you ever let anyone limit the sky? And then why would we try to limit what''s inside our heart?" "I won''t kill your sister, Tsukuyomi. That will never happen. But as far as the rest of her Clan is concerned¡­" The temperature suddenly dropped as the air turned bleak, so bleak that little Tsukuyomi felt her dermis hurt slightly. That hatred was indeed so intense it stung skin. "I, Tsukuyomi, will fight everyone who''ll try to put our heart in chains. Destruction is no good, but it''s no evil either. It doesn''t claim to act for the good of people, but it''s not like it aims to hurt them. I will rule over this universe unrivalled. I will let every single one of us decide whether to harm others or not." The youngster''s tone of voice rouse with every syllable. When he stopped talking, he was twitching spasmodically. He went on talking like a maniac as a gleam shone in his pitch dark eyes: "Everyone will get to choose! What do you think would happen if your father and your sister won this war? The Clan of Life will force good out of everyone. Even if doing good will mean that evil must be done! Hypocrites!" The devil stretched his arms towards the sky as he whispered: "Tsukuyomi, I''ll never let them take who we are away from us. Let them take free will away from our heart ¡­" As he spoke these words, the youngster had gradually lowered his arms until they reached Tsukuyomi''s shoulders. She rushed into that hug, tears stinging her eyes. Tsukuyomi knew that that conflict would bring about suffering. However, she also knew that he who was presently holding her was meant to suffer more than anyone else; he was meant to be hit in the sorest spot, his heart. *** Orma, training ground The kid went back to leafing through the huge book he was holding, whose cover went, namely "The secret to the perfect fried fritters." His reading process was scattered with remarks like: "Ah! Damn, so that''s how they''re done?! But these are stuffed!" A big blue vein started bulging on Helial''s forehead. "When will I learn one of your Skills?" asked Helial as he repressed the headache caused by the Devil''s enthusiastic comments. "Huh?" the Devil asked as he glanced away from the book on fried fritters he was immersed so deeply in. "You said I''ll have no easy time trying to step forward towards both Life and Destruction. However, I already possess a Qilin''s Skill, many Life attributes, and I''ve recently acquired an Affinity for Light. So my question is, when can I learn a Devil''s Skill?" The Devil raised its index finger as he said: "First-" "We gotta talk about the Quest later," Helial interposed, " now I wanna know when I can learn a Devil''s Skill." Helial wanted to immerse himself in training as much as possible. After all, he didn''t know how long this period would last, and he wanted to spare no effort. When would that peaceful times end? Exhausted, the Devil rubbed his eye with a palm. "Yawn. Well, with your current body you just can''t." "What can I do then?" "You can''t do," the Devil sneered. During the past days, they had gone into this several times. Helial was stubborn and wouldn''t let the matter go that easily. For how much he insisted, however, he just didn''t fulfil the standards to acquire the Skill of a Devil. Helial had indeed no Affinity for Darkness, and he certainly had less Affinity for Destruction than needed. As far as Death Mana Pistol was concerned, he was able to learn such a Skill just because its foundation were Life-rooted. And then, what was the point in learning the Skills of his Devil master? Even pure Destruction practitioners would fulfil enough requirements to learn them. The Devil''s eyes shut open. He had just recalled something. "Oh! I can offer you an alternative anyway," he sneered. "A really interesting one," the Devil mumbled wickedly. Helial nodded slowly and said no words. "This won''t be nice," the Devil warned him in a smile as he put the recipes book aside. A drop of thick blood leaked from the kid''s index finger, and then glided over his palm. "It''s a while I have it, so it might as well be the right moment to take it out. This is the solution to your problem. You''ll never be able to use my Skills without interiorizing this technique created by¡­ Well, anyway. Have fun." The drop of blood left the Devil''s palm and catapulted right between Helial''s eyebrows. The guy''s sight turned black as he lost consciousness. He could only heard some voices. "In this life, there are people who shine like suns and can infuse this radiance to other people, making them shine in turn. Today I''ll find out if I shine enough to rip the darkness." That voice, that tone. "In my life I have committed two great sins: you are one of them. I indulged so much in love I lost myself. But I couldn''t have committed a better mistake. The other one¡­ In order to reach the greatest brightness I had to plunge my heart into darkness, and I fear I have never resurfaced completely. I created something I should never have created. If anybody found out¡­ But after all, what aren''t we willing to do to warm the heart of those that love us with such intensity¡­" Helial felt two warm tears streak his face as his nose burnt. He had a lump in his throat. He shook his head violently while unconscious. "And what if tomorrow someone was be forced like me to plunge their essence into darkness, in order to shine like the brightest of suns? Is there such damnation? Can we embrace evil to do good?" "Vidio¡­" Helial whispered. 98 Memories "Hey Cori! Guess what I took today!" a young Vidio said, his arms intertwined behind his back. An elegant girl with the noblest bearing faked a frown. "Wasn''t there a reunion of the Congregation, today? What are you doing here?" she crossed her arms slightly under her breast, forcing a serious expression out of the smile that appeared on her face. She really had a hard time keeping a frown in front of Vidio. Her eyes couldn''t help glisten with a dazzling light. The more she tried to resist him, the fiercer the feelings tearing her apart. "Hey, hey! I was busy today, you know?" Vidio winked at her as he noisily slapped on her rear end. Cori went furious. She raised an arm to slap him back, when suddenly the master appeared behind her in a silver flash, squeezing her rear end with both hands. "Ahhhh!" Vidio heaved a sigh, "how much I''ve missed it!" "You dirty swine, take your hands off me or I''ll call my fat-mhhh!" Vidio had Cori turned around and was pressing his lips against hers. He kissed away those fake threatens he was so into. For how much he loved her though, his beloved really did chat too much. Every once in a while she might as well shove her damned virtue up her ass and just get lai- "You know what would happen If my father knew!" Cori exclaimed as she left her lover''s lips. "I''m promised to another, Vidio, I can''t be with you!" Cori''s words whispered their way down to a descending climax which ended in what seemed a feeble weep. Helial wound up in what looked like an Illusion. "It''s not an Illusion, Shithead. These are memories. The blood you''ve just seen was Vidio''s. The memory I''ve extracted belongs to him. When I examined his life, I found something that you might find useful. However, I have no idea how long you can stay here. Bear in mind that whatever you do, none here will be able to see you, nor can you change the past." Helial bit his lip as the young Vidio kept harassing Cori, who seemed more and more yielding with the master''s every blandishments. Vidio''s features exuded the greatest pride and vigor. His facial lines were sharp and manly. They still weren''t plagued by misfortune. Helial had hardly recognized him at first. He looked so different than the Master he had met. And yet there he was, just before him¡­ Helial groaned, his throat dried out: "When did you take his blood?" "Just before he died. I took his blood Essence, the one containing his very Mana. I had sensed some strange technique inside his body, but it seemed sealed somehow. So I''ve sneaked inside his memories and, well, I did find something¡­" The Devil''s words resounded through Helial''s head. They caused an instinctive shiver down his spine. Sometimes it just slipped Helial''s mind how strong that kid was. The Devil''s looks didn''t help for sure; a little boy with a bowl cut and bat pattern clothes isn''t really what you would expect an extraordinary creature to look like. However, it was in moments like this that Helial was reminded of the absolute power the Devil could wield whenever he chose to. With his actual body, what would a creature like him rank in the universe''s hierarchy?, Helial could not help but think. The scenery before his eyes suddenly changed. Now Vidio was alone, training. "AH!" You acquired a new Skill: Lightning Dance! Vidio looked like a lightning indeed. Without having reached the First Phase yet, he was moving at full-speed through a legion of monsters infesting a forest. Every blow he struck drenched the trees in blood. "This was Snowflake''s speed before him acquiring his strange Skill¡­" Helial mumbled. It was truly unconceivable for an ordinary human to reach such high speed-specialized levels as to match those of a divine beast. Skill Activated: Lightning Dance Skill Activated: Lightning Blow Vidio slaughtered its way Quest after Quest, endlessly hanging between life and death. The risks he tirelessly took were tempering his body. Eventually, Helial couldn''t help exclaiming: "He''s already overtopped the Vidio I knew!" How was it possible? Not only had Vidio stopped levelling up, but he had also lost some of his power and strength. The Vidio Helial was presently witnessing was only in the First Phase Late stage, but looked already far stronger than the Vidio he knew. There was something terribly fishy about this. Helial had a weird feeling. There was something he was unaware of. Helial couldn''t figure this out. If Vidio was so strong and dedicated to training, why would the Master he had stumbled on in Floralivory City be stuck in the Second Phase? Things were getting dodgy. New sceneries followed. Helial saw Vidio play Romeo with Cori until he finally seduced her. He saw him spend his life in the Capital day after day; chase after Cori, be rejected, snoop on her through the windows, admire her stunning beauty, and treasure these memories for his next travel. Helial blushed in front of the raciest scenes and felt his heart melt before the sweetest ones. Vidio wasn''t the flirty man he had always thought him to be. Quite the contrary. The one he was looking at was a man capable of love. Helial had never experienced that kind of love. But if he had to picture it, he would definitely think of something that looked like that. The setting changed once again. It wasn''t a clearing, this time. It was a grey rainy day inside the walls of the Capital. "What happened to his man? I look at him and see a strong happy man full of life. Even if they exiled him for possessing some terrifying Skill, why wasn''t he in the Second Phase Intermediate stage? It doesn''t make any sense. He should have still been able to level up, even if extremely slowly. If he hadn''t stopped training in Floralivory, one day he probably would have been able to go back to the Capital. I mean, he''s a freaking monster. By training just as consistently as this, even despite the Master tasks he had to complete in that rat-hole, hewould still advance faster than many others¡­ What did that pervert do to lose his strength the more with every day?" Helial''s train of thought was running at wild speed. The boy was racking his brains out to find out what could have happened to his Master. But in vain. Vidio was now leaning against a palace wall. The rain poured down drenching his clothes and hair. He was holding a bottle. From time to time he would take a sip. Since he was only in the Second Phase Early stage, he still hadn''t the Divine Sense. His senses though were sharp enough to let him perceive what was going on inside the palace. "Your father has ordered to keep you in your room all day, My Lady! Did you hear me?!" a middle-aged woman with a stern face cried to Cori. Cori fell silent, a complicated expression on her face. "I''ve already spoken with my father. I won''t be secluded in my own home. I have no intention to pay mind to this folly. Leave me alone now, please." As these words fell out into the air, another voice from another wing called her: "My Lady! Young Master Beritius is here to pay visit." Cori furrowed her eyebrows and stood up, straightening her dress. Her future husband had just came out of nowhere and she must welcome him, willing or not. Her father would never lay a finger on her, but he wouldn''t have trouble sending her in some faraway god-forsaken wasteland to help her clear her mind, either. She had better not push it too much. Cori wore an helpless smile. There was nothing she could do. "I was born a weak¡­" she whispered. Vidio took another sip, two sparkles shining on his right hand. "Beritius, huh?" he groaned something, and then went back to listening. Helial tried to recall who that Beritius might be. From what Vidio had told him, and from his Master''s memories themselves, Beritius must be Cori''s future husband as well as the heir of one of the two biggest Clans of the Mana Congregation. Cori welcomed Beritius: "To what do I owe this visit?" Beritius wore a warm smile and said: "I talked to your father. I''m allowed to see you." "Great spirit of enterprise, really. You''re a lion heart, aren''t you?" Vidio sneered. Helial could not help but burst into laughter at his Master''s words. Vidio had always been like that, apparently. Helial did miss him. There was no burden Vidio couldn''t lighten. Maybe Helial really needed someone like him in his life. Cori e Beritius had a formal exchange of words as Vidio yawned noisily outside the palace, taking a sip every now and then. "Nobles. They''re a bore," Vidio yawned again, "how many brooms would I need to shove up my ass to sound like one?" Helial ran a hand over his face. Vidio''s obscene language upset him. Apparently, Beritius was already in the Sixth Phase Last stage. What level has he reached by now? Helial wondered. Beritius bad farewell to Cori without his finger even brushing against her. Vidio smacked his lips. A great pressure had just dropped on his shoulders. His expression though remained unchanged. Once walked outside the door, Beritius walked towards an adjacent alley. "Good evening," the man whispered, surprised, as he met Vidio''s gaze. A mighty killing Aura covered the Master. Beritius would appear to know something, or suspect it at least. "Evening," Vidio yawned, "to what I owe this reach-about?" A large blue vein bulged on Beritius'' forehead. "My future bride fucking lives here! More like, what the fuck are you doing here?" These words though didn''t leave Beritius'' lips. "Just passing by," he resolved for a cold scornful smile. "I''ve heard that Episcopous will take the test to become a Master pretty soon now." "Huh," Vidio said half-heartedly as he garishly scratched his pubic zone. Those barbaric manners disgusted Beritius as fierceness flashed in his eyes. "Oh, by the way, since you''re here, I have something for you." Vidio raised an eyebrow as he hastily let all of his Mana flow through his Meridians. Despite the abysmal gap between them, Vidio and Beritius were both fellow members of the Mana Congregation. Neither of them could kill the other too easily, or the Mana Congregation would sentence them to death. The Congregation had indeed as strict rules as great benefits to offer. Vidio had joined the Congregation precisely so as to defend himself from people like Beritius. The name of the Mana Congregation was enough to dissuade anyone from planning to kill him. Slowly, Beritius dug out a scroll from his Interspace Ring. Meanwhile, an unaware Cori was weeping inside her room. Two swollen rivulets spoilt Cori''s flawless face. She was so beautiful that people often caught themselves wondering whether she must be a Goddess rather than a woman. And yet she was so frail¡­ Cori''s throat was burning with her intense hatred towards herself. She couldn''t do much to get out of that situation. If she had been stronger, braver maybe, then she would have rebelled against Beritius, and her father, and her current situation. Helial furrowed his eyebrows, his expression betraying a slight disgust. "This woman is the reason why Vidio was exiled and then met death¡­" Helial snarled. "Is weakness a valid excuse to hide behind? Weren''t we all born weak? So what''s that resigned gaze for? Why would she only rely on Vidio instead of herself, causing him to die? Why would she?!" Helial was losing his temper. It was difficult for people to share Helial''s feelings, but it was twice as difficult for him to relate to theirs. Weakness? Misfortune? In his life, Helial had always stood back upright even after losing everything he had. He had dug its way out of pain by matter of blood and sweat. His talent had helped for sure. Without having spared no efforts all his life, however, he would have never got the chance to get back on his feet. Helial could not but despise whoever hid behind mere excuses like fate or weakness, be them men or women. To be born weak meant nothing to him. It was the choice whether to live as such or not that made a difference. The Devil sensed his mood swing and gave a sigh. His pitch-black eyes arched through the cloudy sky, from which the first shining stars were peeping out. "Everyone loses at a certain point, Shithead, and you''ll make no exception. The day will come for you too to feel weak relatively to someone, or something. The day will come for you too to feel that this time, you can''t win¡­" The kid with the black bangs paused briefly and heaved a sigh. "Willpower can''t make a guarantee for victory, not always. In fact, when you want something too much you''re actually likely to fail. Even if wanting something too much can pave your way to success too. Victory and failure are scattered down the same path. Some decide to stop after stumbling on one failure, but what if there''s just one same road? What are they giving up to, after a single failure?" An uncanny light glimmered in his eyes as he said these profound words. "Victory," said Helial as he clenched his fists. "Victory, exactly. Your willpower can bring about both victory or failure, but only by stepping forward you give yourself the chance to either win or fail. Make your best treasure of it. Because this chance is the only thing that makes a difference between the strong and the weak." 99 Salty It was raining. Cori ran a hand over the cold glass of the window overlooking the yard. Her eyes were red and swollen. She wondered how to escape her situation. Her hand ran over the glass as tears streaked down her face. A man was standing in the rain, his arm stretched outwards. He was holding a scroll the rain wouldn''t appear to touch. In fact, the scroll was glistening. Its feeble golden halo rejected the downpour. Vidio furrowed his eyebrows as he squinted slightly. A Quest promulgated by the Mana Congregation, he sighed. Beritius was wearing dark clothes that gave him the most collected look. Vidio''s tunic, on the contrary, was creased and stained. Vidio''s face was poorly shaved. An onlooker could easily mistake him for some tramp instead of a member of the Mana Congregation. Vidio was a bird from another feather than Beritius and his finely shaved beard. On one side stood an untidy youngster, on the other stood a nobleman. Vidio relaxed his muscles as he ceased to let Mana flow through his body. He inhaled, stretched an arm and grabbed the scroll without any comment. His gesture betrayed no fear nor anxiety. Despite Beritius'' extremely oppressive Aura, Vidio''s expression remained just as lazy and listless. Swine know no etiquette for sure¡­ Beritius knew that Cori had a thing for this man, but he wouldn''t see what could possibly be so attractive about that shabby-looking one. Vidio''s eyes quickly ran over Beritius before reading the entire scroll through. "You''re free to go now," Vidio said smiling. He didn''t cast him a second glance. Beritius could be considered one of the biggest shots in the Mana Congregation. He already took part in the national branch of the Mana Congregation, while Vidio wasn''t even Master yet. Therefore, Vidio''s manners were to be considered quite disrespectful. If the Congregation hadn''t had such strict rules following a fellow''s murder, most likely Beritius would have already ripped his head off. Even though Beritius could hardly bear the presence of the dishevelled, rude man, he made up his mind he would wait there anyway, just to witness Vidio''s expression change drastically as he read the Quest scroll. "So apparently," Vidio said as he put the scroll inside his Interspace Ring, "the Congregation wants me to clear a Dungeon and pick up some materials for our blacksmiths, huh? Second Phase Late stage monsters likely to be there, huh? Sounds fine. Count me in, fellow. No problem." Beritius was about to cough up blood. The unconceivable allusion to some sort of fellowship had shocked him. Nevertheless, he forced a smile and remarked: "Yeah, you''re definitely gonna enjoy it. I''d love to help you, but I''ve been so busy lately. Things to do, you know, when you take part in the Council¡­" Vidio interposed immediately. That dude''s words bored him to death every time. "No problem. I''m sure that in your age, you always need to pay attention to waste the least energies. I see. Like, if you were too strained, your thing down there couldn''t raise its head, fellow. Oh, and by the way, if you need anything, I have some friends in the Alchemy Department, you know¡­ you only need to ask and they''ll take me a couple of those Elixirs that can bring some youth out of even the oldest ones¡­" As Vidio''s foul speech went on, Beritius felt an increasing urge to bite off the heart of that insolent man while still pulsing. He panted coldly and turned around. He was aware that, whatever he would say, that oaf would find a way to make him lose his temper anyway. Never chat with idiots, they drag you down to their level and then beat you out of experience; this was what Beritius concluded. After some more small talk, Beritius walked away and left Vidio with his almost finished bottle. Cori hadn''t stopped weeping yet. She was upset about her near future. She just couldn''t handle it. She was her father''s only daughter, so there was no way out of an arranged marriage. None could have taken her place. The corners of Vidio''s mouth curled up in an enigmatic smile as he perceived Cori sigh from the upper floors. Vidio shook his head, and the mist clouding his heart vanished. Vidio snapped his fingers. Bzzz Something that felt like a shake made Cori let out a faint cry: "Ahhh!" She didn''t realize what had happened. She felt some kind of a calling though, that lead her gaze afar out of the window. As she gazed into the gloomy view, Cori caught sight of a silhouette whose back was taking firm slow steps. It walked towards the horizon and show no sign to be about to turn back. Suddenly, the silhouette stretched up the right arm, thumb raised, without stopping walking away. In that move, Cori recognized her Vidio. She could hear his voice tell her: "Everything''s gonna be alright," as if he had seen her cry and tried to comfort her. The woman wiped away her tears and rubbed at her cheeks. She smiled. Even though he could not see Cori, Vidio felt her gaze and her smile fixed on him, and his heart melted. The scenery changed again. Vidio was fiddling with a skull that most likely had once belonged to some wild beast. He was walking through a forest. "Fuck this Quest. It''s a bore. A Dungeon filled with Demons, huh? Why can''t they be Succubus for once?" He threw the skull through the air and kicked it to shatters. Then he cleared his throat as an evil smile spread over his face. He turned left and right repeatedly before digging some kind of book out of his Interspace Ring. Helial leaned slightly forward to read the title of the ancient volume his master was studying. It must be some manual on the Dungeon or some Skills. "How does the title go? Pic collection of naked milfs - All pics are sneak pics." Grug Helial fell to the ground, cursing. As one memory of his Master''s followed another, Helial couldn''t help wondering what kind of Skill could have led to his exile in Floralivory City. For how much he pondered though, he could only say to himself that his Master''s memories would lead him to any answer he sought, eventually. "With this pace, it''s just a matter of time before he acquires this famous Skill." A sudden idea flashed in Helial''s mind. "Damn, this means that fucking Devil wants me to see the Skill that got Vidio exiled. How could Vidio have created something so interesting?" Helial pondered how things might unfold, but in vain. He still had too little information. Meanwhile, the kid had gone back to Helial''s Soul and was scrutinizing a string of pots suspended over gliding flames. He was wearing one of his bizarre chef hats. It was a rabbit pattern one this time. The pot was simmering with vegetables. It smelled very nice. The Devil kept stirring. From time to time, he would take a sip of the sup with a wooden spoon. "Not very salty," he said scornfully, "but I can''t say the same about Vidio''s language for sure. Well, so much the better for Shithead. He''s already grasped a great deal of stuff really..." The Devil seemed to get lost deep in his thoughts: "Have you come to an answer about the Skill?" With a clap, the Devil made his cuisine tools disappear. He had just grown bored of cooking. Another wave of his hand, and the scenery changed drastically around him. Now the kid was standing on a hilltop overlooking a clearing whose only ceiling was a sky full of stars. "Another million years like this and I''ll be a nostalgic too¡­" the Devil said gloomily. He took a few steps forward. He set himself at the right centre of the clearing. He lay on the fresh night grass, his hands under his head like a pillow. He heaved a sigh. "I tried to deny Destiny all my life, but I didn''t really do a good job, did I? Vidio, huh? Very, very interesting." The Devil stretched an arm beside him, expecting another hand to hold his. He did it instinctively. It was an habit he just couldn''t help, even after a million years. No hand touched the Devil''s. He clenched his fist and shook his head helplessly. He kept star-gazing. Those stars had witnessed every change the world had undergone beneath them. And still, after millions of years, they dazzled unchanged. 100 Ism peeing on you, bitches! Vidio was walking through a clearing, alone, under tiny rays of sunshine that warmed up his body. He left without telling Cori. He left her with nothing more than that slight jolt of electricity. He left that very night, conscious that the more he would wait, the more the problems Beritius would cause him. According to what he had got to know, the Dungeon bustled with demoniac monsters whose soul was made of a singular kind of metal, the Demon Marrow. Despite being a typical feature of Second Phase monsters, the Demon Marrow could boast Fourth Phase properties. If melted with other metals, just a few grams of Demon Marrow would give birth to extremely valuable and efficient mixed-steel swords, which made the perfect weapons for a Mana Warriors army. Also, once melted with armor set pieces, it would make for a defence that no creature under the Fourth Phase could dream to pierce. It was as an outstanding metal as difficult item to find. Very few Dungeons could boast to be rich in such metal, and those monsters it was extracted from were powerful ones. However, someone in a higher Phase than the monsters would get no drop at all; a Fifth Phase monster killed by an Immortal wouldn''t drop anything. The only way to lay hands on such metal was to be in the same Phase as the demons, or in a slightly higher one, and then challenge them. And still, those demoniac creatures whose soul was imbued with Demon Marrow were so frightening they could likely squeeze out the head of a Third Phase practitioner. Usually, the Mana Congregation would send an entire party made of Healers and several different Classes, to maximize efficiency. Beritius, however, had strived to fob this off on Vidio. According to him, this operation was needed to make sure Vidio would be prepared to finally become a Master of the Mana Congregation. And to test his reliability as well. Beritius was a sneaky and devious man, but fortunately, Vidio couldn''t care less. For how intensely Beritius aimed at getting rid of his troublesome romantic rival though, he couldn''t speak his mind on this with any member of the Mana Congregation, or he would be punished harshly. His only way to get Vidio out of the way was do it sneakily and deviously. Helial''s future Master went on walking as if nothing had happened, his hands crossed behind his back. Suddenly, he smiled and slowed down his pace. He reached for a tree and stopped, back turned on the road. Then he began to slowly unbutton his trousers. "There''s a pretty nice bunch of you, isn''t there?" Vidio sensed over twenty Auras scattered across the area. If his senses didn''t betray him, at least one amongst them must already be in the Fourth Phase. Might they be mercenaries hired by Beritius? "Just come clean, you bunch of retarded," Vidio yawned. Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Twenty figures, faces covered and weapons clutched, stepped out of the bushes and surrounded the young man, who was still fiddling with his pants. "What is he even doing?" one of them whispered in bafflement. That young man wasn''t frightened in the least. He was standing there, in front of a tree, surrounded by a goon squad, and yet all he seemed to care about was unfasten his trousers. Vidio smiled back at the exclamation. The head of the group nudged at the stooge who had talked. Then, he took a step forward and yelled: "Hey brat! Rumors have it you stepped on the wrong one''s toes. And you''re still acting bold even after sensing out our presence. Do you really think you can flee?" "Hahahah!" Vidio burst into a wild laughter, leaving the hit men speechless. The head of this bunch of more than twenty mercenaries, so good at sneaking that a squirt in the Second Phase had just sensed their presence, was trying to make a show of force? Like, really? Without the least intention to answer him back, the young man kept fiddling with his trousers. They wouldn''t unbutton. Then this was Beritius'' plan? This was all he''d got? Recruit mercenaries in the Fourth Phase Early stage to put him down? Vidio furrowed his eyebrows. A rather foolish mercenary, also, since he was showing off his Aura instead of concealing it. Affinity for Earth, huh? Vidio pondered. Maybe he could detect the Affinity of all of them. Vidio quickly swept his eyes over the others. Apparently, he took notice, none of their Mana had any particular Affinity with speed. Dumb asses. Beritius really did underestimate him. If he had been faintly smarter, that oldie would have gathered a little bit more information on Vidio and his strong points. The young man was no ordinary warrior indeed; his speed could easily compare that of someone in the Third Phase Late stage. Helial felt heart-wrung. He was worried for his Master. He knew perfectly well that those were merely memories. It all belonged to the past, to a long time before when Vidio had no clue on what would expect him, nor knew that one day, he would stumble on a guy named Helial. This meant Vidio couldn''t die in that fight. And yet Helial was scared for his Master''s life. A life that had been already taken. But¡­ in that very moment, Vidio was right before him. Vidio was alive. Helial was a witness to something he had never seen before. His Master was a young, strong and hotheaded man, way more spontaneous than the Vidio he knew, and he was full of life. He was invincible, a bright future ahead, and his moves were majestic and relentless. He glistened with pride and vigor. The sight of this Vidio made Helial travel back in time. Helial heard his Master''s voice from the very deep ends of his memory. Hey boy, look at that ass! What do you think, is this waitress open to try out this Master''s shaft? What? You''re telling me you''ve never delivered your battle shaft between a woman''s legs?! You wanna grow stronger, huh? How about you let go of this bullshit and just go for an intercontinental tour for pimps-wanna-be? No? You sure? Sorry to hear that, I''m pretty sure it might be a great job one day. Just saying. What is love for me, huh? Oh, boy. Stop asking such silly questions. Helial could still recall Vidio''s gaze as he answered this question. Love? Pf, there is no such thing as love. There sure is a lot of stunning women¡­ but love? Better to fall ahead over lust. Love¡­ well, love is just a thorn in the flesh. Vidio had always been a skilled liar. For how he despised the very concept of love itself in Floralivory City, his mind and heart had always been oriented towards his one and only. And it was the same woman the future Master of the Mana Congregation was thinking of while unbuttoning his pants, surrounded by a large group of warriors. "Don''t worry, Cori, death won''t find me here nor in the Capital. We''ll spend our life together, Cori, happily together." Helial felt some warm moist on his cheek and brushed his fingers on his face to check what it was. Without his noticing, he had begun crying. That teardrop was soaked in everything he had never understood about Vidio. Vidio. That Vidio he had always considered to be merely a womanizer, a lay-about, was actually concealing his inextinguishable love for an unreachable woman. All his fatigue, all his suffering¡­ and yet, Vidio had never let nothing but a smile cover his face and nothing but joke fill his mouth. How many times had Helial considered his Master''s lack of seriousness as a symptom to excessive faintness? But he had got him wrong. Vidio knew perfectly well the weight of living, but had always born it without letting anyone spot the faintest trace of his pain. "Ah, so now you dare laugh even?" An evil smile spread its way on the face of the head of the hit men recruited to kill Vidio. "Then you must be one of those hysterical who burst into laughter before shitting themselves? Well, then. If you''re a good boy, your death will be of the quickest kind." The young man''s fingers stopped moving. The boss hit man''s words must have scared the crap out of him! Vidio suddenly turned, facing his enemy¡­ his trousers finally unbuttoned. Pshhhh Under the shocked gazes of everyone, a golden jet poured down on the leader''s clothes. The leader felt this strange warm moist on his chest and his face turned red. He yelled: "The fuck are you doing?!" "I''m peeing on you, bitches!" 101 A terrifying sigh Vidio began to run at breakneck speed, keeping his trousers up with both hands and leaving behind a bunch of speechless mercenaries. He spotted the Dungeon entry not far away from him. Their voices though were getting nearer and nearer. "Shit." With a last sudden movement, Vidio reached for the cave and rushed into it. A shroud of thick darkness swallowed him up like a monster''s jaws. Vidio''s Mana seethed violently through his Meridians. He hastily transferred it to his skin, that soon began to emit a feeble glare which was shiny enough to light up that absolute darkness. Vidio hurriedly looked about himself as he slowly slowed down to button his trousers back. It was definitely no plain Dungeon. There were no tunnels nor hallways. It was an endless underground area whose slope seemed to lead him lower and lower as he advanced. The area ended in number of ravines and steep cliffs. Out of the corner of his eye, the young Master saw several demons cast him bloodshot glances, causing a shiver down his spine. There seemed to be more monsters than he had thought. Given that he could survive Beritius'' hit men, then he was likely to die by hand of those monsters. "Looks like I''m in a pretty nice barrel full of shit," Vidio said angrily. After all, Beritius hadn''t been that foolish. He had it all mapped out; if Vidio survived death by human hands, he would need to rush into a hardly survivable Dungeon. It was basically impossible to get out of there alive. This way, none could dare denounce Beritius'' harsh move to send him there, since he would get rid of the mercenaries as well. No trace would be left behind of any of them. As Vidio pondered on this, a bunch of bolts darted a few inches from him, like circles ripping the darkness of the Dungeon. "I already have an ass-hole! No need for one more, thank you anyway," he cursed. For a few seconds, Vidio inspected the bottomless gorge unravelling all the way down from those uncanny cliffs. He made up his mind. It wasn''t like he had much of a choice anyway. He jumped off. Without waiting for any second longer. Which was probably the best thing to do, since a new attack had just been delivered. One more second of hesitation would have meant a chest thrusted by an arrow. Vidio hastily ran a hand through his sweaty hair as he fell off: "You all wanna grab a bite of this wonderful ass, huh? Sorry for you guys, get in line!" With the coolest clear thinking, Vidio brought both legs to his chest, generated an electric field under and about him, and then began to glide down as his slowed his rate of descent. There was no way to acquire any flying capabilities before the Fifth Phase. In the Third Phase though, you could learn the Divine Sense. The Divine Sense was a fully-fledged sense the user would create by means of Mana. Its power was directly related to the user''s talent. It was an outstanding power indeed, which could easily turn the tables of a fight, if used properly. And its primary, basic function was the detector one. Despite being a pretty rough usage, the Divine Sense made for a great sensor which would fathom the very depths of a place or a person, given that the latter had a weaker Divine Sense. "Captain! Captain!" a voice cried from the edge of the cliff. The hit men had reached the Dungeon as well. They hadn''t lost the slightest heart! But Vidio was now flying down low and therefore impossible to reach. He must have crashed against the floor even. The head of the group gave the order to retreat. The Dungeon monsters were already gathering around their group. Some attacks flew through the air. The group leader wouldn''t have much trouble in facing them, but the same couldn''t be said of his subordinates. The monsters were too many. And also, that damned gorge really caused a shiver down his spine. That Dungeon was definitely one of the most disquieting he had ever stepped into. The whole area exuded a weird deathly Aura which made his hair stand on end. The leader checked the ravine depth that scoundrel had jumped off of. Most likely, the bottom - was there one even? - must host even more terrifying creatures than those up there. How was a common pleb yet to reach the Third Phase supposed to be able to step down on the ravine depth unharmed, and then survive the terrifyingly powerful beasts that lived there? The head of the group felt Mana flow inside his Meridians feebly. That deathly Aura must have some sort of negative effect on Mana Reflow. He shook his head, more and more sure that leaving that place would turn out to be the best choice. They wouldn''t go too far though. They would wait for Vidio to exit just near the Dungeon entry. Given that he would ever exit, right. Meanwhile, Vidio was gently gliding down. Like, not really gently, but sort of. The Master couldn''t take the fullest control of the fall. He had hit a bunch of rocky slopes already. While the hit men ran towards the entry at full speed, a ghastly echo resounded out through the cave as profound words were pronounced solemnly, such as: "What the fuck!", "Shit!", "Deeper than a bitch''s throat!", "The only harder thing than that rock is my cock!" As he swayed on the electromagnetic wave, which was the result of years of hard training to get to the fullest mastery of his Element, Vidio realized that the lower he reached, the rarer the demons. After he outreached a certain depth, every life form seemed to have disappeared from the Dungeon. In a place like that, lack of monsters could only mean one thing; most likely, down there lived a creature which was so frighteningly overpowered that made the perfect deterrent for any other. "Close a door and you''ll stumble on a big load of demon shit," Vidio swore grumpily. His senses were going insane. Something was warning him that down that ravine was such a terrifying creature. There would appear be no reasonable option but to climb up the cliff and rush into the hit men''s hug. But still, despite his instinct suggesting otherwise, he furrowed his eyebrows. He inhaled deeply and began to slow down his descent in view of the bottom. Once stepped on the bottom, Vidio straightened his clothes and looked about himself. It was time to explore the area and look for a way out. All in all, Vidio had never been a warrior of the sensitive kind. Yeah, sure, chasing after women being his favorite hobby, but the truth is, the future Master was a collected calculative one. Helial saw the young Vidio wander warily through the ravine bottom. "Hey, Devil. You''re here, aren''t you?" Helial asked. Laying on some strange hill inside the boy''s Soul, the kid woke up from his day-dream and smiled evilly. First time he calls me Devil instead of master. Like what, is it too hard to accept that goodwill is overrated? Most likely, Helial was rediscovering his quiescent feelings towards Vidio''s death. It was indeed true that the Devil had saved him a number of times. After all, it was thanks to him that Helial could put his hands on Skills and information that anyone else could only dream of. However, it was just as true that the Devil was the one who hadn''t raised a finger to prevent Vidio from dying. His overly unlimited power would have let him save Vidio effortlessly. Even though this had happened a long ago, this burnt was still far from healing. Helial had by now understood that the Devil could easily turn Caesar into dust with a snap of his fingers. Otherwise, the King of Orma would have spotted the Devil through his Divine Sense long ago. And yet the Devil remained undetected. If an Immortal''s Divine Sense couldn''t perceive him, this meant that the Devil was terribly stronger than any Immortal in Orma. And despite this limitless power, the Devil hadn''t interposed to help Helial. "Yep," was the only word that boomed out through Helial''s Soul in the ghastliest echo. Helial nodded slowly and focused on Vidio. After several hours spent wandering, the deathly Aura grew more oppressive. Vidio seemed much closer now to the origin of that miasma. "If this intensifies, I won''t be able to go any farther. My Meridians already show sign of corruption. My skin is burning. My vision gets blurred. I can''t survive here for more than another half an hour. If I haven''t found a way out in fifteen minutes'' time, then¡­" As he pronounced these words, Vidio wound up in front of a vast area which stretched for several kilometers away. At the very center stood a terrifying sight. 102 A tiny lightning amongst inert swans He didn''t know why himself. The only think Vidio could think of though was Cori, and the moment he had held her for the very first time. It was such a strange feeling. Unlike his beloved, Helial''s future Master came from a humble Clan. It was nothing like that of the Episcopous of the Mana Congregation. Therefore, Vidio had been bullied all his life. "Those cloths you''re wearing are the same ones you clean the floor with?" "Does your mummy work as a whore at night to afford any food?" "We''ve heard the Master caught you snooping on noble girl through the lock once again. Do you really think a little duck turns into a swan eventually? Watch out and stop biting off more than you can chew!" Vidio hadn''t always been a strong independent man. Quite the contrary. Just like many others before him, Vidio had grown up a simple kid, nothing less nor more. And all that venting did weight down on young Vidio''s heart. Every day he would find new ways to grow stronger and fill the lack of his Clan and family. But often he would fail. His results could hardly compare those of the others. The day before his Affinity test, which every scholar had to take before reaching the First Phase, all the big Clans'', Sects'' and Guilds'' young promises had already worn their best proud smiles. They had all been provided with thousands of resources so as to stand out amongst the others. Sitting cross-legged, Vidio was trying with all his might to sense the power of some Element within his Soul. For how hard he tried though, he had to admit he sensed none. Inside him was only empty face. Vidio was in utter despair. He still gave sign of no Affinity for any Element whatsoever. The test to take part in the Mana Congregation was only a few minutes away. If he hadn''t proved talented enough, he wouldn''t have by any means become a member of the most powerful institution in the entire nation. Meanwhile, the room was bustling with voices. "Did you see? It''s Vidio again. He''s still trying to sense some Element out!" "Hahahah!" The little pleb is a pig head, isn''t he? How could he even get as far as here? He really is untalented. He''s trash. I wonder why his parents would still invest their little money on him." The villainy behind these words discouraged Vidio. He lost his concentration, which prevented him making a last minute miracle. The sky was dark grey. It looked as though a giant laid his huge ash hand over the earth. The clouds didn''t encourage Vidio quite either. The boy was in the most unstable mental condition. Splat Tiny raindrops began to fall on Vidio, drenching his hair. Great. Vidio stood up and ran under a tent to take shelter together with a few other guys. He stood at safe distance from them. This was common of him. Vidio on one side, everyone else on the other. Some servants were sent to cover the heads of a few contestants. They were First Phase servants, they could create a Mana barrier screen their young masters from the rain. None of them stepped close to Vidio. The youth stood under the downpour, his clothes drenching. The Masters of the Mana Congregation were afraid of no squall for sure. They decided to let the kids take their Affinity test nonetheless. Two of them where white-bearded and had long reached the Fifth Phase. They stepped out and created a long Mana barrier as they stood near a giant crystal wall. "Look! That''s the Soul Crystal!" said of the kids. "It''s to check your Soul''s Affinity! It''s the best tool to check what you''re inclined to, and how to develop it afterwards." "I want so bad my body to show the Affinity for Lightning!" sighed one. "Idiot. There''s nobody here who could dream such Affinity. An Affinity for Lightning is too powerful and shows an outstanding talent. It means you have the brightest future ahead. Nobody with an Affinity for Lightning could become nothing other than a genius." As they all began to move towards the training ground, Vidio wore a gloomy expression. They had all found shelter from the rain but him. He barely had the necessary, a servant ready to protect him with a Mana screen was out of the question. Vidio''s mother was an ordinary mortal woman. Her health was poo. The last of her long string of diseases was particularly invasive, so much that she was bed-ridden for several weeks. Even today, the day of the test, she hadn''t enough strngth to be able to stand up. Before leaving home, Vidio had held her delicate hand and promised solemnly: "Don''t worry, mum, I''ll bring home the sexiest girl as well as the living expenses all young member of the Mana Congregation receive. I''ll find a nice Master girl and she''ll help me heal you." Nobody in their Clan would care about them. Vidio gazed at the raindrops as they fell on his clothes. I have no Affinity of any kind, he sighed to himself as he sat in the mud, under the rain pouring down. Everyone glanced at him with a disdainful smile on their face. He was about to go back to his meditation, hoping to find anything. His heart though was wrung. He knew there was nothing to hope for. He wouldn''t sense some Element and develop an Affinity right away for sure. The young posh guys were trained since early childhood in places filled with specific Elements. This way, they would develop a tendency towards that Element through their Breathing Technique since the youngest age. Vidio wore an helpless smile, his shoulders curved and his eyes visibly sleep-deprived. Then he began to close his eyes. Boom! A lighting hit the earth a few meters away from the building that hosted the Mana Congregation. Everybody jumped in fright. "Heard that? Hahahah!" "One day, my Lightning Mana will let me create a lightning like that!" "Cut the bullshit, man! Best-case scenario, you have an Affinity for shit!" Everyone was laughing and joking. None was scared; they were ready to take the test. They had all already taken an Affinity test inside their Clan. This test was merely a formality to check any possible progress or major change. On the other hand, Vidio had never really trained to spot his Affinity. His Clan wouldn''t pay much attention to him, after all. It surely wasn''t wealthy enough to afford a Soul''s Crystal that checked the Affinity of its young user. Vidio got lost into the whirlwind of those young boys'' laughter. They were all gazing at him with disdainful eyes, mocking him. Everyone was laughing but Vidio. His expression was sad and resigned instead. His heart was pounding much louder than any other. He wanted so bad to be strong enough to change things. But reality was much harder than that. He was drenching under the pouring rain while the young posh promises of the biggest Clan stood under the shelter of Mana shield. "Stop, shut up!" a girl suddenly cried. At the sight of that stunning young girl, everyone fell silent. She looked so beautiful she would make empires crumble by a mere smile. Her jade skin glistened under the clouded sky. She must be the same age as Vidio. Right behind her stood a servant who exuded a terrifying Aura. Judging by her clothes and her powerful servant - who looked even stronger than the Masters standing beside the Soul''s Crystal, that girl must the some big shot''s daughter. The young girl tapped her feet and vehemently reached for Vidio. All laughter shut down. None dared utter a word. Nobody could afford offending such a high-up person. Even though everyone there was some big shot''s son or daughter, there''s always a sky over another sky. Most of the noblemen acted disdainfully towards those weaker than them. Being raised in the most flexed wealth, they were kind of used to forgetting about all the benefits they had had while other had not. Their heart grew cold and full of contempt. It could host nothing other than their own image. Some people, on the contrary, knew perfectly well that their accomplishments were mostly due to their Clan''s or Sect''s funds. This was the case of the girl. The girl''s name was Cori. She was the Mana Congregation Episcopous'' only daughter. One of the most powerful men all over the nation. Despite being the daughter of such a rich man though, her talent was of a mediocre kind. Without her Clan''s resources, she wouldn''t probably get anywhere. Cori knew perfectly well that she would be no other than a beggar without the Clan she was born in. It was for a twist of fate that she didn''t wear rags. This was why she felt the deepest sympathy for the weak she met in the Capital. Cori pointed her finger towards the young Vidio, sitting in the mud, and told her servant: "He needs shelter too." As these words died out, Cori stretched her hand covered in white silk towards the boy, a beaming smile on her face: "Come on, stand up. The test will begin in a matter of minutes." AS Cori stretched her hand outwards, another lighting fell down. Time seemed to stand still. It was as if raindrops moved in slow-motion before Vidio''s eyes. Cori''s pearly teeth shone out in the dark like a lighthouse. Vidio gazed up at her hand and his heart melted. Despite being a noble, the little girl had paid him more attention than he had ever been paid in his life. But her hand stretched out meant so much more than this. If Vidio stretched his hand, he would hold hers, he would allow her pity him, he would resign to his own weakness. A man accepting her pity would be a man who resigned to be weak. Suddenly, while the world seemed to move in slow-motion, his gaze fell on the lighting behind Cori. Wild, swift, ruthless. He felt some strange connection to that lighting, as if he could see through its very essence. The lighting had been amassing charge inside the cumulonimbus, as if in wait for the time to shine and unleash its power. Vidio stared at the lighting in silence as time around seemed to finally stop. He slipped into a deep meditative state. A great flow of Mana rushed from the outside inside his Meridians. He felt his skin tingle along with a strange feeling, slightly painful. In that very moment, Helial''s future Master fell into the most outstanding state. He was sensing an ultimate deep communion with Mana, which many people wouldn''t get the chance to experience in a lifetime. It was the kind of experience that smoothened the experiencer''s Dao of Mana in many ways. It would give a load of information that, if used properly, would bring the greatest advantages over anyone else. Without even his knowing, the girl had just bestowed Vidio with the most wonderful gift. She had made his heart shake and opened his soul to a unique experience. Despite his not really knowing that had happened, the young Vidio sensed an inexplicable force flow its way out of his body, establishing an ever stronger connection with the lightning. Vidio inhaled deeply. BOOOM! Time went back to normal speed and the lighting fell to the ground, unleashing a terrifying thunder. The girl gazed down at Vidio, a strange smile on her face. He seemed sort of wonderstruck. Before she could tell him not to be scared that she wasn''t her to mock at him, the muddy boy before her rushed upright like a spring. He totally ignored her hand. Once on his feet, Vidio smiled maliciously and said: "Do you want to become my fianc¨¦, miss?" He grabbed Cori''s hand to hold it in his. However, that clutch cast a jolt of electricity through her body. "Ahhh~," she rushed backwards and let out a faint cry. Meanwhile, everyone stared at the shameless young boy, speechless. Even Cori''s servant didn''t spare the sneering boy a glare. Cori gazed down at her hand, then at Vidio''s. She noticed that he was surrounded by a thousand sparks glistening in shades of blue, as if he were a tiny lighting amongst a pack of inert swans. 103 Kind venerable gian As he gazed at the terrifying view that came into his sight, Vidio thought back to what it felt like to be within Cori''s arms. Nothing that could let him feel any safer. The future Master felt his body freeze immediately. He expected to wind up in a common Dungeon bustling with low-level regular monsters. However, he was now standing in front of an endless wasteland which stretched for several kilometers. The Quest would seem to have far exceeded his expectations. At first, Vidio thought he''d better protect himself from the Dungeon monsters and Beritius'' hit men. Nothing too unusual really. Though, what lay before his eyes was beyond any imagination. An enormous dead body covered in a black scaly armor. It was several meters tall. A gigantic shield lay in his right hand. In the left was a broken sword. Vidio''s muscles contracted. He couldn''t take a single step forward. Given the Aura exuded by the body once dead, that creature must have been some extraordinary being. Vidio had already seen Immortals in his life, but none of them would exude such a terrifying natural pressure. The being Vidio was standing before was far stronger than any member of the Mana Congregation, and anyone in the Capital even. It might as well be stronger than any living being on that planet. As he was deep in thought, Vidio heard a voice resound around him like a thunder. "Don''t step too close, little one. What''s left of my Aura could kill you." It was a clear lively voice, as if the speaker was talking through laughs. Quite a striking contrast with the spooky surroundings. Vidio began to sweat. He slightly bent down, his hands cupped: "I pay my respects." Despite the arrogance of his young age, Vidio knew how to hold back. "Hahahaha! No need, really. I''ve long been dead. This you''re hearing is just some leftovers of my Soul, that got stuck to my body. You don''t need to worry. Just don''t come too close, or you''ll risk being crashed by the excessive pressure." As the voice spread out through the floor, Vidio felt a shiver down his spine. A dead body''s pressure could kill? Seriously? Wasn''t that something that only occurred in tales? It was indeed true that Auras exuded a pressure which, if used properly and given a fair Phase gap, could injure or - under extreme circumstances - kill someone. Though, he had never heard of a Soul that could kill even once reached a quiescence state. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But since I''ve died I have had no control on my Aura. Luckily, I''ve been fairly severely mutilated, so time has helped wear my Aura down. Or otherwise, I''d be as dead as a doornail myself! Hahahah!" The giant was quite lacking in humor. "May I ask who you are, honorable ancestor?" asked Vidio, as much respectful as he could. The Dungeon walls suddenly trembled, as if the whole world was about to crack open. It only lasted a few instants, which however were more than enough to scare the crap out of Vidio. A whitish translucent soul materialized over the dead body. It had the same facial features as the giant. The soul was sitting cross-legged. One palm lay on his knee, slightly forward. The other one held a pumpkin water bag. A kind smile hung on the giant''s face. Despite his Aura and body size, that did arouse quite a fright in him, the giant wouldn''t seem wicked nor dangerous. Vidio thought it best to let down the guard. After all, if the giant had wanted him dead, he would have already been turned into dust. And honestly, Vidio was growing somehow fond of that kind venerable giant. "But first, tell me what turns of fate have brought you here, little one. This Dungeon would be a hard task for someone in the Second Phase. Your Aura though is not one of the common type, which suggests you''re pretty talented. Well, who knows, maybe you''ll make it. Something though makes me think you didn''t wind up here searching for Demon Mallow, did you?" The giant blinked and took a sip from his pumpkin water bag. Vidio took notice of the water bag surface. It was engraved with some strange patterns. He was afraid to sound too disrespectful though, so he didn''t bring it up and resolved to just answer his question. "It''s Quest that brought me here, actually. Well, more like someone is trying to do away with me¡­" Vidio began to unfold the story of why he had stumbled on the Dungeon. He spared no details. After all, he was chatting with a superior creature who, most likely, would detect any lie. Vidio wasn''t sure about how the giant would react. At the end of the day, he cared pretty much for that plebeian skin of his. As Vidio talked passionately about the string of events that had turned his fate upside down, the giant would raise an eyebrow, burst into laughter, be moved to tears. An endless flow of emotions flashed on his face sequentially. For how strange it may seem, that giant looked extremely compelled by Vidio''s storytelling. Helial wondered how could such a creature take interest in a common mortal like Vidio. As he pondered, he suddenly caught sight of a movement out of the corner of his eye. The Devil had just materialized beside him. It was the weirdest feeling when the Devil stood physically by his side, outside his Soul. Especially when he wore such a contrite expression on his face. All of his attention was drawn to the giant. When the story ended, the giant said: "Well, my little friend, my turn. My name is¡­" "Perion," the Devil whispered. "... and I once was a warrior. I chose not to let my Soul dissolve. Once at my level, I can live as a Soul eternally. It''s quite painful actually, but I''m finding my ways to give back to the world all of what I''ve had in life. Quite a few privileges, I must say." Vidio furrowed his eyebrows. "And how would you do that, if I may¡­?" "Sure you may, since this is exactly what I got down to!" the giant said through laughs. "Until my Soul extinguishes once and for all, I will hand down the story of the greatest man whose footsteps echoed through this universe. A man who accomplished deeds as no other person has ever had." Vidio slowly nodded. His Soul was seething, as if by some sort of prediction. "Destiny clutched him in the fiercest grip. But not once did he step back nor fall into despair. His blood was shed, and yet his soul remained untamed. For how winding was the road, for how much suffering his choices would bring, he was the ultimate master of his destiny, the very captain of his unconquered soul¡­" 104 For how dark was the nigh "See, little one, since you''ve had a pretty hard time, I made up my mind to bestow you with a special gift. I''m sure he would agree with me on giving you this - namely, the chance to see how deep the wound of love might be. I''m sure this could help, somehow. You are in a fairly high level, which means you can concretely benefit from this story¡­ I''m sure that witness his deeds will open countless possibilities on your Dao of Mana." The giant ran a hand through his long bushy beard and heaved a sigh. "My worst regret is not being able to serve him anymore. I''ve served in his army as a general. I''ve fought by his side. Bloodshed has always been a fair price for what he believed in. He''s never manipulated anyone. He was brave enough to kill anyone who would dare betray their fellows. He feared no judgement. He believed so firmly in everything he did that very few people could boast to have such a strong determination as he did. Maybe only Amaterasu could. Heed my words, little one, because this is the story of a God who suffered so excruciatingly that eventually, he welcomed death - the ultimate agony -as the sweetest riddance." The spirit of the old giant was suddenly covered by a waterfall of white lotus petals, which began to revolve slowly around his imposing figure. Perion though was so lost deep in thought he could hardly notice. His eyes turned into two bottomless wells. "He was unrivalled. Truly unrivalled." The old demon fixed his gaze afar on the infinity. "By the time the Great War came to an end I was already dead, but my Soul shrapnels scattered across the universe learnt about his lasts feats. His strength was so unmatched he didn''t die by hand of someone else. He was the one who inflicted the defeat to himself. He suffered, little human. He suffered violently." Vidio was enraptured. He couldn''t see why, but the old man''s words caught him completely. The giant''s voice had now turned grieving. It betrayed a primordial inexplicable pain which imbued every fiber of his body. Vidio though knew that the pain did not belong to the old demon himself. The pain belonged to another creature. The giant closed his eyes and fell into a meditative state. His voice began to spread through the whole Dungeon, the walls shaking, without his lips opening. Originally, a golden age thrived when no judge nor law was necessary. Everyone would naturally follow probity and rightness. No law was written, no punishment was sentenced. There was no such thing as execution. No rafts or ships existed, and mortals knew no soil but the one they stepped on. Cities wouldn''t be enclosed in walls and trenches. There were no wars to engage in nor weapons to carry. Without armies, people would just live their idle lives in leisure. Nobody would practice agriculture. People did not know plows nor magic, and they would let nature free to grow. There was plentiful of fruits people would freely nourish themselves with. Nothing existed but Chaos. Life and Destruction were far from what you''ve been taught them to be, and Good and Evil were but mere details in the immensity of the universe. Immortals wouldn''t split in factions. Their only aim was the search of Epiphanies down their Dao of Mana. It was one of those dedicated Immortals to first give in into temptation. He sinned. He caused harm to those around him. He fell into vice. His name was Saturn. He was later expelled and stuck into the depths of the earth. This was the origin of Destruction. Saturn''s rebellion caused him to be cast into the darkest abyss. He made the first insurgent, but definitely not the only one. Several Immortals joined his crusade, and together they formed the forces of Destruction. In the attempt to reestablish peace, Jupiter appointed himself leader of a new force whose aim was to stop the munity. They called themselves the Forces of Life. It was he who had sealed Saturn down into the underworld. Jupiter overtook the power. Thus, he gave birth to the silver age, when men discovered free will and the first ancestral creatures stepped into the world. Jupiter split the world into three different areas. One land was passed on to Destruction. There, the brute would kill and procreate with everyone alike. The second land belonged to Life. There, people would live in peace in exchange for blind obedience and restricted freedom. Between the two lay the Belt of the Calm Sea, a no man''s land created to avoid border warfare. No conflict would occur here. In between the two main lands, power didn''t belong to Life nor Destruction. This splitting brought along the beginning of long series of hideous wars. One day, Jupiter perished by hand of a member of Destruction. All his life, Jupiter had considered himself sacred and faultless. But he had sinned anyway. His sin was conceit. He had always claimed he had some right to judge those of Destruction. He would attack them relentlessly because they were evil. Jupiter was a sinner of the worst kind indeed; he had extinguished countless lives in the name of good. When it comes to rule over people, no means are better than mere coercion. Or so suggested his experience. When Saturn had committed a sin, he was sealed into the depth of the earth and deprived of his freedom forever. Violence had been enough to put into chains someone as powerful as Saturn. Therefore, it would be similarly effective towards all of those he reigned over. Jupiter had never paid much attention to the means. He only cared about the outcome. See, little one, the forces of Life slaughtered their way down to Destruction. The members of Destruction though did admit they acted for their own sake, be it good or bad. The Forces of Life, on the other hand, only operated in the name of some hypocritical goodwill. They would kill indiscriminately and claim it was all for a greater good that we common folk couldn''t grasp. It was then, after Jupiter''s death, that Qinguang took over and the air caught fire. Thus we stepped into the bronze age. The lowest one. It was a time when the forces of Destruction couldn''t gather and join anymore, nor could Life recover after Jupiter''s death in the silver age. The forces of Life cast adrift. They killed their way through the universe and left a long trail of dead bodies. Soon enough the piles of dead bodies became towers. This way, they hoped theywould be able to climb all the way up to their lost heaven. It was an epoch of pain and mediocrity. Loyalty, sincerity and scruple lost their meaning. Fraud was the only thing that could possibly hold any sway on people. Qinguang tried to wash away the dishonor Destruction had brought about with blood. He took full advantage of the now dismembered forces of Destruction. Saturn was long dead by that time. When Jupiter''s seal came to an end, Saturn had wandered through Minor Dimensions. It was during a fight inside one of those that he lost his life. When he died, the forces of Destruction slowly dispersed. Despite being far more powerful than those of Life, they couldn''t fight as one. Our ranks lacked someone strong enough to lead the army like Saturn had done in the past. As they abused of the term "good", and tarnished themselves in hypocrisy, the Clan of Life banqueted with the fresh blood of our fellows. It weren''t their strength or motivation, but their unity, that led them to victory. And as he dropped victims on victims, Qinguang''s blood gave birth to an extraordinary progeny. Two daughters, Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, just terrifyingly alike in the power they wielded. And, if I may over-speak, I daresay that alongside the lineage of Qinguang, this new generation saw the birth of the paladin of the universe himself. The Immortals of Life carried hatred in their heart. From the top of their thrones, they would yell at how we deprived them of some sovereignty they claimed to have over the universe. But while Qinguang covered his little daughters in gold, a young boy grew up immersed in hatred. His existence was drenched in a bloody sea. He was named after the oldest book of the Clan of Destruction. He was the direct heir of Saturn, the first of Jupiter''s long trail of enemies. For how dark was the night, the paladin of the universe plungedin the very far deep ends of this darkness. Without the slightest hesitation, my little one. Without the slightest hesitation. 105 The line between Good and Evil A string of ethereal images came into Vidio''s sight. It looked as though they were projected on a sheet of glass. Helial approached Vidio to get a better view of the open space that had just appeared. A long patch of grass stretched out before their eyes. A bunch of people in circle was standing before a young boy who sat on a rock. He gave off a quite demoniac look. What first stood up about him were the terrifying black wings that spread out from his back. They were as shiny as jade, and as black as the very depths of darkness itself. Two icy dark diamonds were set on his pale face. A single glance was enough for anyone''s blood to freeze. A tangled web of black veins framed his eyelids and temples. The Aura he was exuding wouldn''t surround merely his own body, but it also covered the area all about him. It was as majestic as that of a king. The mere presence of the youngster was enough to give off a regal halo which made the rock he sat on look like the greatest of thrones. One of the young boy''s hands was lying on the silvery little head of a girl sitting beside him. She was gazing up at him, enraptured. Her big eyes were crystal-clear pools. The young Devil gazed about himself with a pleased expression on his face. He examined how many people had gathered before him. "This is but the first of a long series of meetings to come. Together, we''ll let our forces triumph over the hypocrisy of Life. If you''re here, it''s because I admire you. And I mean each of you. Equally. What we aim to is create one single force, which I hope you all agree on. If any problem arouses, please speak up before killing each other. Every betrayer will be signing their death warrant. We need to remain the bastion of sincerity in a world full of lies." Amongst the present, a woman stood out for the powerful Aura she gave offand her magnetic beauty. Her curves, her teeming mane, her creamy arms, her sparkling eyes¡­ everything about her couldn''t but remind of a goddess. Above her crossed legs lay a huge arch. Her slender hands were touching it lightly as if to protect it. Helial made no exception among the people whose attention was drawn to her Aura, and her stunning beauty. Never in his life had he lain his eyes on such a beautiful and angelical woman. A mere glimpse of her was a balm to the soul. "Stand up, Siche," said the Devil as he approached the woman. She must hold a special position. Everyone stared at her in awe. She stood up and took a few steps forward as the Devil went on speaking: "Show your fellows here what you learnt after¡­" The images'' flow got interrupted. The words died mid-sentence. Siche? Helial felt a shiver down his spine. Wasn''t "Siche" supposed to be a legendary being? She was only the heroine of one of Vidio''s useless tales, wasn''t she? Vidio''s stories though had also been about Kirin and Heavenly Star Tigers. And Helial did face Kirin and meet Snowflake. The old Master would appear to have rattled off more than floating clouds¡­ The images got back to flow. Now, the people gathered around the Devil were many more than before. Helial''s eyes immediately caught sight of the wonderful Siche. Beside her sat another female figure whose curves were covered in black clothes and drew just as much attention as those of the other. "Jeanne?!" Helial''s mouth opened wide. If that was Jeanne, it meant that the youngster in the middle of the group was¡­ Helial gazed up at the young Devil and ran his eye keenly all over his facial features. Then he turned to gaze at the kid that stood beside him, impassive. A haughty glare was painted on his eyes. However, the kid didn''t seem to pay much attention to Helial''s eyes running from him to the flowing images and back. "This can only mean that¡­" Helial whispered. Beside him, the Devil kept strangely quiet. Helial chose not to ask. He resolved to keep staring at the members of that terrifying group instead. Amongst them, one more woman caught Helial''s attention. She was wearing a shiny yoroi. (A/N: yorois are Japanese samurais'' typical armor). Helial though had no time to scrutinize the woman''s face. His gaze was drawn by a towering, mighty figure on one side. He made out the silhouette of a giant holding a pumpkin water bag. The giant was as tall as a ten-story building. He cast a shadow which was big enough to cover those sitting around him. The mere glance of his body size was enough to cause a shiver down the spine. His eyes, however, were incredibly sweet. They were the keepers of a youth that had now withered. The Soul shrapnel Vidio met inside the Dungeon looked much older than that. "Glad to have you here again, Perion," said the Devil as his eyes gazed at those of the giant, "try to pay the fullest attention then. My aim is to make it clear for all of you how much Life differs from Destruction." The Devil''s words had suddenly turned more profound. His voice sounded deeper. He raised his right arm as he slightly clenched his fist. All around him, the fabric of space and time began to twist. It seemed about to collapse. "Dominate yourselves. Bend time and space. Bend your destiny, if necessary." His words fixed firmly on the heart of each of them. In spite of how simple they might seem, everyone neatly perceived the majesty of the power they carried. If they mastered that power, their Dao of Mana would get the greatest benefits. "I''ve lived on the run for many years now. I''ve sought refuge in many lands of Destruction. My Clan was wiped out and all those that I''ve loved, all of my family, I''ve left them behind lifeless. The Forces of Life, first and foremost Qinguang, want to deprive every single being in this universe of their free will." As the Devil talked, everyone before him sensed his Aura intensify. It turned as bleak as the coldest night. His tone was enough to get them goose pimples. At the same time though, it did give off an uncanny allure that enraptured their heart. "Whether you were born a slave or a free person, whether you live as a hero or a beggar, you must always get to choose. It doesn''t make any difference whether you choose to do good or be evil. As long as the universe exists, Good and Evil will always be relative concepts. Is it bad to kill a man who''s about to lynch a mob? Is it good to wipe out an entire race just because they do eat human meat? Is there even a neat line between the word "evil" and the word "good"?" The Devil paused and swept his gaze over his disciples. "I''ve made the most obnoxious cruelties, and I tried to act magnanimously too. But all''ve done follows one same principle. You must not take away free will from anyone. The day this freedom is lost it the day w-" The images turned blurry. Vidio''s memory seemed to flash forward. "Well, my little friend, the one you''ve just seen is my master," the Soul fragment said. Vidio was rooted to the spot. A wild flame was burning down his eyes. He seemed to have just received the greatest revelation in a lifetime. His brain seemed unable to process the whole of it. Within a few minutes, Vidio had received quite more Epiphanies on his Dao on Mana than he had ever had in his entire life. He suddenly felt his Mana seethe through the Meridians. Those tales and myths didn''t belong to books he loved reading, apparently. Vidio had just witnessed a legendary moment in the history of the world, this he realized. Without even knowing who those people were, he knew he had just taken part in a unique event in course of history. Vidio glanced up at the giant with new eyes, wondering if what he had just seen was one of the moments that laid the foundations of the universe itself. 106 Bend your destiny Another vision came into Vidio and Helial''s sight. Now, a towering giant was standing before a bunch of frightened-looking men. "Don''t worry. I''m not here to harm you. I''m here to side with you¡­" The vision suddenly dissolved. The frightened faces of the men disappeared along with the kind smile of the giant. "You see, my friend, I''ve tried to help many people fight the bloody race who wanted to wipe out these people from the continent." Vidio''s mouth opened wide. "And how did it end up?" "After many years of fighting, I''ve finally reached Immortality. We almost defeated that monstrous race once and for all, but the last members ran away. Despite all the years spent side by side, though, humans were still afraid of me. There was little I could do to change this¡­" The giant''s tone of voice grew sorrowful: "But never had I imagined they could stoop so low as to stab me in the back. Eventually, a bunch of Human Immortals attacked me. My power scared them. They didn''t want me to take over and become their tyrant. The only thing I got in exchange for all those years of sincere alliance were suspicious glares and a murder conspiracy¡­" "Why would you fight for them if they never gave you anything in return?" said a baffled Vidio. He couldn''t get it. If the giant did try to help them, and invested time and energies on them, even risking his own life, there must have been a solid reason why. "One day, during the training, I was walking down this country lane nearby the warfare front. I stumbled on a little girl. She was crying. I asked her what was wrong with her. She told me her father had been killed in combat and her mother would probably stay on the front too, since she was injured and couldn''t move. Even after seeing how big I was, she didn''t seem scared in the least. She just asked me if I could end that war." The kindest smile spread over the giant''s face. "See, my friend, in that little girl''s tears I saw a whole universe. My master taught me to never regret any choice, to embrace what I believed in. Is it stupid to give my life for a girl''s tears? Much, maybe. But I couldn''t stand the sight of those tears. So I made my decision; that our front line wouldn''t retreat. Not a single step. Since that day, I''ve helped humans turn the tables of that war. And eventually we won." "What about the girl? She stood by your side, didn''t she?" "She was a very little girl when she asked me to end the war. She probably forgot about it, or just didn''t pay much attention to those words. No clue, really. Anyhow, she got married to a young man whom she followed in another continent. Never heard from her again," the giant said. The sheer will to persist in one aim despite receiving nothing in return opened up a whole new world for Vidio. He perceived his Dao of Mana make outstanding progress. If he grasped all of the teaching he had received, most likely he would become unmatched in his Phase. Despite Daos being quite underrated before they reached a certain level, all the knowledge one could get by following a path would let them improve their control, refining, and Mana''s power output. This could lead to otherworldly levels of knowledge. What people used to call gods weren''t but Immortals who reached the very peak of their Dao of Mana. Vidio had never really believed that someone could aim so high just by means of love for something. He had never imagined how much power you could derive from the love you feel. "Love, huh? Impressive. Doesn''t matter if it''s for someone or a mere idea. It still brings out the best of people. Something they wouldn''t expect to be able to." That kind giant''s past really upset him. Most likely, a bunch of weeks wouldn''t be enough to assimilate all that he had received that day. Maybe even months would not. And yet he knew the journey would be worth the fatigue. He just gained something immense. One day, when he would be in the same Phase as Beritius, his talent and experience would make him strong enough to kick that posh ass out without any trouble. Also, if he did take benefits from what he''d heard from that Devil, he would probably become an outstanding Immortal. If pronounced by someone else, the Devil''s words wouldn''t carry the same strength indeed. Only if pronounced by him could that sentence deliver such an ability to gather Mana. No Breathing Technique could hope to compare it. The mere meditation on those words would let him reach heights very few people could touch. Dominate yourselves. Bend space and time. Bend your destiny, if necessary. These words echoed through Vidio''s head. Suddenly, Perion interposed. "But this isn''t how the story ends. It''s not there that death found me. In fact, my master saved me. He brought me back to life and let me decide what was up for those people. He trained me. May years passed before I stepped on that soil again. Once back, though, I had reached a level that no other Immortal on that continent could dream of." The giant gave a sigh. "My master told me I got to choose. He probably thought I would wipe out those who had tried to kill me. They were still alive, but the monsters had come back as well. War was burning down the fields again, and tearing off fathers from their families." "What did you decide to do then?" Vidio asked curiously. "I sided with them once again. Once again, I brought them to victory. We fought side by side, shoulder by shoulder, until the deadly race infesting the continent disappeared," said Perion with the sweetest smile. "And then?" asked Vidio as he furrowed his eyebrows. He was feeling some strange presage. "Once again I was stabbed in the back and risked dying. I went on the brink of death. A few seconds before dying though, I caught myself wondering what my master would think of me at that point. I thought he must think I was a weak, a slacker, a coward. But what happened after you couldn''t imagine in a million years. My master did appear before me. He did. He healed my wounds and tapped on my shoulder. He told me I needed to pay more attention. He suggested I trained with the other pupils more often¡­" Perion''s voice betrayed an ocean of mixed feelings as he went on: "He''s never left me alone. He''s never thought less of me because I''d rather save lives than take them away. He''s never regretted training me. He had always been proud of how powerful I had become. He never interposed in my own decisions. It was then that I realized that amongst the ranks of Destruction, you were accepted. Whether you choose to be strong or weak, this choice totally belonged to you. It was then that I chose to devote my life to that man." The giant paused briefly, and then went on. "I saw him provide his first pupil with all the means she needed to destroy one of the most powerful Clans in the universe. I saw him fight alone when we didn''t know which side we were on. After Saturn, nobody ever managed to make Destruction fight as one. Except for him. He ran the greatest war ever occurred in this universe. He stepped where even Saturn or Jupiter had dared not. He protected each of his Clan members without us knowing. Sometimes we wondered why he would look so beat. It was only after a long time that we discovered he had always been the one pushing the members of Life back from the lands of Destruction. And he would do this alone. He had given us second lives and bestowed us with the most terrifying strength. And still, he would always let us choose by ourselves. That''s why his heart was so high. So higher than ours. "Never did he hesitate. Never did he ask something of us. Those who promised to serve him with their swords, they did it without him soliciting. He slowly took more and more people under his wing. Ever more people decided to follow him down to this universe-shaking war he had been fighting alone. And when we decided to follow him, he didn''t stop us. He respected our choice, and fought with renewed vigor. His power really was tyrannical. Nobody could match him. He would carry the world on his shoulders just like a titan. And we chose to relieve this burden. Because he had given us everything without never, ever asking for anything in return." 107 A smile Another string of images flashed before Vidio''s eyes. One battle field, two lines-up. Helial immediately recognized Jeanne, Perion the giant, and the young Siche as they fought by the side of the Devil with huge terrifying bat wings. Around the youngster, the world seemed to have lost its color. On the other side thrived a shiny blooming world instead. A woman, whose golden hair seemed to shine of their own light in the wind, was facing the Devil fearlessly. Her eyes were firmly fixed on his. Her ethereal beauty was that of a goddess. Her majestic Aura rouse her up from the earthly filth. She was the woman leading the forces of Life. All around her, the ground was scattered with piles of dead bodies. They had been split into two by the pair of candid swords she wielded. Everything was silent. A suffocating silence grabbed the throats of those standing there. At that point, they were but the mere spectators of the direst scene. A severe, melancholy expression hung on the survivors'' faces as their eyes lay on the dead bodies of their friends. The young Devil though wore a warm happy smile. Siche walked towards her master and whispered: "Today is the day, master?" The terrifying creature turned, smiled, and nodded shortly. "My little Siche. I''ve raised you. You are the very first pupil I''ve trained all the way down to Immortality. And now you''ll be the one taking my place and bringing our forces to victory. But I want to apologize to you all. For how powerful I am, I still wasn''t able to prevent our brothers and sisters from dying." When his words died out, the Devil nodded his head and warned her to walk away. These words were his goodbye. Two warm streaks of tears streamed down Siche''s cheeks. That was a feeling she had hoped she would never experience again. She hadn''t cried since her one true love Sore died. Since she razed to the ground the Clan of Immortals who had torn her greatest happiness off of her forever. Ever since, she had felt she had no more tears left to cry. She shed no tears when dozens of her fellows lost their life in combat. And yet, in that very moment, an icy grip seized her heart. That Devil was unique. Nobody felt the same urge to improve themselves as fiercely as he did. He had stained himself in many races'' blood to protect Siche and his pupils. He ran the army of Destruction in combat, he had shielded them with his body against the blows struck by the Life army, which had severely injured both their bodies and souls. Siche knew perfectly well that was the last time she''s see her master. She just couldn''t come to terms with this. As she saw him right in front of her, smiling warmly at her, another tear streaked her cheek. The smile wouldn''t disappear from his face, as if that war meant nothing to him, as if that was yet another challenge he would win. "My war ends today." The Devil declared to his disciples. "Don''t let this weight on your hearts, though. I will live in everything I have taught to you. As long as the last of you honors my memory, death won''t find its way to me. But now it''s time to say goodbye, dickheads. My stupidity only caused you one disgrace after another." Then he turned to face the gaze of the woman standing before him. "Today is the day this war ends, Amaterasu. Now, make your decision. You can either blow to pieces your Daos of Mana and Meridians, or fall into despair and oblivion. My mercy has been pushed to the limit. Mercy and limit; here''s two words you madmen know nothing about!" The Devil''s speech was tyrannical. The eyes of all the Destruction members standing behind him sparkled with pride. Their leader - their master - had always fought in the front line. Never had he backed off. Even an Ancestral Creature like Kirin, hidden in the shadow of Amaterasu, would merely look like a whipped dog before him. Amaterasu spoke. Her crystal-clear voice shattered the tense silence. The voice of the Goddess of Life released the tension gripping the souls of her soldiers. "How can you not get how profound and sacred is our purpose? How can''t you tell what''s right from what''s wrong? Iblis, a genius like you should join us and leave behind those beasts that follow you." "Well said, my daughter!" These words came from a middle-aged man whose facial features seemed to betray a boundless wisdom. "Those slobs from Destruction only aim to turn the universe upside down to freely play around! We''ve got to teach to those dirty swine what-" "QINGUANG!" Iblis boomed out. "Don''t you dare speak. Don''t you ever, ever speak to me, you damned soul! Crawl back behind the shadow of your daughter. It''s only place where you can feel safe that my hands won''t rip your filthy body in pieces. First thing I''ll do when I put my hands on you is tear out the tongue you denied your own flesh and blood with." The Devil stopped and tried to keep his cool. Then he wore again his typical sardonic smile and gazed ahead of himself. "Amaterasu, the only thing you inherited from your father is his blind folly. But I can''t wait for you to come to your senses forever. Today is the day. The forces of Life will be wiped out, and you''ll come with me. I have the eternity to talk you out of madness." Iblis'' Aura spread out and froze the entire battle field. The Devil took a step forward. Thump The images flashing before Vidio blurred and cracked. Thump The web of cracks expanded rapidly. The vision was shattered to pieces. The fragments began to revolved as they glistened with different images. In many of them, the Devil was busy fighting strenuously. He was drenched in blood, but he wouldn''t stop pushing back the enemy. In one of the fragments, Iblis was fighting with Amaterasu. The huge black Longsword was blocking the blows of Amaterasu''s two candid swords. Their wings were as in striking contrast as the clash they experienced; Iblis'' bat wings and Amaterasu''s creamy angel wings embodied the very concept of that conflict. The sight of them fighting was mesmerizing. In another fragment, Iblis was walking with his usual heavy footsteps. Thump Slower and slower. As if the giant slowed it down on purpose, just to witness the death of his master one more time. Thump Amaterasu was ready to fight. Iblis stopped. "The heaven will come off with me." The Devil''s two hands seemed to grab the sky and tear it apart. His pupils stared at him, a lump in their throat. They knew perfectly well there was nothing they could do to stop him. "You''ll never find me. I won''t get in your way if you look for me, though. I know you''re a bunch of pig-headed dickheads¡­" Then, Iblis pulled the sky down. He ripped off its veil as though he was merely holding a worn out fabric. Many thought besides the war, life too was about to come to an end. From the Devil''s point of view, no creature was worthy step by his side. In a world with no sky therein, couldn''t shine no sun. If the sky was undone, nothing would be left but darkness. Iblis would become the king of the nightfall. The gash rippled the very fabric of space and time. The folds of the vault ceiling filled with stars cracked open. Iblis disappeared with a smile on his face. The satisfied smile of who has purposely done something really wrong. The vision shattered and dissolved in a rain of white lotus petals. As they glided down, Perion finally spoke again. "Nobody has seen him ever since. Nor could Amaterasu''s pupils find her. Both parties long traveled in pursuit of them, down to the universe''s far ends. "The loss of our master was a heavy one. He had raised us, trained us, taken care of us. And he had promised he would stay with us until the end of time. We believed in this promise with all out heart." Two big tears swelled up in Perion''s eyes and streaked his cheeks. "But Iblis, my master, he had been suffering too excruciatingly. He had lost pupils who were like children to him, and his Clan had been wiped out. Very few people still followed him. Amongst them was Tsukuyomi, one of the few who has always trusted him just by relying on his word. But Tsukuyomi suffered as well. The one who caused her the worst pain was Amaterasu, her sister. And yet, every time our master fought against Amaterasu, he would flash her of a true warm smile. "Iblis had gone through a lot of pain because of Amaterasu, but he would always find relief when staring at his one true love. Iblis has never fought without a smile. Common mortals won''t get what''s so great about a love that leads you to sacrifice everything you have. Sometimes even the life of your dearest friends. "But we, the members of Destruction, are no common mortals. We have no cheap hearts. We grasped all the worth of his feelings. After all, it was the same kind of love he had given us; the unconditional love Iblis would only embrace. We respected this, despite the fact the we knew that our master was strong enough to defeat Amaterasu. Yeah, exactly. Iblis was far stronger than Amaterasu. But he couldn''t, he wouldn''t kill her. In the very end, he didn''t dare thrust her with his Longsword, and took her with him instead. Nobody knows where. He himself had formed the army of Destruction. He raised the most terrifying Immortals that have ever stepped on this world. His generals would make everyone amongst our ranks turn pale. He deprived himself of everything¡­" Perion went on unfolding stories about Iblis'' deeds. He told Vidio about his endless slaughters, of that time when he stopped Qinguang from killing his daughter Tsukuyomi, who had refused to fight with the Devil. Suddenly, a blinding light erupted before the eyes of Helial and Vidio. A few moments later, new images appeared. These weren''t war episodes though. They were love scenes. A youngster with pitch-black hair and a young woman with angelic features were running down a field touched by sunrays. They were chasing each other. Then, tired, they lay on the soft grass. The night fell, bringing along the shining stars. Iblis and Amaterasu were playing, joking, bickering. Their eyes betrayed a clear mutual affection. The images carried a great harmony, as if the sky could only exist if those two lovers were together. Iblis and Amaterasu had once been able to speak without any hostile tone. Countless years before, the Devil could gaze at her intently in the eyes and wear the only beaming smile he had been capable of in a lifetime. It was that smile - the only he had allowed himself, the one that caused him a life of pain - that eventually led him to take the final step and end the war. The smile that would grow on his face when he saw her was worth all the wars, the carnages, and the suffering that followed. "My master could never renounce to that smile Amaterasu would bring to his face. Because, for how hard he tried, he''d never found anything else that was worth living for." The image dissolved. Silence fell. 108 I will love you in spite of myself Vidio slightly squinted as the giant''s last words lingered in his ears. The taste of this story was quite bittersweet. Speechlessly, he sat down and activated his Breathing Technique. After receiving all that knowledge and Epiphanies, he definitely couldn''t miss the chance to employ them. Most likely, if he hadn''t stumbled on the giant, Vidio''s Dao of Mana would have eventually led him towards Life. Though, what he had just experience changed him drastically. The just acquired awareness that love could lead someone to experience as excruciating a pain as the havoc he wreaked opened up a new part of his conscience that was yet to be explored. The young Vidio sat down there for several days, as still as a statue. If it hadn''t been for his faint breathing, any onlooker would have concluded that the man sitting cross-legged on the bottom of the Dungeon was but a dead body. Slowly, a powerful Aura exuding death and desolation engulfed Vidio. And yet, there was some kind of an anomaly. Vidio''s Aura wouldn''t seem to be advancing towards Destruction. It looked more like it was only borrowing its means. His deadly Aura increased gradually until it covered the whole bottom area of the Dungeon. Then, it spread as far as the cliff that swarmed with demons, who exchanged the most terrified look. They sensed the presence of a far more powerful Aura than they had. All in all, they only made for the lowest level of Destruction. They were the mere embodiment of some low impulse. The Aura they perceived was a thousand times as pure instead. The demons began to growl in terror. For several days, their ghastly moans reached as far as the Dungeon entry. The hit men camped out nearby couldn''t ignore this. They had ordered a sentinel to report to them any possible unordinary event. The frightening growls clutched the shivering heart of the man, who promptly ran towards the headquarters to inform the rest of the group. "Boss! Something sounds awry in there. For the past few days the beasts have been crying non-stop. Their whining is unbearable. They seem terrified. Terrified by something. And if something scares them, it means we''d better be scared too. I suggest running the hell out of here!" The rest of the group frowned. Several weeks had gone by since Vidio had disappeared inside the Dungeon. He had shown no sign to be alive ever since. The young man was likely to be dead down there, but they still had the duty to make absolutely sure about this. The hit men exchanged a thoughtful look. Anyone in the Second Phase stepping inside that Dungeon couldn''t hope to survive more than a couple of hours. The chances of that madman''s survival were truly beyond human limits. They saw no point in waiting there any longer. However, their boss had put a lot of effort in insisting they must stay on the spot, which clearly meant the man who had hired them was a wealthy, powerful one. Vidio''s next memories began to flow much faster. Helial could catch a glimpse of just a couple of scenes that followed his meeting Perion. Helial saw Vidio finish meditating, climb its way up the cliff, and kill off the hit men in a matter of seconds. His eyes were now framed by a web of black veins. He left the leader of the group for last. Vidio ripped his head off barehanded, destroying all of the anatomical structures linking the head from the body one by one. The scenery changed. Vidio was now back in the Capital. An uncanny darkness shrouded him, hiding him away from any curious eye. He was standing in front of a building. The light on the last floor was on. Suddenly, Beritius'' voice shattered the silence. The fact that he hadn''t been hearing from the hit men for several weeks now was driving him insane. With a shifty eye and a feeble sneer, Vidio darted away. And once again, the memory changed. Vidio was finally holding Cori in his arms. He covered her in kisses. Helial blushed terribly from head to toe as the two lovers lay together, skin to skin, and chatted about Vidio''s imminent test to become a Master. The memory turned into smoke as Vidio''s last words to Cori echoed out in Helial''s ears: "Don''t you worry¡­" A flurry of images fell over the boy. Helial witnessed with his very eyes the scene that Vidio would tell him so often. There was his Master, insignificant yet so towering, as he faced the Episcopous of the Mana Congregation. Now he took the tests, and passed them all. And now, right in front of him, stood a very peculiar snake. A snake that swiftly turned into a terrifying Dragon. "NO! DON''T!" An invisible barrier suddenly got in Helial''s way before the guy could step in. Helial could not but let a flurry of kicks to the invisible surface, in frustration. Then he turned towards the Devil, his eyes stinging with tears. He cried: "Do something! YOU GOTTA DO SOMETHING!" Helial knew perfectly well that he couldn''t interfere with the course of events, but his usual cool and rationality didn''t turn out to be of much use at that point. His head was exploding. Vidio would now be exiled due to the Destructive technique he had learnt inside the Dungeon. He was too upset to even take notice of the unordinary Aura that had just began to blossom inside his heart. The Devil didn''t reply. He stood still as the Dragon lay lifeless on the floor, a hole of the size of a human head in its trunk. His heart had just been broken, his life as just been dismantled by a young man that was now standing still before the bloodcurdling dead body. Thump The unbelievably huge body of the Dragon fell down without a sound. A warm tear streaked the cheek of young Vidio and dripped to the ground. Plop Helial''s rage calmed down only after the Episcopous said this one word. "HERESY!" "Goodbye, Cori¡­" Vidio whispered. And again. The scenery changed. A new flash forward. Vidio was lying in bed. He was covered in unguents from head to toe. He slowly chewed some elixir that would let him recover soon enough. Suddenly, the wooden door of the room was kicked open. He made out the figure of a man. Beritius. "I''ve heard the Episcopous was impressed by your talent. That''s the only reason why he exiled you rather than sentenced you to death. He hopes you will join us again one day, once you have atoned for your sins and reached the Fifth Phase. But I don''t really think this will ever happen, Vidio. Your Soul will be sealed permanently. Even an Immortal, if sealed, would be helpless." Helial was baffled. So this must be the reason why¡­ Vidio had been stuck in the Second Phase Late stage because of a seal on his Soul¡­ The fury raging on in Helial''s heart started intensifying with each passing second. "You''re much of a lucky one though. You still have your honor. The Episcopous decided to keep your affair with his daughter a secret. He wants to give you a second chance, you know. You won''t be expelled by the Mana Congregation. You''ll only be exiled with a seal marking your Soul which will block your growth and any advance on your Dao." Vidio grew gloomier. He started off: "You piece of shit. Just give me a reason why I would follow your shitty conditions. Don''t you think in ten years I''llcome back just to tear your bloody heart off your chest?" He was furious. Vidio didn''t think he deserved that grievous punishment. "The thing is, Vidio, if I were to see your dirty face in the Capital once again, I wouldn''t hesitate to kill her. Think of her, Vidio," Beritius fished out of his sleeve a little icon with Cori''s face engraved on its surface. "I gave her a dose of venom which will erode her heart throughout the years¡­ She needs me, and the antidote I have, to survive." Helial gasped for air as rage took his breath away. He was growing exponentially insane. Large blue veins appeared along his arms. A new flash forward. A dark room only illuminated with a feeble moonray. Vidio was sitting on the bedside. He was still visibly injured. In front of him stood a bunch of men whose faces Helial couldn''t make out. They handed him something. It was a circular scarlet little object, so small it could be held with two fingers. Vidio brought it to his mouth. "DON''T! DON''T!" Helial erupted in a furious cry. He banged his fists violently on the transparent barrier than was keeping him apart from his old Master. And again. The scenery changed. Vidio was standing in a clearing, or better, what was left of a thick forest that had hosted a fight with the Goblin commander. His Staff seemed to turn into a humungous majestic dragon which glistened in shades of blue. The outstanding being seemed to rule unrivalled over everything as it intimidated every life form in the surroundings. The Lightning Dragon stared at the Goblin Commander with fiery eyes, ready to devour him. Suddenly, the silhouette of an imposing aquilin-nosed Goblin appeared. In fact, he looked more like a Human than a Goblin. His greenish complexion though betrayed his belonging to that race from the mountains. With a nod of his head, Cesar ordered the Commander to kill the human. A blade thrusted Vidio. "Die, you filthy human!" cried the Goblin Commander as an ecstatic Schadenfreude gripped his heart. Everything turned black. Helial wound up engulfed in darkness. He thought the memories were finally over. But a faint light that was suddenly lit up told him a different story. It illuminated a small room where a middle-aged man took a seat in front of his desk. Vidio was inside his home in Floralivory City caught during a sleepless night. He fetched a scroll and dipped the stylus in the inkwell. The barrier that had been preventing Helial from interfering with the past had now magically disappeared. The boy took some uncertain steps forward towards Vidio. He began to read. My beloved Cori, It''s been twenty-five years, but I still can''t forget the day when I had to bid you farewell. I''ve never had the chance to catch a glimpse of your face ever since. I don''t even know what you might look like now. I surely imagine that your ass is fuller and your tits are more juiced-up, but I would love to be there and make sure in person¡­ I have never written to you before. I would have run pointless risks. Anyhow, I will make sure this letter arrives in your hands instead of those of your husband. I''ll rely on some big shot friend of mine. This time, I really had to write to you because, my Cori, I did think that hopefully, one day I would come back to you. Vidio paused briefly as he gazed ahead of him, sneered as he would do so often, shook his head and then gazed down to the paper again. But never had I imagined that I would come back with a son. I am training an orphan who lives by himself with his little sister. From time to time I have some food delivered to his place, or I personally provide the little sister with food. What about him?, you would ask. Well, he doesn''t need that. He''s extremely talented, much more than I was. He''s strong. His eyes sparkle with the same flame as mine used to burn with. Though, his flame is inextinguishable. Of that I''m sure. I''m coming back, Cori. With a son who will let me win back the dignity I lost so many years ago¡­ And when I''m back, Cori, I will hate you, if I can, otherwise I will love you in spite of myself. A sudden drop dripped down on the paper. Vidio ceased to write. The Master sensed some sort of presence behind his back, and turned. He made sure he was the only one in the room. Then he turned to the paper again and burst into laughter. "Fuck, I see quite more ghosts than naked women in this rat-hole!" 109 Strike a balance For several weeks now, Helial had been totally immersed in a training behind closed doors. Nobody knew what had happened to him exactly, but all of a sudden he told everyone he would need total focus to meditate over some epiphany he had received. The vision he saw through Vidio''s memories, the awareness of all that suffering, and the rage that gathered in Helial''s heart were slowly turning into something bigger. Lumia, Snowflake, Lulu and Frankenstein were focused on their hard training as well. Day by bay, they took notice of the terribly dense Aura agglomerating inside the little room. They knew perfectly well that it belonged to Helial. The guy''s concentration was so deep that if someone walked in the room he was meditating in, they would probably concluded he was stone dead. Indeed, despite his feeble breathing, there seemed to be no difference between Helial and some dead body. More than once, Lumia caught herself stopping in front of the closed door. She wondered whether to enter or walk away. Every time though, she was seized by doubt and resolved to stand still, in uncertainty, for a few hours. She was afraid for her brother''s survival. He now had a number of enemies, didn''t he? But who could feel safer than Helial in the Royal Palace anyway? There was nothing to worry about. In theory. *** A few weeks before "Was the Dungeon good practice for your training?" asked Caesar as he scrolled through some scroll that listed out the details on a war against the Undead. The Undead were low-level demoniac beasts whose ranks boasted a couple of Immortals. They had always threatened the Goblin population. Helial furrowed his eyebrows slightly. He thought back to what had happened right after his return in Orma, and said: "I need to meditate. Deeply. I''ve received some major epiphanies that, I''m sure, will let me grow much stronger. I beg you to warn everyone not to disturb me. Nobody has to step inside my room until I''m done and walk out." Without much thinking, Caesar nodded shortly. He had a vaguely baffled expression on his face. "Once you walk out though, we''ll have to go into a couple of things that require further attention. You now hold a solid position thanks to your strength, but the murder¡­" "The right punishment I inflicted," Helial interposed, his expression unchanged. "¡­ the murder you tarnished yourself in," Caesar sighed, "it''s the Sect of the Worthy''s new leverage to stand against your staying here in Orma. And the one you need to worry about the most is Aure''s son Comodus. He''s a madman, but makes one of the strongest warriors in his generation. As far as he''s concerned, you need to be as careful as possible." "Haven''t you a son too, by the way?" Helial asked as he fixed his fearless eyes in those of Caesar. "I do. But it''s many years he''s wandering though the universe in search of the final epiphany that will lead him to Immortality. I''ll introduce him too to you, one day." Helial had already heard about Caesar''s son, Germanicus, but he had never met him. He was said to have been traveling for many decades now. Snowflake was the first to tell him about this, during their first sweep around the Goblin Capital. Apparently, Germanicus was stuck in a bottleneck in the Tenth Phase and was looking for his final leap to Immortality. After paying his respects to Caesar and saying goodbye, Helial walked away and began training. He had already warned everyone not to disturb him. He had told Snowflake twice. Even though the cat did seem quite silly, Helial knew he had a pretty smart brain too. He wouldn''t undermine his training because of some whim. Hopefully. However, none of them could foreknow when a divine fart would leave the supreme ass of the magnificent Emperor Cat¡­ *** A few weeks later, Helial''s training hall Helial slightly opened his eyes to cast a glance at the Aura exuded by his body. It was pitch-black. It showed no spark of Life therein. After the epiphanies he had received, he managed to generate a destructive Aura. However, something seemed to miss that would let him strike a balance between his Life Mana and Destruction Mana. He inhaled deeply as he sensed the changes his body had undergone. It really seemed impossible to evoke both Life Mana and Destruction Mana simultaneously. He dug out a dagger from Call of the Mermaid, his Interspace Ring, and clutched it. He slid it over his palm skin. Plop A trail of warm blood drops dripped on the ground and shattered the silence of the darkened room. Helial furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head. By staying in that Destruction Mana meditative state, he was weakening Body of the Qilin. Therefore, his defences were now quite low. But there was something else he could try out. He put the dagger back in his Interspace Ring and raised his right hand in midair. Then, he focused his mind to the fullest on what he had perceived while delivering his devastating blow to Caesar. Now Helial knew that if he could harm an Immortal, it was only due to the frightening Destruction power triggered by the presence of the Devil inside his Soul. Two faint fluctuations rippled the air. The world seemed to vibrate slightly as some scattered spots across the room seemed to lose color. "Well, looks like the name of this Mana really does reflect its destructive power. But it won''t let me use powerful Life Skills like Body of the Qilin meanwhile. Maybe it could let me complement and alternate these two states whenever I need to, but it''s quite pointless to refuse the body of a Qilin in favor of Meridians I can''t defend myself with," Helial concluded in dissatisfaction. Before him appeared a little boy with a black bangs and a school uniform. He was wearing a big hankie whose pattern was made of tiny ghosts, and black long socks with vivid orange pumpkins. "You''re still far from that balance you can strike when dealing with small amounts of Life and Destruction. Life and Destruction need to be in balance even when the amount of Mana you amass increases exponentially. It would be a wise move to start off with that Skill your old Master created. Despite how low was his level at the time, he totally received some great epiphanies that he molded in a very peculiar way. I''d have never imagined that the weird two Manas-for-one to could lead to this. Remarkable. This Skill compresses your Destruction Mana while simultaneously reducing that of Life, striking a precarious yet useful balance between the two. Though, this balance is shattered at the mere touch. It''s too unstable. But so is gunpowder, right? And still, its destructive power is just as effective," the Devil slowly explained the strong and weak points of the Skill. Helial seemed to grasp a great deal of knowledge from these words. He closed his eyes once again. He led all of his Mana towards his Meridians, as if the technique belonged to him. At the same time, he evoked his Life Mana. He hadn''t acquired the Skill yet, but it still felt like he was only a step away from mastering it. All he needed now was a little time to absorb the principles regulating it. Just a little time. Helial was sure he could make it. 110 Mop the floor up Helial wasn''t the only one busy letting his power increase. In the opposite wing of the Royal Palace, the entire group was working hard too. "How was the training like, Franky?" Lulu asked Frankenstein. Her smile was so pure and innocent it could melt the heart of everyone. Frankenstein wore his most maniac expression as he answered: "I think I managed to convert che different density of energies. Now they''re more explosive, and more powerful. Well, surely it''s hard and dangerous to control them, but I''m pretty sure I''m not so behind those two freaking monsters at this point! DEAHAHAHAHAH!" Lulu''s smile spread ever wider as she joined her palms in a loud happy clap. Lumia glanced at her two fellows out of the corner of her eye. She smiled tenderly. They were growing fonder of each other. Might be they had a thing, maybe? On the other hand, Lulu noticed something strange in Lumia too. Despite being the youngest of the three, Helial''s sister had been reasoning and behaving like a flat-out woman lately. If compared to her, Lulu and Frankenstein were but two little children. "I don''t wanna disappoint you guys," Lumia said in a grin, "but the gap between Helial and the cat and the three of us is an abyss. If you don''t see it, it means you''re yet to witness what they''re really capable of." Frankenstein''s face darkened. Something though seemed to sparkle down his eyes. Most likely, he had just been caught by yet another extreme idea that would risk blasting away the Royal Palace. Again. Over the past weeks, Frankenstein had been doing a lot of testing with his Mana, since he now possessed four different Affinities as powerful as those of a high-level Elementalist. The servants of the Royal Palace were scared to death by that skinny, dark-circled Goblin. He had already caused a couple of explosions indeed. The only halls that could resist Frankenstein''s follies were those made of uncommon materials. However, the Goblin didn''t seem to like practicing in there, not at all. "So¡­!" exclaimed Frankenstein as he told Lulu a new theory he had just come up with. Lumia smiled and withdrew her gaze; a new figure, coming down the corridor, had caught her attention. A wild untamed girl whose beauty could match that of the darkest night was tramping all the way down to the three kids. "Miss Medea!" the guards let out a cry as they followed her, visibly frightened. The girl turned towards the guards, her face painted in pure disdain. She yelled black: "You dare try to stop me? This bunch of clowns was shameless enough to kill Goblins on a sacred soil to us, and we should feel any safe in here?" The guards froze. They didn''t dare step any farther. They knew what would expect them if they reached for her! Medea was getting closer to the little group. She was ready to slur the filthy human girl and the Goblin betrayers. Sure as hell, she would end her venting in blood. Their blood. Despite being merely in the First Phase Late stage, Medea had no doubt she could step over the three of them altogether. Medea. A member of the Sect of the Worthy. Comodus'' cousin, and direct heir of the Sect itself. She was one of the brightest talented warriors in her generation. Even though she was only in the First Phase Late stage, if she boasted to be second in the First Phase, who could claim the title of first? She felt an immense disdain for mankind, which she inherited from her sister Medusa. Medusa was one of the best promises in the Sect of the Worthy. Though, she was unlucky enough to be born in the same generation as Pseudonym and Circe. Therefore, she had always lived in the background, even if nobody aware of her talent would ever dare challenge her in battle. At the young age of 17, Medusa conquered a number of human villages nearby the nation of Fiercelake that belonged to minor city-states. Her distinctive feature was her disdain for Humans, whose roots ran frighteningly deep through their generations. Medea started off solemnly: "You, filthy people that-" "WHERE THE FUCK IS THE DIAMOND COLLAR THIS EMPEROR CAT BOUGHT YESTERDAY? WHO STOLE IT? WHO?!" a voice boomed out through the corridor as the head of a huge cat whose fur was as white as snow appeared in front of Medea. The words he had just let out were in striking contrast with his pure snowy fur. Medea stared blankly. Then she recalled that rumors had it that the little gang of the King did also include a big cat. According to her senses, the cat was only in the First Phase Intermediate stage. Which meant she could easily deal with him too. Without further ado, Medea rushed forward like a typhoon. She delivered a midair kick right to Snowflake''s head. That was a fair punishment for having interrupted her. Staring at the girl who just launched an attack towards him, Snowflake resolved for a raised eyebrow. He faintly yawned, curled his whiskers and licked his paw. Meanwhile, the kick was in the trajectory to hit him in the face. Medea coldly sneered to herself. That cat must lack some marbles. So much the better; she would spare a second attack, apparently. "I really need to milkbath. My fur looks so less shiny today," Snowflake remarked. The state of his fur seemed to terribly worry him indeed. Then, he closely inspected the state of his claws. "Might as well be her who stole my collar. That''s why she wants to get rid of me. Mh," Snowflake nodded to himself. He was fairly proud of his intuitive thinking. He caught himself wondering how many people could boast to have such sharp a mind as his. When she saw that Snowflake paid the least attention to her attack, Medea lost her temper. Even someone in the Second Phase wouldn''t dare receive her attack without trying to defend themselves. The descendant of the Sect of the Worthy intensified the attack by imbuing her leg with more Mana. And finally, she hit Snowflake in the face! "Hahaha! Foolish cat," Medea sneered. But¡­ why didn''t her leg perceive the impact? Like she only hit¡­ the air?! "Fucking shit. An afterimage¡­" The girl turned to look for Snowflake in midair. The cat was behind her back. He gave her a curious look. Then he blinked, put his paw on her face, and applied all of his strength and weight to it. BOOM! Medea crashed against the ground so violently that the floor cracked open. She spat out several mouthfuls of blood as her bones shattered under the power of his strength. "The little boy can kill off some slobs and I can''t even mop the floor up with a slut?" Snowflake complaint. "And now tell me, where the fuck did you put my diamond collar, huh?" Frankenstein and Lulu stared at the scene in terror. Lumia was overly amused instead. Though, she pondered over how many problems to come the cat would cause Helial. Coff Coff Medea coughed and spat out another mouthful of blood. With great difficulty, she stood back up and said: "Wait for my sister to hear about this! This time you''re done for. Nobody lays a finger on a member of the Sect of the Worth-" PENG A huge block of marble came down from the top of the ceiling and crashed on Medea''s head under the baffled gazes of Frankenstein, Lulu and Snowflake. The three abruptly turned towards Lumia. They gave her a quizzical look. Medea fainted and fell to the ground with a thud. Lumia shrugged, spread her arms, and said: "Don''t you agree the bitch spoke too much?" After these words, she turned on her heels, walked past the Goblin guards and disappeared into her brother''s room. There, she sat down cross-legged and began to guard about. Someone would come and disturb their peace soon enough. 111 A weapon of mass destruction Helial was tirelessly trying to balance the two Manas inside his Meridians. That was yet another failed attempt. He was now standing still, perfectly immersed in a meditative state. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The deadly silence was only shattered by his steady slow breathing. From time to time, he would hear the echo of footsteps in the distance. Caesar had given the order not to interfere with his disciple''s training. Nobody would have been such a fool to disobey the King''s word, which made the greatest deterrent in all Orma. Suddenly, something breached the peace of the room. If someone had been there with him, they would have seen a young boy sitting cross-legged who exuded a terribly thick black Aura. His Aura looked like a storm that would sweep over everything along the way. Death. The Aura gave off an oppressing death emanation. It was so terrifying it could suffocate you. Helial sensed an astounding rush of power through his Meridians. He pondered: "Let''s see how strong it''ll be this time." Helial had indeed made several attempts to develop the Skill created by Vidio. However, none of those turned out to be successful. The Devil had already explained all the Skill''s principles to him, but Helial still didn''t seem able to reach the perfect communion between the power of Life and that of Destruction. When he created Metamorphosis, Vidio still hadn''t developed any Life Mana. While Helial did. This was the reason why Vidio actually ran into fewer problems. It was strange, but true nonetheless; Body and Flame of the Qilin soaked the boy''s Soul in Life Mana. Therefore, he was stumbling on many more problems than Vidio had to face when trying to strike a balance between the two. Helial''s intention was to let Life and Destruction erupt simultaneously once they reached a stalemate. The common explosion would have unleashed the highest destructive power they could reach. In this way, he would form an even more powerful Mana, because it would have been generated by the perfect combination between Life and Destruction. Vidio had come very close to this result. However, he didn''t manage to purify his Mana and then lead it towards Life while still being able to use that Skill. This was obviously the reason why nobody had ever pulled that off and stepped forward on that path throughout the centuries. A big role was naturally played by the common taboo that one should never mix two opposite forces. Let''s all imagine what would happen if all of a sudden, a pupil from a Clan, Sect or Guild of Life lost their moral compass and tried to cultivate Destruction Mana as well. While Helial was focused on Mana balance, the Devil inside his Soul decided put cuisine aside for one day and moved to a snowy peak instead. He was focused on trying to build the ultimate, gigantic snow puppet. His snow puppet was big enough to have two rocks for eyes and two trunks for eyebrows. He put the tree trunks diagonally, so as to give it an angry look. The kid was wearing dark gloves with ghosts on them, and a ski gear with a huge bat on the back that seemed to be laughing evilly. Helial''s terrifying master was busy creating a lethal weapon of mass destruction Helial understood nothing about. "Who''s the best snow puppet maker, huh?" the Devil snorted to himself as he stared at his creation in satisfaction. He was planning to add a couple more demoniac details. This year, he would definitely win the contest on the best snow puppet in the whole universe. Then, the Devil swiftly glanced at Helial. He fell deep in thought and pondered for a while. Then, he told him: "Your Mana is in its thickest state. Try again." Helial didn''t need to hear that twice. He immediately began to work on the Mana he had gathered and transformed it into Destruction Mana. His Aura seemed to crystalize in midair. One second later, it began to flow fiercely towards the boy. Helial looked like the eye of a storm that would swallow up everything. Helial''s Meridians suddenly burnt as two opposite forces fought within his body. While the Mana of Destruction pushed its way to become his Soul''s prime mover, Life Mana clashed against its nemesis. This time though, Helial didn''t withdraw it intentionally. Helial furrowed his eyebrows as he let out a snarl, in pain. The struggle his body was experiencing would have probably killed someone in the Third Phase. Also, the mere learning of the first level of this Skill appeared to be far more difficult than any other Skill he had acquired before. He had learnt the primordial Flame of the Qilin almost by mistake, so he had always given for granted that learning Metamorphosis would be just as easy as that, considering also his talent. But he was wrong. Metamorphosis. His old Master really created an extraordinary Skill. However, he only developed its lowest level. The Devil told him that Vidio couldn''t level up Metamorphosis farther than the second level. Despite being so low-level though, it unleashed a jaw-dropping power. It was likely that Vidio could have never brought Metamorphosis to Grade Master or Grand Master. An entire life spent trying wouldn''t still be enough. The Skill was created due to a lucky chance meeting; if someone can''t cultivate what luck brings to them, it will be impossible to advance. Helial did grasp this well enough. Many people would have already given up on the idea of Grinding such a complex Skill. And yet, Helial felt a jolt of electricity running through his body every time he thought of what he could do with Life and Destruction Skills. The Devil had already told him that nobody in his same Phase could hope to match him, at that point. Mixing Life and Destruction was impossible; this was an unbreakable rule of the universe they currently inhabited. Whoever distorted this ancient dogma would gain matchless power. Every drop of Mana in the room was swallowed up by Helial''s body. Helial activated his Breathing Technique. Skill Activated: Death of the Desolate Universe The legendary technique rippled the space all around him. The Mana filtrated by this technique was sensibly more violent and explosive. And yet, for how devastating the technique was, his Affinity for Light, as well as Body of the Qilin, would nevertheless convert some of his Mana into Life Mana. The Demon''s Meridians, Body of the Qilin and his Affinity for Light really did clash. They were slightly misbalanced towards Life. Metamorphosis sought to find the balance point between the three. Though, the term "balance" isn''t accurate. What Helial was looking for was some kind of highly dangerous border area where the two clashing powers would collide so strikingly that they would stick together permanently. If Life and Destruction really were like water and fire, Helial sought the point when it would all come to the boil. Helial wasn''t trying to separate them or use them individually. He was looking for an explosive combination that would let him enhance his Skills'' and body''s destructive power. Exponentially. 112 Iblis Helial inhaled deeply as he made the fullest effort to strike the balance he yearned for. He focused on the changes his Soul was undergoing. His eyes being closed, he caught sight of his Meridians, indestructible thanks to their demoniac properties, and the two Mana flows which intertwined and untangled relentlessly. And yet, for how hard Helial tried to attune those strikingly different Manas, he felt he was still far from reaching the perfect communion. Life and Destruction were blocked one step away from harmonizing. Every time they were on the brink of communion, something seemed to get in the way, and the metallic flavor of blood would announce Helial a new failure. It was a dangerous training indeed. Anyone else would have probably died in the attempt to control the two powerful Manas inside one body without much care of their very health. However, Helial had Body of the Qilin and a Demon''s Meridians, which let him come up with infinite ways to play mad. After all those tries, Helial was beginning to feel a little frustrated. It really looked like there was no way to combine the two types of Mana. Helial had already tried everything, but they still contained impurities. The boy saw it fitting to stop training and began to meditate instead. The Devil was sitting in midair before his last pupil, who apparently was stuck in a pretty tough bottleneck. Throughout the whole universe, nobody had ever accomplished the feat that pig-head had set himself. Siche, Iblis'' most talented pupil, had tried as well. Even though she was far ahead of Helial''s First Phase, she never found a way either. With a hand on his chin and a sinister spark in his eyes, the Devil wondered whether the little shithead could actually do the undoable. "If it didn''t work the first two times, there''s no reason why it might work the third," Helial mumbled. The Devil caught his words and asked: "Didn''t you believe in persistence?" "I do," Helial said as he slowly opened his eyes, "but I also believe that the best way to overcome a wall you''ve already crashed into is adjust your direction or find different tools. How many creatures in the universe tried to fuse these two Manas before me? And their control was far better than mine, of that I''m sure. What insane thought would lead me to conclude that I could possibly do it?" Helial was pondering aloud. His words seemed to be the beginning of a longer monologue. "At the crucial point, the two Mana types unavoidably reject each other. It''s several weeks now that I''m training, and I made no progress. Even Vidio''s Skill has its flaws. There''s no point in creating an imperfect Skill which would risk damaging my body and Dao. Even a kid couldn''t balance these two forces at their lowest level, and the difficulty increases with age! There''s why you either choose Life or Destruction. They can''t be as one." The Devil shortly nodded. He saw his point, but he still didn''t see where this was going. "You taught me that Life can borrow some knowledge from Destruction and use it to reach higher peaks, without withholding anything from Destruction nonetheless. Just insights, general principles you break down into their primordial, neutral form¡­" The Devil''s expression changed drastically. And so did Helial''s. "If these principles have no master but can tend either towards Life or Destruction, it''s the owner who establishes their nature. It''s like, every man can choose either to do good or evil. We experience this every day. There are high principles having no owner. And I could derive either Life or Destruction from them. If I were to extract these free principles, if I undid and embraced them at the same time¡­" Helial slowly stretched his hands out in front of himself. He looked at the back of his hands, turned them and clenched his fists. Then, he withdrew them and laid the palms on his knees. "The principles are unstable, which is why there are absorbed by Life or Destruction as the case requires. If someone tried to extract a piece of knowledge without controlling it, it would only damage their body. These principles you''re talking about are the very foundations to cultivating Mana and creating Skills. It''s like letting an incredibly wild energy flow inside your body which you''re not able to control. How do you think it would end up?" the Devil asked with some slight regret in his voice. Helial had learnt a lot already, but there was still a long way to go if he wanted to grasp such profound concepts. "If Iblis had yielded to Amaterasu, and at the same time Amaterasu had yielded to Iblis? What would have happened, at that point?" suddenly asked Helial. At these words, the Devil''s face became an emotionless blank mask. "None of them would have ever done that." "If they both had yielded at the same time, they would have struck an otherworldly balance. Just because it''s unbelievable to picture, just because you can''t imagine abandoning every form of control, doesn''t mean it''s impossible," as Helial''s words grew more mysterious, a strange Aura engulfed his body. "But if Life were Destruction, and Destruction were Life, that would be the flamboyant endless explosion which eventually turns out to be null." The Devil furrowed his eyebrows and grew serious. He blurted out: "There is no such power. And it wouldn''t be controllable anyway. Nothing would have happened if they both had surrendered. Nothing. The entire universe in war. How could you even consider surrendering? Also, if Life and Destruction annulled each other, how could they form a Skill?" Helial was going insane. These were no stale theories; it was a brand-new line of thinking. Once struck the ultimate balance between the two forces, no Skill could be created. Life Mana and Destruction Mana worked linearly enough in an endless circle. In the situation described by Helial, there would be no such thing as a Mana reflow. Mana could come out of one''s body just as easily as it had come in. Once struck a balance out of the two explosions, give or take the energy would deplete itself. It would generate no circle. "You don''t understand, Iblis. But I do," a broad smile spread across Helial''s face as he let out these words. "You ruled over the universe, but then your instinct ruled you over. You tell yourself this is impossible just because it''s unconceivable for you¡­ Extract the principles." The Aura grew violent through the room. "Neutralize them." Around Helial, air rippled. "Combine them and divide them. And finally, let them loose on Life and Destruction. Together." BOOM! 113 This unfair game of love A heavy rainfall had been pouring down the rooftops for several hours now. Thick rivulets were streaming down the lanes of Orma. The black clouds showed no sign to be about to recede. A feeble sunray thrusted the driving rain all the way to the rooftop of a high building. There, a girl exuding utter splendor was sitting cross-legged. She was so stunning that a single smile of hers would let empires collapse. Suddenly, her eyes, covered by a jet-black bangs and a ton of black makeup, glanced up at an armor that looked darker than the night itself. "I''ve heard your rival Medusa is coming back to the Capital today," a hoarse voice seeped through the armor. "Are you chasing me or what?" Circe blurted grumpily. "Like, what are you even talking about? That crap of a semi-human is no rival to me. She can hardly walk with her chin up without having to feel ashamed. The gap between me and her is just as wide as the distance between heaven and earth. She loves comparing herself to my shadow, does it mean she poses a threat to me?" "Well, the gap between you and her is the same as that between you and me," Pseudonym laughed hoarsely. Taunting her was always fun. A huge fan glistening in grey suddenly appeared. Its pointed ends were as sharp as the tip of a spear. "You came here to pick a fight, didn''t you?". Circe didn''t seem to find it any fun though¡­ Pseudonym didn''t show sign of worry. "Not really. I''m here to talk about the boy''s little crew. They offended Medea. You know what that means?" Circe''s expression darkened as she said: "If that filthy bitch dares lay a finger on him¡­" Pseudonym interrupted the Witch without concealing the faint surprise in his voice. "Didn''t Francesca tell you? As the King''s daughter, she knows pretty much everything that happens to the boy." "Francesca has been busy avoiding Comodus, lately. Their wedding is so important that even her father won''t dare cancel it. Orma''s two powers have never been so distant from one another. So much that the King is willingly sacrificing his daughter to make peace with the Sect of the Worthy." Pseudonym slightly nodded and fell silent. Despite his lack of interest in the royal affairs, Pseudonym knew perfectly well that Comodus was a madman and Francesca didn''t love him. Tang tang tang Rain was cascading heavily on Pseudonym''s armor, making the atmosphere even gloomier. Circe''s eyes were crossed by a shadow. "What do you think is expecting Orma?" Pseudonym gazed afar in the distance. Without further ado, he disappeared in a black beam. The seething Auras of Circe and Pseudonym clashed for an instant, and then the rain stopped pouring on the armor. Circe was alone again. As if nothing had happened. Rain began to fall heavily. Circe was still sitting in midair, pondering over Pseudonym''s words and wondering about their future. Suddenly, Circe furrowed her eyebrows. "You heard everything?" she asked out of nowhere, talking to the nothingness behind her back. She had sensed the faintest fluctuation in the surrounding energy, but she knew perfectly well whom the Aura belonged to. No answer came but the incessant sound of the pouring rain. "Step forward, Vlad," Circe ordered, ever more furious. A fifteen-years-old-looking boy suddenly materialized out of nowhere. His delicate facial features betrayed a hint of nobleness. His dark unfathomable eyes didn''t match his tender age. "Didn''t you say you gave up on her?" Circe asked, her eyebrow raised. "Indeed. I don''t wanna waste my time or run into pointless risks," the boy yawned, turned, and began to walk away. "Stop," Circe boomed out. She immediately appeared behind his back, her hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, Vlad''s body emitted a blinding red light. A bloody Aura engulfed him. A frighteningly powerful corrosive attacked Circe''s skin. A tiny trail of smoke rouse up from where she had touched him. The girl promptly withdrew her hand and gazed down at her hurt palm, a frown on her face. "I don''t like it when people touch me, cousin," Vlad mumbled without even turning, "Did you begin training again?" asked Circe with a faint hope in her voice. "No," Vlad didn''t add no thing and walked away. Circe gave a sigh. "It''s true what they say about this unfair game of love. But I have to admit that his attitude played a pretty big role too. A devastating combination indeed¡­ He knows he can''t yearn for her. But he''s also aware he''s strong. Despite of all his strength and talent, he never really got down to training. His talent¡­ the only one that could possibly match Pseudonym''s. But he hates his life. All he does is roam all day and try to avoid human contact and all of the problems that it brings." Circe brooded aloud over her cousin Vlad, a member of the Guild of Life and Death. If anyone had heard Circe speak these words about the youth - the same Circe whose talent was considered to be second only to that of Pseudonym- they would have probably concluded there was more to Vlad than it met the eye. *** On the opposite side of the city With her eyes closed, Lumia was sitting cross-legged in front of a closed door. She was chanting the formulas of the Breathing Technique the Devil had taught her. Her Breathing Technique synchronized her heartbeat to the frequency of the earth itself. In this astonishing state, her heart would only beat a few times a minute. And yet, each of those heartbeats carried a boundless energy. The silvery-haired girl sensed an immense power flowing through her Meridians. She wondered how longer she would need to wait to gather the maximum amount of Mana she could amass while still in the First Phase. A month had gone by since Helial started his training behind closed door to meditate over some Epiphanies he had received during a previous training. At least that''s what he said. Lumia knew there was something fishy about this. Something Helial wouldn''t tell her. It was probably linked to the Devil. Lumia just ignored at what extent. BOOM! A flamboyant explosion blew the door to pieces. All around Lumia, walls began to tumble down. Lumia watched this with raised eyebrows. She realized she was in danger. Apparently, the whole wing of the palace was falling down. She had a feeling her Mana wouldn''t be enough to sustain all of those stones. 114 I will fly away Countless years before A demoniac creature with huge bat wings was star-gazing. There was nothing but silence around him. "Iblis?" a gentle voice resounded behind him. A slender hand touched one of his big shoulders. "Yeah?" the Devil gazed intently at a young girl with two angel wings. He gave her the broadest smile, in striking clash with his terrifying look. The woman standing before him exuded a divine heavenly note which had nothing to do with this world. Her locks were a golden cascade whose shininess was only second to that of her eyes. Her irises seemed to emit a radiance of their own. The Aura of the woman was imbued with Life Mana. Though, somehow it seemed to embrace him instead of rejecting him. It had never rejected him indeed, unlike every other Life being existing. *** In the present "Master?" a voice called out from a giant pile of debris. The kid standing in front of Helial, his hand raised towards the ceiling., He was welding the pieces back together through his pitch-dark Mana. The Devil had just prevented the palace from dismantling by hand of Helial. Something though seemed to have upset him deeply. "Master?" the voice said again, and again found no answer. The room was filled with a strange Aura soaked with remains of Life and Destruction. The partly snow-white and partly demoniac Mana was so familiar¡­ For how sharp the Devil''s perception was, even his senses could be fooled by melancholy. And when that happened, he would get lost in a dreamlike world made of memories and regret. "Iblis?" the voice asked at that point. For one split second, the Devil sensed the presence Amaterasu standing before him. His blurred eyes couldn''t tell dream from reality. The kid slowly stretched his hand out in a vain attempt to brush against his past. "What are you doing, exactly?" suddenly, the voice made sound the alarm in the Devil''s mind. Iblis withdrew his hand immediately. His face turned unmoved. He went back to behaving as usual. He made sure the palace was standing stably and then dissolved the Mana he had pulled that off with. "You''re brave enough to say my name," the Devil smiled expressionlessly. Then, he disappeared in a dark beam. All around Helial, the room was filled with electricity. From time to time, a spark would flare up. The air was soaked into Life and Destruction, along with a strange force whose mysterious principles were yet to be untangled. Helial stood there alone. It was a while now that he had come to the conclusion that his Master and Iblis, the ultimate Devil, were one and the same. Despite the looks of a kid, which was probably the result of his weakened soul stuck into Curse of the Demon, his power was unique. Helial didn''t know Iblis'' story in details. He only knew that he was madly in love in Amaterasu. Which, most likely, was also why the most powerful creature in the universe had to take the shape of a kid. Helial had come to a number of conclusions really. The Devil had indeed told him that in order to get his help, he must take one life for him. Helial now knew what this meant. He was depositary of Iblis'' legacy. Given that Amaterasu was probably in the same shape as Iblis now, this meant that somewhere was another heir, a nemesis created by destiny, who embodied the other divine creature. This conclusion shocked Helial, but he had slowly come to terms with it. Many people would be crashed by the burden of such responsibility, Helial didn''t think this would weight his future down. Quite the contrary. He took it as a great chance to break free. "One life to be forever free¡­" Helial whispered as he pondered. Meanwhile, in Helial''s Soul, Iblis was back to cooking. As his saut¨¦ed vegetables browned off, the Devil smiled. Helial ignored that the matter was much more complex than that. He wouldn''t have to kill some person whatsoever. Helial had, maybe unconsciously, forgot Iblis'' exact words. Helial was supposed to kill the person he would love the most in his entire life. Iblis'' and Amaterasu''s legacies were so powerful they not only carried the extreme power of two primordial creatures, but they also sealed a destiny he couldn''t run away from.Deep inside his heart, Helial knew this. He just wouldn''t admit it. The story of Iblis and Amaterasu was meant to occur once again¡­ Helial looked about himself. He noticed that Iblis had prevented that wild energy from shattering the palace down. Damage was contained to the room only. Well, it seemed more like a typhoon had swept it over. After all, despite his Soul lacking physical limbs, Iblis had once been the greatest Devil in the entire universe. His Mana Control still went unmatched. Without Meridians, it would be impossible to master Mana. But everything is Mana in the world. Iblis might as well evoke the Skills and techniques he would need by absorbing the Mana naturally present around him. His power, however, was still far from the one he could boast when he still had a physical body. Meanwhile, Helial was getting familiar with the changes his body had just gone through. The strange power was sneaking through his Meridians. It was an extremely mysterious sensation indeed. There was a lot for him left to discover before defining himself as a true master of that Skill. Skill acquired: Metamorphosis Level: 1 Grade. White ??? Helial focused to the fullest as he activated all the Mana inside his body. The anomalous Mana wave raged through his Meridians It seemed to be seething to the boil. Helial sensed the energy unleashed by the Skill flow inside of him. He still couldn''t make the fullest use of it though. He would first need to train and ponder over the principles he developed. Currently, Metamorphosis had no precise attributes. It was very unstable and malleable. Despite Helial''s revolutionary Epiphany, his Knowledge Grade of the Skill hadn''t yet showed up in his Stat window. This could only mean it was much stronger than he could imagine. He would have a hard time shaping Metamorphosis according to his will. But that was a start, at least. Helial had indeed taken a step forward to overcome the wall blocking everyone who had ventured on that same path so far. *** Countless years before "Are you sure you don''t want to stay here and try to mediate with my Clan?" Amaterasu asked him, a grievous light in her eyes. This young Amaterasu had no idea on what future what bring. For now, she was just lost in Iblis'' joyful smile. Amaterasu had always felt a vibrant surprise in seeing a beaming smile on that face many had learnt to fear. Her entire Clan, first and foremost her father, had always warned her to watch out from the Leader of the Clan of the Night Eternal. That Clan members were humans who had learnt demoniac arts. They could transform body and spirit and let mankind reach new power. However, according to her father, the new power would come at a overly high cost. Therefore, those people had soon lost their rational thinking. "I''m a monster to them. Because of these," he pointed at his wings and black horns, then slowly stroked the black veins framing his pitch-black eyes, "and these, and these. When my ancestors underwent all these changes, they gained power no other race could compare. They created the perfect build. No Ancestral Creature can hope to match it. Qilins, Dragons, Heavenly Star Tigers - they''re nothing if compared to this body." Iblis gazed down at his hand. His black skin was as polished as ebony. He turned it upside down repeatedly, gazing at the palm, at the back, at the palm again. Then, he clenched it and slowly shook his head. "And when they became omnipotent, they lost any fear. You know what that means?" Amaterasu gazed at Iblis with a worried frown on her face. Apparently, Amaterasu wanted to save him. But Iblis had nothing to be saved from. "This means," Iblis went on, "that they lost many men''s prime mover, first and foremost hypocrisy. Your parents and your Clan believe that my ancestors lost their humanity. But that''s wrong. They''ve just lost fears. And when you lack fear, your thinking gest clearer. For an Immortal, good and evil are much more blurred concepts than Life and Destruction." While Destruction and Life could be catalogued according to the characteristics of their Mana, it wouldn''t indeed be possible to catalogue them in terms of good and evil. Life considered Destruction to be too fiery. And so it branded it as evil. Destruction considered Life to be a restricting, suffocating slavery. "While everyone keeps fighting over these clashes, I will fly away, away like a seagull. No matter how down pitch will weigh me," said Iblis, his eyes fixed on those of Amaterasu. 115 Here comes trouble In the present, Royal Palace The shock wave originated by Metamorphosis could have badly damaged the Royal Palace. Luckily enough, the Devil had stepped in to save Helial the trouble of explaining to Caesar why he would get a destroyed house in return for his kindness. Helial stepped outside the room and saw Lumia. She was covered in dust and lime. Her platinum blonde hair lost their precious shininess. The guy realized that if Iblis hadn''t promptly interposed, an entire wing of the Royal Palace would have tumbled down. Or worse; if Iblis hadn''t been that prompt, Lumia would have ended up hurt, or even dead! At the sight of Lumia, Helial feel heart-wrung. He ran towards her and hugged her. He couldn''t believe he had been reckless enough to overlook the fact that he could hurt his little sister. The Devil witnessed this, his eyebrows furrowed. He was stirring a soup inside a giant pot. Despite being inside of Helial''s Soul, he could neatly see everything happening on the outside. Helial was holding Lumia, whose face was crowned by a smug. The kid pondered. Given Lumia''s level and her terrifying Dao of Mana, there was no way she couldn''t actually defend herself against a crumbling wing of the Royal Palace. Even the entire ceiling falling down on her head couldn''t pierce the Titan''s Shield. Which meant¡­ Lumia had not defended herself on purpose. She didn''t defend herself to make Helial feel guilty so as to receive his love and attentions. A shiver ran down Iblis'' spine. "Doesn''t matter if you''re a pluri-millenary Devil. You''ll still need to watch out from the plays of womankind¡­" During her training, Siche had played tricks on him multiple times. Therefore, the Devil had learnt to fear that naughty race dominating over the universe they called "women". As Helial cuddled Lumia, the little girl gazed up at him with her sweet emerald eyes and said: "A few problems arouse while you weren''t here¡­" Helial raised an eyebrow. Before Lumia said anything else, he looked about himself in terror. "Where''s Snowflake?" Lumia brought a hand to her mouth and let out a giggle. "Well, he caused a little bit of panic. You know, the royal cooks have been ambushed many times. However, the real problem is a recent one. Someone attacked us." "Attacked?" Helial stared blankly. Who would dare attack them inside the Royal Palace or Academy? "A girl named Medea," Lumia said bluntly. Suddenly, Helial felt a punch in his heart. Medea? Helial had studied Orma''s wealthiest families in detail to tell those who could be offended from those who were better not. Medea belonged to the second type. She was a descendant of the Sect of the Worthy; she was Comodus'' cousin. Her sister was in the same generation as Pseudonym and Circe. She was renowned for her strength and ruthlessness. Without those two freaking geniuses, she would have probably boasted the title of first genius in Orma. Some said that amongst the member of the Sect of the Worthy, only Comodus could match her talent. "What happened?" Helial asked. The thought of Snowflake roaming across Orma unpunished while spreading chaos on his behalf made him feel quite uncomfortable. He wasn''t even sure he wanted to hear the answer to his own question. Given Snowflake''s attitude, he could already picture what the meeting had been like. "Well, Snowflake crashed Medea''s face onto the floor," Lumia said with the most innocent voice. Helial''s expression grew darker. "Couldn''t he just stop her and do this the diplomatic way? Like, what need was there to show off? Didn''t he figure Medusa would come and be a pain in each or our asses?" Helial blurted. Here came trouble. It was only then that Helial recalled something Snowflake had told him a while before: "And you thought it best to inform yourself after provoking the worst madman in Orma? Dude, you''re retarded." A huge blue vain bulged on Helial''s forehead. It seemed about to blow his brains out. "He said that you can''t be the only one messing up in the palace unpunished," Lumia giggled. "He mumbled something about the Supreme Cat starving and walked away." Helial literally wished for death. "Then, when she stood upright and threatened us all, I activated the Gravitational Field to let a rock fall down on her. At that point she was finally over," said Lumia as the broadest smile made its way to her face. Helial was speechless. He just felt the urge to run back to his training behind closed doors for a couple months at least. Or better, a couple years. Given the arrogance the Sect of the Worthy was renowned for, the matter wouldn''t be solved too easily. Helial should try to mediate. After all, Medea had attacked first, right? And they had just put up some defence. Even if not scrupulously. If that was it, it wasn''t really irreparable a thing. "And theeen¡­" Lumia''s eyes rolled upwards as she put a finger on her thin lips and paused. "Snowflake told me he noticed he had a broken nail at that point. So he came back to where Medea lay unconscious¡­" Helial''s hair immediately stood on end. "No¡­" "To pee over her and avenge the offence to the Emperor Cat, or something like that. You know Snowflake," Lumia was wearing the purest expression of innocence as she told this story. She gazed at Helial''s face turn from red into purple. "The guards saw everything and they promptly brought Miss Medea home." Helial was about to burst into tears. Why would Snowflake have to pee on her?! Why couldn''t he just let it go after having already humiliated her? If the situation had seemed slightly salvageable to Helial, he now knew that all hope was lost. Snowflake had basically declared war to the two sisters. The Sect of the Worthy wouldn''t turn a blind eye on the insult. Despite Medea being still alive, those people were so overbearing as to consider a public insult worse than murder itself. Helial inhaled deeply. "I''ll immediately go and talk to Caesar. This situation won''t be solved peacefully without his help. As luck would have it there''s still time before Medusa arrives. We''ll be ready by then." As his words died out along the empty corridor, a thunder-like roar pierced the silence and boomed through the Royal Palace: "YOU DIRTY HUMAN, WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER?" 116 Innocence thrashed Helial felt hopeless. He had already figured whom the voice belonged to. "Who knows, maybe if I dig a hole deep enough I''ll hide away from the calamities the shitty cat is pouring on our heads¡­" Despite the burning urge to turn his back on that situation, he knew he must stay there and try to work this out. After all, even Medusa wouldn''t dare make too exaggerated a scene the Royal Palace. The Sect despised the fact that that Human could roam through Orma. However, given their slightly lower position, none of its members would dare cause any more problems inside the royal residence. After all, Caesar and Nelia lived there. How could they put up a fight in there without being harshly punished? It was incredible enough that Medusa had even shouted her way through the corridors. Clearly, she felt justified by the fact that Helial wasn''t yet a member of the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle. Helial shrugged and told Lumia: "Let''s go. We need to fix this." Lumia gripped onto his arm and followed him willingly as she squeezed her not yet shapely breast against Helial. The elder brother couldn''t but sigh as he walked right towards a situation he only wanted to run away from. "Where is the filthy human hiding?!" Medusa grabbed a servant by the collar of his tunic as she screamed wildly in his face. Beside her stood Medea, slightly baffled by her sister''s behavior. Despite being strong and talented, Medusa should nonetheless watch her language. They were in the Royal Palace, after all! Even Medea somehow contained herself when she had attacked the filthy group. Medea came to the conclusion that some Sect member must have given Medusa a special permission - or rather, the order - to behave like that. They wouldn''t leave any face to the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle. It was just like screaming: "Don''t you see? That disgusting Human you''re hosting is only making trouble and we must be the ones doing something, ''cause you''re clearly unable to do that yourself!" Medea gave a sigh, her eyebrows furrowed. She decided she would just enjoy the show. The matter would probably spin out of their control and blow out of proportion. If this was what her sister aimed to, there was nothing she could do. "SO WHAT? I''M WAITING." Medusa screamed at the top of her lungs. The servant stared at the frighteningly beautiful woman in terror. He was the simplest servant, not even in the Second Phase. Medusa''s Aura was suffocating him. Medusa was wearing a golden-like bustier which enhanced her silhouette as well as her smooth jade-pale skin. Nobody could lay eyes on her without being captivated by her charm. Suddenly, a homicidal, terrifying Aura overwhelmed that of Medusa and took everyone''s breath away. What was that? Had someone in the Fourth or Fifth Phase from the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle just arrived? Things were getting complicated. "Damn, they can''t get me out of here before I mess things up for the filthy human and his bunch of fools¡­" "WHO DARES DISTURB THIS CAT''S SUPREME NAP?" these words resounded out in the room. For an instant, Medusa and Medea were left speechless. The soundwave was so powerful it made flakes of plaster fall off the walls. The ears of the men brought there by Medusa and Medea began to bleed. "What¡­" Medusa found no answer to that nonsense. "IS THIS A SCREAMING MATCH? YOU''RE CHALLENGING ME, AREN''T YOU? DO YOU REALLY THINK THIS EMPEROR CAT WON''T SCREAM THIS SHITTY PLACE TO PIECES?" "What? Who''s turned this into a screaming match?" Medusa whispered. The absurdity of this baffled her. In that very moment, two figures appeared from a side corridor and slowly walked towards them. Medusa gazed at them intently. Before her stood a fifteen-year-old with childlike facial features yet a deep gaze on his face. His dark blue eyes wouldn''t seem the mirror to a kid''s soul. Helial walked on with a steady calm gait. From an opposite corridor appeared Snowflake. The eyes of the Human and those of the cat met. Helial glared at him and hinted that he shut up. The homicidal Aura unleashed by Snowflake was indeed terrifying, but Helial''s was just as powerful. Actually, it carried a higher violence. How is it possible that these two, only in the First Phase Intermediate stage, exude such a majestic Aura?, Medea asked to herself. The Aura carried a terribly mysterious power indeed. Auras reflected not only the level and the amount of Mana one had, but also the natural tendencies of each individual. Helial and Snowflake both had unmatchable blood legacies, which meant they had the Aura of an emperor. Any other Goblin in their same phase could never boast such a dense and great Aura. Medusa was considered outstandingly talented in Orma, but a true expert would easily sense the quality gap between her and Helial or Snowflake; the latter were far younger than her. Medusa was nineteen. She was one year older than Pseudonym and Circe, and four years older than Helial. Helial approached her as calmly as possible, his hands raised in sign of peace. "You must be Medusa. I''m deeply sorry for out cat''s outrageous acts, but I''m sure we can''t solve this peacefully." The calm of that boy in the First Phase Intermediate stage approaching a young woman in the Third Phase amazed her. Though this wasn''t enough to dissolve her hatred against Helial. Apologies? The damned cat peed over her sister! By accepting his apologies, wouldn''t she just dishonor their Sect once and for all? They would all become everyone''s laughing stock. "Your cat dared pe¡­ thrash my sister''s innocence! I won''t step out of here without taking his skin with me!" answered Medusa through gritted teeth. Helial raised an eyebrow. Her sister''s innocence? His eyes surveyed Medea keenly all over, looking for any sign of this supposed innocence. The girl''s gaze was a poisonous one, and her body exuded a cold hateful Aura. What innocence are you talking about? Helial did want to mediate, but he wouldn''t step aside so easily. He was the King''s pupil. He had already witnessed that he could grow stronger by himself. During the fight with the Queen of Spiders, Helial overcame a huge bottleneck down his Dao of Mana. From that moment on, he wouldn''t let anyone infringe on his soul, let alone a second-rate talent. Snowflake and Helial were about to speak when suddenly, Lumia ran a hand through her whitey hair and blurted out, her lips curled: "Please. You''re two mediocre-talented sisters. Even a slut like Circe can boast to be stronger than you. You''re the typical example of "Oh, you know, I would be the strongest if¡­" But here''s some news; you''re not. You''re two loud bitches who can''t stick to their place. C''mon, Medea, keep on dreaming you can ever lay a finger on my brother. Medusa? Helial would easily rip off that proud neck of yours without your noticing." The air froze. They all stood still. With a slow tilt of their neck, so slow one could hear bones work, everyone turned towards Lumia. She had just brought a hand to her lips and was now gently covering a tender yawn. 117 Two dumb whores Helial stared at his sister in bafflement. Lumia was but a innocent-looking little girl, and yet her sharp words just caused a diplomatic disaster. The conciliatory talking Helial had in mind had just turned into a war declaration. "Repeat, please?" Medusa said as she furrowed her eyebrows. Her face was red with anger. "I''m not quite sure I have this right." A tangible killing intent began to gather about her. Helial realized things weren''t looking good. He gently pulled her sister to hint that she must now step back. Why was he surrounded by irrational people? Lumia slightly rouse her chin as she completely ignored Helial''s silent imploring. Her eyes giving off utter disdain, she went on: "You''re not even worth occupying my sight, let alone that of my brother. I''m just in the First Phase Intermediate stage, but who of you could put a finger on me? And you wanna spit over my brother''s honor? You pass through me first." Medea was about to pass out. She gazed at her sister; she was frothing at the mouth. "How dare you!" "What? Aren''t you the greatest geniuses in your generation?" asked Lumia as she fluttered her eyelashes innocently. Medea and Medusa bit their lip in grudge. They couldn''t answer that question. Because obviously, the answer was no. Medusa was in the same generation as Pseudonym and Circe, while Medea belonged to that of Helial. However, Medea only formed around sixty steps in her entrance test, while Helial accomplished the same feat as Pseudonym - something no one else had accomplished throughout the past centuries. Even Frankenstein reached higher than Medea. How could she claim the title of first best in her generation? Even the wicked care about the likeliness of their words! "Yeah, I thought so. Two dumb whores looking for trouble. And with no title at all¡­" "You damned brat, don''t you dare talk to me like this! You don''t know who I am!" Medea screamed at the top of her lungs. She was on the edge on mental breakdown. While Lumia went on responding in kind, Helial began to analyze the situation from a new standpoint. Battle was unavoidable at this point. He was still hoping that some senior member of the Royal Academy would magically appear out of nothing. But he wasn''t really getting his hopes up. Skill Activated: Perception Helial carefully inspected Medusa''s body. Before his eyes was a pile of grey corrosive Mana that seemed to infect the air all around them. Then, as he knitted his brow, he examined Medea. She wouldn''t appear to be as peculiar as her sister. Apparently, her Mana is altered by some poisonous property just like that of her cousin Comodus. And yet she doesn''t seem as strong as him. She must have reached the Third Phase as fast as Circe and Pseudonym thanks to that Mana. She probably used some outer venom to upgrade her Skills and level up fleetly, but¡­ Helial knew perfectly well that a power not gained through one''s skills would turn out to be quite difficult to assimilate. He himself had to overcome a bottleneck to master Metamorphosis. Against the Queen of Spiders, he needed as well to prove himself he was strong enough. Otherwise, he would have jeopardized his Dao of Mana and would not be able to tackle new tougher bottlenecks. After the hard training he had gone through, Perception reached an outstanding precision. This allowed Helial to scan deeper Mana properties. Medusa''s Mana looked foaming and unstable. It was completely different from Pseudonym''s Mana, which Helial had managed to sneakily examine. His Mana looked like an insurmountable mountain of leaping flames. Their foundations lay on completely different levels. Even though Medusa''s name was frequently compared to that of Pseudonym and Circe, it had taken nothing for Helial to tell that the gap between them was unbridgeable. Medusa was a snake under the effect of her own venom. Those upgrades did help her improve, but the effect of the poison would decrease sooner or later. At that point, Medusa wouldn''t be able to advance any farther. Her choosing the easy way would lead her to be collapse at her first hurdle. The climb to the top is a slow one. Every challenge faced along the way is often times a bliss. The more the dangers - the thinner the thread life was hanged on - the more firmly life would develop. A small bush help up by a stick grows sickly and won''t give any fruits. Helial gazed at Lumia once again as he pondered. His sister did step over every boundary, but at least she was right. Helial, Snowflake and Lumia had already reached a level that most people in Orma could only dream of. Helial didn''t quite know what had happened to Lumia during her training with the Devil. Though, the girl became terribly strong and her Dao twisted into a peculiar turn, that of Defence. Helial knew that it was all thanks to Iblis. However, he saw it fitting not to say anything about this. After all, this wasn''t what interested him the most. All that mattered to him was that he would never leave Lumia. And Lumia''s last sharp words proved that she thought just the same. Lumia wanted to fight by Helial''s side. She would be a protagonist, not a sidekick without a hint of character. As he realized this, Helial crossed both arms over his breast and resisted the urge to clutch Curse of the Demon. He would let Lumia make it by herself. All of a sudden though, Perception sensed the faint fluctuation of extremely peculiar Auras. One behind him, one on his right. They belonged to two people who were probably trying to hide away from Helial. Unfortunately, they had no idea the boy was cultivating an unusual underrated Skill like Perception. Helial recognized both the Auras. A cold shiver ran down his spine. "What are they doing here?" Medusa furiously glared at Lumia and nodded to her servants. "Let''s see who has the last laugh here," hissed Medusa. A delirious expression hung on her face. BOOM! 118 A little blood The eyes of Medusa gave off a bloodcurdling fierceness. Her servants were quite familiar with the fury of Miss Medusa, and had learnt to fear it. Little beads of sweats crowned their foreheads as a shiver ran down their spine. The rattling sounds of chains echoed out through the cold marble corridor. In Orma, the Goblin population lived together with a minority of Humans. Often times both races happened to live under the same roof, except Humans wouldn''t be treated much humanely. Sadly, throughout the years, the Sect of the Worthy worsened their view on the human race. They slowly condemned it as the root of all evil. Their politics of hate had gradually held sway all over the country. From the standpoint of the Sect, men were quite more similar to a deadly disease than to rational-thinking creatures. Until the last Human was alive, the entire planet would be infected by an incurable sickness. Throughout the centuries, Goblins chose not to expand their boundaries nor colonize new areas.They preferred to remain within their borders instead. Their solidly built walls were now patrolled by a number of militias. Though, the outposts were but temporary billets. Within their heart, every Goblin living outside the walls only wished to come back to their beloved Orma. Orma was the very center of their world. The Goblin race was a lesser one if compared to the Human race. Nonetheless, Orma had risen out of nowhere and now towered over the North. Along with the Nation of Fiercelake, Orma wasn''t one of the most powerful countries in the North, let alone in the continent. However, thanks to its Mana mastery, Orma was acknowledged a right to raise its voice. Nobody would dare offend them too easily. Their strong patriotism and the increasing disdain for Humans had slowly led to an exponential growth in the smuggling of Human slaves from the adjoining country. For how enlightened a monarch Caesar was, no citizen in the City-State seemed willing to put this barbaric activity to an end. Helial furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the parade of chains coming into his sight. Slaves. Medusa''s servants were pulling the slaves forward as violently as possible. Around their ankles and wrists, their skin was torn. It was covered in dirt and wounds. Their hair was bristly and oily. Medusa really was a cold-hearted poisonous tongue. "Here''s your people; the filthy Humans infecting Orma! Don''t think their life is of any use. And now I''ll do a service to the whole world and wipe them off the face of the earth." Helial raised an eyebrow and shrugged. He turned towards Lumia and Snowflake: "I''ll jam on the brakes of whoever dares move. No exceptions." He gave Lumia a hard stare. He was the King''s Pupil; he couldn''t afford to lose his temper too easily. He must endure the taunt. "Now watch me as I shed the blood of your fellows men¡­" Medusa said with a sardonic smile on her face. Her facial features were twisted by pure folly. That beautiful Goblin woman only looked like a revolting shrew. Helial gazed at her in the eyes as he said: "Do you really think this is enough to get me ballistic? A couple slaves won''t make me lose my temper. And you hope I''d widen the rift between the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle and the Sect of the Worthy just like that? As if Caesar, the King, hasn''t faced enough problems after taking me as his pupil?" As Helial''s words died out, Medusa''s expression grew skeptical and insecure. "I guess you won''t mind see a little blood, then," an angry Medusa said through gritted teeth. Her plans were going up to smoke. By killing those Humans, she would vent her rage at least. One day, it would be Helial''s turn. Helial shrugged once again. He ignored her. It looked like the matter was solved for now. In his brief life, Helial chose to save lives whenever he had a chance to. He wouldn''t take lives away without a reason. However, when it came to kill someone in order to protect family - in order to protect Lumia - he would have never backed off. Should I care about them? Helial thought to himself as he stared at those two men. They looked like livestock. Their eyes were teary and their lips had been sewn up. He furrowed his eyebrows. The Sect of the Worthy was clearly used to treating slaves barbarically. They sewed their salves'' lips up to avoid hearing their cries under torture. This was cruel. But what could Helial do anyway? He could sympathize for them, but he surely couldn''t risk everything in exchange for those two lives. After all, our life is the result of our own decisions. Helial gazed at the two men and decided he would help them. They were two of many slaves living in Orma; Humans, Goblins, war prisoners. They didn''t all belong to the Sect of the Worthy. The Clan of the Heavenly Eagle had slaves as well. It wasn''t like they treated them much better. They were slaves, after all; either treated well or bad, they had lost their freedom. Their life or death depended on a wave of the hand of their masters. "Raise your head, you two. Look at me, in the eyes," Helial said. His face went expressionless. Despite his tender age, Helial had never had much empathy for those who weren''t close to him. Besides the tears shed for Vidio, and the terror when Lumia had risked her like, there were few deaths Helial would cry for. "To die a slave is a sad way to die. But I''ve sensed you''re both in the First Phase. You can still get to choose. If you let your Souls erupt, you could even hurt someone standing close to you." At these words, everyone took a step back. If those two had really exploded away, they would have ended up injured. The explosion of a Soul marks the end of an existence, but it was more like a honorable suicide. It made an escape route for those experts acknowledging they were one step away from dying in combat. "Or," Helial went on, "there''s another option. You can fight, somehow. Try and seek refuge behind us. Spend the last seconds of your life trying to save yourselves, rather than crying them away and staining the floor in your misery. As long as you''re alive, you''re given a chance. This chance is created by your attempt to make the best of what you''ve got. It''s not Medusa who''s condemning you. Seizing the chance is up to you." Helial fell silent. He wasn''t sure his speech had any effect on the slaves. Judging by the thick stream of tears down their cheeks, their hope had been long lost. Helial gave a sigh and shook his head. "If you didn''t choose to save yourselves, why should I?" These words got on Medusa''s nerves. She underestimated Helial''s cold thinking. She considered Helial as a kid dreaming like a hero. She believed that being the King''s pupil had spun him quite giddy. On the contrary, Helial was pragmatic and calculative. He wouldn''t be played by the lowest trick. Medusa realized she had got this all wrong. She would have to leave empty-handed. In that very moment, Helial caught sight of something through Perception, still activated. A very closed Aura was blasting its way out ever more frighteningly. It erupted with terrifying dark flames whose destructive power was unrivalled. What is happening? Despite his Legacies and hard training, even Helial couldn''t boast as powerful an Aura as that one. Whoever wanted to match the density of that Aura and the power of its killing intent would need to dive in a bloody sea and plunge into its depths for several years. On that Helial was still a novice. The other Aura behind him flew into a rage. They didn''t seem to be far from each other. Snowflake raised its ears as a shiver ran down his spine. His animal instinct was suggesting that something terrible was about to occur. He immediately began to let Mana rush through his Meridians. Helial was doing the same. Lumia seemed to have taken notice of something too. Seeing Helial and Snowflake''s strange reaction, she got ready to fight. "What is happening?" Helial mumbled. He recognized the Aura. Judging by the invisible explosions, someone was quite thrown off center. The other Aura was slightly nervous yet didn''t seethe as wildly as the other. It all felt like a storm accumulating the energy that would be unleashed along its destructive flight. Helial gazed at the calmer Aura and shuddered. He ran a hand over his face and blushed for no apparent reason. "So¡­ nothing can move your compassion, huh?" Medusa asked sardonically as she brought a knife to her lips. She ran her tongue on the edge. She was ready to thrust the blade into the Human standing closer to her. He was huddled on the floor and wept quietly through his roughly sewed lips. Suddenly, something unpredictable happened. A gloomy beam engulfed in dark flames appeared in front of Medusa. Two pieces of metal glinted before the eyes of the descendant of the Sect of the Worthy. BOOM! 119 Burnt fritters BOOM! A shadow engulfed in black flames with two huge Phoenix fire wings appeared out of nowhere. It was wielding two pitch-black swords, typically worked as those used by warriors in the Orman Colosseum. It rushed at breakneck speed towards Medusa. Fwooosh! Medusa didn''t even realize she had been hit and barely got the chance to respond. Her eyes shot open as she stared at her assailant in shock. Little rivulets of blood dripped down her lips. All she could say was a whisper. "Pseudonym?" None of the present really understood what was going on. Helial, Lumia and Snowflake stared at the scene in confusion. Their brains couldn''t keep up with the events. "Damn. I gotta stop him," a well-known voice snarled as someone promptly reached for the dark shadow. "He''s lost his mind, he''s doing it FOR REAL!" "Has Pseudonym, the greatest warrior in Orma, just stabbed the descendant of the Sect of the Worthy?" a servant mumbled. Now, Pseudonym''s armor was neatly visible as it imposingly stood against a dying Medusa. Two blades plunged into her breast and split her in two. One second later, Pseudonym gathered all of his strength. He generated a sudden explosion. Medusa''s body was blown to pieces as he screamed: "Here''s the merciless end you''ve condemned your slaves to!" Pseudonym was seized by a boundless rage. That scene seemed to have awakened something wildly primordial in him. Medusa had just been killed on the spot. Everyone''s jaw was still dropped. There was something though which made this seem quite recoverable; Miss Medusa''s body wasn''t too torn apart. There was still time to bring her back to life. Pseudonym would face countless consequences, but at least he had not shut the door on himself. They could still save Medusa. Once reached the First Phase, everybody not yet ripped off to the least fleck of bones could be brought back to life in the following twenty-four hours. Only after Immortality one would lose this breathtaking benefit. The crowd was still trying to figure out why Pseudonym would attack Medusa like that all of a sudden. Pseudonym had appeared out of nowhere indeed. His attack was so thundering it left no room for counterattacks. Not only did this showcase Pseudonym''s complete advantage in strength, but it also shed a light on the rooted hatred he must have against the girl from the Sect of the Worthy. Before everyone''s shocked gaze, Pseudonym gathered his black flames over his palm. They swiftly split into fine threads. Each of those flew down on the shreds of what used to be Medusa. Fshhhh The smell of carbonic Goblin meat reached everyone''s nostrils. The black flames turned the remains of Medusa into ashes. Only few tiny pieces were left, which the black flames didn''t spare. The very last remnant of the young woman was pulverized. Deadly silence. Medusa was gone. Snowflake stared at Pseudonym, his eyes painted in pure terror. For how arrogant and overbearing the cat was, he would have never evendone anything like that. And that guy wouldn''t even accept the support of no strong power. Pseudonym had just erased Medusa from the face of the earth. Medea was staring blankly at the scene as she whispered: "Big sister¡­" Lumia''s eyebrows were slightly furrowed as she pondered what would expect Pseudonym now. Medusa was no ordinary warrior; she was the descendant of the Sect of the Worthy and cousin of Comodus. Comodus himself, or rather his father Aure, would seek justice soon enough. Pseudonym was strong, but Comodus wasn''t weak either. He had already reached the Fifth Phase. Also, the Sect of the Worthy could boast many warriors even stronger than him. If nobody had sided with the champ, Pseudonym would have been executed. Pseudonym turned towards a jaw-dropped Helial. His voice exuding hatred and despise, he said: "There''s no such thing as a non-valuable life. Today, Medusa wasn''t the only one who lost her life. You''re supported by a powerful faction that''s willing to cover up your actions. And yet it was me who had to do something. I have no one. The consequences to what I''ve done will be soon wide known. The Sect won''t let me go. Today is the day I die too, because you weren''t willing to spare these simple lives. As fate would have it we and those men step on different paths. We stand up high, amongst the strong. They stand down low, amongst the weak. But if the strong don''t help the weak, then what expects our world? Do you still think you did right?" Pseudonym angrily shook his head. "Bear in mind that when the living stop helping each other, drunk with power and egocentrism, then fate will triumph over free will," Pseudonym roared with a hoarse voice. He threw his black swords before him and raised his hands in surrender. Iblis smelled burning and slowly opened his eyes. The fritters were getting all burnt in the hot oil. Helial''s entire Soul now smelled of burnt fritters. He raised a hand to his chin and stroked an imaginary beard. "These visions can get extremely interesting. I''ll definitely refine the Skill mastering the space-time. I''m sure I received quite a few Epiphanies thanks to the Shithead''s Runes." The Devil cast a glance outside Helial''s Soul just in time to see Medusa pull a long dagger out of its sheath. Without too much caring, he dug out of the shelf the ingredients needed to prepare fritters all over again. Fritters took priority over any apocalyptic Skill whatsoever. Then he stopped, leaned against the cooking surface and closed his eyes once again. Pseudonym in chains. Pseudonym deprived of his armor before the eyes of everyone. As a reprimand of what they were capable of, the Sect of the Worthy executed him. Everybody was staring blankly at the greatest warrior in Orma as he fell. Helial felt a pang to the heart. He knew he could have done something, he knew he could have turned the tables for the invincible warrior. This would weigh down his heart forever. It would make an insurmountable obstacle on his Dao of Mana. This regret was doomed to stand in the way between him and his higher goals. So perished Pseudonym, bastion of the talent of Orma''s recent generations, unrivalled amongst his equals, but amongst the strongest as well. "Well, I see why you chose this one, Jeanne¡­" Iblis mumbled as he withdrew his mind from these visions. However, Iblis swore to Helial and to himself he would never interpose in behalf of the boy. By revealing such a significant detail - a dominant tile in his life -, Iblis would have bestowed Helial with endless benefits. He saw it fitting to shut up. The lord of Destruction wouldn''t make bad on his promise too easily. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ "I mean, who''s ever gonna know it," the Devil said to himself. "Attack Medusa. Now," Iblis told Helial as his eyes flew back to his recipes book. 120 Aftermath Helial''s Aura erupted. Suddenly, it exceeded by far those of everyone else. Without a second thought, the boy rushed forward like an arrow shot from a bow. A few meters from him, Medusa was caught by surprise. Though, she promptly used the dagger she was holding to take a guard stance. On the opposite end of the room, Pseudonym immediately calmed his Aura down. "A change of mind?" He was baffled indeed; Helial had just had an afterthought out of nowhere¡­ This immediately changed his idea on the nature of that boy. He appreciated him more, now. "This¡­ is¡­ Mh¡­ Like, the ultimate test to officially become my disciple," Iblis muttered as he leafed through his fritters recipes book, sitting at one end of his laid-for-two table. "Don''t let me doawwwn-" the Devil covered his mouth as he yawned noisily. He twisted his face in a grimace, and then went on: "Save them all. One of them dies, you''ll lose. If you win, I''ll help you find a fitting training spot." Helial raised an eyebrow. Iblis was behaving differently today. But it wasn''t like Helial had anything to object. After all, when did the Devil have an ordinary behaviour? He took him aback every single time. Helial being willing or not, Iblis would always be as eccentric as that. At this point, he might as well go all out. Helial let his voice echo out inwardly. "Promise that if something goes wrong, you''ll take care of Lumia." "No," the Devil sharply replied. "Promise me, Master, and I''ll promise you that I''ll attack Medusa. Or rather, that I will claim the title of strongest," said Helial through gritted teeth. "So that even Amaterasu''s heir won''t be strong enough to defeat me. Just promise you''ll protect Lumia on my behalf while I stain myself in someone else''s blood." Iblis became slightly somber. He hesitated and finally said: "Fine." At these words, the heaviest burden was lifted from his heart. The boy got ready to deliver the blow directed to Medusa. Helial attuned the energy of Life and that of Destruction inside his Soul. An outstanding rush of power blazed its way through his body. The two energies struck a precarious balance as Helial led all of his Mana towards his arms. He clutched Curse of the Demon. A torrential Mana force streamed through the right Meridians. Helial originated a wondrous momentum which hit the full Medusa''s dagger. Boom! The devastating impact got Medusa to fly backwards. She didn''t use her fullest strength to block the blow. She didn''t expect the simplest boy in the middle of the First Phase, not even at Level 90, to have such strength. Helial was only at Level 86 indeed, but he could already boast an exceptional power. Medusa rooted her feet to the spot as she brought a hand to the corner of her mouth. She glanced down at her hand. A tiny bloodstain glimmered on her spotless glove. She lost her temper. "How dare y-" BOOM! Helial had no intention to let her any cease-fire. The boy was pushing his body to the limit. He could already taste the sweet-like flavor of blood. He wouldn''t let the showdown to exceed three exchanges of blows. He must kill Medusa quickly. If he lost his Control over the two Manas, he couldn''t pull that off anymore. A vague web of black veins framed Helial''s eyes. In that very moment, the boy''s Aura was so terrifying that he made him look like a devil rather than a human. "Today these slaves will stay here! But I can''t say the same for you, Medusa!" Helial yelled with joy. He didn''t felt no regret towards what he was about to do. Iblis clearly swore he would protect Lumia. There was nothing else for Helial to worry about. After all, the Devil''s and the King''s protection were the best assurance of Lumia''s shelter. Helial was free to vent every frustration he had experience in his life. He had always had to lower his head. He had always renounced to the highest positions for fear of leaving Lumia behind. But now Lumia was stronger than they could imagine. Both the Devil and Caesar had given their word they would look after her. Helial didn''t trust the King''s promise blindly, he knew that nothing would prevent Iblis making good on his. Nobody would lay a finger on Lumia. At this point, Helial wasn''t even afraid of Aura anymore. In his life, Iblis killed stronger people than him with a fart. Meanwhile, behindthe corner of the corridor, Circe was growling: "Stop him, Pseudonym! He knows you''re here!" For his part, Pseudonym hadn''t yet realized what was happening there. He was staring at the scene with a strange glimmer in his eyes; Pseudonym knew that Helial was no ordinary guy. Circe clearly said that his presence had an effect on Helial''s action. What did she mean? That Helial took notice of his Aura and its fierceness? That he attacked first because of the fact that Caesar would lend him a helping hand, while nobody would have done it for Pseudonym? Pseudonym had no clue whether these hypothesises were true or not. It was an intricate line of thinking indeed. After all, Pseudonym would have promptly attacked, if Helial hadn''t beat him to the punch. He was seized by the doubt that Circe had told him so just to make him stop Helial from making things even heavier for himself. However, Pseudonym had now re-evaluated the boy and was more than willing to prevent him getting into more trouble. Honestly, he didn''t think Helial would be foolish enough to actually erase Medusa once and for all. But suddenly, Pseudonym sensed a strange fluctuation in the energy all around him. It seemed to thicken nearby Helial as some unusual symbols sparkled over the boy''s hand. Pseudonym''s face got distorted. After sensing the power of the Skill Helial was about to cast, Pseudonym immediately enveloped himself in a sudden eruption of black flames. Helial had a maniac expression on his face. He was in sheer ecstasy at the thought he had finally gained the upper hand. "I''m far from being strong, but at least I''ll be one step away from weakness," he whispered to himself in an insane train of nonsensical thought. He channelled all his energy in the third final blow. By striking the first two, he forced Medusa step back. Her eyes were now bloodshot. The descendant of the Sect of the Worthy was given no chance of counterattacking. The uncanny Mana enveloping Helial had the power to misbalance that of the others. Medusa''s limbs were numb and her Meridians did not respond. She couldn''t let her Mana flow, which meant she could cast no Skill. All she could do was gaze dully at Helial as he swooped in on her like the Grim Reaper. A terrifying-Aurad Curse of the Demon was falling down on Medusa to shear her through front-to-back. Though, a figure engulfed in black flames suddenly appeared before Helial. The light given off by Helial''s hands grew blinding. A deafening roar exploded. DOOOOOOONG! It sounded as if two metal bars had just clashed on each other. A rain of sparks fell down on them. Pseudonym blocked Curse of the Demon. He gave a cold sigh. Sure enough, Helial was stronger than the average First and Second Phase practitioners. But Pseudonym was in the Third Phase Intermediate stage. Story went that even a Fifth Phase warrior wouldn''t be able to kill him. "He!" Pseudonym increased the force he was exerting over the two swords. Helial felt like a mountain was crumbling down on him. Despite brute force being his strong suit, the destructive power carried by Pseudonym''s simplest attack got him to reconsider the actual power of the Colosseum champ. Helial spat a mouthful of blood in midair. He badly slammed on his backside a dozen meters away. Snowflake and the others hastily reached for him to make sure he was still in one piece. Helial brought a hand to his chest and perceived his Mana seethe out of control through the Meridians. The Skill wasn''t perfect yet, and he even tried to use two at the same time. Someone else would have probably died. It was only thanks to his incredible build that Helial could strain his body without fearing the aftermath. He looked at Pseudonym, standing not far from him. He furrowed his eyebrows. Pseudonym didn''t put in a great deal of effort into his knockout blow. After using the two Skills together, Helial could hardly lift a finger. The only thing for him left to do was gaze at Pseudonym as he slowly approached him. The black armor stopped a few meters from Helial and surveyed him indifferently as he said: "No permanent damage." Then, without further ado, he walked towards Medusa. "These slaves will stay here to balance out your spared life. Crawl back to the Sect of the Worthy. This is the palace of the King. There''s already a few Seniors coming. You don''t wanna make this even harder, do you?" Medusa glared at Pseudonym scornfully. Pseudonym had just spared her life, but he had also forced her to spare that of her slaves. She couldn''t turn a deaf ear on him anyway. If Medusa had insisted on killing them, she would have lost any credibility. Also, would she dare face that pile of clankers without a Sixth Phase warrior by her side? Within the Sect of the Worthy, rumor had it that even Comodus had once challenged Pseudonym, but he had come back home covered in wounds. No one knew whether the rumor was right or not. What is for certain is that it greatly contributed to the fearful mystique around the mysterious figure of Pseudonym. 121 Circe Medusa glared at Pseudonym in disdain. Without further ado, she bashfully turned on her heel. She motioned for Medea to follow her and for her servants to obey Pseudonym''s order. The slaves were left on the ground, in chains yet free from the claws of the Sect of the Worthy at least. The present were staring at the black-armored knight, astonished by his words. Snowflake curled his whiskers in curiosity. His mind was actually flashing back to the blow Helial had just delivered; it was the same blow that left the Queen of Spiders bodiless. None of them knew what kind of Skill that was, exactly. All they knew was that it gave Helial a jaw-dropping power as well as a violent backfire. After using the Skill, Heal didn''t appear to be able to move freely. "Last time he fainted. This time he''s still standing, but his Mana is depleted," Snowflake mumbled to himself. "I thought I could compete with him now, but I was wrong. If a blow like that should hit me¡­" The tiger-sized white cat shook his head and gave a sigh. Helial got him to reevaluate all the standards for that planet. Snowflake came from the Heavenly Star Tigers Clan, one of the most powerful Clans in whole universe. He surely had seen many talents in his life. Nonetheless, he must admit that Helial''s truly exceeded every standard he had stumbled on. "If I had to classify him, I''d say he''s still behind the greatest talents in his generations. But so far there was no obstacle he couldn''t face while levelling up. He also wouldn''t seem to have trained at all before turning fifteen." Snowflake did a little math in his head. Meanwhile, Lumia approached her brother in worriedness. "Are you okay, brother?" asked Lumia. Helial swallowed the blood in his mouth and gave her a smile. Some blood traces were still staining his teeth. "Pseudonym is strong. Way stronger than me or anyone in the Third Phase. No warrior in the Third Phase could defend themselves against that blow, but Pseudonym did. Effortlessly, I would say." A strange flame rushed through Helial''s body. After he received Kirin and Iblis'' legacies, life became too easy. Even though there still was loads of people stronger than him, none in his age could hope to match him, or worse - defeat him. Unfortunately, in a small Nation like Fiercelake, Helial had soon become unmatched. "You ain''t seen nothing yet," yawned Iblis as he leafed through his fritters recipes book in boredom. The book turned out to be of no more use to him, who was now a fritter master. It was damn frustrating not to know how to improve his fritters skills. There was no way the lord of Destruction couldn''t bake better fritters than he already did. "Tsk. Fuck you, fritters. Let''s see who wins this time¡­" Helial heard the Devil''s words echo out through his Soul and felt a sudden urge to disappear from the face of the earth. "You either lack some marbles or can''t be close to me," he snorted. "As I was saying," the kid went on ignoring Helial, "this Pseudonym is beyond your imagination. As things stand, you can''t even match Circe. If you faced Medusa one on one without plot twists, you''d have a hard time gaining the upper hand. Your skills and talent aren''t that bad. But you''re impressive only as far as your potential is concerned. Only thanks to that can you compare yourself to that of some pretty good geniuses in the universe. For now, the universe if full of better geniuses than you." Helial nodded. It was no surprise. The universe was scattered with who knows how many tremendously powerful creatures more talented than him. However, the awareness of this wouldn''t undermine his improvement. Rather, it made the best incentive for him. "Such a wide gap must be attacked head on, and not only through a hard training. What you''re lacking now is experience. Pseudonym is enveloped in a bloody Aura, which means he has killed many more people and beasts than those you''ve ever met. You''ve just killed some Goblins and a couple Dungeon monsters. Not much really." Helial gave a sigh. There was nothing he could object. "You sure everything''s alright, Heli?" Lumia asked in concern. Helial struggled to nod. "Sure. I just need some rest¡­" Suddenly, an irresistibly attractive silhouette came into the boy''s sight. A black bodice was enhancing her waist and shapely bosom. Her raven hair was a cascade of gems on her shoulders. Her eyes gleamed with ice and fire. Whoever looked at her in the eyes for too long would automatically turn into her slave. As Helial saw her, a shiver ran down his spine. Circe. The woman who immobilized him to steal his very first kiss through mere force. Helial was sure that if he had been in better condition, he could have done nothing to resist the Witch. Lumia saw Circe and immediately evoked all her Mana, hissing: "Step any closer and you''ll die without even knowing how." Circe winked at Lumia and answered in her mellow voice: "Easy down, little one. Me and your brother will be busy doing some grown-up stuff now. Go back to playing with your pet." Helial knew these words would lead to a tough reaction. Once again, he wished for some interspace portal which could bring him somewhere far, where there was no Snowflake. "WHO-IS-THE-PET-YOU-FILTHY-BLACK-COW? COME TELL THIS EMPEROR CAT WHO''S THE CAT IN HIS FACE. OR YOU''RE TOO AFRAID TO DROWN IN THE PEE OF THE GREATEST CAT IN WHOLE HISTORY, HUH?" As he finished his speech, he drew his strongest Skill. All of a sudden, he looked as though he had frozen. Circe raised an eyebrow. She calmly whispered: "Fire Claw." Skill Activated: Fire Claw The smell of burning fur filled the room. Everyone saw Snowflake suddenly appear in midair, his tail in flames. He began to hurl at every existing divinity as well as at those still to exist. Extraordinarily enough, Circe had just intercepted Snowflake. Helial gave Circe a baffled look. She knew the girl was strong, but he didn''t know to what extent. He had always thought that Circe compared Pseudonym''s shadow. Snowflake''s Skill was unmatched in the Third Phase Late stage. No one had intercepting the cat using it before. And yet Circe had just pulled that off, sending his ass up in flames. Snowflake''s four-star cussing made a wildly romantic background, so Circe saw it fitting to seize the chance. She leaned towards Helial, brushed her lips against his ear, and whispered: "Now come play with me." Circe lifted Helial up and instantly disappeared with him before the shocked gaze of Lumia, who found herself unable to keep up with Circe''s swift moves. 122 A fly on the blanke Helial felt much lighter, as if someone were lifting him up. A rhythm was lulling him. He wasn''t sure, since tiredness had left him unconscious. He was now suspended between sleepand wakefulness. Something seemed to be carrying him somewhere. Circe had indeed lifted him up from the floor and was flashing her way through the Royal Palace. Perhaps she would¡­ cross-examine him or something? Helial sensed something soft under his body. He concluded he was now lying on a bed. Something just as soft was gently pressed against his arm. He had no clue on what that might be. A pillow maybe? This was the last thing dead-tired Helial thought before falling asleep and starting to snort brazenly. Circe was lying beside him and gazed at him maliciously. She had taken Helial in her room and made him lie in her bed. The purple silk bed sheets enhanced the Witch''s charming body. She began to draw circles on Helial''s chest. "The looks of a warrior, the sleep of a kid¡­ You know, that Skill you used¡­ Even I couldn''t block it. No surprise Pseudonym takes such interest in you." She drew nearer to Helial and bit his year as she whispered: "But you''re all mine." Helial mumbled something while asleep and turned. Mana depletion left him exhausted. He dropped off into a deep and dreamless slumber. He remained quite in the dark he was in the clutches of the most feared Witch in all Orma. If it weren''t for her faintly green complexion and the noticeable pointed ears, Circe could be easily mistaken for a human girl. The farther on the Dao of Mana, the closer to Humans a race features would get. Humans were one of the most recent races in the universe. It was born after all of the myriads of creatures inhabiting the universe indeed. Though, it made the perfect receptacle of Mana power. Due to this, evolution got all the other races to slowly humanize. Even the great Ancestral Creatures like Dragons could take human shape once reached Immortality. The compressing and thickening of their flesh and Mana would grant them an exponentially greater power. No matter how hard the Sect of the Worthy tried to exterminate Humans; as they levelled up, they would slowly get more and more similar to them. Paradoxically enough, the only way to keep the looks of their ancestors was to stop at the First Phase forever. The farther they reached, the vaguer their Goblin features would be. Meanwhile, Lumia wasted no time and promptly reported everything to Caesar. He inspected the whole city through his Divine Sense. After witnessing the scene though, he saw it fitting to leave the couple alone. He suggested that Lumia gave in on the fact that Helial was now in the clutches of Circe. For her part, Circe knew that Lumia would try to put a spanner in her works. But she trusted Ceasar''s common sense well enough. She really hoped no one would enter the room, since she was taking Helial''s clothes off. "Let''s see his face when he wakes up." A giggle escaped Circe''s lips. She covered her mouth and finished her job. A number of hours later, Helial''s breathing suddenly turned lighter. He gave a couple grunts and slowly opened his eyes. Somehow, he still felt exhausted. It was clear that using limitless Skills wasn''t a feat one could accomplish in the short run. He should optimize the energy output before- Wait. Helial felt a shiver down the spine as his mind flashed back to the last things he recalled before losing consciousness. He turned his head extremely slowly. He was sweating. Boing As he moved his arm, he felt something extremely soft move as well. Without his knowing why, Helial''s face began to blush in every possible shade of red. He didn''t see anything, but he kind of figured the shape of the soft thing pressing against his arm under the sheets. He turned around and saw Circe lying by his side over the sheet. Totally naked. A sudden pressure drop brought Helial on the brink of faint again. "The fuck is happening?" he asked, tears in his eyes. Why couldn''t he be surrounded by normal people? How did he end up there? Why were him and Circe naked in be- "Oh," Helial exclaimed. After thorough consideration, he concluded it was likely that¡­ He blushed even more intensely. Helial''s hand moved to his private parts. "So I''m not a¡­" How could he not remember it? Did Circe seized her chance because he was unconscious? Why didn''t he recall anything? "Iblis," Helial tried to call out inside his Soul. No answer followed. "Nice. Very nice," said a little Devil with 3D glasses and pop-corn sitting in a movie theater. "Iblis! Please!" Helial began to panic. The Devil wouldn''t seem willing to answer. This meant the only person aware of what had happened was the woman lying naked by his side. Helial gazed down at Circe''s naked body. She was lying on her belly, hugging him. His eyes lay out on a tempting juicy curve, where a groove sank into two marble greenish hills. It looked as marvellous as a jade statue. Helial couldn''t resist the urge to touch it. "I''m in too deep, I might as well seize the moment, right?" Helial stretched out his free hand, accurately trying not to wake Circe up. A cold bead of sweat ran down his forehead as his hand drew nearer to the monumental curve. Helial caught himself wondering whether he could squeeze also those two imperial curves pressing against his arm. But curiosity killed the cat, and would kill him too. Grab all, lose all! His hand a few centimeters away from the goal he was yearning for, Helial''s breathing grew heavier. "Finally I will¡­" he whispered as a strange light flickered in his eyes. Despite being a Goblin girl, Circe was stunningly beautiful. Her deep eyes were framed by a heavy dark make-up. The black bangs covering her forehead gave her a mysterious look. Her clothing was vaguely macabre yet oozed an inexplicable charm. The young woman''s full lips smacked and let out a mellow voice: "You finally will what?" Helial froze. He wore a granitic smile which made him look like an absolute idiot. "Who? Me? There''s a fly on¡­ on the blanket! I was gonna kill it," said Helial. He was now getting all sweaty. Circe sneered adorably. "Why would you kill a fly that accidentally lies in the path of my poor booty? Why wouldn''t you use Mana?" As Circe spoke these words, the smile on the boy''s face grew broader. And more pathetic. He shrugged and said: "Well, I wouldn''t say it''s poor, you know, it looks quite curvy to me¡­" "Too curvy?" asked Circe as she furrowed her eyebrows in the fakest possible way. She wanted to let him grasp her subtle intent. "No way! Like, I mean," Helial gasped for words as a flood of sweat drowned his body. For how desperately he tried to solve this, his mind was busy developing some complex thinking. His train of thought went more or less like this: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH." 123 Engagemen Helial went on blabbering under the gaze of a completely naked Circe. He had never been in that position before. He didn''t know what to do. Train until the very last drop of Mana is depleted, or deal with a primordial Devil, is way easier than face one undressed woman. Everyone knows that. The sight of his face going scarlet inspired a warm affection in Circe. She didn''t imagine a powerful and fierce Mana practitioner like him to be so naive in the sheet. If Helial had turned out to be a hungry wolf, it would have been no surprise to Circe. After all, this was but a game; as long as she was the one setting the rules the Witch wouldn''t hesitate to play. Though, Helial''s silly reaction was unexpectedly endearing. She ignored the nonsense and drew near his ear, saying: "We can do it again if you like." Helial didn''t quite catch this. "Do what?" After a split second, he realized how stupid a question that was. Do that, of course. Circe covered her mouth as her lips shaped a smile. "Now that it''s done, you''ll have to take on the responsibility that come with it. Or will you run away after deflowering a young girl?" Deflower? What flower? What responsibilities? Helial''s brain went haywire once and for all. The boy took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Processing everything would take some doing, but he was slowly realizing where this was going. It was clear that he had had a certain intercourse with Circe, and now he had to take over his responsibilities. Nothing shocking, right? It was no surprise that he couldn''t recall any of it. After all, Circe was renowned as the Witch of Orma. She had a history in deceiving and crippling men, didn''t she? "Sure. I''ll take full responsibility. I won''t run away from anything," Helial said. The shock was slowly decreasing. On second thought, it was no rotten luck; Circe was a stunning woman many people in Orma yearned for. Helial didn''t even need to fight to have her naked in his bed. Engagement was just an¡­ amenable complication. Circe was the descendant of the Guild of Life and Death. He was only Caesar''s pupil. What would have happened if the King''s pupil had deflowered the heir of the greatest Guild in Orma without any intention of marrying her? Not only would have Caesar needed to lose his face to defend him, but he also would have had very little chance to keep him as his pupil for much longer. The serious expression on Helial''s face left Circe baffled. She said to herself, Let''s see how farther I can push this, then. "So now we''re en¡­ enga-" Helial was trembling again. "We''re engaged, yeah!" Circe giggled. She kissed him on the neck as he stood still. Helial seemed to be pondering the matter quite seriously, which only made things more hilarious for her. The guy really was an idiot. And yet she enjoyed his company and manners. Even if she wasn''t serious about this, she was still overly curious to discover how things would unfold. As he weighed up the consequences of making this public, Helial asked: "We should announce it properly. How do we tell your parents?" Circe stared blankly for a second. Then she said, a sullen expression on her face: "Of course we should! We''ll tell everybody. Why shouldn''t we? A cold feet, already?" "No. Just asking. I''m not even a member of the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle, I have no idea how your Guild will take this," Helial said thoughtfully. He was caught in Circe''s trap at this point. He was yet another unaware victim of the Witch. "I don''t think they will find anything to object. No one can tell me what to do," Circe smiled and pinched at Helial''s nose. Helial shrugged and closed his eyes. He was still exhausted. It would take him some time to recover. Since things already came to be this way, he might as well seize the chance and enjoy that beauty. Circe moved slightly away and sat upright, her bosom majestically erect. She ran a hand over her chin as she pondered, This engagement thing will get wildly funny. Those oldies will kick up a fuss, but it''ll pose no obstacle. It''s not the first time I fool a man, they know there''s little they could do to stop me. I''ve already announced and broken off a number of engagements. This will make no exception. *** Royal Hall Lumia was furious. She walked down the red carpet covering the hall floor. That was an insult she couldn''t get over. The bitch was right under my nose and still, she managed to slip away. Lumia was still too weak, she could have done nothing to stop Circe. As she foamed at the mouth, she could not help but think of the raunchiest scenes that might be happening. She blushed. It was no shame though; unlike Helial, Lumia didn''t feel embarrassed. She felt rage. Her eyes were bloodshot. The girl didn''t leave Caesar the time to speak before rattling off her the reasons of her anger. Caesar and Nelia, who was sitting next to him, exchanged a knowing look. Nelia was the one who spoke first: "You see, little Lumia, Circe will do no harm to your brother. Yes, she''s a reckless bold woman, but the Guild of Life and Death has always been a loyal ally to the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle. You don''t need to worry. Also, your brother can fend for himself." None of these words succeeded in calming down Lumia, who growled through gritted teeth: "You two could take him here in the blink of an eye, if you wanted to. What does it cost you, a snap of your fingers? You''re doing nothing!" Lumia wasn''t entirely wrong. It would cost them nothing to bring Helial back to the Royal Palace. The King being an Immortal, the range of his Divine Sense covered the whole City-State of Orma. It could stretch as far as the border with other Nations, where it would only be stopped by that of other Immortals. Caesar indeed inspected Orma through his Divine Sense during Lumia''s venting. There was no place he couldn''t catch sight of except for some reserved areas belonging to the Sect of the Worthy or the Guild of Life and Death. There, the King''s Divine Sense would be obstructed by those of Aure and Big, Circe''s father. However, after making sure Helial was in no danger - not a life-threatening one at least - he withdrew his Divine Sense and reported it to his wife. A woman would definitely know how to handle this. "Circe likes playing with men. He''ll gain some experience, that''s all. She has already announced then broken off four engagements. This makes the fifth, but I don''t think the last." Then she glanced at Caesar and gave a sigh. "Your pupil is made of flesh too. Sowing his oats a little won''t hurt." "If that woman should get in the way of his Dao of Mana¡­" Caesar said upset. The thing was, they had no idea on what to tell Helial''s little sister to calm her down. Lumia was terribly jealous. If she had known for certain that her hypothesis was correct, she would have gone berserk. Given her strength, that would mean that the entire royal residence would be razed to the ground. At the beginning, Caesar let Lumia and Snowflake stay in the Palace only because Helial had asked him. But he soon had to change his mind. Lumia''s talent really was terrifying. She was stronger than Circe had been at her age. No one could boast the same talent as Lumia but Helial and Pseudonym. The secret of that sudden leap in strength was a mystery to the King. Her Mana Control seemed now to compare that of her brother. Also, her attitude showed she had really grown in maturity, as if she had grown several years older overnight. Obviously, Caesar didn''t know that Lumia actually spent five years inside the hell created for her by Iblis. Lumia did grow astonishingly stronger, but this came at the cost of years of suffering. After all that she experienced inside the Illusion, Lumia now needed to face the challenges of the real world to develop her Mana. That''s why she couldn''t immediately benefit from another training like the previous one. As far as Snowflake was concerned, the King ignored his strength. Whenever Snowflake went and trained into the wild, however, he would follow him through the Divine Sense. Up to now, the King had only seen Snowflake use one Skill. His Movement Skill. Even the greatest Immortal in Orma had never seen anything like that. In a Lumia-vs-Snowflake match, even Caesar wouldn''t know whom to bet on. For how strong they were, though, none of them could compare the mysterious pupil who had sworn faith to the Goblin population through a Mana Oath. Helial had a number of unusual Skills that let him exert a frightening power. He still hadn''t the fullest control of them though. Once able to master them, Helial would become a matchless genius. According to his math, even Circe couldn''t compete with his pupil''s talent. The only one who could, after all, was the black-armored champion of the Colosseum. Pseudonym. 124 A bunch of crooks Guild of Life and Death, Council Hall The Senior members of the Guild of Life and Death were lively discussing Orma''s military future. "Undead insist on launching offensives down the borders! Why can''t Caesar make an attack declaration!?" said a Senior as he slammed his hand on the table. His evil tone left little doubt on the extent to which he agreed with the King on his government policy. A dagger hissed through the air from the far end of the long table. It jabbed right onto the back of the Senior''s hand. He raised his baffled eyes to gaze at who had thrusted him. At the head of the table stood a middle-aged Goblin with the expression of he who has seen it all. His face was unshaven, the hand that had just threw the dagger still tense; there stood Big, the leader of the Guild of Life and Death. He approached those who were sitting around the table, his eyes filled with reprimand: "You''ve heard the King''s orders. Many are the fellows we''ve lost in the last missions. If we strained our forces to weakness, every balance in Orma would break. What do you think would happen if Caesar and Aure were wounded on the battlefield? If Orma loses one of its two Immortals, some ambitious new Nation will easily conquer us." Big cast a scornful glare at the Senior, who was currently trying to dig the dagger out of his hand. "You really wasted too much time listening to those idiots from the Sect of the Worthy, Sextious. They go with their gut. But it''s not like they can afford that. We''ve built all we have throughcunning, strength and brains. As soon as we begin to imitate the aristocracy, our Guild will fall down. We have no blood ties." Big was the father of one of the best promises in Orma, and a top-notch Tenth Phase warrior. Immortality lay almost within his grasp. Just like many before him, however, he wasn''t powerful enough to overcome in the bottleneck between the Tenth Phase and Immortality. Sextious gazed at him as his face grew darker. He finally pulled the dagger out of his hand without the slightest hint of pain on his face. The members of the Guild had overcome the worst adversities in their life. No background made their lives any easier. They were no moany sissies. Sextious knew he had done wrong and slightly lowered his head. "You''re right, Big. But those Undead are smarter and smarter. They have a couple Immortals in their ranks now, after their new alliance. This balance can only be upset by a war or¡­" "Caesar''s son will come back an Immortal one day," Big said laconically, "an we''ll launch our offensive without running risks. If we attacked now and something went amiss, we might face heavy losses." Sextious shook his head and nodded. "I know. Forgive me for my shamelessness. Ruling a country isn''t the same thing as being a mercenary." A true broad smile widened on Big''s face. He walked towards Sextious and patted on his back, stretching his hand to have his dagger back. "I see your point. I do. But we can''t discuss this. Let''s skip to other subjects. Business has been going smoothly lately, takings are rising and our-" "DAAAAAAAAAADDY," a voice echoed out on the opposite end of the room. "Shit," Big cursed. A girl wearing a black tight bustier and a cloak slammed open the doors of the Council Hall of the Guild of Life and Death and walked into the room. "My little one, dad is now busy with the Seniors," said Big as he visibly nodded at the Guild Seniors. "I got something to tell you, daddy!" Circe yelled shamelessly. "Why don''t you tell me later?" Big asked, helpless. "Does mama know you were in charge of women recruitment last time?" asked Circe as she winked at the third most powerful man in Orma, Big, the guild leader of the Guild of Life and Death. Big wore his broadest smile: "My lovely daughter, what turns of fate have brought you here? You look more radiant than usual!" The Seniors slapped their forehead as they rolled their eyes. If something could scare the crap out of powerful Big, that was his wife. In his life, Big had led armies through carnages. And yet, they said no prospect of death could shake him more than the sight of his wife. Unfortunately enough, his daughter seemed to have inherited the same fiery temper as her mother. "I want to announce that I''m officially engaged!" said Circe as her majestic bosom boinged out of her crossed arms. "Again?" said Big, his mouth wide open. "DAAADDY." "It''s okay, it''s okay. Who''s the poo- the lucky one who''ll spend the next five day- rest of his life with my beautiful daughter?" Big asked miserably. "Helial, Caesar''s pupil!" Big suddenly knitted his brow in a distressed frown, and so did the Seniors inside the room. "Helial?" Big asked doubtfully. "Helial. The idea doesn''t appeal you? I might as well call mama and ask her too," Circe said maliciously. "It DOES appeal me! It''s always good to¡­ blend races, you know? Daddy is happiest with your choice. I will announce myself to the whole city that my daughter has found yet anothe- ehm, an eligible man!" Circe jumped at his neck and planted a kiss on the cheek of her father, who gazed at her in resignation. For how hard he tried, Big couldn''t compete with the vexation of his wife and daughter. After announcing the news, Circe turned on her heels and disappeared just like she had come. Big turned towards the Seniors. Before they could say anything, he shrugged and raised both hands: "I know, I know. But what can I do? The boy is talented, he could even hope to rival that freaking Pseudonym. It''s not necessarily bad news." One by one, the Seniors agreed with him. Sextious was the only one who dared say what they were all thinking: "At least, we need to make sure the boy gets married inside the Guild, so that he''ll become a member. Caesar, that old bastard, he wants all the benefits, and he hasn''t even taken him as a Clan member yet. I say, let''s fuck this guy who fucks your dau-" PENG A sudden slap hit Sextious in the face. The poor Seniors made a couple summersaults in midair and badly slammed on his backside. "Sometimes I think it would be nice to be surrounded by uptight oldies. But I wound up with a bunch of crooks instead," Big said melancholy as he tidied up his hands on his tunic. 125 Win this game Training ground Helial was tracing mid-air ellipses with Curse of the Demon. His muscles reached the fullest contraction. Sweat was slowly trickling down his body, drenching the ground under his feet. He was under a backbreaking physical strain. Nonetheless, Helial felt that his every muscular fiber broke and regenerated ever more quickly. A window popped up in front of Helial. Passive Skill Lv: 6 Body of the Qilin The strength of your arms and legs increases by 6000 kg per limb. Vitality Regeneration: 2300% Health Regeneration: 2300% Physical Resilience: 3600% Resistance to Magic: 3600% Your body was bestowed with the body of a Qilin. One of the supreme Skills of the forces of Life. The Skill levels up as you temper your body. It is not possible to upgrade it in any other way. Exp: 15.5% "There is a limit to the level you can push Body of the Qilin to. It depends on your Knowledge Grade. How nice would it be to make people stronger just by torturing them?" Iblis yawned. He was wearing sunglasses while lying on a beach chair. From time to time, he would take a sip from the straw coming out of his coconut. "Curse of the Demon has reached the maximum weight you can bear. Or rather, it''s slightly over your limit so that you can improve. If you keep this pace, your body will gain strength. Body of the Qilin is now Level 6. Once you reach the Master grade and change your Knowledge Grade, your body will be indestructible. I don''t think there''s anyone in the First Phase able to harm you in all Orma. But keep in mind that you''re not training to fight a couple of Goblin idiots, but a legion of mythical creatures legends are based on. One day, all the Clans of Life will chase after you. And they''ll be double angry when they find out you cultivate both Life and Destruction Mana." As he slashed in slow motion, Helial felt his muscles tear under a weight that overtopped 10,000 kg. He said: "Won''t the Forces of Destruction frown at me, since my Mana is in part made of Life?" Iblis took a sip and slightly furrowed his eyebrows as he maintained: "Don''t put Life and Destruction on the same level. If the forces of Destruction were pains in the ass like the members of Life, we wouldn''t'' stop fighting for a moment. But we don''t care about what they intend to do, we never did. It was them who dealt this violent campaign to suppress others. If they had let us live in peace, we wouldn''t have declared war for sure." Iblis seemed to grow thoughtful all of a sudden. "Still, they pursue this aim to eradicate evil at all costs." He stroked his chin and gave a sigh. "But guess who''s the real evil here?" "Destruction is?" Helial asked. "This fucking juice is. Puh! I messed up with doses, too much alcohol. Undrinkable. A terrible mistake." The Devil really looked much more devastated for his juice than for the universal conflict going on unresolved since the night of times. Helial was so shocked that Curse of the Demon slipped out of his clutch. Due to its terrifying weight, it plunged into the ground for several centimeters. "What''s so different about Life and Destruction anyway," he said in bitterness. The kid had the coconut disappeared as he stood up. "By the way, you''ve almost reached the limit of the Mana you can gather in the First Phase. What you need now is a little practice on the field. How will you do that?" Iblis asked his disciple. "It''s no problem. The disciples of the Royal Academy must undergo compulsory training. Every member will team up with a group of people in their same Phase and complete some Quests, like clearing a Dungeon to grab some items. We work for free, basically. I''ve scrolled through the available Dungeons. We''ll go for the most challenging one, monsters between the Early and Late stage of the Second Phase. Boss might be in the Third even. I think our teamwork will be enough to knock out a Third Phase Boss." Helial had already examined the problem and come up with a solution. Iblis nodded in satisfaction. His pupil''s scrupulous and rational thinking never fell short of his expectations. He boasted an impressive problem-solving. Helial wasn''t one who would say no to a task because of the obstacles to be faced along the way. But he wasn''t stubborn enough to follow a fruitless path either. For Helial, efficiency was key. He always tried to maximize his effort and get the fullest results. This attitude did please Iblis. Through mere thought, Helial opened up a window. Passive Skill: Sword Mastery Lv: 8 Knowledge Grade: Power is everything Effects: Sword damage: 500% Sword Skills Cost: -150% Exp: 22% "My Skills grow more powerful with each day. But as you said, I still lack experience," Helial mumbled in disappointment. "Don''t you need to look for the cousin of that girl?" Iblis stifled a giggle. "That''ll be the start of your Quest." A helpless expression hung on Helial''s face. "Circe told me he''s strong yet lazy. Won''t be easy to persuade him. But I have to do it as a favor to my fianc¨¦, WHO HAS ALREADY ANNNOUNCED OUR ENGANGEMNT TO ALL ORMA. I don''t think I can get a cold feet at this point." Curse of the Demon disappeared in a dark beam. It melted back with the boy''s Soul. Helial walked towards the bathrooms to get refreshed as he wondered what could be the best time to go and talk to Vlad, Circe''s cousin. *** Private halls of the descendant of the Sect of the Worthy "Cousin! The brat humiliated me. If it hadn''t been for Pseudonym, he would have killed me!" Medusa screeched in a towering rage. Comodus was gazing at her down top, a hostile expression on his face. "I see. But what do you want me to do exactly?" Comodus asked swallowing his words. "I want you to kill him! How could a filthy human dare to¡­" "Bla bla bla bla." Comodus raised a hand to mock at her cousin''s empty words. "If you women could make decisions, our Sect would be long dead." All of a sudden, Comodus'' Aura suffocated a gasping Medusa. "You''re asking me to irrupt into the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle, throw every diplomatic relation still left to keep some face into the sewer, disturb the balance between Orma''s two powers, and start a diplomatic incident I will have to take blame for?" Comodus spoke words of disdain. "Humans are lesser creatures, cousin, but if you think this would solve anything, you are no better." Medusa blushed with shame. She wanted to say something, but Comodus'' Aura suddenly exuded a wild pressure which took her breath away. She couldn''t move. Then Comodus withdrew it. Medusa could finally breathe again. "This is not how we''re gonna play this game. That old bastard of my father explicitly ordered me to avoid stirring up trouble. Just because I killed a couple Goblins down the streets of Orma. I''m basically under house arrest for now. I can''t go out and kill some others or do anything that could possibly be traced back to me. You''ll have to wait, Medusa, and sooner or later this Helial and his friends will get in my way. Only then will I do something. Take action sooner is madness." 126 An unheard of hunger Helial was standing before the thoughtful gaze of Caesar. "After what happened with Medusa, I was hoping you''d had enough of the Orman female population¡­" the King sighed. The boy began to blush. He had indeed figured what the meeting was about at his very step inside the Royal Hall. "Master, I¡­" Helial tried to justify. But whatever he said, a flush of embarrassment would come at his cheeks. Caesar shrugged and nodded that he stayed silent. "Circe loves making a fool of young men. You know that?" the King asked in utter concern for his disciple. "What''s the dramatic tone for," a voice suddenly bickered him out of nowhere. Suddenly, Helial glanced up in mid-air and caught sight of the regal bearing of Nelia, who gave him the sweetest look as she said: "You don''t need to worry, dear. Circe won''t eat you. And by the way, your achievements are amazing. I''m so happy my husband found such a talented pupil. If your relationship with Circe should become problematic, I will hunt down Big personally to claim damages!" At least Nelia would reassure him. However, neither Helial nor Caesar knew whether she was serious or not. Would Nelia seriously turn the wealthiest Guild in Orma upside down to mend the broken heart of a teenager? Caesar shortly shook his head. Nelia was still furious for a conversation the two of them just finished having. They had argued on the future of Orma as well as that of Helial. A number of Seniors from their Clan were still opposed to having Helial as a member. They didn''t like the idea of dealing with a Human. It was unconceivable that despite his promising son, Caesar went for a freak like Helial. They didn''t want a tiger in their home. Helial was too talented indeed, and risked becoming a threat. If someday his ambitions were to be too fierce, he might become a real problem. This was why the majority was opposed to Helial. However, someone supported him too. One was Binius, the Major Senior of the Royal Academy. The Senior had understood that the guy didn''t aim at politics. And he wasn''t wicked either. After the Mana Oath, the boy could not but fulfil his pledge to protect the Goblin population. This was something no Orman would swear as easily. How could most of the Clan turn a blind eye on Helial''s demonstrations of loyalty? On what basis did they doubt the sincerity of a guy who had only did good to their hometown? This got on Nelia''s nerves. Especially after this engagement thing.. Since the flighty little Circe was involved, the game of the two teenagers was a matter of political interest. Helial cupped his hands as he bowed. "I thank you for your support. I hope I''ll get by smoothly enough." "Chill out! This is no war. Your Circe already announced your engagement, so I guess now it''s official. We''ll need to arrange a banquet," Nelia smiled. Helial always put her in a better mood. Caesar knitted his brow. "Helial isn''t yet a member of this Clan. The Seniors won''t let us banquet through the Royal Palace for his engagement." "They won''t? And who is going to stop me, exactly?" Nelia suddenly turned purple. "You know what? I made up my mind. We''ll have a banquet tomorrow night. Tomorrow night, you heard me? In a couple days, the boy will be busy following the group training. He and his friends will have a little fun now so they won''t die of boredom." Having said this, Nelia raised her voice so that every servant in the palace could hear her: "Tomorrow night we''ll give a banquet to celebrate the engagement between Helial and Circe. I want the Main Hall of the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle to be prepared to host up to hundreds of guests. Prepare every kind of wine and dine, call dancers and fire jugglers to perform! We''ll have a hell of a party to celebrate our disciple!" These words triggered a number of raging Auras, which she promptly calmed down by adding: "If you have something to object, just don''t!" Helial actually wanted to tell her there was no need to set up all this. It was two days now he was trying to avoid Lumia. He was procrastinating the moment when he would inform her about what was happening. His sister really seemed mad at him. She would never get over this engagement. In her eyes, no woman was worth being by Helial''s side but her herself. Nelia had just made things a great deal more difficult for both Helial and Caesar. Before either of them could speak, however, she went on to say: "My husband once was a brave man who feared none of those he believed to be lacking in value. Now he''s the puppet of four old idiots. My husband is the strongest Immortal in Orma, and he''s no tyrant. The thing is, he allows those who envy his power to lord over him. He''d rather oppose his disciple for mere fear than look after himself and his interest." Nelia touched Caesar''s sore spot. His expression grew darker. The King ran his eyes over Helial, then on Nelia, who had so politely put him in an awkward position towards the little Human. "Politics is no easy task," was Caesar''s laconic remark as he casually waved a hand. "But you win this time. Let''s celebrate! We do need some carefree time, things have been tense lately. Send out an invitation for the young generations of the Sect of the Worthy. Let''s call whoever can''t stand our disciple. They all need to come to terms with Helial being here, sooner or later." Having said this, the King dissolved into thin air before Nelia could stir up any more trouble. The Queen winked at Helial and disappeared as well, leaving Helial puzzled by such irrational behavior. What should he do now? The banquet was set. There was no way he could cancel it. Nelia could have gotten offended, since she had bothered arranging it for him. It would have been like spitting over Nelia''s good heart. Helial gave a sigh. "Where will I find peace?" "FINALLY A FUCKING BANQUET IN THIS SHIT-HOLE OF A VILLAGE. THIS EMPEROR FEELS AN UNHEARD OF HUNGER." Clearly, elsewhere. Before looking for somewhere peaceful though, Helial should try to make up with his sister¡­ So he thought it best to head to Lumia''s room in the hope to talk some sense into her. After getting in the Queen''s good graces, his sister received an even better accommodation that he had. Helial''s room was palatial. He could rely on many servants. The walls were covered in cloths and precious fabrics. The heralds were symbols of the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle peeking out at every edge of the blankets. Some of them gracefully embellished the walls. Lumia though was assigned an entire district of chambers, like a true princess. As he stood in front of her doors, Helial reassured himself by saying that the maturity he had caught sight of in his sister would surely help her get more reasonable. She wouldn''t make a scene, would she? The grievous tortures experienced during Iblis'' training made her a different person. She would put aside those childish outbursts for sure. She couldn''t really have it in for his engagement. After all, she knew this would happened someday. Despite what she wished for, Helial wouldn''t marry his little sister. Helial built up some nerve and put his hand on the doorknob, saying: "Lumia, it''s me!" Our hero had a light heart, now. He had a feeling things would work out smoothly enough. Everything was going to be alright. Al-right. As soon as he opened the door, he caught a glimpse of a pot flying at breakneck speed towards his face. He dodged it with a slight move. The pot hit against the wall and shattered to pieces. "ASSHOLE!" 127 Palpable tension Inebriated by the fragrances filling the room, Helial got deep lost in the lively babel of laughters and voices. This was something completely new for him. Left and right sat dozens of Goblins crossing glasses and stuffing themselves as they cackled heartily. Caesar met Helial''s gaze and gave him a smile from the high platform reserved to Orma''s big shots. Nelia, for her part, frowned at the King, who was so drunk he was indulging in jokes that didn''t quite suit his status. Caesar''s arm wrapped the shoulder of the man sitting next to him, who gazed at him in amusement: "Can you see, Aure? Even a Human mudslinger like you must admit this guy has some balls! Do you know any other Goblin who''d sworn to protect our people? Hahaha!" "Damned old fag, get your hand off me before they think I have the same taste as you," the other laughed noisily. "Humans are enemies as long as they plan on killing Goblins. If this one is so dedicated to our Nation, only time will tell us," he then added with a mysterious smile on his face. "You fucking party pooper!" Caesar burst into laughter as he lifted a wine carafe. Only Aure, second Immortal in Orma, would dare talk to the King this way. Unlike the human world, where social hierarchies came with a strict set of formalities, Caesar and the Orman past Kings had always pushed for the right of the lowest folk to approach the monarch with their head held high. The Goblin population was a fiery one. They despised the structure of human society. Clans and Sects did now require some rules of etiquette, but they were nowhere as strict as those of Humans. Helial was wearing the warmest smile. Circe wasn''t taunting Lumia, as he had begged her not to so as to let everyone enjoy the party. The brow of the little girl though was constantly knitted in a distressed frown. His fianc¨¦ on the right and his sister on the left, Helial was sitting before the most delicious dishes. While drinking and eating, he noticed that the Goblins he exchanged a few words with were nothing like the suspicious people he had imagined them to be. They were all treating Lulu and Frankenstein politely despite them not being part of the aristocracy. The two Goblins were invited to the party only due to Helial''s insistence. Or rather, he didn''t need to insist too much. After a few moments of silence, Caesar had accepted immediately. This was one of the extraordinary breach of etiquette no Human would have dared to make. For the first time in a while now, Helial was relaxing and getting loose to the pleasure of that warm serendipity. He had never had the chance to speak with Goblins in such easy circumstances; he had always been to immersed in training. He just now realized that his reclusion didn''t help with the idea Goblins had of him. Unfortunately, the only Goblins Helial had met before where cold and suspicious towards Humans, since they were mainly member of the Sect of the Worthy. Caesar had introduced him to Aure before the party began. Helial had caught himself wondering what the Immortal thought of him. Aure though exerted no pressure on him, nor cast him threatening glances. He resolved for a smile and a few courtesies. "So¡­ Medusa can offend anybody while Aure treats me politely?" Helial murmured to himself later. Aure wasn''t a simple one. He didn''t betray no hint of disdain for the Human race. Apparently, Immortality required at least a bit of reason and a deep understanding of the world. Iblis stayed silent for the entire night, which Helial seemed not to notice. He was too caught up in the new people he was getting acquainted with. Right in front of him was sitting Caliban, who had promptly introduced him to some special members of the young generations. "Helial, you''ve already had the pleasure of meeting the young lady of the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle, Comodus'' future bride," Caliban lively said. Caliban was a merchant, so he had a longer history in attending social events than Helial. And it showed. The two guys were now pretty fond of each other. Helial stopped by the Merchant Guild to exchange a few words with Caliban on multiple occasions. Helial nodded as he said: "Hi, Francesca. It''s nice to see you again." Francesca smiled. "So my mother is acting irrationally as usual. I bet many of these Seniors turned their nose up at the idea of this banquet. Which doesn''t seem to have bothered her the least." Suddenly, Francesca greeted someone behind Helial with a twist of her hand. "Now forgive me, but I have to go," she said. She walked past him without further ado. Helial was in her same position. He barely had the time to exchange a couple words with everyone, especially since he was sitting and could only interact with those around him. From time to time, Lumia would cast Circe a glare. The Witch was wearing a dress whose tight black bodice really emphasized her voluptuous figure. As she stared scornfully at that abundance, Lumia brought her hands to her breasts. But she only touched her own chest, where lay nothing but a wasteland. She did have the features of an angel, but it weren''t for her long hair, she could have easily be mistaken for a little guy. She shook her head and started listing out in her mind what she could have that Circe hadn''t. So she pinched her bottom, but only touched bones. Lumia gave a sigh and grabbed a wine carafe, which her elder brother promptly took off her hands. "Lumia!" Helial exclaimed. Lumia tenderly squinted her eyes and said: "What?" "The wine!" said Helial as he swayed the glass she had just filled. Lumia nodded, the most innocent expression on her face, then added: "Can I have it back?" Helial was about to put it away when someone took it off his hands. "Easy, little girl. I''ll take the wine who poured by mistake," Circe laughed charmingly. "You can have some juice. Wait, here''s a servant. He''ll get it to you in a minute." Helial felt a pretty huge incoming headache. He stood up in the attempt at not being caught in that crossed fire. Caesar had suggested that he shook as many hands as possible among the young generations of Orma. He should chat with the best talents in town. Run away from his seat really seemed the best option now. Suddenly, a piercing glare was shot against his nape. He turned and caught sight of many people behind him, none of whom was gazing at him. Then, in a corner, he spotted a young Goblin holding a wine glass who was surrounded by two women. One was lifting up a bunch of grapes, which the other took to the youngster''s lips one by one. A sudden ringing in Helial''s ears. Comodus. The two sensed a palpable tension. Yet, no one else seemed to have taken notice of that exchange of looks. The corners of Helial''s lips curled up as his slightly bowed his head to the heir of the Sect of the Worthy, who imperceptibly stretched his glass outwards and hinted a bow in response. Barely noticeable in the general shambles of the party, Caesar''s Human disciple Helial, whose talent was compared to that of Pseudonym, and the heir of the Sect of the Worthy Comodus, first detractor of the Human race in Orma, finally met face to face. Helial felt slightly shaken and saw it fitting to go back to his seat. A little chaos ensued in his heart. A mere look was enough to let Helial know that Comodus would be no easy opponent. And he knew he would be his opponent, one day. He knew for sure. Skill Activated: Perception Helial tried to examine Comodus'' Aura, but found out it was somehow screened off. He couldn''t sense anything in particular. Helial felt a shiver run down his spine. Comodus really was a mysterious, unfathomable figure. This controversial attitude and ambivalent behavior really made him and his father two quite disquieting figures. 128 Lets go And while the joyous babel of sounds sizzled up through the room, Helial inexplicably sensed an unusual lump down his throat. He felt the presence of someone extraordinary. It wasn''t Comodus, though; he had already glanced away to focus back on the women standing around him. It felt like¡­ a call. The presence seemed to block him somehow. Helial looked about himself to try to spot where the feeling came from. His eyes met those of Circe, who waved her hand at him, then the grumpy gaze of little Lumia. Though, he couldn''t divert his attention from what had just stolen his focus. People were laughing and having fun. The party was at its height. Caesar was talking to Orma''s big shots and let out wild laughs. The day had no room for politics. People were chuckling, feeling unburdened as they hadn''t afforded to for a long time. They were all taken by the banquet in spite of any difference between their Clans, Guilds or Sects. Aure seemed to enjoy the cheerful atmosphere too as Caesar and Big constantly poured him some posh wine extracted from demoniac essences - the proper nectar for Immortals. And yet, all around Helial light had been stolen. Iblis was sitting at one end of the table, the recipes book on his thin legs. His dainty feet were swinging back and forth. Unconcerned by the cheerful atmosphere on the outside, Iblis was whistling and reading recipes, a melancholy expression on his face. All of a sudden, the Devil gazed up as if he had sensed something too. He immediately swung his head. He looked as upset as if someone were worming their way through Helial''s Soul. "What the hell¡­" whispered the Devil as he ran a hand over his face, to make sure it wasn''t a paranoid. The world around Helial began to grey. It looked as though a path had been carved out that led to the one tall silhouette seemingly alive amongst that colorless blur. Sitting on a corner, Pseudonym was pouring a pitcher of beer down the lower breach of his dark armor, in solitude. He looked as if his only wish was escape that place. A jolt of electricity ran through Helial''s body as if he were struck by lightning. He took a few steps towards Pseudonym and everything lightened up again, as if he had just walked through the gate to another world. Air seemed to thicken. It was heavy and unbreathable. Pseudonym glanced up and saw Helial approach him. Helial smiled as he sat down in front of Pseudonym. "I still need to thank you for stopping me form killing Medusa. We wouldn''t have been here throwing a party if I had. Most likely the Sect of the Worthy would have sparked off a riot," Helial said, paying tribute to what Pseudonym had done. Meanwhile, Helial''s Soul seemed imbued with unspeakable electricity. Iblis was gaping at the sight as he pondered: "This crazy phenomenon occurred as soon as he approached Pseudonym. Pseudonym is the heir of Jeanne''s legacy and boasts no lesser talent than Helial. Might make one of the fellows who''ll side with Helial against the forces of Life?" Pseudonym coldly remarked: "If it weren''t for you, I would be staked alive for having killed her myself." Having said this, he raised the pitcher towards Helial, then swallowed it up and slammed it violently on the table. Helial vaguely caught a glimpse of Pseudonym''s lips from under the armor, but nothing more. Judging from that big hunk of metal, that one really seemed to care about not revealing his face. Strangely enough, those lips didn''t seem those of a grouch like Pseudonym. They looked like the lips of a gentle person. This was quite silly a thought; you can''t interpret the character of someone through one insignificant anatomical detail. Nonetheless, Helial could not but think this. "Don''t you like parties?" Helial asked. He was curious to get to know Pseudonym better. "Parties?" asked Pseudonym with his hoarse voice, taking a look around them. "How many people in Orma take in part in a banquet like this, and how many will die before the party is over?" "So you''re an idealist?" Helial was slightly puzzled. He couldn''t imagine that Pseudonym had such line of thinking. "I''m more of a materialist, really. I''ve roamed through the suburbs of Orma many times, trying to help those on the ropes. Some kids are so skinny that no one could tell the difference between them and a skull," Pseudonym''s tone grew extremely serious. The atmosphere suddenly felt gloomier due to the metallic clangor of the armor echoing the pain through his Soul. Helial took a sip from the pitcher he was holding and glanced behind his back at the lushness of the room. "So what?" he asked, shrugging and glancing at Pseudonym once again. The answer seemed to irritate Pseudonym. "So what what? Doesn''t seem like a problem to you?" Helial slightly yawned for the excess of alcohol in his body, then fell silent for some seconds. "Like, why should we worry about that now? What do you think will change if we sit here and think about the suburbs? If that worries you, you can give all the money you earn in the Colosseum to the kids in Suburra. You can''t be penniless, you''re the big champ here. How many kids could you feed with the supplies we get into our Interspace Rings?" asked Helial, an eyebrow raised. "Nice words for one who''s never lifted a finger for those people. Why don''t you follow me down to the suburbs instead of stuffing yourself at this banquet?" Pseudonym asked sarcastically. A trace of smile played across Helial''s lips as his expression turned complicated. Having stood up without further ado, Helial began to walk back to his seat. Another useless one. One does not change the world overnight. Ones does not change the world through a couple of nice speeches. You don''t turn people from poor into well-off just by wishing it happened. You can''t always bring potentiality into actuality in the blink of an eye; these were the thoughts running through Pseudonym''s mind as he scornfully gazed at Helial walk towards the banquet. In fact, Pseudonym was no idiot. Given the lack of a true formal education, Helial must have come from a tough family situation. However, once on top of the world, it''s easy to forget what it means to live down low. Or rather, people tend to forget that willingly. A sigh, Pseudonym gave a sigh. He was frustrated by how no one seemed to care about what happened outside the walls. They simply took their mind off misery to drown these thoughts in expensive wine. However, his gaze was quickly stolen by a scene which made his eyebrows furrow. Helial was now kneeling in front of Caesar and Aure. His lips were moving in the act of telling them something, which the hubbub made impossible for him to catch. In that very moment, Pseudonym experienced the most singular sensation. The world seemed to grey all around him as Helial slowly stood back up among the laughter of Caesar and Aure, who waved their hand in response. As Helial''s steps took him closer, Pseudonym heard every sound muffle as if nothing existed in the world but him and that boy. Some sort of elective affinities was just created between the two kindred spirits. Now, Helial and Pseudonym could perceive no one but each other. None of the guests was aware of the enigmatic mystique lingering on the two, yet neither of them could have ever forgotten. Stepping in front of Pseudonym, Helial said: "You''re so interested in the suburbs? Let''s go then." 129 Donst let anybody tear your life away The deep black night enveloped the rooftops gleaming in the moonlight. Down the dark streets of Orma, silence reigned. No merchant was swarming the ravines of the capital as during daylight. They were all dreaming gold. As the clink of gold coins reverberated in their slumbers shattering the eerie silence, two figures swiftly jumped off a rooftop. Fwooosh The two black shadows maintained a steady speed. They didn''t stop nor stumble, as if they were diving on a sea of flat darkness. Black stormy clouds would veil the moon from time to time, making it impossible to make out the two figures. *** Meanwhile, in the Royal Palace "WHERE THE FUCK DID THE BRAT GO?! WE NEED TO RAISE OUR GLASSES TO THE DOMINATION OF THIS EMPEROR CAT OVER THE CAPITAL." While Snowflake alcohol-talked, lost in a daze, Lumia and Circe began to look about themselves. Which FINALLY made them stop bickering. "Where''s my sweet brother whose only love is me?" Lumia childishly said, baffled. "Where''s my sweet fianc¨¦?" asked Circe, irritated by the arrogance of that mischievous little girl. "WHERE IS MY PORK?" asked Snowflake, drunk and furious. All the guests surveyed the room as well, curious. Apparently, Helial had disappeared. They couldn''t catch sight of him. On the high platform though, Caesar and the others didn''t seem upset. Helial had wisely thought it best to tell his Goblin master he would go out to attend to some business with Pseudonym. Caesar didn''t mind at all. He and Aure had resolved for a laugh. If the banquet had been celebrated in a human capital, Helial would have risked offending them instead. There, though, no one cared about what he did except for a couple Seniors who only saw arrogance in his every moves. *** Down the streets of Orma A moon ray suddenly pierced the clouds shrouding the Goblin capital. It shed its light upon the face of one of the two figures jumping at breakneck speed from one rooftop to another. Helial. Fwooosh Beside him, Pseudonym suddenly shattered the silence: "Do you think they''ve noticed your absence by now?" Helial didn''t answer immediately. It seemed to take some time for him to ponder. Circe and Lumia were likely to be already wondering where he might have been. After all, how could two people fighting over who owned his heart not notice that the focus of their discussions just disappeared into thin air? "It doesn''t matter anyway. I''ve already told Caesar and the big shots, and they didn''t stick up the nose, so it''s alright," Helial said. "Are we there yet?" Pseudonym peered at the darkness as if his gaze could ripple through the horizon. "We are." Suburra, the Orman slum. It was a god-forsaken place that only flashed through the people''s mind when the flames of its fires risked reaching the wealthiest houses of the town. Suburra was one of the suburban areas of the capital. It was home to the poor, the thugs and other bunches of dangerous people. It also was the area with the highest density of Humans. When you wallow in misery, a loaf of bread means so much more than race. Race is a concept only those who lived in the most luxurious wealth, like the Sect of the Worthy, could care about. The weird coexistence of Humans and Goblins had plenty of episodes of violence and discrimination. It was nothing like the sophisticated concepts of racial supremacy of the Sect of the Worthy. However, the little gangs and the family units often had feuds. In this scenery, the elderly, the kids and the sick were left at the mercy of fate. And fate could condemn them to death anytime. Since the population grew at an exponential rate, most of the slaves in Orma came from Suburra. No one would claim their freedom down there. Often times, slave traders sent their men to snatch kids or youths from the streets. Then, they would be trained to fight as gladiators in the Colosseum, and their blood would shed for people''s enjoyment. A mephitic smell of sweat and blood wormed its way into Helial''s nostrils. Ever since he acquired Body of the Qilin, his sense of smell was now extremely strong. Passive Skill Lv: 6 Body of the Qilin The strength of your arms and legs increases by 6000 kg per limb. Vitality Regeneration: 2300% Health Regeneration: 2300% Physical Resilience: 3600% Resistance to Magic: 3600% Your sense are heightened and get ever more similar to those of an Ancestral Creature. Your body was bestowed with the body of a Qilin. One of the supreme Skills of the forces of Life. The Skill levels up as you temper your body. It is not possible to upgrade it in any other way. Exp: 15.5% Helial closed the window he had checked his Skill''s progress in. Pseudonym didn''t spend any words on Suburra, but Helial already knew something about that place. After all, most of Helial''s stay in Orma was spent reading the charts and records of the past and present of the Goblin capital. Very little was written about Suburra, really, as if it were but an infection to be ignored. In the most recent documents though, he had found little information on the area. Under the fullest moon, Helial and Pseudonym landed on a rooftop. Pseudonym didn''t go any farther and nodded that Helial followed him. Helial looked about himself. All around them were only silence and desolation. The building they were standing on was covered in yellowish foul-smelling vines. The houses were all made of wood, which kind of explained the incidence of fires in Suburra. The combo plenty of wood and criminal underworld could not but result in a deathly formula. Helial gazed at the rotten building and the misery of the surroundings with a blunt expression on his face. He didn''t see Pseudonym''s point in taking him there. Did Pseudonym really think he had never seen misery before? That he didn''t know what "hunger" meant? That he could have forgotten all he had faced in the past? Pseudonym reached for the edge of the rooftop and without further ado, he twisted a hand telling Helial to step closer. Helial shrugged and took a couple steps towards the ledge overlooking a dimly lit space. Down there was a bunch of little guys. They were covered in rags and held wooden staffs as improper weapons. Helial saw them neatly enough in spite of the darkness. He made out an unheard of fierceness in their tiny eyes. It was a feeling no kid of six or seven years of age should have experienced. Still upset by the sight, Helial gazed down. There lay another kid, wheezing on the ground. His complexion was green and his ears were faintly pointed. A Goblin? It was only then that Helial realized the unusualness of the scenery. All the kids holding staffs were Humans, while the one lying on the ground, covered in wounds, was a Goblin. One of his eyes was frighteningly swollen; he couldn''t see on that side anymore. "There is no such thing as good and evil in Suburra. Here, misery leads the youngest kids to attack a peer. Why, you ask? Because something he did irritated them, perhaps. He might have stolen their food, or maybe just glanced at them for a second too long. When you''re in Suburra, it doesn''t matter what you''ve done. The only things that matters is to not let anybody tear your life away." These words died out in the silence as Helial gazed at the scene with eyebrows furrowed. 130 Tiny sinful demons In the gloomy atmosphere, the little Humans began to deliver fierce kicks to the helpless Goblin. Their eyes were sparkling with extreme brutality. The pale light the moon shed upon them revealed their intent to kill him on the spot. The images flashed speedily in Helial''s pupils as he gazed intently at the facial features of those kids. It surely wasn''t the first time he witnessed an episode of violence in the outskirts of some city; the suburbs of Floralivory City were spoilt by misery as well. Pseudonym was gazing at them too. Unlike Helial''s deadpan expression, his was disgusted. He snorted and brushed his fingers against the hilt of his sword. "What leads a bunch of kids to become tiny sinful demons? How can an Immortal whose Divine Sense scoops the whole country pay no mind to any of this?" these words came out of Pseudonym''s pitch-black armor and shattered the tense silence. It was a sound question indeed. The reasoning behind it was pretty simple. Why wouldn''t the Immortals who did have the power to prevent these incidents happening step in to save the life of an innocent creature, and stop kids from becoming such bloodthirsty monsters as those? The dark knight slightly shook his head. He was ready to unsheathe both swords and put an end to the abuse. Then his gaze flew to Helial, just to discover that Caesar''s pupil wasn''t there anymore. The Orman champ furrowed his eyebrows and widened the range of his senses until it covered the bunch of kids. Helial wouldn''t answer his question. He had disappeared instead. Fwooosh Helial materialized next to the agonizing Goblin. He sat down cross-legged, one hand on his chin stroking his face. He was deep in thought. One corner of his lips suddenly curled up in cold smile. He spoke, and the youths suddenly froze. "His Aura is about to dissolve. You''re killing him. Whatever it is he did, the punishment was harsh enough, wasn''t it?" The building around them were in a pretty bad shape. It looked like they would crumble anytime now. Nonetheless, the light of some burning candles gleamed from some windows. There must have been someone inside. Someone who wouldn''t seem to care about the cries, someone who would just go on living their life. After all, it was late. Besides the partying nobility, people were already sleeping except for some random insomniacs. Still, those who weren''t in the grip of sleep were shutting their eyes to and ears to what happened in the neighborhood. In that area, before a scene like that one people would just look away. The best option was steer clear of anyone to avoid being involved. The Human youths were baffled for a full thirty seconds. Then they cast a wary look to the guy appeared out of nowhere. They exchanged a look, without knowing what to do. It felt as if a tiger had jumped in the middle of a pack of wolves. Helial really came out of nowhere and was now sitting half a meter away from them next to the Goblin they were beating. They didn''t see him while approaching, which probably meant he was stronger than all of them altogether. But the advantage in number gave them courage. Thinking they had right on their side, the brawniest of them, with a number of wounds on his face, spoke: "The bastard stole our food. Then he lied. He deserves to die!" Helial''s gaze intensified. He laid his eyes on him. The guy felt a pierce in his heart. He took two steps backwards. It was an beastly gut reaction. There had been no thinking involved. Those kids grew up in utter despair, like unruled animals. As such, they just senses the presence of a wilder beast than they were. "What are we doin, Bam?" one asked to the brawny kid who led the mission to destroy the little Goblin. Bam cast a look at them and caught sight of their insecure expressions. Even though he wasn''t ten years old yet, it wasn''t like he was a naive one. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have survived that long. He was the head of a little gang of orphans who stole and committed all the little crimes what would let them grab some food. "Let''s go. The bastard will pay, sooner or later," Bam hissed. A murdering light flashed in his eyes. They would wait for Helial to leave Suburra. Then they would finish this off. They couldn''t afford to let the matter unsolved. Everyone in the neighbourhood would know. They already must beware of adults; if they had had to be careful about the little kids laughing at them too, their life would be ten times as hard. Such defeat would bring along countless revenges from the other baby gangs. The kids began to slowly back off, still looking to Helial, who was staring back at them with an enigmatic smile on his face. Those kids were criminals, but it wasn''t a good reason to kill them. Once the distance between them and Helial was a few meters wide, they suddenly turned and ran away. They scattered in every directions and dissolved into the darkness. Helial then gazed down at the wounded Goblin, who wouldn''t seem to lie unconscious. Skill Activated: Perception Helial scanned the faint Aura of the Goblin. It was probably about to die out. Perception was now much more powerful than before and let Helial examine the Goblin''s condition keenly. The young Goblin''s Meridians were wasting. The contusions had torn them apart in many spots. He had some major organ damage. His body was suffering from internal bleeding. Even without the knockout blow of those Human kids, the Goblin wouldn''t survive until dawn. "I still haven''t answered your question, Pseudonym," Helial said as he stretched out a hand towards the wounded leg of the kid. Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin Flame of the Qilin was a divalent Skill. According to the general public, the strongest flames were those of the white type, which possessed the principles of both Life and Destruction. Helial''s Skill was no ordinary Flame of the Qilin, because it had originated by the flame of Kirin himself, the most powerful one in the whole universe. Despite the imprecise definition - Jeanne''s flame was, after all, more powerful than that - the statement had solid grounds. Hell, Jeanne''s Black Flame, had an unparalleled destructive power. It had no Life particle within. That flame was the result of the total detachment of a phoenix''s flame, whose Life properties were even stronger than those of a Qilin, from the most powerful principles it had. Instead of weakening her, the refusal of her own origins had bestowed her with a terrifying power. On the contrary, Flame of the Qilin was distinctively a Life flame. It did have an outstanding destructive power, but it wasn''t the only property it boasted. White Flames had unmatched healing properties, whose versatility was highly better than that of Destruction. Helial grabbed the Goblin''s leg by the ankle and maneuvered Flame of the Qilin to channel it into the Goblin''s Meridians. Meanwhile, he took a refined control of its strength. The power of Flame of the Qilin had been restricted by Helial himself. And therefore, the wild flame which could turn to ashes a creature in the Second Phase was now emitting a faint warmth gently worming its way into the Goblin''s bones. 131 Whatsd be left of our freedom? "What do you think would happen if someone blunted every human choice, every human thought?" asked Helial as his gaze got lost in the distance. Helial''s words carried some unusual sacred power. Their meaning was so heavy it weighted on the soul itself. A black raging flame suddenly appeared next to Helial. Pseudonym materialized out of nowhere. The knight stayed silent as he stared at Helial. Meanwhile, the young Goblin looked slightly uncomfortable. Despite being unconscious, his face was twisted by pain. The finely gentle control of Helial wasn''t enough to moderate the power of the flame. It was risky. "Personally, I think that pain and injustice would fade," Pseudonym said scornfully. Inside Helial''s Soul, Iblis began to pay attention. The exchange aroused some interest in him. It was the first time Helial''s words actually portrayed the essence of his Dao of Mana. Apparently, his pupil was making progress. The conversation involved the Devil to such an extent that he took off his embroidered chef hat with bats to hold it in his two hands. Then he sat in midair. He was curious. With a swift twist of a hand, he straightened the bangs covering his eyes. Suddenly, a strange phenomenon occurred. A strange milky gleam engulfed Helial. Flame of the Qilin was flowing through the kid''s Meridians. The internal injuries were already recovering. The flame let out a faint seething sound. Fshhhhh The gashes opened up on his face and the swellings all over his body became paler and dissolved by the second. "If good and evil faded, they would both lose their meaning. If someone guided our every footsteps, they surely would spare us a path drenched in blood, but then what''d be left of our freedom?" said Helial as his Aura began to spread across the area enveloping every building in the surroundings. A whitish trail of smoke hit Pseudonym''s nostrils as well as the smell of burning flesh. He saw the injuries literally disappear from the kid''s body. "HAAAAA! THIS HURTS! IT HURTS!" he cried. Tears were stinging his eyes. Helial paid no mind to his cries and went on to say: "If you''re not allowed to do evil, then you aren''t alive either. If the choice isn''t up to you, you are nothing. Without the chance to make the dreariest choice, and take the responsibility that comes with it, you''re but a grain of sand in the universe¡­" All around rouse up an eerie gust of wind generated by Helial''s Aura, which seemed about to pierce the sky itself. Pseudonym glanced up at the unusual phenomenon yet didn''t look much surprised. He probably knew what was disturbing the order of things; it simply suggested that Helial had just made an outstanding leap forward on his Dao of Mana. Unlike Levels and Skills, Daos were hardly tangible and couldn''t be divided into precise levels. Daos were quite a few, and often times people would happen to step on the same one. Even though there wasn''t one specific Dao of Mana for each, everyone had one at least. And it was a hard laborious exhausting path. Only common Daos had a straightforward precise technique to follow to reach its height. Some depended on the pureness of the users'' heart, some required the user to slaughter their way to a darkened Soul. To step forward on some others, practitioners needed to be overly altruistic. The peak of a Dao, however, was barely reachable. Even the most traveled by were the result of the effort of countless experts who had struggled to define and fulfill the requirements to satisfy. The energetic particles began to vibrate around Helial as if resonating with his Soul. It was ready to erupt. Air thickened so much the pressure seemed that exerted by water. The load of energy was like the raging waters of a river contained by a cracking seawall. It slowly turned towards Helial to rush into his Soul. Helial felt a violent rush of Mana force its way through his Meridians. He immediately stopped healing the boy, who was now awake and gazed at him in terror. The intangible Mana was food for Helial''s Soul, which promptly began to reinvigorate and undergo utter changes. The rough diamond of his Soul got refined by the energy. Now, it was shining like a tiny sun. He sensed his Meridians swell up and brim with energy, as if it were too much for a single person to take. The amount of energy became painful. It wouldn''t seem to diminish. If he hadn''t refined the energy and led it through the proper Meridians - those he had trained through his Breathing Technique-, he would have risked undermining any future progress. Meridians prevention was a serious matter every practitioner on their way to Immortality paid the fullest focus to. If severely damaged, Meridians could prevent people from becoming Immortals. Helial gritted his teeth as he activated his Breathing Technique. The violent rush of energy needed to be purified now. Skill Activated: Death of the Desolate Universe Alert: The energy you absorb is exceeding the amount your body can bear. If you don''t refine it, your body will decompose. You lost 1982 HP! Helial tasted something sweet-like on his tongue, then spat out a mouthful of blood before closing his eyes to focus on that bloodcurdling amount of energy. Meanwhile, the Goblin kid was shocked by the scene. The people living in the neighborhood stepped outside their households and began to crowd around. They were now staring at Helial with a strange light in their eyes. They were ready to attack him with the torches in their hands. "What is happening?" a man asked to his neighbor. "That guy must be stirring up trouble," another mumbled. He was clearly frightened. A woman interposed to point her finger towards the black armor: "Isn''t that Pseudonym?" "Pseudonym?" echoed everyone. If Pseudonym was there, they had nothing to worry about; he would surely tackle whatever it was it was happening. The men and women of Suburra trusted the black knight with their lives. Pseudonym often roamed across the neighborhood to help people face dangers they would have died by otherwise. Many of the elderly waved their hand at Pseudonym to ask him what was happening. He twisted his hand back at them to assure them there was nothing to worry about. Apparently, Helial had an Epiphany on his Dao of Mana. Whereas Pseudonym''s tyrannical Dao of Mana laid its foundations on his unshakable beliefs system, Helial seemed to follow a Dao whose focus was on freedom and total adaptability. Pseudonym was a mountain under ceaseless storms; he was firm and indestructible. On the contrary, Helial wasa like a grain of sand; tiny and versatile as it lightly blew in an inextinguishable wind. Helial struggled to balance out his Mana. It wasn''t the best time to slip into a deep meditative state. He inhaled deeply as he cut off the energy his body was imbued with through the terrifying power of his Breathing Technique. Apparently, the scene he had witnessed just perturbed his Dao of Mana. By absorbing the generated benefits right away, he would step much farther than by meditating on them later on. But he would sacrifice that progress, for today. Unfortunately, one has to be ready to sacrifice a lot sometimes. Helial breathed in a mouthful of stale air filled with the impurities he had just rinsed off of his energy. His Mana Control was more fluid now, and he sensed way more open Meridians than before. The Meridians of a living being, from the broadest to those as small as a needle, were hundreds of thousands, let alone their combinations. Even an Immortal couldn''t count them all. With many more unblocked Meridians and a reinvigorated Soul, Helial felt much stronger, and his control on Skills would grow even more refined. He raised a hand to the sky. A pearl-white flame with black sparks flared up on his palm. He compressed the Mana inside his hand''s Meridians as he tried to evoke more Mana on the other. Suddenly, a circular array of Runes appeared over his palm. The face of the boy turned pale. Skill Activated: Death Flame Pistol Skill Activated: Runic Control Upgrade BOOM! A shockwave raised a shroud of dust that blasted away risking hitting all the present. Pseudonym promptly blocked the shockwave through his Aura. Helial seemed to cannot wait to try out what he had just gained. A flaming bullet blazed through the sky like a shooting star. Pseudonym snorted, looked at the Skill cast by Helial and sensed something vaguely recognizable. Shockingly, the Aura emitted by the flame felt somewhat familiar. 132 A highly painful process Skill Activated: Death Flame Pistol Skill Activated: Runic Control Upgrade A terrifying explosion rippled through the night. Pseudonym''s Aura promptly blocked the shockwave. The bullet blown by Helial was so powerful it generated not one explosion, but an entire chain of blazes. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The bullet flew past a circle of five shining Runes as it blasted three times in a row like a firework. It was then that Pseudonym gazed more closely to the Runes evoked by Helial and furrowed his eyebrows in concern. Five Runes were gliding through the air. They were just as different as profound and mysterious, as if they came from another era. All around, the air seemed to collapse under the power of the Skill. The shockwave seemed to be able to pierce a First Phase practitioner alone. What would then happen? If Pseudonym hadn''t been there, how many people would have died? The Champ could not but ask this to himself. His brow was knitted in a distressed frown unrevealed by the armor. The Mana particles Helial absorbed had helped reinforce his Mana Control, refine his Meridians and open up new channels therein. It looked as though Helial managed to leap forward on his Dao of Mana without him even seeking to. Helial had never tried to exert Runic Control over a Skill before. His control had never been enough. In fact, his Mana Control seemed to have just reached a completely new level. He gazed at the five shining Runes gliding before his eyes, then glanced up at the moon, half covered by the trails of smoke of the recent explosions. They could hardly veil its light. Three explosions, five Runes. I have barely 60% control on the Skill. And it would grow even more unstable if the Runes increased. Now, three Runes is the max I can reach to upgrade my Skill without wasting any Mana, Helial pondered as his fingers examined the full power of the hit he had just delivered. Runic Control. It was a brand-new Skill Helial developed once unblocked his Unique Class Runic Overlord. If he hadn''t unblocked that Class and spent entire days in the Royal Library studying the matter, if he hadn''t had Iblis as a master¡­ what would he have done then? He wouldn''t have gotten as far as there. Despite his lauded unordinary talent, this was never inferior to the amount of effort he paid to his training. Suddenly, Helial''s mind was cast to realness as the lively crowd chatted all around him. His feat aroused the attention of the plebs living in that neighborhood of Suburra. Suburrans were staring at him with a strange light flashing in their eyes. It looked as though they had just seen a ghost. They didn''t seem quite enjoying this little show he had just put up. Helial quickly scanned their Auras to make sure there was no one hidden amongst them. When he had the certainty that no Aura was worth worrying about but that of Pseudonym, he focused on the little kid still sitting next to him who was staring at him with teary eyes. "What''s your name?" asked Helial with the warmest smile, as if nothing had happened. The kid clutched his rumpled tunic to gather some boldness. "Xiao Xiao," he said in the feeblest voice. "It was me who helped you get rid of the kids beating you up, Xiao Xiao," Helial said. Xiao Xiao''s expression betrayed a ray of gratefulness. Fear though was still overwhelming his heart. Xiao Xiao was a little thief whose parents were long dead. He lived at the day through the elemosine che racimolava and the pity he aroused in others. When he didn''t stumble on many pitiful people handing him something to bite, then he would resort to stealing. The other option was starving. Even though Xiao Xiao was quite familiar with the idea death could take him anytime in any possible way, that was the closest he had gotten to death in his life. The Human standing before him really did save him from a critical situation. If it hadn''t been for him, he wouldn''t have made it this time. Human? The eyes of Xiao Xiao immediately became wary. Things were so rowdy he didn''t realize the one who saved him was a Human. Panic seized the Goblin, who hastily crawled half a meter backwards. Helial seemed to understand his fear and shrugged in response. He pulled a hand inside his Interspace Ring, Call of the Mermaid, and dug out a pot and some food. The crowd was left speechless. Then, through Flame of the Qilin, he began to cook something. If Kirin, progenitor of one of the wildest races in the universe, a matchless Ancestral Creature, should hear that the flame inherited by one of his Soul fragments were used to cook a meal, then he would have had a heart attack. Without glancing away from the pot, Helial began to slowly talk: "Those kids will come back, Xiao Xiao. And I can''t simply give you food, or someone will steal it from in in a matter of seconds." As Helial''s words died out, the gaze of Xiao Xiao lowered until his eyes laid on the ground. "Which means," added Helial, in the same stoical, solemn and deep and calm as Iblis, "you either grow stronger or you''re fucked." More like the calm of Snowflake, wasn''t it? However, Helial just gave Xiao Xiao two choices. If he refused to grow stronger, the kids who had almost killed him would come back to finish what they had started. And if they didn''t, then Xiao Xiao''s weakness would become someone else''s benefit. Xiao Xiao fell silent under the inquisitory gaze of Helial. Helial''s face betrayed a slight disappointment. He expected Xiao Xiao to not be able to hold in his will to grow stronger. On the contrary, Xiao Xiao was gazing at the ground with red eyes. He stayed silent. Helial then though he might have not been clear enough, so he stopped stirring the stew to go on saying: "If you want, I can help you grow stronger." These words had no effect on Xiao Xiao, who once again didn''t live up to Helial''s hopes. Helial furrowed his eyebrows: "You don''t care?" Xiao Xiao was still silent as if unable to hear him. It was then that Pseudonym interposed: "Xiao Xiao isn''t even ten yet. What do you expect?" Pseudonym spoke sharp words to Helial. From Pseudonym''s point of view, Helial''s words were a promise of torture instead of a valuable offer. "Just because he''s ten doesn''t mean he must die on the street. Why wouldn''t he want to grow stronger?" Helial icily replied. He turned towards the Goblin and said: "I ''m offering you the chance to defend yourself, Xiao Xiao. It will be highly painful, I won''t lie. But if you say yes, we''ll eat and then I''ll go back to the Palace, I''ll give you enough food to survive the night. Too much food would be dangerous. It''s up to you." Before concentrating on Xiao Xiao though, Helial shot a glance at Pseudonym. His stern glare warned the Champ not to open that mouth again. 133 sJustice is not dead!s "But I¡­ I¡­" Xiao Xiao hesitated and fell silent again. For how hard Helial tried to deny this, the world is full of people who won''t be able to sacrifice everything to gain more strength. Xiao Xiao just didn''t want to grow stronger. He only wished for a simple life, a job as an artisan, some hours to play with his peers and a loaf of bread to bite every day. Given the environment Xiao Xiao lived in, he was supposed to be more mature than the average. The young Goblin''s thinking though was still na?ve. Unlike Helial, his tough childhood didn''t instill in Xiao Xiao any thirst for power. Helial shook his head as he poured a spoonful of stew in a bowl. To him, this was inconceivable. Suddenly, Helial sensed an incoming deadly Aura and unconsciously shuddered. Helial''s Aura was imbued with both Life and Destruction; the mere fact that someone could strike such instinctive terror into his heart was astounding. The guy had just offered the bowl full of stew to Xiao Xiao, when he felt something icy grip his shoulder. He knew perfectly well what that might be, so he shut up and nodded that Xiao Xiao took his food. The Goblin hesitated then made a dash for the bowl. He hastily began to empty it before the Human could get a cold feet and ask for it back. With the sound of clinking cutlery, Pseudonym had bent down on a knee next to Helial. His grip on the guy''s shoulder tightened. He channeled all his Aura through his arm. An unbearable pressure weighed upon Helial. Now he couldn''t even talk. Xiao Xiao stopped eating, terrified by the scene. Helial struggled to flash him of a smile. "This world isn''t home to the strong only. Some people are strong. Some aren''t. There is nothing wrong in weakness, brat," Pseudonym said in utter disdain. Under the pressure of the black knight, Helial couldn''t answer. The pressure was so suffocating that a bloody rivulet appeared on one corner of Helial''s mouth. He couldn''t even cough; any attempt at a reply would be a failure. A beam flashed through the guy''s mind as he let his voice echo out inside his Soul: "If Pseudonym was in my same level, who''d be the strongest between the two of us, Master?" Helial asked. Honestly, Pseudonym''s behavior was getting on his nerves. Now even breathing was getting difficult. Their discrepancy in strength really was irritating. Iblis carefully examined the scene from within, yet not as carefully as he was peeling his carrots. The smell from his stove suggested that Helial wasn''t the only one having stew for dinner. Tac Tac Tac The knife hit on the cutting board as little pieces of carrot flew into a frying pan filled with oil. "Probably him," Iblis finally sneered before forcefully removing Helial''s conscience from that place. Tac Tac Ta- Iblis stopped cutting carrots and pondered. "There''s something unusual in Pseudonym''s Aura. This isn''t the first time I try to scan it out, but his level is difficult to examine for me too. His body seems to conceal something that will let him become outstandingly strong soon enough. But I didn''t lie to Shithead; if Pseudonym rushed back at level 85, he would still defeat him easily. However, somehow I think Shithead would have one outside chance of winning too." Helial''s conscience was removed from his Soul, so the guy couldn''t hear any of this and had to listen to Pseudonym instead. "When someone strong tries to impose his injustice over the weak, it doesn''t matter whether you''re good or evil. What does matter," Pseudonym said solemnly as he clutched his grip on Helial even more firmly, "what does matter is to defend those who need defence and slaughter those who caused harm. Whoever lays a finger on Xiao Xiao will die by my hand!" Pseudonym yelled. He used Mana to amplify his voice. That threaten would serve as a deterrent for those in the crowd who had bad intentions towards Xiao Xiao. Also, Pseudonym aimed to let every kid in Suburra know that no one could harm people and still go unpunished by him. Willing or not, those poor people must acknowledge that good and evil depended on the stronger. On this Helial had a point; power gives your freedom. Though, who manages like power will master like freedom; this was Pseudonym''s belief. Well well, these two are at each other''s throat, remarked to herself a hooded figure gazing at the scene in silence. Her presence was hidden by the night. Her curves betrayed her sex just like the jade complexion betrayed her noble origins. Her eyes were filled with utter melancholy. She would have never believed that Pseudonym and Helial would get as far as this; the Champion was nailing Helial down to prevent him from doing something that he thought could harm someone. A pale moon ray escaped the clouds and shed its light upon the face of the hooded figure. The moonlight revealed her flawless green skin, a slightly disproportionate nose and a long braid of shiny hair. There stood one of the talents amongst the younger generation, though not the greatest, in the same clothes she was wearing at the banquet. Francesca. Caesar''s daughter was gazing at them from afar, her hands crossed on her breast. Meanwhile, Pseudonym was speaking words of hope. "I will protect whoever doesn''t deserve to suffer. The Orman law may not apply here in Suburra, but my justice does. And you have my word; justice is not dead!" A strange smile spread over the tiny face of Francesca, who knew Pseudonym better than anyone else there. The corners of her lips though didn''t betray the warmth of a true lovely smile. 134 Ideals A solitary dewdrop was streaking down a wall reflecting the moonlight. The milky rays shed their light upon two silhouettes in particular, as if their charm was enough to attract light itself. A dark knight standing majestically against the sky was bending down in a rather paternalistic way. His hand was clutching the shoulder of a young guy whose stoical gaze made him seem unheeding of reality. "And justice will always be by the poor''s side. Never by the wicked''s side," Pseudonym smiled behind his pitch-black helmet. The armor suggested a moral standing which could give courage to friends and terror to enemies. The metallic flares reflected on the face of a te years old Goblin who was holding tight a bowl of stew, now pretty much aware that no one would come and took it off his hands. Meanwhile, a fascinating pale-skinned young woman was gazing at the scene from behind a corner. She had half a smile on her lips: "Where was my Pseudonym when I needed it?" Shaking her head, Francesca disagreed with the words of the dark knight. She let out a bitter nostalgic giggle, gave a sigh and said to herself: "The weak succumb. Will you tie together the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle and the Sect of the Worthy for me, Pseudonym? Who will free my heart of this burden?" Francesca leaned against the wall of the hovel, immersed in darkness. She exhaled a long sigh whose moisture spiralled up to the moon. As it extinguished, the warm breath of air reached two figures standing on a rooftop. Their faces gave off dignity and royal bearing. One''s arm was wrapped around the other''s shoulder. A slight shade of red covered his face. "Can you remember when we were young? Gnic! Hahahaha! Look at them, having fun!" said Caesar as he raised his glass to the moon with a big round of laughter. "You decrepit bastard. When you were young, you spent more of your time rising empires than you did with your friends, I must remind you," Aure smiled, a mysterious light in his gaze. Caesar''s expression grew melancholy: "Still, I envy them. We''ve never enjoyed peaceful times. Those who found peace have actually just given up. Orma is under the threaten of many other races. We have our hands in mud." "You mean in shit?" Aure sighed. "If we hadn''t spoilt our people by welcoming Humans, maybe now we would have had way more promising talents in your younger generation," a flash of fierceness cross Aure''s eyes as he stared at Helial and Pseudonym. One moment later he glanced away, a powerless expression on his face. "Oh no, spare me. Last time our ancestors opposed Humans, both parties only got thousands of corpses to bury and nothing more." While the two old friends discusses on the rooftop, on the other side of the square, on top of an imposing bell tower, a huge white cat and a silvery-haired little girl sitting on his back were taking a look at the view. The girl seemed more of a tiny goddess; her long shiny hair sparkled in the moonlight and glided through the wind in breath-taking silver choreographies. "Pseudonym is way stronger than the poor dickhead," snorted Snowflake as a strange gleam shone in his eyes. If Pseudonym could nail Helial down with one hand, then Snowflake would be nailed down by his mere Aura. Lumia inspected the area all around them, scanning every corner in Suburra with her big green eyes. With one creamy hand she held the other and sat cross-legged as an ancient wise man. Lumia''s royal bearing was in striking contrast with her age, but her gaze carried an experience that no ten-year-old could boast to match. The elegance Lumia gave off was far beyond what human mind could concei- "The filthy whore is here," Lumia groaned in a hoarse voice as a frightening killing intent glistened in her eyes. Snowflake stared blankly for a couple of seconds before recollecting himself. He wasn''t yet used to Lumia''s mood swings. "Well, challenge her to a death match or something," the huge cat yawned, as if he had just said something obvious and thoughtful. "If I challenged her to a whore match, she''d be the one winning for sure," said Lumia as she shrugged. In that very moment, a third silhouette appeared on the bell tower. A woman in dark tight-fitting clothes enhancing her voluptuous figure and a black bangs covering her forehead said: "But if you challenged me to a flat breast match, your chances would increase drastically," Circe let out a giggle. Lumia brought her hands up to her non-existent breasts, where she didn''t touch but a desolate meadow. Lumia glared at the giant bumps trying to explode from within Circe''s clothes in their search for freedom. She spat out. Then, her gaze flew back to Helial and Pseudonym. Her spit flew from the very top of the tower to the ground. A dark shadow stepped slightly aside to avoid it. The shadow covered his mouth shaping a yawn and shrugged. His eyes glistened in shades of red as his slender fingers tumbled against the wall. His face was the perfect mixture of disinterest and unwillingness. His unrevealing gaze seemed to fly back and forth from Helial and the dark-clothes silhouette on top of the tower ¨C namely, his cousin. Vlad had been caught during on his night walks. Suddenly, he had sensed the presence of Francesca''s Aura just as that of many other people he knew. There all heading to the same point. Curiosity had led him to follow them and gotten him to stumble on that curious scene. Without their knowing, Helial and Pseudonym became the show of many of their acquaints. The crowd stretched as far as to the feet of the tower. People began to whisper. "That''s Pseudonym! Did he get angry with the boy? When he grabbed his shoulder, I heard a distinct crack!" one said. "Pseudonym is the greatest talent of this generation. What did you expect? That a baby could go unpunished just in his face? Pfui!" another said sharply. "Since Pseudonym began to talk, the other had barely a chance to reply. It isn''t the first time Pseudonym''s in Suburra, after all. And it''s not the first time he fends for the weak either. The boy is the new Human pupil of the King, and he''s clearly too spoiled to understand what it means to be weak and suffering." The crowd soon began to spread untrue voices, to which Vlad shook his head helplessly. "The greatest talent of his generation?" said Vlad, an eyebrow raised. "The Aura of that Human¡­" a scarlet spark flashed in his eyes. Suddenly, he started to see as if in the daylight. Skill Activated: Scarlet Eye Helial''s Aura expanded under the serious gaze of Vlad, whose eyes were now of a different color. Uncanny mysterious shades of crimson were gleaming in his pupils. Vlad slightly furrowed his eyebrows as an icy gust of wind carried the dust under his feet towards the center of the little square where stood Pseudonym and Helial. Fwooosh Suddenly, a string of images from the past came into Helial''s sight. He saw a little newborn wrapped in clothes held in his own arms. It felt like a dream. The baby had a vague trace of silvery hair on her tiny pink head. Her green eyes pierced his ice heart. He had long forgot what if felt like to feel something other than the hatred for his brother. The gaze pierced his very soul. It seemed to give him some strange inner quiet which let him ascend to a higher level. His Aura changed quickly enough. Pseudonym felt an unusual heat on the hand holding Helial which speedily wormed its way to the rest of his arm. He took notice of a SCARICA of sparks and a trail of smoke rising up from where his hand touched the shoulder of the boy. He knitted his brow. He gathered up his Mana to cover the whole armor and avoid the risk of having it corroded. And yet the strange power wouldn''t seem to decrease. Air turned electrified, like a wind from out of nowhere whose epicenter was Helial himself. As if the boy was the eye of an invisible storm. Helial''s dark hair began to flutter according to the rhythm of the wind as he slowly won back the control over his muscles. Pseudonym squinted. Before his eyes shone an illusion whose story let an unusual heat seethe inside his chest. The two Immortals over the rooftop caught sight of an illusory pearl-white Qilin materialized behind Helial. The Ancestral Creature was giving off such powerful a pressure it even hurt Caesar and Aure. Their expression grew serious. Caesar reemerged from his daze to give Helial the most satisfied look. "Can you see it?" Caesar asked, his voice filled with pride. "See what? You mean yet another human messing Orma up?" Aure helplessly sighed. Pseudonym felt the terrifying pressure emitted by Helial weight up on his own soul. It seemed like a primordial radiance the boy''s bones were imbued with. The Aura Helial''s soul was giving off seemed to awaken the Black Phoenix legacy inside his body just as if it had just recognized its natural nemesis. Pseudonym instantly took his hand off Helial''s shoulder. The boy began to slowly stand back up,hisback turned on him. Meanwhile, Pseudonym let all his Mana rush from his Soul to his Meridians. A blackish gleam immediately covered him up. Behind Pseudonym suddenly appeared the avatar of an humongous black phoenix who fiercely glared at the Qilin behind Helial. They seemed as strikingly different as water and fire. It was impossible for them to combine. Helial turned towards him as a shock of electricity was emitted by the contrast between such different Manas. "Have you even suffered in your life, Pseudonym? Was your life a difficult one, were you deprived of someone you loved?" Helial said bluntly. "Have you ever seen someone slaughter a thousand people in the name of some Ideal? Have you ever seen villages of common people whose last thought was a Dao of Mana be killed off in punishment? Do you really believe we live in a world of heroes?" Helial''s voice resounded solemnly. It was filled with pain. The boy was clearly reliving some scenes of his past in quick succession. "Those who want to stand out among anyone else, these so-called heroes in search for an ideal which sublimes their thinking , they''re only meant to cause suffering. Would you kill ten people to save one? Would you kill dozens of wicked to save three good souls? At the end of the day, your hands are as covered in blood as theirs were. Spare me your speeches on good and evil. Do your utmost, make your choices, be inconsistent if you like, but don''t restrict your will within the boundary of a dead ideal. Ideals can kill." As Helial''s words fell one by one upon a baffled Pseudonym, Curse of the Demon flashed into existence in a dark beam. With a shockwave generated by his Aura, Helial had everyone step back into safety. He firmly clutched the hilt of Curse of the Demon as he said: "And now let''s see if I can defeat the legendary Pseudonym." 135 Third bes Helial was slowly walking down a corridor of the Royal Academy. Behind him walked Lumia, Snowflake, Frankenstein and Lulu. They were all staring at him in curiosity yet none would dare shatter the silence. Like, almost none. "HAHAHAHAHAH !DID YOU SEE IT WHEN PSEUDONYM MOPPED UP THE FUCKING FLOOR WITH HIS FACE? I FUCKING RISKED CHOKING MYSELF WITH A FURBALL!" Snowflake''s sudden yelling broke up the silence weighting over the group. They all let out a sigh of relief. The heavy atmosphere really had made them uncomfortable, even though they didn''t know how to wipe it away either. Truth was, Helial had badly lost to Pseudonym without the least chance to react. Despite his outstanding talent and leading attitude, which they had thought powerful enough for him to defeat stronger opponents, the match ended up in a tragedy. They all knew that if Helial had challenged a warrior in the Third Phase Intermediate stage, by going all out he would have had many chances of winning. With Pseudonym though it had been nothing like that. The defeat was devastating. After the match, Pseudonym''s armor had no scratch. On the contrary, Helial had been knocked out without having brushed a finger against him. "No worries guys. It''s not like I''m depressed or feeling down. I was just thinking at what expects us next," Helial said as he ignored Snowflake, who was rolling on the floor laughing. *** A few hours before Helial slowly opened his eyes. He tried to focus his gaze on the place he was in. Judging by the colorful mosaic he could make out on the ceiling, he was in his room. A silhouette soaked into sunshine was sitting by his bed. Helial moved his eyelids repeatedly to make it our more neatly. "Master?" Helial asked Caesar, who was waiting for him to wake up. "I paid visit to make sure the match with Pseudonym has cast no shadow on your heart," Caesar said. His eyes looked serious. The state of one''s heart was at the very basis of Mana cultivation indeed. In the long run, peace of mind was far more important than fast level-ups. If Helial hadn''t come to terms with the defeat and tarnished his heart in rage, his Dao would have probably ended up devastated. The reason of Caesar''s visit too Helial slightly aback. He didn''t object though. After the months spent reading the manuals of the Royal Academy while listening to Iblis'' advice, Helial could boast a pretty vast knowledge on Daos. The fact that Helial drew from Iblis''s experience probably made him a far more informed expert than Caesar himself. His only lack was that of experience. "I''m too inexperienced. I know I haven''t fought in enough matches yet. The fact Pseudonym beat me isn''t a big deal to me," said Helial without going too detailed. However, Caesar was still concerned. "Do you think you''ll be able to beat him one day? Will you outdo his strength?" Helial shortly glanced up at the embellished ceiling of his room. Then he slowly gazed down until his eyes met the icy glare of Caesar. "Do you think Pseudonym would ever hurt Lumia or someone I love without a reason, just to prove he''s stronger than me or cause me any harm?" Helial asked Caesar. The question caught the King of Orma off-guard. Yet he knew the answer. Despite his mysterious past, Pseudonym was too strong for the powers of Orma to turn a blind eye on him. If he were to increase in power, he''d probably become the strongest unrivalled Immortal in the Goblin capital, one day. "No. Pseudonym firmly believes in pure absolute justice. He would never hurt someone for the sake of it nor to harm anyone else," Caesar said in bafflement. He didn''t see where this was going. "Then I couldn''t care less about outdoing Pseudonym," Helial said in a yawn. "It''s late. We have group training, today. We need to form the parties. Circe¡­" Helial suddenly interrupted midsentence, as if he had just recalled something. He coughed as his face flushed. "¡­ My fianc¨¦ asked me to team up with her cousin, and I still haven''t met him." Caesar raised an eyebrow. He felt surprised and calmer at the same time, but he wouldn''t give up. "Why wouldn''t you want to defeat Pseudonym, given that he doesn''t attack your family? Why doesn''t the idea of being stronger than him appeal you?" Helial stood up and began to wear the equipment bought at the Merchant Guild Caliban had delivered him personally. He shrugged. "Power is no absolute deterrent. If it should become a deterrent towards every human being, the freedom gained by the powerful would become their prison instead. I don''t aim to be the strongest," Helial said casually, "I want my strength to pave my way to freedom. I have no interest in using it to imprison others. If Pseudonym doesn''t threaten me, I have no intent on competing with him." "But could you beat him in a match one day?" the King insisted. He was curious to hear his pupil give him a feedback on that. Helial fastened his cloak. It was the piece of an equipment set recommended to him by Circe herself. "Makes you look like a man," she had told him, and Helial had nothing to object. The cloak had no Stats, so it didn''t really matter to him. Helial would put it back into his Interspace Ring, Call of the Mermaid, as soon as he stepped into the Dungeon. "If one day Pseudonym changed ideals and wanted to hurt Lumia, I would wipe him away from the face of the earth," Helial said without too much thinking. Caesar didn''t have any more questions. He bid farewell to his pupil, wished him luck for the training, and then walked away. He had some important business for the well-being of Orma to care about. *** In the present Helial was walking with slow steady steps. The hubbub around him left him unconcerned. Caesar''s words were echoing out through his head. "Could you defeat him one day?" Well. He gave a sigh as he glanced up at the end of the corridor. It gave on the training ground. An infernal bedlam of yelling Goblin disciples were splitting in groups for the training. Most of those Goblins had already formed a group, so there were little people still roaming in search for a team to join in. As soon as Helial stepped on the training ground, the voices lowered as many gazes fixed on his figure. Lumia looked about herself and smile: "Looks like you''re a celebrity now, brother." She let out a giggle, scrutinizing the curious gazes of the crowd. Helial gave her a helpless look. He didn''t like to be the center of attention. He knew perfectly well that many of those gazes actually betrayed the worst intentions. He walked forward, chin up. He took notice of a silhouette in the distance, taking a nap on a wooden bench on a corner of the training ground. His sharp shapely facial features were peculiar for a Goblin. Some strange demoniac charm seemed to linger on his face. His Aura was so mysterious no one would dare step too close to him. His ginger hair and the faintly green complexion made him look more like a Human and couldn''t but arouse doubt regarding his Goblin origins. According to Circe, her aunt fell in love with a Human. Together, they gave birth to a half-Goblin half-Human baby who inherited many more features from his father than from his mother. Helial''s new fianc¨¦ also told him that Vlad was matchless in talent. Yet, the youth showed no willingness to train. Vlad spent his day roaming free across Orma without much aim. From time to time he would take a nap, regardless of whoever or whatever lay in the surrounding. The mere fact that he was cousin to Circe made anyone unwilling to bother him. Except for Pseudonym, no one in Orma including the Sect of the Worthy wouldn''t give face to Circe or to her Guild of Life and Death. Even though the roots of Sect of the Worthy and the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle ran far deeper than theirs, and despite their foundation being more grounded, the Guild of Life and Death boasted a millennial unmatched expansion in Orma. This was mostly due to Big''s fierce management measures as well as to the fewer string they were attached to. The Guild had no Immortal in its ranks, but people thought that if not Big, Circe would surely become the first Immortal of the Guild. Circe''s generation was blessed by two talented youths beyond any common sense. Circe was frighteningly powerful, even more than Comodus in her same phase. Circe was probably the greatest talent in Orma. Caesar, Aure, Big¡­ none of them could match the full potential of that peculiar I-want-it-all young girl. Rumor had it than if she broke out the big guns, Circe would compete with someone in the Fourth Phase Intermediate stage. And yet, if a talent like that of Circe was one in a million, that of Pseudonym was a gem which could not possibly be outshone. Even the Immortals in Orma didn''t know for certain the exact nature of Pseudonym''s power and the extent of his potential. All in all, he had already pierced the sky itself and left a mark in the heart of every citizen in Orma. If she had been born in a different time, Circe would have probably been worshipped. However, she was unlucky enough to have stumbled on Pseudonym. She was doomed to be the eternal second in Orma. But according to what Circe herself said: "Vlad is your age. If he had trained all the time, today I wouldn''t have been called second, but third." What had truck Helial the most was to hear such words by an overly proud woman who wouldn''t admit publicly Pseudonym''s crushing superiority. Now he must find out whether she had told me so to convince him recruit Vlad for his group, or if the boy''s talent was really as terrifying as she promised. A sudden roar interrupted Helial''s train of thought. "You piece of shit, this Emperor Cat here his hungry. He wants to go hunting some snacks in some fucking wood. Why are we hear instead of going and ask more details of this Quest?" Helial''s slowness deeply irritated Snowflake. "We still need to recruit one more group member. Someone warmly recommended that I took someone with us," Helial answer as he looked at Snowflake''s candid fur. "Warmly, you heard him? It''s because the bitch is in heat," Lumia remarked with a sweet innocent smile on her face. Lumia''s obscene language left Snowflake puzzled. But he quickly nodded in satisfaction. Never leave an enemy alive. First rule of the Supreme Cat Club: you steal my food and I fucking kill you, bitch. Helial pinched Lumia''s cheek. He really didn''t know what to say. "So, who''s the lucky one we need to recruit?" asked Snowflake in ever more impatience. Helial pointed at a ginger-headed Goblin lying asleep on a bench. "I would like to find out how strong he really is first, so I''m thinking at how to test him. I''ll scan him out through Percept- THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, SNOWFLAKE?" As soon as Helial expressed his intention to test him, without thinking twice Snowflake gathered a frightening amount of Mana on his right paw. Twirling his claws, he delivered five sharp Mana blades towards Vlad. He hadn''t refrained. The blow carried 100% of his strength. Despite the target being quite far and brute force not being the cat''s strong suit, such attack could easily kill a First Phase practitioner caught off-guard¡­ And Vlad was sleeping! In that very moment, another group of powerful-Aured people stepped inside the training ground. They were all in the Third Phase. The eyes of the girl leading the group lay on Vlad just when Snowflake delivered his blow. "Now you''ll see." The Mana blades brushed against a few students who risked being hit. They promptly stepped aside in fear of being torn to pieces. Helial''s expression was dark. The attack could kill Vlad on the spot. Even though one could be brought back to life, that wasn''t the most effective way to recruit a new team member, that was for sure. If Helial really convinced some as strong as Circe suggested in their group, his position in Orma would become more stable. He needed allies in case of future problems. Also, Vlad was half-Human. The Sect of the Worthy would certainly look at him as a traitor to his own race. It was pretty clear they frowned upon Helial and the entire Human race. Sooner or later, openly or not, this would come to a conflict. He just needed to figure whether Vlad could make for an alley or a deadweight. Helial gazed at the Mana claws as they rushed towards Vlad leaving long trails on the ground. 136 The philanthropis Helial turned suddenly pale as he stared at the claws dashing towards Vlad without the sleeping guy doing a thing. Shit, Helial thought. To him, Vlad was already stone dead. Luckily, the blow wouldn''t powerful enough to blow his body to pieces. It would still be possible to bring him back to life. Once reached the First Phase, within the 24 hours immediately following their death, one still had the chance to be brought back to life. Even the worst could be mendable somehow. As Helial held his breath in, a stunningly beautiful girl with black bangs standing on the opposite side of the training ground covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. "What did you tell Helial, Circe?" asked Francesca from beside her, her eyebrows furrowed. "I told him Vlad is unbelievably talented," Circe said with an evil smile on her face. "Did you mention his bad temper?" Francesca asked in concern. "I''m afraid not. What a pity I''m so forgetful," Circe sneered. She was ready to enjoy the show. Circe''s charming eyes were fixed on the blow struck by Snowflake. Vlad was hit. It was a through and through. Everyone stared blankly as they turned pale. Helial''s expression through told another story. He suddenly turned towards Snowflake. Meanwhile, Vlad''s afterimage dissolved as quickly as the bench collapsed. "Watch out!" he yelled to Snowflake. "Mpf, this is what happens when you think you''re quicker than this ca-" Snowflake suddenly blocked, his mouth still open. An arrow was pointed through his jaws all the way to his throat, still nocked to the bow. Vlad was standing in front of him, a blunt expression on his face. He didn''t seem upset, despite what the row about to turn Snowflake to a spit made it seem. He''s quick! Helial said to himself as a smile curled up the corners of his mouth. He hastily reached for Snowflake. Hands raised, he said: "Forgive him. He''s too instinctive." Then he stretched a hand out towards Vlad as he said: "I''m Helial." Vlad looked at Helial with utter disdain painted on his face. "My cousin''s new pet?" Helial''s expression remained unchanged as he smiled at the ginger-headed dark-eyes youth. His brow irises glistened in vague bloody shades, as if a flame were burning down his eyes. "Put down the bow, please. I''m happiest when Snowflake is forced to shut up. What does not make me happy though is let one of my fellows be killed in front of everyone. Could you give me some face?" Helial smiled at Vlad as around them the temperature dropped by several degrees. Vlad slightly squinted. He neatly perceived the pressure Helial was giving off. It made him feel like he was standing beside a primordial demon instead of a simple guy. Instantly, he removed the bow from Snowflake''s jaws and tried to point it towards Helial''s head instead. No one could threaten him like that. Fwoosh! And yet, before he could even realize it, one second before the arrow pointed to the direction of Helial, a huge longsword was pressed against his neck. It had materialized out of nowhere. Even if Helial had pulled it out of his Interspace Ring, he still wouldn''t have enough time to bring it so close to him. Such acceleration, and such deceleration, were no ordinary feat. They required an extremely refined control over one''s strength as well as an explosive power. That feat was enough for Vlad to understand Helial wasn''t as simple a guy as he thought. Apparently, Circe found an interesting pet this time. "I won''t come with you," Vlad said laconically before lowering his bow. "If you''d had been swifter, you still couldn''t have done anything, you know?" said Helial with a smile. He put Curse of the Demon away. As the longsword disappeared, he twisted his fist in midair. Vlad''s eyes shot open as he gazed at a translucent barrier he hadn''t took notice of. It was blocking the trajectory of his arrow. Despite being paper-thin and not looking any protective, its appearance still took his breath away. He surely wouldn''t be able to pierce it with some ordinary attack. A silvery-haired little girl suddenly appeared next to Vlad: "You''re quick. But if Snowflake had been careful enough, you would have had zero chances of hitting him. Also, your moves were pretty instinctive and therefore predictable." As her wise words died out, Lumia grabbed Helial''s arm and tried to press her non-existent breasts against him. Then, Lumia cast a glance at the opposite side of the training ground. She scornfully glared at the group walking towards them. Clap Clap Clap Circe clapped as she approached them. "I must say none of you fell short of my expectations. You''d better go with them, Vlad. Otherwise, I''ll tell my dad you broke our Guild rules again." "Excuse me? I''ve broken no rules," Vlad said in bafflement. He stared at Circe right in her eyes, without taking the least step back before one of the most feared women in all Orma. "Oh, I know that. But do you wanna bet on whose word my father will trust?" Circe said as she stroked her chin, faking a thoughtful expression. A damned witch, everyone thought. There was no way out of Circe''s ruthless manners alive. "And you, little girl. Do you really think you can compete with me?" Circe panted icily. She disappeared and reappeared by Helial''s free side. She pressed her voluptuous breast against the poor King''s pupil, defenceless. Helial looked at his right then at his left. Then, he helplessly gazed at Vlad, his eyes asking for help. Vlad shrugged and turned, as if saying: "Don''t you think I have enough to think about already? What fool would step in?" However, Vlad''s expression changed drastically as he noticed Circe wasn''t alone. Her whole group was with her. The witch''s generals where Circe''s most trusted men. In Orma, one''s power was defined by the Level as well as by one''s leadership skills. The more the people one led, the firmer one''s position in the new generations. Circe was the leader of the second faction in Orma for strength and number, since a few hundreds of Royal Academy Disciples sided with her and obeyed her orders. Even Comodus couldn''t hold sway on as many people as Circe. Despite her being younger, the charm and royalty she exuded attracted everyone in the Royal Academy like the sweetest honey. Helial was caught among two fires he had no idea how to get rid of. Suddenly though, a voice resounded out: "Don''t wear him out, Circe. My father needs his pupil." No one figured whose voice was that, at first. But then¡­ Father? Everyone felt a chill down their spine as they stared at the girl who had just spoken. Her appearance was less flashy than that of Circe yet her bearing was twice as elegant. Her lovely smile would melt the iciest heart. Her eyes could mend every broken soul. Despite her beauty not being as fierce as that of Circe, her looks were those of a pure stunning rose. Circe cast her a glance, one eyebrow raised: "Mind the business of that monster you agreed to marry, Francesca." A gleam of disappointment flashed in Circe''s eyes, and a gleam of pity followed. Francesca''s only answer was a smile. Her face was as still as a mask. No facial feature would seem to betray the slightest trace of emotion, be it positive or negative. "Good soldier," Circe sighed as she shook her head. She slowly let go of Helial. But only after rubbing her two mountains on her fianc¨¦''s arm once again. Under the gaze of Lumia, who had that point was more than willing to skin her alive, Circe added: "Let me introduce you to the Generals of my faction." She stretched a hand out pointing at them. They looked much more like her little dogs than her Generals. "This is Flautus," Circe said in a smile. The man with a funny name came into Helial''s sight. He was two meters tall, brawny and strong-looking. Judging by his Aura, he must have been in the Third Phase Early stage. He was one stage under Circe, who already was in the Third Phase Intermediate stage. Flautus bowed at him in greeting. His stern glare surveyed Helial keenly all over. His expression portrayed a vague hint of dismay. Then he gazed at Circe with dreamy eyes, his mouth shut. This Flautus, it was clear, had a thing for Circe. Which didn''t upset Helial. But it wasn''t like he remained aloof either. In fact, he suddenly unleashed to the fullest the Destruction his Aura was imbued with. It soon suppressed that of the complacent Flautus. Flautus raised an eyebrow. He immediately tried to suppress the pressure Helial gave off, but he soon had to face the truth; not only didn''t Helial''s pressure diminish, it was also intensifying. Flautus grinned his teeth, ready to attack. Circe enjoyed the show, a smug on her face. Everyone else was staring at them in silence. Helial was no rash guy, but he didn''t like it when someone questioned his strength. From his standpoint, only the strong had the authority to ruler over the weak, and the chance to decide whether not to. Flautus posed no threat to him, but nonetheless his gaze had vaguely reminded him of the scornful eyes of Hades. Helial took a step forwards as he said: "Another glare will be the last thing you do before you die." He was standing a dozen of centimeters away from Flautus, who was gazing down at him. It was only due to his height though. Flautus was about to speak, when he realized he couldn''t even grasp the nature and intensity of Helial''s strength. Also, Circe was giving him a strange look. He gave a sigh and tried to stir up the corners of his mouth in a smile. Helial shortly nodded. He shrugged as he stepped back. Caesar once told him: "If you take it out on every glare they cast you here in Orma, you might as well get ready for a hell of a slaughter." Yet Helial''s answer was: "Well, but there''s a Mana Oath in the way." Did this mean that he if hadn''t been bounded by the Oath, then he would have slaughtered anyone who dared glare at him in disdain? Caesar knew Helial was no evil person. He didn''t believe that he was as deceptive as Comodus or as impulsive as Circe, yet there were quite a few sore spots in that boy they had better not touch. He would probably grow more mature, given due time; or at least this was what the King of Orma thought. "Oh, and you already had the pleasure to meet Francesca," said Circe as she winked at Helial, "Flautus is a warrior, while Francesca has a Secret Class linked to the Ninja one." Helial gave Francesca a puzzled look. Ninja? Ninjas were rare creatures. It was a further specialization of the Killer Class. Though, Ninjas were far more skilled than Killer when it came to Mana. They were creatures shrouded in mystery. Francesca''s simplicity seemed to have nothing to do with Ninjas. "This is Rice," Circe went on. She hinted at a skinny guy with pale skin. Helial surveyed him. It looked like any gust of wind could sweep him off his feet at any second. "Rice is an Archer. Or rather, his Secret Class employs bows too," Circe explained proudly. Helial cast Rice a second glance. He wondered if the guy could even notch an arrow without getting hurt. "And this is Dipper, a melee-combat expert as well as a skilled long-range warrior. Like the others, he has a Secret Class too," Circe listed out. This was the last one of her four Generals. "Though, they''re not members of my Team. They''re more like my bodyguards," she added as she gazed at the three men who answered to pretty questionable names. "One day you''ll meet my Team members too. In a match, maybe¡­" These words left Helial astonished. He promptly recollected himself and paid his respects to Flautus, Rice and Dipper, his hands cupped. He did the same for Francesca. Suddenly, a white shadow peered out from behind his back. "And now the time has come for US to fucking be introduced. Rice? Dipper? Flautus? Who''s the next one, Spaghettus? Fuck." Thick beads of sweat suddenly crowned Helial''s forehead. The cat was about to trigger Circe''s army. Despite Circe''s powerful crew, Helial was sure than when it came to words, his own army boasted a man ¨C or rather, a cat ¨C who had no opponents. "This is the asshole," Snowflake said as he pointed at Helial, "it''s a while he''s been following me everywhere. He fights with a big black dick. He has no-one-knows-which-Class." Inside Helial Soul, Iblis panted. The cat gave on his nerves. "This is our maniac," Snowflake went on to say as he lowered his voice as if telling a secret. "You look at her and see a cutie harmless girl. But trust me, she''s a madman. She''s dangerous. She vents all of a sudden, and next thing you know she''s all sweetness and love again. Also, she has this thing with her brother¡­" Snowflake''s hands mocked at some overly raunchy scenes who ensued utter hilarity. Everyone burst into laughter except for Circe. Who was that cat again? He seemed to be the leader of Helial''s group. But it wasn''t like he could actually be, right? "These two are the shitty Goblins of our team. Yeah, I''m race-inclusive, I know, you can thank me on the good I bring to this world later," Snowflake added. Helial had turned pale. Race-inclusive? What did that even mean? When you''re not training, you spend all of your time eating and napping, you damned cat! Snowflake cast a glance at Vlad and said: "He''s our new entry. Another evidence of my inclusive humane work. We also welcome bastards, as you can see." Vlad looked at him with eyebrows furrowed. Snowflake was speaking like a philanthropist, when in fact he only was an insane cat who had just attacked him in his sleep for no reason. "Then, last but DEFINITELY not least," Snowflake said as he stood upright on two paws, his claws pointed at himself, "here stands the Supreme Cat, destroyer of the dog race, lord of lasagne and sommelier of every milk ever produced all over the universe." As he finished his introduction, Snowflake landed on his frontal paws with the proudest expression on his face. "He looks more like a tiger to me," Rice remarked without much thinking. "I am a cat," Snowflake hissed as he glared at him. 137 A quest to complete "Nice to meet you, cat," Circe smiled maliciously before promptly adding: "I''ve already tasted what your race''s meat tastes like. Not bad. And cats'' fur is best for my winter boots." Circe surveyed Snowflake all over, as if checking out how to best employ every part of his body. As Circe gazed at Snowflake with evil eyes, Helial felt a shiver down the spine. Circe was his official fianc¨¦, but he still hadn''t had enough time to come to terms with this. It still felt like a dream ¨C or rather, given the malicious expression on Circe''s face, like a nightmare. But, well. Those two bumps on her chest would suggest that it might be a dream nonetheless. Unlike Helial, Snowflake glared down at Circe yet kept his mouth shut. Even though Snowflake was quite impulsive and proud of his own capabilities, he acknowledged that Circe was, after all, one of the most talented youths in Orma. Snowflake was pretty sure that his being Helial''s friend wouldn''t grant him any salvation. If he offended Circe, no one could spare him become Suburran Goblins'' new snack. Luckily enough, the hunting groups were called out. They soon had to gather and listen to the last information before the training started. Circe turned on her wheels and walked away without further ado. The students were dismissed soon enough. The group set out for the forest in excitement. They enjoyed no moment of silence along the way. Lulu, Lumia and Frankenstein tried to make friends with Vlad. Their train of questions though only got in a couple of mumbled syllables in return. Helial and Snowflake behaved differently than usual; their exchanges of words were serious and none of them hurled at the other. "So, they gave us the Infernal Seagull Dungeon to complete," Snowflake said casually as he cast Helial a sideways glance. Helial''s eyebrows furrowed. He glanced behind his back and said, his voice lowered: "Seagulls are dangerous unpredictable monsters. We all need to coordinate as best as we can, or they''ll blow our formation to pieces." "The beak of Infernal Seagullsis as tough as steel. They''re all in the Second Phase, so we can only kill them by hitting them hard. They feed with the brains of other animals, which they suck out through their beak. I wonder what we can come up with," Snowflake said. He looked unusually calm. Snowflake did boast a lazy ever-hungry attitude, but he did his homework. The days he had spent in the Royal Library made him something more than a complete ignorant. Being unaware about what danger could be hiding in the dark is a fatal move. Snowflake asked him: "How strong do you think Circe''s Generals are?" Helial gave him a baffled look. "No idea. Rice doesn''t seem strong at all, but Circe wouldn''t appoint an ordinary warrior as her General, would she? Flautus is no doubt the weakest, even though his melee-classed roots make him a swift expert both in attack and defence." With a twist of a hand, Helial raised index and middle finger: "Dipper is one to steer clear of. His Aura has more than one shape. Which means he has no single specialization. I would classify him as second best. And as far as Francesca is concerned¡­" From the very back of their little group, Vlad was walking listlessly as if dragged by the others. As soon as he heard Francesca''s name though, his eyes light up. He fixed his gaze on Helial. Helial immediately sensed two eyes lain on his head. He turned around and met Vlad''s gaze, fixed on him. "Did you see that?" he told Snowflake, who had turned as well. "I did. This whole thing sucks. Your girlfriend didn''t bestow you with her cousin. She burdened you with a responsibility," Snowflake said, a mortally serious gaze on his face. "Francesca is the strongest warrior of Circe''s little crew. Her talent is only second to that of Pseudonym or Circe herself," Helial went on to say, making Snowflake''s words go unnoticed. He turned again and gazed ahead. They went on discussing. After a while, they informed the rest of the group about the place they were going to explore in detail. It would make an extremely important test for their group. After all, Helial couldn''t solo every Boss they stumbled on forever. They would need to strike the right synergy. They walked in the Dungeon. It lay on a secret valley whose emerald meadows clashed with its threatening name, Infernal Seagulls Dungeon. However, the shrieks of the birds they heard from time to time would seem to suggest that the Dungeon name was a pretty consistent one. "Infernal" didn''t refer to the Dungeon indeed. It referred to the frightening seagulls whose food was the brains of their preys, which they sucked up after piercing their skulls with their steely beak¡­ "We need to pick up their feathers. Whenever you see a Seagull drop some item, dash for it," Helial warned them. "Now, let''s go into our formation. I''ll be at the forefront. Lumia and Lulu will be our supporters. Snowflake will stand just next to te, and will be our DPSer when I catch the attention of the Infernal Seagulls." Then, Helial turned towards the last member of their group and gave a sigh. "Vlad, I saw you have a bow. Any preferences on the position to take in this formation?" Vlad gave Helial the most disdainful look. After the baffled gaze of the group, he turned on him, leaned against a tree, and fell asleep. "Does he even do something other than sleep?" asked Frankenstein as he cast Helial a puzzled look. Helial shrugged as he said: "Ignore him. If he gets into trouble, I''ll reach for us. Now, we have a Quest to complete." Skill Activated: Perception Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin As they got ready for the incoming fights to face, and as Vlad noisily snored, Frankenstein began to solidify his Mana shaping it in a number of different ways. His expression was folded in a sardonic smile that betrayed his fullest enjoyment. "You scare the crap out of me when you do that face," Lulu said as she held the Staff through which she cast her Skills. "I''ve come up with a new way to employ my Mana. Look, it''s easy," Frankenstein said as he waved his hands in air like a maniac. Lulu listened to Frankenstein''s nonsense, lost in his ramblings. Meanwhile, Lumia was staring at the two Goblins in curiosity. They seemed to have bonded. Slowly, her gaze flew to Snowflake and Helial. Her lips shaped the kindest smile. Lumia really was happy to see some friendship in Helial''s life. Despite none of them being willing to admit it, Helial and Snowflake were now true friends whose mutual respect and admiral increased with each passing day. 138 Again Frankenstein was waving his hands like a maniac under the puzzled gaze of Lulu, who soon got lost in her friend''s complex line of thinking. While Lulu nodded, Lumia and Snowflake were trying to follow Frankenstein''s reasoning as well, yet a distressed frown was hung on their face. At first, Helial had thought that Frankenstein was a wanna-know-it-all maniac. He didn''t expect him to be a fully-fledged genius. And yet he was; the Knowledge Grade of Frankenstein''s Skills was constantly changing. Sometimes they would evolve, some others they would weaken. But they stayed never the same. Frankenstein couldn''t stand still for more than a couple seconds. Helial had saw him unconcerned of blooding injuries covering his body while fully focused on his experiments. The young Goblin would willingly strain his body to the limit in order to come up with a new Skill form. What was most astounding for Helial was the fact that at the basis of this was his thirst for knowledge. They all felt their personal kind of urge to continuously improve. Frankenstein would follow his desire for knowledge, while Helial felt a desperate urge for power. He would willingly slaughter his way to this goal. For her part, Lumia yearned for power too. She would sacrifice everyone but her brother to lay her hands on it. After all, if she were unable to keep up with Helial''s progress, she would turn out to be a burden to her brother once again. Lulu and Snowflake felt a fierce desire for strength too. Though if the reasons driving the former were clear, the same couldn''t be said of the latter. What drove Snowflake was indeed just as mysterious as his origins. Many times Helial had caught himself wondering what the descendant of an Ancestral Creature must be doing on such an insignificant planet. Despite not knowing how pure Snowflake''s blood was, the boy was pretty sure he must be some important Clan member. The only one who didn''t seem to car at all about progress was Vlad. While everyone was getting ready to fight, he thought if fitting to lean against a tree and take the most peaceful nap. Helial scanned the Dungeon carefully. The humid stones the tunnel walls were made of were covered in musk. As they walked through the entry, they noticed disgusting dark worms crawling all over the walls. From time to time, they would fall down then crawl all the way back to their starting point. Helial clutched Curse of the Demon with both hands as he let his Mana flow through his Meridians. They stepped on a lush green valley, whose luxuriant landscape seemed to be complemented by a great deal of dirt too. For every bunch of bright fresh flowers was a putrescent one gaddled by an indistinct pulp of dark worms. Snowflake jumped on the closest tree to sweep his eyes across the valley. He waved his paw at Helial to hint that he drew closer. The Dungeon was home to Second Phase monsters. They needed to pay full attention. Any wrong move would put their life at risk. They were already in formation. Helial was ready to engage in battle at any second. Their plan was to proceed unnoticed and kill the Infernal Seagulls one by one. If an entire pack should attack them, their chances of winning would drop down to zero. Worst-case scenario, they would beat in retreat. "Oh shit," whispered Snowflake from his higher position. "What is it?" Helial was taken aback. "I think we should leave this Dungeon. We''ll come back later!" Snowflake said urgently. His whiskers rippled up as his pupils dilated exponentially. The whole group took a fighting stance. They were ready to face the sudden incoming pack of birds. When suddenly¡­ BOOM! PRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! A powerful fart was let out of the supreme cat''s rear orifice. The tree Snowflake had climbed on was split in two by a cyclone that immediately eradicated all the surrounding trees. Snowflake fell down like a dead weight. An unpleasant smell spread across the valley. Some of the dark worms fell on the lawn, where the painfully powerful smell didn''t even let them writhe in pain. They all fell silent for an instant. It felt surreal. After the fart, the valley seemed to lapse into silence. Inside Helial''s Soul, Iblis went on reading his recipes books undisturbed. A clip appeared out of nowhere was holding his nose. He had a slightly disgusted expression on his face. "And Heavenly Star Tigers are the noblest creatures in the universe, huh?" Iblis shortly shook his head before leaning the book on his legs. Helial glared furiously at Snowflake. "What the actual fuck!" That morning, Snowflake had had his usual breakfast: lasagne, jelly donuts, milky cream, apple pie, lamb casserole, and salad ¨C to keep it healthy. Since he was the moving DPSer of their team, he couldn''t risk not being at top of his energies. He had also decided to renounce tohis usual additional hard-boiled eggs, spaghetti with mushroom sauce and parmigiana he usually ate after breakfast. However, another lasagne ¨C double, this time ¨C had compensated for such lack. Helial''s words shattered the quiet of the Dungeon. Suddenly, the shrieks of the Infernal Seagulls pierced the silence from every direction. The little group turned pale as a shiver ran down their spines. They had a situation. Skill activated: Perception You employ more Mana! Efficiency of Perception increases by 300%. Helial pushed Perception to the limit. He caught sight of a huge indistinct Mana fleck outflank them from every direction, including the escape route on their back. Helial noisily cursed as an unusual detail took him aback; Vlad was still sleeping. Helial appeared in front of him and delivered him a kick to urge him to get a move on. Pooff! Helial''s kick only hit an afterimage. Helial glanced up, expecting to see Vlad ready to run. But Vlad was still asleep, this time on a huge branch of that tree. Craaa! Craaa! Countless packs of infernal Seagulls appeared in the distance. Their steely beak glistened in the sunshine. One of those beaks would be enough to kill one group member. The only one whose build was resilient enough was probably Helial. No Seagull could easily pierce the Body of a Qilin. However, even Helial didn''t know the exact nature of the resilience of his body. He surely wouldn''t expect to remain unharmed if not fighting those seagulls. A huge pulsing vein bulged on Helial''s forehead as he looked at Snowflake, who was gazing at the pack of infernal Seagulls with a distressed frown on his face. The gaze of Helial and Snowflake met. They nodded and put their feelings aside. They couldn''t afford losing their focus now. Iblis glanced up and gazed at the sky in Helial''s Soul. He bit his lower lip. He clenched his fists as he grabbed his apron embroidered in purple bats. Around him, the grass waved violently as his Aura spread until it filled every centimeter of that place. After some seconds, he withdrew his Aura and relaxed. He went back to reading. His pupils gleamed as if in an attempt at piercing the sky to catch a glimpse of the universe''s far ends and of the stream of reality flowing through the infinity of time and space. "They won''t die today," Iblis sighed as he shrugged. A huge pack of Infernali Seagulls was about to dart towards the group, when suddenly Helial planted Curse of the Demon to the ground and joined his palms. Mental Energy 420,324/420,324 He inhaled deeply, his expression unchanged. Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin Unlike the other Stats, Flame of the Qilin employed Mental Energy instead of Mana. Mental Energy was a new Stat appeared in Helial''s Stat window only recently. Iblis explained him that not every Skill needed Mana to activate, since most of them actually relied on the user''s control. Mental Energy wasn''t but the resource which let him take control over the Energy of the Qilin. The Energy of the Qilin measured the concentration needed to best employ Body of the Qilin. If Helial had had an infinite amount of Mental Energy at his disposal, he would have probably managed to turn the entire universe to dust. However, using Mental Energy wasn''t that easy. To expand Flame of the Qilin so as to create a one-meter long globe, he would need to employ thousands of Mental Energy points. If he wanted to cover a mere Nation with his Flame, how many Mental Energy points would he need? Everyone gazed at Helial, wondering what he might be doing. Hundreds of Seagulls were dashing towards them, and he just thought it best to stop! What did he have in his mind? A flash of utter fierceness crossed Helial''s eyes as he separated his hands. The attrite made air explode all around them. Boom! Boom! Boom! All around Helial appeared white flames which seemed to have come out of an underworld. Their power could blast anything to dust. You used 12,682 Mental Energy Points! You used 10,342 Mental Energy Points! You used 16,224 Mental Energy Points! A number of huge flaming globes surrounded Helial until they slowly condensed altogether. As the pack of infernal Seagulls reached for them, a tornado of white flames appeared out of nowhere engulfing everything but their group. Instantly, hundreds of Infernal Seagulls were swept away as grains of sand. Snowflake gave Helial a shocked gaze. He knew the boy was a freak. But as the tornado of white flames blasted its way through the valley, he couldn''t but wonder about the gap between them. He had always thought to be only one step behind Helial. All of a sudden, however, that single step seemed to have widened up to the distance between heaven and earth. 139 Damned deadweigh Everyone stared blankly in shock at the attack Helial had just delivered. They couldn''t have imagined Helial would turn out to have such a powerful blow up his sleeve¨C or rather, everyone but Lumia. She knew her brother''s capabilities weren''t but boundless. Her blind faith in Helial was some sort of reverential bigotry. As the most faithful acolyte of a divine creature, there was nothing Lumia wouldn''t have done for her brother. The eyes of the silvery-haired girl sparkled with a never-ending worship for her brother. The carbonized corpses of the Infernal Seagulls fell down to the ground. The heat unleashed by the flames turned the sky to crimson. The long trail of fires Helial had generated transformed the heavenly valley in a hell on earth. Meanwhile, Vlad was snoring undisturbed. The whole situation didn''t seem to concern him. Circe''s cousin wasn''t the least upset by the thought a Seagull could thrust its beak into his chest and let him die at any second. Snowflake was in alert and ready to fight any other incoming Seagull. From time to time he would cast a glance to Helial, whose face had turned pale. The cyclone generated through Flame of the Qilin really did come at a high price. Helial quickly did his math. He realized he only had two thirds of his Mental Energy left. If he had kept employing it like that, he would have fainted. He couldn''t afford to deplete his Mental Energy to zero. Mental Energy was, after all, an alternative Stamina form; even though he still had enough points to create two other cyclones, Helial was well aware that he could only bear as much as one more. If he had pushed as far as two, he would have lost consciousness. He gritted his teeth. If other two packs like the first one arrived, he couldn''t face them all. They would need to melee-fight. Helial began to pray no other pack lived in the surroundings. Lulu was firmly clutching the staff she casted her Skills with. She was slightly trembling. Not far, Frankenstein paid her no attention as a gleam of folly flashed across his eyes. There seemed to be nothing but battle to him. He almost looked sorry for all those dead Seagulls he hadn''t had the chance to test his Skills on. As the flames devoured the valley and the smoke took away the breath of Helial and his friends, new packs of Infernal Seagulls glided through the sky towards them. They swiftly rippled out the shroud of smoke which made for a natural barrier. Helial didn''t pick up Curse of the Demon. He was focused on testing his limit. He melee-faced the first Seagull to reach their formation. Fwooosh! He punched the Seagull with his full force, making the air whistle. The punch hit against the beak of the Seagull. Crack. The eyes of the seagull shot open as Helial''s punch blew tits beak to pieces. Next second, its head exploded. Seagulls really posed a threat to common people, but Helial had an ancestral build out of legends. A Qilin not yet in the First Phase could have easily burnt that Dungeon down. Or rather, Qilins would haven''t even wasted their time erasing a lesser race like that of Seagulls. Helial had just showcased yet another terrifying Skill. Though he didn''t seem the least satisfied. Two other Seagulls appeared soon enough, one on his right and one on his left. Helial twisted his body as he turned his back on one and punched at the other. He needed to test his body resilience to those attacks. He would have never dared tried such a dangerous manoeuvre against different monsters. Since he was the MT though, he needed to make sure his defence was high enough to guarantee everyone''s survival. (NdA/MT stands for Main Tank. In video games, the Main Tank is the team member who receives most attacks so as to let the Classes with little defence yet high attack to fight freely without risking their life.) Boom! The seagull in front of Helial blasted away in a blood cloud as the other hit against his back. Dong! The beak of the Seagull pierced Helial''s clothes and nothing more, as if it had hit a barrel of steel. It merely left a reddish mark on Helial''s skin. Plop Plop Plop Helial turned around. With joined hands, he struck a blow at the head of another Seagull, whose explosion drenched his clothes in blood. After a couple ofexchanges of blows, Helial was already covered in blood. The blood was dripping down his tunic in an unceasing blood torrent. "Lumia! Raise a barrier to protect yourself and Lulu. Frankenstein will kill the Seagulls darting towards you. Snowflake will fight those on this side, with me. Vlad will fight those on the other side!" They all nodded to Helial''s order. In such a desperate situation, only those who had it enough of this life could really afford disobeying. And yet Vlad showed no intention to get up. He slept undisturbed as if nothing were going on around him. Helial lost his temper yet tried not to lose concentration. Lumia furrowed her eyebrows at Vlad''s inertia. He didn''t care at all about his own life. She began to believe Circe just told them to take him with them to make things harder. Lumia snarled icily as she took a step forward. "I''ll do it. Lulu will cast Heals, the others don''t need my barriers," Lumia said casually. Helial stared at his sister. She really was growing too fast. For an instant, he didn''t know what to say. "Lumia¡­" Helial said in a concerned voice. "I have Skills to defend myself with. Don''t worry, big bro. If you like, you can recompense me later by kissing me in front of that slut you happen to be engaged with," Lumia smiled maliciously. Helial cast her a desperate look as he said: "One kiss on the cheek. Fine." Lumia shrugged: "On the lips. With a little tongue also." Having said this, Lumia ignored Helial''s reaction, which namely was staring blankly at her. Their brother and sister relationship was getting weirder with every passing day. Before arriving in Orma, Lumia had seldom showed such confidence. Despite having long known his sister''s feelings for him, Helial never really knew how to reply. Lumia''s light green eyes glistened up due to the amount of Mana flowing through her Meridians. Her hair began to flutter despite there being no gust of wind. With the flame-engulfed valley as the most apocalyptic scenery, Lumia gazed intently at the Seagulls dashing towards her. One, two¡­ seven, Lumia counted. Fwooosh! Fwooosh! Fwooosh! The ground began to shake as if under the force of an incoming earthquake. Skill Activated: Lv: 6 Divine Gravitational Field Grade: White Knowledge Grade: Total Control Damage: / Effects: You can now dispose of an earthly gravitational field. Cost: it varies with the pressure exerted by the gravitational field. Efficiency: 100% Earth control is world control. The Seagulls suddenly seemed to change their flight trajectory. Their faces betrayed utter terror. It didn''t look as if they were acting intentionally. Next second, they clashed against the ground where a bunch of seconds before had appeared a trail of stark rocks. Their fluffy bodies ended up impaled. Unfortunately for them, only their beak was as tough as steel. Their body was by far weaker than that of many creatures in the Second Phase. Lumia raised her thumb towards Helial. She had shed no bead of sweat. Two other packs of Seagull appeared in the distance. One in front of Frankenstein, who promptly turned them to ashes in a flamboyant explosion, and one in front of Snowflake. The huge white-furred cat dissolved in a flash. When he reappeared, all Seagulls were headless. As Helial looked about himself, through Perception he took notice of a number of Seagulls flying from afar. After a closer inspection, his expression turned dark. Another pack. This time bigger. The Infernal Seagulls'' eyes sparkled with hatred towards the invaders of their homeland. They ignored the flames and dived at breakneck speed towards the group with no intention of letting any member survive. One of the Seagulls caught sight of Vlad on top of the tree. It suddenly darted towards him. Helial took notice, but thought it best not to interpose. Vlad must take care of himself alone. They had all made unbelievable progress in order to be an active part of the group rather than an hindrance. He would make no exception. The situation was already miserable; they couldn''t afford to look after someone who wouldn''t lift a finger for laziness. Roaar! Helial violently screamed. The whole terrifying power of Flame of the Qilin was unleashed. It blasted through the sky unrivalled. A flaming tornado bigger than the previous one devastated the land as Helial turned even paler. Before the tornado hit the Seagulls, Helial knelt down and spat out a mouthful of blood. The magnitude of that last attack pushed him over the limit. It felt like a blade was piercing his skull. In order to generate the tornado and take such control over it as to lead him far from his friends, the amount of control needed was insane. Helial was still in the First Phase Intermediate stage. For how huge it might be, an elephant can never survive the attack of a million carnivore ants. The Seagulls were fully exploiting their numeric advantage as well as their unconcern for their lives to suppress the group. Like the other, this pack was quickly pushed back. Every party member dealt with the remaining ones. Each of them had a huge pressure on their shoulders. Snowflake and Frankenstein were already injured. Lulu was casting her Heal Skill on whoever got wounded. She was doing her utmost to employ the proper for every situation. Despite her contribution being useful to each of her friends, a frustrated gaze hung on Lulu''s face; the frustration of those who wield no sword. Ever more Seagulls arrived though. Helial couldn''t but clutch Curse of the Demon and mow down more than a Seagull at a time. He couldn''t afford to go al lout again. At a certain point, he recalled the Infernal Seagull which had darted towards Vlad. He immediately turned towards him frightened by the idea he could have been killed. He should have told his cousin how the simplest Dungeon turned into the worst of cemeteries due to a fart. Helial would need to carry back home a pretty big piece of his body in order to bring him back to life. he couldn''t risk being evirated by his stunning girlfriend. His worries though were unnecessary. Vlad was still sleeping as if nothing had happened. The only difference was he had turned on the other side. Helial furrowed his eyebrows as he caught sight of a Seagull thrusted by an arrow. Its body was lodged on a tree not far from there. Without paying no further mind to that damned deadweight, Helial turned towards the incoming Seagulls once again. Suddenly, some terrible feeling punched at his stomach. An omen. He gazed afar in the distance. There was gliding another pack. Bigger than the first two. Far bigger. It was ten time as much as those. It counted thousands of infernal Seagulls. 140 Talent thrived on sheer sloth "Shit, shit, shit!" Helial cursed as he gaped at the pack of countless Seagulls. Things were getting rowdy. They couldn''t defeat all those Seagulls. They were just too many. For how outstanding was their group''s talent, those Seagulls were by far too many to bear. "Shit!" Helial lost his temper. "Vlad, what the fuck! Wake up, we gotta go!" They needed to find a way out of there. Helial decided to ignore Vlad. He jumped right beside Snowflake, leaving his side of the formation unguarded and breaking the ranks. "I''ll generate another flaming cyclone, but I must warn you I''ll lose consciousness. You''re in charge of the group. Make sure you all escape from this Dungeon. Frankenstein will clear a path and lead you out. Can you run away while carrying me on your back, unconscious?" It was a humiliating solution. He could use without being carries on a cat''s back like a sack of potatoes, but neither him of Snowflake said anything. The latter was still embarrassed about the trouble he had stirred up by farting. Snowflake quickly did his math. He tried to figure the gait of the Seagulls, then said: "I can easily make it to the entry. But the path must be wide enough. With too many Seagulls in the way, it will be hard to get us out of here." Helial''s eyes sparkled as he began to gather the Mental Energy left. He was ready to make an even greater hell out of that place. Everyone held in their breath as they waited for Helial to give them the chance to survive. Though, as they all waited in an eerie silence only shattered by the crackle of the flames and the shrieks of the Seagulls from afar, the sound of rustling leaves echoed out. Frsh Frash Frsh Footsteps. They all turned towards the sound. Before them stood a young boy with crimson hair. He had just brought a hand to his mouth to cover a yawn, unconcerned by the others'' glares and scorn. According to Circe, Vlad was extremely strong. Yet he did nothing. They all gave him a disdainful look. They were still covered in wounds from the fights he hadn''t helped them with. Helial was turned and paid him no attention, as he gathered ever more Mental Energy to convey in this last attack. Frsh Frsh Frsh Vlad''s footsteps were closer. Helial frowned and cast him a glance out of the corner of his eyes. He caught sight of a strange bow Vlad was holding, inlaid in red and gold. *** A few years before "So you''re not gonna train, brat, huh?" Circe said, an arrogant expression on her face. Before her was a skinny boy who seemed about to be swept off his feet by any gust of wind. He was sitting on the ground, his back leaned against a wall. His cousin had just woken, talking to him as if she were his mother. "Fuck off, Circe," Vlad said. He turned towards the wall and lay down as if nothing had happened. For that boy, marble seemed to be softer than cushions. Most likely, he could have taken a nap even over pointed rocks. "If today I don''t make you raise that skinny little ass of yours, I am no longer Circe," she said in a furiously despotic voice. Circe had always had questionable ways, and she would never take no as an answer. Even Big, the Guild Leader of the Guild of Life and Death, could do much against the stubbornness of his daughter. Circe raised a hand and evoked a little flaming globe. She wasn''t yet in the First Phase, though she could already master Mana as if she were born with a complete inner knowledge on how to. Everyone already appraised her as the greatest genius ever been in Orma. Even Caesar and Aure didn''t boast such talent when they were in her same age. Therefore, Circe grew up bloated, always ready to look up down. Circe cast the flaming globe towards Vlad. It wouldn''t be enough to actually injure him, but it still would burnt that rebel ass painfully enough. Maybe it could serve him some discipline. And yet, Vlad moved slightly away and casually dodged the flaming globe. Circe tapped her feet in anger. She was standing only three meters away from Vlad. How could she miss him? She cast another flaming globe. Missed. One more. Missed. Again, over and over. Missed, over and over. Down the corridor, Big was looking for his beloved wife to ask her why would she deplete the funds of the Guild to provide their house with satin and doilies, when suddenly his nostrils smelled burning. His eyebrows furrowed, Big stepped closer to an ajar door and peered inside. He perceived his daughter''s Aura from outside, but he had no idea what she might be doing. Was she planning on setting on fire the entire Guild of Life and Death? Big''s eyes peered through the hole and caught a glimpse of his daughter lying exhausted on the floor, drenched in sweat. He frowned in concern yet did not step in. After all, it''s a long way to the top. He knew the path of success is scattered with hard work and pain. And none of these couldn''t be healed by rest. Looking closer, he took notice of a wall which was now covered in burn wounds and black stains. At the very feet of the wall lay Vlad, his cousin, deep into a peaceful dreamless slumber. *** Inside the Seagull Dungeon Vlad slowly raised his bow and said: "Stop." He didn''t say anything more. Helial knew Vlad was speaking to him yet decided not to pay him mind. He went on gathering Mental Energy, ready to clear an escape route. How could he leave the lives of his most loyal friends in the hands of a guy whose only thought was sleep? Vlad shook his head and suddenly disappeared. He darted away towards the pack of Seagulls. Helial''s gaze was stolen by him. He heaved a sigh. "Even more insane than his cousin¡­" Helial interrupted his preparation for the attack, his eyes fixed on Vlad''s swift and precise movements. Vlad''s red hair seemed to have come to life. They were now glistening in shades as crimson as those of his eyes. "He owns an extremely powerful legacy," was the laconic comment which resounded out from Helial''s Soul. "What?" Helial was taken aback. "Wait and see." Iblis was too busy to bless Helial with a real answer. Hisssssss! A hellish moan rouse up. Everyone covered their ears to not turn deaf. The sonic wave though had no effect on Helial, who stared at Vlad in bafflement. Vlad was now covered in a bloody Aura which could be neatly seen. It engulfed his body from head to toe. In striking clash with his pale complexion and skinny build, it gave him the most demoniac look. Skill Activated: Lv. 3 Grade: White Howl of the Lord of Blood It helps Reflowing Mana through your Meridians to your Soul. Exp: 12.6% Vlad slightly raised his bow. Suddenly, over his head appeared the illusion of a crux. Skill Activated: Lv: 2 Crux of the Blood Sinker Grade: White Knowledge Grade: Suffering of the Life Cycle Damage: / Effects: Crux of the Blood Sinker gives you Bonus proportionate to your Mana Control. Immediate Effects: +300% Speed +200% Strength +200 Dexterity +400% Damage caused by Bow-related Skills Cost: 200 Mana/sec Efficiency: 100% Suffering is strength''s starting point. Those who carry the heaviest crux will redeem the mankind. Vlad disappeared all of a sudden. All the Seagulls within one hundred meters from him blasted away. The only one whose eyes could keep up with his movements were Helial, Snowflake and Lumia. Frankenstein couldn''t see what was happening, nor could Lulu make out the bloody figure dashing through the valley. Vlad was claiming victims at a terrifying speed with no intent of slowing his pace. As the lord of death, he was ceaselessly slaughtering his way through the sky. His expression though was as blunt as that of who is merely talking a stroll down the park. Snowflake felt a shiver down his spine. Vlad''s current speed was equal to his. Among lesser creatures, It was actually common for two individuals to boast equal speed; what was not possible, let alone common, was for a bastard like Vlad to match the speed of Snowflake. Besides being an Heavenly Star Tiger, the cat was the owner of the greatest Speed-related Skill in the universe. He was born to be an unmatchable swift creature. And yet, Snowflake was staring at the downpour of death in bafflement. What he was admiring could only be defined by one word; talent. Talent, and nothing more. That Vlad''s talent was so terrifying even Helial''s couldn''t hope to compete with it. Despite him knowing that Helial hadn''t yet showcased all the aces up his sleeve, no doubt was left on whose of them was the most talented. A great Skill, utter luck, and expert as a master. This was all shadowed by the outstanding talent of Vlad, not fed off studies and training, but rather thrived on sheer sloth. This was enough for Snowflake to acknowledge that it was the greatest, crystal-clearest talent he had seen in his entire life. 141 Something new Silence. Silence reigned undisturbed across the room, creating a world of its own. A pen was quickly scribbling some documents. It emitted the sound of steel on paper. The hand of the writer was glowing as if some unusual Aura imbued his every gesture. Two lively sparkly eyes were staring at the inky paper. Three young men were standing in silence a few meters away from the writing desk, hypnotized by the sound of the pen on sheet. Silence. The three waited in reverential fearful silence. Mostly fearful. Unlike the calm mystical Aura of the man sitting at the desk, that of the three men was rather chaotic. One of them, who seemed to be the oldest, had a disheveled fiery bearing. Hr cast a glance at a nearby chair, then sat down in boredom. He was trying to conceal the fear was slowly haunting him under his casual attitude. The guy suddenly coughed, gaining the glares of the two men standing by his side. By shattering that silence, he seemed to have committed sacrilege. The man sitting before the desk slowly raised the pen from his paper. Then his gaze. He gave a sigh ad said: "Comodus, Animus, Brutus. What have brought you here?" Animus immediately spoke up while glaring at the other two. He was the oldest of them, and the wisest for sure: "Some of us, Aure, are showing signs of impatience. They need news, they need numbers. Everyone is wondering when and how¡­" "Quiet," Aure said. He completely ignored Animus and went on writing as if nothing had happened. As Aure began to write again, the grating voice of his son resounded out: "Father! I think it''s time for us to pull the strings for our plan." The corners of Aure''s lips curled up. His wise gaze was still fixed on the paper he was writing on. "Comodus. You know, my son, if you only knew how much patience a writer needs to unfold a good story, you''d know that the time you need to conclude the narrative with a fitting end is twice as much as that you needed to write down the story itself. The time you need to build up the last detail is ten times as much as that you would need to establish an empire." Aure''s words carried a frightening pressure which suffocated the three men so much they couldn''t even hope to breathe. "Animus, Brutus, you want to bring this new brat on your side, don''t you? This way, if Comodus should become the Leader of the Sect of the Worthy, you''d gain more benefits." Aure''s eyes betrayed the boredom he felt towards his son''s and his fellows'' stupidity. "The day a son like that becomes the Leader of the Sect of the Worthy, I will exhume our ancestors'' bones and eat them up one by one." Aure began t write again as if nothing had happened, but he suddenly stopped and stood up. "Writing helps me. You don''t," he said with an edge of contempt. "Become Immortals. You''ll havethe whole eternity to wait away." The miserable expression of Animus and Brutus'' face seemed to be begging for forgiveness. "Before that happens, neither you or that scoundrel of my son have the right to raise objection in front of me," Aure''s voice sounded tyrannical. "Before we entered into agreements with Humans, Orma was the very center of the world. Ours is no ungrounded hatred. I don''t hate Humans because they are Humans. I hate them because Caesar put the greatest Goblin warriors at the mercy of human nations and concluded peace which only got us disgrace," Aure said as deep resentment vibrated in his voce. "We all know Caesar''s campaigns as well as his skills on the battlefield and as a leader. But we''re all meant to grow old. Even Immortals'' life is a cycle. But before this cycle is disturbed by insignificant beings like you, I will be crippled." Aure cast a glance at a statue standing on one corner of the room. It portrayed him and Caesar in the act of conquering an Undead outpost while extinguishing three other Immortals altogether. It represented one of the most glorious victories of Orma in the recent times. "Orma once thrived with Immortals. Then we blended with the closest human nations. We once boasted armies that could compete with the most powerful armed forces not only in this continent, but in the whole world. A few minor factions throughout the universe would have by now known our name, if we had stepped down on that same path. But we changed course. What''s left now? Our Immortals, the very foundations of this empire, are gone. The King thought it best to take a Human as his pupil. The other talents we boast are those craps of Circe and Pseudonym. How can we hope to return our empire this way?" Aure drew near to the statue. His sorrowful eyes gazed at the finely carved face of Caesar. He put his hand on that face and tenderly stroked. "We were once brothers. For centuries, we have fought side by side to defend the splendours of Orma, until he decided to sell them away¡­" Crack Caesar''s head was shattered to pieces before the gazes of Animus, Brutus and Comodus. Aure rubbed his hands together to tidy them up. He stared in melancholy to the marble pieces scattered on the floor as if gazing at the fragments of his own past. Aure slightly squinted as he said: "My Divine Sense is fixed on the Dungeon the Human and his little group have gone in. They faced some troubles, but they are just now making it to the exit. Even that insignificant Vlad is more powerful than expected." As he gave Comodus a meaningful look, Aure shook his head and went on to say: "Vlad is more talented than all of you altogether, you know, Comodus? Let''s see if you were able to obey my order, at least." Humiliated by his father''s words, Comodus violently gritted his teeth without further ado. After all, the pressure pressing him down would have prevented him from speaking anyway. A string of images flashed inside Aure''s mind. Helial and his group were exiting the Dungeon. Their clothes were torn up and their eyes were bloodshot. Vlad looked no better; his hair was shaggy and his face was covered in crimson stains. Apparently, his outstanding talent didn''t prove to be enough for him to make it out of there unharmed. Helial and the others had played a big role to in the clearing of that Dungeon. However, they were so exhausted they only wished for a chance to rest and recover. Helial was just about to sit down and activate his Breathing Technique, when suddenly a black shadow came into his sight. The shadow was too swift, and Helial had no more energy. There wasn''t much he could to defend himself. He could not but stare blankly at the shadow as it darted towards him and¡­ hugged him? What? Helial felt the softest bumps press against his chest as a wet kiss laid him down on the grass taking his breath away. "Mhhh!" Helial complained. He didn''t actually figure this out. As he lay on the ground, he finally made out the silhouette of Circe, riding him in a very ambiguous position. Circe was frighteningly charming. The sight of her sitting like that would have tempted everyone on earth. Her voluptuous figure and stunning beauty could have easily made empires collapse. Lumia raised a hand and slashed it down towards Circe while screaming: "Die, you whore!" Skill Activated: Divine Gravitational Field Sharp earthy spikes rushed towards Circe from all directions. Everyone stared at Lumia in bafflement. More than her attack, what shocked them was the mere fact the little brat had still some Mana left. Snowflake curled his whiskers and stuck up his pink nose. It didn''t seem to him that Lumia had refrained during the fight, since she had continuously provided full Support to every group member during the fight. But if her efforts had been as intense as those of the rest of the group, then how come she still had Mana? Lumia must have more Mana than hem. No way out. As he realized this, Snowflake shuddered. Circe sneered at Lumia before evoking a spherical shield which blocked every attack. When the spikes hit against the shield, it didn''t even shake. The strength gap between Lumia and Circe really was enormous. Helial glared furiously at Lumia as he yelled: "Next time you do something like that, no one will spare you my punishment!" Regrettably, Helial had always been too good to Lumia. He had always spoiled her, letting her complains get the best of him without much effort. This was the result; Lumia had grown up too rash. Helial''s vague threaten stirred up no concern in the heart of Lumia, who promptly figured out a way to benefit from it nonetheless. Two big tears swelled up in her eyes. She was ready to make it fall for it as always, but her brother''s gaze had already been stolen by Circe''s breath-taking beauty. In her rider stance, Circe gave Helial a lascivious look before planting another kiss on his lips. Then, without bothering to lowering her voice, she said: "When will I be punished? I have been a bad, bad girl, you know?" This being said, Circe pushed her backside backwards to rub it against Helial''s underbelly. She was perming very unchaste moves. Lumia was about to lose her temper, but at least she wasn''t as disgusted as Vlad, who wormed its way through the group until he appeared before them. Circe hadn''t cast him a glance yet. When she saw him, she exclaimed: "Never seen you so beat-up, cousin. Fighting with this group has clearly done you good. I am glad to see that." Vlad gave her a disdainful look as he replied: "We have risked dying today. If I hadn''t stepped in, we wouldn''t have made it out of there. Otherwise, I would have spared myself the effort." Having said this, Vlad flopped down against a tree. Next second, he was snoring noisily, as if sleep was the only thing that took priority in his life. A strange smile curled up the corners of Circe''s mouth as she gave Helial a satisfied look. Helial''s eyes flew to Circe''s pearly cheeks then to her evil yet lascivious gaze. He couldn''t help a hot flush sweeping over his underbelly. As Circe went on taunting him, Helial did something so unordinary it left her speechless. The Human boy stretched out a hand, brushed his fingers against her cheek, and said: "I''ll deal with this." These few words were enough to amaze Circe. They carried a way deeper meaning than it seemed. An utter magnetism was sparkling in Helial''s eyes. Circe had entrusted Vlad to Helial only to mess things up for the both of them and wreak a little havoc. She couldn''t imagine Vlad would have actually put himself out there. Maybe they didn''t know Vlad, so it was no news for them that he had fought for his life. Though, Circe knew what Vlad was capable of. She knew it way better than anyone else. The fiery-haired brat had never bothered lifting a finger even when his life was at stake. And yet there he was, covered in wounds with his clothes all worn out. How easy would it be for Vlad to have fled instead? Circe slightly squinted. Looks like I underestimated my new pet here. Her heart leapt out and started pounding. She had always been unperturbed, eve while tempting Helial''s naked body. And yet, the simplest stroke seemed now to shake her beyond any imagination. Without much ado, Circe stood up and shook the dust off her clothes. She gazed at Helial while licking her lips and gave him a malicious smile. She tried to put away the feeling that had just caught her a few moments before. "I''ll come back and grab what''s mine," she said as her eyes flew down to Helial''s britches. "I need to go now. There''s some Quests waiting for me. Guild stuff." Helial stood up as well. He didn''t say anything. His fianc¨¦ was unfathomable. It would take him some time to create a real bond with her. And yet, for the shortest instant, Helial had caught a glimpse of something down Circe''s eyes, something that struck a deep chord within him. "They must be waiting for me," Circe said with an overly tragic edge of melancholy in her voice. "Later," she added, blinking to Helial then to Lumia. As Circe wiggled her voluptuous backside all the way to the forest, she suddenly seemed to have recalled something. Without bothering to turn around, she said aloud: "There''s someone following you, by the way. Be careful." She disappeared through the dense wood as she let out a ghostly laugh. 142 Too good They were just too exhausted to pay mind to Circe''s warning. They preferred to stop in front of the Dungeon entry to rest and try to recover some of the Mana that had been depleted during the strenuous fight. The only one who seemed vigorous enough to hop around was Lumia. The little girl was glaring at her brother, with a hint of contempt in her gaze and a sullen expression on her face. "A princess. I might have accepted it, if she were a princess. But the filthy whore wiggles her ass around as if the whole world were lying at her feet," Lumia violently cursed. She sounded more like a stevedore than an innocent girl. Snowflake, however, had already gotten used to this. He resolved for a shrug as he calmly listened to her complains. Lulu approached them. She had just walked away from Frankenstein, whose experiments risked involving her in severe collateral damage. In moments like that, it was wise to stay away from Frankenstein. Lulu gently took Lumia by the weave and told her: "Circe''s the second best talent in Orma. We have to come to term with this. There''s not much we can do, really." Lulu hoped that tender physical contact and her resigned gaze could help Lumia, though it seemed to cause just the opposite. "Talent? You call that talent?" Lumia''s eyes began to faintly glimmer with some strange divine light. Snowflake sensed a substantial change in Lumia''s Aura. In that very moment, a hand gently touched Lumia''s head. Helial looked at Lumia''s silvery hair as he closed his eyes and cast his mind back to the little baby in diapers who stared at him with sweet tender eyes. We must all be free to make the decisions that will forge our future path. Helial opened his eyes. He smiled at Lumia''s behavior. Circe was a powerful woman whose talent exceeded ordinary standards. Helial though had found new standards he evaluated the world by. Despite him not knowing the real extent of Circe''s strength, he knew it was only a matter of time before Lumia could compete with her. All of a sudden, a black-banged kid with an overly bored expression on his face materialized in front of the group. He walked next to Helial. Then he threw a punch at Helial''s stomach. Helial''s pupils shrunk as he was shot through the woods like an arrow fired from a bow. The branches he hit against broke one by one. "I''m kind of disgusted by that woman too. For now, you''ll get what I''ll willingly gave to her," the kid with the black bangs said. Then he rubbed his hands to tidy them up under the shocked gazes of everyone. Lumia''s eyes lit up. The little girl bowed at the Devil. Iblis took notice of the respect paid to him by Lumia and gave her a benevolent smile as he said: "Shithead asked me to train you many times. But today, you have proved to be way more helpless than I thought. And you have already received some of my teachings. If you don''t want to weight this Shithead down, you need to work way harder than that." In order to defeat the pack of Infernal Seagulls, they had all fought strenuously. But eventually, that wasn''t a clean win. They were exhausted and covered in wounds. Snowflake was still bleeding from several injuries that stained in red his pearl-white fur. Frankenstein and Vlad had a lot of bruises all over their body. Lulu''s expression was disfigured by debility. Iblis though promptly rephrased. "All of you but one," said he as he gave Lumia a satisfied look. Then, he cast a glance at where Helial landed after the blow. Meanwhile, Lumia''s racket had waken Vlad up. The sudden arrival of a little kid who had just humiliated Helial through a single blow, struck almost casually, puzzled him. The others though didn''t seem as baffled as he was. They must be acquainted with this kid''s manners. Lumia in particular seemed to deeply respect that little kid. Vlad found himself staring at the scene in utter bewilderment as he kid began to list out the mistakes made by each member of the group, from Helial to Frankenstein, suggesting solutions to do better. He seemed to have analyzed the battle from above as if through a microscope. Iblis talked to them patiently. He answered each of their questions. Everyone could not but notice that his few words were by far more precious than a full week-long training. Helial''s master - the Devil who materialized out of nowhere - was a frightening creature with mysterious origins. Yet they were all sure that his power was boundless. As everyone was hanging from the lips of the kid, Vlad grimaced in disgust at their devotion. Then he turned around to go back to sleep. However, something unexpected happened. Once turned around, he found himself to be staring in the eyes of the black-banged kid, who was staring back at him with curled lips and a complacent smug. Vlad immediately gathered his Mana. Incoming death was looming over him. However, no drop of Mana flew through his Meridians, as if it were completely frozen. In a split second, Vlad''s Aura turned scarlet. Then, the Devil stretched out a hand and gently touched his forehead, dissolving his Aura as if it were air. The power that had let the ginger-haired boy be the Lord of Death with the Seagulls was but a grain of sand before that Devil. Vlad finally realized the gap between the two of them. Iblis gazed at him as inert Vlad desperately tried to evoke his Aura. "Who are you?" Vlad hissed, staring at him in the eyes. Iblis calmly raised a hand. BANG A devastating slap hit Vlad in the face, smashing it several centimeters in the ground. "Do you think your meaningless capabilities are even worth my sight? Even the fucking God of Blood in person couldn''t lift a finger before me. This asshole of a planet has no right to think of my name. But this little bitch wants to play arrogant with me." "There''s nothing I want to learn from you. Leave me alone," Vlad said through clenched jaws. He tried to stand back up. He failed. Iblis drew nearer. He put his feet on Vlad''s head and pressed just intensely enough as to leave on his face a mark which would only go away after several days. The guy wouldn''t forget this outrage. "Damned senility. I''ve become too good. Once, I would just slaughter your kin as well as everyone who has been unlucky enough to ever speak with you. But you''re still playing arrogant. Do you even know how high the sky is?" Iblis stretched a hand up to the sky as he said: "I won''t ever teach you anything. Only those who desperately yearn for strength deserve to hear my teachings. You''re a weak. I don''t waste my time on the weak." "Weak?" Vlad said in shock. From what he had seen in the Dungeon, he was by far stronger than any of them. Helial was the only one he could challenge without getting too bored. "Oh, I''m not talking about your current strength. You''re only larvae, as things stand. What does it matter which larva is best? Though, one day they will turn into butterflies. And by that time you''ll only be the smoking piece of shit as now. You have no ambition, or worse, you don''t think you need some. This is something you will regret." Having finished his educational and refined speech, Iblis snapped his fingers. Vlad''s eyes turned bloodshot. The fiery red-haired guy tried to stifle the scream worming its way to his lips as three nails still dripping blood glided before Iblis. There were still some pieces of flesh attached. "Do you think to get away with that? One more word, you''ll lose a finger. One after that, you''ll lose a feet. After that, an arm. At the fourth, you''ll lose your life." As he spoke, the expression on the Devil''s face remained calm and peaceful, as if he were taking a stroll instead of torturing someone to death. Vlad didn''t say anything more. Death was looming over him as closer as ever. He kind of understood what kind of person he was dealing with, as well as he realized that if he dared get on his nerves again, the Devil wouldn''t hesitate to make good on his promise. If that monster didn''t fear any repercussions from the Guild of Life and Death, it meant his power really was beyond Vlad''s imagination. Also, Vlad was shocked by the fact the Devil knew about the God of Blood legacy he owned. He thought it best to preserve himself a little and shut up. A bruised Helial re-emerged from the woods without a word. He ignored the sight of Iblis torturing Vlad. Helial had personally experienced how dangerous it was to be arrogant to Iblis. He was sure that if Iblis should be in the right mood, he could easily raze Orma to the ground in the blink of an eye. Immortals? Helial''s master was the most terrifying creature existing. One day, he would have to face far stronger opponents than Comodus, or even Aure. Helial was only at the beginning or his journey. Iblis left Vlad lying on the ground. He gave the group the last instructions. He shook his head in disappointment at Helial. Then, he disappeared in a black beam inside his Soul. Helial could neatly smell what seemed like homemade jam. His Aure really turned into the Devil''s culinary experiments'' lab. Everyone sat down to recover Mana while meditating on Iblis'' teachings. Their Auras changed drastically and grew visibly denser. Even Helial, who received Iblis'' suggestions from within his Soul, let his Soul undergo radical changes. The only one who experienced no change was Vlad, who seemed to disdain the group just as much as before as he licked his wounds with his back against a tree. *** After picking up as many Infernal Seagulls Feathers as possible, the group set off to Orma. Frankenstein approached Helial with an uncanny worrying light in his eyes. Helial immediately caught his intention. "You can take all of those we don''t need for our Quest. Just, no more experiments inside the palace." Frankenstein furiously nodded as a flash of pure folly sparkled down his eyes. Infernal Seagull Feathers were fantastic material for his testing. Frankenstein stepped back to the back of the group, talking to himself while analyzing aloud the data he had collected on Infernal Seagull Feathers. The wounds staining Snowflake began to heal. The regenerative properties of a Heavenly Star Tiger body couldn''t compete with those of a Qilin or of a Black Turtle, though they certainly were the third best in the universe. His fur now only had some whitish scar which would probably disappear within an hour. Suddenly, a terrible omen loomed over Helial as he recalled of something."Circe said there''s someone following us." It may have been too late to worry, but it would still be wiser than not to. Skill Activated; Perception 143 Ambush Helial gazed intently about himself. He sensed the presence of perfectly hidden Auras in the distance. If it hadn''t been for the continuous training he had dedicated to Perception, the Skill wouldn''t even have let him spot them. Judging from their Mana density, it must have been a group of twenty Third-Phase warriors. They were likely to be in the Intermediate stage. One of them though seemed by far denser and darker than the others, ss if it were soaked into death. That must belong to a Fourth Phase practitioner. Helial violently furrowed his eyebrows. If all their enemies had been in the Third Phase, then Helial and his group would have had at least one chance of running away. But against a Fourth Phase practitioner¡­ They could not make it. Snowflake slightly raised his face and sniffed the air. A strange light flashed across his eyes. Him and Helial immediately exchanged a glance. They had both realized they were right in the middle of an ambush. Helial shortly shook his head. Those opponents were too strong. They couldn''t afford a direct fight; this was what Helial meant. Snowflake got this. His expression darkened. If even that monster of a teenager said the situation was helpless, didn''t it meant their opponents had at least a Forth Phase warrior in their ranks? However, Helial decided not to let his expression betray his feelings. They kept on walking as if nothing had happened while cheerfully chatting ¨C everyone but Vlad, who dragged his feet unwillingly at the back of the group. Did the little bastard sense the incoming danger too? Snowflake asked to himself. Suddenly, a deathly smell pierced the cat''s nostrils. Who would come all the way there in order to kill them? The little group earned a number of strange looks in Orma. Someone surely wanted them dead. The Auras of their pursuers gave off no good intent. Helial was no fool. If such a team was chasing after them, it meant it would be no ordinary group of Royal Academy Disciples. Someone had been sent there to kill them all. Helial smiled as he suddenly said: "Guys, I think I''ll reach for Circe. Go back to Orma, I will catch up with you later." He made sure his words carried a vague hint of Mana, just enough to persuade his friends and not alarm their watchers. Helial had a feeling it was him those people wanted. If he managed to divert the Fourth Phase warrior''s attention from the others, they would have a chance to run away. The others nodded and shrugged without finding anything to object. The only one frowning was Lumia, who cast her brother a furiously jealous look. She bit her lip, however, and followed the others on their way to Orma. Snowflake took a couple of steps forward. Suddenly, he stopped and cursed in a low voice: "Shit." His Aura erupted all the way to the sky, as if in an attempt to pierce the heavens. "Step out, you pieces of shit! If this Supreme Cat leaves a brat alone for fear of being killed, then his corpse can be buried in a sea of shit!" Snowflake screamed in a tyrannical fury. The whole group was puzzled. Vlad slightly squinted. He had noticed something amiss too, but his senses weren''t as sharp as those of Snowflake. Skill Activated: Scarlet Eye Vlad''s eyes were shrouded in a bloody Aura which immediately amplified his sight by three times as much. His expression darkened visibly. He instantly said: "Can the freak help us?" He quickly inspected the surrounding area and realized they were surrounded by stronger warriors than they were. Even if their group had joined forces and fought strenuously, given that they had any Mana left, they still couldn''t hope to face up to this threat. And Vlad had no intention to kick the bucket on that very day. The only one who could save them was the kid lookalike freak who had torn his nails away without even touching him. "He won''t. He''s our guide, but he doesn''t care at all whether we live or we die," Helial said with a solemn expression on his face. They had to fend for themselves. Helial cast a glance at Snowflake; the cat decided to take action. His decision though wouldn''t necessarily have positive effects. Helial could not but deeply appreciate the sincere loyalty of Snowflake, which he so often concealed under a candid shroud of arrogance. Clap Clap Clap The sound of clapping hands spread through the woods as the canopy of trees began to shake all around them until it revealed twenty frighteningly revolting creatures. Before the eyes of those kids stooda number of sickening disgusting dead corpses. Their decaying skin was corrupt with a number of bulbous oozing an unearthly pus. Their putrescent smell engulfed Helial''s group. "Undead?!" Helial exclaimed in bafflement. Undead and Goblins had been fighting each other since way back. They were historic arch enemies¡­ How could they possibly be stepping on the Orman soil? This wasn''t some murderous plot planned by the Goblin aristocracy! The news of Caesar''s new Human pupil must have spread all the way to the ears of the Undead, who decided to get rid of him before he could turn into a problem. They got ambushed! Some fishy detail though was upsetting Helial. How come so many Undead could walk across Orma unobserved by the Divine Sense of the Seniors from the Royal Academy? How come neither of the Immortals living in the capital had sensed them? The most terrifying Undead of the group, the same who had clapped his hands, burst into laughter. "We have some special item which temporarily blocks the surrounding space. We are currently standing in a space vacuum. It doesn''t matter if the Divine Sense of one of your Seniors stretched as far as here; no one under the Eight Phase could spot us. Or spot you." The Undead removed Helial''s doubt as though he had been reading his mind. The boy swallowed. For this drill, only Fifth Phase Seniors had been mobilized. That was, after all, the Dungeon drill of First Phase Disciples. No one could have imagined that all of a sudden, the Undead would become bold enough to pass the Goblins borders. "My name is Codfish," the Undead said as a broad smile spread over his face, "and I must say I admire the braveness of your kitty. You sure must be reckless enough to think to face up to me and my men." Codfish laughed heartily. The game seemed to be over for Helial and the others The gaze of Codfish suddenly flew on Lulu and Lumia. His decaying eyeballs glistened in a disquieting light as if they had come back to life. Codfish raised a hand. It was the sign his men could now attack. "Spare no life, but leave the two little girls for me," he said as he rubbed his hands. The Undead slowly moved forward surrounding the group. "Do you really think you can ran away unpunished after roaming through Orma?!" Lulu threatened them. She thought she could instil some fear in them. However, it didn''t seem to have worked. "Cut her tongue off. I don''t like it when sluts talk too much," Codfish said with a twist of a hand. The eyes of the group leader of the Undead little army fixed on Lumia. He gazed at her intently, captured by her bright emerald eyes and silvery hair. "We stumbled on a tasty treat this time. Looks like I''ll need to thank the young master," Codfish sneered. Suddenly, Codfish''s sight was blocked by a fearless boy with a resolute gaze on his face. "Easy, brat. You''ll dieright away. We won''t go easy on you!" Codfish couldn''t help laughing as he pondered on how they were going to end up. They were done for. Helial''s Aura changed drastically. All around him, the world began to lose its color. He suddenly wound up surrounded by Illusions as some indistinct signs materialized over his temples. The suffocating pressure suddenly exuded by Helial made all the Undead in the Third Phase retreat. But not Codfish, who icily snorted as he suppressed Helial''s Aura almost effortlessly. Curse of the Demon flashed into existence in a dark beam. Helial firmly clutched its elsa as a web of black veins bulged on his face. Vlad stared blankly at Helial, whose Aura was now twice, three or maybe even four times as powerful as during the fight against the Infernal Seagulls. It looked like he had refrained himself, before. Vlad smiled. His Aura drastically changed as well. Caesar''s pupil wasn''t the only one who still had a couple of aces up his sleeve. Helial''s index fingers gleamed up. "I''ll kill the leader. Can you deal with the others?" Helial sked. Snowflake looked about himself, a majestically solemn expression on his face: "The mother of all cats be a slut if I couldn''t." It was tense. The Undead slowly stepped forward as Helial, Vlad and Snowflake were gathering all of their strength. They were ready to engage in melee-combat. "So, Circe was talking about them?" Helial suddenly said to himself. "Why wouldn''t she warn us, then?" Helial was baffled. "You girlfriend must be insane, if she left you in our hands and still hoped to see you again! Hahahah!" Codfish laughed wildly. Crack The sound of a branch breaking reached Codfish''s ears from behind his back. Thud Thud Clang The sound of footsteps and clinking clangers hit the ears of the Undead leader, who immediately turned to find out where the sound came from. 144 A bold one The sound of footsteps and clinking clangers hit the ears of the Undead leader, who immediately turned to find out where the sound came from. Thud Thud Clang "Actually, she was talking about me," said a black shadow. "She did notice those too, but somehow decided it would me my problem rather than yours." Codfish icily glared at the total-black armor appeared out of nowhere. He suddenly sensed his blazing Aura. "Third Phase, huh? You''re a bold one. No one under the Fourth Phase could even hope to defeat me! Hahah, you brat have come to di-" Codfish''s words died out newborn; Pseudonym grabbed him by the head and lifted him up. Pseudonym''s terrifying Aura erupted. It suppressed any Codfish''s attempt at a resistance. "Not as bold as you," Pseudonym said in a hoarse voice. Bang! Codfish''s head exploded in a blood rain as Pseudonym turned towards the other Undead. With a twist of a hand, he generated a string of black tongues of fire he targeted towards them. They soon engulfed the remaining Undead, who turned into ashes in a split second. Before dissolving, the Undead let out bloodcurdling cries that sent a shiver down Helial''s and his group''s spine. Helial, Snowflake and Vlad stared at Pseudonym in bafflement. They all knew Pseudonym by the fame which preceded him, but never did the very legend disclose before their eyes. Codfish was merely in the Early stage, though in the Fourth Phase nonetheless. How could possibly Pseudonym kill him so easily? He had cast no Skill. Yet he made a killing. What was the real extent of Pseudonym''s power? Pseudonym took a step forward towards Helial. *** Sect of the Worthy, Aure''s studio A panting servant was rushing toward a hardwood door. He frightfully knocked and waited for someone to give him permission. He had a lump in his throat. From within the room, a voice resounded out: "Come in!" The servant pushed the door and took a fearful step in. A couple of candles were shedding a feeble light in the dismal room. Their shadow cast a ghastly shadow on the serious faces of the men standing inside. Despite the darkness, the servant felt four pairs of stern glares fix on him as if in an attempt to skin him alive. Fear. The servant lapsed into silence, trembling with such fear he forgot the reason why he had stepped inside that wolf den. An impatient voice wakened him from his slumber: "So?" The dead-fearful servant promptly tried to recollect himself: "Y-Yes, my lord! Someone detected the presence of a group of Undead outside the Orman walls, across the Goblin lands." Everyone raised an eyebrow. Only Aure seemed to remain unchanged. "Go on," ordered the second Immortal in Orma. However, the servant could not speak any farther. Comodus, Animus and Brutus were suffocating him through a terrifying pressure under which he could move no muscle. Often times in Orma people would assert their status through mere strength in order to warn the weaker they had better stick to their place. Aure despised this shameful show-off; it only prevented the attendants to do their job. Unlike the men standing before him, he had completely withdrawn his Aura. With a twist of a hand, he had the pressure weighting down the servant dissolved. The others abruptly turned towards Aure, in puzzlement. As he felt the gripping burden disappear from his heart, the servant quieted down a little. "It would appear they attacked the King''s pupil! But Pseudonym was there too. He saved them. They said he killed off every creature trying to ambush the King''s pupil in the blink of an eye!" Suddenly, a hint of satisfaction flashed across the servant''s face; the Human really proved to be so useless he hadn''t killed no Undead. Obviously enough, a simple servant was not aware about the plans of the most powerful men in Orma. He had no idea the ambush was indeed organized by those he was speaking to in order to eliminate the Human boy. Comodus immediately lost his temper. He gave a disdain glare at the satisfied smile of the unsuspecting servant who, for his part, only waited for them to dismiss him. Comodus felt a sudden urge to vent his anger on that inept servant by blowing him to such small pieces his body could never be reassembled. However, Aure''s glare pierced him. His father was no tyrant, let alone a despot. Aure had indeed fought his way to the position he currently boasted. He would have never killed an insubordinate without solid ground to do so. On the contrary, Comodus had been raised in utter luxury. His position had come at no cost. His life had gone smooth enough. He didn''t know what mercy meant, let alone sacrifice. In Comodus'' eyes, any servant was no different than some animal whatsoever. This was the reason why Aure would never let Comodus become the new guild leader of the Sect of the Worthy. Aure was trying to tumble Caesar from the throne only because a nationalist like him could not bear Caesar''s lax attitude any longer. Aure had spared no effort for Orma. He wouldn''t watch his city collapse without lifting a finger. "You can go," Aure said with a smile on his face. The servant bowed and hastily hurried away, closing the door behind. Aure began to write again. As he noticed Comodus''glare at the door, he casually added: "If I should be informed of the death or disappearance of that servant, you''ll need to find a brand-new pair of hands." Uncontrolled fury mounted Comodus'' body, though he couldn''t object. His father was still committed to the ancient Orman values. He couldn''t get over a pointless life waste. If Aure thought that Goblins were meant to fight altogether like brothers, from Comodus'' standpoint they were but beetles he could play with to reach his goals. Animus tried to lighten up the tension: "We need to focus on the fact the Human pupil is still alive, Aure! This will ruin our plans!" "If Orma doesn''t declare war to the Undead, it will be them who will," Aure said with a hint of disdain in his voice. He glared at his son Comodus and shook his head. If he weren''t his flesh and blood, he could have already torn him apart. Why was his son so disgraceful? And why would Animus and Brutus support him? Aure stared at the paper before his gaze, brushed his fingers against their surface and accurately put them inside his desk drawer. He stood up and crossed his hands behind his back. His purple tunic fluttered like the ceaseless flowing of sea waves. "The root of Orma''s problems isn''t the boy. This won''t change our plans. If he became even stronger, he would still pose us no problem as soon as he doesn''t become an Immortal. And that won''t take him short. Our biggest problem, as things stand, is Pseudonym. We can''t muster a regiment big enough to eliminate him," Aure said as he pondered his every word, "or we''d draw the attention of the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle. We know he''s in the Third Phase Intermediate stage, but the real extent of his strength is something we have no clue on. One day, he could become the worst thorn in our flesh." Comodus took a step forward: "What if I challenged him in the Arena?" Aure gave him the look one would cast to a retarded. "Do you really think th- Well, you know what? Be my guest, challenge him in a life or death match. Maybe I would finally get rid of the retarded I call my son." Before that father-and-son grudge, Animus and Brutus couldn''t but fix their gazes down low. "I am in the Fifth Phase Intermediate stage! Pseudonym is two full Phases under me!" Comodus said as he lost his temper. "Be my guest, I said. I can''t wait. Someone please tell Pseudonym he doesn''t need to refrain only because he''s fighting my son," Aure said with a smile as he stretched his arms outwards. Comodus was about to explode in fury. However, his bit his lips until they bled and fell silent. Animus and Brutus gazed at him in bafflement without saying a word. How high was Aure''s consideration for Pseudonym? Orma knew Pseudonym as an unmatched monster. Though, they didn''t expect the second Immortal in Orma to pay such respect to that black-armored warrior. "If my son were Pseudonym, I wouldn''t have needed to stoop to such intrigues," Aure said helplessly. Then, he shrugged and went on to say: "We need Pseudonym out of this game. He can''t be the spanner in Orman works forever." He gave Animus, Brutus and Comodus a serious look. "I''ll have the smartest one in this room deal with it." Animus, Brutus and Comodus exchanged a look as they wondered whom would be charged with that task. "It''s me, of course. Idiots," Aure exclaimed. "If I need something to be done properly, I''d better rely on myself only." 145 What would the outcome have been? Our collective consciousness tends to depict Immortals as stoic creatures. Even in front of a catastrophe, an Immortal would keep their cool.When We the word Immortal comes to our mind, we picture a heavenly being who won''t distress over the earthly things which condition the little swallow human emotions. But this time, the case wouldn''t apply. As Helial reported to the King what had happened in front of the entry of the Infernal Seagulls Dungeon, Caesar began to tremble with anger. An unheard of fury mounted his body. "Those slobs dare step on Orman soil?" Caesar spoke lead heavy words. The towering range of the King of Orma sent a shiver down Helial''s spine. Helial had always seen Caesar measure his every word. Judging by the King''s expression though, the Undead must have pushed themselves beyond any limit. Caesar clenched his jaw. Above the bridge of his eagle nose, his eyes were burning with savage anger. They seemed to be about to leak fire any second now. Things would appear to be even worse than Helial thought. Caesar slightly quieted down. He gave a sigh and turned towards Helial, a distressed frown on his face. "If Pseudonym hadn''t stepped in, what would the outcome have been?" the King asked his only disciple. Helial joined his hands and respectfully bowed. Helial didn''t really loved those gesture which, he thought, seemed pretty useless. However, he realized that would be a wise moment to show the King some face and let him calm down. "A Fourth Phase Undead with a Third Phase team makes an opponent a First Phase party can face," Helial declared after a brief pause. Caesar looked dissatisfied with his pupil''s answer. He turned on Helial and began to walk down the corridor of the throne hall, lapsed into silence. "Here in Orma, your name is still tarnished by the awful reputation Humans brought inside our walls," Caesar started off after a few seconds. Apparently, he had seen it fitting to ignore Helial''s answer to his question. "Orma is home to a significant number of Humans, but this minority is deeply hated." Helial resolved for a solemn nod. It was indeed true. Human and Goblin were not the same allied nations as before nor did Orma lack Human inhabitants. However, they were mostly beggars living down the Suburran areas where they slept on the edge of the road and roam through the neighbour in search of a loaf of bread sto steal. Otherwise, they were salves serving the most powerful men in Orma. No Human had the chance of stepping down the path of success. No Human could hope to take part in the Senate nor be appointed to any high position. Even the Guild of Life and Death, who boasted the widest open-mindedness in Orma, had no Human in its ranks. Ever since Helial had become the King''s pupil, his every action had been observed as if through a microscope. In the eyes of the Goblin population, his decisions would set the standards by which to judge the Human race itself. Despite his not making any sense, it was just the way it was. If Helial should make a mistake, his whole race would have been labelled. On the bright side, this also meant he had a chance to win back the reputation Humans had across the city-state. "You need to earn a good name, fame, and power," Caesar said solemnly. "As the rest of the world, in Orma everything comes with power. You can do as many Mana oaths as you please, but if you don''t prove to be charismatic and powerful enough, no one will side with you.Ever." "It sounds like you already have a plan," Helial tasted the waters. Caesar shortly nodded as he hinted that Helial approached him. ¡ã¡ã¡ã Helial was running at breakneck speed across the forest. The green canopy of trees flashed by his sides. From time to time, a sunray peered through the thick foliage shielding out the sun to shed its light on Helial''s face and pierce his eyes. "If you want to build yourself a reputation, Colosseum is your quickest way. The Orman games are but warriors matches. We have three different competition types; 1v1, relay race 3v3 and a group competition. Step on the Colosseum and build yourself a name. Snatch the credit you earn for away from the hands of the audience. Once you reach this goal, you will become member of the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle without facing any resistance." These were the words spoken by Caesar when he suggested his pupil how to build himself a name which will grant him the respect of the Orman population. Helial dodged the tree branches as he looked about himself in uneasiness. He was running through a forest set fifty kilometres away from the Orman walls. That is to say, he was running through the areas surrounding the Capital. After the latest events, it sure wasn''t the best place to feel safe in. Obviously, he hadn''t reached as far as that following his own will, but that of Iblis. He didn''t know exactly why. However, he knew the Devil well enough to be sure he had his reasons to do so. Most likely, his master had some special training in mind. Luckily, he might be already getting ready to convey to his disciple the special teaching of the day. With a surge of thought, Helial cast a glance at his Soul. The kid with the black bangs was sitting on a chair which was visibly too big for him. He was swinging his legs back and forth. In his hands he held a voluminous book twice as big as his head. Judging from the torn out binding, it must have been some ancient tractate. Helial nodded to himself in satisfaction. He could not be any more proud to follow the advice of one of the most terrifying creatures in the whole universe. He was looking forward to finding out which tyrannical technique he would learn at any second, so he gazed at the book title. What he saw left him speechless. Peng! A tree branch hit the utter baffled Helial in the face. Iblis gazed slightly up and caught sight of Helial. The boy had just rolled on the ground in a summersault that got him to land on his face. With a wave of a hand, Iblis put the book on the table. Now, the title that had just upset Helial was visible. "The ancient art of tagliatelle," the title went. What tyrannical technique?! Helial was trembling with fear. Unfortunately for him, each of the people he had in his life would constantly try to attempt on his life somehow. His train of thought was immediately interrupted. In front of Helial materialized the greatest Devil ever existed. A distressed frown on his face. Iblis quietly checked Helial out. He began to walk around him as he gazed at his disciple intently. "You haven''t given Caesar a real answer. But you will answer me. Do you know what would have happened, if you had to face those Undead?" Iblis repeated his question, his eyes squinted. "Our chances of winning would have been the lowest. We would have probably needed to sacrifice¡­" SLAP! Helial''s was slapped on a cheek by one of the kid''s little hands. In a flash, Helial crashed against the string of trees behind his back. You lost 75,234 HP! Iblis began to slowly walk towards his disciple, who lay lifeless on the ground. His neck was twisted unnaturally. He grabbed Helial by the tunic and injected a full discharge of Mana in his body. Your body is still intact! A Mana Injection brings you back to life! "HAAAAA!" Helial deeply inhaled and gasped for air. This was his first death and coming back to life. It was an awful experience indeed. His stomach was just as upset as he was. "I want to know what you should have done in that situation, with a Fourth Phase warrior and a Third Phase team to face?" asked Iblis as a dash of anger rushed through his body. Helial gave him a puzzled look. He pondered for a few instants then said: "I should have focused on long-term safety, we would have ru-" BANG Iblis flung Helial''s body to the ground. A large crater formed due to the impact. The web of cracks opening up under his body left little doubt on his chances of survival. No one could survive a blow like that one. Once again, Iblis brought Helial back to life and stared at him in the eyes. "What the fuck¡­" Helial cursed at Iblis'' folly. BANG! BANG! BANG! Iblis went on hitting Helial to death for several hours. The boy was killed and brought back to life relentlessly. The sun glided down and hid behind the mountains as the sunset sky turned into crimson. Helial was covered in blood from head to toe. As he was resurrected again, a ranging fury mounted his body. The kid''s black hair stand out against the crimson sky. Quite a noble, authoritative shade was added to his usually frightening look. On the bright side, if there was one even, it was that Iblis'' punishment had now come to an end. He was now sitting in midair, cross-legged, with a solemn expression on his face. The Aura exuded by his body corroded the surrounding vegetation yet spared Helial. Obviously, if Iblis hadn''t been refraining his Aura, Helial would have been turned into ashes. Having expired slowly, Iblis opened his eyes. "Heed these words." Helial''s eyes were fixed on the Devil as he waited for him to speak. The Devil''s piercing glare burnt his skin. He couldn''t but ponder why he would have been punished so harshly. Did he give an incorrect answer? It would be a possible reason, if the kid let him answer more than once before killing him repeatedly. Bring someone back to life as Iblis had done¡­ An ordinary person would have needed at least a full hour to help someone come back to life. However, it would only take Iblis a couple of seconds. Thus he punished his disciple. "The Soul is the temple of your body, the very motor of the form in which Mana materializes. Every thought derives from Mana. Will derives from Mana. Everything has their origin in Mana," Iblis said. "Up to today, I ignored one fault of your Soul because I truly didn''t believe it would make an obstacle in such a brief term. But now listen to me, Shithead; Souls varies with grades. The higher your Soul''s grade, the better it reflects its owner''s very essence." Helial squinted. He tried to grasp what the Devil was talking about, naturally failing. 146 Sparring partners Countless eras before A black-haired youngster folded both hands behind his back, sealing his huge disclosed bat wings. The breath-taking silhouette of two young girls stood by his side. Iblis, Tsukuyomi, and Siche. A deep arrogant smile was hung on the Devil''s face as he disdainfully stared at the figures in front of him. Three creatures exuding a terrifying Aura were lined up on the opposite side. Right in front of the youngster stood a middle-aged man with a majestically stiff posture. He was staring at him with stern icy eyes whose shape seemed to be carved out of the rarest marble. They seemed the eyes of a heavenly effigy. On his left side stood a similarly figure; a man whose eyes flashed with fiery rage. On his right was a young woman with golden hair and a gaze whose flares would pierce the eyes of those lucky enough to meet hers. Qinguang, Kirin, and Amaterasu. Qinguang cast a disgusted glance at young Iblis and his daughter Tsukuyomi. "You have asked for a little cease-fire so that we could talk," Qinguang said with a hint of contempt in his voice. "These were not my words, Qinguang. I said I wouldn''t raze your shit of a Clan to the ground along with your faggot alliance just because Amaterasu has yet to understand what kind of people you are," Iblis said as his smile spread across his face. The beard on Qinguang''s face trembled as his eyes blazed afire. "Who dare you insult the Clan of Life?! Before you were even born, we already ruled over this universe undisturbed¡­" Qinguang said furiously. "These two hands," Iblis said as he raised up his hands and turned them back and forward childishly, "have killed your Great Senior, Seven Heavenly Ancestors and so many Immortals I could never count them. I''d say a million, give or take. Do you really think I am here for a cease-fire? One day some of you could even face up to me, but the only thing that bothers me right now is that you keep messing things up across the universe." "You destroyed an entire planet just because they tried to catch Tsukuyomi¡­" Kirin said as he foamed with rage. He was ready to take his original form at any second. He was currently in his Human shape, which was a little more comfortable if he wanted to look at those people in the eyes. However, a split second would be enough for him to go back to his original, unparalleled, unshakable Qilin shape. Iblis'' eyes were framed by a web of black veins which gave his gaze an overruling demoniac look. "You denied Tsukuyomi just because she chose to step on a different path than that of her sister," said Iblis as he shrugged, "whoever tried to hurt her or any other of my disciples will die, but only after witnessing the death of every friend, acquaintance or person they have ever talked to. "Which is to say, they will die due to the fact you did order to fight me. Let me remember you that I am the one who saved Tsukuyomi from the formation you had trapped her in." "You slaughtered three more planets before Tsukuyomi could even step on them," Amaterasu remarked. The upset expression on her face betrayed her utter shock before Iblis'' not caring attitude. Amaterasu and Iblis had been close, but they had long realized they could never win back what they used to share. Iblis had had to fight hard to flee from the grip of the Clan Amaterasu took part in, to avoid being killed. As time passed, he had had no choice but to grow stronger so that he could face her whole Clan alone. And now, no creature in the universe could rival the Devil. Iblis and Amaterasu had once been at the same level. However, the Clan of Life had decided to haunt that monster down to the end of the universe. If they had imagined that by doing that, they would only give him a chance to grow even stronger, they would have never provoked the rage of that demoniac creature. But the time for regret was long gone. The Clan of Life had declared war to the young monster. But so far, none of the countless valorous warriors had gained the upper hand. Since the very beginning of the conflict, Iblis had even dared ignore them so as not to slaughter them entirely every time they would get in his way. This was no conflict to Iblis. This was merely a hassle. This had always made the Clan of Life blush in shame. And now that Iblis had asked for a cease-fire, they did not know what to think. After long consideration, they had accepted. Their enemy only boasted a dozen of warriors in its ranks. On the contrary, millions of Immortals sided with them. Many of them died every day. That was a conflict they had no hope to win. "Shame on you, wretch, for you have chosen to follow this bloody monster and betray your Clan," Qinguang icily snorted turning towards Tsukuyomi. "Shame on you for abandoning your daughter and trying to get rid of her after she gave up on your bigot idiot gang," Iblis said as he took a threatening step forward. Suddenly, a dozen of Immortals appeared out of nowhere who swiftly attacked Iblis from every direction. Qinguang squinted. He was ready to attack. Some inner instinct though suggested him to stay put. Iblis cast a glance at his left and right. A blackish beam shone out of nowhere and a dark longsword flashed into existence. His Aura erupted in a death explosion. It felt like its user had just stepped outside the Styx itself. The Devil slashed down. Once. Then the weapon disappeared just like it had come. As he slashed down, a black Mana blade materialized out of nowhere and frontally hit the dozen Immortals attacking him. They were split in two. Shrieking bloody pieces fell down to earth as a mysterious terrifying corrosive force gradually blew the rest of their bodies to pieces before they could even realize it. Usually, an injury like that one would be nowhere strong enough to kill an Immortal. For some reason, however, Mana seemed to have suddenly stopped flowing through their body. They could not but stare blankly as their bodies fell down to pieces bringing them inexorably straight to the end of their Soul. As Iblis rubbed his hands to tidy them up, the bloodcurdling cries they emitted made a frightening background to the terrifying frame of his figure. Iblis cast a glance at Qinguang as he said: "One more step and suddenly these two girls would have turned into orphans." Who could have thought that the Clan Leader of the most powerful Clan in the universe would have trembled in fear before a monster ten times as young as he was? "What do you want, Iblis?" asked Qinguang as fear gripped at his throat. "If you weren''t father to these girls¡­ Without this only bliss, you would have already turned into plant food," Iblis said with a nervous twist of a hand, "but we both know that as a matter of fact, our Destruction army can''t face up to that of Life. Which is why I am gathering new disciples to form a new alliance." Qinguang gave him a puzzled look. "Oh, you don''t need to worry. If I had wanted to declare war to you guys, none of you would have been breathing by now. I would have risked my life, if I had faced your whole army myself. But I''m not sure you would have caught me even." Qinguang began to trembled uncontrollably. What they had always feared the most had come true; since Iblis had nothing to lose, he would have gone for guerrilla techniques. Thanks to his incommensurable power, if he avoided direct combat, then he would have easily slaughter their ranks. Iblis had never even bothered plan anything against them. He would only attack those who attacked him. "Destruction isn''t much about Chaos as it is about freedom. That''s why I want to fund an alliance based on trust rather than one based on the fear to get imprisoned by those in charge," the Devil said as he gazed at Amaterasu in pity, "there''s always be room for you, Amaterasu, if you want," Iblis said, blinking. Amaterasu paid him no mind. Blushing in embarrassment, Iblis almost choked in his own words. Peng! Qinguang and Kirin fell to the ground, upset for his utter shamelessness. "Are you trying to snatch away from me the only daughter I have left?" And what is that your expression on your face ? You have just killed a dozen men in the blink of an eye. Their cries still resound out through the universe and you blush for a girl?" "In order to prevent my disciples from succumbing to the forces of Life, I decided to personally guide their footsteps down their Dao of Mana, This way they''ll be able to grow up and then decide who to side with," Iblis said. Qinguang frowned as he said: "How does that even concern us?" Iblis shrugged: "The Clan of Life has loads of disciples and Immortals. Which I can''t say about us. I don''t want to bother dealing with those retarded Dragons, so I saw it fitting to use your disciples as sparring partners for mine." Iblis clicked his tongue and nodded in satisfaction. Amaterasu could no longer refrain: "After slaughtering countless families, you thought it best to use their children to let your pupils grow stronger?" "If those families had not tried to kill your sister of those I care for, they would have been still alive. Probably," Iblis smiled as he gazed Amaterasu with badly concealed melancholy in his eyes. As he stretched his hands outwards, reaching for Siche''s head, a menacing fury flashed in Iblis'' eyes: "So, do you accept?" 147 The neatest glare "Our Souls can be defined by different levels, each of which describe its compatibility with the Mana essence our bodies are filled with. The higher our Soul''s level, the neater the glare our Mana will cast upon the world around us," said Iblis as he began to explain everything to Helial. Helial pondered over the meaning of these enigmatic words and furrowed his eyebrows. "Before you rack your brains to pieces, I''ll give you a very practical example. What''s the difference between looking at your face in a rain puddle and in crystal-clear water?" Iblis said calmly. "In the muddy water of a puddle you won''t be able to see your face as neatly as in crystal-clear water," was Helial''s prompt response as he felt an Epiphany drawing nearer. His Soul seemed to be pounding. It was about to realize something. However, the Epiphany lay one centimeter away from Helial''s reach. The awareness of his own limits weighted down on him unbearably. "So, I notice you''ve grasped the principles behind the Levels. The higher your Soul''s Level, the better it projects your very essence onto the world around you. If you have but a blurry image of yourself, it will only cast a faint reflection which won''t let your essence emerge completely. This makes the climb down Daos of Mana much harder. It also kind of changes our attitude, somehow." It was only then that Helial realized why Iblis had asked him about their chances to defeat the Undead. It wasn''t just one way or the other. I was me who decided we could only choose to either lose or run away, Helial thought as he gritted his teeth. My mind is still too restricted. "Does this mean my Soul is weak, Master?" Helial asked in concern. The boy had always thought he had an extraordinarily strong Soul, thanks to which he boasted an extraordinary Mana Control. But ever since the Devil had entered his Soul, all of his certainties had begun to fall down. Iblis gave him an inscrutably deep look before going on to say: "Your case is a strange one. On the one hand, you have been pig-headed enough to reach an impressive strength. Your Soul does seem unwavering as iron. Your Mana Control and the refined nature of your Soul let you receive inside of you both two legendary Legacies. In your shoes, any other living being had already been stone dead." Iblis climbed down his invisible chair to approach Helial with small firm steps. "Your heart, on the other hand, has kept hardening even after you left your brother. That''s why you managed to face ever greater difficulties. So now your Soul is strong, but impure. It can''t reflect your true essence despite the outstanding power you got from this very transformation," Iblis said as he yawned. Helial stared blankly. This meant, a change in his Soul could lead to a complete change in his Dao? "Doesn''t matter how long you analyze this. You need to experience it on your skin¡­" *** Countless years before Siche received yet another attack, this time in the face. Her indescribably destructive beauty risked to be lost forever. Siche''s body fell down to the ground. The impact spread through the earth as the ground cracked open beneath her. Her opponent stirred up the corners of his mouth in a sneer. Amaterasu''s pupil Marte cast her a disdainful look. He was three meters tall. His build was a brawny tyrannical one. On the contrary, Siche was but five feet tall. Her silhouette was slim and shapely. It was indeed true that one couldn''t tell the strength of an Immortal by their size, but Marte did nonetheless strike utter fear into the heart of his opponents. "Why would so stunning a woman side with those Destruction slobs?" Siche gritted her teeth as her expression turned angry: "Slobs? How come this slob of my master alone had all of you lower your head five years ago?" Marte gave her a smile as he said: "Might be. But we all know we have let him have this cease-ire for mere pity." Siche began to foam with rage. Her master was the only one who granted her the chance to fully live her second life. She would let no one tarnish his name, let alone an arrogant blowhard from the Clan of Life. The only reason why she had stooped so low as to practice with one of those Life hypocrites was that she was trying to grow stronger in any way. She needed to help her master. She surely was one of the strongest warriors in the Devil''s ranks. However, her skills were nowhere near as outstanding as those of Iblis. According to the truce declared by Life and Destruction, the disciples of both factions could now freely challenge the members of the counterpart Clan, given that no one would kill no one else. Beating someone to death was strictly prohibited, as well as make them crippled or destroy someone else''s Dao of Mana. Every irreparable damage purposely inflicted would have undergone punishment. This way, they would avoid the umpteenth war. "Truth is, Iblis couldn''t defeat the greatest leaders of the Forces of Life. That''s the only reason why he came back with his tail between his legs, to beg for truce!" exclaimed Marte as he burst into laughter. Siche''s eyes were sparked out by a feeling Marte could not define. "An ugly truth to accept, huh?" Amaterasu''s pupil went on laughing wildly without taking notice of the ghastly shadow staring at him with a piercing glare behind his back. A large mocking smile spread across Siche''s face. "What''s up, whore? You laugh, now? You must be out of yourself. Did I beat your head too hard?" Marte giggled. "Why don''t you crawl back to your master to ask for some further advice, for example on how to suck¡­" Toc Toc Marte felt a fingertip tumble on his hip. His expression darkened. "Who dares interrupt me?" "Just wanted to know, like, how exactly did this Iblis surrender to the greatest warriors of Life." Marte was about to reply with a string of insults when, turning his head, he saw the face of he who had tapped on his hip. He turned as white as a sheet. "I, I¡­" "Nope, easy. It''s me who has little idea on how this went. Why don''t you tell me more?" Iblis said as he bat wings spread out. He brought a hand to his chin, as if thoughtful. Marte wore a miserable expression and raised up his hands in sign of excuse. "Forgive me, I me-meant¡­" Iblis gave him a broad smile. With a twist of hand, he hinted that he shut up. "Oh, please. I wanna know. Sorry if I am slow on the uptake and so bad a master to my pupils. Tell me what happened five years ago. I am all ears." Marte was drowsing in pure desperation. Don''t you see this was just two disciples merely talking? Why do you have to step in and leave me no face?, he asked to himself. But of course, he did not dare express this thought aloud. A white bright beam appeared by Iblis'' side and cast the Devil an inquisitive look."So now you step in even in disciples'' matches?" The voice was so charming it seemed those words had been pronounced by a chore of angels which could bring any breathless body back to life. "Me? No way. I just wanted to hear from this highly informed guy what reasons drove me to beg for this truce," Iblis said as he gently tapped on Marte''s hip. It looked like Iblis had applied no force to that gentle touch. Marte turned pale. He soon began to sweat in an attempt at bearing the pain as decently as possible. Despite the effort though, he was soon drenched in sweat. "Master¡­" Marte gazed at Amaterasu with eyes begging for mercy. "Put off your hand, Iblis. Leave him alone. We agreed none of us would have interposed," Amaterasu solemnly said. In that very moment, Qinguang and Kirin appeared. "What is happening here?" Qinguang snorted. Marte did not want but dig a grave and not been seen. His lightminded words had gathered all the big shots of both Life and Destruction on that little planet they were only supposed to train on. If this wasn''t bad lack, what else could it be? Marte inwardly promised to himself he would choose the path of reticence and never ever emit no further sound all his life long. In such a situation, any mistake could turn into the perfect excuse to put up an offensive. "You here too, Qinguang? Your disciple has been kind enough to enlighten me on how I crawled to you and begged for truce with my tail between my legs after I risked being killed by the greatest warriors of the Forces of Life," Iblis once again calmly repeated as he perfectly concealed his killing Aura. "Why don''t we all take some time to listen to his revealing words?" Qinguang gazed at Marte as if he were a ghost. Tail between his legs? Kill that monster? Qinguang felt a sudden urge to beat his head against some wall and just die on the spot. If they really could have killed that monster at any second, they would have never let him have no cease-fire in the first place. They would have caught that winged monster and killed him with their very hands. Iblis was the reason why Life had not declared war at the very last man of Destruction! And now, this random idiot had just nonchalantly said that the greatest monster in the whole universe had run away from them with his tail between his legs. What was Qinguang supposed to do at this point? To admit his mistake, lose his face, and apologize? Why wouldn''t that damned Iblis just step aside instead being everyone''s thorn in the flesh? We have already given you the cease-fire you asked. You have defeated an entire Clan by yourself. What else do you want now? Do you want us to hand you our face once and for all?! Qinguang began to tremble with rage as Kirin gazed at them without shattering his solemn silence. "Apologize, Marte. Let his stupid game be over," Kirin said as he casually waved a hand. The Human shape of the magnificent Qilin had candid hair as bright as his scales. His flaming eyes flew over Iblis. Without that typical human shamefulness, he said: "Accept Marte''s apologises and stop fooling around, Iblis." The corners of Iblis'' mouth slightly lowered down as he tilted his head. "Fooling?" A terrifying Aura immediately engulfed the planet as if about to turn it into dust. The expression on Kirin, Qinguang, and Amaterasu''s faces changed drastically as they began to flow their Mana through their Meridians. If Iblis decided to attack them, they were not sure the three of them could face up to him. Iblis hastily withdrew his Aura and shook his head. "Little tiny dog. I''m afraid you don''t quite remember how the negotiations went. Now I will help your disciple cast back his mind to the memories he boasts to recall. I have begged for no thing. I have let you have a truce, otherwise I could have blown your Clan out in the blink of an eye. The alliance of Life might be feared by many in this universe, but its value drops down to zero when it comes to me. I wouldn''t hesitate to tear your life away, rip your hearts out and give them to rats to eat them raw. The only reason why I don''t do so, Qinguang, is your daughter. If you weren''t the father of Amaterasu, and if I weren''t still hoping in her redemption, you would all have died a long, long time ago. So you''d better inform your pupils what risks they are taking in following you." As he heard these words, Marte began to shudder. With great astonishment, he noticed that the other members of Life were still and mute. He thought that Qinguang, their Clan Leader, would have objected and kept high their honor. Iblis, however, really did seem to have extraordinary skills which went far beyond any comprehension. None among the Clan of Life had actually been clearly informed about the truce but the biggest shots. Being a common disciple, Marte had no idea it had been Iblis'' concession, and nothing more. 148 Like breathing for the very first time In the present "These levels, or better, this state of our Soul are divided into six. Mortal state, Ascending state, state of Detachment from Earthly Things, Heavenly state, state of the King, and Emperor state," Iblis said as he listed out the phases that a Soul could reach. "Each of those states split in three further levels, the Early, Intermediate, and Advanced." Helial gazed at Iblis as he wondered what level might his Soul be at. "I know what you''re thinking of," the Devil answered before he could even spell out his question. "I have examined your Soul very carefully. The state you reached is a low one. What you have experienced with your sister and brother really strengthened your mind, but they prevented your Mana Essence to blossom out." Indeed, the more the traumas experienced during one''s lifetime, the stronger one''s heart and Soul. However, this highly affected the growth of Mana Essence. The strength that came with the hardening of one''s heart would let a practitioner face many challenges. In a not so remote future though, it would also make the greatest obstacle to face itself. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is let your heart soft out. Its plasticity made it far easier to make the fullest use of one''s potential. Up to that moment, Helial had frozen his every feeling out. He had become numb to everything. He sure had gained a great power from this. His Soul, though, was now at a very level. In theory, it would take him years to take the tiniest step forward. "So my Soul''s currently in the Mortal state, Early level?" Helial asked. He was baffled by the mediocrity of the state reached by his Soul. Iblis nodded. He gazed at his disciples as frowned: "You know, in the Clans of Life¡­ *** Countless years before The voice of Qinguang resounded extremely solemn as if the king wanted to scold the Devil standing in front of him: "You forgot to explain your pupil the faults of her Soul, Iblis. In order to reach his Emperor state, Marte has been training strenuously for thousands of years. The benefits he got from his continuous hard training is immeasurable. There is no way you can achieve the same results as easily as you say." Qinguang wore a disdain expression on his face. It was surely true that Iblis was the most terrifying creature in the universe. When it came to help disciples grow though, who could claim to be better than the Clans of Life? The high hierarchies the Clan had established through its power and authority had helped them fun countless schools in which trained extraordinary warriors. On the contrary, the members of Destruction cultivated with no masters. They were left free to make mistakes and destroy their Dao of Mana. They weren''t provided with advice of targeted teachings. They had to rely on themselves and uncontrolled experimentation which often times resolved in failing attempts. Amaterasu, Qinguang, and Kirin stared at Iblis. They were waiting for him to answer. The Devil though completely ignored the disdainful remark he had just received. He piercingly glared at the old man of Life and casually shrugged. Then he turned towards Siche. With a seriousness in his voice no one could have predicted, he asked her: "What are you willing to, in order to get strong enough as to avenge yourself? Are you willing to train for thousands of years just to let your Mana Essence emerge through your Soul? By reaching this peak, you would bring your Dao of Mana to a terrifying level. However, as the old dinosaur here said, matching the level of a Life member like Marte would take your thousands of years, or more even!" Iblis blinked at his disciple without letting the members of Life noticing it. Siche was familiar enough with her master as to grasp the fact that he was hinting at something. What she could not grasp was what thing, exactly. Therefore, she gazed back at him with a puzzled expression on her face. "The poor girl has no idea how hard Soul cultivation is. It''s not like Mana cultivation at all. In order to temper your Soul, you need to make it the purest a Soul can be. It''s a greater feat than you could even imagine," said Kirin as he shook his head. Despite the fact that Siche was a Destruction member, her looks of an angel made it impossible for him not to sympathize with her a little. "It''s no wonder only Amaterasu reached the King state, indeed," Qinguang added as he cast his daughter a proud gaze. Meanwhile, sitting on the breach of a near tree, Tsukuyomi listened to their exchanged and gazed at them from above. She immediately wore a baffled expression. "Hard? Big bro¡­ Thousands of years?" she whispered. Though no one paid her no mind. Amaterasu glanced at Iblis and said: "Don''t you really want to make your pupil train here, do you? Go away. It''ll take you millens for her to match Mart-" Iblis blocked Amaterasu''s trail of words by raising one hand towards her. He theatrically lowered that same hand until his palm brushed against Siche, then thrusted her in the right place where lay her heart. In a split second, the hand of the frighteningly powerful creature turned into deathly weapons. He didn''t hesitate to hit in the chest one of the best promises of the Clan of Destruction. Iblis withdrew his hand drenched in blood and flesh of Siche. The young woman panted for the pain. The grevious expression hung on the face of his favourite pupil aroused no pity in Iblis'' heart. He hastily delivered another blow. To her stomach, this time. The Devil''s speed rate increased with every blow he inflicted until it became impossible to distinguish his moves. He was hitting Siche''s body opening hundreds of agopuncture points with millimetric precision. Siche had no time to pant before Iblis finished. *** In the present Helial fell down on his face. His heart was blown to shreds. His body was covered in countless injuries from which gushed out black thick blood. His face was entirely covered in it. Blood was dripping down every orifice In his face. Helial fell down on his hands and knees. Pain was penetrating every fiber of his body. "HAAAAAA!" Helial felt like his body was catching fire. A new wave of extremely pure Mana flowed through each of his Meridians gushing its way to his Soul. The process took place repeatedly. Each time his Mana flowed through one of his Meridians, they would fortify and glisten with some unusual metallic glare. In the meantime, his Soul was undergoing dramatic changes too. The world created by Iblis inside his Soul began to tremble as if about to collapse. Space distorted. The air glowed with some mysterious gleam. His Meridians were starting being rid of every impurity. Helial''s skill was ever more similar to a block of jade-like marble. The looks of Helial were growing refined. At the same time, his skin was quickly covered by a film of the dirt coming out of his body. "Soul transformation comes with physical transformation¡­" Iblis murmured as from the remote past, the image of a young woman appeared before his eyes. *** Siche was rolling on the ground in the grip of pure pain under the goggle eyes of everyone. Iblis was staring at her with a sneer on his face. Her body had already flushed all the toxins out. Those jolts of suffering running down her body were the last ones. The girl began to stand back up. With one firm wave of a hand, he took the dirt off of herself. *** Helial''s Aura looked now extremely different than before. On his face was an expression that had nothing to do with his usual ecstatic face. *** For Siche, this feeling was a completely new one. It felt like coming back to life, as if she were noe breathing for the very first time. Time had gained back his color. Everything as she knew it seemed now to belong only to a small part of what the world was actually made of. Its shades, its essence¡­ never had she perceived them so vividly. Two tiny tears brushed against Siche''s pearly cheeks. She realized she had unconsciously begun to cry for she had reached an oustanding level of perception. "Is¡­ This¡­ The state of the King? No¡­" Qinguang said in terror. He was desperately trying to grasp the level of profoundness of the power now exuded by the young girl. "That monster has brought her to unblock the Emperor state, Advanced level¡­" Amaterasu gave Iblis a shocked look. The Devil nodded at her. "I can lay my hands on you too, just ask." The general shock was so complete no one paid no mind to the Devil''s misunderstanble words. Siche stared at her own two hands as her vision gave her new unexplored feelings. She turned her hands downwards, then upwards again. "How could that have been so easy¡­" Amaterasu whispered before the miracle Iblis had just accomplished. "Thousands of years, huh? Even these five minutes to show you this were a waste already," Iblis said contemptfully, his hands folded and a sardonic smile on his face. Amaterasu stepped closer to Siche. Iblis, however, stopped her immediately and snorted: "One more step and this war will start all over. Unless it''s a step towards me, to hold me in your arms." Amaterasu raised an eyebrow and retraced her steps, her hands behind her back. She knew what Iblis meant. The Devil was afraid the Forces of Life could hurt Siche, now that she had turned that strong. So strong she did pose a problem to each member of the Forces of Life. "What I have just done is something no one but Siche will benefit from. I could do that for every disciple. Judgking by your shit faces, I will definitely do that," Iblis said in a yawn. With a twist of hand, the Devil told Siche to approach Marte. Iblis clapped his palms. With utter calm, he gave his disciple a smile. "Go get him and tear him apart." 149 Miracle Countless years before Mortal State, Ascending state, state of Detachment from Earthly Things, Heavenly state, King state, and lastly, the Emperor state. What concept lay behind this classification? Each of these states require training beyond normal standards. Throughoutthe universe, few people knew how to properly strengthen their Soul. Sometimes, a lifetime would have not been enough for someone to leap up to the Ascending state. Just the leap to the Ascending state could have required a whole lifetime. As far as the higher states were concerned, the achievement of the state of the King or the Emperor state was not even a matter of training, but of pure talent. How many people would believe Qinguang, if he said that some monster could awaken the Emperor state in someone just by hitting the right Meridians with his very hands? Qinguang himself could not believe what happened before his eyes. The icy wind swept over the ground and made the clothes of the Immortals flutter. It felt like a bad omen of an incoming catastrophe. The body of Siche looked now drastically different. Before these changes, Siche was already so beautiful that if she had defined herself the second most charming woman in the world, no one would have claimed the title of first. Siche explored every centimeter of naked skin, which now seemed elastic and pure as never before. It felt as smooth as a jade statue. Her weak grieving gaze had been replaced by two kind unfathomable eyes. Siche didn''t not seem to be the na?ve girl who had stepped into Immortality only thanks to Iblis'' guidance. The Devil stared at his little Siche. She was holding her face with two hands trying to probe all the changes her body underwent. Kirin''s eyes gleamed with disgust: "Iblis! Talent brings nothing good if reached this way! It''s against the rules of Mana! No power achieved through the resources of someone else can ever belong to your body. Such procedure could lead to an inner explosion!" Actually, Kirin couldn''t care less about what rules this was against. He was just furious because Iblis could instil such a terrifying power in some only by touching the right ago puncture points. That was a miracle. If Iblis did the same with all of his pupils, then how long would it take Destruction to be able to wipe out every single member of Life? The words Kirin just said were but one last attempt to slow down the Dao of Siche, on whose soul he hoped to cast the shadow of doubt. He wanted to inflict her a trauma which was painful enough to restrain her progress. His words though did not sort on Siche the effect Kirin was hoping for. They rolled off her back. Now that she was in the Emperor state, Siche''s Soul was so pure no random words could possibly pose a threat to her Dao of Mana. Even if these random words came from the mouth of an Ancestral Creature as a Qilin. On the contrary, Siche seemed to have evolved. This superior creature cast Kirin a glance without any hint of hate. On her face shone the kindest smile. Frequently enough, words were stronger than weapons. They would often times heavily affect the outcome of one''s Mana cultivation down their Dao. Doubts, uncertainties and fears were strictly interrelated to one''s Soul. They really posed a problem to a warrior''s personal growth. By taking to heart every doubt that came to their mind, one could never set out in search for truth down their Dao of Mana. On the contrary, the only destiny awaiting would be that of losing themselves in mist. As an Ancestral Creature, Kirin wisely picked the best moment to cast a shadow over Siche''s heart; that was indeed the moment when her conscience still needed to come to terms with the foundations her new state lay on. However, Siche had just reached the Emperor state. The level of her Soul was now so high that these words could not even touch her unreachable conscience. Siche decided to stay quiet. Every answer would be a useless one. After all, Kirin had just put up some last-minute tactic to prevent another unmatchable warrior like Iblis from rising. That was a war. As any war, no rule applied. The Clan of Life found themselves seized by panic. They began to regret they had not killed Iblis before he could turn this strong and help someone grow as strong as him. But as it is well known, for every forgiver there is one who bears a grudge. For every good heart there is an evil one. That is to say, if Siche did not take to heart Kirin''s words, the same couldn''t be said about someone else¡­ Siche''s Aura was growing ever more intensely, when suddenly another Aura blocked hers. It was a terrifying Aura imbued with death and desolation. "We are the Clan of Life," Iblis spelled in a revolted sneering voice, "we are good, we are just, we only want the best for this universe." Fwooosh! Iblis suddenly appeared a few centimetres from Kirin, a hand raised: "I am the most just dog of the Clan of Life, I have promised to protect you Humans, I have promised I would be the hero who will fend for them." Bang! Iblis'' Aura pressed everyone down. No one could lift a finger. A slap hit Kirin in the face without anyone being able to stop the Devil, whose towering rage could not be longer refrained. Unfortunately for Kirin, the slap had been hit by Iblis. Therefore, the Qilin was pushed back for several kilometers. Amaterasu and Qinguang exchanged a look. A split second was enough for them to understand they had better not step in. Qinguang knew that if Iblis had wanted to, he could have killed Kirin only by brushing his fingertip against him. The slap had only come as a warning. If they cared about their Clan, then Amaterasu and Qinguang had better not get on that creature''s nerves. If they had sent for more warriors and made up a formation to fight Iblis, then they would have begun another. As things stood, this would only lead to a defeat. Also, Iblis had just showed them another ace he got up his sleeve. If he could really help his pupil grow stronger as he did with Siche, they couldn''t afford challenging him before they found just as powerful a weapon. "Amaterasu," Qinguang let his voice reach his daughter through telepathy, "as soon as we get home, you''ll walk into the White Chamber." These words left Amaterasu puzzled, but she immediately grasped what her father meant. The White Chamber was a forbidden area in their Clan. It was there that her grandfather died during his search for Epiphanies down his Dao of Mana. Despite the fact that it was called chamber, it actually was a minor dimension whose time-space laws changed continuously. The violent rush of Mana in that place was likely to suppress an Immortal. Even Qinguang never ventured as far as to the inner area. He was afraid he would die. Judging by her father''s words, Amaterasu seemed to have little choice. She would have to search for the deepest secrets behind Life Mana her grandfather never managed to grasp. Amaterasu was by far the most talented warrior in the history of the Clan of Life. However, she was nowhere near as experienced in fighting as Iblis nor did she experience as many struggles between life and death. For his part, Iblis had ceaselessly been chased after by her Clan. He lived on the brink of death every single day of his life. This gave him the chance to step forward on his Dao and level up extremely quickly. If Amaterasu wanted to face up to him, the White Chamber would make her only chance to fully develop her potential. However, the golden-headed woman whose gaze would let a flower blossom out of a sandy desert knew what would happen after she stepped outside that terrifying place. If she survived, she would never be the same Amaterasu as before. In order to reach the highest peaks in the universe, one should be ready to sacrifice everything. Amaterasu did know this. But what was her everything? Instinctively, her gaze lay on Iblis as he beat the Qilin covered in blood. Something heavy weighted down on her heart leaving her gasping for air. Iblis felt the eyes of Amaterasu lain on him. He didn''t stop. "We are the Forces of Life, we fight in the name of good, we will always protect you from Destruction," Iblis was still teasing Kirin as disdainfully as he could. Another blow sent Kirin''s face to the ground. BANG! BANG! Bang! Kirin was relentlessly crashed from one side of the planet against the other. Iblis was staring at him just like at a criminal. As yet another blow was delivered, Kirin''s patience reached the breaking point. He couldn''t bear the outrage any longer. ROAAAAR! The terrifying roar of Kirin swept Iblis over. For a split second, Iblis stood still. Kirin finally took his original shape ¨C the shape of a majestic creature covered in white scales whose tail was several kilometers long. "Do you really dare show your filthy shape before this king''s eyes?" Iblis cursed as he looked the Qilin up down. A stern icy glare was hung on his face. SLAP! Iblis'' hand hit Kirin''s side. Once again, Kirin could nothing to defend himself. His body was instantly rushed to the ground at the very center of the widest continent on that planet, leaving a huge crater due to the impact. At that point, Kirin began to slowly turn back into his human shape. He was unable to move. Iblis had hit him strongly enough to almost destroy his Dao of Mana and leave him a cripple for life. He refrained a second before. It would now take Kirin years to recover. Luckily enough, years meant nothing in the life of an Immortal. Iblis rubbed his hands clean and once again appeared in front of Qinguang and Amaterasu. His icy glare looked now more frightening than before. 150 The fierceness of a true woman The gaze of Iblis closely examined Qinguang and his daughter. On the latter, his eyes lingered one second more. Amaterasu. The young woman was wearing a close-fitting beige tunic whose under end was slightly folded. A golden belt enclosed her waist which glistened under the sun rays. However, the gleam of the sunshine was nothing if compared to that emitted by her big bright eyes. Whoever met her gaze would have been caught by the feeling he was admiring the splendor of a scorching supernova. Her shapely lips, closed up to that moment, slightly disclosed just to close again. Amaterasu returned Iblis the gaze he had cast her. The woman knew perfectly well that once inside the White Chamber, her own survival could no longer be granted. Her white angel wings opened behind her back slightly trembled as her heart skipped a beat. She knew that one day, she would have had to end the war his father hadn''t been able win. She spread her wings as she took a step forward towards Iblis. The clash struck between the demoniac creature and Amaterasu seemed to split the world in two specular halves. The ethereal silhouette of Amaterasu mismatched the glacial imposing figure of Iblis. "You''re taking us on the brink of another war," Amaterasu said solemnly. Her voice betrayed a hint of reticence. A heavy burden was still weighting her heart down. "I would kill every living being in this universe until it''s just you and me, if it helped. If this let us be together," Iblis said dramatically, stretching his hands outwards as if Amaterasu hadn''t said anything. "And if that helped, I would tear apart the face of every single member of Life since no one is worth staring at you but me. Your father, Kirin and the others would turn into dust as soon as you wanted to. The pain caused by their hatred, the very hatred which led them to lay their dirty fingers on your sister, would be washed away by one single word of yours. If one day you wanted it¡­ the sky," Iblis said in a melancholy voice, "and my heart would be yours." Amaterasu furrowed her eyebrows. A new complex inextricable feeling gripped her heart. The Devil every member of the Clan of Life was terrified by was confessing her his love just like an innocent teenager unwilling to come to terms with her previous rejections. Iblis had often threatened his opponents. He would slaughter Clans for once single glare. This though was the first time he openly tried to conquer the heart of Amaterasu. Never would he threaten Amaterasu for not loving him back. Iblis could easily menace the Clan of Life to declare them war if they didn''t give him Amaterasu. If he did so, everyone was sure that Qinguang himself would order Amaterasu to follow him. It would have been but a little sacrifice to avoid the entire Clan to be wiped out. And yet, that Devil who seemed to lack any hint of shame had never mentioned such a condition. His love for Amaterasu had never been a secret. Many wondered why he wouldn''t force her to be with him, since he was surely powerful enough to afford doing so. In his shoes, they wouldn''t have given this a second thought. In the beginning, they thought Iblis was not strong enough to impose such terms and conditions. However, after witnessing the full extension of his destructive power, they were left speechless. Why wouldn''t that frighteningly strong creature put that war to an end? Why wouldn''t he force Amaterasu all the way to his arms? No one had ever been able to answer this. "We are not made to be together in this universe," Amaterasu blurted bluntly. Iblis shrugged and gave her a smile. Once again, he tried to imprint upon his heart Amaterasu''s every features, fully seizing every second he still had to look at the shape of her face before she turned and stepped back next to her father. *** In the present Helial was holding his chest. It felt like drowning in a lava sea. The wild rush of Mana energy flowing through his Meridians was remolding his body blazing its way to his Soul. In that very moment, Helial was seized by the fear his body could not bear the disruptive force of that pure Mana. He cast his mind back to all the events that led him to this point. How much can one''s future change? Up to one year before, Helial had been spending every night on a mountain nearby the village he and Lumia lived in. Every night, he would train to make the slightest progress. One day, he had seen all of his efforts be canceled altogether when some strange Curse befell him. And now¡­ now he was blessed by the teachings of the greatest Devil in the history of the world. Up to a few months before, it was Vidio who took care of him and his progress by providing the boy with all the knowledge he had. Despite Vidio''s effort to raise Helial as best as he could, however, his level was nonetheless a low one. While now¡­ Iblis pulled out of his black jacket a little piece of clothes with a skull pattern. He tidied his hands. He turned the last traces of blood through Mana. Helial was still gasping for air as every impurity was eliminated from his body and leaked out of his skin pores. *** "Which is why I think it''s time to take a little revenge," Iblis remarked as he gave Qinguang and Amaterasu a broad smile. Amaterasu cast Marte a glance. After insulting Iblis and almost shitting himself in terror, he had moved to the side. Amaterasu and Qinguang exchanged an uncertain look. "Why not?" Iblis said as he caught sight of the uncertainty in their gaze. "As Kirin said, a simple pupil can''t have reached the Emperor state in a couple of minutes, right? Only monsters like us can, after long hard training," Iblis icily snorted, "can bring these skills to their full potential. So why wouldn''t you let your talented pupil fight my Siche? It''s just a gesture of goodwill. Isn''t goodwill your signature feature, after all?" Iblis'' taunt made Qinguang grit his teeth. However, the king didn''t dare make no harsh move. Iblis had slapped Kirin in the face for much less. They all knew he wouldn''t hesitate to declare another war on a whim. This was Iblis. Iblis was chaos. "Fight Siche in another duel, Marte," Qinguang solemnly exclaimed. He had a stern icy glare on his face. Marte gave Qinguang a helpless look. He could not but nod. After all, he didn''t thought that a couple of minutes would have been enough for Siche to turn the tables, even despite the help of that freaking monster. His master was, after all, Amaterasu. She was Iblis'' nemesis, the greatest master one could hope to get. Could he be afraid of challenging a girl trained by a barbaric monster? Marte put on a brave face. His chest up, he took a few steps forward. He wore a fierce confident expression. The air suddenly got tense for the Clan of Life. Siche let her gaze fly over Iblis. She wondered what her master wanted her to do. Despite the uncertainty, however, her eyes were not clouded by fear or weakness anymore. They were the mirror to a God''s soul. Her perception was now on a new level. She felt that every feat she would accomplish, every move she made would cast on the world outside the exact reflection of what she was feeling inside. The gift Iblis had just bestowed her with was more than a mere upgrade in her offensive skills. She knew it. Before, her every conviction was shrouded by mist. She had never been fully confident about what she did. But now, everything was crystal-clear. She could neatly see what her heart yearned for. She knew in name of what to rip out the throat of her enemy. Her will was now driven by her heart, and her heart was under her firm unwavering control. Siche let her Mana reflow through her Meridians. A brand-new power rouse up inside her chest. She immediately realized how easy it would be now to defeat Marte. But that wasn''t all. She felt she could now match even Amaterasu. She had a feeling she could defend herself against Kirin and Qinguang easily enough. Once, such an outstanding power given to her out of nowhere would have made Siche feel lost. Now that her Soul was in the Emperor state though, she exerted the fullest control on her every will and emotion. Her physical and inner perception had been amplified. Which meant that now, she had no doubt on what was right or wrong for herself. Siche gazed at Iblis with the eyes of a woman rather than those of a simple disciple. Two big tears swelled up in her eyes. She was now able to make the fullest use of her own Soul. Iblis glanced at her and shook his head to stop her, as if that had been nothing. Ever since Iblis took Siche under his wing, he had always told her there was no need to say thank you. He was there to guide. He would do so because he himself wanted to. He wouldn''t do it in exchange for her gratitude. Not rarely Siche''s excessive gratitude had led Iblis to hit her. The girl had learnt the lesson and knew how to refrain, frightened by the violence of that terrible Devil. More than once, Siche thought it was time for her to say thank you to the creature who helped her grow stronger then walk away, in search for a simpler life. Iblis always made good on his promise to let her do what she wanted, be it fight by his side or not. However, Siche had always hesitated. She could not even thank him without him losing his temper. Now that he could so neatly read her own feelings, how could she not understand what went on on Iblis'' mind? A Devil? Nothing like that. To her, Iblis was a god. A benevolent God whose heart was as just as pure as free was his soul. He was often cruel an evil beyond imagination. But as her soul underwent that outstanding change, Siche had felt as if a dagger had stabbed her in the heart forcing her to come back to her senses. Under the effect of remorse and her own weakness, her love for Sore itself was wearing down. It had been dissolving with each passing day. Now, the love that seemed to be gone blossomed out in her heart just like on the very first day. Without giving the consequences of her gesture a second thought, Siche erupted to the full power extension of her Aura. It rippled through the sky as a shaking fear gripped the heart of the now breathless members of Life. So they thought she could not absorb that power? That she could never wield if without having gained it through hard work? Then why would Siche''s Aura match that of Amaterasu, and why wouldn''t it seem to disappear if compared with that of Qinguang and Kirin? Qinguang wouldn''t believe this. He panted. With a wave of a hand, he hinted that Marte approached Siche. "Don''t let they frighten you. It''s but a trick." Amaterasu gave her father a strange look. She was worried about her disciple. Did her father really not notice what extraordinary power Iblis had just given his pupil? However, she didn''t fear for Marte''s death. She was still sure he would defeat Siche. Therefore, she didn''t say anything and nodded to confirm the order of Qinguang. While the Aura of Siche intensified, her looks turned ever more similar to those of a Goddess. Her beauty had already turned the universe upside down once. But now, her bearing reached an immensely regal level. As the tears streaked down her cheeks like jade raindrops, she stared at the Devil who had bestowed her with a new life. A Goddess and a Devil, one before the other. Siche didn''t seem willing to fight, now. "What''s the matter, little one? The match is yet to be over," Iblis said, his voice betraying his emotion. The gaze of Amaterasu had made his heart pound. Then, his disciple saw the light for the first time. The end of the tunnel. Siche took a step towards Iblis and¡­ THUD Everyone gaped at the scene. THUD THUD THUD Siche knelt down. She was bowing to the ground hitting her forehead until it bled. She was kowtowing before the greatest monster in history. A goddess whose splendor would outshine that of Amaterasu herself, the angel of the Clan of Life, was sobbing as she prostrated before a Devil, her head violently hitting against the ground. Her crimson blood stained the grass. The scene touched a chord so deep within Iblis''s heart he could not scold her. This time, Siche hadn''t the slightest hesitation to disobey her master''s wish. This time she would show him her full eternal gratitude as open-heartedly as possible. "Little one¡­" Iblis did not dare stop nor scold her. In the eyes of the little girl he had trained now sparked a new strength and confidence. Now, in the eyes of Siche, Iblis caught a glimpse of the fierceness of a true woman. 151 One life down In the present Helial coughed up a mouthful of blackish blood as his body increased his strength once again. *** Siche stood back up. The wound on her forehead was gushing out blood relentlessly. Her jade-like face was stained in crimson blood streaks. Iblis shortly shook his head. He took a step forward. He put his hand on the little girl''s forehead. He gently brushed his fingers against her skin, which instantly healed. Truth is, the new strength Siche acquired would have easily let her heal any wound by herself. That gesture though was her way to show her master her full gratitude. Thanks to him, she had won her life back as well as her love. At that point, Marte snorted. He was now ready to fight. "Let''s cut the crap. Come here! There''s no real progress one can achieve in a matter of seconds. This whore is faking it!" Qinguang furrowed his eyebrows and cast Marte an icy glare. Then, he sent him a telepathic message. "Kill her. We will take full responsibility for this. We can''t let such a threaten roam free. Otherwise, one day will have to face two monsters instead than Iblis alone." Unfortunately for the Forces of Life, none of them had the slightest idea of the extent of Siche''s change. Only Amaterasu''s senses were sharp enough to let her perceive some deep uncomfortable feeling. She felt a new incoming disgrace. Marte slowly nodded as his eyes got bloodshot. Skill Activated: Lord of War Throne Marte''s Aura erupted. The crimson shades it glistened in could not but arouse a reverential fear in the heart on any looker. He had crafted that Skill himself. It made one of the most powerful Attack Buff Skill in its kind. Lord of War Throne would increase his attack and defence exponentially without any particular backfire. It clearly was no coincidence if Amaterasu had chosen to take him as a pupil. That man could boast a greater potential than it met the eye. However, before two eyes profound as the hell''s far ends as those of Iblis, that Skill was but kid stuff. With a single twist of his mind, Iblis could have come up with a Skill ten times as powerful as that one. Siche stood still. She was turned on her opponent giving him no face. However, even in her new state she felt some kind of bafflement in her heart at the Skill unleashed by Marte. During their previous fight, Marte refrained himself. This was the true strength of an Immortal from the Forces of Life. Siche0s arch immediately materialized in front of her in the crack of a thunder. The girl grabbed it. Then she turned towards Marte, examined him carefully then said: "You pose no opponent to me." With a swift gentle wave of her arm, Siche put her weapon away. She joined both hands behind her back, one palm against the other. She didn''t seem willing to fight. A large blue vein bulged on Marte''s forehead. Her arrogance made him lost his temper. Amaterasu and Qinguang kept quiet. Meanwhile, a battered Kirin was approaching them with slow steps. Finally, he walked back to his place by Qinguang''s side. No one actually believed that Siche could defeat Marte, let alone that easily. They all concluded Siche wanted to spare herself yet another humiliation. And yet, those malicious gazes only made Siche shake her head in a sigh. "If you''re so confident you''d win this deathmatch, why are retreating against me?" Marte icily snorted. Siche calmly nodded. Iblis stared at his pupil in satisfaction. This was the same girl who would ask for his advice before every move she took, never making a decision without his support. While now, she hadn''t hesitated in the least before deciding she would rip Marte''s life out of his chest. Siche was finally worth being defined as Iblis'' first disciple. She was now a real gold standard for the forces of Destruction in behalf of the Devil. It was indeed the first time that Siche wielded such power. However, this did not drag her into a vortex of doubts on what the outcome of the match would be. A second had been enough for her to estimate she could extinguish Marte''s life as easily as the light of a candle. Siche wouldn''t waste one of her precious arrows to kill some random Life sidekick. Iblis himself would frown upon such waste. As Siche just promised herself, her life would now be devoted to making her master proud of her. Now that the knot in her heart was finally untied, once she took her revenge, every single moment in Siche''s life would be spent to serve her master as best as she could. She knew that Iblis was planning a crusade. She would be appointed his first general, no matter at what cost. Finally, Marte unleashed his full strength in an eruption of power. With both hands, he clutched a huge longsword crimson red. God Wrath. It was a legendary weapon handed down generation after generation through the Clan of Life. Only the weapons of the Clan Seniors and Ancestral Creatures like Qinguang and Kirin respectively could be possibly considered more powerful than that one. As soon as he unsheathed his weapon, space seemed to solidify around Siche. It seemed like some invisible pressure just sealed it up. In an ordinary situation, such an Aura would surely pose a problem to the opponent. However, Siche didn''t seem upset in the least. Unlike what she would feel like up to aa few moments before, her attitude looked now undisturbed by the threat posed by Marte. "Mpf! You arrogant!" Marte growled. He swiftly led his wild Mana from inside his body to the tip of the longsword. Skill Activated: Scarlet Requiem of the Empyrion Marte was indeed considered the new God of War of the Forces of Life, since every Skill he cultivated was an highly fierce and aggressive one. Their attributes were similar to those of the Bloody God, which were by far more powerful though. The Bloody God was a supreme expert unrivalled in the ancient times. Unfortunately, his Legacy had long been lost. Often times, Marte would be compared with him. This had played a heavy role in making him become a proud and extremely arrogant one. "By eliminating the girl, we''ll take away one more weapon from that monster," Kirin snarled furiously. He was holding a heavy grudge for the blows he had received a few moments before. That was the most powerful attack Amaterasu''s disciple could struck. Qinguang and Kirin nodded to themselves in satisfaction. Marte was incredibly talented and would soon become a precious resource for the Forces of Life to rely on. Iblis caught the thoughts of the two seniors and shook his head. "That arrogant brat won''t see the light of a brand-new day, that''s for sure," he whispered. These words though didn''t reach the ears of the Life members. "Die!" The growl Marte let out was followed by a sardonic laughter. In that moment, Marte looked like a demon while Siche looked like a defenceless little girl. With what seemed to be an extremely slow movement, this defenceless girl raised a hand in front of herself. She blocked the blow astonishingly easily. That was a swift one! Marte himself was left speechless. You''re quick, huh? But no matter how quick you are when space is sealed up. No way out of here! Marte gritted his teeth and once again rushed towards her. HE! CLANG! All around them, the atmosphere turned from dark and gloomy to instantly back to normaL. It seemed as if Marte never attacked. Marte was at such a high level that his every slash could easily raze a planet to the ground. But this wouldn''t seem to be the case. God Wrath was a terrifying weapon. War Lord Throne was a matchless Buff. Scarlet Requiem of the Empyrion was the most powerful Skill Marte had. Then, why would his Longsword be blocked by two of Siche''s fingers as if the little girl had been pinching the cheek of some friend? Everyone froze immediately. Time itself seemed to freeze. Then, Siche smiled. "Run!" The voice of Amaterasu suddenly spread throughout the planet. Her disciple heard her and immediately turned to give her a puzzled look. Her words though didn''t prove to be enough to truly alarm her disciple. Amaterasu herself rushed forward at breakneck speed to save him. Unfortunately for her, Siche had already raised the other hand. She stretched out her palm as well as her fingers. Around her loomed a terrifying Aura as if Siche herself had just turned into an arch whose hand made for the essence of an arrow. PLOP Without employing no Skill, Siche used her own arm as an arrow which thrusted Marte''s body. His Soul was pulverized. His life vanished as if it had never existed. Fwoosh! The blow was so swift Siche''s hand had hardly a trace of blood on it. "YOU!" screamed Amaterasu as her hair glided through the air in a golden dance. "You take another step and the first thing I''ll do after getting Siche somewhere safe is wipe your Clan away," Iblis calmly threatened. Amaterasu landed on the ground and furrowed her eyebrows. "What should I say to his children? What will I tell his wife? Should I reveal them that a teenage psychopath slayed him to please her master?" Amaterasu blurted out. It was the first time she showed her utter shock. She knelt down and held the lifeless body of Marte in her arms. Her grievous gaze fixed on his fierce yet pale face. Amaterasu put immense effort and care into raising Marte. Despite his arrogant attitude, he was a good man. Often times he would help mortals get through their troubles. He had always stood up for justice.Only when fighting the Forces of Destruction would he get so fierce and furious. This happened due to the grudge he held towards Destruction, by whose hand all his Clan and family had died. Amaterasu had found him by chance. He was alone, surviving in a village whose only inhabitants were corpses. She had made a great warriour out of him, the strongest practitioner among Life warriors, so that he could fight the evil and dismantle injustice. All that was lef tof that warrior was now the shell she held in her arms. This young warrior was dead on a whim of some girl. Iblis stayed silent. One more lost life didn''t mean anything to him. On the contrary, Siche looked at Amaterasu up down and took a step forward. "A psychopath killed that idiot to please her master. Exactly. You can totally say this to his family, slut." BANG Siche violently slapped Amaterasu''s graceful face. The woman was so taken aback she could hardly react. That hit really had been to quick; as quick as an arrow was fired off an arch. Being off guard while holding Marte in her arms, Amaterasu had no way to intercept and block such a firm blow. Iblis gave a bored sigh. Siche was immediately surrounded by the members of Life who had just appeared out of nowhere to avenge the outrage. Therefore, the Devil approached her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Get home, little one. For now." A space-time tunnel just created by Iblis sucked Siche away barely leaving her time to reply. Iblis was now standing alone before Amaterasu. A red mark was left on her face. A few terrifying Auras were looming over him threateningly. Iblis spread out his bat wings as a pitch-black longsword flashed into existence in his right hand. Meanwhile, a few Skills began to condense on his left hand. He slightly tilted his head left and right. His bones faintly crunched. "Once again, dogs got fed up of the carrot and beg for the stick." 152 Trust tes In the present, a hall of the Royal Palace As soon as the training ended, Helial sent for his companions asking everyone to meet up. When Lumia, Frankenstein, Lulu and Snowflake walked the hall, they found Helial sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room. They gathered around him. Snowflake looked about himself and noticed that Vlad was there too. He was perched on a bench on one corner of the hall. The boy ran a hand through his fiery red hair and gazed intently at Helial, not falling asleep this time. "Something has changed¡­" Vlad mumbled to himself as he stared at the shapely youngster sitting with his eyes closed. No one uttered a sound. They didn''t want to disturb Helial, who seemed deep in thought. They saw it fitting to behave like mature decent people and wait for him to speak first. But if people thought it best to behave decently, the same can''t be said about cats. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE UP!" Snowflake yelled in Helial''s ear. Vlad''s facial muscles twisted violently. "That''s not the politeness that should be required of a Heavenly Star Tiger," although his words didn''t reach for the others. Astonishingly enough, Vlad did know about Heavenly Star Tigers. Despite the looks of it, the boy was pretty informed about the races scattered around the universe. It was already impressive that he had long guessed Snowflake''s origins. However, his deductions went even farther; the cat''s attitude and grudge towards his own race had led Vlad to a few more hypothesis on the cat''s past. Nonetheless, he thought it best to keep everything for himself. Vlad shook his head. Everyone''s attention was focused on Helial. Helial slowly opened his eyes. A string of images was flickering across his pupil. A new-born girl was waving her slender little arms from the swaddling clothes she was wrapped in. She uttered what seemed to be sounds of happiness. As she stretched her arms out towards a little Helial, her eyes were the mirror to the clearest curiosity. Suddenly, the scene changed. Through his irises gleamed the sharp-lined face of Hades under a bright green drape partly covering it. He was following Helial down the streets of Orma. The attack at the Alabard Outpost. Hordes of Goblins were slaughtering their way through the fringes of the Nation. Caesar would have never given his consent to such a pointless. He had nothing to do with that. It had been responsibility of the Seniors from the Orman Senate. They had given the order against the King''s will. Such rashness would later undergo severe punishment. This tragic event had more secrets to it than it seemed. Helial curled up the corners of his mouth in a smile. Everyone''s expression slightly changed. As he shaped that smile, Helial greatly intensified the pressure he exerted over the room. "Until now, we have trained without actually knowing much about one another," Helial started off seraphically. "I wanna grow stronger to punish my brother''s arrogance. Also, I have a few family scores to settle before my mission is over. Then, I am going to set out in search for Immortality. This path will be scattered with countless deaths. I don''t expect you to follow me without asking me who, what and why. First, I''ll infiltrate the Capital of Fiercelake to raze the Mana Congregation to the ground. But only after wiping out a couple Clans. I do have a number of unfinished business by finishing which I will offend frighteningly powerful people." Helial fell silent. He gazed at each of them in the eyes. Then he went on to say: "Our team has never had a clear structure. If it''s fine by you, then I can be your Leader. My aim will be to reach my goal while helping you reaching yours." Having said this, Helial grabbed a golden cup full of water. He brushed his palm against the cup edge. A neat deep cut opened up in his palm as an alarming amount of blood dripped down into the water. "My master taught me this ritual. They call it the Trust Test. It holds no physical meaning, it''s just an ancient rite through whom to seal a fellowship or an alliance." Helial''s friends exchanged a meaningful look which Helial didn''t seem to notice as he went on to say: "During the past few days, I was bestowed with a frightening gift. Now I can neatly see through my heart. Now I know what I need and I am no longer willing to hesitate. If you want to step down this path with me, tell me what it is you''re searching. If you want to be a member of this fellowship and feel as such, you''ll need to openly tell the others what goals you are aiming to." Everyone gave him a puzzled look. Up to that very day, Helial had always focused on his own Dao and level. It was indeed true that he asked the Devil to help his group members too, but his attitude was nonetheless a pretty egoistic one. He had always made it clear that he had no interest in being their Leader. He never took further responsibilities than those regarding himself. On the contrary, he now seemed to be taking an utter different position. The unquestionable clear radiance his eyes gave off was not the only sign that something had changed. His words betrayed his new unwavering confidence in his capabilities. Without him noticing, Helial''s charisma had now reached the peak. The full potential of his Soul blossomed. No doubt shrouded his mind and strength anymore. Everyone was left speechless. The only one who stepped forward without the least hesitation was Lumia. She stretched out a hand. Repeating what Helial had done a few moments before, she grabbed the cup glistening in shades of gold. Little drops of her blood dripped down into the water and blended with that of her brother. "There''s nothing my brother hasn''t sacrificed for me. I yearn for nothing more than being able to do the same for him," Lumia as she gazed at Helial. Despite the confidence she now showed, Lumia was actually afraid that Helial could impede her from standing by his side. The little girl knew perfectly well how much Helial cared about her life. He would spare her any danger. Also, she thought that her reason to join the fellowship could seem not serious enough in Helial''s eyes for him to accept her. To her great surprise though, Helial resolved for a nod. "You''re the most precious thing I''ve ever had, Lumia. I couldn''t wish for more than the honor to share this journey with you. No darkness can''t be rippled by a ray of sunshine as long as you are with me." Lumia''s throat turned dried as two big tears swelled up in her eyes. She couldn''t figure how, but Helial really did change during the past few days. Up to a few days before, he would have never accepted her to side with him. But now he looked different. He had come to terms with the fact that Lumia would risk her life. So they might as well risk it together. Lumia retraced her step to let the others speak. The cup ended now in the paws of Snowflake. "I have quite a few family scores to settle too, you lil sluts. If you can keep up with me, it''s going to be a hell of a ride!" Snowflake let out a laughter as his blood dripped down into the water. His words touched a chord deep within Helial. His gaze briefly met that of Snowflake. It was hard to tell which one was the steadiest. The exchange last no longer than one instant. Though it was enough to baffle Helial. His Emperor state let him now sense the level of others'' Soul. He could tell the nature of their intentions in one single glance. During their brief exchange of looks, he caught a glimpse of Snowflake''s Soul; it was at the King''s state! The great purity of Snowflake''s Soul left him speechless. Despite his rude attitude and his helplessness in stirring up trouble, Snowflake''s eyes were clearest than the sky itself. They betrayed a confident firm heart and a Soul just as powerful. The gaze of the cat and that of the little Human diverged. The magnetic field the brief exchange gave off would have sent a shiver down a god''s spine. One day, history books would tell about their deeds. Helial had no idea how come Snowflake''s Soul was already at such high a level. However, he saw it fitting not to let the others know about this. After all, only creatures belonging to superior states are familiar with concepts like that of the states of one''s Soul. It was a cultivation system only the greatest experts in the universe had access to. Thanks to his unmatched natural perception, Vlad had already taken notice of this.For how subtle was his perception though, he had little idea on what could be the nature of "this". Frankenstein and Lulu stepped forward too. "If it hadn''t been for you, I would have now been dead. Or worse, I would still live as a library servant," Frankenstein said. He hardly ever spoke about his research or show any feeling, "my goal is to constantly search for new knowledge, no matter in what field. Join you would make a nice sport in the meanwhile." "I have no family nor Clan. I was brought up by family friends. I had no right to no education. My talent is mediocre enough to make me feel often uncomfortable when I look at what you freaks can do. But I''ll nonetheless do everything in my power to let us be happy together," little Lulu said as she blushed. Plop Plop The blood of Frankenstein and Lulu dripped down into the cup. The water color turned darker. Vlad suddenly stood up from his chair. Everyone turned towards him. Did he really thought it best to go away during such an important moment? Vlad flashed away and instantly reappeared right in front of Helial. "And as far as my goal is concerned¡­" 153 On a tree branch The day before Helial and Circe were sitting on the rooftop of the royal palace with their legs dangling through the darkness. From time to time, the crescent moon would cast its gleam on their faces from over a thick shroud of clouds. Helial was gazing intently ahead of himself. The flash of a new resolution sparkled across his eyes. He turned abruptly towards Circe. He caught sight of her eyes sparkling through the night. The view stuck a chord deep within him. "Are you going to go serious with our engagement, or you''ll get rid of me as you did of the others?" Helial bluntly asked. Circe wouldn''t seem to be taken aback by his words. Without even looking at him, she stirred up the corners of mouth in a fiery smile. "We''ll see." Helial stared at the face of Circe as it bathed in the moon rays. She really did have the silhouette of a heavenly creature. Her pitch-black hair framed her forehead and eyes. Along with her small proportioned nose, they gave her a malicious look. Her heavy make-up gave a strong contribution to her taunting gaze as she looked afar at Orma in the distance. "There are way more talents than you image. In Orma, I mean," Circe blurted out as she suddenly changed subject. "Pseudonym is nothing comprehensible for common people. But when people say I''m the second best talent in Orma, I can hardly stop myself from laughing in their face¡­" As Circe''s voice died out in the wind, a number of shadows were hurrying down the streets of Orma making it home after a hard day''s work. The warriors would now warm in inns and whorehouses to forget the work of the day soon to end ¨C the same work that would expect them at the sunrise of the following day. Mothers would put their children to bed reminding them of the importance of gaining the favours of some master to pass the Royal Academy entrance test. The merchants would dismantle their stalls lined up at the edge of the streets. Their faces were skinny and visibly tired. One of them didn''t even took notice of a little kid running away with some loafs of bread just stolen while he was bending down to pick up the baskets. Helial cast a glance at Circe and fell silent. He waited for her voice to linger on his ears. "The gap between first best and second best could never be compared to the gap between Pseudonym and me. Second best, me?" Circe shook her head. "I don''t even deserve to be second to Pseudonym. And anyway, am I the only talented practitioner in Orma? No way. Look at you, for example¡­" Circe went on to say as she turned towards Helial. She rubbed a hand against his shoulder. "You''re already more powerful than you were yesterday. You grow stronger with each passing day. It''s been like this since the day I met you. The only one who could possibly reach Pseudonym''s level in all Orma is you." Circe licked her lips, then went on saying: "But you and Pseudonym aren''t the only talents in Orma for sure. Despite his talent not being as astounding as that of Pseudonym, there is a Goblin who really deserves to be called second best in Orma. And that Goblin is not me¡­" Circe pulled a crystal ball out of her cloak. Its surface glared under the feeble moonlight. Helial raised an eyebrow. "A Soothsayer? It''s an Intermediate stage?" The funds of the Guild of Life and Death must really be richer than Helial thought. The guy could not even figure what could be the cost of such a precious item. Despite having Caesar''s special permission to buy anything from the Merchant Guild, Helial knew that it wasn''t through money one could lay their hands on such an item. In order to lay your hands on a Soothsayer, you needed to know the right people. A soothsayer could be used as a Divine Sense except it was far less tangible. Therefore, it made the perfect tool to spy on poor unsuspecting people. Circe slowly ran her hands over the ball. It immediately began to glow with a soft light. Within the crystal, Helial could see the image of a red-haired boy sleeping on a tree branch. Helial could hardly stifle a giggle. Circe stared at him in puzzlement. Before the Goblin girl could ask him why he would laugh, Helial gently stroked her face: "Vlad is far more talented than you. But there''s no way he''ll put any effort into it unless some motivation drags him on. He doesn''t seem willing to improve. Otherwise, he would have already been an unparalleled warrior. After gathering some information at the Merchant Guild, I found out that despite his power is acknowledged by many, the extent of it could be defined by few." The friendship between Helial and Caliban had let the Human get detailed information about the Orman powers. Of course Helial wouldn''t miss the chance to get to know more about the situation in the Guild of Life and Death. Therefore, he had now a clear picture of every talent in the capital. Among them, Vlad would be only mentioned as Circe''s hopeless cousin. Despite being born gifted, Vlad had never put any effort in cultivating his great talent. Circe grabbed Helial''s hand and held it tight, pressing it gently on her cheek. Then, she slowly moved it all the way to her lips, which shaped a gentle kiss soft enough to send a shiver down the spine of every men on earth. Helial went on to say: "However, your high consideration of him sheds a light on how underrated by everyone Vlad is. No one gains the esteem of the Witch so easily, right? Most likely, he has given you a hard time. Maybe you have even fought an-HA!" Circe had just bitten Helial''s hand, the look of a fox in her eyes. Helial quickly drew back his hand and blew on it. Circe stood up and snapped her fingers. SNAP! Some invisible force pushed Helial back and immobilized him on the roof edge. His ankles and wrists were now blocked by invisible Mana chains. Circe put her foot on his chest. With the most mellow voice, she whispered: "That''s not how that tongue should be used for. Vlad''s story goes far beyond mere sloth¡­" Circe''s soft foot slid to Helial''s underbelly. The Goblins hurrying up home down the streets below them all heard a moan of pleasure come from a rooftop. "Haaaa!" *** On the opposite side of Orma Vlad was stargazing as he tried to fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes though, his mind would play tricks on him. One after another, all his memories would relive and flow relentlessly under his heavy eyelids. Not a single day seemed to have passed since the day when he was perched on a tree branch, as if nothing could be more natural to him, and caught a glimpse of a girl moving swiftly on a training ground of the Royal Academy. He knew her. He had seen her across the Royal Palace. She was¡­ the King''s daughter! Two curved daggers gleamed their way to the straw men standing at one end of the training ground. The young girl was exploiting the full potential of her Movement Skill. As she coalesced with the shadows cast by the sun, Francesca darted through the training ground while skilfully casting her Shadow Step. Suddenly, Francesca perceived two eyes gazing at her and raised her head. She caught sight of a red-haired boy sitting up high on a tree branch, legs dangling. He was staring at her with a peaceful expression on his face. Francesca gave him a bright smile, which Vlad returned. "We could train together, tomorrow," Vlad said. "I''ll be waiting right here." The girl smiled in response, turned on him and left. On the following day, Vlad waited for Francesca to reach the training ground. Which she did. She came back to train with the fiery-haired boy. The large blades generated terrifying ceaseless chained slashes. Vlad promptly dodged Francesca''s every attack without his smile vanishing from his face. Francesca soon lost her cool. She pushed Shadow Step to the limit in order to hit her opponent. The daggers dashed towards Vlad''s chest. One second before hitting him though, the boy disappeared into a bloody mist. Francesca felt a shiver down her spine. She froze. The tip of an arrow was stinging her neck. The calm voice of Vlad told her: "You lost again." Day after day, Francesca sneaked her way through Vlad''s heart. Under her advice, he had gone back to training. To Vlad, Francesca was now the only thing that mattered. Despite this training taking place in secret, Vlad''s masters easily noticed the difference. They could already forecast his bright future as one of the unmatched talents in Orma. Whoever saw Vlad training would confirm without the slightest hesitation that by the day of the entrance test, Vlad would form no less than ninety steps. The happiness Vlad was experiencing could hardly be compared to anything he had felt in his life. When he walked by Francesca''s side, he would only need to glance at her to feel a violent yet sweet feeling overwhelm his heart. One day, however, Vlad noticed a shadow in Francesca''s usually unclouded eyes. Her clear gaze began to grow darker with every day. Vlad opened his eyes. The memories were suffocating him. But it was late. There was no way he could refrain them at this point. Before his eyes, Vlad ran through the most painful memories from his past. The images were overlapped by the sound of a Senior''s voice from the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle: "We are glad to announce that Young Master Comodus and Lady Francesca are officially engaged! Could this bring our beloved Orma an era of peace and joy!" The official announcement had been made under the scowl of Caesar. His daughter''s idea had been a daring one. The Sect of the Worthy had accepted immediately. The crowd rejoiced. Caesar, however, knew perfectly well there was nothing to be joyful about. Francesca''s proposal to marry Comodus was but a political move to appease the rising tensions between the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle and the Sect of the Worthy. A powerful Aura surged from the crowd. It was so soaked in grief and disappointment it could explode at any moment. Caesar noticed it and scanned the crowd to trace it back to its source. He promptly found it in the figure of a fiery red-haired boy. The King shook his head in sadness at the view. This means the heart his daughter betrayed belonged to him. Vlad met the King''s eyes by chance and seemed to intercept his thought. Caesar must have by now known that his daughter had fallen in love with a talented young man. However, he couldn''t come to terms with how promptly Francesca renounced to her love for the greater good. Extremely young age, such common sense nonetheless¡­ The King could not but feel the deepest sympathy for the boy. It was then that Vlad made up his mind he would never train again. This was the last time he would show someone the real extent of his potential. He had been training hard, but only because he had found a reason to live; a person to shelter. Now that Francesca had freely decided to marry Comodus though, what was the point in trying even? Vlad heaved a sigh. A bunch of shining stars peered through the limb of a cloud. He turned on one side. He was determined to finally fall asleep, perched on the tree branch overlooking the training ground of the Royal Academy. 154 Strategy A few days later Helial was gazing at his friends in the distance. They were training. Now, they were perfectly aware about what was waiting for the next. The needed to make a name for themselves in Orma. Their group was, after all, all made of Humans and wastes of society. With the special bonus of a Goblin who would only sleep his days away on a tree. Still, Helial paid no mind to Vlad. He knew his words could nothing to convince Vlad to get down to training. He would need to wait for the right moment to strike some chord within him. In order to build a name, the group should take the field in the Colosseum against other groups. In the Colosseum, matches were divided into three different kinds. Every victory or fail would be recorded in the global dashboard. 1 vs 1 One member selected by each group would challenge another from the opposite group. The group whose member beat the other would turn out to be the winning one. Usually, groups would send on their strongest warrior so as to ensure victory. The 3 vs 3 relay competition would be carried out by three different members from each group instead. Every time a participant would by defeated, another member from the same group would take him over. The participant who had beat him could decide to be taken over as well or keep fighting until the end of the match. Since matches could only be fought by people in the same Phase? ¨C unless both parties agreed otherwise ¨C the more were the group''s strong warriors the greater would be its chance of winning. However, as it often happens down the Dao of Mana, quantity is doomed to lose to quality. Helial makes for a good example. If Helial faced a hundred First Phase Intermediate stage warriors, he would wipe them out easily enough. Inside the Colosseum hang a dashboard listing out how many points each warrior would gain. Win 1 vs 1 ¨C 1 Point Win 3 vs 3 ¨C 1 Point Group Win ¨C 0,5 Points Fail - -2 Points This meant that in order to earn a decent amount of points, failure was not an option. Helial''s team must collect a great number of victories in order to climb in the rankings. The wager system of the Colosseum was a state-of-the-art one. Every year, billions of golden coins would be thrown into its treasury thanks to the warriors fighting in the arena. Ordinary fighters wouldn''t see a penny, whereas the strongest ones would get pretty nice amounts of money. The arena had two dashboards. One listed out warriors by their Phase. The other was the global one. In the latter, the warrior''s Phase would enhance their ranking by adding points to those already earned by fighting. The Colosseum hosted fights between warriors up to the Sixth Phase. Sixth Phase practitioners would get a x1.5 bonus in every fight on the global dashboard, whereas Fifth Phase warriors benefited from a x1 bonus. Every Phase under the Fifth one would get a bonus inferior to 1. This meant there was a significant gap between the practitioners in the Fifth Phase and those below. The bonus of a Second Phase practitioner was x0,2. Therefore, in order to get the same points on the Global Dashboard as a Fifth Phase practitioner, they would need to fight five times as much! Helial had studied the global dashboard in detail. To his little surprise, he found Pseudonym right on top of the ranking. Pseudonym 2509 Points 1994 Wins 0 Fails Helial looked at his friends. They were training under the stern gaze of Iblis. Helial stood still and pondered on what might be waiting for them next. Iblis casually turned his head. He took notice of Helial''s thoughtful expression. On his little legs, he reached for him until he stood by his side. "How will you set up the matches?" His master had surely little doubt on what strategy would be the best one. Therefore, Helial resolved for a blunt answer: "There''s no way we can allow ourselves to earn points regularly. Pseudonym spends every day fighting in the Colosseum. We would never reach him that way." Oh, by the way, it might have gone unnoticed that Pseudonym had no team. Pseudonym fought alone. From 1v1 to group competitions, Pseudonym had always relied on himself only. This was what most made him famous all over Orma. Even Caesar and Aure, the only Immortals in Orma, didn''t boast no such feats back in the days. Or rather, to be precise, no one had ever accomplished such feat over the last eras. Even if Helial wanted to do something this crazy, it would take him forever. The quickest way was challenge the strongest Fifth Phase warriors in order to earn as many points as possible right away. It was indeed true; Pseudonym had now had to fight opponents in higher Phases than he was, whereas Helial would start from scratch. This way, he wouldn''t need to hurry as he slaughtered his way through the ranking. Pseudonym was on top, and only a long climb of dead opponents would lead Helial to him. "Every first victory against the top three warriors in the Phase dashboard gives you 30 points while casting a 15 points Malus to the loser. We''ll start from them. Also, the top three teams are coincidentally the top three forces in Orma." Lately, Helial had been visiting the Merchant Guild fairly frequently. Every visit was a chance to ask Caliban about the news in the Colosseum. So he had done on that very morning. The young Merchant heir already showed him which groups he would need to challenge first. "Guild of Life and Death, third position. It''s the Tramps Team. A full expert team. They grew up in forests clearing monsters for days on end." Helial''s irises made out the silhouette of seven fighters. "Clan of the Heavenly Eagle, ranked second. It''s the Knight Team. Armed to the teeth. Their melee Classes have some frightening Defence." Nine new silhouettes appeared next to the first seven. "Sect of the Worthy. Ranked first. The Team of the Executioner. It''s made of the twelve best talents in the First Phase," Helial finished as his gaze lingered on his friends, training. "Every team has strengths and weaknesses just as we have. We lack cohesion, because our group is green. It''s a problem we can''t undervalue." Despite his ominous words, Helial was speaking with a broad smile on his face. "And how are you planning to defeat them?" Iblis asked as fierceness flashed in his evil eyes. Helial clenched his fist and whispered: "The first two matches will go smoothly." "What about the third?" Iblis glanced up and finally gazed at the eyes of the young boy. Helial thought at the Sect of the Worthy. He cast his mind back to the arrogance of Medusa and his sister, at Comodus'' poisonous gaze, at what they might be workingbehind their back in that very moment. What about the Sect of the Worthy? "It''s gonna be a carnage." 155 Two birds with one stone Helial was sitting on the bleachers of the Colosseum, his arms folded. Meanwhile, Frankenstein was knocking down yet another fighter from the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle. He had won again. How could such weak Goblins rank first in the First Phase Dashboard? Helial shortly shook his head. Those posed no opponents to them. As the group leader, Helial saw it fitting not to display their full potential from the beginning. That was why so far, only Frankenstein had taken the field against the Guild of Life and Death and the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle. Unless some particularly gifted warrior, no practitioner under the Second Phase really posed a threat to Frankenstein. The Goblin from Helial''s group had indeed won the two matches with full points. As an overall, Helial''s group gained 65 points in the First Phase Dashboard. They had unseat the first two teams. Frankenstein looked about himself. Then he opened up the window of his strongest Skill. Skill Activated Lvl: 17 Grade: Light-blue Knowledge Grade: Physical Manifestation Damage: 16000-19000 Effects: It allows you to converge elemental energy in your Palms, whose pure energy contains the principles of the four elements. Cost: 200 Mana/sec Efficiency: 100% Who wields the power of handling the elements can choose whether to give birth or death. Helial intently gazed at Frankenstein as he stepped out of the arena. Since the Goblin began training with Iblis, his main Skill Elements Manipulation was drawing nearer to the Master Grade. At this pace, Frankenstein would become the first of them with a Master Grade Skill. Frankenstein''s abnegation in perfecting his Skill''s attack and defence led him to improve it even farther. Besides generating energy palms, the skill would now let him to manipulate the wild unrelenting Mana of the four main elements ¨C partly, at least. Despite his control being far from perfect, he could now generate powerful shields almost as resistant as those of Lumia while boasting an outstanding offensive power. Frankenstein should now only work out a way to improve the Skill''s speed. After that, Elements Manipulation Knowledge Grade would improve even farther and leap to the Master Grade. In cultivating a Skill, its level and Knowledge Grade are closely related. This is showed by the fact that before reaching the Master Grade, one could upgrade their Skill by mere practice. Once reached the Grade though, cultivators would need to first search for the principles lying at the basis of the Skill in order to reach ever greater peaks. As Frankenstein walked outside the arena, the audience wildly cheered for the ridiculous outcome of the Tristia Team match. Tristia Team. This was the name Helial chose for his Colosseum party. It didn''t really matter to Helial if the others understood the meaning behind that name or the reason why he had chosen it. Helial closed his eyes. He immediately cast his mind back to a wasted drunk man scribbling on wine-stained paper while loudly swearing. He inhaled deeply and reopened his eyes. Frankenstein walked towards Helial, Lumia, Lulu and Snowflake as the uproar of the crowd showed no signs of quieting down. With an insane expression twisting his face, he said: "Can I go first against those slobs from the Sect of the Worthy?" Frankenstein''s eyes gleamed with disquieting light as if a demon had taken his body. The matches put him under such pressure that he received more than one Epiphany on his main Skill. Frankenstein was cultivating one single Skill indeed. He wanted to make an unparalleled strength of it. Helial turned on the other side. To his surprise, his eyes fell on the figure of a young hood guy. A voice blurted out from under the hood: "The Team of Knights an the Team of Executioners are as far from the Tramps Team as heaven and earth are. In a group competition, they could easily wipe you out. I saw them fight more than once. Their talent couldn''t be compared with yours, but you can''t allow yourself to underrate them nonetheless.2 Helial raised a eyebrow as he giggled: "What do you know about our talent? You never saw any of us fight but Frankenstein a few minutes ago." Caliban smacked his lips arrogantly. "It''s just logic. You only let Frankenstein take the field today. This means he''s the weakest of you guys. It''s but a way not to show the aces up your sleeve all at once. And if the weakest of you could put the squeeze on the third and second ranked teams, then your party has more to it than it meets the eyes for sure. You almost killed Medusa, didn''t you? After destroying half our Senate. You''re Caesar''s pupil as well, and rumor has it that your master even compared your talent to that of Pseudonym." After falling silent for a few seconds, Caliban stirred up the corners of his lips in a know-it-all smile: "You''re not aiming at the First Phase Dashboard, are you? Your goal has nothing to do with that." Helial nodded in satisfaction. Caliban really did deserve to be called the true heir of the Merchant Guild. Despite his level being quite an ordinary one, he had an extremely smart brain. Also, he developed a sharp cautioness; he always collected as much information as possible on every person he met so as so be once step ahead of everyone. The point he just made, however, wasn''t the key one. Frankenstein didn''t take the field first merely because Helial wanted to hide their true potential. Rather, Helial just thought it to be a waste of energy to do otherwise. By fighting alone, the pressure and adrenaline Frankenstein experienced would let him develop new strengths and ideas. And as Caliban had just proved, this would also lead everyone to conclude that Frankenstein was the weakest member of Tristia Team. All in all, Helial really found a way to catch two birds with one stone. Take the field himself against some First Phase brats? Helial slowly stood up as he shook his head. If he had to bother defeating those scraps, he would tarnish his master''s honor once and for all. He would get no benefit from fighting against them. He''d better leave that chance to those who could benefit from it. Helial smiled slightly as his mind flew back to the two sisters from the Sect of the Worthy. Medea and Medusa. Medea¡­ That little girl was a member of the Tramps Team. Rather, she was their leader. Rumor had it that in the First Phase, no one could boast a greater talent than Medea. She was currently in the Late stage ¨C only one step away from the Second Phase. She would level up soon enough. However, as things stood, she was lingering in the First Phase as long as possible in order to collect the greatest amount of points in the Colosseum. The prices offered to those who won in Colosseum were appealing even for such a rich member of the Sect indeed. Being an independent institution, the Colosseum had nothing to do with the Clan-Sect-Guild Orman triad. As well as the Merchant Guild, the Colosseum was a power of its own mostly build on money. They have always carefully stayed out of any political question. If Pseudonym roamed free down the streets of Orma without needing any party to support it, it was thanks to his breath-taking strength as well as thanks to the income he earned by fighting in the Colosseum. Pseudonym was the Colosseum paladin indeed. It was a long time now that making a bet on his defeat was wilder than making one on his victory! Pseudonym had often times defeated opponents who should have been stronger than him. Every time he would fight such opponents, a number of Goblins would bet all their money on his defeat, They all hoped the day would come for the legendary Pseudonym to be erased from history. But up to that very day, none had ever won. On the contrary, the Colosseum Seniors would bet a dizzying amount of money on his victory. They would also provide the young hero with all the resources he needed to step forward on his Dao of Mana. Most likely, onlyblessed children like Francesca, Comodus and Circe would get access to a richer amount of resources. Caliban answered: "Medea, Silk and Kin¨¦ will make your next opponents. They''re nothing like Circe and Pseudonym. Their talent though is somewhere near that of Medusa," then Caliban''s voice dropped by several tones, "the talent in the Sect''s Team could ripple through the heaven itself." Then he turned towards Helial and went on to say: "Need a hand organizing your attack pattern or gathering information? Silk is a Ninja, Kin¨¦ is a Summoner¡­" Helial interposed by raising a hand: "They dared stepped on the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle''s soil to stir up trouble inside the Royal Palace. They fell short of respecting the whole Clan. Tell them we challenge them in a death match." Caliban''s eyes shot open. All around them, the crow was leaving their seats and heading home. That was the last of today''s matches. Everyone was gradually leaving the arena. "A death match? Even if the accepted, do you even realize what the consequences could be?" Caliban asked in an uncertain tone of voice. All of sudden, Helial''s Aura changed drastically. It lighting-fast covered his friend. They were now floating in a bubble which made them feel far from the outside world. It felt as if Helial had just opened up a new minor dimension where he and Caliban glided through the vacuum of space. Helial spoke: "They menace my family and me. Do I care about Medea? No. And nothing will save Comodus from this same fate. Tell the Sect about my proposal. I have no doubt they''ll say yes. Then, after I have erased every single trace of their descendants from this planet, I''ll deal with the higher powers." Then Helial''s tyrannical Aura extinguished just like it had appeared. The Human turned on his heels and walked away, leaving a death-pale Caliban gasping for air on the bleachers, completely alone. 156 A strong man like me The sunrays gleamed on the face of a middle-aged Human sitting on the Colosseum bleachers. His gaze betrayed his long experience. His cold stern posture made him stand out from the Goblin crowd even more easily than his white Human skin. For being a Human, he really didn''t mind the suspicious gazes of the frowning Goblins around him. "So Hades'' brother is 15 and he''s talented enough for Caesar to have accepted him as his pupil," with a wisp of voice, he read the few lines he scribbled on his block notes before shaking his head. "Looks like everyone can be a dragon if surrounded by a bunch of sheep. I don''t see why I would need to investigate on this brat. Hades'' talent is indeed impressive, but it''s nothing the Mana Congregation can''t deal with." The man had been sent by the Mana Congregation indeed. He was responsible for inspecting Helial''s and his friends'' potential. A man of his caliber should never step on the same filthy soil as those barbaric Goblins, so he thought. However, his superior didn''t leave him much of a choice. They needed to gather information about the boy. Despite their attempts at keeping this matter a secret, it was nonetheless clear that the members of the Mana Congregation who tried to get information about him were Hades'' friends. He had asked his friends in the high places to pull the strings for him so as to find out about the little boy who happened to live now in the Goblin capital. The senior in charge of these investigations had asked no questions to his superiors as his position required. But there was something fishy to this. At first, he had been ordered to spark off a riot in the Senate in order to let a Goblin army under the Third Phase to attack the Outpost of Alabard while razing to the ground all the villages along the way. Once completed that task, the army would be wiped out from the outpost. This should all look as a diplomatic incident whose blame was to be taken by some Senate Senior. So why would now send him to chase after this little brat? The senior investigator was no fool. He know there are questions that are best left unasked. However, doubts could not but arouse in his heart. The roots of the Mana Congregation ran deep through the whole continent. Its claws surely stretched as far as Orma. Actually, the only reason why there were only few seniors from the Mana Congregation in Orma was the Goblins'' weakness. What could two mere Immortals against the power of the Mana Congregation? The senior ¨C who apparently cast no Aura ¨C shook his head helplessly. How many Immortals did the Congregation boast? Plenty of. So why did they send him after a little brat yet to reach the Second Phase? On the reports he read about the boy, he discovered that some Heavenly Star Tiger had followed the Human all the way to Orma. They had soon become joined at the hip. Maybe the high places wanted him to get rid of the boy himself. He couldn''t say. It wasn''t the kind of order one could explicitly write down on paper. Subordinates were supposed to read between the lines and figure it out for themselves. If he either misunderstood the order or was sent as an scapegoat, however, he would come to a bad end. This was why the senior has seen it fitting to keep an eye on the boy without taking action. He concluded it would be a nice idea to get rid of the Heavenly Star Tiger to begin with. He could then make up some excuse and bring its fur to the Congregation. Honestly, he did not dare lay a finger on the boy. He had no idea about what consequences that would bring along. He was sure Hades wanted his little brother dead- Since he had received blurry orders ¨C last time, an entire army had been sent to kill him, had it not? ¨C then he had better not act rashly. The Mana Congregation had a man planted in every influent city. Also, its headquarters were set in the very center of the Continent ¨C where some nation like Fiercelake couldn''t even be considered a rural area. In the Central Continent, there were as many Immortals as flies on a pile of shit. Due to this, the Mana Congregation never really considered Orma as a potential subsidiary. Nonetheless, they sent there a senior in charge of supervision on the Goblin situation. This way, they would always be aware of the main facts while able to plan how to use such inferior people as Goblins to their advantage. The Mana Congregation only had Human members ¨C the highest race. The one race who could reach Immortality the quickest. Despite a few exceptions, every other monster-like or humanoid race boasted an incredibly long lifespan yet an incredibly slow pace on the Dao of Mana. What was most terrifying about Human was the fact that despite they lived so briefly, they could reproduce endlessly. Also, their talent for Mana was unparalleled. It would take a decent amount of millions for a beast to reach the Tenth Phase, whereas rumor had it that in some of the greatest Clans in the universe, there were twenty-year-olds already on the brink of Immortality. The Congregation senior dwelled on the fact that maybe, he had better kill Helial''s whole group after the Heavenly Star Tiger. After all, despite the orders not being this clear, he would have curried favor with Hades. If he succeeded, then his chances of climbing up the Mana Congregation hierarchies would definitely improve. Once reached a certain level, who chose to become senior instead of Master of the Mana Congregation would face many challenges in lack of the right connections. "Yeah. I will get rid of his little gang first. I''ll bring their bodies to Hades to gain some nice recommendation," the Mana Congregation senior laughed to himself. Meanwhile, he caught sight of a member of the Tristia Team, some Frankenstein, wring the neck of his opponent. He was covered in blood from head to toe. The match must haven''t been too easy. For what he heard indeed, the Sect of the Worthy would provide all its fighters in the Colosseum with some special Fury Elixirs. Fury Elixirs would push the strength of its user almost an entire Phase further. However, the effect would be achieved through the release of a great number of impurities through the user''s Meridians. The Elixirs did heavily affect one''s Dao of Mana. By being on such powerful drug, one''s talent would get irremediably affected. It would surely make levelling up harder on the long run. Once in the Fifth Phase though, the collateral effects of the Fury Energy would disappear. How many people would nonetheless destroy themselves before reaching that checkpoint on their Dao? Many, too many. "Most likely, the Sect promised to provide them with the best resources before they reach the Fifth Phase if they succeed in killing Hades'' little brother and his friends," the Mana Congregations senior whispered. Frankenstein was panting in the arena. His chest was raising and falling quickly. His eyes were bloodshot yet full of sheer joy. The match was a tough one. Though, he received a number of Epiphanies on Elements Manipulation and developed a few theories on how to increase his Skill''s level. He only had to test them now. So, not bearing in mind that his body was in such terrible conditions he could hardly walk, he ran out of the arena in a desperate hurry to test everything out. The crowd was speechless. They were all convinced Frankenstein would badly lose that one. No one had expected such a miserable Goblin to win. And yet Frankenstein''s triumph even exceeded victory; he had been bold enough to wring the neck of a fighter from the Sect of the Worthy! Yes, that was a knockdown fight. However, how many people would have actually dared to offend the Sect of the Worthy that way? The Mana Congregation senior shrug. He stood up and walked towards the exit. He would leave the crowd making up stories on Frankenstein''s luck by itself. For his part, he knew that Frankenstein''s talent wasn''t bad. That was but a well-deserved victory. He had quite enjoyed the match. But now the time had come for him to start preparing for the murder of those little brats. According to the reports he received, fighters would have a break before the 3v3 relay match. The time would be enough for him to localize them and come up with a way to eliminate them one after another. As he pondered on how to skin out the Heavenly Star Tiger, how to remove the kids'' head from the chest and on how much Hades would appreciate his job, the senior smelt like burning fried fritters down the dark corridor leading to the exit. A translucent silhouette appeared behind the back of the senior, who went on walking calmly. "Well," a kid with the black bangs sighed, "kill someone by mistake is not like interfere, right? After all, it''s just so common for a strong man like me to accidentally squash an ant!" 157 Destiny patches existence A girl who couldn''t have been more than ten years old was standing in the middle of the Colosseum. Her silvery hair gently fell on her little shoulder. The shocked gaze of the crowd was fixed on her as she clenched her fists without showing the least hesitation. For Lumia, this was her chance to stand out. Helial would finally see her fight alone. Without his help. "Let me go first," Lumia had asked him in a tone that sounded noting like a question as she cling onto her arm. "And that''s the fighter sent against the Sect of the Worthy?" a Goblin sceptically blurted out. It was indeed common knowledge that the members of the Sect''s teams were provided with the Fury Elixir. This way, their strength would be increased exponentially. That little skinny thing could nothing against one of them. The Team of the Executioners hadn''t their mind set on victory. Rather, their goal was to slaughter Helial''s group in the all vs all competition. This was why Medea sent one of her weakest players to fight against Lumia. She had sent for the less strong ones in the 3v3 relay competition too. She saved the elite for the last round. The Team of the Executioners had received extremely clear orders by the Sect of the Worthy. No member of the Tristia Team must survive. Even the direct heir Medea, cousin of the first in line for the Sect of the Worthy itself, had been left no choice and drank a Fury Elixir. Apparently, the high places in the Sect of the Worthy wanted Helial dead at all costs. The Sect did take every possible precaution. On the contrary, Caesar had had no contact with Helial. He didn''t ask him to kill nobody. He actually hoped that no fighter would be inflicted excessively severe damage. The big shots of Orma were watching the match with a superhuman calm in their eyes. Every spectator though knew perfectly well that their calm was but apparent. That match was way more important than they could imagine. It was true that Pseudonym and Circe lorded over the leaderboard, but their victories shed light on the future of Orma. Whereas that day''s victory or failure would shape the future balance of the Orman powers. Despite no one having said this aloud, Helial was a representative for Caesar and the Clan of the Heavenly Eagle. Medea was one of the greatest talented warriors in the Sect of the Worthy. Despite not yet being as strong as Medusa or Comodus, she would totally gain a place in the Sect of the Worthy top five talents ranking. Helial has his arms folded as he gazed at Lumia from behind the gating that led down to the team''s room. From there, he could only catch sight of Lumia''s slender little shoulders. Skill Activated: Perception His recently reached Emperor State gave Helial''s Skills got a number of benefits. Helial hadn''t yet had the time to closely inspect them all. However, he noticed how Perception had grown more powerful. According to his math, that highly underrated Skill could now easily replace the Divine Sense practitioners could only get after the Third Phase. A kid with the black bangs and a funny bowl haircut suddenly appeared next to Helial. "According to Perception, I sense that Lumia''s Aura has changed. Her Meridians seem thicker and stronger. Can I ask you why, Master?" Helial asked with a frown. As the boy''s eyes lay on the kid, the latter brought a finger to his ear to warn him to pay attention. His eyes were fixed on the opposite direction. BOOM! Helial jumped on his feet, scared to death. What the hell did just happen? He immediately turned towards the grating. He would promptly blow it to pieces to help his sister. The crowd fell silent. A thick cloud of sand rouse from the arena preventing everyone to see. Helial scanned the area with Perception as he let a terrifying amount of Mana rush through his eyes'' Meridians. Nothing. He could see nothing. The Mana across the arena was in an uproar. In that chaos, Helial couldn''t catch a glimpse of a single Mana spark of his sister. "What''s happened?" Helial asked worriedly as he turned towards Iblis. There was nothing he wouldn''t do to save Lumia. Iblis'' peaceful expression though seemed to hint that his sister wasn''t inflicted no damage. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. In that very moment, the sand cloud finally cleared. A silhouette emerged and calmly approached Helial and Iblis. A calm beaming expression suddenly came in sight of the Devil and his disciple. "I''m back in a min, wait for me," Lumia told her brother. On the opposite end of the arena, a voice announced the death of her opponent. Lumia wiped her opponent out in a matter of seconds. She shed no beam of sweat. Even Helial was taken aback ¨C just like his friends and the whole crowd. The only one whose expression didn''t betray the least bafflement was Iblis. The Devil was sniggering. "I want to bring joy to my brother," so Lumia had explained to the Devil. These words had led the Devil to pay a great deal of effort into Lumia''s training. The little girl was ready to experience unspeakable pains in order to try to reach her brother ¨C who, for his part, received a terrifying power and a terrifying Mana flow compression. And she did. Iblis closed his eyes for a second. *** Countless eras before Tsukuyomi was lying on the ground gasping for air. Iblis was staring at her in apprehension. "Again," Tsukuyomi mumbled through loathing and pain. Iblis furiously interposed: "Let''s stop this folly! The technique to the Emperor state is yet to be perfected! You''re already in the King state just like your sister, why would you risk your life?!" The girl stood up from the ground. Amaterasu''s sister was an Immortal who got in touch with a terrifying artefact ¨C the Fountain of Eternal Youth. Thanks to this, she became able to keep her girl-like appearance before reaching Immortality. Once after the Tenth Phase, she could shape her body again. Since she knew that Iblis was now used to her childish image, however, she chose to live eternally as his little sister. It hardly mattered that they had no blood bond. Tsukuyomi slowly stood up. Her body was trembling and shaking. "Again," she repeated bluntly. She slowly shook her head. "If I don''t grow in strength now, I''ll slow you down when we face my father and his army," Tsukuyomi calmly explained, "we went through a number of attempts. I was extremely close this time. You just need to perceive all my Meridians at once and hit them simultaneously after unblocking the Cardiac Meridian." Despite the theory seeming so simple, Iblis knew perfectly well that the actual process was a terrifying one. Even him never put into practice the theory of that technique Tsukuyomi had come up with. Exactly. The technique Iblis was using was the 365 Lunar Phases Technique. Tsukuyomi developed it all by herself. However, it could only be implemented by a terrifyingly powerful body as that of Iblis. Up to that moment, he had been a lab rat under Tsukuyomi''s advice. "I will spend my life by the side of he who showed me their goodwill. You never asked me any questions, big bro. You never demanded anything. You''re my family more than my sister and Qinguang will ever be. So don''t ask me to retrace my steps now. I have dedicated my whole spirit to this. Unlike the Clan of Life, the love you gave me was unconditional. You taught me how to follow my heart in spite of the rules of those who tyrannize the universe. "I won''t stop until you''re happy. Until you yourself will stop. You live, I live. You die, I die. The moon chose to live as a reflection of the sun in order to be eternally close to him. I chose her same destiny. But I won''t be able to truly exist until I wield the power to." *** In the present Iblis opened his eyes. He looked at the silhouette of Lumia as she walked towards the center of the Colosseum. He glanced at Helial and chuckled, then dissolved into black smoke. He reappeared sitting at the table laid for two inside Helial''s Soul, holding a recipe book. "Not only did the little girl reach the Soul state, but she also learnt how to hide her presence, control her emotion and let them flow together with her Skills. She now knows many of the characteristics of her state¡­ Yet her decision is to keep being your little sister. Life is indeed strange¡­ Things seem to reoccur in a cycle, and destiny likes tearing existence and patching it up differently every single time, as if to torture the poor Immortals who decided to challenge it." 158 On the wrong side Helial and Lumia were standing in their team room together with the rest of the group. A foolish smile hung on the boy''s face. He was so satisfied that his sister won each of her three matches. He ruffled her silvery hair as he gazed at her bright green eyes. "There''s more than a Skill you hid from me, from what I''ve seen," Helial said with the peaceful smile on his face. Lumia slightly turned her face. Endearingly, she pointed at her cheek. "A kiss on your cheek?" Helial said as he giggled. Lumia nodded innocently. For a split second, a sinister evil light glistened in her little eyes. Helial suddenly felt heart-wrung. He realized that after reaching the Emperor state, his Soul let him perceive his every emotion clearer. His love, hatred or annoyance were now over-worldly neat. His heart would let him express his every feeling to the fullest. Once, he would have hesitated. Now that there was no doubt shadowing his heart though, he perceived how the pride for his sister overwhelmed him. Helial knew perfectly well that such progress must have come at a terrible price. Lumia though was on her path to become a woman. He could not get in her way. All he could do was admire the light the new Lumia gave off while letting her live by his side as her heart commanded. As Helial was deep in such profound thoughts, Snowflake felt a shiver down his furry tail. That tender family moment send him a terrible premonition¡­ As Helial was about to plant his lips on Lumia''s cheek, the situation got drastically changed. Skill Activated: Divine Gravitational Field CRAC A thick web of cracks opened up under Helial''s feet. Under that magnetic force, Helial must have acquired a terrifying weight. The Skill Lumia cast damaged the special materials the Colosseum had been built him. Those materials were indeed rare and resistant ¨C they should have never broken up like that! Lumia took the fullest advantage of the force momentum, which had led Helial to lean slightly forward. She seized her chance and turned immediately towards him to plant a kiss on his lips. Before Helial could even react, Lumia was kissing him on the lips. DONG! The shamelessness of the little girl sent everyone on the floor unconscious. Not content with having cold-bloodedly killed three older opponents whose power was increase by the Fury Elixirs, who would have slaughtered you without hesitation, you even succeeded in steal a kiss form your brother?! Snowflake thought. His long whiskers trembled with rage. So Circe was the Which? If she deserved to be called Which, then what would Lumia become given time? Every shuddered as they hid this question down low inside their heart. From dragons to devils to demoniac beings, this world is full of dangerous creatures. Everyone knows that. One single woman, however, is by far more dangerous than all of those altogether. Lumia hadn''t yet developed her womanliness, but the roots of her future self already ran deep enough. As every woman, she was an evil creature born to lord over the mankind by means of the fiercest weapon. Lumia''s soft lips left those of Helial. With a jump of joy, the girl walked away. Her brother was left there unable to move, his eyes wide open. Snowflake pretended to throw up. Gagging noisily, he blurted: "You incestuous dickheads are revolting." Meanwhile, the bleachers were still in an uproar. The fragile delicate Lumia just wiped out her three opponents in the relay race. The crowd gazed at the empty blood-stained arena unblinkingly. The member of the Sect of the Worthy had fallen one after another under the hand of the Team Tristia. The Team of the Executioners lost four fighters. How could they hope to win at this point? Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Everyone was wondering if the members of the Team of the Executioners still alive were stronger than those massacred in the previous fights. No one really had answer. Inside the Royal Palace, Nelia was watching her husband as he scanned the Colosseum area through his Divine Sense. She gently put her hands on his shoulders to massage him tenderly. "Will you go and watch the last match on site? Your disciple will be fighting." Caesar gave a sigh. "You didn''t get it, did you?" Nelia gave him a puzzled look. No one seemed to remember Helial''s Mana Oath. Before the Senate, Caesar''s disciple had solemnly sworn he would never lift a finger on a Goblin life unless they deserved to die. If those members of the Sect of the Worthy were to be eliminated by Helial so easily, then it would mean that there was something serious going on. The Seniors from both parties actually forgot about this, whereas Caesar could not help thinking about it. If Helial gave his friends the go-ahead to kill the fighters from the Sect, this meant that the Sect did wrong to Orma. Otherwise, Helial would have gotten punished by the Mana Oath. Did Helial do that on purpose? This silent doubt wormed its way into Caesar''s heart. Caesar gazed intently at Nelia as he tilted his neck behind. Then he smiled. "The disciple I chose turns out to be even better than I imagined." "For my part, I never thought you would choose someone not in your league." Nelia planted a kiss on her husband''s forehead and gave him a smile. Caesar stood up from the velvet armchair he was leaning in. The purple armchair was made in some peculiar material that helped Mana reflow throughout Meridians. For an ordinary man, nothing would compare the value of such item. It would indeed make an immeasurable treasure for one''s Dao. As far as the Goblin King was concerned, however, it was but a mere seat. An Immortal really could avail of unbelievable advantages for ordinary people. On the opposite side of the city, a servant was informing a middle-aged elegant-postured Goblin about the outcome of the 3v3 relay race; not a single participant from the Sect of the Worthy had survived. "They really meant it when they said this would be a death or life match," Aure sneered. Beside him, Animus took a step forward. He looked at the Immortal as he went on scribbling on his papers undisturbed. Aure didn''t lift his gaze from those ink-wet pages even while hearing about the news. Since the day when he had gotten beaten for his insolence, Animus hadn''t dared disturb the second Immortal in Orma anymore. And yet, he could not but wonder why Aure was this serious. "You''re wondering why, aren''t you," Aure lift the pen from the paper. For the first time in the last fifteen minutes of unceasing writing, he raised his gaze. He looked at Animus with a bright smile on his face. With a wave of his hand, he invited him to leave. Animus stood on the spot. He wanted an answer. His eyes lay on the hardwood desk in the middle of the room. It was wrapped in a dim light only illuminated by candles. The whole room was scented with the exotic fragrance of those candles from faraway planets. Each of them must have cost enough to weaponize hundred First Phase warriors at least. "Why do we aim at killing Helial?" Aure asked Animus. "Because he''s a Human?" Animus answered. The question took his aback. "And why about him being Human we don''t like?" "The fact that Humans are the filthy parasites of this world, Aure, as you yourself said, right?" Animus was growing doubtful with every word he spoke. He didn''t express his perplexity though. Tap Tap Tap Aure stood up. He began to walk across the room, his gaze stolen by the paintings hanging on the walls. "I said they are parasites. That''s correct. But they can''t be all parasite, can be? As far as I remember, the boy said¡­ No, don''t mind. Go to the Palace, Animus. Tell the Senior council that I will come and watch the showdown personally. I''m really curious to see that the boy is capable of." Animus nodded. He left unwillingly. He still didn''t see what Aure meant. Once alone, the Immortal walked towards his desk again. From one of the drawers, he pulled out an old key which he put on the table. The wood generated a complex formation which promptly devoured the key. It disappeared as if it had never existed. From the formation, a ring appeared that was carved with Runes. The Aura the ring gave off was so sudden and frightening the candles were immediately blown unlit, as if they wouldn''t dare disturb the quiet of the item. "If the young boy promised to protect Goblins by a Mana Oath, he can''t be our enemy, you bunch of idiots. He''s an enemy to those who will betray Orma, can''t you see? The fact he''s killing our members is the implicit evidence we have to take blame. Quite a genial move¡­ "Yes, we Goblins betrayed Orma. And you foolish old idiots didn''t trust the boy because of his race. It''s our duty to betray Orma as well as our King, for we have to bring it to the splendor of the old days. However, every revolution comes at a price. The road to change is covered in blood. I am sure the boy will make a wise guide for Orma. For sure he''ll be a better leader than that crazy head I have for a son. "But destiny has spoken. He wound up on the wrong side in the wrong moment. He has to die. Now you play politics to split Orma. You don''t know that in order to pay the Karma debt I will owe Caesar, your bodies will be burnt alive in front of Caesar''s grave. And while you play, the boy is training. His beliefs are so strong he made Orma shake to the roots. "I almost wish he won. But life is hard; I am standing on the opposite side. I shall finish what I have started. Caesar cannot reign anymore. His weakness has already led Orma to the verge of destruction. If Caesar were to be killed by a warrior from another race, Orma will fall into the deepest chaos once and for all. We would become slaves. I have been burdened with his ominous task ¨C in this I am alone. Alone I will carry the weight of Orma on my shoulders." Aure gazed at the ring- He heaved a sigh and let out a laugh: "Another debt is the one Orma has to pay men." He slowly turned. He stared at the complex array of Runes on the ring surface as he sensed the terrifying Aura it emitted. To the strongest. "Caesar thinks he owns all the relics of¡­ But he appears to be wrong. I have the most important of all. The time has come for us to pay our debt," Aura whispered as he looked afar at the Colosseum in the distance. "One day we''ll have to face the final showdown. I don''t think you''ll survive, boy. It''s not something I would wish you. However, I can bestow you with a gift from your own race so that I can see if you can play the game you set yourself into." Aure put the ring inside his tunic and dissolved into thin air. 159 Arrogance "Why do you keep your eyes closed?" Iblis'' question resonated in Helial''s head, while he was standing alone in the middle of the arena. "I''m listening. Can you hear them?" he replied. Slowly, some noises started to emerge, at first faint and then growing stronger. "You windbag!" screamed a Goblin from the stands. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. A smile formed on Helial''s face. "Arrogant twat!" snorted another voice, a woman''s this time, full of contempt. "Where are your team members?", screamed another viewer, "I made a bet on you! Why are you throwing away your victory?" In that moment, Helial could not only hear the voices of those surrounding him, but also feel their eyes on him. But there was something else, forces different from the others, that let him sense the presence of Immortals in the midst of the audience. Through the grate behind the gate leading to the arena some people were looking, perplexed, at Helial. Helial standing with his eyes closed in front of about fifteen people. "That moron decided to go alone. Bah, he wanted to keep all the fun for himself", grumbled Snowflake; in fact, the cat wasn''t really angry because Helial had promised to organise a feast in his honour, after the end of the three matches. Lumia had a complex look about herself, as if something wasn''t right. As if there was something amiss in everything that was going on. Frankenstein didn''t really care about their leader''s behaviour. He had already seen Helial''s power many times and he thought that, if the decided to face them all alone, he had to know a way to win. "You''re ignoring the reason why he is alone in the middle of the arena", said suddenly a voice behind them. Everyone turned, but all they could see, in the tunnel dim light, was a reddish outline. The shadow passed his fingers in his red hairs and opened his eyes, looking at Helial. "What?" asked Lulu. "See for yourselves, this is so much more than a simple fight." In the sky, hidden by their own Mana, two Immortals were sitting in mid-air, curiously watching the match taking place beneath their feet. "Who do you think will win?" asked Aule all of a sudden, laughing. "I don''t know. I just hope the guys aren''t taking this fight to the death too seriously", said Cesar shaking his head, clearly disappointed by Aule''s attitude. "When you were younger, you too requested more than one death match. Actually, there were probably more death matches you took part in than nights you passed in bed with your own wife!" Aule laughed out loud, wiping an invisible tear from his eye. "When we''re young we make all sorts of mistakes, but that doesn''t mean we have to keep doing them" replied Cesar, still shaking his head. "I don''t mean to ruin your day, but if I had killed less people, Orma would probably be a much less chaotic city." "In fact, I have to admit that I admire your young disciple''s attitude. He has the guts to challenge the Sect of the Worthy, even though he seems to know he doesn''t have your complete approval. He really has what it takes¡­" Changing the subject that Aule had tried to force on him, Cesar smiled and looked at his friend, somewhat surprised: "I never thought an old one like you could be so optimist." Aule immediately raised his hand, shaking them in mid-air. "No, no. Do not misunderstand me. I''m not saying a Human will ever be welcome in Orma, just that if he were a Goblin I would have done everything in my power to make him enter the Sect of the Worthy and wretch him away from you." "Sadly, he''s not a Goblin", said Cesar with a hint of regret in his voice. As much as Cesar didn''t care about the difference in race between him and Helial, nonetheless he felt some kind of melancholy. If only Orma ever had a Goblin as remarkable as Helial¡­ "Sadly, he''s not a Goblin", echoed Aule, disconsolate. They both remained silent, ready to enjoy the match. Beneath them, Helial was standing still, his eyes closed, ready for the fight. "Can you hear it?" repeated Helial, this time slightly opening his eyes and receiving the visible impact of all those noises, as if he had suddenly smashed against the barrier created around him by all that ruckus. "They''re trying to understand if I''m mad or just overestimating my ability." Iblis was lying on a hammock hanging between two palms, with a glass of orange juice standing on his chest and wearing sunglasses. A funny little straw hat was shading his head, leaving just a small gap for his fringe. "Aha", replied Iblis, clearly occupied in reading a magazine whose title Helial coundn''t really make out. But again, where had he found a magazine inside his Soul? If in heaven or earth there was something Helial couldn''t understand, it definitely had to be that Devil. Helial had been wondering for quite a lot of time what, even if he was so bored by his eternal existence trapped in a magic sword, could be the absurd reason behind Iblis'' passion for cuisine. Helial shook his head and let that thought slide away, clearly aware that he would never receive a decent answer. "Where are the others?" asked Medea suddenly, screaming toward Helial. He must have been pulling a stunt to humiliate all of them. The other members of the Tristia team still hadn''t showed up and the audience on the stands was starting to grow impatient, too. What the hell was going on the arena? Did they really believed that they could win against the current champions in a death match, just because they had defeated two teams of good-for-nothing? Even if all the team had fought them, winning woudn''t have been easy; so how could they think to succeed with one fighter only? All members of the Team of the Executioners had drunk a Fury Elixir, risking the destruction their own Mana Waypath, to gain temporarily the power of a fighter at the Second Stage. They couldn''t understand how Helial had dared to challenge them in that condition. He must have noticed they suddenly had become much stronger. He couldn''t not have noticed that sudden enhancement. Even if he hadn''t thought about the Fury Elixir, he should have seen the change in they Auras by now, shouldn''t he? Medusa was watching her sister from the stands, frowning. "Who do you think will win?" Comodo asked her, his chest leaning forward, over the balustrade of the box reserved for the big shots in the Sect of the Worthy. "Medea, obviously", replied Medusa with a hint of contempt in her voice. "You forced her to drink a Rage Elixir. How could that brat even hope to win against her and the others, now temporarily possessing the strength of a Second Stage warrior? I''m already amazed he had the guts to show up down there all alone. Mpf." Comodo looked at Medusa with a strange glint in his eyes, but he didn''t reply. His lips twitched in a nearly invisible sly grin. Helial''s Aura, even so much fainter than his own, still made him shiver awkwardly and felt like some kind of threat. Comodo knew very well that that boy must have many more cards up his sleeves than anyone else could imagine, but he still hoped that his body would be torn to bits to punish him for his arrogance. Unlike his father, Comodo didn''t suspect at all the real reason why Helial challenged the Sect of the Worthy to a death match. He couldn''t kill Goblins in cold blood, or his Mana Oath would make him a cripple. If he had violated the bond created by the Mana Oath, nobody could have saved him. And yet, if he had killed the members of the Sect of the Worthy without consequences, wouldn''t that mean that the Sect had something to hide? 160 Caught in Turmoil Helial took a step forward as the crowd continued to curse him. All those who had bet on the Tristia Team victory were going to rip their hair off in desperation. Did that brat really mean to blow up all their savings? "Do you think he will win?" Cesar asked Aure with a dubious frown on his face. "That would be a really big problem," replied Aure, sighing. Both were feeling a great weight on their chests. Although the match seemed so insignificant in the eyes of the crowd, in fact it would have decided Orma''s fate. Whether the boy would have killed all the members of Team of the Sect of the Worthy without receiving any backfire from his Mana Oath, whoever had a hint of brain in Orma''s high places would have understood that there was something rotten in that matter. Aure was right to admire that young man. What appeared to be a fight without any real motivation was, in reality, a well-studied tactic. Perhaps some idiot could have been content to enjoy a fight to the death just for fun, without thinking about the reasons behind it. However, Aure was an idiot and he knew very well that this fight could ruin part of his plans, putting Cesar on the defensive. Both Immortals were tense. They knew that, if the fight ended with the killing of the members of the Sect, Orma''s equilibrium would begin to crack. Cesar and Aure played their part, but they feared what could have happened on that same day. Even Cesar hoped not to witness something too extreme. Until then the King had tried to ignore the movements that took place in Orma''s shadows, for fear of finding a trail that would lead back to his thousand-year-old friend, but if he would have to face such a solid proof, he would be forced to doubt him. Even Aure had acted very cautiously until then, uncertain of what to do, but the outcome of the battle that was about to take place would have forced him to give up all his other options. Not mentioning the true importance of that match, Cesar and Aure smiled in a strained way. At that moment, Helial began to advance slowly towards Medea and her group. Malato, one of the members of the Justices, was holding an enormous two-handed axe and watching with a terrifying ferocity Helial, who in turn stared at him without flinching. "Today the traitors of Orma, the scum of this splendid city, will die. Today I will show Orma what is rotten in its foundations", Helial''s voice resounded calmly, but so powerful and solemn that the whole stadium was suddenly silent. "If someone on this city''s high places thought this was a weak plot, be known they are wrong; don''t you see how visible and clear my actions are? Today I will bring the Sect of the Worthy to the dock." Helial spread her arms, forcing the audience to stare at him even more intensely. "The greatest men of Orma have witnessed the moment I made an Oath of Mana within the Senate, so they will believe me when I say that my actions are for Orma''s good. I swore I would never kill an innocent Goblin; that is why, if I had to kill a traitor of his own race or someone who tried to kill me, as in the case of Medea, then I could shed their blood without any consequence from the Oath. "And if you think this is a fight, you are wrong. This is a death sentence against the Sect of the Worthy", proclaimed Helial and his voice was voice full of contempt, "and for all the traitors in Orma." BANG! Most of the spectators suddenly got up from their seats and started screaming at Helial, while others were so upset that they couldn''t move and remained seated with dazed faces. If what Helial had said had been true, if the Human had killed the members of the Sect he had in front of him, the fifteen Executioners would have been branded as guilty. In fact, the mere fact of having tried to kill Helial meant having committed a very serious crime: it would have been the equivalent of trying to kill Cesar. If instead the reason was that the Sect of the Worthy was as rotten to the core as to invalidate the debt of Karma of all its members, then it would probably have catastrophic consequences within Orma. As the crowd, startled, screamed, a girl with black hair and sinuous curves looked at the young man in the centre of the arena with malice and bit her lips, wondering when she could taste that flesh again. Her charming figure was on the stage of the Guild of Life and Death, next to his father Big, who, under the explicit request of his daughter and wife, had come to attend the most important meeting with his future son-in-law. On the other side of the arena, a figure covered from head to toe with black armour looked at Helial with eyes full of flames, while he squeezed the two swords hanging from his hips. Orma was about to enter an era of war. On the stage dedicated to the Colosseum big shots, the Elders were focusing their attention on the figure with the black armour, wondering what the unwavering Pseudonym was thinking to get so excited. Pseudonym had always kept himself under control and played his cards wisely. If he had such a reaction then he had to know something. Comodo kicked the two servants who were massaging his legs. He hit one of them with a kick to the face, making her spit out a considerable amount of blood. The other jerked away to avoid being hit, her eyes full of terror. Despite the pain, the woman who had been struck tried not to make a sound. She had just lost her teeth, better not to lose her life too. Beyond the gate that divided the interior of the Colosseum from the arena, Snowflake was swearing loudly: "Declaring war on Orma''s second greatest power without even having deep enough ties in the first, you fucking fool." Lumia, on the other hand, remained silent; she was not at all shaken by Helial''s claims. The Emperor Stage the child had reached was something too big to be moved by such a statement. The Sect of the Worthy? If Helial had asked her to wrest life away from every existing deity, Lumia would not have had the faintest doubt. Cross a sea of flames and climb a mountain of blades? There would have been no problem for her. "You afraid, kitty?" laughed Vlad behind Snowflake, "we chose a raving madman as a leader." Snowflake wrinkled his whiskers and removed dust from his fur with an expression of contempt: "You there, Ginger, the day I will have to be afraid to offend an arsehole like the city we are in now, this Supreme Cat will have to go into hiding under a mountain of dog shit." If his companions had known whom Snowflake had spat in the face before joining their group, they would probably all pass out. The Sect of the Worthy was an insignificant insect. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Lulu trembled slightly and Frankenstein tried to calm her by holding her in his arms. Even outside of the Colosseum, someone was worried about the confrontation that was taking place in the arena. Nelia, seated preciously decorated armchair, raised a gold chalice filled with wine to her lips. Finally, my old husband will be able to pull himself together, she thought, gently lifting the corners of her mouth. *** While tremors of agitation shook the audience, a black lighting between Helial''s and disappeared after a fraction of a second, substituted by Curse of the Demon. "Please make sure it will be possible to retrieve some of their bodies", whispered Aure, looking at Helial with a crooked smile on his face, "the loss of so many people might bother me." As long as a piece of the body of a warrior in First Phase was still existing, with enough Mana it would have been possible to bring him back to life and make him walk among the living again. The process required that no more than 24 ours had passed since the death and that the flesh piece was at least the size of crumbs. In fact, Lumia and Frankenstein had failed to eliminate the members of the Sect of the Worthy because they had been carried in pieces to the infirmary, ready to be resurrected. No one wanted to kill permanently in the Colosseum. There was a risk of offending too many people. In any case, even temporarily dying was not a pleasant experience. Cesar turned to his friend: "The other four died only temporarily. It will be the same for the next ones. " Helial squeezed his weapon tightly. "You bastard!" cried Malato, saliva dripping from his mouth due to the canine fury he harboured in his heart. Helial had just dared to insult his homeland and to accuse his whole Team and his Sect of being traitors. How could he let him get away with it? Malato should not have been aware of the plots going on in the Sect''s high places, but he would not be considered innocent by the Mana nonetheless. Ignorance is still a sin. Moreover, being only at the beginning of the cultivation of his own Mana Road, Malato had not accumulated any Karma credit and therefore he would have been strongly influenced by the bad Karma that the Goblin of the Sect had towards the King. Strongly convinced to be right, unaware of being among the oppressors, Malato threw himself on Helial brandishing his two-handed weapon. His terrifying build towered over the slender body of Helial who, after removing all the impurities from the body thanks to the Emperor State, had a skin similar to that of a woman, white and perfect. The almost effeminate appearance of Helial and his words had enraged the wiry Malato, who was now hurling a blow at the Human boy. Disciple of Cesar? Orma''s new hope? Puah! Malato was convinced that his axe would be able to cut that treacherous Human in two with one blow. 161 Rice with Butter If Aure had known what Helial''s plan was, he would have almost certainly tried to kill him, even at the risk of putting the name of the Sect on the suspects'' list. What Helial was about to reveal to the world was much more serious than killing the King''s disciple. Malato''s muscles swelled as he quickly lifted the two-handed ax over his head and looked at Helial like a ravenous wolf his prey. "Die!" Malato screamed, laughing like a madman. Skill Activated Violet Blow The blade of the two-handed ax began to glow with violet and scarlet light, releasing sparks in mid-air as it moved toward Helial like the scythe of the grim reaper. On the other side of the arena, with his hands resting on the two swords at his sides, a man in black armor said: "If something happens to the boy, I will enter the arena." "You can''t," said a figure who suddenly emerged from the shadows of the stage. Pseudonym raised an eyebrow under his armour. The owner and administrator of the Colosseum was standing in front of him. Probo, with a long flowing hair that fell on his shoulders, stared at Pseudonym with a paternal attitude: "Do not intrude. And, in any case, it''s not necessary. Look." Probo raised his hand slightly towards the arena, where suddenly the air had begun to crackle. As if the Mana around Helial was about to collapse, the space all around him began to distort, but not even a ripple could be seen on Helial''s clothes. Strange Runes shone on the index and middle fingers of his both hands. A terrifying power began to circulate in his veins and hit the walls of his Meridians, as if trying to reduce them to shreds. "Compression," Helial murmured in a low voice, while a grimace of pain began to show on his white, refined face. After becoming stronger his bearing changed and his Aura seemed otherworldly and detached from the world. Helial squeezed Curse of the Demon with both hands and raised his perception of Mana to the maximum. Skill Activated Perception Attention, the quantity of Mana exceeds the limit of the Meridians. Your meridians are damaged by the excess of Mana. You lose 205 HP! Helial looked at Curse of the Demon and saw very complicated patterns forming on the weapon''s blade. At that moment, Helial could have entirely analysed the body of a living being without any problem and identified the presence of Mana in his Meridians. He could also have blocked someone''s Mana by hitting the right meridians and thus interrupting the use of an ability. Yet, although Perception had reached a terrifying level, Helial could only see the most superficial Layer of Curse of the Demon. DING! You unlocked the first Layer of Curse of the Demon! Your weapon evolves! You can now use Curse of the Demon as an extension of your body and exploit its Meridians to circulate Mana and exploit them to generate Skills amplified by the intrinsic properties of the weapon! Helial looked at the Layer''s name with the corner of his eye before using it immediately. Rice with butter! What? What the fuck was that name? Like, really? Helial was going to feel sick and almost risked losing focus in the middle of the fight! Cesar watched his disciple stare at nothing as Malato''s weapon fell on him. "What is he doing?" Cesar wondered, shocked by his disciple''s behavior. Lumia, Snowflake and the others looked at Helial equally worried, while everyone wondered what could have distracted him in the middle of the fight. Circe and Pseudonym had a surprised expression, but they didn''t worry too much. Being at the Third Phase and already having the Divine Sense, they had already inspected Helial''s body before the battle had even begun; Circe, above all, had made sure that her boyfriend could win the fight without suffering any damage. That monster, Malato, had a body similar to a creature from antiquity. A blow like the one he had just used could have seriously hurt Helial''s slim body. How could Helial get distracted, when he was about to be hit by a brute force like that? *** In Helial''s Soul a childlike voice resounded: "Each level has a name I coined, based on depth and difficulty of its execution. RIce with butter is obviously the simplest and most frugal meal, just the tip of the cuisine iceberg. Therefore, the first Layer of Curse of the Demon has this name. It is only the beginning." Helial gritted his teeth and tried not to pay too much attention to Iblis, using as much Mana as possible to block Malato''s Violet Blow, which was now too close to be dodged. Goddamn child, he even managed to distract him with nonsense at a dangerous time like that. Unfortunately, Helial was surrounded by a bunch of people ready for an asylum and could not help but accept it. Rice with butter? Helial expected a frightening and grandiloquent name, something like "Gates of Hell", "Divine Opening" or "Portal of the Underworld". What a fucking name was Rice with butter? Really, Rice with butter? What names would the next Layers have? Pasta with Sauce and Cheese Toast? Helial started feeling faint and tried not to think about it. Just then, the Violet Blow struck Helial on one shoulder. The blow wasn''t strong enough to reach the bone, but it still left a bleeding wound on Helial''s body. Malato''s offensive power was his strongest asset and thanks Fury Elixir he had managed to unleash an attack worthy of a warrior in the Second Phase. How could Helial get out of this unscathed if he wasn''t even trying to protect himself? Gritting his teeth and holding back vomit because of the shitty name he had just been forced to listen to, Helial squeezed Curse of the Demon again. The huge black Broadsword shone suddenly, resonating with the index and middle finger and dazzling Malato. Helial''s control over his Mana suddenly came to a climax. Everyone inside the arena covered their eyes in front of that fireworks display. The human boy had just been hit, but then why was he emitting such a strong light instead of falling to the ground? Had his teacher put gunpowder all the way up his ass to blow it up at the right time? HONGGGGGGGG The air visibly trembled in front of Malato, who laughed like a madman, trying to sink his axe deeper into Helial''s shoulder. Yet the muscles around the steel seemed to have contracted and blocked the blade. Malato tried to remove the ax and hit again, but it was blocked. Malato''s face crumbled. "What''s hap-" As Malato frantically tried to retrieve his axe from Helial''s shoulder, Aure''s glare became very serious and his body trembled slightly, before Cesar put his hand on his arm. The leader looked at the King of Orma and suddenly stopped moving. That gesture was worth more than a thousand words. Aure had sensed something extremely dangerous inside Helial''s body, or at least he thought he sensed it. In fact, he had been able to feel the first seal of Curse of the Demon removed by Helial, who had finally managed to see beyond the surface and reach the First Layer, Rice with Butter. Helial suddenly drove Demon''s Curse into the ground. You use the First Layer, Rice with Butter! Loading Skill... Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Success! 162 MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Not only amazement, but also pure shock, could easily be seen in Cesar and Aure''s eyes. The two greatest Immortals of Orma were looking like two idiots the scene that was taking place under their feet. The two Goblins, above all and everybody else, looked like two old men in front of a girl''s miniskirt. Completely numbed out. In front of them unraveled a field of destruction. If the Colosseum had had no barriers to protect the public and the various entrances to the arena, probably the massacre that had just ended would not have been limited to the Executioners'' Team. Exactly, a massacre. The Executioners'' Team had just ceased to exist. What remained of the four fighters was only the hope that they could be brought back to life. Inside the arena there was no living being, except for Helial, with a cut on his shoulder that was visibly healing itself. The regenerative abilities of Body of the Qilin were truly terrifying. Helial''s gaze was inscrutable and showed no emotion; it was impossible to understand what he was thinking. Suddenly, his foggy glare cleared up and Helial slowly raised an arm upward, showing his clenched fist. His Aura was totally changed and a radiant smile stood out on his face as the crowd finally began to react. This was the Colosseum, this was the theater of Orma''s greatest warriors. However much one might prefer one warrior or another, those who went there did so to watch a show. The audience didn''t care that Helial had pulverized the bodies of an entire team, but they were all attracted by its pyrotechnic victory, a triumph achieved without having spilled even a drop of sweat. They wanted a show and he had just given them a really big one. White flames continued to burn in some corner of the Colosseum, distorting the air around them with their terrifying heat; it was the same flames that had destroyed Medea and the other members of her group, leaving not even a hint of their previous existence. The Qilin Flame had completely wiped out their lives. With the First Layer of Curse of the Demon, Rice with Butter, Helial had completely destroyed those people''s lives. Not even a shred that could be used for trying to bring them back to life within twenty-four hours remained. Even their ashes had been erased from the planet''s surface. The jubilating audience began to shout Helial''s name without restraint. It didn''t matter that just moments before they had covered him with curses: Helial had given them what they wanted. Who had bet on him was laughing out loud and was slapping the shoulders of the poor ones who had placed their bets on the Executioners'' Team. "HELIAL! HELIAL! HELIAL! " The whole crowd brought its name to the sky, traveling to the ears of the two Immortals floating in the air. It didn''t seem that the destructive action had cost the young man anything and nobody could understand how much energy Helial had spent for something like that. Aure trembled slightly in anger. He appreciated Helial''s bravado, but the face that had been slapped today was his own. He was the one in charge of the Sect and Helial had just made his whole reputation crumble. Aure disappeared from his precedent position and reappeared a few inches from Helial''s face. "Boy, don''t you think you should have saved their lives, to leave me some honor? How can I go home now and face the parents of the guys you killed?" Aure asked solemnly. If Cesar had not been just a few meters away from him and Helial, Aure would have already killed the boy in a matter of seconds. Helial glared at Cesar with a strange look and raised his thumb: "Mission accomplished." Without another word, he began to head to the exit, completely ignoring Aure. Turning around, a quick grin stood out on his face. "If I can''t deal with a little skirmish between two Immortals, how can I even hope to annihilate a nemesis born to kill me and subdue all the forces of Destruction?" Helial muttered to himself, laughing softly. Cesar looked at Helial with the same astonishment that was in Aure''s eyes. Mission accomplished? Boy, what mission would I have entrusted you with? The brain of the King of Orma started working at full speed, trying to interpret the meaning of those words. But as soon as he saw Aure''s face twisted with fury, Cesar understood. "He said it to turn us against each other," murmured Cesar. Aure was certainly not a fool, but the words that Helial had just spoken left no room for doubt; no matter how hard he tried to find another meaning, he could not imagine that what he had witnessed was Helial''s plan all along. Cesar, on the other hand, could only smile bitterly. He had just been blamed for everything, but to be King of Orma he also had to be able to think. Helial had not only showed the Sect of the Worthy as a bunch of traitors, but had also warned Cesar against Aure, putting the two friends against each other. A disciple? Cesar shook his head and felt he had been in Helial''s hands from the moment that boy had set foot in Orma. Was he really worthy of being an Immortal if he had been manipulated like that by Helial? Even if he had been duped though, Helial had done everything for his own good. It seemed that Helial had acted rashly, but in reality he had only cut a relationship ready to fall on Cesar''s head, since he himself had not been able to do it in the past. "Well, that kid really has a Master without a hint of shame," Aure snorted coldly. The leader of the Sect now thought that the King of Orma had plotted to reveal him, acting at first as a shy friend and then as the most devious of enemies. What weakness? Cesar seemed ready to suppress the Sect of the Worthy, but not without making it lose quite a lof of its reputation before. What had happened that day was practically a declaration of war. Before disappearing into thin air, Aure pulled an object out of his pocket and inadvertently slipped it into Helial''s. Cesar''s eyes widened in disbelief, but he couldn''t say a word before Aure vanished. Meanwhile, in Helial''s Soul, an amused voice came up: "Can you get at least to the exit?" Helial seemed completely unharmed by the fight, but in reality he had drained all his Mental Energy. It wasn''t easy at all to pull a stunt like that. Even though his power had reached incredible heights, him being only at the First Phase, he had just charred a group of more than ten people with fighting skills temporarily at the Second Phase without leaving a trace. "Do you know what it would take to freshen up after a fight like that?" Iblis asked, unable to keep the tears from his eyes from laughter. "Don''t say it," Helial threatened, terrified by the words that were about to emerge from the Devil''s mouth. "RICE WITH BUTTER." BANG! Iblis threw himself on the ground shaking and laughing. Helial tried to ignore him and hold back the laughter trying to escape from his throat. Would he not have risked looking like a complete idiot if he had laughed at that moment, for no apparent reason, in front of the whole arena? Moreover, he had almost no strength left to walk, and laughing would have made the situation even worse. He could also act as if nothing had happened, but he could barely stand up and all that tiredness had to be hidden at all costs. Helial began to observe calmly the First Layer of Curse of the Demon on his Statistics screen. Rice with butter Amplification of Mana Skills: 650% Amplification of Mental Energy Skills: 1000% Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Mana regeneration: 500% Mana Circulation: 250% This was only the First Layer, but it already seemed much more powerful than the White Mana Seed that was so highly praised as the apex of the cultivation of Mana within the Nation. Helial could not imagine what his enemies would have done knowing he was in possession of such a weapon. And yet, what was the crucial moment that had allowed him to unlock the first features, even the most superficial ones, of Curse of the Demon? Perception Active Skill: Perception Lv: 1 Grade: Master Level of Knowledge: Eye of the Mind Radius: 20,000 meters Mana Control allows you to perceive the world with incredible clarity. All people now have an unmistakable Aura, which you can distinguish. You can also better perceive their intentions. Although people can disguise themselves or lie, from now on no physical disguise will be able to escape your notice. Exp: 3,13% To Helial''s astonishment, Perception had been his first ability to reach the Master grade. Although it was usually branded as a completely useless ability, since the Divine Sense had existed, it seemed to have allowed Helial to accomplish the impossible. After recovering from his laughter and still having some stomach cramps, Iblis began to compliment Helial. "I could never have imagined that you could unlock the First Layer at the First Phase. I thought you would have need to get warrior to the Third one and meditate for a long time on the Divine Sense before realizing the true use of the Curse of the Demon. After all, you didn''t think it was just a sword that could change its weight, right? " The Devil''s words sounded in Helial''s ears, who stroked his chin, pondering. "The Second Layer would put too much pressure on your body and you will be able to use it only in the Second Phase. The first Ten Layers go hand in hand with your level. Each Phase theoretically corresponds to a Layer. However, I expected you to unlock all three Layer on the Third Phase, not now," Iblis said, still slightly amazed. Although Helial was his disciple and he had already put a very high bar for him, he had still managed to leave him speechless. Skill Activated Perception Helial suddenly became aware of many ethereal wires circling all around him and suspended in mid-air. The boy''s pupils dilated, as if he had just seen a ghost. "But is this Karma?" He suddenly asked Iblis, who had remained speechless too. Tsch, a shitty kid who can see Karma. Although he cannot yet interact with it, isn''t it a bit too monstrous? He doesn''t even know what it means ... Better this way, for the moment. Helial received no reply from Iblis, who had apparently ignored him and resumed cooking. Helial turned briefly his head towards the attendants who had entered the Colosseum to clean up the sandy arena and see if there were any remains of any member of the Sect. None of the attendants expected to find any remains, but they could not disrespect the Sect of the Worthy and not even make an attempt. It would have been better to maintain the custom. Looking at Cesar''s body, suspended in the air, Helial noticed that millions and millions of ethereal threads, almost indistinguishable, were attached to the body of the King; the latter, feeling Helial''s gaze on him, met his eyes. Looking back at him again, Helial headed for the Colosseum exit. 163 Nothing to fear An indefinite amount of ages before "What do they expect me to fight for?" asked Iblis, while Tsukuyomi used her Mana to heal several wounds that brutally mutilated the Devil''s body. "They are looking for a leader, someone to look up to", Tsukuyomi smiled, ignoring Iblis'' grunts as he applied Elixirs to his skin. In several places the flesh was cut to the bone and rotting flesh could be seen too. Iblis had been repeatedly hit and poisoned, but his terrifying constitution had prevented him from dying. Probably only Kirin had a physical body more powerful than Iblis'', but Tsukuyomi would not have placed his bets on it. "And what should a leader do? Win the war for them? I visited several outposts of Destruction, but everyone goes their own way. There''s no way to make them agree to cooperate. Meanwhile, the forces of Life continue to make their way through corpses and corpses in this stupid crusade born to eradicate anyone who does not think like them. " After completing the application of the bandage, the silvery-haired girl leaned and pushed her cheek against Iblis''s shoulder, careful not to press on the wounds that remained hidden a few millimeters from the skin''s surface and ignoring the rotten flesh. BOOM! At that moment, a lightining flashed a few kilometers away and a terrifying explosion was heard shaking the whole area. Iblis looked in the direction of that dazzling light without bothering at all that anyone else would have been blinded. He stood up slowly, while a trickle of blood came out of his mouth and his organs moved inside his body. Feeling that twinge of excruciating pain, Iblis snorted coldly, furious, and gritted his teeth, using some thick pitch-black Mana to increase his wounds'' regeneration speed. "What are you doing?" "I''m going to take a look," Iblis said, yawning and ignoring Tsukuyomi''s angry look, who always asked him not to put his body under too much pressure. Iblis had just advanced to Immortality and was one of the biggest criminals wanted by the forces of Life, if not the first on their list. His potential was incredible, but at the moment he was still just a common Immortal, far from the level of the great monsters of the universe that ruled Life and Destruction. Iblis disappeared and Tsukuyomi smiled to herself. The red of her lips was in great contrast with her white skin and silvery hair, and the clearing all around her was completely smeared of Iblis''s blood: "He sensed that they are going to kill someone ..." And in fact, on the other side of the forest there was an escape in progress. A terribly beautiful girl was escaping from a group of pursuers, all Immortals. Her brown hair contained several lumps of blood and countless cuts covered her entire body. Around the girl the Mana was continuosly changing and restless, as if it were about to burst into a storm. Behind her there were a dozen warriors with blue armors, and all of them had symbol on their chest. A deer. "The Clan of the Transcendent Deer?" Said Iblis, frowning in front of those warriors. In his best condition it wouldn''t have taken him long to kill those ten men... Iblis looked at the wound that had taken away almost half his side and then again at those warriors. Why did they pursue such a beautiful girl, who had already been wounded several times, with the risk of scarring her beauty? Moreover, that turbulent Mana was a clear indication that the girl was not far from Immortality herself. "Would that girl be a threat of some kind to the powerful Clan of the Transcendent Deer?" murmured Iblis. The girl was at the Tenth Phase, while her pursuers were all Immortals who, despite not having a great talent, were still on a completely different level. In spite of the fact that the step between the Tenth Phase and Immortality might seem small, the distance was the same as that between heaven and earth. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Take her and cut off her head! The Lady''s future spouse was corrupted by this slut! The Patriarch himself said that Revene personally confirmed the news!" shouted Commander Menda to his men, gathering all the energy inside his body in a bluish flash on the tip of his spear. Skill Activated: Blue Lightning! In Menda''s hands, such a skill could easily have torn to pieces the girl who, had she not found herself on the edge of Immortality, would not even have managed to escape so far. The girl turned around just in time to realize that Menda was activating the same Skill that had nearly killed her just before. But why did they hate her so much? They had called her a slut, they had accused her of corrupting Sore ... so her crime had been love?! The young Siche had always belonged to the forces of Life, but she was seriously beginning to doubt the integrity of their system. They used stupid pretexts to impose their regime on others and this sent her on a rampage. Probably, she too would become their victim that day. Sooner or later she wouldn''t have the strength to run anymore. At that moment, unbeknownst to her, a spark of Mana of Destruction took hold in her body, beginning to substitute her Mana of Life imperceptibly. But suddenly her movements were blocked by a terrifying pressure. Dodging the Menda''s Skill would have been impossible for her, so she could only face it. She turned to the general and raised her bow, nocking an arrow with the last strength she had left. Just as Siche was taking aim, the Blue Lightning was heading towards her at full speed. Siche was ready to die. She shot her arrow, her only hope of salvation, and narrowed her eyes, blinded by the light that was about to strike her. The Blue Lightning destroyed the arrow. This was the end. But the Skill dissolved into nothing before it could do as much as touch the young girl. A cough, like lightning, struck the ears of the immortals and the fugitive. BOOM! If the Auras of those ten Immortals were like bonfires compared to the weak flame of Siche, the one that had just appeared was the equivalent of a sun. In front of Siche the outline of two black wings blocked her sight. Only a bandaged and bloodstained shoulder filled her field of vision. In many areas of the wings, the veins had exploded and still had to regenerate. Indeed, one of the two wings was completely torn in one point, giving it a painful appearance. A Devil, his eyes closed, held the tip of Menda''s spear in his hand as he tried to prevent his wounds from exploding again and bring him back into a critical condition. Menda suddenly motioned for everyone to stop and be ready to attack. He could not be too rash in front of an opponent who had just been able to block his most powerful Skill. "My Lord, we kindly ask you to stand aside. The woman behind you has committed terrible crimes against the Clan of the Transcendent Deer. On behalf of our great Clan and not to destroy our honor, I must ask you to move," uttered, solemnly, Menda. Iblis''s other hand moved to his forehead to massage it slowly. "Why do I always encounter a bunch of idiots after another?" he wondered, disconsolate. All the Immortals'' eyebrows shot up, while Siche couldn''t help but find that scene strangely funny . "These men are willing to chase me to the ends of the world. If you were to interfere, you will pay the consequences, "said Siche, who appreciated the Devil''s good will, but did not want him to pay for his act of kindness. "Exactly, on behalf of my Clan, I ask you to move and let us finish our job. After that, we will go on as if nothing has happened,"said Menda, who had already activated a Communication Seal to warn his Clan of the presence of a strange and wounded Devil. Iblis turned to Siche with an expression full of contempt and, under everyone''s astonished eyes, flung his palm in her abdomen. Siche opened her eyes and mouth wide, and fainted. She was thrown for a few hundred meters, ending up far from there. If the other Immortals, too astonished at the moment, had been able to see her, they would have noticed that the Mana around her was no longer unstable, but the whole environment now seemed calm and infused with her presence. "She wants to ascend to Immortality despite those ridiculous foundations. Another idiot who can''t see anything a foot from her nose," murmured Iblis more and more irritated by the situation. "Ah, and anyway, that shitty Seal that you just broke to call your friends doesn''t work," said Iblis, slowly approaching the ten men. Iblis broke Menda''s spear and stuck it in his eye in a fraction of a second, without frills. The next moment, a huge black sword had cut and pulverized all the other Immortals, preventing them from even taking another breath. Not even a fraction of a second had passed, but they had all died. Iblis had killed them without uttering a word or changing expression. He looked up at the sky. "Thank you," he said to a little girl with silver hair, flying over his head. If Tsukuyomi had not blocked the transmission by sealing the space around him, they would now find themselves in a mess. In fact, Iblis immediately fell to the ground without strength, in a huge pool of blood. Tsukuyomi looked at him stiffly and, with lips white for the anger, scolded him: "Do you have to risk your life for every single action of yours?" The Devil ignored her completely and began to heal his wounds on his own, but not before saying, "Go get the girl. We cannot go on all alone if we want to defeat the forces of Life definitely. Tomorrow I will not be there anymore and even if I were to become strong enough to subdue them all, you will need a new Leader, a symbol that goes beyond the Devil who carried out massacres on massacres. " "What do you mean?" Tsukuyomi asked, astonished. "Nothing, I just decided to take her as my disciple and become a Master for new monsters of Destruction." "Like that?" Tsukuyomi retorted, startled by Iblis''s moody behaviour. "Why not?" Then Iblis fell silent and began to heal his wounds. *** Present time Helial sat motionless in the room assigned to his team, and only Snowflake had managed to reach him before he disappeared. Helial had used all his remaining energy to hide and heal his wounds. "My father once told me that appearing weak is the first real weakness," Snowflake sighed, leaning against the door, in one of his few thoughtful moments. Helial barely opened his eyes and looked at the enormous white cat with a nostalgic smile. "Recognizing your own weakness is not a bad thing, just like appearing weak, at least not most of the time. But in my case it is necessary that someone carries on his shoulders the weight of the environment that surrounds us ", Helial''s voice became weaker," among all these Immortals, an unstable situation, so many plots against us, and even destiny meddling with all of that, people need a symbol of hope. As long as they believe me able to change fate, they can grow without being influenced too much by destiny itself. " As it had already seemed in the arena, once again, Snowflake thought Helial seemed utterly alone. Helial had chosen to oppose destiny and its restrictions as a child tries to block a raging bull to show others that there is nothing to fear. Nothing to fear. Helial''s body fell backwar, unconscious and completely drained of its energy. But, before it could be soiled by the floor, a huge snow-white paw grabbed him by the back, while a cat with a complicated gaze watched him finally rest. And, as if in the image of the boy face the charging bull there had been interference, now a small white cat could have been seen at his side. It seemed that destiny now had no choice but to be grabbed by its horns, with no way out. 164 Ormas Symphony Medusa kept shaking, while her parents were standing in front of Aure, who had a contrite and displeased expression. Aure had decided to bring his condolences personally to the parents, who were deeply angry at the loss of their younger daughter. Both members of the Council of Elders in the Sect of the Worthy, it was right that Mac and Gael should receive such an important visit, especially after having lost their daughter Medea in such a violent way. Medusa and Medea''s parents had tears in their eyes and were feeling a sudden urge to make Helial cross the Styx River shore to shore. That filthy Human had killed one of their daughters. Although Medea had never been endowed with a great talent like that of her older sister, this did not mean that her parents had not loved her up to the last moment of her life. However, there wasn''t much they could do. Helial had won following the rules of the Colosseum. He had completely and utterly destroyed the Sect''s reputation, but he hadn''t broken any rules. Medea had accepted to fight to the death and the Sect of the Worthy had also provided her and the other members of the Executioners'' Team with the means to win that fight. If Medea was dead, all that could be done was sigh in front of Helial''s incredible abilities. And as Medea''s parents were suffering from grief, an interesting flame could be seen in Aure''s eyes. If Medea''s parents really cared about their daughter, even though they still had the most talented one, the same could not be said about Aure. However much an enemy may be hated, his most formidable abilities must always be recognized. No great enemy is worthy of being forgotten and always deserves a place in the Olympus of memory. While the leader of the Sect was speaking with Mac and Gael and expressing them his condolences, his suffering and all the feelings that must absolutely be paraded on such occasions, a vague hint of a smile filled from time to time the pauses in which he had to listen to the parents'' rant, so full of revenge. But Aure heard nothing, as if a strange symphony was caressing his ears and making the sounds muffled. It was the concert of the present Orma that was coming to an end, that seemed to want an end. However, there was a need for an unobtainable soloist to lead the piece at its end, so that a new one could start. Whatever the future results would have been, Aure had always imagined that Orma''s solo position would end up in his hands or in Cesar''s. But, as the symphony deafened his ears and prevented the idiocies of Medea''s parents from obscuring his mind, he could not forget he was facing a boy, not the old pompous King of Orma. The two Elders were not the only ones to have feelings of revenge: their eldest daughter, Medusa, stared at Aure in silence, with a grudging look, but she didn''t have the guts to speak a word. What could she obtain from the wrath of Orma''s second greatest Immortal? Suddenly, Medusa seemed to regain control of her mind. She shook her head, as if to send away something that did not really belong to her, and said, "I want to challenge Helial''s team." The girl was at the first steps of the Third Phase, and all her team had already reached the same level. If Helial and his teammates accepted, the fight would have turned into a bloodbath. Medusa''s face was full of dark shades and her eyes were swollen with all the tears she had shed. Her nails had started to cut her palms and make drops of blood slowly fall to the ground. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Plop Plop Plop Her parents had ignored her up to that point, not caring about their daughter''s opinion and looking for a way to act and punish the Clan of the Sacred Eagle . Madness began to rise inside Medusa''s heart, which seemed to blacken more and more every second. Her pale complexion stunned her parets, suddenly awakened from their fury. Before they tried to open their mouths and talk, Aure turned to Medusa. Orma''s symphony inside Aure''s head suddenly dissolved, but the silence was replaced by the high-pitched voice of Medusa. "I want to challenge Helial''s team." Aure looked at the girl with bloodshot eyes and disheveled hair that kept moving on their own because of the evil Aura gathering around her. Like black snakes, Medusa''s hair began to shoot upward. "A death match?" Aure asked. This was the only thing that interested him, that the Human would be killed without the possibility of being resuscitated. Medusa''s body trembled slightly and a sardonic expression appeared on her face. To the death, Aure nodded to himself. He wanted to smile with satisfaction, but he refrained. Medusa''s father intervened, more and more full of anger: "That repulsive Human will never accept your challenge. And if he would be so mad to accept ... " Then you better not behave like idiots and underestimate him, thought Aure. "... you will have to make him suffer and give him a slow and painful death. Your mother and I can no longer be seen in public after the huge mistake your sister made. She got herself killed and left us with this shame. How can we be present tomorrow at the meeting of the Sect''s Council of Elders and say that our daughter, who had nothing to do but win, was torn to shreds by a Human who hardly was her equal in Phase?!" Mac was enraged and had begun to sweat with anger, when a cold hand touched his shoulder, making him suddenly turn. His wife, Gael, looked at him sternly: "Medea has always been a soft one because you spoiled her. These are the results of your impartiality. " Aure turned a deaf ear and ignored that family quarrel, ready to take his leave. However, he noticed that Medusa seemed rather annoyed by her parents'' behaviour, so he decided to stop a little longer to try and get some other interesting information. Gael and Mac, respectively at the Eighth and Ninth Phase, were two members of the Council of Elders. Gael was the Ninth Elder, while Mac was the Seventh one. Inside Orma their prestige had no equal if not in the Clan of the Sacred Eagle and among some big shots in the Guild of Life and Death. In fact, although the latter still didn''t have any Immortals, no one doubted that one day Circe would get that record too. The Sect of the Worthy had ten Elders in its highest rank, all somewhere in between the Eighth and the Tenth Phase, the true backbone of the Sect, the foundations of their huge power. Each of those Elders was a great resource. In fact, putting all their forces together, the Elders of the Sect of the Worthy or of the Clan of the Sacred Eagle could probably have given even an Immortal a hard time. The Elders at the Tenth Phase were practically a priceless treasure for any Clan or Sect, being only a step below an Immortal and thus constituting the second line of fire in a clash. Those few monsters at the Tenth Phase who had never chosen a faction, like Crispius, were continually courted by the strongest powers of Orma and received every day any kind pressure to make them join one or the other. Orma was a melting pot of powers that failed to unite and fought each other constantly. Even the Humans, in their perfidious and treacherous politics, had managed to create some sort of union against the other races, all for the sake of survival; but Orma''s Goblins hadn''t been able to. The Goblins were a proud race and would never bow their head to weakness. In the Goblin kingdom, hierarchies counted for nothing. Cesar had built his reputation not on the honor of the Clan who, to be honest, was not so strong before his rise to power, but on strength and generosity. Now that Cesar was showing hints of weakness, several blades were already getting ready to pierce his heart. Orma would never have tolerated a weak leader like him. Never. Orma was a city thousands of years old, one that had hosted a huge population long before many others had become civilized, in that world. Orma had even existed before Human race populated the planet, but had experienced a varied past of joy and pain. While human civilizations continued to grow and were becoming more and more stable, Orma had created empires, crossed wars, destroyed the lives of many kings and made others rise to immortal fame. Orma was built on blood and honor. Therefore, when Cesar''s diplomacy began to be led by an Human-like judgement and no longer by the youthful vigor of the greatest warrior of the last millennium, a lot of dissent had begun to show up in the capital. Crispio and other big shots who still had no chosen a side began to receive more and more tempting pressures and proposals every day. There was a storm brewing in Orma and sooner or later it would have to burst. Anyone who could not get on a ship before its beginning would probably perish. 165 Colored Threads Inside Helial''s soul, two projections looked at the universe contained within a meadow. While the starry sky reflected in Iblis''s eyes, Helial was looking at the child with great curiosity. "There is something you want to ask me," Iblis stated without a hint of emotion. Helial realized at that point that he had gazed a little too long and made all too obvious what he felt towards the Devil. The damage was done now, all that remained was admit it. "Why always this place?" Helial asked, looking around. "You can generate any kind of place within my Soul. But every time I come here, there is a table set for two, a starry sky and you two cooking ... " Iblis looked at Helial out of the corner of his eye and went back to ignoring him, clearly he had no intention of answering his question. Helial sighed. Not that he expected the Devil to answer, but he had hoped for it. "They will come looking for you to answer for that child''s death," Iblis commented without any worry in his voice. Helial sat on the ground and then lay down on the turf, looking at the depths of the night. After a few moments, his eyebrows trembled slightly and the boy suddenly sat with his legs crossed, activating his Breathing Technique. Skill Activated: Death of the Desolate Universe Feeling a strange energy inside his body, but not being able to locate it, Helial kept the Mana flowing inside his Meridians. The energy came from the body in the external world, since he could not absorb Mana within its own Soul. Sitting in that position, Helial felt his own Meridians transforming slowly, purifying themselves and becoming more powerful with each Mana Circulation. It seemed that the battle had brought much more than a little damage inside his body. The experience gained was allowing him to strengthen his foundations and his knowledge of Mana. He needed to fight as much as possible. Having started to train relatively late compared to the descendants of great Clans and Sects, he needed to accumulate as much experience as possible to fill the level gap between him and his opponents. Medusa was above level 180, within the Initial Stage of the Third Phase. Soon the girl would ask for revenge, and they would have to be ready. Besides, Helial had killed her sister. When the time came, Helial thought, the best thing to do would be to kill Medusa; in fact, the girl now harbored an incurable grudge against Helial. The longer she remained alive, the harder it would be to sleep soundly. Therefore, Helial was ready to get rid of her. The Mana of Destruction within its Meridians began to feed the death Aura that touched every part of Helial''s body, while the latter tried to merge it with the Mana of Life. He turned his palms upward: in one appeared a grayish and milky sphere, in the other one one with faint blackish shades, like dirty water. Keeping his Mana circulatig, almost imperceptible particles inside those two spheres began to become more clear, respectively more white or black. Helial suddenly saw an image of Circe making way in his head and taking control of his field of vision, as if she now was the only visible thing in his world. The milky sphere became slightly more pure, but the change would not have been visible to an ordinary person. "He is finally absorbing the experiences of these last months," the Devil commented making a ladle and a pot appear in mid-air. "These shitty vegetables, on the other hand, didn''t absorb not even a bit of the fucking broth." As Circe passed before his eyes, the projection of Orma''s most dangerous woman caressed his face and Helial felt a connection between his soul and the Black Witch. *** On the other side of Orma, Circe, sitting cross-legged on the floor of her room, had a pang in her abdomen and looked out the window as if looking for something... *** Helial then saw Ades and Comodo, two monsters, two plagues to be eradicated from his path, and he felt a great rage rising in his body, like a fire on which a petrol can was just thrown. Fwooosh The grayish sphere deepened in color and took on a slightly disturbing tinge. An invisible thread thousands of kilometers long was created between Helial and his brother. And another between Helial and Comodo. Iblis suddenly stopped swearing at his vegetable soup and all the crimes committed by its ingredients, which summed up to not mix their taste well enough with the broth, and looked at his disciple with a raised eyebrow. Several other threads, this time more colorful, one silver, one snow white and one scarlet were created and went to unite the soul of Helial with his companions''. Another thread reached Cesar, one shot out in the darkness of the universe until it hit a wandering soul in search of some skirts. Iblis was looking, utterly bewildered. The hand holding the ladle began shaking. A large black thread connected his soul to the boy''s, fusing them together for eternity in the same karmic destiny. But in the midst of all this chaos of threads, Iblis noticed that not only had all the connections stopped after increasing the power of Life and Destruction resting in Helial''s, but there was something much greater in going on too. A thread much thicker than the others, which contained all the colors of the universe, suddenly connected the souls of Helial and Pseudonym. That thread now seemed to contain in itself all the forces of the universe, all the whims of the gods and the will of destiny itself. Under the incredulous gaze of the greatest Devil in history, an enormous thread began to tie inextricably the destinies of Helial and the black knight, to the point of making it impossible for them not to intertwine. Now the thread became scarlet, then white, then indigo, blue and finally golden after passing through all the existing colour shades. "I underestimated Pseudonym''s importance in the Crusade of Destruction in this boy''s life. Apparently, it is impossible not to put turn in the same direction and make them fight against the forces of Life together ", Iblis sighed with a distorted expression," but this can only happen when Pseudonym will decide to put down the mask and not hide behind that huge black armor. " If Helial had heard his Master speak, he would have understood that the events that were taking place before him went far beyond the mere strengthening of the forces of Life and Destruction, as he thought. What was happening around him was so much more than that. It was in fact an indissoluble connection on a universal level with all his dearest and most hated people. This kind of connection was something that only a great Immortal with an unlimited knowledge of Life or Destruction could ever hope to create. Through this Karma, one could have incredibly reinforced their own Mana, whether it had belonged to Life, or to Destruction. Through each thread created and strengthened, their Mana would have evolved in a certain direction. But Helial was absolutely not aware of was happening to him at that time and simply continued to operate his own Breathing Technique and strengthen his own Meridians, trying to eliminate as much impurities as possible from his body. One by one, the threads became invisible even to Iblis'' eyes, hidden in the flow of destiny. One day Helial would have been able to perceive them and exploit them in order to bring his Mana to an even higher level, but now it was too early. *** Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. In the flow of the river constituted by the Souls of those who were about to enter Samsara and be reincarnated, a soul who never stopped glancing right and left to look at the long ethereal legs of some of his fellow souls, opened his mouth in a big smile. The souls who entered the cycle of reincarnation had no memory of their past life, but they could hope to remember it again after passing a certain level of Immortality. In the whole universe, no more than a few thousand people had accomplished such a feat. But that soul, despite his past weak cultivation, smiled like an idiot and felt his being sink into a state of absolute peace and kindness, even more intense than that felt by being cradled in the arms of destiny. And, as he let himself sail towards his new life, fog appeared around his eyes, which began to lose shreds as he floated, like an endless stream of tears. "I would like to see my son now ..." Those words left his mouth, but even he could not understand its meaning. Sometimes destiny can separate people, but the Karma that holds them together can never prevent their lives, one day, from meeting again. 166 Medusas Team ''What? They accept?" Medusa looked with wide eyes at the terrified steward in front of her, while her body was covered with a thick layer of sweat and blood, shining in the shadows of the room where she was training. It was one of the Sect''s secret underground rooms, where the best descendants had the right to train with almost unlimited resources. Medusa was currently trying to acquire a new technique that would allow her to completely destroy Helial and her group. However, she did not imagine that Helial and the others would accept her proposal to fight just two weeks later. Medusa''s servant trembled and had tears in his eyes. His job was to report every single word spoken by his mistress''s challengers, but he feared that she might kill him at any moment. The woman in front of him, sensing his fear, approached him with an expression full of contempt for that half-man who did not even dare to speak. He looked at him with great annoyance and for a few seconds he remained silent. The poor man felt that that burning look was penetrating his skin, tearing it to the bones, as if someone was skinning him alive and was chopping his entrails piece by piece. Unable to bear that psychological torture any more, he gave in and slightly opened his lips: "The Human said that ... that... they agree!" "You already told me this," urged Medusa, with a grimace of contempt, . "What else did they say?" "And ... well ... the cat and the Human girl added that ..." At that point, the servant''s words began to mix with sobs of terror. *** "Don''t you think it was a bit too much?" Lumia asked looking at Snowflake. The cat was sitting on the ground, licking a paw to clean it and looking in the distance with majesty, as if to inspire the whole palace with its own pose. However, in Lumia''s eyes, that was just a lazy cat that loved nothing more than to spoil itself with food and waste his time sleeping. "What, too much what?" asked Snowflake astonished, as if someone had just accused him of a horrible crime. "Helial simply said to accept the challenge in two weeks when he heard the news, but when you reported it to the servant, you also added that, and I quote, we would have pissed on their heads one by one, first her, then her parents and all her Clan. " Lumia spread her hands as if searching for explanations. "It might have been too much, but I remind you that it was you who said that, and I quote by heart, if that bitch tried to look at your brother for a second too long, it would have smeared him and you asked her to bring warm clothes to prevent her disgusting skin from touching Helial. " Lumia shrugged and moved a lock of hair with her hand with jaunty look: "I did so to protect my brother." "Well, me too," said Snowflake. *** On the other side of the Palace, inside the training ground, Helial felt a shiver through his back, a sign that someone was talking about him. Iblis, who had witnessed the conversation between Lumia and Snowflake, tried to hold back the laughter inside Helial''s Soul, though not very successfully. "What are you laughing at?" asked Helial, troubled by the Devil''s behaviour. This time too he received no answer. The sandy field was constantly moved by several gusts of wind, which generated small golden whirls. Helial stood with his legs firmly on the ground as he tried to think of the best type of training for each member of his team. Behind him appeared a shadow, which came close to him step by step. At the touch of a hand on his shoulder, Helial turned and realized that the steps he had heard just before were Caliban''s. Helial offered his hand and asked him to help him get up. The Goblin looked at Helial with a disconsolate expression, before pulling him up and holding him in an embrace, giving him a vigorous pat on the shoulder. "I heard you decided to die," he commented sarcastically, looking at the idiotic smile on Helial''s face. Tilting all his facial muscles into an innocent grimace, Helial returned the slap, risking to break Caliban two ribs, and said: "If I had to listen to your bullshit, I would probably still be moving boulders in that asshole of a village." "What?" Caliban looked at Helial with a puzzled look, not understanding the meaning of those words. Although the two had formed a beautiful friendship, there had still been no way to talk about anything other than Orma''s plots and they didn''t know each other''s past. With a wave of his hand, Helial told him not to think about it. "Besides, do you have it?" He said, with a mischievous smile. Turning his dace to the sky, his eyes closed and locked in prayer, so that someone might give him the strength to face so much temerity, Caliban replied: "Yes." He then extended a parchment until it slipped into Helial''s hands, but when the latter took it, the young merchant seemed reluctant to let go and he yanked: "You don''t know who you''re going up against, do you?" Slowly unfolding the parchment, a list of names appeared before their eyes. Medusa Aiako Ceni Atlanta Margherita *** In a room suffocated by shadows, pieces of granite and stone flew through the air like bullets, scratching floor and walls. A tremendous explosion shook the entire basement. "Do not shoot the messenger. You shouldn''t have killed that poor servant. "A deep voice made its way from the darkest corner of the room. Medusa turned her bloodshot eyes toward the one who had just spoken. A man with a tiger''s bearing and yellowish feline-like eyes walked very slowly and measured the room, cutting the atmosphere in two with his presence. He could not have been more than twenty years old and his feline appearance and his heroic face would have made any woman fall in love with him even if he had only given her a fleeting glance. The square jaw and straight eyebrows gave him a majestic and dignified Aura. His body respected the golden proportions and every fibre of his muscles seemed to exude a terrifying force. The feline gaze passed in front of Medusa, before he stopped looking into her eyes after a few moments. Within the Sect new generation, even if someone would have dared to say that Medusa was only the second strongest, no one would have indicated who the first was. However, this did not mean that the Sect of the Worthy did not possess great talents within its ranks. Unlike the Clan of the Sacred Eagle, which had begun to count less and less talented people of the new generations, among the representatives of the Sect there were many promising young people. Aiako, the man of heroic bearing in front of a foaming Medusa, was probably one of them. It was said that he was the only one able to rival Francesca in terms of speed and agility. In fact, despite his muscular and explosive constitution, Aiako was an Assassin. It was a class that relied on speed and surprise attacks, like Francesca''s Ninja Class. Medusa and Circe''s teams had repeatedly clashed inside the arena and Aiako had always lost. But the distance between the two was not as great as one could imagine. "What are you doing here?" Those words were spit out of Medusa''s mouth almost like poison. "You could have at least warned me that you were going to challenge someone to a death match," Aiako said, smiling. The Assassin''s yellowish irises immediately twitched and his pupils became two fissures. Fwooosh! Skill Activated: Teleportation Lv: 15 Grade: Blue Degree of Knowledge: Look into the void Damage: / Effects: It allows you to move for short distances by cutting the fabric of the space. Cost: depending on distance. Efficiency: 100% When your opponent loses sight of you, he loses the battle. Teleportation! It was a very difficult Skill to learn that belonged mainly to the Wizards and Sorcerers Class; the latter were the real monsters that were born with the innate Ability to Teleport. But an Assassin, to learn this kind of Skill, would have to spend a tremendous quantity of training only to get to understand its principles. To train it, it would take him a hundred times the effort needed by someone whose Class relied on magic. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The space that had been occupied by Aiako until a moment before was cut by a huge sickle appeared Medusa'' hands . The woman''s eyes looked like a well connected directly to hell. His hair danced wildly over her shoulders and head, demonically. It was not strange, for Aiako, to see Medusa in the grip of fury and anger; but this time the young woman really looked like a Devil. An attack like the one that Medusa had just thrown would have killed him in a second, if he hadn''t been ready to dodge it. Therefore, the rumours that were circulating through the Sect were not mere chatter: the loss of her sister had made Medusa mad, and she had become unrecognizable. Aiako found it hard to believe that this was his leader. Pursued by a woman who had lost her mind, Aiako had to face a series of blows without any chance of a counterattack. Despite this, until now he had not lost a single hair. If on the one hand Medusa had succeeded in putting him immediately on the edge, on the other his terrifying speed allowed him to avoid all her blows. If Helial had been there at that moment, the first thing he would have noticed would not have been Medusa''s madness. He would have immediately noticed Aiako''s terrifying speed, which would have left even Snowflake far behind. If Helial could have seen that scene, he would have thought that the battle against Medusa''s Team would be much more difficult than he had imagined and would have admitted that Caliban was right. *** But Helial couldn''t see what was going on and, in the training camp, he kept thinking about what would be the best training for each member of the team to prepare for the fight. 167 Fill the Gap Since Frankenstein had won the fight against a member of the Executioners'' Team, his knowledge of Element Manipulation had reached a much higher level than before. "We all need to reach the Second Phase before facing Medusa''s team," Helial said. But this time, Helial had decided that, to ascend to a higher Phase, splitting would have been better: each of them would have chosen a Dungeon to train and reach the Initial stage of the Second Phase as soon as possible. All of them had accumulated the maximum possible Mana within the First Phase. It was a number that ranged from 80.000 to 100.000 based on one''s attitude towards Mana. This difference one day would have increased exponentially and each additional MP could have been as big as the distance between heaven and earth. Frankenstein knew he was lagging behind monsters like Helial and Snowflake. However, he had absolutely no intention of getting thrown down. Lulu and he would train together to help each other. And besides, the girl had the Skill to heal and provide support. A supporter without someone to support is practically dead. The life of a supporter was really hard, consisting of a continuous serving of others, a thankless but fundamental task within a group battle or a Dungeon. Only very though fighters like those in Helial''s group could hope to face Dungeons on their own without any supporter to help them. But Frankenstein wasn''t sure that this time he would be able to stay alive without Lulu''s help. Frankenstein looked at the girl walking beside him, surrounded by the darkness of the Dungeon. He came up to her and squeezed her wrist to give her strength. In addition to be his supporter, Lulu was the closest thing to a friend Frankenstein had ever had. Skill Activated: Lv: 6 Elements Manipulation Grade: Blue Degree of Knowledge: Bodily Manifestation Damage: 8000-8600 Effects: It allows to manipulate the energy of the elements to create Palms of pure energy, within which the principles of the elements are contained. Cost: 200 Mana / sec. Efficiency: 100% Suffering is always a starting point for strength. Whoever will be able to carry the greatest cross will redeem humanity. Skill Activated: Healing Several bluish hairy spiders popped out of every corner of the cave, while Frankenstein dodged their poisonous spits, trying to protect Lulu. Blue Indigo Spiders. They were extremely poisonous beasts and had an unbelievable physical strength. Their carapace was so hard that no one at the First Phase could ever penetrate it. Five Blue Indigo Spiders surrounded Frankenstein and Lulu. Their poison had properties belonging to the class Affinity to Ice. Although it was not deadly, the drool would have slowed down and blurred the movements of anyone who was hit. Afterwards, thanks to the tremendous force contained in their paws and fangs, the spiders would have blocked and eaten their prey. Those were monsters at the Initial Stage of the Second Phase. Facing such creatures would mean the death of an expert fighter at the Initial stage of the Second Phase. Blue Indigo Spiders were not creatures that could be faced lightly. Their venom allowed those monsters to hunt prey much higher in level than themselves. Frankenstein knew he had to kill the monsters as quickly as possible, before they could block his movements. According to the information received, the team they were to deal with consisted of five members, all at the Initial Stage of the Third Phase, except Medusa, who was on the verge of reaching the Intermediate grade. "Boom!" Forcing the Mana and compressing it in the arm Meridians, Frankenstein cut one of the spiders that had surrounded him in two. On the Goblin''s face there was an expression of madness, ferocious and possessed. In an instant, after the explosion, he slipped five needles into his other arm, carefully hitting as many Meridians, and held it motionless with his free arm. BANG! A huge palm of energy materialized from Frankenstein''s hand. It seemed that the blow contained the power of all the elements and chaos too. Within a few seconds the four remaining spiders were turned to dust. Other Blue Indigo Spiders began to surround the two. Frankenstein''s chest rose and fell quickly, while an exaggerated amount of blood was flowing from the holes he had made with the needles. Because of the blast he had just thrown, even his skin had cracked in several places. "Healing!" shouted Frankenstein, his arm dangling inert beside his body. Skill Activated: Divine Healing The wounds on the Goblin''s arm suddenly began to heal, but they were too deep. Even the Meridians had suffered damage due to the forced use of Manipulation of the Elements. It seemed that the Skill was still far from the result desired by Frankenstein. Although the Goblin had only that Skill in its arsenal, it was so versatile that he would hardly have felt the need to learn more for the time being. However, if he really wanted to face those monsters in Medusa''s group, he couldn''t stop at that. He still had two weeks to train. In a fraction of a second Frankenstein inserted another ten needles into his arm, speeding up the wound regeneration process. The price to pay was a huge lot of pain. Frankenstein''s face distorted because of the pain, but the Goblin did not emit a single whimper. Lulu continued to heal and support Frankenstein with several Buffs, but all those Skills required constant support, which seemed to take too big a toll on her small body. As the arm that had been unusable until recently had started to move again, Frankenstein pulled something out of his Interspace Ring. One arm protection, just one. Lulu looked confused at the piece of equipment as Frankenstein quickly pulled it on and began to recite a strange formula. The artefact was composed of Phoenix Crystal, fused with Black Steel. It had the power to contain and stabilize the Mana within one''s body. Using mainly the arms as a weapon, the protection would have allowed to reduce the effects of the backfire. Furthermore, it would have ensured that the Meridians were reinforced during the fight, thanks to the greater amount of Mana they could now support. Frankenstein had researched for weeks in the Royal Library information on new materials, to forge something that could bring his to the same level as Snowflake and Helial. If his body wasn''t enough, he would have invented something to bridge the gap! Frankenstein put his body forward to receive the recoil and stopped the arm with the protection, before fully activating and compressing all his Mana trough Elements Manipulation. "AHHH!" he screamed as if possessed, while half the cave was swept away by the power of the blow. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Lulu looked at the storm of fireworks with wide eyes, but did not get distracted; she continued to manage her Skill and watched Frankenstein''s life bar swing fiercely back and forth thanks to the healing spells she was Casting. Another dozen Blue Indigo Spiders were reduced to pieces. "We have to take something from the Boss of this Dungeon, if we want to guarantee our victory in the arena," Frankenstein muttered to himself, making mental notes on what had to be improved in that arm guard, which was now slightly charred. First, it was necessary to find a better balance between the materials in order to create other pieces that would enhance his Skill use. Well, that was not a problem. In his Interspace Ring he still had several gadgets to try. *** Meanwhile, on the other side of the city In a house on the edge of the forest, a slightly plump woman no more than twenty years old was slowly leafing through a book and looking at the sky through a telescope, trying to peek at the secrets of the universe. The room all around her was a complete mess, with books and clothes scattered everywhere and food residues on chairs and tables. A wooden chair collapsed under the weight of a mountain of books and tools. Indifferent, the woman took a slice of bread from a plate with one hand and continued to scribble notes on a piece of paper with the other. Suddenly she stopped and let her Mana flow through several Meridians. She repeated the operation several times, without stopping. Several times she was forced to spit out mouthfuls of blood because of the internal damage she had caused herself, but just as many times her body shone with a strange light that seemed to heal her previous wounds. "Miss Margherita," a timid and trembling voice interrupted her, "Miss Medusa challenged the team of Cesar''s disciple to a death match." A Human boy was standing at the door, not brave enough to enter . Margherita raised her head and slowly yawned: "Okay. All right. Tell her I need more money, though. For my research." The boy trembled and replied: "No, Miss Margherita. Miss Medusa would kill me. Today she has already killed four of them servants! " Moving a strand of dirty hair from her face, Margherita blew her nose with a piece of paper that contained old research, smudging it with black ink. "Okay okay! My servants even stop taking orders, bah," Margherita murmured, heading lazily towards the entrance. The servant watched his mistress leave her room and enter the corridor, probably heading towards the gate of the villa to go and meet Medusa. Made bold by Margherita''s absence, the boy had finally the guts to enter the study and peek at the notes scattered around the room. As soon as his eyes touched those papers, blood began to flow from the boy''s nose, who put his hand to his nostrils and felt the viscous liquid. The servant did not even have time to be surprised, because blood began to flow copiously from his eyes, ears and mouth too. He collapsed on the floor, smearing it with blood, and died within moments. The young man had made a huge mistake: he had cast his eye on information about Mana that was too powerful, so powerful that just looking at them had killed him. This kind of information could be acquired and understood only if one was at a Level high enough. A gust of wind blew Margherita''s sheets up to cover the corpse and get smeared with blood. One covered the boy''s face. On the page there was a drawing representing several complex machinery, full of descriptions ... 168 On Top of the Food Chain Snowflake ran through the clearing as the sun rose over the tree leaves. The rays struck them gently, evoking emerald shapes that moved on the white fur of the enormous white cat. Even he now understood that training was essential. The power games that Snowflake had witnessed in Orma had made him understand how gaining strength meant gaining respect and command, and subjugating one''s peers even at the expense of the city. Had he not become stronger, even the Supreme Cat would have been swallowed up by the jaws of Goblin politics and death. However, this was not the only reason that had convinced him to train. Lately his memories were becoming more and more pressing. Gaining power was the cat''s way of fighting against his past. Although he loved to spend all day lounging and eating lasagna, even Snowflake seemed to have some scruples - something that Helial would have argued about. However, this time their opponents were much stronger than anyone they had faced before. Now they would face the Custodians of the Firmament Team, whose members were at the Initial grade of the Third Phase; among them the strongest was their leader, Medusa, who was almost at the Intermediate grade of the Third Phase. At his current level, Snowflake could not even hope to defeat them. Because of this he had decided to go beyond his limits and get as fast as possible to the Second Phase. The cat''s goal was to find something that would make him overcome them. Thanks to Iblis'' training , Snowflake had learned a new terrifying Skill, difficult to learn, even more difficult to improve. After learning the basics, all that was left to do for Snowflake was to use their knowledge to probe the depth of the Skill and make it their own. If he would not be able to decipher or understand its principles, Snowflake could not have progressed further or never really master it. All the power he had shown so far was nothing but the most superficial knowledge of the technique; this was why it had not yet been molded and had not yet been included in the Cat''s Skill list. What Snowflake was using was nothing but a shadow of Iblis''s ability. That monstrosity exceeded every concept of talent and hard work. To train, Snowflake had chosen to venture into a Dungeon that contained the most terrifying creatures that could be found in the area surrounding Orma. The creatures that inhabited the Dungeon were at least the Initial stage of the Third Phase, and they also possessed a remote descent from legendary Ancestral Creatures: in the veins of Infernal Leopards flowed what remained of Dragon and Phoenix blood. Their bloodline, despite not being the purest of all the Infernal races, was certainly one of the most powerful among the low-level monsters, so powerful as to be considered the undisputed lords of the creatures below the Third Phase. Obviously, the fact that Snowflake was a Heavenly Star Tiger meant that his bloodline was far stronger than that of a simple Infernal Leopard. Stopping in front of the cave, Snowflake began to ponder. "All this effort..." he sighed, "my parents always called me lazy. Indeed, the Devil is right: power is everything, it makes us free and allows us to choose ... Etiquette, love, good manners, ethics ... But what are we talking about? If I get out of this Dungeon alive, I will be stronger than ever before and I will be able to kill as many living beings I can get my paws on. But will it be so because my ethics will be better? Probably not. A cat separated from a group of fucked up tigers ... " Setting foot inside the Dungeon, Snowflake suddenly felt the temperature rise. A burst of sulphurous air entered his nostrils, making him cough. He immediately used his Mana to adapt to the environment and prevent the solitary sparks from burning his white coat. The blackened lava stone walls were scratched in different points, a sign of the battles between the Infernal Leopards and the Dungeon visitors. Infernal Leopards controlled the element of Fire thanks to their descent from the Phoenix and han an incredibly powerful body thanks to their descent from the Dragons. Although they had no gargantuan proportions and strength like the Dragons'', or an exceptionally refined control over the fire like the Phoenix, they were still powerful enough to be able to define themselves lords of that area. Once past the Sixth Phase, they would have developed fiery wings similar to those of a Phoenix in appearance, but not in power. But the most terrifying mutant trait of their genetics was certainly speed. In fact, they seemed able to manipulate space itself and to shape it in every step. Thanks to the innate conformation of their own Meridians, it was as if, just by breathing, they were able to cultivate a tremendously powerful Movement Skill. Yes, Snowflake had put aside his laziness to face these terrible creatures, to strengthen himself and be able to face Medusa''s group in the best possible way. Although, in fact, the choice had been up to Helial. Helial had chosen the right training for each of them and no one had doubted his decision. They all trusted their incredible Leader, who had taken the reins of the group since his Soul showed its true colors. Now Helial knew what was needed to make his companions stronger and seemed so much sure in every action he made and every decision he took. Accepting the match proposed by Medusa and the Sect of the Worthy meant putting everyone''s life in danger. Therefore Helial had thought that the training that would give the best results would be the one done under pressure: in this way the improvements would have been clearly visible. This growth would have permitted them be renown in the Colosseum, not only as "the group of Cesar''s Human disciple", but as the strongest one in the arena. Obviously, they should have walked this path one step at a time. Frankenstein had started his training in a Dungeon with monsters from the Second Phase up, but it would certainly have been a while before he fought against monsters at the Third Phase. On the contrary, Fiocco di Neve had decided to directly challenge creatures at least a hundred levels higher than him. The goal they set themselves was to reach at least the Second Phase over the course of a week and gain as much training experience as possible. Medusa''s group had already fought countless battles; they, instead, were only at the beginning. Snowflake was distracted by a sudden heat blast that hit his muzzle. The more he went on, the hotter he felt. The cat began to circulate more and more the Mana through its own Meridian, to protect itself from excessive heat. That place forgotten by God was a real red-hot hell on earth. An Infernal Leopard was a few steps away from the cat, which started to get ready. Snowflake would have bet his head that not even Helial would have had the courage to attack a Infernal Leopard face on and without any preparation. But Snowflake sometimes deliberately forgot to belong to the race of the Heavenly Star Tigers, beings that were at the top of the food chain. "The day this Supreme Cat has to be afraid of two fucking mice, it will be the same day that this Supreme Cat will better start showing lasagna two by two up his ass until they will be an odd number," commented Snowflake, caustic. However, in his eyes one could read an unusual seriousness, never seen before on his wiskers. He too knew he couldn''t joke too much; this time his life was hanging by a thread. He could face one of those creatures face-to-face with some hope of winning, but if more than one arrived, even if they were only two or three, he could not help but run away with his tail between his legs. Snowflake sneered, leaving behind his thoughts on his few possibilities of triumph. He had decided to use a very fine and elaborate tactic to fight against that beast and he couldn''t wait to put it into practice with all his feline agility, composure and silence. "EHY ASSHOLE!" He shouted at the top of his lungs at the Infernal Leopard, "EAT YOUR OWN DICK." The Infernal Leopard looked stunned at Snowflake. Since when did a creature like that, full of fat, have the guts to insult one of the noblest beings in the universe? ROAAAAAAAAAAAAR! After that terrifying roar, the Infernal Leopard''s body began to be enveloped in incandescent flames. The cat disappeared as if it had dematerialized and reappeared in front of Snowflake. The cat, with an expression of contempt and mockery on his face, remained motionless, waiting for the enormous claws of the Infernal Leopard to reach him. With a lithe gesture of its paw, the Infernal Leopard hurled his blow at his opponent''s heart. The monster didn''t realize, but Snowflake''s body started shaking imperceptibly. The Mana raged wildly in Snowflake''s Meridians. If Snowflake had been a normal Heavenly Star Tiger, he would have just to use his superior speed, the incredible Skills of a Clan existing from the dawn of time, and leave the Infernal Leopard eating dust, without giving it the possibility even to see him. But Snowflake was different. Snowflake wanted the leopard to see him. On the other hand, that was the secret of the Skills developed by Iblis. It was the most terrifying movement technique in the whole universe, a technique that had never been equalled over the millennia. To understand its principles, Snowflake would have to follow its dogmas, not centred on simple displacement, but on the tyrannical attitude to put into practice before one''s enemy. It was a completely different way from the one the Heavenly Star Tigers Clan used. As talented as Snowflake could be and possess blood from the lineage of the Heavenly Star Tigers, however, he had not come to understand the true principles of that Skill. In fact, despite having managed to show the Skill great potential, that was only the tip of the iceberg. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. In short, the Skill that the cat possessed could be considered a fake, a fake with such terrifying characteristics that to think of the original would have given chills to any Immortal of that planet. While the paw was about to strike Snowflake''s chest, a sly grin appeared on the cat''s face. 169 The Greatest Cat in the Whole Universe The Infernal Leopard''s claws hit Snowflake. However, something did not go as the flaming creature expected. An illusory image of Snowflake was cut in four by the slash. There was not even a shadow of the enormous white cat''s real body. Carelessly, a soft and white paw stamped on the monster''s tail, grinning: "Asshole, behind you. What, can''t you see? " ROAAAAAAAAAAAAR Feeling his pride being literally trampled, the Infernal Leopard gave a terrifying roar, which made all the walls of the Dungeon tremble. Snowflake''s expression became troubled. If that damned creature continued to make all that noise, it wouldn''t take long before other Infernal Leopards noticed him. In such a fight, even a moment of distraction could have been fatal. *** Meanwhile, Iblis continued to observe that scene from within the Soul of Helial through his own Divine Sense. Although he no longer possessed a body, Iblis was able to use the Divine Sense because it was attached to his own Soul; in this way he could use it even though he was an incorporeal entity. Moreover, the characteristics of the Devil''s Divine Sense were much more mysterious than those of the other Immortals at Orma, so much so that not even the Divine Sense of one hundred Cesars and one hundred Aures would have been enough to identify the presence of Iblis in the Soul of Helial. "Who do you think will be the strongest, after training?" Iblis asked Helial, yawning open-mouthed, not bothering to cover with his hand. Helial began to ponder. It was by no means a simple question to answer. There were so many little monsters in their group. But if he had to choose the strongest, he would certainly have excluded Frankenstein and Lulu, who were lagging far behind everyone else. Snowflake, Vlad and Lumia were undoubtedly the strongest in Helial''s eyes. However, the boy had a sort of prejudice against his sister: having spent his lifetime protecting her, he could not see Lumia as the strongest warrior in the group. "I think that, after me, the strongest should be Snowflake. Vlad is just as terrifying, with an equal or greater potential than mine. But the cat has a bloodline as old as the universe and, even if rarely, sometimes I see a strange light in his eyes. That beast should never be underestimated, "said Helial. Snowflake was, after Lumia, the member of their group that Helial had known the longest; he had seen his changes and his growth day by day and had noticed all his improvements. Moreover, Snowflake''s mysterious origins seemed promising. Helial knew that the cat belonged to the lineage of the Heavenly Star Tigers, but Iblis had never told him what the degree of purity his blood had. At the moment, in fact, the very body of Helial could be considered a chest full of gold. Considering the Qilin inheritance, the Devil''s one and the two Mana of Life and Destruction, he contained within himself an incredible amount of power. His blood could be considered even rarer than that of a normal creature descended from the Heavenly Star Tigers. But if Snowflake was a member of the Clan aristocracy, the son of some Elders or a big shot, then the matter would have been completely different. Within the Clans, unlike the Sects, much of one''s potential future was based on the purity of one''s blood. Inside a Sect external talents were recruited, and then raised as pupils. On the contrary, inside a Clan, what held everything together was the blood bond between the various students. There could be several families, but generally there was only one ancestral lineage. And so it was also for the Heavenly Star Tigers. A common member of the Clan and the son of the main family would have two completely different innate talents. If Snowflake was the son of an Elder, then his potential could have been ten, a hundred, a thousand times greater than that of a normal Clan member. This rule was true not only for the Clans of animal-shaped creatures, but also for the human ones. The purer a blood inheritance was, the higher the closeness of a member of the Clan to their future Mana Road would be. Within these institutions, if a member of the central family didn''t show enough talent, then he would have been dismissed. Helial had thought several times that this might be the case with Snowflake, but he wasn''t sure. Moreover, he did not have the means to make comparisons with other great Clans, Sects or Guilds of the universe. Iblis hadn''t told him much about Snowflake''s talent. However, his sixth sense told him that he was not a common member of the Heavenly Star Tigers Clan. But if he had not been expelled from his Clan, what could have been the reason for his presence there? *** Snowflake avoided yet another slash by the Infernal Leopard for a hair width, and his expression became much more serious than before. His body began to vibrate imperceptibly again, showing all the knowledge he had accumulated on the Skill Iblis had taught him. "Faggot, can''t you catch me?" Snowflake laughed. "Useless as you are you should eat your own dick." Snowflake''s taunts were somewhere in between a psychological guerrilla and simple foul language. The Infernal Leopard flaming coat began burning even more violently and its legs, covered with scales similar to lava stone, trembled with rage. "I''ve never seen a creature as vile as you and with a mouth capable of spitting so much venom. You are not worthy to be facing me. I will give you a slow and painful death, so that in your next life you may find redemption." The Infernal Leopard spoke solemnly for the first time. The animal had developed a considerable intelligence and was able to speak. After uttering those words, the Infernal Leopard intended to use his secret weapon to tear Snowflake into bits. But something went wrong. He suddenly found himself stuck by a terrifying murderous Aura. It was wrapped in a tsunami of negative emotions, as if it were facing the most terrifying tyrant of the universe. He looked terrified at Snowflake, whose eyes had begun to glow golden. The cat''s hair was bristling and its claws were clearly visible among the white fur; each claw cutting the ground under his feet as if it were tofu. "Do you have any problem regarding my way of talking?" Snowflake began to foam. The Infernal Leopard perceived three other Auras approaching. More Infernal Leopard were about to arrive! He had to buy time: once his fellows arrived, they would tear him to pieces together. Although the Infernal Leopard had perceived a strange presence inside Snowflake, which seemed to cause a normal suppression on his Soul, the cat was still too low in level. Probably Snowflake''s origins were even more terrifying than its own, but with all that difference in levels, suppression of the soul would not have been enough to defeat it. "A creature of noble blood should behave as its lineage dictates. Only waste scraps can have a mouth like yours. Your bloodline seems to be purer than mine, but I understand why your Clan rejected you: for them you were only useless trash. And now you seem to have fallen and you started talking like the most ignoble of humans!" The monster roared, grinning. Not even the flaming creature would have imagined that his words could have had such an effect on the cat. Snowflake''s Aura exploded and began to thicken all the Mana around the cat, as if the air had suddenly solidified. Snowflake''s gaze lost focus, as if he could still hear those voices. *** "A Heavenly Star Tiger should not behave like this! You are not a common beast, you cannot act as if you were! " "We have pride! Did you really devour the whole banquet in front of the princess!? Do you think your father won''t punish just because you''re his only son?! " "You pissed on an Elder because he told you that you''re rotten inside and tried to teach you Clan etiquette! You are a lawless beast! " Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Another voice, much deeper and more majestic than the others, so much that it seemed to be able to change the fate of the universe with a syllable, flooded his conscience: "My son, if all the Heavenly Star Tigers behaved like you, we would have not even a hint of reputation in the whole universe. I cannot let your behaviour affect the fate of the entire Clan. You said that they are just words and that a person''s soul cannot be judged by an extra portion of lasagna, a curse or by your vulgar humour, but it is not true. The words and deeds of the Heavenly Star Tigers are what declare to everyone how noble our race is. We cannot behave like the last of the last. Therefore, I exile you and condemn you to live like a beast, as you wanted. From now on you no longer have the right to call yourself a Heavenly Star Tiger and you will no longer be considered my son in front of the great powers of the universe and, in general, in front of every living being. From today will be just a beast, like the one you imitated in your behaviour since the day you were born. If you were to still call yourself a Heavenly Star Tiger, you will be treated like a stranger to the Clan." *** I don''t need to be a Heavenly Star Tiger, nor be your son, if I can''t even open my mouth freely. Heavenly Star Tiger? Bah, I''ll be the greatest cat in the whole universe and one day I''ll make you kneel in front of me, one after the other, and I will throw a wave of piss in your mouth, while you will have to remain silent, if you want to survive. While Snowflake was in that sort of trance, three other Infernal Leopards had approached and placed themselves next to the first. All four had a strange grin on their faces, and were ready to taste Snowflake''s flesh. Between all of them, they could eliminate him. If a beast ate the flesh of a creature with a purer bloodline than its own, it would have the chance to evolve and overcome the bottleneck of its own bloodline. Snowflake remained still. His Aura was no less tyrannical than the sovereign of the universe himself. He inhaled slowly with his eyes closed, before showing signs of contempt and scorn on his face. The four Infernal Leopards suddenly dematerialized in mid-air. Snowflake pupils narrowed to two slits. Fwoosh. You created a new Skill: ??? 170 Keep on the path CHAPTER 169 - KEEP ON THE PATH All around the darkness seemed like a heavy blanket. It was impossible to see, even just a few inches away. A thick misty fog enveloped Lumia while a child with black fringe stood by her side. However, she could only feel his presence and hear his voice. "Luck does not exist, but there is a time when talent meets opportunity," Iblis reminded the girl. "You said you wanted to undergo another special training and weren''t interested in entering a Dungeon." Lumia nodded, and her silver hair moved slightly forward. Only Iblis could penetrate the darkness with his sharp eyes. For Lumia there was nothing but blackness. "And yet.... there''s something I still haven''t figured out, my dear. Let me ask you just one question before starting. If you''re really willing to do so much for your brother, where did you find the spark that made you fly so high? " scratiching his chin, the Devil added: "Before getting were I am now, I have been for a few moments in the clouds, too; and only later I was dragged into the depths of hell. From there I then built a path of blood and pain to get back a bit of what I had already tasted. Why do you want to walk this path? " Lumia did not answer immediately, instead she closed his eyes and inhaled. The first image that came to mind was from two or three years before, when Helial was working at the tavern to earn some money. Lumia had happened to see him clean tables, swipe floors and take orders with a serene but visibly tight smile, his muscles not moving. She knew it well It was a fake smile, prepared and trained for the occasion. While cleaning the floor, Helial occasionally had to take orders, run to the cook and bring the food back to the customers. That job would have been really easy for Helial if he, instead of training, had been sleping every night. But his steps never seemed uncertain, and he had never dropped a glass of beer or stumbled. Those were the times when his brother could still smile a little. His brother had always tried not to let even a shadow darken his face, as not to influence Lumia''s life. Helial did not want the pain that engulfed him to reach his sister. "My brother''s smile has always been forced, or almost always at least. I just want you to have a real smile from time to time, nothing more. " And, although those words might seem simple, a strange amount of Mana began to stir all around them, attracted by the incredible power hidden behind that simple statement. Tilting his head slightly, Iblis whispered: "It''s not the first time I''ve heard something like that." He shook his head. After a moment, Iblis went on: "How strong do you want to become?" His childlike voice suddenly became solemn, as if a deity were questioning a simple mortal. Lumia reached out, grabbing blindly the sleeve of the child''s black tunic and tugging it slightly. Their eyes met in the darkness. Black on green. Iblis''s lips pouted and his shoulders shook briefly. "Okay." There had been no other words. If a Devil of Iblis''s greatness had to have a whole conversation on how strong the girl wanted to be, then he wouldn''t have been worthy of being the greatest Devil to ever exist in the universe. Iblis moved in front of Lumia and, without warning, used his hand like a blade and penetrated her chest from side to side. There was not even a whimper of pain or smell of blood. "Not bad." Lumia had been thrown ten meters away. The little girl concentrated all her senses on the earth beneath the Devil''s feet. In that moment, Iblis thought it would be better to be clear: "I will fight as if I were in the First Phase. This means that I could tear into pieces someone at the Fourth Phase without too much trouble. I will use three Skills only. One to attack, one to defend, one to move. " Lumia''s face did not even flinch. The girl knew that the Devil was the last creature in this world she had to underestimate. Did it really make sense to feel better because he would only use three Skills? Probably each of Iblis''s abilities was strong enough to freak out any Clan, Setta or Guild in the universe. They could even mean the destruction of any dimension. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "If you can survive ten, or better, fifteen moves against me in the First Phase, then you can probably cripple Medusa in a matter of seconds. And now, two. " ZZZZZ A huge broadsword of black Mana appeared in the child''s hands and in a fraction of a second he attacked Lumia with a terrifying slash. Snowflake and Frankenstein were facing fights to the death, but it was safe to say that Lumia was facing death itself. Unlike the others, who had gone to train in the Dungeons, Lumia had been lucky and Iblis had agreed to train her personally. The others, although faced with an impending death, could not unleash their full potential. But the silver-haired girl was different. Hesitation or doubt never showed in her eyes, ever. She craved power for her brother and she would get it. This was there to be read in her emerald green irises. Skill activated: Divine Gravitational Field Skill activated: Titan Shield A gravitational field slightly slowed the slash and a shield, translucent and ethereal, appeared before Lumia. Looking at his fingernails, dirty because of the carrots he had cut shortly before, the child began to brood over something, completely diverting his attention from the fight. Somehow, he gave the impression that he already knew the outcome. In fact, his attack had been slowed but not stopped. The Titan Shield immediately shattered and Lumia was beheaded. The girl''s lifeless body fell to the ground. Iblis looked at the girl and snapped his fingers. Normally, once brought back to life, one would experience a period of weakness. It took time to completely recover one''s physical faculties and retrain the Meridians in the use of Mana. This condition would last at least 12 to 24 hours. But Iblis had his methods. Once brought back to life, Lumia was just like a few minutes before. She wasn''t showing any sign of weakness and was ready to fight again. Not even Helial could undergo such a bloody and violent training. When Iblis had punished for his incompetence and unlocked his state of the Emperor in the process, he had first killed him several times. But this time it was different. Lumia was constantly meeting the blows, without moving at all. It seemed like the though her brother was always behind her, as if she should protect the shadow that had always covered her shoulders and prevented her from facing pain head on. And now she had to face all the pain she had been shielded from over the years, if she wanted to stay on her brother''s path. 171 Believe in Yourself The Royal Academy training camp was almost empty. Only a handful of students was training. The sandy soil shone under the sun. Around the field, where some lessons were taking place and the pupils were practising their skills, there was a clearing, surrounded by trees with branches so large that someone could lie on them. Zzz¡­Zzz¡­ And in fact, on one of those branches, a boy with scarlet hair lay motionless, covered by the lush leaves of the tree. His elegant and ethereal look was in sharp contrast with his loud snoring. His face''s angular features seemed sculpted by an expert hand and gave him a very charming appearance. As the boy rested, a shadow wrapped in darkness began to approach him. Because of her curves and her black leather clothes, it was difficult to mistake her for some other woman. Her Aura contained several natural forces and seemed to merge more and more with the surrounding environment at every step. "Don''t you think you should train too?" Circe screamed at the top of her lungs, knowing well how her voice annoyed Vlad. "Mph, could you please not fucking scream?" The young man grunted. Circe pursed her lips and smacked them enticingly. Its beauty could have made entire civilizations fall. "Everybody is training hard." Vlad looked at her for a few seconds before turning away and ignoring her. Vlad was of one of the few men under the Third Phase not completely terrified by Circe. Not even Helial could handle that mischievous woman easily. The Witch of Orma did not get upset about her cousin''s behaviour. Indeed, she seemed to be used to it. Vlad''s laziness and indifference were in direct proportion to his immense talent. Circe sneered and resumed talking: "Francesca will come and watch your fight. She told me she is worried about you ", and she licked her lips, waiting for a succulent response that would allow her to stick a little bitterness up her cousin''s stunted ass. "Aha," Vlad yawned, not caring at all. With her arms around her breasts, Circe urged: "Maybe she could wet herself in front of his scarlet-haired hero." Without turning, Vlad frowned slightly but remained silent. Thinking about it, the match they were about to face would be very difficult. It would be strange if Orma''s big shots wouldn''t show up: Helial with a simple move had the Sect of the Worthy cornered; this meant the Sacred Eagle Clan and the Guild of Life and Death would be capable to kill in order to understand if betting on the King''s Human disciple was worth it. This was not such a simple matter. After putting the Sect of the Worthy in a difficult situation, Helial now had to prove himself worthy of bearing such a burden. Even Vlad didn''t know if Helial would have been able to. But the moment, he didn''t care about anything but sleeping peacefully on that branch. The sooner Circe left him alone, the better. "I don''t think this conversation will get us anywhere, my dear cousin. Can''t you just let me sleep? " "You should be afraid of me losing my temper, you know?" replied Circe, and a vein began to throb slightly on her forehead. Ever since she was born, no one had ever ignored her as her cousin did. Of all the people in Orma, only he had the guts to treat her like this. Not even his father, perhaps afraid of the possible consequences with his wife, had ever dared to treat her with so much sufficiency. It was as if a child blessed by the heavens had suddenly found to be stuck in the highest mountain of shit in Orma "Come here. This time I''ll take your Interspace Ring and you''ll go home naked," replied Vlad in a calm voice. "Just think of the scene, the great Witch Orma going home without clothes. What a unique sight. I bet our cousins, your friends and even Medusa would talk about it for weeks. " A large blue vein appeared in the middle of Circe''s forehead, who then revealed all her rage. If someone else had talked her that way, Circe would have already dismembered them. Not even Medusa had ever had the courage to treat her like that, despite their mutual disdain. How terrifying was that scarlet-haired young man, if he had the audacity to say those words in front of Orma''s second greatest genius? But the real question was: why had Circe not yet silenced him? She wasn''t exactly renowned for her patience in the Capital. Among her many qualities, there had never been patience So why hadn''t she done anything yet to silence that loudmouth in front of her? Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. This question would surely haunt anyone unlucky enough to see that scene. Or better, this would have happened if Circe had let someone survive after seeing Vlad treat her like that. "I thought that sooner or later you would get some self-respect. After seeing how much in love you were with that idiot, whose brain is even buzzier than yours, I thought you would do anything to get her back. But no, you spend all day lazing. You trained three months in your whole life. Three months of training, only to spend time with her and then puff, young Vlad disappears again from the Guild''s radar. When you started training, even my father was amazed by your results. The great Big, Guild Chief and Orma''s third strongest man, remained open-mouthed before a spoiled, ball-less brat. " "Circe, stop it." Vlad began to feel irritated. "Francesca made her choice. It was her who decided she would marry that poisonous snake. If she wanted to be with me or needed my help to resolve the conflict between their two Clans, she would have come to me. If even she didn''t believe in me, why should I, ah?" said Vlad with a hint of irritation in his voice. Circe had hit a bullseye and kept digging at that soft spot, never really healed. "Believe in you? With your talent, you could have started training yesterday and you would still make the whole Sect of the Worthy shit their pants. Once you would reach Cesar or Aure''s level, who could ever tell you anything? Francesca? Even if you had asked to become shitty Orma''s fucking king, you wouldn''t have met any opposition. My talent is inferior to yours and everyone in this stinking asshole keeps praising me. Now, tell me, why can''t you believe in yourself?" Circe was furious and, despite not daring to attack Vlad directly, she kept screaming at him, regardless of the curious onlookers who had heard them arguing. The students of the Royal Academy had begun to wonder who was making all that hubbub, so they had approached the clearing. There they saw Circe screaming at a tree. They left in silence, as they had arrived, for fear of unleashing the Witch''s rage. Vlad was increasingly annoyed. "This is not the problem. I don''t feel anything and I''m not going to do anything unless it gives me joy. The power for its own sake, assuming that I can somehow get it, does not interest me. Can I go back to sleep now? " Circe was mad with anger. Vlad''s sloth was unnerving. If she could, Circe would have taken that arrogant young brat and give him a beating he would remember for all his life. Oh, yes she would. However, the Witch knew that her cousin had many more cards up his sleeve than anyone could imagine. Although she was sure she could win a fight against him without any problems, given the gap in level between them, she was not so sure that she could be the winner in a guerrilla war. If for a normal archer a forest was a nightmare, due to the difficulty of hitting targets between the trees, for Vlad it was like heaven. Every characteristic possessed by the scarlet-haired boy, from movement to precision, to reflexes and speed of judgement in battle, were top of the range for an Assassin and an Archer. If she had fought him there, Circe would have suffered. "You little snotty brat, I swear on every goddamn god in Orma that if you come out alive from this fight, I will personally challenge your team and I will have the pleasure of torturing you myself. Maybe here and in tight spaces you can take any kind of advantage from the terrain. But in a direct match inside the Colosseum, do you really think you could escape me? You are and will always remain an amoeba, a failure and a good-for-nothing. Francesca will never be happy just because you don''t have even a hint of guts. Your new teammates will risk their lives; indeed, they are already risking it, while you are here wasting every single drop of talent that rained on your head. You will die alone and forgotten by all!" Circe strided away, not leaving Vlad any chance to reply. But just as she started to move, Circe suddenly felt an Aura explode behind her; inside it there was a sea of negative emotions. Hate, anger, resentment and loneliness were concentrated in an extraordinarily lethal Aura. He looked like the Aura of a bloody and merciless god, who had never felt compassion in his whole life. The Aura was so powerful that the Elders of the Royal Academy became aware of its presence and suddenly turned towards the training ground, frowning. That terrifying Aura had to belong to one of the most talented pupils. But then, why couldn''t they recognize its owner? From the density of the Mana within it, it seemed to be a bestial and terrifying creature. Who was it? Crispio, Binio and Filopappo, who were arguing fiercely about Royal Academy funds, fell suddenly silent and turned towards the training ground. Circe''s expression changed from amazement to satisfaction. "Maybe, I was wrong," Circe murmured, as she walked away. The Second Phase Aura that almost everyone, even in the Royal Palace, had perceived slowly began to dissipate. 172 In the Octagonal Room In a narrow, dark corridor in the basement of the Royal Palace, the footsteps of two men were the only sounds in the flickering light of the candles. A middle-aged serious Goblin, more than two meters tall, walked with a frown on his heroic, angular face: he didn''t look happy at all. His aquiline nose protruded from the face, giving it a lofty and regal attitude. Just behind him was a young man, still in his teenage years. "Master, I''m sorry I made this decision without consulting you first, but even without your permission, I''m sure my team will win." Helial''s words weren''t many, but they were enough to make the King of Orma frown even more. "It does not matter that you accepted without telling me. It''s not the first time that''s happened. However," Cesar took a deep breath and tried to calm the negative feelings that were beginning to stir in his chest," you have accepted; I would go against my own interests if I advised you to withdraw. " Although Cesar realized how great Helial''s talent was, he thought that challenging Medusa was madness. Within the walls of the Goblin capital, probably only this young Human could be mad enough to accept Medusa''s challenge, who was ready to tear him into pieces in the cruelest way in order to avenge his sister. When word spread that Orma''s new star, Cesar''s disciple, had accepted the challenge of one of the greatest talents of the generation just before his own, everyone was amazed. The people would not have been surprised if Circe had challenged her, or even better, Pseudonym had accepted the challenge. But the Human? The elders of the Sacred Eagle Clan and the Guild of Life of Death had done nothing but shake their heads in the face of such foolishness. The Sect of the Worthy and all its members, after a first moment of dismay at Helial''s idiocy, had begun to celebrate his premature death. No one could imagine why Helial had accepted and no one believed that his team could win. Although Medusa was far behind Circe and Pseudonym, the greatest talents of the millennium, her fury was certainly not something that Helial could swallow without choking. This time the young man had found his match. Everyone was amazed by his team''s incredible performance and by last trick he had shown in the Colosseum against Medea. But nobody, not even the most foolish citizen of Orma, thought he had even a small chance against Medusa. The betting companies had odds so low on Helial''s defeat that, even investing millions, the revenue would be insignificant. Moreover, even if one person only bet on Helial''s victory and won, he would become Orma''s richest person overnight, ruining all betting agencies and fooling everyone who had placed bets against him. Still, nobody had enough guts to bet on him: it would have been the equivalent of throwing money into the cesspit. Victory? Rather, people bet on how many attacks Helial could face before dying. One? Two? Nah, too many. Maybe half. Many had bet on half. Helial probably would be already dead even before Medusa had finished her first attack. Long story short, nobody believed in his victory. Helial''s team itself, as terrifying as their leader was, did not know how he could handle Medusa. If they had feared her before, they were certain that after the death of her sister she would seek revenge directly. Even the members of the Tristia Team wondered how those four kids and a cat who had barely reached the Second Phase could defeat Medusa''s henchmen, who were "only" at the Initial stage of the Third Phase. As for the clash with Medusa, who was in the Intermediate stage, they didn''t even dare to think about it. Furthermore, despite being at the Intermediate stage, everyone knew that Medusa''s talent had been overshadowed by Orma only because of Circe and Pseudonym''s presence. Without them, Medusa would have been considered a great fighter. Even Comodo did not have the same innate talent as Medusa. Probably, that woman could have easily faced a warrior at the Late stage of the Third Phase and not lost her life when facing one at the Initial grade of the Fourth one. While thinking of all these things, Cesar stopped walking and turned to his disciple. "At least, try to survive." His words echoed in the damp corridor, carrying a negative omen. Cesar looked at the boy in front of him, a confident young man, with the hint of a smile on his face. The King of Orma turned again his back to Helial and headed for a door, a little further on, while his disciple answered him with an extremely serious voice: "If we were talking about Pseudonym, I wouldn''t be so sure of my actions. But defeating Medusa will not be impossible. Master, if you bet on our victory, the Royal Palace will have no gold shortages for three centuries at least," Helial said smiling, confident. What should Helial have been afraid of? His body was a crucible of priceless powers and treasures. His skin was as hard as steel, and the proof was the shallow cut he received from an attack that would have killed whoever was at his own Phase. Moreover, recently Helial felt that the Kirin bloodline in his veins was eager to evolve. He just had to find the right way to control it and he would gain some unimaginable benefits. Helial knew he could defeat her easily. If he really had to fear that mad woman, then he would better hide his head in a hole and never get out again. On the other hand, the boy had known for a long time that in the future he would face opponents far more fearful and so powerful that even Cesar would have been wiped out as easily as a grain of sand. His future nemesis would be the projection into this universe of Amaterasu, the one who held the legacy of the Goddess of Life. To guarantee his own survival and complete the pact with the Devil, Helial would do what Iblis had failed to accomplish. Cesar stopped at a door, walked through it and entered a room, followed by Helial. The walls were arranged in an octagon and at the centre of the floor there was a trap door, on which Formations were engraved. Cesar walked towards it and crouched, stroking one of the Formations, which suddenly shone with intense light, dazzling Helial for a few seconds. Suddenly, Mana of heaven and earth began pouring into the room at an incredible speed. If Helial cultivated his own Mana in that place, thanks to his Breathing Technique and that environment, his progress would be extremely fast. "I thought for a very long time before deciding that this is the right thing to do. I brought you down here to show you this place, a sacred place that no one has access to, apart from the King of Orma. Beyond this trap door there is something that I cannot show you today, but I do not doubt that one day you will see it. For now, I allow you to cultivate in this room, if you happen to meditate on something." Cesar stood up and started back to the door. "In here, there is Karma, a Karma that connects our people with you Humans. Meditating in here will bring you twice the benefits and will allow you to progress faster. I can do only this for you." That scene was really mystical and touching. Cesar had granted Helial access to a restricted area to cultivate to the best of his ability. Although his pupil had made an idiotic choice, his teacher had decided to support him as much as he could in any case. "Master, wait", Helial''s words came to Cesar''s ears, who gently stopped. Turning around, he found himself face to face with Helial, who wore a complicated expression on his face. "You were the only one to give me a chance when taking my life would have been the simplest thing in the world to do; you were the only one to choose me for my talent, without caring for my race or my rank; you supported me, turning all your peers against you, even when I dared to act on impulse, when I dared to kill Goblin offspring. You didn''t turn your back even when I exterminated the entire Executioners Team, including Medea. Even in the face of the crazy choices I made you supported me. You never forced me to do anything against my will, and once again you decided to support me. This is why you are and will always be my Master, even if you are a Goblin and I am Human. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Everything you did for me was enough to cancel the resentment I felt towards you for killing my first Master, who was almost a father to me. But I see in you a kindness of heart that in my short life I have seen only in a few living beings, and this is enough for me to understand what I want to do: I will train and become strong and I will be the peacemaker between the Goblins and the Humans. So far you have only given me, without asking, and my debt to you is enormous. "That is why now I ask you to allow me to act against the enemies of Orma, against those whom you consider brothers, and instead are traitors. I know very well that you cannot get your hands dirty with your brothers'' blood, because you would not tolerate it. Allow me to do what your hands cannot, to get my hands dirty for you and show everyone that Cesar is still the true King of Orma, and he is able to train the greatest talent within these walls. Allow me to show everyone that Humans and Goblins can coexist and live in peace, that a Human can love this people too. "Above all, I beg you to trust me. Knowing that the people closest to me trust me, my potential and my actions fills me with joy. I promise you: I will help anyone who needs protection. This is my Mana Path. " Helial had now serene smile, as if she were a deity able to cover the whole world with the palm of his hand and show the light of paradise from his eyes. Seeing the boy so calm and confident made an impression on Cesar. Helial''s luminous gaze completely bewitched him, forcing him to smile back. That was the moment when Cesar realized he had Orma''s greatest warrior in front of him, and not a foolish young man ready to be slaughtered in the Colosseum. 173 An Evil Presence Cesar, standing at the door of the Octagonal Room, suddenly shuddered. He looked around with an expression that Helial could not decipher, but apparently filled with fear. There had to be something inside that place that could frighten even the great King of Orma. What could be so terrifying to terrorize that Goblin, whose exploits had been known for millennia? Sighing slightly and narrowing his eyes, Cesar got his thoughts under control and calmed down, before slowly explaining to Helial: "The Karma that binds you to this place belongs to your race. But what lives here ... is evil beyond comprehension and could exterminate entire Nations. The training you will be conducting here has a price, which could very well be your life." Hearing these words, Helial''s eyes widened. The boy sent a thread of conscience to Iblis for further explanation, but surprisingly he received no answer. With a sly grin on his face, Helial realized that this time he would have to go all alone. Inside the Octagonal Room, there were great opportunities and great dangers. If he wanted to have any chance to face Medusa in two weeks, he certainly couldn''t hold back. "I will train here before the fight. Please come and call me when the time comes; I fear I could lose the sense of time. " In fact, that room had no openings that could let light in, and it was impossible to guess the time. Perhaps for the first two days Helial would have been able to keep count of the hours, but then he would gradually lose the notion of time. As much as he wanted to stay in that room as long as possible, he didn''t want to miss the fight either. Cesar nodded silently. He was thinking something. "Well," he burst out after a few seconds, "there would be a way to avoid the match. You and your companions could leave Orma and never show up in the city again. If you regretted your recklessness, now would be the time to admit it." Helial shook his head. "It''s too late for regrets, and besides Orma is the safest place for me. Both outside and inside the city there are several people who just need an excuse to take my life, but at least here your influence helps me survive. You have bet on me and I am trying to return all the favours you have given me. I will kill Medusa, I give you my word. I need two weeks of intense training and nothing more. I cannot stop right now." Helial''s words hit Cesar''s heart, awakening old memories of his youth and invigorating him. The King felt a tremendous pride for his disciple who, even in the face of ominous premises, was not afraid to risk everything. This was the heart of a warrior, of a true hero. A gust of air, coming from nowhere, made their clothes flutter, and them both shudder. Cesar felt a strange presence behind him and all the hair that remained on his head stood up. "Boy, I think I spent more time here than I had to. My presence is not welcome. I''ll come and call you in two weeks, good luck. " Without another word, the Goblin left the room quickly. The less time he spend in this place, the better it would be. "It seems that have to take care of myself at this point," said Helial, looking around curiously and resting his eyes for a moment on the door in the middle of the Octagonal Room. Cesar had told him that that place was beyond his current abilities. He could not yet cross that threshold. However, for Helial it was not a problem: he already had a lot to do and time enough to explore places that would put him in danger. His priorities were other now. Runes. Metamorphosis. Flame of the Qilin. Mana Energies of Life and Destruction. Moreover, Helial still had other Skills that needed training, but those four were certainly his biggest tricks up his sleeve. Metamorphosis and Life and Destruction were closely connected and, if he really wanted to find out how much that Skills could evolve, he would have to find a way to continue on his Mana Path as quickly as possible. Helial had chosen to cultivate together Life and Destruction, a very difficult feat to complete. Iblis had warned him that others, before him, had tried to follow that same Mana Path, but they all had failed. To continue on that Path Helial should have been bold and in control, cautious and reckless. He had to seize every opportunity, transform every danger in a forge for his spirit. The more he risked, the more he could gain. But if one day he did something foolish, he would have risked death. It was a big problem. On the one hand, he had to literally seize every opportunity, but on the other he had to be careful not to get killed. The boy felt a sudden tingling in his skin, as if something had suddenly caressed him, and he immediately turned in the direction where he thought to perceive something. Afraid, he tried to figure out what was happening. Inside the Octagonal Room, there was an evil presence. Perhaps this was what had scared Cesar. Anyway, somehow that evil spirit had to be connected with the Humans, so Helial thought it wouldn''t be a problem for his cultivation. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. All he was interested in was gaining experience to enhance the Skills and techniques he would use in future battles. However, since he could not go directly into the battlefield, all he had left was meditation. He would have to give five times his best in order to defeat Medusa. Helial knew very well that the difference between their stages was too vast to be easily filled. Even if the Tristia Team had been able to kill Medea and her men, he had to consider however that all their opponents were in the First Phase. Despite drinking the Fury Elixir, their potential was to the Second Phase only in appearance. If they had been real warriors in the Second Phase Helial and his companions would have found the fight much more difficult. Skreeee! A squeal struck violently his ears, and he turned to see where the sound came from and who had produced it. An invisible claw was scraping the floor, where signs began to form. Looking quickly to the right and left, Helial realized that the spirit inside that room wanted to bother him. "Mph, let''s see how much you feel like joking," Helial snorted coldly, not wanting to waste any time. Skill Activated: Perception Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin Flame of the Qilin contained the principles of Life and was the nemesis of every evil spirit. As soon as it was exposed to the flame, any low-level one would have been vaporized in no time at all. Helial surrounded himself with a sea of flames and heard the screams as a sneer spread on his face. And yet, for some strange reason, he had the impression that things weren''t going the right way. Helial increased the flames temperature and range, enveloping the whole room. Walls and floor did not seem disturbed by the terrifying heat. The Flame of the Qilin could have melted any kind of common stone, but that room seemed to have been built with high quality materials. Suddenly, Helial felt a force counteracting the flames and hitting his soul. Helial''s expression changed, and several drops of sweat began to flow down his forehead. Was that being really able to resist Flame of the Qilin? He felt a shudder down his spine and poured all his Mental Energy into the Flame, in order to destroy that presence at all costs. Fwooosh! The flames suddenly extinguished, as if something had swallowed them up, and Helial felt his strength drain away. Since he had arrived at Orma, he had seldom felt so helpless facing an enemy. He looked around, but found nothing. He turned around. An eyeless face, whose vacant, unnatural smile went from cheekbone to cheekbone, was a few inches from his nose. The pearl-coloured teeth were too many for a normal mouth, its skin was milky white and long black hair fell straight on its face like spaghetti. 174 The Flame of Youth In the King''s private lodging "Has age made you senile?!" Nelia barked, looking at her husband with furious eyes. Cesar sighed and dodged the umpteenth vase that was flying towards him. CRASH! BANG! Vases, tables and antique furniture flew towards Cesar one after the other. Not even the statues depicting their ancestors had been spared by Nelia''s fury. "Do you realize what you did!?" Nelia shouted again loudly. Raising his hand and grabbing a picture he was particularly fond of, the King of Orma replied: "I know what I''m doing. Only that kid can discover the secrets of the Octagonal Room. " The Octagonal Room was one of Orma''s greatest taboos. Anyone who had entered had barely survived or did not come out again. Cesar hadn''t mentioned this detail to Helial so as not to frighten him, but something told him that this would not be a problem: the King was sure that Helial could face the evil presence that haunted that place. He and Aure had also tried to cultivate in a forced manner in the Room, but they had almost died, even though they were already Immortals. Provoking the spirit had cost them dearly and they had barely managed to escape. "Go and take him back immediately," Nelia screamed. "No." Cesar snapped his fingers and teleported Nelia and himself into the woods, to avoid any external interference, but above all not to see their rooms burned to the ground by the queen''s fury. "Listen to me." The King created a barrier around them in order to stop anyone from eavesdropping and said: "I saw Aure give Helial an object, after the match at the Colosseum. I don''t know why he decided to make such a choice, but he wants to get rid of that object and return it to the Human race. "Nelia, even if the Goblins are different from the Humans, the Karma that binds us is unbreakable. Some aspects of this bond can only be investigated by those who have the right blood, and I believe that Helial has it. That boy is Human, he is strong and shrewd, and he has so much good will: only he can survive in the Octagonal Room to receive the right benefits. No Goblin can survive in that room and you know that because Aure and I risked losing our lives, too. The Leader of the Sect of the Worthy has decided to pay off the debt of Karma that we Goblins have with the Human race: so it''s time to pay off my share, too. When we split the remains, the ring went to him, and to me the room and its contents ..." Nelia saw a strange light in Cesar''s eyes, as she had not seen in years. The flame of youth and courage burned in the eyes of the King. This time Cesar had made a big bet on Helial''s life. Nelia could not imagine what the consequences would have been if Helial lose his life in the Octagonal Room: the Sect would not believe them if they had said that Cesar''s disciple was dead. They would have taken it as an insult. Cesar knew that, but he had done it all the same. Although the Queen was not aware of what treasures could be kept inside the Octagonal Room, she was sure that if Helial managed to survive, he would have no problem winning the battle in the Colosseum. A scene from the past appeared before Cesar''s eyes, and for a moment he seemed to relive it. A young Goblin, standing in front of a majestic body resting on a bed of stone, sighed and spoke with regret: "At my age, he had already conquered half the universe." The King was awakened from his daydream by a message. One of the guards was trying to get in touch with him. With another snap of his fingers, Cesar and Nelia were transported back to their rooms, just as one of the Royal guards opened the door and took a sure step inside the room. "Someone wants to meet you." "Who?" Cesar asked, amazed. He was not expecting any visits that day. "Pseudonym is here to talk with you," the guard reported. Cesar looked at Nelia furrowing and left. The Queen shook her head and sighed helplessly. "I just have to trust you, as I always did." The guard, who had been waiting for an order to leave, looked at the messy room. It seemed that a hurricane had hit the sovereigns'' rooms, destroying everything it had found on his way. *** In the Throne Room "Boy, are you so arrogant to ask for a meeting with the King himself?" Cesar snorted, looking at the metal mass that stood out in front of him. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The enormous black armour covered Pseudonym''s from head to toe, making it impossible to see his features or even to understand the proportions of his body under all that metal. "I need your help." His Aura, at that moment, contained nothing intimidating, nor Pseudonym dared to have strange thoughts before the King of Orma. If he wanted his help, he had to be as sincere as possible. There was no movement in the Mana around Pseudonym, but this did not prevent him from looking like a Titan among mortals. Even in front of Orma''s most powerful Goblin, his figure did not seem any weaker. For the second time in a few minutes, Cesar started thinking of his youth: when he was Pseudonym''s age, he was not as heroic as the Colosseum Champion; he could barely compare his talent with Circe''s. The black-armoured monster was in a completely different league than everybody else. "Speak," said Cesar. Actually, he was wondering what Pseudonym would have said. That young man had never been very talkative nor had he ever wanted to meddle in Orma''s power games. Seeing him in the presence of Orma''s highest authority, asking for his help, was a rather remarkable event. The Guild of Life and Death had tried to recruit him several times, but Pseudonym had always refused. The Sect of the Worthy and the Clan of the Sacred Eagle had always remained watching, curious to know if sooner or later he would choose a side. In case it happened, he would have been killed immediately. They could not allow someone as powerful as Pseudonym to join one of Orma''s parties. The future balance of the city would have been destroyed. Pseudonym was an anomaly within Orma, a loose cannon. The Elders who owned the Colosseum had always done everything to protect him from Orma''s powers, but they knew that if he ever showed too many pretensions, his life would end. In fact, although Pseudonym had such a talent as to make Circe and Medusa''s pale in comparison, the young man had never dared to intervene in political matters. All his fame came only from the matches inside the Colosseum. Pseudonym rarely risked his life outside the arena. Cesar did not know that, had it not been for Helial, Pseudonym would be now chased all over the world by the Sect of the Worthy. During the fight between Helial and Medusa, the former had created a huge mess and had almost caused Pseudonym to set foot in a forbidden territory. Nobody knew why Pseudonym had not yet joined any party. Only Aure and Cesar knew its origins and its true appearance. However, for some strange reason, both Orma''s sacred monsters seemed to have a natural respect for that silent warrior. With one word, Pseudonym could have his name engraved among Orma''s greatest, but he had never done anything but fight in the Colosseum. Medusa was one of the future candidates as Leader of the Sect of the Worthy Circe would become the next Chief of the Guild of Life and Death. And what would Pseudonym be? No one knew. But everyone knew who he was. His name shone so bright that even Circe, the greatest talent of the last millennium, paled in comparison. Correct. Because, if Circe were the greatest talent of the last millennium, Pseudonym would have been the greatest talent ever existed. "I need the support of the Clan of the Sacred Eagle," said Pseudonym, weighing every word. Cesar''s immediately frowned. His expression tightened and his voice deepened: "What are you going to do?" The Aura of the greatest Immortal of Orma became suffocating and enveloped Pseudonym, but this did not seem to upset the champion at all. "I want to challenge Medusa''s team to a death match. If the Team of the Keepers of the Firmament wins against Helial, I request to be the ambassador of the Clan of the Sacred Eagle. You can challenge them a duel to the death that cannot be refused, if the motivation is serious enough. The condition is that the challenged warrior has to be at the same Phase as the challenger. Am I wrong? If a warrior from one of the two great powers, Clan and Sect, ever had a reason serious enough to hold a grudge, his challenge could not be refused. However, as in the case of Medusa, who had challenged Helial despite being two Phases and more than a hundred levels above him, the counterpart had to accept. If Helial had been at the Third Phase, however, considering that he had killed Medea, Medusa could have requested a duel to the death within a week of his sister''s death. It was an ancient law in Orma. The Goblin capital city respected the teachings of its ancestors, and had a custom that imposed honesty. There could be no grudges, otherwise the risk would have been too great, and the resentment would have turned into hatred and finally into revenge, civil wars or revolts. "What?" Cesar looked at Pseudonym, perplexed. "I don''t think I understood correctly." "Old man, you understood very well. Don''t play games with me. You and Aure wanted to get rid of me for a very long time, because of this." With a quick movement, Pseudonym slipped off a glove, showing the pearly skin of his hand. There was no greenish tinge. 175 A Battlefield Apparently, Pseudonym was Human! "Do you know what this means?" Cesar grunted. Replacing the glove, so that not even a millimetre of skin was left uncovered, Pseudonym shrugged. "Sooner or later I''ll have to die inside Orma''s walls, haven''t I? Let''s see if any Goblin will have the guts to step forward before one of the two Immortals can kill me," said Pseudonym in a flat voice. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Cesar began to reflect on those words. That Human before him knew very well what the consequences of his actions would be. If he meddled in their business, the Sect of the Worthy would do anything to kill him. For Pseudonym, entering a dispute like that should be taboo. "I do not understand. Even if Medusa retreated in front of such a threat, scared of you, Aure would tear you to pieces. You can''t leave Orma, since you have the Seal of the Slave on you. If you exit the Seal range, your body will explode. Within Orma''s radius, even if you were to hide a hundred meters underground, Aure would find you and kill you. I cannot protect you, much less the Elders of the Colosseum. Aure would destroy his own and the Sect''s reputation to tear you into pieces." Pseudonym replied, calmly: "Your disciple has saved some simple slaves'' lives. He utterly destroyed the Sect''s reputation. He had the balls to do what the Clan of the Sacred Eagle should have done hundreds of years ago, that is to claim his position of superiority and destroy the Sect. Your disciple does what you do not dare to do." "If Helial died," Pseudonym continued, "Orma would also fall. I would die anyway, wouldn''t I? I might as well make my death meaningful. " The King looked at one of the tapestries that covered the Throne Room walls. On each of them there was a scene from Orma''s glorious past. Cesar observed the representation of a bloody battle, where a Goblin had just torn the body of the King of the Undead in two. Such splendours hadn''t been the prerogative of Orma for too long. Cesar wanted to regain Orma''s lost glory, but he didn''t know how. He would have needed to mantain peace in its internal affairs, before resuming the series of conquests that had led the city to be the powerful capital city-state of the Goblins. "I see you don''t trust your race enough. Helial has already entered a secret training ground within Orma. If he comes out alive, he will be able to stand up to Medusa; otherwise, he will die there. There is no third option." Therefore, your sacrifice would be useless. Moreover, if Helial died during the match and you then had to kill Medusa, the Sect would force you to accept a fight with Comodo, in order to kill you in front of the audience. Otherwise, Aure would come you." Laughing, Pseudonym turned on his heels. He understood that he could not get what he wanted. But, before he left, his words echoed in the hall: "Even if they were so crazy to make me face Comodo, I wouldn''t mind doing you one last favour before being killed by Aure." Hearing the young Human''s words, Cesar''s pupils became pinpoints. Perhaps he meant that... No, impossible. Although Pseudonym''s legends was terrifying and no one in his own Phase had the courage to challenge him, he could not be so strong... Moreover, Comodo was at the Initial stage of the Sixth Phase. Pseudonym was only at the Intermediate stage of the Third Phase. Pseudonym was around level 200, while Comodo at 370. A 170 levels gap! There was a difference of so many Stats, years of training and who knows how many other things that it was impossible to think that Pseudonym could win! But, judging from the young man''s words, it seemed the opposite. Cesar wondered if Pseudonym was really convinced he could take Comodo''s life in a fight. The King was brooding, still quite shocked by what he had heard. Meanwhile, inside the Octagonal Room, Helial was face to face with a creepy creature, whose fetid breath and stench of blood hit him with every breath. Helial began gathering Mana on his skin and maxing the characteristics of Body of the Qilin, to be ready in case of attack. Curse of the Demon appeared in his right hand and vibrated lightly. The evil-smiling spirit fixed his empty eye sockets first on Curse of the Demon, then again on Helial. The fact that he had no eyes was really disturbing and the unnaturally long smile was terrifying to say the least. Helial felt something burning inside Song of the Mermaid, his Interspace Ring. The evil spirit frowned; something seemed to have upset it and its expression changed. Its call made a ring appear in front of Helial. It was not his Interspace Ring. No, it was another one, that Helial had inexplicably found in his pocket after the clash in the Colosseum and could not understand where it had come from. Helial didn''t know who had put it in there, nor when, and never would have imagined that Aure had done it. Although nothing escaped Iblis'' watchful gaze, the Devil had said nothing. Since he had entered the Octagonal Room, Helial had had no contact with the black-fringed child. It seemed that he wanted his disciple to be hardened by the experience without any help. Still, Helial knew that Iblis would hardly slow down his tongue if there was no chance for him to survive there. "Where did you get that ring?" asked the spirit in a shrill voice, like the claws that had just scraped the floor of the room. The evil Aura began to penetrate inside Helial and make the Circulation of Mana more difficult in his Meridians, as if this strange power could slowly corrode its Mana. The evil spirit was trying to intimidate him. What would a hero do in such a situation? Should he ascribe it to the Karma that linked him to that strange treasure? What words should be used for the spirit and to ensure that he did not die there? "Get the fuck away from me, you shitty spirit. Your fetid breath is worse than that shitty cat''s farts", suddenly Helial''s Aura exploded and Metamorphosis activated in a fraction of a second. The energy of Life and Destruction began to rage inside Helial''s body and Flame of the Qilin wrapped his figure from head to toe. "I have no time to lose with a being out of scary stories for snotty children," two small columns of Rune appeared on the index and middle finger of the Human, as he activated his Secret Ability. The evil spirit was struck by that little boy''s behaviour, who had not hesitated to attack him twice, fiercely. Even Aure and Cesar, the most powerful beings of Orma, had fled with their tails between their legs for fear that the attacks of the spirit would get inside their Soul, and Helial dared to face it! Entities like that were far more dangerous than normal monsters. Attacks targeting the Soul could not be easily dodged and only a fool would attack the spirit head on. As he prepared to extinguish that arrogant brat''s life, the spirit heard ancient words penetrate into his mind. "Put him to the test and change the flow of time," murmured a majestic stream of consciousness that had shaken its soul. Helial was about to use his most terrifying attack, when he was surrounded by total darkness and fainted, falling to the floor as if dead. It seemed to Helial that he had been asleep only for a few seconds, but when he opened his eyes, he was no longer in the Octagonal Room. He was in a battlefield. Around him there were countless armed men, some on horseback, others fighting with their bare hands. Beside him, on the grass, bodies lay still, their eyes wide and terrified at the sight of the enemy who had killed them. A spurt of blood hit Helial''s cheekbone, and he looked up and saw a warrior who fought with great animosity, brandishing an axe with both hands. The warrior killed one of his enemies and turned to find a new victim. Helial did not even notice, but in a matter of seconds, the warrior had approached him and was attacking him, pointing his axe to Helial''s head, ready to split his skull in two. 176 Magnetic Field The enraged warrior approached Helial, ready to strike him with his axe. Under the pointed helmet, Helial could distinguish two fierce almond-shaped eyes that knew no fear and fair skin. A Human. Helial was terrified by his sight. Only a few seconds before the boy was in the Octagonal Room and all of a sudden he had been catapulted onto a battlefield, among corpses and soldiers, and a wiry, monstrous Human warrior was about to split him in two with his axe. Helial immediately created a shield of flames and raised in front of him Curse of the Demon, which fortunately had been transported with him. He quickly made the Runes power flow into his Meridians, along with Metamorphosis, gritting his teeth because of the pain caused by lacerations that began to form in his muscles. At the moment, he still could not sustain that state for long. Even if Metamorphosis gave him an incredible power, it had a great toll on his constitution. The barbarian''s axe hit the flame shield that Helial had condensed moments before and struck Curse of the Demon. Tasting blood, Helial crawled back and stood up as quickly as possible. The barbarian''s power was terrifying, and if Helial hadn''t been quick enough he would surely have been transformed in a delicious meal for the vultures. The warrior''s sleeveless leather tunic showed off his powerful arms, with muscles fibres intertwined on each other. Not even the little braids in his beard could make him look less deadly. Shit, I''m fucked. Just as Helial thought he was going to die, a warrior wearing a gilded armour jumped in front of him, facing the barbarian with an expression of contempt on his face. Judging by the fluctuations of his Aura, he had to be at the Late stage of the Second Phase. With a spear in his hand and a huge circular shield in the other, he skewered the barbarian, leaving him no time to react. "Be careful, brat! The King said that we must not get killed before reaching the walls, so move and follow me!" The warrior had long blond hair and blue eyes. His lean and muscular build had something heroic about it and between his eyebrows the true Aura of a warrior was visible. King? Walls? Helial could not grasp the sentence well, but nodded without asking questions. The only thing he could understand was that he had been transported into the middle of a very strange battlefield. Instead of gathering information on his location, he followed the man, trying to avoid being killed. "I am Crater, the siege commander. Stay close if you are a new recruit," the commander gritted his teeth as he charged his blade with Mana and tore in two yet another warrior in front of him. Startled by this show, Helial kept his mouth shut. That man was only at the Second Phase, but the slash he had just used was far more powerful than the normal attack of a Third Stage warrior. Where the fuck did he end up? Was it possible that in this dimension the warriors were so much more powerful than the ones he knew? Clutching the guard of Curse of the Demon, Helial finally decided to get involved. Despite not having as much experience as the General, he did not want to pass for an incompetent. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Skill Activated: Flame of the Qilin He created a blanket of flames before an enemy warrior, who raised his arm to defend himself. Without wasting time he plunged the tip of the sword in his neck, ripping his aorta. Crack. The warrior, in the Second Phase, died in a heartbeat. Under the effect of Metamorphosis and of the Runes, which he was now using to compress Mana in his Meridians, it seemed that Helial had suddenly become much stronger. In order to gain such a Skill, Helial had suffered in an incredible way. Iblis had advised him not to use it in that way, as it was too violent and completely senseless. The Runes had to be used to amplify his Skills, but this had not stopped that lunatic of Helial from using them to compress and temporarily thicken the Mana within its own Meridians. The young man glanced at his Mental Energy bar. More than half remained. The consumption of Mana, Stamina and Mental Energy in that circumstance was terrifying; but if he wanted to keep fighting on par with those terrifying barbaric warriors, he had to get everything he could from his abilities. On the battlefield, most of the warriors were at the Initial stage of the Second Phase, while the generals of the two armies were at the Late stage of the Second Phase. Out of the corner of his eye, Helial captured the image of a man of regal bearing, riding an equally majestic red-eyed horse and surrounded by a demonic Aura. The horse turned for a fraction of a second towards Helial, snorting flames and trampling an enemy at the Initial Stage of the Second Phase, as if he were papier-mache. The man riding it had a helmet that covered his long blond hair and from underneath it two eyes that seemed to radiate beams of dazzling light could be seen. His irises were of different colours: one blue, and the other green. Heterochromia. The rare circumstance in which a person has the eyes of two different colours. Although he could not stand there watching too long, Helial felt that those eyes hid incredibly strong and conflicting powers, like Heaven and Hell. Still decimating the enemy soldiers, the knight got under the walls, which by now were besieged on all sides by dozens of men. The generals of the army in which Helial fought, the same as the knight, had joined the hero and continued to slaughter anyone who came too close, as if his life were more important than their own. Countless Skills filled the air, while the whole scene seemed more and more like a firework display. In such a battlefield, a single distraction could cost one''s life. Helial after killing yet another enemy with difficulty, felt his energy diminish. He trust the tip of Curse of the Demon in the ground, using it as a support. He was panting heavily. Huff He had never experienced something like that. He had never fought so many enemies, or been on a battlefield. Until then he had always tried to eliminate his opponents with a single strike, without worrying about what would happen afterwards or his energy consumption; this had inevitably led him to neglect efficiency. Gasping, he realized that he would have to pay much more attention, in the future, not to run dry during a fight. Clutching his chest with one hand, he watched the battle continue as his muscles burned and were about to tear. Beads of sweat began forming on his forehead. If he wanted to live, he would need to learn to fight like a real warrior. On the back of his black stallion, the blond man with eyes of different colours raised his sword towards the sky. The sun''s rays began to accumulate around the weapon, while the blade started glowing more and more. The horse''s neighs became deafening and a wave of spiritual attacks hit the Souls of all the enemies around, leaving them stunned. SWOOSH The sword seemed to be made of pure gold, and then a ray of terrifying energy came out of the tip and destroyed the walls in front of the commander. With that simple attack, he had created a breach fifteen feet wide in the thick walls that protected the city. The eyes of the generals were full of respect for that young man, who seemed as powerful as he was influential; they bowed their heads slightly in reverence. A golden Aura enveloped the body of the rider, who led the charge inside the walls, ignoring the wounds he had inflicted himself all over his body. Helial felt his heart tighten as he watched him. Every fibre of that person''s being seemed to emanate an invincible awe. He fought as if his hands were capable of breaking the sky in two. The knight had a sort of magnetic field around him, capable of irremediably attracting the soul of all his followers. Even Helial, who had reached the state of the Emperor, could not help but find himself attracted by his personality and want to fight at his side. Without hesitating, Helial threw himself into the breach. Now that he had managed to survive, he could keep moving forward and hope to understand in what world he had arrived. 177 As an Animal The battle was over; the siege had been a success. The soldiers walked wearily toward the camp, with slow and limping steps. Some cried for the loss of their friends, others for the wounds received in battle. But Helial did not participate in that plaintive chorus. That was not his war. He had found himself there by chance and had fought to survive. His war was taking place in his head. Uncertainty, anxiety. Would he come back to his world in time for the match? Would he become strong enough to face Medusa with dignity? Would he win? As much as he tried to deny it to even to himself, Helial was afraid of failing. These had become recurrent thoughts as soon as he agreed to compete against a person in the Intermediate grade of the Third Phase, when he had not even got to the Second. Can I win? These questions continually plagued Helial''s soul. What if the Sect of the Worthy gets in the way, if it accelerates its plans for Orma? There was no answer to those questions, which would continue to haunt Helial. Although he had now reached the state of the Emperor, it did not mean that he was totally free of worries. Now he was more self-confident, more determined, but he was not yet able to change in his favour all the circumstances that infested the Goblin capital. Until he had achieved absolute power, he could not foresee or control what was happening around him. It may seem silly, but this is what most disturbs the human soul: not having control of what happens outside of oneself. And the inner demons feed on all the insecurities, fears and anger; they subjugate the mind with invisible and very heavy chains. How many people could even dream in their lives to reach Iblis'' level before being crushed by their own destiny? Anxiety, fear, pressure of events and all negative emotions could eat even the greatest of heroes alive. Losing a battle, at times, is enough to destroy an empire inside a winner''s mind. Helial had been lucky: up until that moment he had only lost, and he knew the meaning of proceeding unpretentiously, of starting from the bottom. Even if he were defeated, he would have felt them less than others would. However, feeling them less did not mean not feeling them at all. Among other concerns, Helial had not stopped thinking of the tangible possibility that Lumia could be captured at any moment by the Sect of the Worthy, which was ready to kill her without hesitation or, worse, torture her and **** her before killing her slowly. The very thought of this hypothesis made his guts squeeze into his body. What if that happened right now? Helial could not do anything to save her. Sometimes he wondered if becoming aware of the risks, the pain and the suffering he would face on the road that Iblis had proposed him would be enough to lighten the burden of his concern. And every time one he answered himself that only time could bring him an answer. The state of the Emperor allowed him to observe every obstacle with a conscious prospect on suffering. After studying hard in the Royal Library, Helial realized how far the heroes'' stories must be from reality. He had read countless texts, even historical ones, in which Orma''s greatest heroes were described as resolute fighters, never hesitant and always ready for action. But was that really the case? Helial wondered if those heroes had worries, as he had now; he wondered if even the knight that had led the charge felt a sword hanging over his head by a horsehair, constantly threatening his tranquillity. And, above all, how could be possible that these negative feelings coexisted with a continuous advance on his Mana Path? Helial still felt anger and sadness over the death of his Master, and resentment for everything he had suffered because of his brother. But he would avenge the first and recover all that the second had taken away from him. But what he the wanted the most was to finally hold his own life in his hands. After reaching the state of the Emperor, he had had many Illuminations on his Mana Path, but he still had to understand in which direction his freedom was going. Is freedom just influencing your microcosm, or also being able to destroy all living creatures with a snap of your fingers? The day these questions were answered, Helial would make great progress on his Mana Path. The Mana Path was something intangible, immaterial, but which profoundly influenced the lives of all warriors who had decided to embark on the cultivation of Mana. All the negative emotions lying deep in the heart could block a warrior for centuries on a problem of his Mana Path. Helial needed an answer, to understand what really resonated with his Soul. And, at the moment, what most seemed to move his soul was the blonde figure who rode the demonic beast. That man, who did not seem to be more than a boy, had massacred all his enemies relentlessly, not even sparing women and children. At the sight of his deeds, however bloody and cruel, one could only be amazed. And yet on his face there was always a frown and a worried expression, which hinted at a deep pain. There was no joy in his eyes as he killed enemies left and right. It did not seem easy for him to steal lives from men, or even live. However, if his heart was not light and clear, how could his soul be so extraordinary? That question continued to haunt Helial who, unconsciously, had achieved an Enlightenment for his Mana Path. His heart slightly accelerated and began to absorb all the negative emotions present within his body; once they entered the bloodstream, they began to permeate every single Meridian and muscle fibre in Helial''s body, making his flesh much more powerful than before, but he had no perception of it. While this was happening, Helial felt only a slight numbness in his limbs. Your body is subjected to a slow refinement process. You earn 30 Stat Points in Strength, Vigour and Dexterity. He glanced at the Stats window. Name Helial Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Race Human Title Disciple of the King Primary Class Champion of the Runic Forge (Unique Class) Primary Affinity Light Primary Profession None Level 85 Exp. 654,988 / 1,530,000 HP 6,350/12,350 MP 1,390/54,090 Strength 215 Stamina 233 Mental Energy 32,324/210,324 Intelligence 240 Wisdom 195 Dexterity 170 Present Effects: Physical Endurance 5% Vitality Regeneration: 1800 Health Regeneration: 1800% Physical Resistance: 3000% Magic Resistance: 3000% Stat Points to distribute: 402 Raising his head to check the Statistics window, Helial saw the imposing figure of Crater in front of him. The man had decided to personally escort Helial, a silent recruit, and save his life. Without his intervention, Helial would surely have died. Suddenly another golden-armoured general approached Helial. The young man saw him out of the corner of his eye, but he didn''t pay him too much attention. BANG! Helial''s pupils narrowed suddenly. What?! The General gave Helial a loud spanking and laughed, then turned to Crater and shouted at him: "Hey, Crater! I saw that this young man moves as an animal! Where the hell did you find this recruit? " Crater''s blond hair was moved by the wind and for a moment, Helial thought in front of him there was one of those heroes he had so often seen depicted on the worn pages of the books in the Royal Library. Still shaken, Helial turned to look at the General next to him. He had long brown hair, cheekbones carved as in marble and a halo of black around his light green eyes, perhaps what was left of a paint he had placed on his face. "Efeistio, please leave our young man alone," laughed Crater. "He is with me by order of his majesty, King Alexander. I have to report. We have conquered the city, but Besso''s army awaits us in the mountains with an infinite number of warriors born in those areas. If we fail to take their fortresses, we will hardly be able to set an outpost and bring reinforcements from the homeland." As the two spoke, Helial put his hand on his still sore butt, massaging the red area. Although the two warriors were talking about logistical problems related to the battle, Helial still thought about the slap he had just received. Is it a common practice for these warriors? As he asked himself that question, he also tried to think of how to understand where he had he ended up. Was this an illusion? He couldn''t know. Illusion or not, he was certain that if he died there he would die in his world too. Such a powerful illusion would certainly be merciful to him. "Iblis, where the fuck did I end up?" Asked Helial, impatiently, inside his Soul, which had become silent as never before. Nothing. Nobody answered. Why the hell was Iblis gone so suddenly? Crater greeted Efeistio and turned to his new recruit: "The King saw how you fought on the battlefield and asked me to bring you to him. There will also be other recruits. He probably wants you to train to become part of his personal guard. " Helial nodded and remained silent, following the slender and heroic figure of Crater. Now that he had arrived in this world, without Iblis'' support, he would take advantage of the possibility that had been given to him: his first goal would be to bring his Skills to the highest level possible. Illusion or not, his Stats were real. He had just checked them. Therefore, he could increase his abilities in that world. Flame of the Qilin. Runes. Metamorphosis. He had a lot to work on and couldn''t afford to lag behind. He did not know how long he would remain within the illusion, but he imagined that Cesar would go and call him two weeks later nonetheless. He only had two weeks to get stronger and would take advantage of every single second to max all his abilities. 178 Midges The army walked up the slope of a small hill, but a few steps later it had already reached its top. From there Helial was able to look at the camp, positioned in a very wide valley and protected from the sight of the enemy thanks to the many hills around it. From the infinite number of tents it was evident that the army had to be truly big, probably exceeding tens of thousands of units. Considering all the supplies needed to feed soldiers and horses, the camp was in all respects a city, not as large as Orma, but bigger than the village where he had lived before joining the Goblins. What Helial noticed right away was that all the warriors were relatively low-level, around the First or Second Phase. The men in the Second Phase were mainly important figures within the army, generals or commanders. Efeistio, the General with long brown hair and green eyes that Helial had met shortly before and who had left a large handprint on his ass, was the most important man in the camp, just below the King, and was in charge of the cavalry. He ran the frontal assault and, according to Crater, was one of the strongest and bravest men after the King himself. Still, he hadn''t passed the Late stage of the Second Phase. For some strange reason, in the world where Helial had been transported, there seemed to be no warriors beyond the Third Phase. Perhaps the Fourth Phase was the maximum in that world, who knew. From what Helial had learned from books, the density of Mana within a world could determine the highest level achievable in it. It didn''t matter if a person could level up; they wouldn''t be able to move on to the next stage without enough Mana. If the Mana wasn''t dense enough, advancing beyond a certain Phase would be impossible. It would be like a container getting larger but not having water to fill it, and so the amount of liquid inside would always remain the same. In fact, since arriving there, Helial had perceived a very low level of Mana, as if the whole continent where he was had been dried up. Despite this, the warriors seemed to be tremendously strong; this was the result of Skill training. Within Orma and Fiercelake, the level often equaled one''s fighting ability. But here, where the maximum level was very low, it seemed that the decisive characteristic of a warrior''s strength was nothing more than his talent in training his Skills. In abstract, it would not be impossible for a warrior at the Second Phase to face one at the Third. But they would first need very powerful Skills and a relatively high level. Fulfilling this requirement, fighting with beasts and warriors above one''s Phase would not be impossible. Helial and his companions, until then, had done exactly the same. Although their level was low, their basis were very solid. In one''s Mana Path, even if he advanced very quickly, everything would have been in vain if there was no stable basis. Snowflake could probably defeat almost all Second Phase warriors in Orma, for example. However, it would have been difficult for him to face a warrior at the Third Phase without losing. Because of this, in Orma and in the Human Capital, one''s Level remained the most important indication of his strength as a warrior. It would have been impossible for a very high-level warrior at the Second Phase to defeat one at the Fifth; and this was true even if the latter had only used Elixirs and borrowed the power of others to level up. It was too large a gap. No genius could be capable of such an undertaking. However, this did not mean that no one had ever managed to defeat opponents at a higher Phase than their own. Of course, these were fighters of incredible ability and worth, capable of annihilating warriors stronger than them by many Levels. There were also legends stating that some of them defeated even warriors two Phases over them. But, in fact, they were mere legends and very few gave them credit. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Following this logic and if talent were enough, Pseudonym, at the Intermediate stage of the Third Phase, could defeat Comodo, at the Intermediate stage of the Fifth. However, according to Helial, it was just nonsense. Lost in thought, Helial didn''t notice at all that he had arrived near the camp. When he looked away from his feet, he saw in front of him scenes of great vitality. He passed by dozens and dozens of men who stifled fatigue and pain with long sips of wine; the relief of being still alive was as tangible as the smell of alcohol that was pouring down every street of the camp. Helial followed Crater in silence until they came to a tent larger than the others, but not very different from the ones he had seen so far. The only thing that distinguished it was the presence of two young soldiers at the entrance, ready to attack anyone who got too close to the tent. That had to be the king''s tent. The guards saluted bringing their right arm to the chest as their armours glinted in the sun. They held two long pointed spears and were both at the Initial stage of the Second Phase. Considering that generals were only at the Intermediate stage, one could guess that the position of the King''s personal guards was quite high, within the army. Becoming a guard seemed like a good chance to access a high-level training and to fight together with the King, at the centre of the battle. Being in the eye of the storm could be a great danger, but also a great opportunity. The soldiers moved away to let Crater in, and Helial followed. Even inside, the royal pavilion was not particularly luxurious: in the centre there was only a huge table, on which there was a large number of maps, some rolled up, and others unfolded and stacked on each other. Behind the table, Helial saw the man whom he had seen riding the black horse in the heat of battle. He was staring at the maps with a frown. Crater nodded slightly: "Your Majesty." Taking his eyes off the maps, the man turned his divine-like gaze towards Crater and smiled: "General." Three young men, waiting by the table, greeted Crater with the same salute used by the guards outside. Despite their seriousness, their eyes were shining in the shadows, bright, as if they had just received the best news of their life. Crater spoke, without too many preambles: "This young man seems to have good skills. His vigour is nothing special but, if trained well, he would certainly be an excellent member of the Royal Guard." Alexander examined Helial from head to toe. His deep and inquisitive gaze should have made any living thing on the face of the earth shake, but Helial was not in the least upset by it. The boy, during his life, had already dealt with characters much more terrifying than the one in front of him. That reaction was not usual. How arrogant could be a boy who looked into the eyes of a sovereign, without the slightest hint of fear? The King increased the pressure of his Aura to test Helial''s potential. The other three, just before, had almost shat in their pants under the inquisitive gaze of their King. Uh? Feeling a suffocating pressure enveloping his body, Helial smiled crookedly and released all the terrifying power of the Legacies he possessed. He would never have been able to face Alexander in a fight, but if he thought of scaring only with his Aura he was very wrong. In Helial''s blood there were parts of Qilin''s blood, and his flesh had been forged like that the strongest creatures in the Universe possessed. Not even a Dragon at his Phase could make him look away or frighten him. Alexander remained silent and Crater looked in amazement at the young man, who had not blinked at the enormous pressure exerted by King. "I would be honoured to join your guard. I need to harden my body," said Helial, taking the initiative and walking forward. Crack The pressure looming over him broke and Alexander could not help congratulating himself for the impertinence of that boy. Not even Crater would have been able to break it so easily. That young man had talent. Very interesting. The other three boys in the tent glanced contemptuously at Helial. If a brat like that had managed to resist the pressure of Alexander''s Aura, this meant that he had cheated. The idea that a guy so thin, with only a hint of muscle, might have broken the King''s pressure didn''t even touch them. That was the King''s favorite. The enemy. Shame and envy began to make way in the hearts of the three young men. They, so well trained, had risked falling with their faces to the ground, crushed by the pressure. Then Skinny Guy came, clearly the King''s favorite, and staged a funny show, pretending to be strong enough to face Alexander in such a disrespectful way. The only thing they could think of at the time was how they could mess things up and get rid of him as soon as possible. Helial noticed their looks and ignored them, as if they were midges. Alexander approached the three soldiers, who stiffened all at once, and examined them with a glance. "You were chosen for the skills you showed in battle. But skill is not enough: you will be trained by teachers and members of the army, who will test you and make real warriors out of you. The Royal Guard is in charge of protecting his king in battle. Only Generals and Commanders stand above it." He turned to look at Helial, and his eyes were very serious. "Commit yourself and you will be rewarded. Crater will now show you to your lodgings." 179 Humiliation Chapter 178 - Humiliation "The use of weapons and active Skills is forbidden." The coach Crater had mentioned, Zeno, stood in front of the recruits with his immense bulk. He was a middle-aged man two meters tall and similar to mountain of muscles. "To test your ability in hand-to-hand combat, you only need to use your physical skills and subdue your opponent. The rations for the day will be divided based on who will win. If you use any active Skills, you lose. Passive ones are allowed. " Helial had only been in that world for a few hours and had already understood one thing: Alexander and his men didn''t like wasting time. The training had begun immediately after the battle, giving the four a nearly non-existent time for rest, and this would also test their endurance. Of course, Helial didn''t mind this at all. Surely, such a hard training would not have spared anyone and success, by all four recruits or just one of them, was not at all certain. The three boys with Helial were Theodete, Tarasio and Soter. All three were several centimetres taller than Helial and their sturdy build came from a life of hard training. Judging by the Aura released by their bodies, all three had an extraordinary talent. Making a few calculations, Helial determined that their strength was far greater than Medea''s. In addition, they were at the Late stage of the First Phase, while Helial was still at the Intermediate. The King''s favourite was even weaker than they were, how could they not hate him? Ever since he left his village, no one had ever looked at Helial with the same contempt that those three were reserving for him from the exact moment they had seen him for the first time. By now, he had grown accustomed to the hateful looks of the Sect of the Worthy, but being looked down upon ... it was a feeling he had forgotten. Helial smiled and felt a sensation of freshness and novelty in the looks of Theodete, Tarasio and Soter. "Helial and Soter, in that corner," said Zeno, pointing to the exact spot by extending a muscular arm in front of him, "Tarasio and Theodete, here. Don''t hurt your opponent too much or you''ll be whipped. Remember: no weapons, no active Skills. Start. Let''s see what you can do. " "No weapons, huh?" Murmured Helial to herself, taking his position shoulder to shoulder with Soter, farther than the other two. He looked at his opponent and noticed that he had a sturdy and muscular build, like the other two. Soter''s determined and cold gaze penetrated Helial''s eyes, affecting his soul. "I don''t know why the King favours a gnat like you, but I won''t go easy on you", Soter''s face turned into a mask of contempt. So that was the reason for those hateful looks. Luckily Helial was used to thinking of any possible situation, even the most catastrophic and least pleasant. After thinking for years about how to thwart his brother''s plots, his minds could now run much faster than the average. Therefore, Helial deduced, Alexander had tested all the new recruits with his Aura, but Tarasio, Soter and Theodete had not been able to resist it. And the fact that a thin, wiry and weak boy had managed to pass the test had led the three to think that Helial had been favoured in some way. Make the cadets compete with each other ... I will remember this for the future. If he did it on purpose, not even the title of King will be enough to stop me. Whether it''s an illusion or not, if Alexander wants be a dick with me, sooner or later I will repay him with the same coin. Helial was still thinking when Soter suddenly attacked him, pointing at his side. The air whistled and Helial was hit without even having a chance to fight back. A treacherous attack! The action had been so fast that Helial hadn''t even noticed. At first glance, Soter looked like a loyal warrior, but his attack had taken advantage of Helial''s distraction and struck before they could even look each other in the eye again. Swearing and jumping sideways to catch his breath, the camp last recruit, catapulted into an unknown world without a moment notice, was immediately at a disadvantage. However, according to Helial''s calculations even after receiving a hit from Soter, the damage should not have been so great. Instead he had even found himself out of breath because of the strong hit at his stomach. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Body of the Qilin body was supposed to grant him of an impregnable, otherworldly defense worthy of an ancestral creature. But then why did that blow seem to have been delivered by a warrior at the Late stage of the Second Phase, and not by a simple boy at the First? Were the soldiers in that army really that strong? Soter did not even give Helial time to stand straight and continued hitting with a volley of punches, one after another. Helial had no way of breaking that assault. All he could do was parry with his arms and shoulders, waiting for an opportunity to fight back. But, the more the clash went on, the more it seemed clear that Soter was too experienced to leave the slightest chance of action to his opponent; in fact, he also seemed to have a powerful Passive Ability, like Helial''s Body of the Qilin, which allowed him to have such a high Physical Strength. Over time, Helial was in a terrible disadvantage. Although his physical power was not inferior to that of Soter, he could not find an opening that would allow him to strike a blow. Soter was methodical. Whenever Helial parried, he chained an attack immediately afterwards, with punches or kicks. At that point Helial understood that if he really wanted to defeat him, he had to be more active. He couldn''t be a punching ball for the whole fight. Otherwise, how could he win? In fact, his Physical Strength was much higher than Soter''s was. The problem was that his defence wasn''t as good. Yet despite the excruciating pain in his muscles, Helial felt that Body of the Qilin continued to slowly grow stronger thanks to all those blows. Qilin''s body was a Skill able to evolve depending on the blows he suffered: the more Helial''s body was under pressure, the more it would have evolved. Thanks to this ability, the Qilin were among the most feared creatures in the universe. No one could know if a Qilin was being defeated or if he was using his opponent as training material. Hardening one''s body using pain was both terrifying and efficient. Without the flame of Qinguang, Kirin would never have been able to evolve and become the first of his lineage, starting from the lame dragon he was. Soter grinned, without diminishing the intensity of the blows and their rhythm: "Is that all, King''s favourite?" Faced with such humiliation, Helial began get angry. It was the first time that his cold blood was severely tested. In his limbs there was incredible strength, more than enough to tear Soter to pieces. However, the instructor had clearly forbidden them to injure, cripple or kill their opponent. If Helial could use Curse of the Demon, that fight would have long since ended. But Active Skills and weapons were not allowed. Helial could use nothing but his fists and had to fight containing his own strength, not to obliterate the young man before him from the planet. Until that day, Helial had always used every fibre of his muscles and all his Mana, during a fight. But that day he was really in a bad situation. His enemy''s blows were heavy, exhausting. Getting punched would increase the experience of Body of the Qilin, but it would also drain Helial''s Stamina long before Soter''s. The enormous strength Helial had could not stand up to the vigour he was struck with. By the way, Iblis had categorically forbidden Helial from using his Stat Points and let him increase his Stats only through training. Who knows what face Soter, who was already surprised by Helial''s enormous endurance and physical strength, would make if he discovered that the brat had not yet used any Stats Points? The only thing that Iblis''s young disciple could do, if he really wanted to win, would be to unleash all his physical power and hit Soter, starting to exchange blow for blow. But there was a problem: if his blows landed, they would probably tear the opponent to pieces. "Shit, shit, shit!" Helial screamed as she succumbed to the rain of blows. Soter grinned, but his satisfaction was so great that he could not contain a loud laugh. His victory was imminent. Let anger get the best of him during a fight would only lead to defeat. But what Soter didn''t know was that the dark blue-eyed young man in front of him had just made a decision. Helial lowered his guard in both arms and quickly took four blows to the face, under Soter''s scornful gaze. But their strength only made him tremble slightly, while a sardonic smile spread on his lips. Drops of blood came from his mouth and his eyes were a scarlet spider web of burst capillaries. With a sudden twist of his trunk, Helial brought his right arm behind him, ready to deliver a terrifying blow. Even without using Mana, Soter suddenly felt that his sixth sense was trying to warn him of an imminent danger. He tried to move, but failed. The pressure emanating from Helial''s huge physical strength seemed to have him blocked and he couldn''t help but cross his arms, ready to defend himself from the blow that was about to land straight on his face. Although in that strange dimension men were much more powerful than the warriors in Helial''s continent were, he was not an ordinary warrior, too. His body contained an incredible Strength and probably there was no one in his own Phase who could receive a hit directly from him. As strong as Soter might be, the fact that he had not been able to penetrate Helial''s defences after all those blows and that he had left nothing but superficial wounds should have made him change his mind about Helial''s strength. By now, it was too late, and Soter had become a sacrificial lamb to Helial''s anger who, with gritted teeth and a furious expression, launched a devastating blow aimed at Soter''s face. FWOOOSH! DONG! A gong rang out suddenly and Zeno began to scream, furious: "The fight ends here!" Helial stopped the blow in mid-air, enraged. If Helial''s blow had landed, it would have blown Soter''s head into a cloud of blood! The coach had noticed and blocked the fight on purpose! Zeno had seen the skinny boy take a lot of blows and, just when Helial was about to turn the situation around and tear that arrogant boy in front of him to pieces, he had blocked the fight! The coach was at the Intermediate grade of the Second Phase and only generals and commanders were more powerful than he was. Not looking twice at Soter, Helial made broad strides towards the exit, trying not to finally lose control because of that humiliation. Soter continued laughing, thinking that Helial was just a faking. The arrogance had made him lose sight of the true worth of the warrior who was about to take his life with a simple punch. As he was about to take the exit leading to the recruits'' dormitories, a voice thundered in Helial''s ears: "Recruit! Come back here immediately or you will be whipped for your insubordination! " "Whipped?" Helial turned, foaming with anger, and looked at the coach like a ravenous wolf would watch its prey. "Exact! Bring your ass right here, your insubordination will cost you ten lashes right away! " Unbeknownst to Zeno, the coach, the whole landscape around had slowly begun to lose its colours and a huge black broadsword had appeared in Helial''s right hand. On the left, a white flame had just materialized; despite its small size, the space around it began to distort due to the tremendous heat. 180 His Resolve Talking to soldiers before arriving at the training camp, Helial had received a lot of information. At that moment, he was among the members of the army of Madonia. Madonia was an expanding kingdom, which aimed to become a great and powerful empire. Despite being so powerful, Helial had never heard of it. From the information gathered, it appeared that the kingdom was ruled by a very ancient dynasty. Alexander was the King, son of his predecessor Philip; if Madonia was such a huge military power, the rising star of the continent, it was thanks to the young King, which had turned it into a real military empire. Philip had paved the way for his son, so that the latter could unite the whole planet. The old King had used all the kingdom''s funds to raise his son as the most formidable warrior and commander of the universe. After changing many tutors, among the best and most famous of the whole continent, Philip realized that Alexander was not easily controlled by any of them and that he was so impatient because of an innate instinct for freedom. At the same time, however, he was sensitive to reason and duty; Philip regretted that such a promising young man could lose the path of power due to an almost animalistic instinct. Therefore, he sought more and more capable tutors, who could educate Alexander and teach him the discipline that suited a warrior sovereign. One after the other, military tutors arrived alongside Alexander, not staying with him for more than a few months. Educating and instructing the young man in the arts and military discipline was a titanic undertaking, which required to master and at the same time be tamed by Mana, something in which only Totele, the greatest tutor of the time, succeeded. For a huge sum, naturally. Ellen, the planet on which Helial had arrived, was trampled by an infinite number of different populations and terrifying warriors. Madonia was only a drop of water in that immense ocean, but gradually it had managed to become one of Ellen''s most powerful kingdoms. The continent of Te had recently been conquered by Alexander, who was now turning his attention to the rest of the planet. Previously, the continent was only partially dominated by the kingdom of Madonia, and subjected to the continuous wars between the various kingdoms that it hosted. Before embarking on the conquest of the whole known world, Alexander had had to unify the continent under his command. Helial had found himself on the battlefield right at the beginning of Alexander''s planetary campaign. There were countless populations, almost all under the Siano Empire, which had to be destroyed or dominated. The numbers of the kingdom of Madonia were ridiculous compared to those of the Siano Empire. A few tens of thousands of Madoni warriors would have to fight with millions of Sianis. The enemy of the King of Madonia was Darius, a great leader and warrior, much stronger than Alexander; but the latter was not frightened by the reach of the enemy army nor by his terrifying nemesis. This was Alessandro, a wild and fearless stallion, always looking for boundless prairies. While Philip believed that keeping the purity of the race of Madonia was the best choice, Alexander had begun to mix his people with other races, hitherto considered barbaric. While Dario remained motionless in his own palace, surrounded by his harem and his most trusted generals, Alexander threw himself into the fray, in the front, ready to receive a spear in the ribs during the action. Alexander''s heart pumped fire and flames. Alexander knew that, upon his death, his army would be annihilated and his empire would fall. No one would be able to reign over such a vast territory, but Alexander had no intention of stopping. At that precise moment, the most fearsome enemies of the kingdom of Madonia were the warriors of a population perched on the mountains, bordering the Siano Empire. The heights undoubtedly provided an advantage to them, and they felt safe surrounded by the steep peaks perpetually covered with snow; it would have been really difficult for Alexander to conquer that natural fortress with a frontal charge. It was therefore necessary to circumvent the city''s defences and attack it by surprise. However, if the battle against this people had just ended, there was an intestine one going on right in Alexander''s training camp. A skinny young man held a huge sword in his right hand, facing a giant two meters tall and full of muscles. The boy''s intense blue gaze looked like that of a demon awakened from the underworld and gave him the appearance of the grim reaper. Curse of the Demon was his scythe. With a sonic boom, the ground beneath Helial exploded. The boy launched at full speed towards Zeno like an arrow just shot from the bow. From the moment he arrived on the training ground, Helial had felt that he had been made fun of, both by the other recruits and by Zeno. Of course, it wasn''t the first time it happened; on the contrary, he was used to it. Except for a few people, all the others had done nothing but try to hurt him, or hadn''t cared about him in the least. On another occasion, Helial would endure that too, and would vent on a tree trunk, tearing it to pieces, but this time he could not. He was ready to tear Zeno apart. The coach didn''t seem to like that idea. He had drawn a blue sword, which had suddenly made the environment more humid and, at the same time, freezing. Ice and Water! Zeno possessed two types of Affinity. Furthermore, they were two complementary Affinities. Such a person could only be called an unparalleled genius. Yet in that realm, he was nothing more than a mere trainer for the Royal Guard. As Curse of the Demon was about to hit Zeno, Helial''s pupils narrowed suddenly; the boy broke the course of his attack and immediately created a shield of flames behind him. DOONNNNG SPLAT! Helial vomited a mouthful of blood on the ground as he flew backwards because of the blow. He went on for about ten meters, before planting his legs on the ground and stopping his body with his mere strength, like a bull. He stared fiercely at the man who had attacked him. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. He slowly wiped the blood from his mouth, facing a mocking and haughty look. Efeistio. Alexander''s General, the much renowned second strongest and most important man in the army. And he had attacked him suddenly! "What the fuck are you doing?" Helial roared like a furious animal. "You just attacked a trainer," said Efeistio, frowning. "A coach who is not even able to defend himself! It would be better if I was your trainer, for all of you!" Helial laughed, angrier and angrier. The kingdom of Madonia was much freer as far as hierarchies were concerned, unlike what happened in the Siani army. However, that didn''t mean there was no discipline. To disrespect a direct superior that way would mean death. "Not only did he not allow me to end the fight earnestly, but he also had the courage to say he wants to whip me. Trainer? A trainer should be more capable than the trainee. And this Zeno, instead? At best, he is more capable than the whores at the edge of the camp. Otherwise, why would you get in the way, bitch?" Said Helial, looking disgusted at Efeistio, who was bare-chested and with long hair that went down his shoulders. The heroic but slightly effeminate figure of Efeistio made Helial angry. The General''s expression darkened. Efeistio put his hand on the sword at his waist. There was no fear in the brat''s eyes, only contempt. It was the first time that the General felt a gaze like that. No one ever dared to look at him like that, let alone address him in that way! "Stop being arrogant. Put your sword back in its scabbard and ask for forgiveness on your knees. If you stick to the military etiquette and want to receive the lashes you need to atone for your misbehaviour, today''s words will be erased from history," said Efeistio. "AHAHAHAHAHAH", Helial circulated all his Skills and activated Metamorphosis and Runic Condensation to the maximum. Metamorphosis dramatically increased the amount of Mana present within his body, while Runic Condensation caused the Mana to become fierce and unstable, but also tremendously explosive. "Put your weapon away before speaking to a General," said Efeistio, this time with a stronger voice. According to rules of this world, Efeistio, despite being only in the Intermediate grade of the Second Phase, had to be about as strong as Medusa; this was only an estimate, since Helial did not know how strong she was exactly. Efeistio''s swollen muscles shone in the sunlight. Along with his long hair and bright eyes, his image, so similar to that of a hero of the ancient times, was nothing short of perfect. His golden skin seemed tougher than steel and the silver sword he held in his hand seemed capable of cutting the steel as if it were tofu. "Do you think that a simple General can speak to me like this? Lay down my weapon? Even if your King were here, he should get it by force." Helial did not seem willing to surrender. His face became a mask of contempt and ferocity. Teodete, Tarasio and Soter watched the scene, stunned. Had a simple clash between recruits who wanted to join the Royal Guard reached the point where even a General had to intervene? All they could do was rejoice in the face of Helial''s misfortune. At first, they thought he was going to be their greatest enemy, but now he seemed to have caused his own downfall. They could not understand why that brat was so important that even Efeistio intervened. Did the General really think that Zeno was unable to protect himself? They could not know that the motivations that had driven Helial to behave that way did not belong to their world. Helial had decided never to be humiliated again. For ten years, he had suffered and hid his true power because of Hades, but now, whoever tried to crush him, he would have had to deal with his resolve. 181 Facing Obstacles In Helial''s short life, countless people had tried to abuse their power to crush him under their feet. Whether it was Hades or Medea, up to Medusa and Efeistio, all of them had tried to scare him, threatening him with their strength or their hierarchical position. And still others would come and force their decisions on him. Was power really able to corrupt people''s minds so much? Helial wasn''t sure he was stronger than Medusa or Efeistio; he didn''t even know if he would become so in two weeks. But the pressure and injustices he had suffered throughout his life had tempered Helial''s body and spirit to such an extent that the boy no longer knew fear. His resolve allowed him to thicken Life and Destruction more and more in his body. The Mana Path was directly linked to the individual''s disposition and Helial''s was uncontrollable, unstoppable and never ending. He would never accept a hypothetical result again; he would never stop to reflect on the consequences of his actions. He would only act. Helial had sworn not to run away from obstacles. In fact, that was why he hadn''t yet cultivated a Movement Skill. He didn''t need it. If he wasn''t able to climb over the obstacles in front of him, he would destroy them. Or he would die trying. Victory or death. Not even Iblis had been so crazy. If someone wanted to fight him face to face, Helial would certainly not pull back. All of this was incredibly beneficial for his Mana Path, which was advancing at a terrifying speed. On the other hand, if one day he started to behave like a coward, he would find one bottleneck after the other in his cultivation. Efeistio? Medusa? Comodo? You are just stepping-stones. Efeistio disappeared and suddenly reappeared behind Helial. His speed was terrifying. Judging from the explosiveness of his attacks, from the light and decisive step, his strong point was speed. Skill Activated: Feather Step It seemed that Efeistio''s body was suddenly free from the restrictions of gravity. He was levitating a palm from the ground and, simply touching the ground with his toes, disappeared in mid-air with terrifying speed. Scattered in the air, the residues of Mana looked like a storm of feathers. But, if Efeistio really hoped that this would be enough to hinder Helial, he was delusional! Who was Helial? The disciple of the most terrifying devil in the universe, an infinite talent with monstrous tenacity. "You insolent brat!" Efeistio grinned, ready to take his arm off. No matter how promising the young man was, he had nonetheless publicly disrespected a General. If he let him go as if nothing had happened, he would lose far too much reputation. BOOM! Helial''s speed was light years away from Snowflake''s. Still, the strength of his body gave a terrifying acceleration to his attacks. Accustomed to the speed of his group''s Heavenly Star Tiger, Helial was not impressed by the circus trick Efeistio was trying to use. Helial maximized the Circulation of Mana of Life and Destruction, while stimulating Metamorphosis and Runic Condensation within his body. Efeistio was really powerful, but if he thought of attacking him frontally with such arrogance and being able to hinder him, he was very wrong. As much as a Qilin might not be at very high level, he would still have possessed superior abilities than any other mortal creature! CLANG! Curse of the Demon and the silver sword clashed in the centre of the training ground. The Mana in Helial''s Meridians roared fiercely, releasing all the energy contained in the two Abilities he was using. Once combined, these were capable of turning the world upside down. The expression of his enemy turned dreadful. Taking a few steps back, Efeistio was pushed back by Helial''s physical power. With a swift hand movement, the General pulled a pill from his Interspace Ring and immediately crushed it between his teeth. The healing energy passed through his limbs and went to heal the wounds he had just received. He gritted his teeth and a trickle of sweat run down his forehead. The humiliation was too great to be endured as if nothing had happened! A General in the Madonian army, under Alexander''s direct command, had lowered himself so much he needed to consume medicine during a duel against a simple recruit. "You bitch," laughed Helial in front of the stunned enemy. The scornful smile on the boy''s face did not betray the enormous tension to which his body was being subjected. Metamorphosis was not a Skill that could be maintained for long, nor was Runic Condensation, but both would have given him a power beyond imagination. His body was comparable to that of a titan climbing Mount Doom. Metamorphosis had been a gift from Vidio. It had cost the Master his entire career within the Mana Congregation, but had allowed his disciple to replicate his Skill and make it even more terrifying. Thanks to the incredible power of Metamorphosis, Helial had taken the lead since the first exchange. Vidio had given Helial a technique than seemed made with him in mind. And he had done it without knowing it. Helial and Efeistio fiercely crossed swords several times, while the audience was speechless. Since even Efeistio seemed in trouble, Zeno began to wonder if he would be able to sustain a clash against Helial. He knew the answer, but he didn''t even dare think about it. Efeistio''s Strength was clearly less than Helial''s at its best, but experience was a huge gap between the two. As in the composition of a painting, the General''s moves had been perfected over the years, brush stroke by brush stroke. Although Helial''s attacks were quick and full of vigour, the refinement of Efeistio''s movements prevented him from taking the lead. The residual force of the blows opened deep cracks in the ground. Whenever their blades crossed, the General was forced to take a few steps back, but he dispelled the tyrannical force of the blows with a refined footwork. Efeistio''s attacks began to penetrate Helial''s defences and leave several superficial wounds on his skin. If they went on like this, Iblis'' young disciple would lose after exhausting his Stamina. But his opponent''s attacks were intertwined in a tight and indecipherable pattern, making them unpredictable and difficult to penetrate. Efeistio''s explosive muscles made him look like a moving marble sculpture. For some reason the man''s irreverent beauty did nothing but irritate Helial and make him want to disfigure him forever. Skill Activated: Perception Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Helial continued to circulate Mana towards his Meridians. He just found a way to break Efeistio''s rhythm. If he couldn''t compete in experience, then he would use his trump card. Perception Perception was the only Skill at the Master Rank Helial possessed. Few people trained such a skill, in fact perhaps Helial was the only one who had done so. Perception was considered a low-level substitute for Divine Sense, but Helial had not heeded the advice of others and had levelled the Skill up to Master Rank. Perception training would have been generally slow and tedious; this is because the true essence of that Skill lay in its Degrees of Knowledge. Suddenly in front of the boy''s eyes, several tracks of Mana began to form, as if the trajectories of Efeistio''s attacks, which were usually not visible to the naked eye, had materialized in front of him. Helial could finally understand some of the opponent''s complicated movements and, above all, foresee them. Until then, the young man had felt like a child trying to arm wrestle with an adult. Of course, he was making the most of his very strong and incredible Skills; but if he hadn''t been able to hit his target and corner him, they would have been useless. The very nature of Perception went beyond simply examining Mana: it even made it possible to probe the depths of the laws of the universe. Even Efeistio''s attacks could not escape Helial''s now luminous gaze. Slowly, Alexander''s General was starting to lose his advantage. Seeing Efeistio under pressure, Zeno gestured immediately to the recruits. In a second, ignoring the General''s shameful gaze, the trainer and the three recruits joined him. At this point, they absolutely had to kill Helial! 182 If You Want to Save Your Life Efeistio''s moves were finally beginning to make sense in Helial''s eyes. The boy was beginning to decipher them one by one. And yet, just at that moment, the three recruits moved together with Zeno: they were going to help the General. They could not allow that young man to win. They had to get him out of the way. Those cowards needed to attack together to subdue Helial. However strong a man may be, he will never be able to tame a bull. It was Efeistio''s terrified expression that suggested Zeno to enter the fray. The situation seemed so desperate that he had to ask for help from new recruits. The trained motioned for Soter, Theodete and Tarasio to come forward. Their enemy had to be distracted at all costs in order to stop him from attacking Efeistio. In front of Helial''s overwhelming power, they were midges. However, the four warriors, who had been trained from an early age, knew that even a midge could distract an elephant. If they played their cards well, the young man would have been distracted and they could wound or at least stun him temporarily. If only Alexander was there, he would take that boy''s life in an instant. Theodete could not help thinking that yes, that recruit was truly arrogant, but it seemed that his terrifying abilities were supported by his insolent personality. He was not even able to complete those thoughts, that a bundle of Mana hit him strongly. Not even Efeistio, who was at the top of the army''s food chain, was able to take the lead. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The most incredible thing about the fight was the adaptability of Helial, that monster. With each blow from the General, he seemed to have a better grasp of his enemy''s pattern, and then responded more and more accurately. At first, the clash had seemed balanced and neither could to take the lead. But the more time passed, the more Helial seemed to penetrate Efeistio''s blows. As powerful as Alexander''s General was, he was unable to compete with the physical overwhelming power of Body of the Qilin. Efeistio''s knees began to shake. More and more sweat was falling down his forehead and his footwork had become unstable. There were increasingly evident deviations in the trajectory of his blows. On the contrary, Helial seemed invigorated by his opponent''s difficult situation. The clash began to attract the attention of the bigwigs in Alexander''s army. After a few minutes, Crater and two others entered the arena from the stands. As soon as they arrived, they noticed their friend covered in wounds from head to toe. Efeistio''s always-clean hair was now sticky and dirty with blood; this gave him the appearance of a lunatic. His eyes were bloodshot and moved left and right, full of despair. But as soon as the General saw Crater, Lisima and Tipatro, his gaze became bright. With disappointment, Efeistio noticed that the three were interested in something else. A servant had warned them that a clash was taking place in the training camp between one of the recruits and Efeistio, adding that the General was in danger and Zeno and the other recruits had intervened. Why, then, the centre of the training field there were only the skinny young man and Efeistio? Of the others, only four heaps of ash remained on the ground... Crater took a deep breath. Could that young man have reduced the three to ashes while cornering the greatest general in Alexander''s army? In Crater, Lisima and Tipatro''s eyes, Helial was but a child. In the kingdom of Madonia, even if military value was a precept inculcated in children from an early age, one could at best aspire to be a squire at his age. How many of Alexander''s great generals would have had what it takes to challenge Philip''s generals when they were 15? No one. Nobody had such potential. At least, nobody except Alexander. And now a boy, a recruit out of nowhere, seemed to have the same potential as Alexander. Flames and fire consumed different parts of the arena. The flames were pearl white, but inside they contained terrifying black sparks. That recruit didn''t look like a kid, but a Devil come down to earth. Crater''s expression darkened. At first, he had thought that Helial didn''t look very promising, but he didn''t know that the only reason the boy hadn''t been able to give his maximum on the battlefield was because he had to keep his Stamina in check. The first impression had been that his talent was out of the ordinary, but he never realized how terrifying it was. In a one-on-one fight, there was probably no one in the entire camp capable of subjugating Helial, except Alexander himself. Helial wouldn''t be able to sustain long battles, but considering his explosive power, thanks to his knowledge of the Mana Path that connected him to Life and Destruction, not many people could face that tyrannical strength. If one day he acquired more Stamina, he probably would become a real monster. Crater thought about what to do. Judging by the situation, if he and the other two generals didn''t intervene, Efeistio would lose his life. Knowing him, Crater imagined that Efeistio had provoked the boy and tried to humiliate him. His inferiority complexes towards the King led Efeistio to exaggerate, sometimes, in order to prove he was the strongest on the battlefield: since the military campaign had started, he had tried to prove his worth in every way, but despite his absurd talent, his personality was not as remarkable. Crater seemed torn. Was it really fitting for generals of their stature to get involved in such a conflict? Unlike Efeistio, who was a hothead, arrogant and childish, Crater was cold, measured and cared for his honour. If, at first sight, Helial''s gesture looked like insubordination, the truth was different: an attendant approached Crater and explained to him how things really had gone. Helial was not in the wrong at all, but ended up becoming it thanks to his continue attacks against Efeistio, one of the most powerful generals in Alexander''s army. "Efeistio, boy: stop the fight. We can certainly find a solution that will benefit everyone." Crater''s words were calm and measured, but at the same time permeated by a slightly threatening tone. "Efeistio: with the talent he has, the boy will certainly be helpful against the enemies in the mountains. In the future, he may also become a general. But if you don''t stop fighting now, I can''t help but intervene." The General had practically ordered Helial to stop fighting; otherwise, he would enter the arena too. Together with Crater there were also Lisima and Tipatro, so he doubted that the boy was ready to face all four of them at the same time; thanks to this advantage, he hoped to end the fight. According to Crater, this threat should frighten Helial and force him to stand down. A gust of cold air hit Crater and the other two generals, while Helial, totally covered in blood, shifted his scarlet gaze on them: "Before listening to your complaints, this bitch must pay the price for humiliating me. Should I let him go as if nothing had happened after he tried to make me kneel in front of him? Should I let him go without punishment after he threatened to whip me just because I rebelled against the humiliations I was receiving? If you really want to be tyrants, let''s see if you have the necessary skills." Helial''s words hit Crater in the heart. The General was an earnest person and had never disrespected anyone. He hated and found the subterfuge of politics repugnant; he was a frugal man, loyal to his King. Seeing Helial rebel against humiliation and make the greatest General in the army shut up had caused nothing but great admiration on his part. Suddenly, the outer capillaries in Helial''s skin exploded and healed once, twice, three times and more, in a process of transformation. The young man was progressing on his Mana Path! The clash at the edge between life and death had led him to receive some Enlightenments and gain Experience for his Skills. In front of them, Helial''s Aura became increasingly tyrannical. At this rate, Crater had no idea what the young man''s true potential could be. "At first I thought the Madoni were people worthy of respect and deserving the greatest honour, but apparently you are not different from sewer rats. That fag with long hair and slutty eyes tried to chew a bite too large for his sissy mouth. I could spare him, but not before he kneels before me, if he wants to save his life." Crater''s expression became solemn. The General realized that Helial had no intention of backing down. Efeistio was arrogant and proud, and would never accept to kneel. In the worst case, Crater would have to intervene and help Efeistio, albeit unwillingly. Helial''s words had left no other way of escape for the brown-haired general. Crater ran his hand over his short, bristly beard, while his deep eyes examined the young man in front of him. "Brat, do you want me to kneel?! Keep on dreaming!" Efeistio knew he had the support of the other generals. Helial was at the end of his run; he had consumed too much Stamina. The combined action of Crater, Lisima and Tipatro would kill the brat in a split second. Crater looked at Helial for another second and stepped forward into the sand of the arena. He could do nothing but choose a side. 183 The True Chef At that point, Crater didn''t know what to do but intervene. If he hadn''t, Efeistio would probably have been defeated and would have lost every bit of reputation. However, if he acted, he feared what might happen. Helial had revealed a talent great enough to pierce the sky. Still, tackling four generals at once would be too much even for him, not least because he was about to finish his Stamina. Crater gritted his teeth tightly. Was it really worth losing such a genius, a future seed that would grow for the good of the homeland, only because Efeistio''s whim? Efeistio was a general, but this time he had made a big mistake. The Madonis, and even more those who were at the top of the military pyramid, had an ironclad code of moral conduct: their main task was to help those who were on the side of right, not those who abused their power. Above all, a general loyal to duty like Crater could not bear the idea of taking advantage of his strength against someone lower in grade. Yes, Efeistio deserved a lesson, but it would not be right to let him succumb to the attacks of that boy. Was it possible to resolve this mess without bloodshed? Crater had followed Alexander for the good he had seen in him. In the populations they fought, hierarchies were determined by descent. There was no reward for skills. There was no social mobility. Those in power continued to oppress the weaker and exploit them. The Madoni, on the other hand, had been able to take the best of discipline and wisdom from a people who had dictated the canons of culture across the continent for many centuries. Their customs were frugal, measured and just, different from those of the barbarians, from whom they felt the need to stand out. To remind themselves that they were men, not animals. With such an upbringing and seeing a fellow soldier behaving like one of the men he despised so much, like one of those barbarians he was fighting, what could Crater do? Should he act like those people they criticized so much? "What are you waiting for? Come help me kill him!" shouted Efeistio, mad with anger, his eyes dazed and his hair sticking to his face because of sweat. He had the look of a lunatic about to lose control. He never expected Helial to be so strong, much less he expected his dear friends choosing not to intervene in in such a situation. Crater and the other two exchanged glances and were dumbfounded for a few more seconds, which to Efeistio seemed ages. Helial, for his part, did not seem to care too much. At any moment, Alexander and the others could arrive to help Efeistio. If he really wanted to make sense of this this before dying, it might be worth carrying out what he had started. At that moment, Helial remembered Iblis'' words. Had he already chosen to end his life there, to accept his limits and succumb? And what if Alexander and all the other generals arrived, or the whole army got there too? So what? He felt a sudden electric surge go through his body, as if a whole roll of chains had finally lifted from his limbs and wasn''t weighting him down any longer. Crater''s pupils narrowed to slits. "What''s going on?" Helial suddenly accelerated and seemed to horribly increase his pace. If before he seemed to slowly advance on his Mana Path and strengthen himself while fighting; now he had made the Dragon Jump! "He has suddenly become faster and no longer seems tired," said Tipatro in a low voice. "And besides, his Aura has completely changed," whispered Lisima, impressed. Crater nodded. "What did Efeistio do against the gods to enrage such a monster? Go tell Alexander, only he can resolve this conflict without a bloodbath. " Lisima and Tipatro exchanged glances, and then vanished. Efeistio continued to be beaten up. If before the General was still able to fight back, now he had no choice but to defend himself. He was just trying to resist. In Helial''s body, the power of Life continually clashed with its nemesis and vice versa, causing huge shakes of Mana within its Meridians and threatening to tear them both to pieces at any moment. But that same power generated a terrifying amount of energy. "Help me!" Efeistio shouted, bringing Crater back to reality. Help him? The General was trying to predict what would happen if he really had entered the fray. As Crater did his math, Helial snorted coldly. He understood that Efeistio, however extraordinary, was probably far from the incredible talent of the monsters Helial had known in Orma. Helial knew he was not yet on a par with Medusa and Circe, let alone at Pseudonym''s level. It would not have been so easy to hinder the one considered Circe''s rival. Medusa would have been Orma''s most terrifying Goblin if Circe and Pseudonym had never existed. However, life is not made of "ifs". Unfortunately for the descendant of the Sect of the Worthy, life had left her only the third place. She, like everyone else, knew that she would never go beyond that barrier, unless Circe or Pseudonym perished. Despite everything, not even Comodo could boast a talent equal to his cousin''s, despite having reached a higher Phase. Even if reaching Circe was Medusa''s real goal in her training, Pseudonym was part of a world of its own. Nobody, not even that monster of Circe, had ever thought they could rival Pseudonym. After all, legends don''t come out of nowhere. Pseudonym had built his own legend on blood and sweat. Behind him, there was a mountain of corpses of enemies and beasts. Circe and Medusa had the support of Orma''s largest factions, Pseudonym none. But the fear caused by the black-armoured warrior was unrivalled among the new generations. Elixirs? Potions? Breathing techniques? Skills? Inheritance? Pseudonym needed nothing beyond what he had managed to earn for himself. He had managed to climb the summit with what little he had. These were Helial''s true goals in Orma. Medusa. Then Circe. Finally, Pseudonym. Probably, although they were not too far from Orma''s monsters, Alexander''s generals were still quite lower in strength than Medusa. Defeating Efeistio would be nothing to rejoice too much upon. Defeating all the generals together would perhaps be the equivalent of defeating Medusa. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Defeating Alexander, then, would be equivalent to defeating Circe; these, at least, were the estimates that Helial had made. If, on the one hand, he might have been right about Medusa and those generals, Helial did not even remotely imagine the extent of Alexander''s abilities. And Pseudonym? Helial did not know what the real extent of his abilities was and how much land his shadow could cover. But something told him that, probably, not even defeating the whole Madoni army and even the enemy army would be as hard as placing a single finger on Pseudonym. So if he really intended to overcome Pseudonym and, someday, even what would be the reincarnation or descendant of Amaterasu, how could he surrender to a small army like that? Something in his head finally exploded and a torrential current of Mana of Destruction began to fill his Meridians. Warning: Death of the Desolate Universe evolves. New Degree of Knowledge reached: Draining Pasta Without even having time to laugh because of the name, Helial heard an ancient voice, similar to Iblis'', resonate within his head. Every time you face a new enemy, as when you prepare a new dish, there''s risk of failing. In cuisine, it happens that cooking exceeds the optimal point, that conditions are not perfect. But the real chef still drains pasta out of the water and tries to make it into the best possible dish! Helial felt a large bluish vein throbbing on his forehead. In the meantime, he could have sworn he had heard Iblis''s chuckle in the distance. "What the fuck is that name ... AND WHAT THE FUCK DOES IT EVEN MEAN?!" On the verge of bursting into tears, he no longer knew what to say. The great lord of the universe had given his personal Breathing Technique a name so shitty that he absolutely didn''t know how to react. Draining pasta...? 184 There is no point in fighting tomorrow Draining pasta...? The explanation that Helial had just heard, coming from the depths of his Soul, seemed nothing short of ridiculous. However, now there was no need to worry about such nonsense. Helial had gone beyond his limits, giving himself no chance of losing. Only victory could unfold before the eyes of that tyrannical young man. As his Breathing Technique evolved, Helial felt the Mana within his Meridians flow much quicker and more fluidly, as well as settle inside his Soul much faster. The boy continued to attack Efeistio relentlessly, while Crater remained silent, still uncertain on what to do. Efeistio was even more on the verge of having a psychotic collapse. Helial shifted all possible strength into his arms, to deliver a coup de grace to his opponent''s chest, but just at that moment... Alexander appeared suddenly, blocking Curse of Demon''s blow with his forefinger and thumb, as if nothing had happened. "Don''t you think you''ve done enough already?" The time all around seemed them to freeze and Helial stopped, panting heavily. The landscape around him was slowly beginning to lose colour; the training ground, the generals, the attendants, the trees and the hills in the distance: everything had faded into black and white. The Generals were motionless, crystallized in a timeless image. Efeistio was lying on the ground, unconscious. Even the clouds had stopped moving. The only two figures that retained a glimpse of life were Helial and Alexander. "An illusion of the evil spirit, you are nothing more than this. Am I wrong?" "It''s not quite that simple," Alessandro smiled, shrugging, "if it really were what you say, then I wouldn''t have put you on the path of basic training for recruits." "I join a random army; I am taken under the wing of a General and become a candidate for the Royal Guard. Apart from the great distrust that you should have had for me, it was all too simple. I had so many difficulties in my life that I absolutely don''t believe in luck. It was clear that it was an Illusion. What else could it have been?" Nodding slightly, Alexander showed he was satisfied with Helial''s words, and then snapped his fingers. In an instant, the whole scenery around fell apart like fragments of glass from a mirror. Nothing could explain the nature of that space or that Illusion, or at least Helial could not recognize anything. If Alexander really wanted to kill him, Helial would have no chance to defend himself and he would die instantly, he had no doubt. After all, there was no reason why Alexander should keep him alive. Pieces of landscape floated around the two, leaving them immersed in an endless darkness, in nothingness. ... Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Inside Helial''s Soul Under the starry night sky, on a blanket of grass lay a boy with a black fringe and eyes darker than the abysses of the universe. His hand wandered in mid-air, directing a strange melody playing only in his head. With his other hand he held a spoon and turned it in a floating cup of tea, to dissolve the sugar. The golden ripples of the drink gave a feeling of eternal peace, in contrast to the child deadly Aura. "Apparently he learned his lesson," he murmured. Taking a deep breath and addressing an imaginary figure, he said: "The day I return to the ranks of Destruction, I will bring with me the greatest warrior ever seen on the face of this planet. This time, Amaterasu, it will not be so easy to count on fate. "But now, there is someone I have to see and say goodbye," said Iblis with a strange light in his eyes. ... "What do you want?" asked Helial. "Do you think killing my generals will lead you to anything? We are only in an Illusion; you have already told me that you know it very well. " "Explain yourself. From your way of talking, I understand that you have plans for me. Have you?" Looking at Helial''s young body and stopping his gaze a few seconds more on Curse of the Demon, Alexander said, "Your Stamina is shameful. You can defeat Efeistio, but your endurance is minimal. If my general had used some treasure or had any card up his sleeve, you would have risked dying. " Helial smiled. Alexander smiled back. "What''s so amusing?" "What do you get out of it?" "And what do I get?" "Why are you talking like this, Alexander? This is probably just a fragment of your Soul, no more. Do you want me to do something for you? What are you proposing?" "My proposal, huh?" Alexander slowly shook his head. "These youngsters today have lost all respect for the elderly. I don''t know who raised you, but it looks like they taught you to go straight to the point. "My proposal can only be made to someone who has the desire and the will to carry on the dream of unifying different peoples, someone who leads a faction without discrimination. Goblins, Humans, Demonic Beasts, Dragons, Qilin and all others. There are no differences beyond those we want to see," said Alexander. "I waited a long time to make this dream of mine come true. When I got in command of my army, I was far beyond the Third Phase. Furthermore, my generals were much stronger than what you saw. Those were only weakened shadows, both in Phase and in talent. What you have experienced is an altered memory of my campaigns. We fought many populations and different races. I married women that my people considered barbaric and tried to act as a link between all these peoples. It is not yet the time to reveal you what my true importance has been within the universe, but I was certainly not an ordinary person. When I met Cesar I knew I was going to die, but not at the hands of the Goblins, as the King of Orma believes. I have always been thinking about everything I could have done if my life hadn''t ended so prematurely. " The King''s eyes were lost in an unattainable past, much more remote than the one in which Iblis had seen his inconclusive battles against the forces of Life. Then, awakening from a foggy dream, he went on: "You don''t seem to care particularly about what surrounds others and your talent seems not bad." "In Orma, I noticed, there are many talents, many warriors whose abilities are invaluable, but there is something in your behaviour that makes me think ... your destiny is indecipherable for me, too. Because of this, I decided to help you a little. If you want a reason, let''s say this time I''ll do it out of boredom. Next time, I just want you to help me in fulfilling my dream, if you can gain enough power. " Helial shrugged, curious to know what Alexander had in store for him. But he suddenly remembered something, before asking for explanations about what he should do now. "That evil spirit in the Octagonal Room, was it you?" A black figure came out of nowhere and slipped between Alexander''s legs, lifting him off the ground. It was a huge black horse, with flaming red eyes. The muscles of his body seemed about to explode. Hardly anyone could have blocked his charge. Now the King looked like a real commander, high on his steed, and watched Helial from that height, but there was no pride in his eyes. "Me? Hahaha, no, no. Meet Bucephalus. He has helped me to perpetuate my Soul through all time. I have been dead for a long time, but my Soul has managed to sustain itself mainly thanks to his presence. All Souls need a banner to perpetuate their existence: he is mine." As Alexander spoke, his gaze fell on Curse of the Demon. "Although he is nothing more than a reminder of what I was once, my dear friend does not seem willing to be alone forever." The horse looked at Helial suspiciously. From his movements it was clearly a tremendously proud and arrogant creature. Iblis'' young disciple had no idea of what sort of creature he could be, to present himself both as a spirit and as a horse. But he certainly could not be a common one. "There is no point in fighting tomorrow, if tomorrow is the same as yesterday," Bucephalus commented briefly. The horse''s words rang a bell in Helial''s soul, and the boy remembered why he believed that the experience within the Illusion would be in vain. Even against Efeistio, Helial had fallen into the same pattern of all his previous fights. The problem would not have been defeating Efeistio and the other Generals together but, since his skills were too immature, and his Stamina too weak, he would not have been able to fight for more than ten minutes without ending up at a disadvantage due to fatigue. Caressing the stallion''s black and thick mane, materialized from a cloud of smoke, Alexander said: "Calm down, don''t always be so grumpy." "I don''t understand why you should help the new generations. The generals did not follow your orders and ended up dividing your empire. You should think about how to destroy them, not how to raise other members of the human race," the spirit snorted coldly. Alexander dismounted. "You have been around me for so many years that you have forgotten that when we met you were a renegade for your race. You were an evil and wild horse. Thanks to me, you had the opportunity to redeem yourself and not be a barbarian for your whole life. Without me, you would have been suppressed after a few months of unnecessary struggle. Imagine if I had always reasoned like you, how would I have treated a rebel and bastard horse? " "MPH." Without saying a word, Bucephalus closed his eyes and ignored Alexander and Helial. It seemed that the relationship between that horse and the King of the Madonis was deeper than anyone could have imagined. 185 The Way "If you hadn''t ruined everything, it would have been much easier for everyone. The way would have been linear. After joining the Royal Guard," explained Alexander, continuing to caress Bucephalus''s muscular neck, "you would have taken part in a Mission. Together with Madonia''s elite and me, you would have fought against barbarians. We would have faced countless..." "Ok, listen up, since we''re in an illusion, how fast does time flow here?" Asked Helial curiously. "I was talk-", Alexander tried to say, amazed by that sudden interruption. "Yeah, I noticed. I asked you something else, though. I don''t care how this great training with Madonia''s elite would have been. How fast does time flow here?" asked Helial. "About ten times slower than in the real world." Alexander''s comment had just dealt with Helial''s impertinence, indulging it. A snort at the end was easily ignored by Helial, who, on the other hand, had begun to walk in that expanse of absolute emptiness. "I can''t level up in here, can I?" "More or less. You know how Levels work. It''s not just about experience. To overcome the bottlenecks between the Phases and to make a few small leaps in level, it is necessary and possible to deepen the knowledge on one''s Mana Path. " "How important is the Mana Path when increasing in level, apart from the bottleneck between two different Phases?" Without knowing it, Alexander had just turned into a Master for Helial. Although he should have thought about giving his advice beforehand. However, he had been in the form of Soul for an indefinite amount of time now and was bored of being alone. Helial was the first who had entered the Illusion in a very long time, and Alexander would have to take advantage of his company as long as he could. Probably someone would wonder why a powerful man like Alexander, who had created his empire from nothing and conquered half the universe, had chosen to remain in an insignificant place like the Goblin Capital, even if in the form of a fragment of Soul. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Even Helial asked himself that same question. Yet at that moment, Helial could only worry about his progress on the Mana Path. "What is the difference between different Mana Paths? Name a few, for example," said Alexander, crossing his arms. "There are Mana Paths large and narrow. The largest and deepest are those directly linked to Life and Destruction, or even to Chaos. However, not all of these are easily developed within our universe. For example, chaos is not something perceptible in our current dimension. "Then there are less deep, but absolutely not negligible, Mana Paths. One of these could be the one related to the Art of the Sword, the Lance or some profound knowledge developed over the millennia and brought to the apex within our universe. " Alexander seemed satisfied with Helial''s explanation, but corrected him: "Actually, the Mana Path is the set of knowledge that an individual puts together from the various building blocks of the universe. The ones you mentioned are parts of the various Mana Paths. Arts, Elements, Destruction, Life and anything else that is deep enough to be one of the building blocks of the current universe in which we find ourselves can be contained in a Mana Path. The greater the weight of the power something in our universe has, the deeper the Mana Path containing it will be. Now, in our universe the supreme powers are cultivating Life and Destruction, because they are predominant, but they aren''t the most important. "Besides," continued the King, "Life, Destruction, Art .of the Sword... they are all Ways, which have a beginning and, difficult to believe as it is, an end. These are very profound concepts and will not be very useful to you at the moment. To answer your question, the deeper the Path and the lower the level, the easier it will be for those who follow it to level up without gaining experience. However, to give you an example of what I have called the "end of a Way", the power of Destruction within the universe, like that of Life, has not always been so profound and powerful. Their Way was carried on by two legendary figures from the post-Chaos Era." "But didn''t you just say that the Paths may end and only the Mana Path are endless?" asked Helial perplexed. "The Way of Destruction, for example, has not always been like you know it," explained Alexander. "As you said, the Ways that have reached a certain bottleneck can''t go on linearly any longer. However, some legendary monsters manage to influence a Way with their Mana Path, instead of the other way round, which is the most common situation. These titans are not bound by the Way they travel on, but they themselves shape it thanks to their unquestionable strength. " Helial seemed to be immersed in deep thought, trying to understand what the man in front of him was telling him. He looked at his hands and brought out two flashes of different colours, two different powers, on his fingertips. On the right hand there was a milky light, while on the left a greyish one. "Is this a Way or a Path?" Helial asked doubtfully. A big smile spread over Alexander''s face. The boy was much smarter than he had imagined. Iblis had told Helial that no one had ever been able to merge Life and Destruction. However, if it had really been a question of simply following two Ways, then it shouldn''t be so difficult to transcend the two powers and arrive at a new state of understanding. But if the power that Helial was trying to wield had been a different Way, something outside his Mana Path, then all the difficulties encountered by those who had embarked on that same Mana Path previously would have been explained. Suddenly, Helial felt bewildered and immediately understood the magnitude of the enterprise he was trying to accomplish. If he really managed to do what no one had ever done, then he would create a new Way within the universe. Yes, simple to say. In fact, a feat that would discourage even Ancestral Creatures like Kirin. As if he were an ant in front of a giant, Helial realized that he was infinitely small and that he had really underestimated what he was trying to do. His heart skipped two beats, before forcefully making the blood flow back into his veins. The weight of that feat crushed his shoulders and he almost felt the need to fall to his knees. But in a moment the images of Lumia, Snowflake and all the people who counted on him peeked into his mind along with the threatening image of Hades. He took a deep breath and stood firmly on his legs, like the last bastion in the midst of waves of enemy soldiers. He had to resist. "It won''t be easy," said Alexander enigmatically. Changing the subject and returning to his first question, Helial said, "Even though I can''t level up consistently, I can still level up the Skills and increase the level of Knowledge through training and practice, right?" The King nodded. "I must say that, before reaching Immortality, anyone could acquire new knowledge in Skill and experience in combat. Maybe even after...?" murmured Helial, scratching his chin and thinking about how to squeeze the maximum out of his stay in that place. "The passage of time in this place can be up to twenty times slower than in the real world. Considering how powerful the entity within your body is, he could generate illusions for you to train, even much more powerful than this. It amazes me that you don''t know. However, yes, within Illusions like this one can train their skills disproportionately before Immortality." Helial turned red with anger, but kept his mouth shut. He didn''t know how amazing it was that Alexander noticed Iblis, but he knew that even Kirin hadn''t been able to. Following this reasoning, was it possible that Alexander was so experienced as to be even more terrifying than an Ancestral Creature like Kirin? Iblis owed him explanations. Among them, the reason why he had decided not to generate an infinite Illusion to train Helial. Maybe he did that because in an Illusion only the Skills would Level up and, to a certain extent, this would make him weake... No, nothing. Helial thought only one thing about that black-fringed, crookedly smiling child: Iblis was just a big, huge dickhead. 186 Someone Great to Remember Iblis was just a big, huge dickhead. Helial kept wondering why the Devil hadn''t trained him within an Illusion. After training in Illusions created by the greatest monster in the universe, would the boy still have to fear someone of one or two Phases higher than him? Medusa? Pseudonym? They would become midges to be crushed between his fingers. Iblis had no reason not to train Helial inside an Illusion, where time flowed so slowly that it did not perceive the passage of decades outside it. In this way, the Devil''s young disciple would have had enough time and could have even overcome Pseudonym. The reason why Iblis had decided not to choose this solution was not known. Casting off that angry thought by shaking his head, Helial asked, "Can you generate battles out of nothing, or even allow me to relive what you''ve already fought?" The boy still hadn''t figured out exactly how those strange Illusions worked, so he was curious to find out. "Once you reach a certain Level, anything you want can be represented in an Illusion. However, much depends on the abilities of who creates the Illusion itself; you cannot advance indefinitely, but only in the range of knowledge of its creator." "So I can''t acquire more knowledge about the Way of ..." Helial stopped. He realized he had not yet given a name to the Way he was following. "The principles that govern the laws of the universe are much deeper than you think. Having brought a Way to the apex also means to have, automatically, superior bases for other Ways. A person who has reached the highest level of the Way of the Sword will have fewer problems cultivating a Way of the Lance, to name but one, than a normal person. This happens because Mana permeates the principles of the universe and all the Ways are nothing but declinations of primordial matter, which is the pure and ungovernable energy of all dimensions. " Helial narrowed his eyes, trying to analyse those words completely. Within minutes, he had received an incredible amount of information, which had completely changed his way of perceiving the world. "So, if the Illusion''s creator is strong enough, might there be enough raw material, enough substrate, to empower one''s Ways thanks to the fundamental laws of the universe?" A large vein appeared on Helial''s forehead, who was trying to decipher a doctrine as obscure as it was ancient. "Yes, exactly. It is not difficult for you, since you are at the First Phase, to find Illuminations and knowledge that allow you to strengthen not only the Way you follow, but your Mana Path too. " "Can we relive all the battles you''ve fought, then, or maybe even more, choosing the strength of the warriors?" Asked Helial, his eyes similar to a hyena''s. The King could not help but shiver seeing that ravenous expression, as if saliva were drooling from Helial''s jaws because of the succulent prey in front of him. Young man, do you want to tear into my flesh and make a sandwich out of it? Why are you looking at me like that? Am I not dead already? Why does it seem like this kid intends to kill me again and rob me? However, hiding his thoughts, Alexander simply nodded his approval, waiting for an answer that soon came. "So can we spend almost a year fighting in the midst of huge armies and battles?" Smiling, Helial understood that there was a great chance in front of him to increase his experience. Medusa believed she had given him only two weeks to get ready, but she was sorely mistaken! Helial had found the opportunity to train for almost a year and, at the end of it, he would have been strong enough to take that woman and turn her inside out. A burst of electricity ran through Helial''s body. It was too tempting an opportunity to miss. Up to that moment, Helial had not found the resources available in Orma useful. Although the Clan of the Sacred Eagle was the first power in the Goblin nation, it could not meet the demands of the disciple of the most terrifying Devil in the universe. Helial had obtained Kirin''s legacy and Iblis''s teachings. His expectations were now very high. He could not train with anyone or wasting time with Elixir or unnecessary resources. Helial''s goal was to build solid foundations. He was like this. Like an avalanche slowly taking shape, he wanted to build a future that had the potential to be destructive. He would not have wasted his talent; in fact, he would have used every single drop of it. Helial smacked his lips ready to speak, excited about the plans he had in mind, but collapsed on the ground without warning. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Alexander was looking forward, with a strange light in his eyes and a pleased smile. "Iblis?" Alessandro smiled. A boy with a black fringe appeared from nowhere in front of the King. He turned to look at Helial''s motionless body and shrugged. The conversation that was about to take place was not for that boy yet. Hearing it would have been dangerous for him. "I didn''t remember you were so...young," laughed Alexander. Iblis raised his hand in front of him, palm facing the King. For a second, Alexander''s eyes went blank and an image appeared in his mind, of a three-meter-high Devil, whose huge wingspan seemed to embrace the whole universe. After a few moments, Alexander regained control of his mind and forcefully removed that vision. "Ohhh, so you''re that Alexander?" Asked the boy with the black fringe. Alexander thought of what the Devil could have done if he had not been able to regain control of his mind. Alexander got on the defensive and smiled. "Which one?" Iblis'' expression changed. Even though everyone in that Illusion had repeated his name and praised his exploits countless times, Iblis had doubted that he could really be one of the most powerful beings who had inhabited the universe. Now that he had shown him his power, breaking a mental attack in an instant, he was finally convinced. "Well, I have heard the most incredible news ever spread about him. The birth of the great Alexander is said to have been announced with lightning, which broke out together with a thunder never heard before, and struck his mother''s womb. And it is also said that a huge fire announced his coming to this world, turning the Clan of Artemis, who had come to be his midwife, to ashes. Ah, she deserved it. That old hag nearly killed more than once, before I could tear her soul to pieces. She was one of the few survivors of the Age of Chaos. " Alexander remained silent. He looked at the boy in front of him with great ardour and admiration. And Iblis reciprocated with equal feeling. "When he was born, the great King of Madonia, Philip, had just conquered an enemy planet, one of the army generals had defeated the inhabitants of Illi in a great battle and Madonia had won one of the most important competitions on the planet. Born within three victories, anyone who tried to read in the future of that infant with various Divination Techniques knew that it would be invincible. "So I ask you: are you the same Alexander whose name echoes among the big wigs of Life and Destruction like thunder that has never seen an end?" asked Iblis with a solemn look on his face. Alexander peered at the boy with his eyes of different colours. Heterochromia gave him the appearance of a demon. "All eras have someone great to remember. It''s a pity that often only memories remain of them," observed Alexander bitterly. The Devil''s pupils narrowed. "Yes, I''m that Alexander. I am that Alexander as much as you are that Iblis. Over a certain level, our Souls become almost indestructible, even if there''s no chance to come back to life. Although I have always been sealed here, I have been able to get information. My dear friend has often travelled the universe to bring me news of the external events." Alexander patted Bucephalus''s powerful neck, who was looking at Iblis with flaming eyes, silent. The Devil peered closely at the horse, fascinated by its elegance. "I know that Iblis and Amaterasu fought to the last, perishing together. Or at least, that''s what they say. According to others, they have only mysteriously disappeared." Iblis sat cross-legged in the void and invited the other to do the same. A bottle of liquor appeared in his hands and two glasses began to float in mid-air. An invisible hand filled both glasses and one of them flew toward Alexander. "The limit for slowing down time in here isn''t twenty times," said the King, taking a sip of the liquor. "And you haven''t used this technique yet just because you fear damaging your disciple''s future. More obvious stuff?" He laughed, grabbing the cup in mid-air. 187 On the Summit of Power On the Summit of Power "The limit for slowing down time in here isn''t twenty times," said the King, taking a sip of the liquor. "And you haven''t used this technique yet just because you fear damaging your disciple''s future. More obvious stuff?" He laughed, grabbing the cup in mid-air. Two of the greatest beings ever existed in the universe were sitting on emptiness, facing each other, enjoying a few sips of liquor. But what was even more extraordinary was that an eccentric figure like Iblis had met the most mysterious being that ever existed: Alexander''s history and personality were unknown to most. The number of people, in the whole universe, who knew a legend like Alexander, did not exceed a hundred. Only the really big shots of Life and Destruction knew the Age of Chaos and the characters that had populated it. "He''ll think I''m a dickhead now, won''t he?" Laughed the boy, his face slightly red with alcohol and nodding towards Helial, who was snoring slightly. "Mh-hm," replied Alexander as a sign of approval, while sipping alcohol carefully. It was a spiritual liquor grown and distilled in Iblis'' hands. Despite not knowing its origin, anyone would have understood from a single taste that it was not just a common beverage. Although both Iblis and Alexander were no more than residues of Soul, the liquor had the same effect on them that a very strong alcohol would have had on a real body. An alcohol of this kind, judging by Iblis'' reaction, if ingested with little caution could have killed any Soul without problems. "Do you know what my fears are?" Asked Iblis, who was on the verge of breaking the threshold of his inhibition. The two were speaking as if they were old friends. Meeting each other was almost a liberation: when you are at the summit of the mountain, you don''t have many people to talk to on equal terms, and in the long run, loneliness turns into suffering. The tragedy of the powerful. Once ascended to the throne, close friends are intimidated and the others become sycophants. Only a select few had managed to reach the summit, and only they shared a deep and special bond with those who were at their level, without boundaries of time and space. Those two had never met before and probably only a few people in the universe remembered their names. However, whoever remembered them would remember them as the greatest of their time, titanic and unsurpassed. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "People of your time always worried too much about fate and too little about their loved ones," replied Alexander laconically, putting all his effort in not letting that liquor get the best of him. Iblis suddenly became serious. "I didn''t think there was anyone who could speak to me in that way, at least not anymore," he noted. His tone of voice became icy and Mana of Destruction began to gather around his body. Bucephalus sensed the threat before his master and looked at the boy with flaming eyes, ready to attack him as soon as necessary. When Alexander noticed Iblis'' devastating and threatening Aura, he looked up at the Devil and continued to sip the liquor remaining in his glass. "Do you really think you can be a tyrant even with me, Iblis?" He smiled. "You may have been more powerful in life than I am, but that doesn''t mean you still are. If you think I haven''t continued to cultivate my Mana Path just because I''m dead, you''re wrong." The Devil''s devastating Aura collided with the sea of calmness and energy before him. The two waves of invisible energy were like two tsunamis about to collide. Their slightest contact would have caused an unparalleled destructive explosion. After remaining on the highest peak for such a long time, even a death match was a way to fight against loneliness. Their powers were the same and, although both tried to demonstrate their supremacy over the other, their situation was of absolute parity. There was no clear advantage to either one of them. Bucephalus neighed, threatening. Iblis gave the horse a contemptuous look, but was unable to intimidate him. The horse neighed again, with even more anger. Alexander motioned for him to calm down, got up and stroked his mane. Although apparently calm, Alexander was starting to get nervous. "It would have been fun to challenge you if we had both been alive. I might have liked to find out the outcome of this battle," said Iblis, smiling crookedly At the sight of that defiant smile, the King of the Madonis could not hold back the anger that was mounting in his stomach. "I don''t think so," replied Alexander. But he was smiling too. At a gesture of the King''s fingers, the space around them began to collapse. "Do you want to intimidate me?" Iblis shouted sardonically, casting a fiery glance towards Alexander. With a flash of black light, Curse of the Demon appeared out of nowhere in the Devil''s hands. "As you well know, souls can always be scattered." Iblis'' smile widened. Alexander''s eyes filled with anger. The King jumped nervously on the saddle of his horse, who squirmed in amazement. However, with a touch of Alexander''s hand on his back, Bucephalus calmed down and heaved a heavy sigh. Even his eyes became two placid expanses of lava. "What do you think will happen if we were to fight?" The King pointed to Helial, who showed no sign of waking up. Iblis had induced him such a deep sleep that not even the threat of the pressure of two so powerful Auras could make him regain consciousness. Iblis turned to gaze at Helial, but then shrugged and looked away. "What do I think will happen? You will die!" The longer that debate continued, the more diabolical Iblis'' smile became. Alexander was amazed. How much evil was hidden in that fragment of an innocent-looking Soul? Or maybe it was just absence of common sense? "Aren''t you worried that your pupil might be involved in our fight?" Bucephalus took a few steps forward, while Alexander drew his sword. "No," said Iblis briefly. "He has nothing to do with what I decide. I am not responsible for his choices and he is not responsible for mine. If it''s necessary, he will die. I won''t let an old shit like you challenge my authority. " Alexander laughed heartily, more and more annoyed. Bucephalus was getting closer and closer to the boy. The King looked at Iblis with his eyes of two different colours, no longer calm and disarming like those that Helial had seen, but blinded by a madness that could not be controlled. It was then that Bucephalus raised his head, as if he wanted to point out something to the man on his back, and the flame in the King''s eyes went out. Alexander lowered his eyelids and sighed, sheathing his sword. Bucephalus hadn''t stopped walking. He passed Iblis and arrived in front of Helial. Alexander dismounted. Iblis turned slowly to look at the backs of Bucephalus and Alexander. The Devil could not say how, but the horse and the King were somewhat similar. Iblis'' Aura disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. The atmosphere was now peaceful. "The passions that governed me led to my death. If was the same for you, Iblis. After all, we are not so different. We both died because of our greed..." After a moment of silence, the King spoke again: "Iblis, for this time, let me take care of the boy. Let me help you. " Iblis nodded and snapped his fingers. Around him, Alexander, Bucephalus and Helial, still deeply asleep, a meadow appeared, and a sky filled by countless bright stars. In the centre of the meadow, there was a table set for two. 188 A Game of Chess Suddenly a floating chessboard appeared between Iblis and Alexander. The two began to move its pieces, silently challenging each other. It was as if the clash a few minutes before had never happened. "Even the greatest of monsters can receive help from the greatest of kings," sighed the Devil; then he rested his gaze on the table set for two a little further. The heterochromatic eyes of the King of Madonia observed the moves of his opponent, who placed the pieces in a bored way. Noticing that Iblis'' gaze had shifted, Alexander asked, pointing at the table: "Why didn''t we sit there?" At the moment, they were both sitting in mid-air, although there were chairs and a fairly large table a few meters away. The table had been there since Helial had memory. Iblis had continued to set, cook and clear the table. He seemed to be waiting for someone. However, who could he ever wait inside his Soul? Several times Helial had tried to imagine, wondering if the table was for Iblis and Amaterasu. But after knowing their story, he had changed his mind. From what Helial understood about Iblis, there had to be something much deeper. Yet whenever the Devil was questioned about the presence of that object, his only answer was silence. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Who was the second place for, assuming the first was for Iblis? The pieces on the chessboard continued to be moved without apparent effort by both of them. But each of their moves contained an incredible depth. It was a higher level of understanding Mana. Alexander and Iblis were infusing their knowledge into a simple duel carried out on a chessboard. If anyone had witnessed that scene, even if he had been an Immortal, his Path of Mana would probably have benefited greatly. Iblis ran his finger over the cup of tea in his hand and slowly stroked the edge, until it created a slow and sad melody. At the end of the game, Alexander lost. The King showed no signs of frustration. He simply got up and approached Iblis'' young disciple, lying on the ground and still unconscious. "More than helping you, I want to help him," said Alexander, placing his hand on Helial''s forehead. "Let''s leave memories aside for a while. Your master never wanted to use this technique because his Mana Path is intrinsically linked to Destiny and Karma. Using a Time Block and illusory experiences to get stronger, despite its benefits, can lead to bottlenecks very quickly. Using Illusions, the risk is changing a person''s destiny. " By imagining a person''s fate as a long strip of fabric, a slow-time training could be compared to cutting a large piece of fabric and stitching the ends together. What was in the middle would probably have been lost. Rather, to be more precise, it would have been like inserting some new fabric in the middle, rather than eliminating it. According to Iblis, such a workout could lead to a deviation in a person''s fate. For example, cultivating a Skill to level up would bring benefits; but, training the same Skill in an Illusion could lead to huge losses in Experience. Therefore, unless there was a great hurry to get stronger, Iblis would have preferred avoid using this way of training as much as possible. Helial had to make his own experiences and shape his destiny first hand, not travel on a path already beaten and too linear as those found in Illusions. If they hadn''t had such contraindications, surely they wouldn''t have been called Illusions. However real that world seemed, and however real death was within it, it was nothing but an Illusion. Alexander recognized that Iblis'' theories had revolutionized his students'' training and, in fact, would create many more opportunities for his disciple''s growth. However, Iblis had overlooked one thing: a terribly powerful being, Alexander, had created that Illusion. Helial would have lived alongside the greatest King of the Age of Chaos. Alexander was a Soul on a par with Iblis, despite the fact that his name was now forgotten. The young man, then, had been lied to about something. It was true that in normal Illusions time was simply slowed down. But this one was created by Alexander, one of the greatest warriors who ever existed in the universe. In fact, Alexander had spoken of a Time Block rather than an Illusion. In an Illusion the Soul would have been deceived and would have changed its perception of the real world. Time blocking was a much deeper and more obscure technique. Time itself was blocked, not the warrior''s Soul; and this had significant benefits in training. The Soul would not have been absolutely affected by the Illusion, as it should have been normally, but would have lived that experience as if it had been real. In an Illusion, the Soul was inevitably destined to suffer. The slowing down of time influenced and distorted, even if in an infinitesimal way, the Mana Path. Unfortunately, only beings of the calibre of Iblis and Alexander could use such a technique, where time itself was frozen. Moreover, the requirements were very strict. Obviously, they could not use the technique for themselves, but only to train warriors whose level was not too high. It would never work on an Immortal, like Siche or Kirin. Perhaps, at best, it could have brought benefits to someone like Cesar or Aure. However, for Helial''s training, Alexander intended to go much further than a simple Time Block. Skill Activated: Memory Seal The King was sealing Helial''s memories. He wanted to give him a second life, where he would not be born as an oppressed boy, but as a warrior among his peers. His sword would no longer bring hesitation and resentment, but would be a messenger of pride and ferocity. Iblis had used Helial''s negative emotions to let the boy better understand Curse of the Demon, and this had given him a natural inclination for the forces of Destruction. Alexander, on the contrary, wanted to help the Devil build incredible foundations for that young man. However, how could he really probe the mysteries of Life and Destruction by living only one life? He simply could not. Helial needed to live a second life to understand the forces of Life, the Mana that shone vigorously on warriors led by honour and dignity. The life force that permeated every single step of Alexander''s Mana Path came very close to the energy of Life. In the Age of Chaos, there had been many different Mana Paths; Life and Destruction weren''t so predominant and had not been able to create a clear rift within the universe, as had happened in the following era. Despite all this, Alexander''s Mana Path would have given Helial some Illuminations that the boy could never have received, not even living alongside Amaterasu, the Lady of Life. "If you are wrong, you shit head, the boy would repeat your own mistakes," said Iblis. "When we make a mistake, we do not only wrong us, but also others. In life it was a lesson you learned with difficulty, since half the generals who followed you either died or were killed by you, because of anger. " "It is dangerous to lean on those who walk in front of us, but a guide who has learned from his mistakes can avoid a lot of suffering. If you had someone who could make you understand the consequences of your actions, would you have made the same choice that forced you to exist in this form?" retorted Alexander. A strange serenity enveloped Iblis'': "I did a lot of fucked-up stuff, I won''t deny it. Every now and then I think I could have avoided some massacre here and there, maybe being slightly more benevolent with some shit that I stepped on, considering all the stench that I had to carry with me. But if there is something that I will absolutely never regret, Alexander, it is what led me to live like this." "Do you enjoy condemning yourself?" Laughed the King of the Madonis. "You have been condemned to live like a maniac. I have accomplished martyrdom, something necessary in order not to deviate from everything I believed and felt. Even today, if I had to repeat that choice now, I would take the same path." "So you mock me because I was abandoned by my generals and my army? But is it better than knowingly abandoning people who would follow you to the end of the world?" While two of the universe''s great monsters talked about their past and the choices that had brought them to solitude, Helial''s memory were slowly descending into oblivion. Now the boy was about to be reborn as a totally new person. 189 In This Life During the Age of Chaos, at King Philip''s court Madonia''s court was celebrating the wedding of King Philip with the descendant of one of the most important Merchant Guilds on the planet. The great hall was full of guests, princes and dignitaries from all over the known world, who came to celebrate such an important union, which would have led to the expansion of the kingdom of Madonia. The wine flowed between amphorae and cups, and there was not even one guest sober or able to walk without staggering. However, the most drunk was the King himself, who was too enthusiastic about the dowry that the new marriage had brought him: huge funds to finance his expeditions for the conquest to the neighbouring kingdoms. Beside the King, on the right, was sitting his first wife, derelict and sad, who could not pronounce even a word; next to her was her son Alexander, the King''s eldest son, a handsome boy of sixteen, with a proud and indomitable temperament. On the King''s left sat Philip''s new wife, with a delicate smile, and her father, almost as drunk as Philip. Alexander''s mother looked at the new Queen out of the corner of her eye and could not hold back an expression of disgust. She, descended from a noble lineage, who had begotten and raised the greatest hero in the universe, had been substituted by a sissy that had nothing to do with her in delicacy and bearing. How could a woman like her, born among the Dragons, be compared to those sheep without honour? Having more than one wife, at the time, was more than normal, especially for a King: marriages were nothing more than ways of signing treaties and obtaining wealth and possessions. However, the Queen felt betrayed, put aside. She felt she had by now a marginal role in her husband''s life. And, which annoyed her even more, not even her son Alexander cared about what that new marriage meant to her. "You will see, as soon as another child is born, he will put you aside just as he did with me," said the woman to her son, in a moment of anger. There and then, Alexander had given no importance to it and had judged that phrase only as the angry outburst of a woman; but those words, so harsh and poisonous, had crept into his head, crawling silently. As much as the young man tried to chase them away, he never totally succeeded. Now that the marriage had taken place, that uncomfortable feeling of mistrust towards his father had come back: the fear that his position as an heir would be somehow affected was growing. The mere sight of the King of Madonia made Alexander nervous: his every gesture, unsteady because of the wine, embarrassed him and Philip''s mere presence made him feel uncomfortable. However, Alexander patiently endured and controlled that feeling by holding his mother''s hand. Suddenly, the new bride''s father asked aloud for silence, and all those invited to the banquet became silent. The man stood up, staggering, and raised the chalice towards the heaven: "I hope that tomorrow Madonia will have a legitimate heir from this marriage!" Hearing those words, Philip got up too and toasted with a cry of joy, followed by the whole court. Alexander''s dichromatic eyes became as small as pins. The young heir to the throne went blind with anger. Alexander was sixteen and his blood was boiling in restlessness. His explosive temper was a nightmare for his enemies in battle, but also reason of anguish for his friends in peace. The words of Philip''s new father-in-law had implicitly called Alexander an illegitimate heir, to be replaced as soon as possible with a baby born from the new union. The old man had dared to publicly offend Alexander, the eldest son of King Philip, as if he had been an ordinary bastard. At that moment, all the suspicion accumulated for months, all the repressed hatred towards his father, exploded in a snarl: "Look! The one who was about to conquer the world, now cannot even put two steps in a row without falling on his ass! Is this the man you want to follow?!" Philip put his hand on his waist, ready to pull out his sword, but he realized he didn''t have it. "Surrounded by sheep and flatterers, even a tiger can lose strength and be devoured by hyenas!" Went on Alexander, and then added towards the bride''s father: "If Madonia does not already have an heir worthy of its name, I recommend you to lower my father''s trousers and start sucking his dick, because with all the alcohol he has ingested I doubt that tonight he will be able to generate another bastard of the calibre of the one standing in front of you." That was the straw that broke the camel''s back. Philip lost his mind. However, even Philip''s Ninth Phase was unable to cope with the litres of wine the King had swallowed. Taking a step forward, Philip tripped on cushions resting on the ground, and fell face first on the floor. "Look at him! He is your King!" laughed Alexander. His anger had now become mockery. "You ungrateful brat!" Shouted Philip, trying to stand up. His generals approached him in order to help, but the King refused. "Give me a sword, I''ll kill him!" The Generals, obviously, did not obey him, and held him back by force to prevent him from lashing out at Prince Alexander. Philip could not tolerate such an offence, not even from his son. If his generals hadn''t stopped him, he would have already put his hands around Alexander''s neck and sent him to the afterlife in seconds, without hesitation. Alexander grinned and turned on his heels, leaving the banquet followed by a group of kids of his age. Their way of walking was similar, so much so that all of them looked like facets of the Prince''s shadow. The young King, leaving the palace, looked with discomfort at his friends. "You don''t need to follow me. I have decided that I will go into exile, alone, until my father returns to his senses. If you came with me, you would attract anger that you don''t deserve." Two of his followers put their hands on his shoulders, pushing him forward. They were Efeistio and Crater. "Nothing will divide us," said Efeistio proudly. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "We have only one King, the true King of Madonia," added Crater solemnly. The others nodded silently, ready to lay down their lives for their King. From the group, a slender young man with a huge pitch-black sword tied to his back, whose blue eyes seemed to contain the force of all the storms in the ocean, said: "There is only one King. We grew up together and vowed to assist you to the end: we will not hold back now." Hearing that young man''s words, all the other future generals breathed a sigh of relief. Among them, Helial was the most talented, but also the most unpredictable. "I do not fear your father, nor the elders, nor the gods," said the young man firmly, with a calm voice. "If we have to pull the sky down and break it up, so be it. If we are to take the older generation that doesn''t want to honour you and impale them on spades, so be it. But let Alexander''s word dictate the law, not Philip''s. " The state of the Emperor had completely upset his taciturn and serious nature. Everyone turned to look at him, frightened by the possible consequences of those words. But at that moment, Helial no longer looked human. He was a titan-like creature, motionless amidst the wrath of the gods. Since Helial had entered the Time Block, his memories had been completely rewritten. His nature hadn''t changed in the least, but his experiences were totally different than he had in his previous life. Within that Illusion, Helial had lived his childhood in the palace together with Alexander. He had shown a talent out of the ordinary and his skills had peaked. Only the future King was able to stand up to him in a duel and subdue him. Even some of the older generation feared that young man''s talent and determination. Helial had no memory of the grudge he had had against Alexander: he only felt immense gratitude towards the King, who had allowed him to live developing himself to the best of his possibilities. The boy in that Time Block was no longer Lumia''s brother, the boy who had had to fight all his life against the chains imposed on him by Hades. Now Helial was a free warrior, whose heart was no longer obscured by shadows. In this life, the Devil''s young disciple no longer overshadowed the world with his overwhelming presence, but made his friends'' shine, like a sun that makes everything bright flooding it with its light. Being in a timeline in the Age of Chaos, Helial was unaware of how unthinkable it was to cultivate Mana of Life and Destruction together. Therefore, although his soul was by its nature attracted to Life, he did not fail to cultivate with commitment also his Mana of Destruction. Alexander patted on the back Efeistio and Crater, his most loyal friends, and then looked at Helial, the strongest one. "You gave me your word. As long as we are together, you cannot lose your life," said Alexander. "I''m not going to lose it," Helial replied. "I just want to tear it from the chest of your enemies." 190 Like his King Under the walls of a city, Alexander was breathing heavily. He was already at the Sixth Phase. His terrifying talent allowed him to rival even monsters at the Eighth Phase, but this time, perhaps, he had overestimated himself. The commander of the city of Gezia continued to throw terrifying blows against him, trying to take his life with every one of them. The commander was in the Late Stage of the Eighth Phase, at the limit of what Alexander could face. ¡­ Four years after going into exile, Alexander had become King, when dangers, envy and hatred against his kingdom were appearing everywhere. He was only twenty. Philip had been assassinated by one of his most trusted generals, who had been chased and killed while on the run. Together with him, Alexander had punished everyone involved in his father''s murder. However, despite the various investigations that had been carried out, the motive for the murder had never been found. True responsibility, according to many, including Alexander''s friends, was to be attributed to the young King''s mother. There was no concrete evidence, but most believed that Philip''s general had been corrupted by Alexander''s mother. They were all convinced that she had clouded the General''s mind, using esoteric arts that had been handed down for generations in her Clan. After the murder, Alexander had also had to organise an escort for his father''s younger wife, who was widowed after just a few years of marriage. Even the new King feared that his mother might kill her if she wasn''t properly protected. As much as Alexander''s pride prevented him from admitting it, the relationship between him and his father had always been visceral and nothing, not even Alexander''s voluntary exile, had managed to break the affection they felt for each other. Philip, after the wedding night in which he had threatened his own son, had cried for three whole days, regretting how he had treated Alexander. His pain was eased only by an emissary who had warned him that Alexander was alive and well, sheltered in the city where he had studied as a child. In order to amend his mistake, Philip had sent Alexander a letter to reassure him that he was the only legitimate heir to the throne. But now that Philip was dead, Alexander was facing an unprecedented crisis. On Madonia''s borders, in all the territories that his father had conquered, people were revolting and everyone wanted to set up an independent government. The old King had left his son with a very heavy burden. As young as the new ruler was, everyone thought they could take advantage of that moment and claim their independence. Nobody imagined that that boy, now about to collapse under the weight of all the problems that had hit him, would one day conquer almost the whole universe. "We have to step aside, train, and only then claim what is ours," said Crater, with a dark expression on his face, as soon as Alexander was officially proclaimed King. The situation did not bode well. Crater and all the other Alexander''s followers were immediately appointed generals by the new king. If they had stayed with him in his darkest hour, Alexander would have kept them with him till the end of the world. Efeistio was silent. Whatever decision they made, he would follow his King. "If we back off right now, when we will try to put them back in line they will say: ''Oh, look, it''s Alexander, that weak fag that shat in his pants ten years ago.''" Alexander''s words, since he had become King, were always accompanied by a determined gaze. "If I changed the attitude my father kept so far, we would be subjected to their mercy." "Without Philip, our army cannot stand up to those who have always been its enemies," said Crater through gritted teeth. For years he had studied military discipline and no one knew more than him about militias. In the years to come he would have gained enough experience to make him the first strategist under Alexander during his conquest the universe. "What do you need Philip for when you have Alexander?" Said the King indignantly. Everyone was silent, knowing that the young King was a hot head and, once he had decided something, nobody could stop him. Crater''s gaze stopped on Helial, begging him to intervene. Helial shook his head. "I don''t think it''s my duty to intervene in this decision." And so it was. Alexander decided he would act like this: he first calmed all the rebellions that had occurred on the borders of Madonia and then began to head towards the conquered nations that were trying to rebel. Inside the continent, everyone hated him, convinced that he was a threat to the independence of every nation, as Philip had been before him. But if the old King seemed to have kept a little sense, thanks to his humble origins, it was not so for Alexander: the young man had studied with the greatest masters of the continent and known the greatest living sages. He had a strong character and ruled with an unrivalled iron fist. All the barbarians found to loot and plunder had been impaled alive and kept alive through Runes and Formations, to make them suffer as long as possible. Their screams rang for days along the streets, a dismal warning not to break the laws of the kingdom of Madonia. That was Alexander''s first action to assert his strength. It was as if he meant to say, "I''m not a kid." In fact, after his first real battle as a king, he was considered a lunatic by most. ¡­ The King of the Getis, Azemilco, descended directly from the Dragons and the blood of these mythical creatures flowed in his veins. Skill Activated: Draconic Conversion. His body had been refined by the power of those legendary creatures and, in a plain where there were no Immortals, he could defeat every other Human. His skin began to grow scales and his Meridians became harder than steel. Not even a hundred swords could have scratched his skin. Draconic Conversion transformed the Mana into pure Strength, thus guaranteeing Azemilco extraordinary capabilities. Alexander''s opponent did not need elegant or elaborate Skills, but he would have broken through every obstacle in his path. Only Philip, who had reached the Ninth Phase, could have faced that man without batting an eyelid. The planet on which Madonia was located was in short supply of Immortals. Only a couple of Immortals could be found in those lands and they weren''t up to the big monsters in the universe at all. Alexander had immense talent and boundless courage, but this time he had acted like a lunatic. He had tried to defeat a man much more powerful than he was. On the battlefield, the Getis were at a numerical disadvantage, but their physical strength had cornered the Madonis. The battle was taking place in a valley. The two enemy armies were facing each other and fighting without adopting particular strategies. Efeistio fought like a maniac, leading the cavalry against the Getis'' ranks. Their armour was really strong. In fact, they were famous for being the greatest blacksmiths on the planet. Although their number was lower than the Madonis'', their superior defense guaranteed by their equipment was a crucial factor in the clash. Madonis and Getis'' power was balanced. However, the Getis received far fewer wounds and therefore could fight longer, going beyond the limits of a human body. The left and right wings of the Madoni deployment continued to be kept under pressure by the unstoppable power of the Getis. There was no way out. As out of the ordinary as Stamina and Vigour of the warriors in Alexander''s army was, what could they do if even their leader was unable to stand up to Azemilco? Was it worthwhile for Alexander''s army to be crushed in that hazardous battle? Several felt their legs tingling in fear. They were ready to flee and turn their backs on the enemy and their King to save their lives. Crater, covered in blood from head to toe, so that not even his wounds were visible, roared like a wounded lion and broke the skull of an enemy General. Skill Activated: Comet Alexander''s General leapt upwards, rising tens of meters in the air. He was covered by sunlight and started to look like of the celestial bodies that populate the firmament. At the highest point in his trajectory, he seemed to freeze in mid-air for a few seconds. A dazzling light enveloped his body and he began to plummet at full speed towards the enemy lines. The blood formed cobweb threads in the air, dispersing in drops and then in steam due to the temperature generated by the Skill. ¡­ In the middle of a forest near the battlefield, a young man on horseback looked into the distance. "When are we going to attack?" Said one of his men anxiously. "Not now," said the rider, watching Crater''s attack explode with unprecedented violence. "If we don''t attack now, everyone will die!" Shouted another. "We have to attack!" Pressed the others. Skill Activated Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Lv: 3 Flame of the Qilin Grade: Master Knowledge level: Manifestation of Weapons Radius: 1500 m Damage: 9500-14000/sec Effects: Flame of Qilin has different damage based on the link between those who use and the Forces of Life. Deals triple damage against Dark creatures. Inflicts Burning Malus Cost: 0 In a split second, the belts that held their swords were charred by a white flame and all the men found themselves stripped of their armour. "Take the traitors away, they will be punished after we have won the battle," said Helial briefly without even looking away, observing the actions of the two armies. His control over Flame of the Qilin had reached a terrifying level. After passing the Master Grade, Helial could also have used Flame of the Qilin to heal wounds and remove poisons from the body. Together with Alexander, Helial had studied Medical Art, and both had reached the Master Grade. Moreover, Sword Art and many other Skills had also reached the same rank. Although he had not gone up a level, only the gods knew what his effectiveness would be in combat in the real world. Within the Time Block, Helial was in the Sixth Phase, like his King. 191 The King of Kings In his life as a Madoni, Helial had been trained with Alexander to manage battles and every kind of difficulty he would face. At that moment, he did not intend to miss the opportunity he had glimpsed, despite the apparently extreme situation. If the King had not yet ordered to retreat, there had to be a reason, right? Helial slowly placed his hand on the hilt of Curse of the Demon, tied to his back, and stroked the mane of his horse, which supported the weight of the rider and his weapon. The Great sword, in fact, was normally very heavy, but Helial could regulate its weight by thought, so that it was not too bulky to carry on horseback. Helial had owned Curse of the Demon since he had memory. It had always been at his side. Neither he nor any of the Madonis could understand its origins. Helial only knew that Curs of the Demon was a terribly powerful weapon. It could act as a Skill catalyst and it allowed him to show off terrifying abilities in battle. He had discovered that Curse of the Demon seemed to possess an internal series of Meridians, similar to those of a living creature. He had shared his doubts with Alessandro, but it seemed that there was no other weapon like that. Stranger still, that layer of Meridians seemed to be called ... Rice with Butter? Helial analysed the situation on the battlefield as best he could. The army''s central body was being crushed by the enemy offensive, and it was folded in two. The right wing was about to collapse. The left was the only one in decent conditions. If the reinforcements did not arrive in time, however, this stalemate would have lasted only a short time. "We will attack from the left wing!" Yelled Helial. "We will crush them in a pincer manoeuvre while the others will push them towards us. We will have to be quick and not hesitate." The soldiers were stunned hearing their general''s words They were the reserve and should have rushed to the aid of those in difficulty. Therefore, following this logic, they should go and help the right wing. But their commander had just said the exact opposite. However, shortly before, he had treated harshly and unpleasantly those who dared to complain, so the soldiers preferred not to object. Swallowing, they followed Helial''s shadow, who had already sprung forward on horseback. As much as they thought that Helial''s strategy was wrong, at the end of the battle all his subordinates had to change their mind: thanks to that decision, the Madonis won the battle. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The left wing had lengthened thanks to Helial''s support and had crushed the enemies in the centre from several sides. The pincer technique had routed the enemy left wing, so the reserve and the Madonis'' left wing could then attack the centre. Encircled, the enemies had fallen back, and those who were attacking the right wing had rushed to support their companions. But the Madonis had chased all their enemies, who until then had inflicted terrible losses on them. By slaughtering every single one they could see, the right wing had time to recover and the left overturned the fate of the clash. Helial, Crater and Efeistio had killed all the enemy Generals, before helping Alexander, who was now very close to death. They had killed Azemilco and his son, one of the enemy Generals, defeating the entire army and not even giving it the opportunity to respond to their powerful attack. Alexander, on the verge of death, felt unprecedented anger, not for the pain he had suffered, but for the damage that had been caused to his men. His revenge hit all of Gezia''s population. The lands surrounding the city were flooded with extracts of poisonous plants, containing Mana of Death, which would have prevented any form of life from inhabiting the area. That territory, once so luxuriant, would now host nothing but ghosts. Mana of Death was one of many forms of energy in the universe. However, it was very dangerous and had corrosive properties. It was a degradation of Mana of Destruction, a degeneration. It was mainly used by warriors who cultivated Ghost Skills. Ghosts were warriors'' souls, collected and imprisoned through Skills. These kind of warriors were frowned upon, also because of the uncanny Aura that surrounded them, due to the presence of creatures such as ghosts, Ghouls and Undead alongside them. Some Undead, as in the case of Orma''s enemies, could even escape the control of those who had created them and create colonies. They still had the ability to acquire Skills and level up, just as when they were alive. Unfortunately, however, they acquired an innate hostility towards the living. Secondly, every single citizen was made a slave and sent to work in Madonia''s mines; all who opposed the King''s order would be killed instantly, and the same would happen to any rebel. Not even women and children were spared. Some of them became slaves, others were sent to brothels, others to mines. The elders, if too old to work, were killed without mercy. In the face of such fury, not even Helial and Crater could not make the King come to his senses. Efeistio, for his part, supported Alexander''s every choice, however insane and bloody it was. Alexander was now in the Late Stage of the Sixth Phase, while Helial and the other generals were in the Initial Stage. Since he was the strongest among them, stopping him was practically impossible. The hilarity of victory soon overcame the anger for the losses. Alexander was healed quickly thanks to his Healing Skills and immediately organized banquets that lasted days and nights, seeming never ending. But the celebrations were interrupted by a missive from the big wigs of the continent. An order - no, a threat. If he had not released all the slaves, Alexander would have been declared public enemy number one and an alliance between nations would have been created specifically to destroy him. Helial supported Alexander in all his choices and, once again, he proved ready to fight alongside his King against a possible coalition. By now the boy lived among the Madonis as if he were one of them, without any memory of his real life. Within that Illusion, even his Phase had by far exceeded his real one. His mind had already dealt with all the bottlenecks and if he continued at this rate, he would soon reach Immortality ¡­ Inside Helial''s soul Sitting around a bare table, a man, a Devil and a horse were talking to each other. "Twenty years have passed. I thought you were only going to train him, not to make him live another life," said Iblis, sipping fruit juice. Alexander sighed and crossed his arms on his chest. "In the past, he didn''t receive the teachings he needed. Within my Time Block, however, battle after battle, he has been forged for command, for strategy and has understood how great leaders think. Living in his brother''s shadow, like a mouse, his mind would hardly have become suitable for a commander." "He cannot go further in Levels. Not now, at least. If he touches the gates of Immortality with his mind in an Illusion, his Soul would have a great difficulty growing, once returned to reality." "If you are such an incredible teacher, why didn''t you think of it? Without my King, this disciple of yours would have remained a sewer rat," whinnied Bucephalus. "After reaching a certain level, the concept of time seems increasingly dilated. Being powerful also means seeing time flow slowly. May Mana assist me when I say I would rather be a prostitute at the First Phase rather than hear a fucking horse spitting bullshit all day," muttered Iblis. "Keep calm, calm now," yawned Alexander. "You once had a nice temper," Iblis pointed out, opening a gap in space, projected onto the Illusion in which Helial was. From there he could see the King of the Madonis completely drunk, toasting on the corpses of his enemies. "You did some pretty bad massacres, apparently. Why are you so different now?" Alexander got up from his chair and lay down on the lawn, feeling the freshness of the grass. In that natural pose, he no longer looked like a King. He was just what was left of a human being. ¡­ "Alexander! Your men are dying, they are hungry and tired. How are you going to conquer the rest of the universe, alone?!" Shouted Crater to his King. The General could no longer recognize his King, his childhood friend Alexander. Since he had conquered more than half of the peoples of the universe, the King had begun to wear clothes different from the Madonis'' sober ones. Now he wore precious coloured fabrics, following barbaric fashion, and ate only uncommon, expensive food. The education he received, based on frugality, seemed to have been totally forgotten. "The men are exhausted. However many Immortals may be in our ranks, they too can go no further. They can no longer raise their weapons, use their Formations and absolutely not assault strongholds covered from top to bottom by esoteric Formations never seen before. Let''s go home; we can''t stay here any longer!" But Alexander intended to continue his campaign of conquest in unknown lands. Everyone opposed him. The soldiers began to refuse to march on, one after another. Seeing that mutiny, Alexander for a while remained closed in his tent, furious. Anger and despair attacked him like cruel enemies, laying him an ambush that would mortally wound him. Going back, for him, would have been a defeat. However, how could he conquer new territories without an army? In the end, Alessandro made a decision: he gave orders to dismantle the camp and march home. The greatest king, the King of Kings, Alexander, was not defeated by any enemy. His own troops did it. 192 Time Is Our Enemy Helial had acquired many levels in his Skills, his knowledge of war and his experience in combat; the latter was perhaps the most precious of all. Iblis thought that the training in the Illusion created by Alexander had lasted long enough, and asked the King to send Helial back to the real world. "Allow me to teach the boy one last thing before I send him back and restore his memories and pain," sighed Alexander. "One more day without the huge weight you put on his shoulders is just one more day of happiness for him." Iblis snorted, but remained silent. He glanced at the gap in the space he had created just before and saw Helial carefully brushing his horse, standing in a river up to his waist. Helial had removed the horse''s bridle and saddle and had tied it to a tree branch. With a large, wet scrubbing brush, he was removing the blood clots that had dried on the animal''s fur. Then he placed a hand on his companion''s withers and concentrated his Mana within his Meridians. The wounds that the steed had suffered the battle healed immediately. Helial had no Healing Skills, but his Art of Medicine had reached the Master grade thanks to Alexander''s company; the latter had learned it from one of the greatest masters of the time and had decided to pass it on to his partner Helial. The King had always liked caring for others and had always maintained that without his companions'' help he could never have become the great Alexander. Without companions, no one would. Helial''s Mana now possessed healing properties and could heal wounds that even most Elixirs would not be effective on. Helial healed the horse and brushed it until its fur was shiny again. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The boy casually looked up and saw a sparrow flying in front of him. Suddenly, the bird stopped in mid-air, then turned back as if it was a recording. Then, time was stopped again and the bird stopped for a split second, then suddenly accelerated! The bird''s time flow seemed to have been altered by some strange power. A fluctuation came to Helial, and he immediately activated Perception. Among the foliage, a shadow looked melancholy at the young man. In his right eye, the green one, a strange Array of Runes kept changing and distorting. Skill Activated: Perception Now, even without using eyes, Perception radius greatly exceeded that of any Divine Sense. It covered a 360¡ã area and could be concentrated in an instant on a specific place. "Alexander, did you join the circus now that you play with animals?" The General standing in the middle of the river knew very well that, among his King''s many talents, there was a Mana Path made of Time. With a serious expression, Alexander emerged from the bush. "What''s going on?" said Helial immediately, troubled by the concern on the King''s face. ¡­ Inside Helial''s Soul "Did you just perform a Divination?" asked Iblis, amazed. Not even the greatest of the Devils had ever been able to predict Helial''s fate accurately. Yet his divination and prediction techniques of the future were second to none. His Path of Destruction was intrinsically linked to Destiny and, therefore, had a much greater sensitivity than others had in the field of Divination. Perhaps Iblis had underestimated the King. Besides, there were many things about Alexander that had been unknown even to the greatest kings of that time. Maybe not for Iblis, but for the rest of the universe, Alexander was a legend, in every sense. Alexander had Time on his Mana Path; this probably allowed him to use some Skills that Iblis was not aware of. A Mana Path that had been lost with the end of the Chaos Era. In the course of the ages, in fact, some knowledge and Skills had disappeared from the face of the universe. ¡­ Helial saw on the King''s face an expression that he had never seen before. Alexander''s face seemed full of infinite compassion and pain. The King''s eyes were shiny and gave off a warm aura of kindness. "Alexander is not just anger and rage. When he conquered almost the whole universe, he was also a person capable of indulging in passion without restraint. He burned an entire planet while inebriated by immortal alcohol. He had entire peoples crucified for disrespect, made enemy lands arid after a small offense. Nevertheless, he loved; Alexander loved infinitely. Women and friends were my biggest concern." Iblis'' young disciple was confused by those words, until Alexander snapped his fingers. A ray of milky light hit the young man''s between the eyebrows. Slowly, images crossed Helial''s mind. They were ... memories. Memories of a life he had never lived, memories that didn''t belong to him. Helial''s steed disappeared in mid-air, dissolving like dust, while space all around them began to collapse. The faces of Crater, Efeistio, all the generals and friends that Helial had, passed before his eyes. A strange melancholy filled the young man''s heart. Like shards from a mirror, all their images shattered, one after the other. A sudden sadness flooded Helial''s heart. Alexander''s Generals, for him, were much more than friends. They were like brothers. The feelings he felt for them were slowly translated to beings that Helial had never known in his life as a Madoni: a girl with silver hair, a cat, two Goblins - a girl with a frightened look and a boy who seemed smart and brave. The image of a woman with abundant curves wrapped in black leather made her way into the mind of Helial, who felt something he had never experienced in his life. Although he had met many women, none had made him feel anything like that. He felt that this unknown woman had to be extraordinary and unique. As the memories of his real life began to surface, Alexander took his head in his hands. The King who had always been on the front line, who had never been afraid of anything, was about to sink back into solitude. Twenty years with a friend pass quickly when you have eternity to face, alone. With Helial''s face in his hands, Alexander entered the river and slowly placed his forehead against the boy''s. Then he took his hand and brought it down, touching the surface. ¡­ Inside Helial''s Soul Iblis suddenly felt his disciple''s Soul tremble. It was as if an earthquake of magnitude ten had begun to shake his soul. "What the fuck are you doing?" Swore Iblis, removing plates and glasses from the table set for two. Alexander, now standing and with his hands behind his back, looked solemnly at the sky. The Devil looked at him perplexed. He felt an enormous mass of Mana move and flow from all over Orma towards the Octagonal Room and inside Helial''s body. "I can''t make him level up, but I''ve condensed millennia of experience into a maxim that he will study over time. Each facet of this phrase can be interpreted differently. Only by meditating for a long time on its meaning will he be able to touch the Mana of Time. But in the meantime, it will help his constitution and all his Attributes, as well as his Meridians." "Why are you doing this?" Iblis asked, confused. Condensing all one''s knowledge into a maxim and passing it on was the equivalent of leaving all one''s inheritance to a person, without the possibility of taking it back, unless Helial died. The Devil did not understand why Alexander would make such a great gift to the young man. "What awaits you is much more terrifying than he can imagine, perhaps even more than you can imagine. For the next century, my maxim will not affect this young man''s life too much, but later it will be necessary to keep on living and bend destiny to his advantage" ¡­ "Put your hand in the water," said the King slowly. Helial, almost under hypnosis, put his hand in the river without thinking about it. The first phalanges of the hand were caressed by the stream of fresh water, as if they were placed on a soft silk cushion. "I had three wives and many other women, but even more worries. I understood the love of friends in war; I hated some of my companions in peace. From here to the end of the universe, I never stopped to rest, except for some fatal injury. " All the Mana around the two began to condense, as if waiting to explode violently in Helial''s body. "You have suffered and you will suffer again. I have shown you a glimpse of a life full of love, as well as hate, to make you understand what you are missing. The suffering will always be greater than any other feeling and you will see many people die, since time is our enemy." At the word time, the Mana boiled furiously. "Life plunges into the river of destiny and in its flow constantly changes. One cannot descend into the same flow twice. In every instant life changes, and what always seems to be the same current also changes at the passing of each moment. The Destiny that surrounds life flows ferociously, but with each movement, they touch each other differently. Be master of your time, claim it for yourself, and you will be master of your destiny as well." BOOM Everything shattered. Helial suddenly opened his eyes and found himself in the Octagonal Room, surrounded by absolute silence. Everything was immobile and at his side there was only a bundle. A voice made its way into his mind and spoke a few words, which became more and more feeble every second: "In a few hours you will have to face Medusa. Consider this a farewell gift." Helial looked at his palms. He felt a terrifying power flow through his body. 193 Let the Show Begin Nelia wrapped Cesar''s arm with her hands. They were walking towards the entrance of the Colosseum and greeting the crowd reunited to witness the clash. At their level, they could have simply appeared in their grandstand, without having to walk through the crowd. However, her husband hated to rise above the people, as if he were a superior creature. Cesar had always aspired to the sovereign position and overturned the Senate system. In fact, Cesar was the first King of Orma. Convinced that the Senate was unable to manage the city, he had carried out a coup d''¨¦tat and seized power. But never, from the beginning of his reign until that day, the people had feared or watched Cesar from afar. The ruler of the Capital spent as much time as possible among his people. "It''s obvious that you come from Suburra," laughed Nelia as Cesar greeted imperiously, but slightly ungainly. He waved his arm vigorously, as if he were an ordinary man. "When the Senate pretended to be superior to the people, there was a need for a tyrant who knew what these people wanted. They are simple Goblins, they want to eat, get stronger and have fun. What use could it be to talk about refined stuff and shake my hand like a sissy? They want a King, not a Queen. Otherwise, you would be the one on the throne." Cesar spoke these words with a smile, but they were completely true. Nelia could never have ruled with the same hold on the people Cesar had. Not even the Sect of the Worthy, who intended to remove the King from his throne, would have persuaded the people of Orma to turn against their ruler. The Colosseum was more crowded than usual. There were so many spectators that some were piling on the balustrades and were at risk of falling. The big wigs of the Royal Academy, Crispio, Binio and Filopappo were also present in the stands. Cesar waved to them and they arrived in front of him shortly after. "Your Majesty, it is incredible how a clash between kids managed to drag you here," laughed Crispio. The old Dean of the Royal Academy had no fear of speaking frankly to Cesar or Aure. Although he was not an Immortal, his power was profound and impossible to measure. Binio and Filopappo greeted the King with awe. Even Binio, born in the Sect of the Worthy, strongly feared Cesar. The King of Orma possessed a terrifying power and, if not for Aure, no one within the Sect of the Worthy would even dream of going against him. "If even the Dean of the Academy, Orma''s most rigid and severe inhabitant, spends his time attending this show, I really think I made the right choice, too." After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the King went to talk to other big guys from the various Clans. A plump man with three or four chin approached Cesar, almost rolling. He wore brightly coloured clothes and many jewels on his fingers and arms. "Guiccia, I see you lost weight", laughed the King of Orma. With a dark expression on his face, the man replied: "If you want, we can make the whole Clan of the Sacred Eagle lose weight. It doesn''t take long to raise the prices of Elixir, Herbs, Weapons, Armour... Shall we raise taxes a bit? " He rolled his eyes. Although that man might seem harmless at first glance, he was actually an expert at the Tenth Phase, and within the walls of Orma he was second only to the Immortals. The owner of the Merchants Guild, Caliban''s father, Guiccia. Out of nowhere, Aure appeared on the grandstand. In Orma, the stands were not divided by Clan, Sects or Guilds. All the bigwigs sat together under one roof. In fact, before Aure had begun to plot against the Clan of the Sacred Eagle, Orma was united as no other Nation was. In human Capital, as well as in Biancofiore and in every corner of the Fiercelake nation, there were always intrigues and conspiracies everywhere. Until then, however, no betrayal had ever been seen within the walls of Orma. Although conflicts were evident, no one intended to go against the traditions established by the ancestors. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Enemies, allies, merchants, masters - they all sat together. The Leader of the Sect of the Worthy greeted all the people around him and sat on Cesar''s right. Auras had an elegant bearing, worthy of a man of his calibre. And to Cesar''s left the last of Orma''s big shots materialized, making his triumphal entry with a... "Damn bitch!" It was Big, who had just arrived and was looking around, sighing with relief. He seemed to be happy to be there, as if he had just run away from the most fearsome of enemies. He began to massage his left cheek, on which stood out a red handprint. Everyone present, turning to him, noticed the slap Big had on his face. Big was not an Immortal, he was one of the big shots in the Tenth Phase, but he was famous for being a person of unprecedented vigour. Many claimed lava flowed in the Goblin''s veins, instead of normal blood. "Your wife is truly frightening," Cesar said without any mockery in his voice. He meant it too. Crispio, Big, Guiccia. All the pillars of Orma. After the two Immortals, they carried the responsibility of the Capital on their shoulders. Still, there was another person, equally terrifying, able to stand up to them. The Guild of Life and Death was compared to the Clan of the Sacred Eagle and the Sect of the Worthy not only because its leader was Big, the only Warrior in the Tenth Phase that they had, but also for a second, very important resource. Fwoosh! "Our daughter said that you again abused your role as a father to punish her!" A ringing voice reached Big''s ears, and he felt a shiver run down his back. Big''s wife, Roxy, had reached her husband in the arena too... Aure and Cesar turned their gaze elsewhere, doing their best not to get involved in the matter. Crispio, from the height of his old age and wisdom, also began to whistle merrily, pretending to be a total fool. BOOM! CRASH! Roxy slapped Big again, knocking him from his chair, while the other big shots of Orma all around were stunned. Nelia covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed. All the big shots of Orma were now ready, and the only thing missing to start the show were its protagonists. 194 "Lets Drink To Ignorance!" "Welcome, welcome!" Shouted a Goblin in the middle of the arena. Star, the best presenter in the Colosseum. Of all the presenters in the arena, Star was the one the people acclaimed the most, but also the one that was seen the least. Usually he only hosted important events, such as the matches of the undisputed champion of the Colosseum, Pseudonym, and did not care for minor shows. However, this time the conflict seemed promising: a fight for revenge had great potential. If he were entertaining enough, Star would have led many more spectators than usual to watch the fight and bet; this meant receiving a considerable profit by the end of the clash, both for him and for the arena. The occasion presented itself as quite singular, above all because Cesar, Aure and all the bigwigs of Orma had appeared in their stands to watch the fight. How could he let such an opportunity escape? Star ran a hand through his electric-blond hair and raised his index finger to the sky. "ORMAAAAAAAA, ARE YOU READYYYYYYYYYYY?" As the news continued, a face framed by silver hair peeked out from a gate leading to the internal galleries of the Colosseum. "Where are the others?" Murmured that figure, wrapped in a snow-white coat. "Who the fuck is that buffoon?" Suddenly asked an impertinent voice from behind the girl''s shoulders. Raising one hand, without turning her head, the figure in white stroked the other''s fur. She felt something irregular under her fingertips and frowned. Suddenly she turned her head. Snowflake''s fur was crisscrossed with scars and wounds, still bloody. The once white coat was now a disaster. From the creature''s laboured breathing, it was easy to understand that many of those wounds were still healing. "Wilder and wilder, eh?" Laughed Lumia. "I look more like a Supreme Wild Cat now. However, all these wounds are not random, it''s all studied: I have imposed myself a handicap to give others a fighting chance against the magnificence of this cat. Of course, of course, to get all the way down to the lever those retarded had I would have to cut my whiskers, maybe a paw or tw... " Lumia rolled her eyes, but inside her heart she could not hide a certain happiness, seeing that Snowflake was safe and sound and had not changed at all. The training they all underwent this time was not something human. Lumia had feared more than once that some of them may not survive. She herself had repeatedly risked dying, killed by Iblis. Although, a couple of times, the girl had sensed he was somehow distracted, as if the Devil''s mind was occupied with something else, and had managed to get him in a tight corner. Despite the risks, it seemed that the training had paid off: Snowflake''s Aura, despite his injuries, was incredibly dense. He had reached the Second Phase. The cat looked at the girl and cursed: "How the fuck did you reach the Late stage of the Second Phase? Did you also stabilize the shit out of your Mana?" Looking more closely at his muzzle, Lumia realized that Snowflake had a large scar going from the eyebrow to under his right eye, and it made him look fierce. Despite his frightening appearance, Snowflake felt at a disadvantage with that terrifying little girl. Lumia had reached the Late Stage of the Second Phase! And he had barely managed to conquer the Second Phase while training his Skills. Maybe the girl hadn''t trained her Skills much or stabilized her Mana, in order to advance in Level and Phase as fast as possible. Still, Lumia''s abundant and dense Aura left no doubt about her strength. How fucking old was she? Ten? And had she made all this progress? "For the love of lasagna," murmured Snowflake. "Can I see if your back is still comfortable or do you need a saddle now?" Lumia laughed, moving a silver lock behind her shoulders. "A WHAT?!" yelled Snowflake, extending his claws. And, as the two quarrelled, a scarlet figure appeared in a flash in front of them. The minds of both were assaulted by a will to kill, viscous and truly difficult to ignore. Lumia and Snowflake were unable to understand whose scary power it was and prepared to battle. The figure inspired. In a second, the murderous intent disappeared, allowing Lumia and Snowflake to breathe normally. "Did you come too?" Lumia exclaimed, amazed, after recognizing one of her companions in that disturbing figure. A huge bow was clearly visible on the boy''s back, wrapped in a scarlet cape. The pointed features on his face shifted slightly, to make way for a pearly white smile. Vlad nodded. "If Helial wants to overturn Orma, I''m here to lend a hand and take advantage of it, to try to have some fun." Snowflake and Lumia frowned. Looking back on all the occasions they had been in Vlad''s company, they did not remember ever having seen the boy smile like this, nor speak with such ease. Furthermore, even though Vlad was only in the Initial Stage of the Second Phase, there was something truly terrifying about his Aura. Even the fur of Snowflake, a fiery and fearless Heavenly Star Tiger, crawled feeling of the young man''s power. Just then, two voices were heard approaching, one very loud and enthusiastic, the other more feeble and delicate; they were Frankenstein and Lulu. Frankenstein wore an endless array of new equipment. At a quick glance, he seemed ready to go to war against an entire battalion. Analysing his Aura, Snowflake noticed that the Goblin had reached the Intermediate stage of the Second Phase. Lulu had changed least of all, but she too had reached the Initial stage of the Second Phase. Meanwhile, in the arena, Star kept speaking, accompanied by the shouts and whistles of the crowd: "Today we have two very important clashes! For the first round, Medusa''s team, one of the greatest talents of the new generation in the Sect of the Worthy," and, at these words, the audience exploded in cheers and applause, "against the team of the King''s disciple, Helial!" And here, instead, the audience started to whistle. "It will be a death match, AAAAREEEE YOUUUUU READYYYYYYYYY?" The crowd replied with some non-identifiable noises, as a sign of approval. Aure was satisfied with the audience''s reaction, but did not show it and continued to sip wine from his golden chalice. He turned to Guiccia and asked him: "Guiccia, what are your predictions? The Merchants Guild is famous for its information network." "Information has a price," Guiccia replied, without paying too much attention to Aure. Probably, only that merchant had the courage to treat the two Immortals of Orma as if they were not the most powerful beings in the whole City-State. Furthermore, Guiccia did not side with either, so he was totally neutral. Unlike his son Caliban, who was clearly on the side of the Clan of the Sacred Eagle. But Guiccia knew that business was more important than sympathy. It was a lesson that his son would learn over time. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Always behaving like a beggar," snorted Big. "If you didn''t have several Immortals on your payroll, would you be brave enough to speak like this? I could break in two that fragile marrow you have with half a kick." Guiccia laughed, shaking all his chins, and raised his glass to the sky: "Let''s drink to ignorance!" After that, he swallowed the alcohol and continued to ignore Big, as if he were nothing but an annoying fly. Nelia was talking to Roxy, sharing with her how much their husbands and the big shots of Orma were nothing but overgrown brats. Aure, in all this, had remained completely untouched by Guiccia''s uncivilized manner. While Big was insulting Guiccia and Aure continuing to sip his wine, Cesar rose to his feet. Everyone looked at him and became silent. Guiccia was silent too. Facing of the King''s supreme authority, nobody wanted to show disrespect. "Let the games begin! Let the participants in!" Cesar announced. 195 Sacrificial Lambs "And here are the future winners of the clash!" Star yelled at the crowd, sending it into raptures. With his hand, he pointed at the tunnel where Medusa''s team was. The gate that separated them from the arena opened and the Team of the Keepers of the Firmament entered the Colosseum. The crowd''s eyes followed to the shadows that were beginning to be cast on the arena sandy ground. The first figure made its entrance and the audience exploded. "ME-DU-SA-ME-DU-SA." Many on the stands looked at the direct descendant of the Sect of the Worthy with dreamy eyes, almost too ashamed to imagine her in their bedsheets. Medusa was one of the most desired women in all Orma and one of the strongest, but her fame would have spread to the end of the world if not for two unexpected rivals: Circe and Pseudonym. If not for their presence, Medusa would have been Orma''s most famous warrior. Not even Comodo could have rivalled her reputation. That woman was the most precious gem in the Sect of the Worthy, the future Aure hoped for his Sect. The Sect of the Worthy had been really unlucky. If Medusa was strong, Circe was a tiger with wings. And Pseudonym had no rivals. Medusa looked ahead and walked confidently, wearing a violet tunic. A terrifying light shone in her green eyes. There were two sharp Chakrams at her waist, and their flashes sent myriads of reflections onto the sand. Arrived at the centre of the arena, alone, she seemed able to bear all the pressure of the clash alone without problems. Normally no presentations were prepared for teams fighting in the arena. However, given the special occasion, the Coliseum''s big guys had decided to try and make money out of it as much as possible. "Where the fuck is Helial?" Swore Snowflake, beginning to get nervous. The cat had just sensed Medusa''s Aura. It seemed that the champion of the Sect of the Worthy had reached the Late stage of the Third Phase. This time, it wouldn''t be so easy to win. "I don''t know," said Lumia, continuing to keep her eyes fixed onto the arena. "I almost hope he won''t come. I''d like to take care of that bitch myself." Frankenstein continued to tinker with his equipment, while Lulu looked at him and prepared her Skills. Vlad looked at the corridor ceiling, trying to ignore the words of that mad team in which he had found himself, thanks to his cousin''s meddling. After Medusa, four distinct figures made their way into the arena. The first warrior who stopped behind Medusa was a young man with a heroic and majestic bearing, who looked proudly at the crowd, while waving his hand to greet them. The women in the stands watched him with dreamy eyes. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Aiako, the strongest after Medusa in the team. A little farther on, a girl with huge glasses and several tools on her stopped at his side. "Did you get all your toys today?" Laughed Aiako. Margherita looked at him with a hint of contempt: "Ignorant swine." "Say that again," said Aiako, smiling wickedly. "You bastard, ignorant swine," Margherita shrugged. Aiako was about to move forward, when he felt a feeling of imminent death and suddenly dodged a dart that came from nowhere. "Stop it." The two stopped immediately. Medusa had just given the first order. Behind Aiako and Margherita, Atlanta and Ceni arrived. Atlanta was an expert with the Bow. It was even said that she was the best archer of her generation. Her hawk-like eyes squared the arena as he stroked his weapon: "How many preys are there?" Ceni, the most discreet of the team, was a priestess and took care of support and Healing. Her role, albeit not in the limelight, was among the most important, if not the most important, of the team. A team that can''t heal won''t last long in battle. In the stands that hosted the big shots of Orma there was discussion of how the clash would go and everyone spoke their mind. Aure boasted the formation of Medusa''s team with great ease, assuming that they would win. Not even for a second had he been touched by the idea that Medusa could lose; but, if such an event had happened, it would irreparably shake the whole Sect. "And your boy? Is he ready to face his opponents?" Big asked Cesar, looking at the rim of his goblet full of wine. "I haven''t seen him yet," Cesar commented, frowning. "What do you mean you haven''t seen him?" Guiccia laughed, but the King didn''t reply. "You know when you wash yourself, rarely as it seems, and you can''t see your own dick because of all your fat?" Big laughed, almost spilling his glass. "What? Say that again!" Yelled Guiccia furiously. "Your-dick-hidden-in-your-fat," said Big. Just as Guiccia was about to attack the leader of the Guild of Life and Death, a terrifying Aura enveloped them and left them breathless. "That''s enough, please," said Aure, looking crookedly at both of them, as a father would look at his children during a quarrel. "I think our bold young man will win," Nelia laughed. Regardless of the fact that they were witnessing a death match, the big shots of Orma were betting on the life of the city young promises. Having reached a certain level, and after having been alive for centuries, the lives of young people, however important, began to become a topic fit for a formal lunch. Everyone on that stage seemed to be quite relaxed, but Cesar''s brows were furrowed. Nelia noticed it and telepathically asked her husband, "Where''s the boy?" Cesar seemed to awaken from abyssal thoughts and replied: "I don''t perceive his Aura anywhere; he seems to have disappeared into thin air since he entered the Octagonal Room." After reaching Immortality, telepathic communications could be made with embarrassing ease. It would have been impossible for anyone to notice the conversation between Cesar and Nelia, unless they wanted to make it public. "Didn''t you go in to see if at least he''s still alive?" Nelia asked, more and more worried. Cesar swallowed a mouthful of wine. "I have tried several times, but something has always prevented me from entering. Last time, before coming here, I waited a couple of hours, but every time I tried to collect Mana to take him away from that place a sixth sense told me that it would have been better not to do it. I think the recoil would have killed me." Nelia remained silent, with a dark expression on her face. What the hell was really in that room, if even her husband, Orma''s strongest warrior, hadn''t been able to enter? Was it really something so terrifying? Given the circumstances, the Queen thought that there had been no escape for Helial. However, she strongly hoped that he was safe and that in a moment he would appear in the arena together with his companions. Although the boy had recently arrived in Orma, the Queen had seen so much pain and sweetness in that young man. Furthermore, Helial could have been a link between the Goblin world and that of the Humans, a young talent that would thrive within the walls of Orma. Her instinct made her desire to protect him. Husband and wife exchanged glances and could not help but shake their heads slightly. Helial''s companions seemed very worried, too. None of them knew what had become of the young man. Where the hell was Helial? "AND NOW, WELCOME THE SACRIFICAL LAMBS, THE TRISTIA TEAM!" Yelled Star, as the gate in front of Helial''s team slowly opened. Being a commentator, Star''s only duty was to present and comment the match. At the moment, a levitating platform kept him above the arena. In this way, he would have been able to comment without interfering in the fighting. As for the clashes between fighters at the Sixth Phase or above, and therefore able to fly, there was a special stand for the commentator, which however was seldom used, because such clashes were quite rare. Besides, above the Sixth Phase there were only the Clans'' bigwigs. The death of any of them could have created unpleasant internal feuds in Orma. However, the brilliance of the new generations had made up for this lack of the Colosseum. A clash between Circe and Pseudonym would have attracted many more people than a clash between any two fighters at the Sixth or Seventh Phase. As the gate opened before them, Vlad looked at the enemies and yawned. "They''re nothing special." Medusa, Aiako, Margherita, Atlanta, Ceri. The enemy formation was truly incredible. Aiako and Margherita were only one step below Medusa. And anyway, they were all at the Intermediate stage of the Third Phase, while Medusa had reached the Late stage. "They''re nothing special," repeated Lulu, but her voice was trembling. 196 Running like a Rabbi Lumia entered the arena first, followed by the others. The little girl''s tiny size made the audience''s eyes open wide. Was this the King''s disciple team? A little girl and a cat walking in front of everyone? In short, their entry was not exactly the equivalent of Medusa and Aiako''s. Then, why was the cat covered from head to toe with wounds and blood? If before they had been seen as hopeless, now none of the spectators in the Colosseum gave them a minimal chance of victory. "Have you seen the beast of the group?" "Yes, but is it injured?" "Apparently they have had problems during training. Faced with the challenge against Medusa''s team they have panicked. Once you lose focus, it''s easy to seriously injure yourself in training." "Such idiots," laughed another. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "If that''s their formation, I did well to bet all my savings on Medusa''s team." Vlad didn''t seem particularly interested in all the shouts and whistles the team was receiving. Instead, his eyes were fixed on Atlanta. Snowflake swore and yelled at the crowd: "YOU DIRTY GREEN FACES, WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ON THIS SUPREME CAT''S FUR, AH? COME HERE, I WILL CUT ALL YOUR DICKS, COME ON, LET''S SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO!" Snowflake, hearing the crowd mocking them, was already enraged. Frankenstein looked at Margherita with a very serious expression. That woman was known as Orma''s most promising scientist. She had invented several artefacts that could take the life of a Third Phase warrior in a split second. Lulu, meanwhile, had already casted several Healing Skills on Snowflake. They needed to be at their best to win. Among the audience, the only one who did not speak was perhaps Caliban who, in one of the stages reserved for the most important figures of Orma, sweated profusely. "I know you''re a friend of my boyfriend," said a girl sitting next to him with a strange smile. The pitch-black fringe almost covered her eyes, creating a great contrast with her milky white skin. The dark tunic she wore seemed about to burst at the breast, tempted to reveal everyone an aphrodisiac sight. "Miss, I already told you that I have no idea where Helial is," said Caliban, trying to remain calm. Several years of negotiations made him able not to stammer even in front of big shots of Orma. However, the problem with Circe was not her social status, but, well, her character. Looking at her black-painted nails, Circe pursed her lips slightly and then put her green eyes on Caliban for a split second: "What are the merchants for if they are useless?" A shiver ran down the young man''s back as he tried to force a smile. "Stop harassing people. He doesn''t know where he is," said a metallic voice. An imposing black armour walked in small steps towards Circe, and then sat down next to Caliban. "Shouldn''t you be getting ready? I heard you have a fight right after this one," commented Circe, sarcastic. "I''m not you," said Pseudonym with a hint of mockery. Caliban was literally about to cry. Really? How did he end up between the two greatest monsters of his generation? His talent was not bad, but placed in front of those two he would better dig a hole to hide for a lifetime. With tears in his eyes, Guiccia''s son could not help but remain silent and hope not to be involved in an altercation between those two monsters. "Apparently, the real protagonist of this day has yet to arrive," said Star scratching his chin. "The King''s disciple seems to have decided that his sister, at the venerable age of ten, was best suited to carry his team''s insignia!" Lumia looked at the commentator with a flash of contempt in her eyes; that light, lasting a fraction of a second, was tremendously similar to the one often found in Iblis'' gaze. Spending so much time with the Devil had also changed her attitude. "That''s all, a couple of brats and a fatally injured cat?" Aiako laughed aloud, "I hoped the fight would be more interesting." Vlad looked at Medusa''s group, making calculations. He then looked at his teammates. "Lumia, can you defeat Medusa in a one on one fight?" Asked suddenly the scarlet-haired young man. "50-50, I''m not sure," the girl said with a shrug. The two did not worry that everyone could hear them. They had exposed their thoughts, not caring about Medusa''s presence. Medusa''s eyebrows shot upwards, while a disgusted expression appeared on her face: "Did your brother run away like a rabbit and send you to take his place? Don''t you realise I can tear you apart in a split second?" As soon as the woman''s words fell to the ground, a terrifying pressure enveloped the Tristia Team. Medusa was using her Aura to squeeze them. The audience immediately started screaming and applauding. They were there to witness a grim spectacle, not a fair fight. Helial''s group felt a suffocating boulder on their hearts. Lumia snorted coldly and suddenly clenched her small fist. As if hitting a gong by her side, her punch flew in the air. BOOOOM Medusa''s pressure disappeared immediately and she took two steps back. "My brother, two weeks ago, was enough for that little bitch of your sister and those four retards in her group. I am enough for you." Iblis had repeatedly told Lumia that if she decided to pursue an independent and selfish path, she would probably achieve offensive results equal to or even greater than those of his brother. Lumia''s crystal-like talent was something incredibly terrifying. Being, moreover, a material to be modelled from zero, Iblis had fun continually testing her. The little girl had such a carelessness for her life that any challenge the Devil would throw at her, as long as it was aimed at improving herself and being able to protect her brother, she accepted it as if it were nothing. Silence reigned in the stands now. The pupils of the two Immortals, of all the bigwigs, of Circe, Pseudonym and Caliban, narrowed to slits. What kind of power was that girl supposed to have to push Medusa back like that with one punch in mid-air? Aure tilted his head a fraction. Although only a few had been able to see it, Lumia''s had not been just a show of brute force. No, Helial''s sister had found the exact spot where Medusa''s Aura flowed, hitting it at the exact spot where balance was generated. It wasn''t just about being strong: to develop such senses at the age of ten, one would have to start training in the cradle. If Helial had done this, however incredible, no one would have been so stunned. But if his little sister, who was only ten, had been able to make Medusa step back with a single punch, what would her brother have been capable of? 197 Waste of Time In the audience, after a moment of bewilderment, someone managed to speak. "Did she use an artefact?" The audience had been shocked by Lumia''s show of strength. Nobody believed that such a small girl could generate such a powerful blow, therefore many began to doubt that Lumia had used her strength only. She must have used an artefact to amplify the punch force. The two Immortals and the other warriors in the Tenth Phase, massing in the stands reserved for them, frowned. "A few tricks won''t save you!" someone shouted from the audience. Crispio stroked his white beard thoughtfully. Just like the others, Binio and Filopappo were flabbergasted. The two Elders turned to Crispio, awaiting confirmation: if their eyes still worked, Lumia had used only her strength to tear the Medusa''s Aura apart. The little girl had identified the exact point where the Aura of the young heir of the Sect of the Worthy flowed and had struck a blow right where its balance was generated. "Could this little girl be more terrifying than her brother? No, I''m not convinced at all. Although she managed to disperse the Aura randomly generated by Medusa, I doubt she can defeat her in a direct confrontation. However, if the girl is so strong ..." Crispio''s words were expressing everyone''s doubts. If a little girl were so powerful, what kind of peaks would her brother have reached? If Orma''s bigwigs had examined and understood the situation in the arena, the other spectators were not yet fully convinced that a ten-year-old girl could be so frightening. "Does anyone really believe that a little girl can win against Medusa?" "She definitely cheated!" "She cheated!" "Exactly, she cheated!" "Yeah!" Even the members of the Sect of the Worthy seemed to agree with the audience. Sitting in a tribune reserved for the Sect, they were nodding in assent to the words of the people and commenting among themselves. "Nobody can defeat Medusa today!" "What a group of arrogant brats!" "I don''t think there is even the slightest chance that the King''s disciple group could defeat Medusa and the others." Even though the whole arena seemed to be against the kids of the Tristia Team, they seemed totally indifferent. By now, they were used to receive mocking words. What had shocked everyone present at the clash was Lumia''s talent. Not only had the girl said she had at least a 50% chance of defeating Medusa, but she had just shown that her words weren''t just words! "Do you think getting rid of the pressure of my Aura is enough to save your lives?" Medusa asked, with contempt. "At best, I can now consider you little more than a waste of time." "It is I, in fact, who consider you a waste of time." A sure voice came out of nowhere, making the blood freeze in Medusa''s veins. The audience went silent again. Tap Tap Tap Tap Footsteps sounded from the tunnel Helial''s group had emerged from, with a sound so dry that it seemed that the Colosseum was empty, as if everyone present in the arena had disappeared. The only sound was that of Helial''s soles coming forward, towards the centre of the arena. Snowflake couldn''t believe his eyes. He watched Helial come forward slowly and analysed him. "His Aura," he whispered. Vlad joined him, equally amazed. "How is that possible?" Lumia tightly contracted her facial muscles in a confused grimace. The closer Helial came, the more his appearance left everyone speechless. If Snowflake seemed a survivor of a bloody battle, then Helial looked like a beggar from Suburra. The boy wore a threadbare cape, riddled with holes, and its colour was just the memory of a majestic, deep scarlet. Discoloured and torn, it gave off a feeling of sadness and melancholy. At first, Frankenstein thought it was equipment. But, after examining it more carefully, he saw no ripple in the Mana around that cloak. No one, not even on the bigwig''s stand, could find anything special in that old piece of cloth. But it didn''t end there: on Helial''s head there was a rusty and dusty metal circle. It was so dirty that it was almost impossible to understand what kind of object it was. Not even in that rust-filled circle there was the slightest hint of Mana. Then there was a last object, less conspicuous, but which caught the eye of the most careful in the audience for the alignment with the other two: it was a ring, also rusty, on Helial''s right middle finger. Aure''s expression suddenly changed. He had recognized the ring. "No, it''s not possible ..." he murmured to himself. Cesar turned to him, not understanding what he was referring to. "What?" Asked the King. "Look ... the ring, the cloak and ... the crown he is wearing," Aure said incredulously. Cesar narrowed his eyes to take a closer look at his disciple and then, as soon as he realized what he was wearing, he opened his eyes wide and his pupils narrowed. The objects Helial wore all seemed to be worn to the same extent. So either Helial had just decided to have a fetish for antiquities, or they were part of the same Set. And ... where did the ring come from? Approaching his teammates, Helial smiled at them. Only then did Cesar realize that... "Is he only in the Late Stage of the First Phase?" exclaimed the King. "Uh?" Aure couldn''t articulate other sounds. As strong as Helial could be and as unusual as his talent could be, if he really was still in the Late Stage of the First Phase, then there were two whole Phases between him and Medusa. Did he really hope to defeat such an opponent without having even passed the Second Phase barrier? Not only was Medusa so strong and talented as to stand up to common warriors at the Fourth Phase, but the distance between each Phase was truly terrifying, equal to that between heaven and earth. The great geniuses could also hope to pass a grade or Phase, if close enough. A person at the peak of the Third Phase would have faced, with a good talent, one at the Initial grade of the Fourth, despite the enormous difference. However, only one monster could have faced a warrior a whole Phase above him: for example, if a warrior in the Late stage of the Third Phase had faced one in the Late stage of the Fourth, the first would have been irremediably defeated. And still Helial wanted to challenge Medusa, who was two whole Phases above him? "Do you really have the courage to come here like that?" yelled Medusa, furious with anger at the sight of Helial. "You killed my sister and now, do you want to die like a beggar?" Regardless of Medusa''s words, Helial turned to Lumia. "Hey, little one, how are you?" He put a hand on her silver hair and stroked it gently. But as soon as Lumia turned to look at him, Helial felt a twinge cross his heart. Lumia''s gaze had changed again, once again. Every time Helial left Lumia to train and every time he saw her afterwards, the girl''s gaze seemed more mature. For some time, Lumia''s gaze had no longer been that of an innocent child. To Helial, it seemed more and more to look towards the soul of a woman, through the irises of a little girl. Shaking his head, the young man whispered, "I''m sorry you have to live like this." Lumia said nothing, but wrapped her arms around Helial''s neck, who had leaned forward slightly to look into her eyes. The boy felt terrible about what his sister was forced to endure. The others admired Lumia''s talent, but only Helial knew that the talent had been paid for at a very high price. And from such a great power many responsibilities arise. During his stay in Alexander''s army, Helial had known several wise men and preachers. There was a particular doctrine, which said that often, looking at the weakest and poorest people, one tends to see them as miserable. On the other hand, when one looks at those who hold power and wealth, his eyes tends to become full of envy. And some argued that those who are rich and powerful are locked in a golden cage, forced to carry the weight of their power and their wealth on their shoulders; it was also claimed that his poisoned their body and spirit. They said that only those who have nothing and ask for nothing can be truly happy. Only those who need nothing cannot feel unhappiness, since this arises from desires. However, Helial had turned his mind to other great sages of the time, more than to those who preached the complete detachment from all goods and power. Helial had approached a doctrine that said, contrary to the prevailing one, that he who renounces everything does it out of weakness. Indeed, if the most needy had accepted to possess wealth and power, they would have been dominated by it. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Iblis'' disciple had learned that his need for absolute power would only serve him to live happily with his sister, not to dominate the world. Helial was not interested in becoming Iblis'' successor, nor in guiding the universe. He would not have let power dominate him, but would have dominated and subjected it to his will. All these thoughts would one day evolve further and allow him to find a place in the world for his heart and soul. The Mana Path was the set of knowledge that an individual put together, brick by brick. Understanding the meaning of one''s choices, the consequences derived from them and the general sense of life would have allowed those who cultivated the Mana to reach the apex of the universe. 198 The Plan Loosening their embrace, Lumia and Helial looked at each other again. Two worlds met through their irises. Green on Blue. Sun on Moon. "Hey, what the fuck are you doing?" Cried Medusa across the arena. "What are you waiting for to fight?" Helial ignored Medusa once more and stood up straight, still looking silently at her sister. He could have said so many things, he could have told her that he didn''t want her to get stronger, that he didn''t want her to bear all that suffering. He wanted to tell her that there was no need to feel pain if she did it for him. However, Helial had learned more than one lesson alongside Alexander. Lumia didn''t need to get strong just to protect herself when Helial wasn''t at her side. Her sister had to explore the world to discover herself, like every other living creature in the universe. Looking out of the corner of his eyes at his team, Helial smiled. All this was not just about Lumia. Frankenstein, Lulu, Vlad... they too were taking such a difficult path to find their own Mana Path. And suffering was indispensable to savour the joys that life reserves, just as it is impossible to enjoy the light if there is no darkness. Living a dull life would not lead them to be happy, but only to live like beasts. To be happy they would have to fight. And suffer. The young man''s resolute gaze passed over his companions, dwelling on each of them. Snowflake had things to settle with his family. Helial would have pulled the sky down if it helped. Vlad was in love with Francesca, but Orma''s precarious balance kept him prisoner. Helial would rebuild that city brick by brick, after destroying it, if it helped him. Lulu and Frankenstein were probably only looking for a place in the world, and to help them Helial would dig with his own hands even in a mining vein. Aiako intruded on the young man''s flow of thoughts with a high-pitched laugh: "Are you really still in the Late stage of the First Phase? At least your teammates had the good sense to level up as fast as possible." Helial glanced sharply at Aiako, and then turned back to his teammates. "Follow my orders during the battle. Nobody is allowed to do as they want, otherwise some of us will die." Then turning to Aiako, the boy''s gaze brightened. Skill Activated: Perception The consumption of Mana due to the use of Perception was negligible, compared to its advantages. After a few seconds, Helial already had a general idea of their enemies'' abilities and weaknesses. "I want to face Margherita in a one on one match," said Frankenstein, looking at his counterpart on the other team. "Silence." Without turning, Helial raised a hand and motioned everyone to keep quiet. The boy''s new attitude left everyone perplexed. Despite having always had the leader attitude, Helial had never possessed any authority, nor had he claimed to possess it. Now, however, he looked like a consummate general, almost as if his chest had been filled with medals during the last night of sleep. In fact, in the new life passed alongside Alessandro, Helial had led more than one strategy capable of reversing the fate of a battle. Helial''s military acumen was not something Medusa or her friends could have possessed. Iblis'' disciple, after a quick analysis, had already understood what would be the main problem in the clash. "Medusa," he said confidently, "I have a proposal for you." With her brows slightly raised and a look full of contempt, a nod of her chin was the only answer Helial got. "We skip the direct confrontations and jump directly to the group clash. Changing the order, it would not be difficult for the two of us not to face each other directly. You could use your men to tire me and I mine to tire you. If this happens, the direct confrontation between the two of us would be useless. I don''t think you want a mutilated victory. And then, you could send someone ahead of you, to make me waste as much mana and stamina as possible, to avoid colliding directly with me." Medusa trembled with anger. Did the bastard just imply that she might be afraid of him?! But before the enraged woman could speak, Helial continued: "Let''s fight directly in groups. The Colosseum should have no objection. Otherwise, we can also fight outside these walls. What interests me is to have a match directly with you. In a group battle, your teammates will be busy fighting with mine. This is a reasonable proposition, isn''t it? While they will fight each other, we will be able to slaughter each other at will." "Well! Well!" Medusa roared, ready to jump on Helial at any moment. "APPARENTLY, THE TWO TEAMS WANTS A FIGHT WITHOUT FRILLS!" Shouted Star at the top of his voice, inflaming the audience''s minds. "Shut up, clown. Ten minutes, in ten minutes my team will face you. Get that clown off the stand. The duels must be accompanied with blood and honour, not by a court jester," said Helial with ancient dignity. Everybody froze. Why had the words of that young man had just aroused approval from the bottom of their hearts? Why did Helial now look like a hero among children, so dignified that he had to remind them how to behave? Star, embarrassed by a moment, felt a great anger rise in his body. Yet before he could say anything, he saw the nod of one of the bigwigs of the Colosseum. After he disappeared in mid-air from the broadcasting platform, the arena was shrouded in silence. Regardless of the upheaval caused by his words, Helial had turned to Snowflake and the others. "Ten minutes. Snowflake, tell me what your Skills are and what level they have reached. Lulu, keep healing Snowflake. Lumia, I want a precise idea of your offensive and defensive abilities. Frankenstein, show me the aces up your sleeve, take out all the Devices you created. " Helial gave one instruction after another, listening to their answers and at the same time examining their bodies and their Aura through Perception. Once he had observed everything, Helial explained the plan he had in mind. The first to attack Medusa would be Snowflake. Helial approached the cat and started whispering in his ear. As he listened, Snowflake curled his whiskers: "But just a few minutes you said you wanted to fight directly..." "What?" Helial laughed, interrupting the cat, "do you think I''m so dumb?" Snowflake scratched his head. "How powerful must it be?" "Do your worst." If Medusa really thought of dealing with them easily, after Helial had studied strategy together with the greatest leader ever, she was sorely mistaken. Meanwhile, on the bigwigs'' grandstand, Big was arguing with Crispio. "Old one, what do you think of Helial''s choice?" Began Big, slamming his wine mug hard on the arm of the chair, "you see, he has got huge balls! Hahaha! It reminds me of myself when I was young." "A jerk full of arrogance?" Guiccia laughed aloud at his own joke, while biting into a leg of meat and splashing oil everywhere. "Filthy pig, say that again?!" "Ar-ro-gant jerk," said Guiccia, syllable by syllable. DOOOONG Suddenly, both Big and Guiccia found their heads on the floor, and their legs in the air. Cesar clapped his hands lightly to remove the dust and looked furiously at the spectators beside him. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Guiccia got up almost immediately and was about to scream at the King, when Cesar made him spit half his teeth with a punch in the face. "Today my disciple is fighting in the Colosseum. Who disrespects this duel will disrespect me. The traitors will be executed on the spot." Nelia looked at her husband with shining eyes. For some time Cesar had no longer exercised the King''s profession with violence. He had snatched Orma from the hands of the Senate, which was leading it to ruin, after stepping on the corpses of countless enemies, and his military campaigns had completely changed the future of the city. Although Aure had recently collected a lot of approval, without authority and full, absolute power, that approval would soon vanish. Cesar was so powerful that he could ignore laws, complaints and discontent. He had been mild and gentle in recent centuries, but a sleeping tiger is always more dangerous than a screaming monkey. 199 The Roar of a Heavenly Star Tiger On the sand of the arena, Helial''s team was arranged in a circle around its leader. Vlad and Frankenstein looked at Helial, worried. "What did he say to the cat?" Vlad asked Frankenstein, trying to gather information. The Goblin''s gaze shifted to Helial, who had an arm around Snowflake''s neck and a wicked expression on his face. Even the glimmer in Snowflake''s eyes would have made a demon''s skin crawl. "I have a strange feeling about this," commented Vlad scratching his chin and embracing his bow. "You heard the plan, didn''t you? They should be discussing the details," Frankenstein shrugged. Vlad shook his head, dissenting. "They aren''t discussing the details." "What are they doing then?" "A diversion. He wants to use a diversion," replied the fire-haired boy confidently, pointing to Helial with a nod of his chin. "I wonder what diversion he has in mind and why would he choose Snowflake." Vlad and Frankenstein kept talking to each other, trying to figure out what the hell Helial wanted to do. Then suddenly Vlad clapped his forehead with his hand. "Right! Snowflake is a Heavenly Star Tiger! His Clan should possess several Sound Skills, such as roaring or the like. Maybe he wants to use one of those!" Frankenstein narrowed his eyes and began rack his brain: "Right, right. Such a noble and pure breed must have techniques to cause PANIC among their enemies!" Lumia looked at the two with pity and patted Lulu on the shoulder, suggesting her to be prepared for the worst. "What do you mean?" Asked Lulu with the innocence typical of her age. Lumia chuckled as she continued to watch Frankenstein and Vlad rattle on. "Look." "Yes, yes, such a noble and pure race must possess an Inheritance dating back to the beginning of the universe. Yes, surely, he will have some refined and incredible tactics!" observed Frankenstein, more and more convinced. "Exact! If the roar of a Dragon can destroy the enemies'' minds, the Heavenly Star Tigers'' ones must be as powerful! " "Who knows what incredible Ability could be used!" Helial was very satisfied with his plan and rubbed his hands with complacency. His gaze was terribly lively and demonic and no one would be surprised if horns had popped on his forehead. Even in the bigwig''s grandstand, there were discussions about the match that was going to take place. This time Nelia spoke, moved by great concern. "I hope that cat doesn''t do something too disgusting," she said to Cesar. "When he wasn''t training, he was always hanging out the black market in Suburra. He also began to speak like commoners. It wouldn''t be totally inappropriate if he took an etiquette course. " "I used to talk like that once, before I met you," laughed Cesar. "But I don''t see how his language can influence the clash: here we need facts, not words." Nelia felt reassured by the words of her husband and thought that, at least on that occasion, the royal family would have avoided making a bad impression because of that cat. But once the clash ended, the Queen would have imposed a good bath and a very thorough etiquette course on Snowflake. Just then, Snowflake rose on two legs facing the enemy team, who had already unsheathed their weapons. The audience waited impatiently in the same way as Frankenstein and Vlad did. The only one who was slightly worried was Lumia. "There it is!" Whispered Frankenstein excitedly. "Here comes the roar!" Vlad commented, pointing to the cat. With his imposing and proud height, Snowflake emitted a deafening roar, worthy of his lineage, directed against Medusa: "YOU SLAAAAAAAG!" Frankenstein''s anxious expression turned into disbelief and his face paled, however much a Goblin could whiten. "Slag?!" "Did he just called her a whore?" Vlad said with tears in his eyes. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Great roar," said Helial, nodding. Frankenstein and Vlad immediately turned to him, about to burst into tears of despair. Even the audience was stunned and lying with their leg upwards. But none of them knew that the show had just begun. "DO YOU LIKE DICK?!" said Snowflake grabbing his genitals, "YOU DON''T, EH, DYKE, DYYYKEEEEEEE." Helial stood proudly next to his teammate, while the rest of the group wanted to bury their heads in the sand. What kind of diversion was that?! On the main grandstand, the two Immortals were trembling slightly. Was that a clash in the Colosseum or had they accidentally entered the circus? Big was lying on the ground, dying of laughter, with tears in his eyes and trying to catch breath. Guiccia too was laughing like an idiot, so much so that it seemed that he could stop breathing at any moment. Despite the pangs in the chest from Cesar''s beatings, the two, with humble origins and no noble education, were tearing their lungs with laughter. Nelia, who first had been worried about the consequences of Snowflake''s words, now had a shocked expression. But the Queen didn''t like to complain and get angry, and she always looked for the positive side in all things. Rolling her eyes, she exclaimed, "At least it seems to have worked." All the eyes then moved to Medusa and saw that the girl, raised as an aristocrat, had turned bright red. "How dare you ..." Medusa trembled visibly. Vlad looked at Frankenstein and pointed to Snowflake: "Wait, wait, look he''s catching his breath! Maybe it was all a trick to throw her off balance, and now he will use some divine roar! " Frankenstein clapped his hands and said, "EXACTLY! BRILLIANT!" Lumia, however, was ready for catastrophe. Snowflake raised his muzzle to the sky, like a pack wolf ready to howl at the moon: "YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU DYYYYYYYYYKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!" Dong! Everybody was thrown to the ground. But were they sure to be witnessing a clash in the Colosseum? Cesar felt his hands itch and he had to breathe deeply several times before blocking the unstoppable instinct to jump into the arena and skin that cat alive. Aure was paralyzed and didn''t even know how to react. If Snowflake had seen the face of Orma''s two great Immortals, how proud he would have been! Not only had his roar shaken Medusa, but it had been super-effective on all audiences, including those two monsters! Tzh! Who needed the techniques of the Heavenly Star Tigers Clan, when they possessed incredible secret techniques like Snowflake''s ones "What kind of beast is it?" Shouted someone from the audience. "Well, I died from laughter," said another, wiping tears from his eyes. In the midst of all that bustle, Medusa now heard only muffled and muted sounds, as if she were in a bubble. Not only had Helial killed his sister, but for that damned beast the brat always had at his side it hadn''t been enough to piss on her head, and now he wanted to spit on his honour as well. With her Chakrams in hand, Medusa sprang forward like a bullet, ready to tear Snowflake to pieces. She was not at all interested in the fact that she had made arrangements with Helial. At the moment the only thing that mattered was to tear that poison-spitting animal to pieces. "If you want, as Supreme Cat, I can try to heal you from your love for women with some of this," said Snowflake, still on two legs, still grabbing his crotch. Margherita, Aiako, Atlanta and Ceni were all stunned, unable to react. Crispio, while everyone was panicking, watched the battle. He was pondering what had just happened. Although Cesar was the person with the greatest strategic acumen, Snowflake''s action had shook him enough to prevent him from understanding something very important. Deducing something, Crispio grasped Helial''s plan step by step. "If the members of the Tristia Team had tackled Circe''s group individually, whatever the outcome, some of them would have died. If Helial had fought first and Medusa last, previous clashes would have tired him out and he would not have been able to face her. Conversely, Medusa could have faced his companions first and defeated them easily. Although I do not doubt the boy and his friends'' abilities, the probability of dying against Medusa would have been very high for everyone, except for the King''s dear disciple... "Instead, by deciding to have a group fight directly, that rascal immediately minimized losses and disadvantages. But I never expected his scheme to be even deeper. Not only has he minimized his losses, but Medusa is now attacking the cat, which is the fastest and most difficult to catch in the group. And just as the young descendant of the Sect of the Excellent is caught by rage, someone has already moved... " 200 Throwing Skills A few minutes before Helial had called his teammates back in a circle and had started explaining how they would act: "We will do this: I have no intention of directly confronting Medusa, therefore each of you will face one of her warriors individually." "Each of them is similar to us in terms of skills and capabilities," Frankenstein commented briefly, looking forward to getting his hands on Margherita. "Exact. By facing them directly one by one, luck will not necessarily assist us. Their level is higher than yours. Facing them head-on could help you gain some extra Experience. But you cannot surely use it dead. We will have opportunities to fight on the edge between life and death, but not today and not on purpose. Surviving is more important. After all, it''s impossible to gain more knowledge of your Mana Road after death. " Everyone exchanged glances. Only two weeks had passed, but Helial seemed a completely different person. Not only had he returned with just a few more few levels, but he also wore strange and worn clothes, as if they belonged to another era. They didn''t know it, but in those two weeks Helial had gained much more than a few paltry levels; in fact, since the young man had returned, the memories of his life on the run from his brother no longer resided in his body. Now the boy also had the memories of another life, the one he had lived alongside Alessandro, with another personality and another attitude. Now that he was back among his friends, they couldn''t help but wonder at the huge change Helial had experienced. His tactics were distinctly different. Before, in such a situation, Helial would have decided to throw himself against Medusa without even waiting for a nod from the Colosseum. Still, he now seemed much more cautious. What had happened to him in those two weeks? "Snowflake will distract Medusa. I will take care of Aiako immediately. Lulu will provide support for Snowflake, healing him and casting a consecutive series of Support Skills. I already told her which order is best." Helial had already had his friends'' progress and tricks explained one by one and had a rough idea of how to act. "Vlad, you''re going to block Margherita and Lumia will stop Atlanta. Frankenstein, you will have to try to get rid of Ceni as quickly as possible. Without a Healer, it will only be a matter of time before they fall one by one. " "Why, instead of Aiako, don''t you deal with Ceni first?" asked Snowflake. "Because Aiako is the only hand-to-hand fighter besides Medusa. Margherita and Atlanta will not be able to defend Ceni with their bodies. They are both used to attack from afar. So taking out Aiako and keeping Medusa busy with your speed, we will have no problem facing them one by one. Once we have removed everybody else, we will deal with Medusa. Are you able to stop her for at least five minutes?" said Helial to the cat. "Mph, this Supreme Cat can stop her even for an hour. If she would turn her back on me to go and help the others, I''ll show you what I''m capable of now, eheheh," laughed the huge ball of white fur. ¡­ Distraught, Crispio observed the succession of events inside the arena. Snowflake had just insulted Medusa in the worst way possible and the descendant of the Sect of the Worthy had started in pursuit of the Heavenly Star Tiger like an arrow that had just left the bow. Committed to chasing the cat, Medusa had not realized that Helial had disappeared from his position. Cesar recovered from shock and anger and finally realized what Helial''s plan was. Damn it! The boy had become an even more terrible monster than before. He had just used a diversion! Even Cesar, Orma''s strongest fighter, had fallen into that trap and had been distracted by Snowflake. Crispio realized that the King had struggled to understand which strategy had been used by Helial and smiled slyly. "Since you have been staying at the palace, your highness, your senses seem to be aligned with the arrogance of the Sect of the Worthy. I advise you to go back to the slums a little, to regain mental clarity," laughed Crispio, openly criticizing the King and Aure together. The two Immortals exchanged glances and remained silent. Although he could not defeat either of them, Crispio was not afraid to turn with the utmost sincerity to such important personalities in the political contest of Orma and, moreover, both Cesar and Aure harboured so much respect for him that they would not dare contradict him. And even if they did, they would regret their action. In any case, the Dean of the Royal Academy was more than right. In the arena, the fight went on. Aiako suddenly noticed that something was wrong. He felt a shiver down his spine and an imminent feeling of death. "You filthy bastard, you dare attack me like this? Do you think I''m not able to beat you in a millisecond?" growled Aiako. Helial had just appeared in front of him, still leaning forward after his run. If at that exact moment Aiako had not been so arrogant, probably the outcome of that exchange would have been different. However, the second strongest warrior in Medusa''s team had underestimated the King''s young disciple too much. He believed that the latter was too full of himself and that he could have easily torn him to pieces. After all, that brat was still in the Late stage of the First Phase, so how could he hope to compete with him, already in the Initial stage of the Third Phase. Unfortunately for Aiako, things did not go as he hoped. Although Helial still was at a very low level, his Skills had completely exceeded what Orma''s inhabitants could have ever conceived. Skill Activated: Lv: 3 Flame of the Qilin Grade: Master Knowledge level: Manifestation of Weapons Radius: 1500 m Damage: 9500-14000/sec Effects: Flame of Qilin has different damage based on the link between those who use and the Forces of Life. Deals triple damage against Dark creatures. Inflicts Burning Malus Cost: 0 Casting time: 0 Efficiency: 100% It is the Flame of the Qilin, lords of nature and of Life! It is one of the most mysterious abilities in the universe, also capable of suppressing the fire of the Mana lords, the Dragons. Exp: 68,5 You have consumed 73.333 Mental Energy! A fiery, flaming spear created thanks to Flame of Qilin appeared in Helial''s hands, and consumed one-third of all his Mental Energy. Aiako incredibly managed to jerk backwards, leaving Helial several tens of meters away. Only then did Medusa''s comrade in arms finally feel the pressure on him decrease. However, before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he saw Helial arch his back and take a strange pose. Even if Star had now gone away from his position, the spectators were doing the commentary themselves. "He''s about to throw the spear!" "Hahahah! He will never hit Aiako, he is the fastest in Orma''s new generations!" "What a lunatic, he will surely miss!" "My bet on the Medusa group won''t make me much money, considering the odds, but at least I won''t lose anything!" ¡­ During the Time Block Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Can you throw a spear?" asked a young Alexander, only a couple of years older than Helial. "No, I''ve always fought with Curse of the Demon. I can''t use any other weapon." "It is said that one of my ancestors, that Achilles that should be one of my mother''s forefathers, was able to throw a javelin from one side of the universe to the other and to hit whoever was his target." "Well, that seems a bit over the top," laughed Helial. "Hahahah, sure. However, his Throwing Skill has been passed down to us. Do you want me to teach it to you? " "Why not? I think that in the future being able to attack from a distance could come in handy. " ... The flaming spear, similar to a two-pointed javelin, was thrown at a terrifying speed towards Aiako! Skill Activated: Achilles''s Flaming Throw Lv: 19 Degree of Knowledge: Distant Memory of the Ancestor Radius: 3000 meters Damage: 80.000-150.000 Cost: 90.000 Spiritual Energy Casting time: 0,2 Sec Efficiency: 99.9% Exp: 52% Under everyone''s terrified gaze, the spear flew in a split second in front of Aiako; he was trying in every way to escape, but it seemed that the flaming javelin had sealed all space around him. Aiako could do nothing but look helplessly as the weapon generated by the most terrifying flames he had ever seen sank into his chest, a few centimetres below the heart. Aiako had greatly underestimated that harmless-looking boy and was now paying the price. The blow had reached him just below the breastbone, consuming his stomach in a vortex of flames. Knowing that he was now out of the fight, Aiako spat out a mouthful of blood and said hatefully to Helial: "When I come back to life, the first thing I will do will be-" FWOOOSH Aiako''s body was immediately reduced to ashes by the terrifying power of Flame of Qilin. Helial had used a third of all his Mental Energy to create a single spear that could instantly burn the warrior''s mighty body. Aiako would never come back to life. 201 A Fantastic Intuition "He killed Aiako!" people shouted from the stands. "How the hell did he do it!" Achilles''s Flaming Throw was not yet at the Master rank, since it was a very deep and difficult Skill to learn. It was already a miracle that Helial had managed to raise it to level 19. Having being thought that Skill by Alexander himself, it was easy to imagine how terrifying his attack was. Cesar sprang to his feet, ecstatic. He grabbed the grandstand railing, leaving the mark of fingertips on the marble. Crispio shook his head: "This time the King really had a fantastic intuition." Big and Guiccia remained silent to reflect on Helial''s move. Although neither of them was at Cesar and Crispio''s level, they were both powerful and wise enough to understand what was going on inside the Colosseum. Atlanta and Margherita did not panic and, furious at the loss of Aiako, suddenly attacked Helial, forgetting that the young man''s companions were not in the arena just for show. Atlanta shot an arrow with the utmost precision, but its course was suddenly blocked by a shield appeared out of nowhere. Skill Activated: Shield of the Titan Lv: 2 Rank: Master Degree of Knowledge: Devil-Block Effects: Create a shield, the more powerful the more Mana is used. Current Effects: 5000 Defense/80 MP Efficiency: 100% Protecting is sometimes better than attacking. Before training with Iblis, the characteristics of Shield of the Titan were as follows: Skill Activated Lv: 4 Shield of the Titan Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Rank: White Degree of Knowledge: The Earth is Everything Effects: Create a shield, the more powerful the more Mana is used. Current Effects: 1000 Defense/100 MP Efficiency: 100% Protecting is sometimes better than attacking. Not only had Shield of the Titan reached Master Rank, but the constant battles against Iblis within Illusions that endangered her life every second had allowed Lumia to discover a new nuance in that Skill. By aggregating all the Mana in a specific point and making it the core of the shield, the defensive power was not only increased dramatically, but the consumption of Mana dropped proportionately. In comparison with the experience of Iblis'' tyrannical attacks, which had broken her defences over and over again, the arrow just shot from Atlanta did not seem different from a gnat sting, for Lumia. Although Lumia was only in the Late stage of the Second Phase, her control over Mana and her Skills had reached a terrifying level. Atlanta''s arrow struck Shield of the Titan and disintegrated without leaving the slightest damage on it. The archer watched the arrow shatter with disbelief and the shield remain motionless and unharmed. There was not even a scratch on it. It was then that Margherita gritted her teeth and threw three metal spheres into the air as she began to recite different formulas. The metal spheres began to glow dangerously and gave off terrifying pressure. A few moments later, there was nothing left of those spheres. Three arrows had reached and pulverized them! Vlad looked at Margherita with a bored look, yawning, but he was chuckling silently. Lumia''s incredible defense was the nemesis of Atlanta''s attacks and Vlad''s incredible precision and attack speed were the nemesis of Margherita''s devices! Helial had been really shrewd, he had planned everything perfectly! Medusa''s companions were all in the Initial stage of the Third Phase and could easily have crushed a group of kids in the Second Phase, led by a reckless one who was still blocked at the First Phase, but at that moment it seemed that they had collided head-on with an indestructible metal plate. What kind of situation was that? Was the Team of the Keepers of the Firmament too weak to deal with a handful of ants? Of course not! Their enemies had exploited all their weaknesses, including arrogance, to immediately reverse the predictions for the clash. And now, not only had the Team of the Keepers of the Firmament lost one of its pillars, but it also looked like it was doomed to defeat. Helial, after tearing Aiako to pieces, did not get carried away with complacency and immediately jumped towards Ceni. "Frankenstein! Block her right and left, now!" Screamed Helial at the top of his voice. Atlanta and Margherita were dealing with Lumia and Vlad, unable to intervene in the clash. Snowflake, meanwhile, was the one feeling the greatest pressure. Although his speed was truly terrifying, Medusa was no ordinary warrior. "I finally unlocked that shitty Devil''s skill, let''s see how capable you are, DYKE!" Murmured Snowflake, raising his voice as he said the last word of the sentence, so that Medusa could hear it too. Skill Activated: Authority of the Tyrant ?? ?? ?? Lv: 1 Although Snowflake had finally touched its basic level, he was still far from mastering that Skill. The Devil had wanted to make his life really difficult when he had given him that gift! Despite this, Snowflake was aware of how powerful Authority of the Tyrant was and had tried to train it as much as possible. Typically, Movement Skills were based on the circulation of Mana in the limbs. In contrast, Authority of the Tyrant used all Meridians in the body to generate a terrifying Aura. The principle behind the Skill was actually quite simple. Authority of the Tyrant allowed the user to disappear at the last second, just before being hit, and launch a deadly counterattack. It was a Skill born from Iblis''s arrogance and sense of absolute superiority. Therefore, in order to use it, in addition to incredible physical requirements, a certain mood was necessary. Snowflake knew that if his mental stability faltered during the confrontation, if he began to doubt, the Skill would not be able to show his true potential. It was such a profound and mysterious Skill that no matter how well the Mana circulated within his Meridians, without enough meditation and Illuminations about it, no one could ever have exploited even only 1% of it. To understand how powerful Authority of the Tyrant really was, it was enough to think that Snowflake, after training without stopping, had managed to conquer only the first level and was not even able to see its characteristics. Medusa''s Chakrams came a step away from the cat, which had remained strangely still. All the spectators gasped and began to raise their hands to shelter themselves from the splashes of blood that would soon arrive. The cat was a lunatic; he had remained motionless and would now be torn to pieces. How was it possible that the blades had not cut even a single tuft of that cat''s raggedy fur, despite having passed so dangerously close to him?! Increasingly furious, Medusa again launched the Chakrams, which... passed through Snowflake''s body! Medusa frowned. "A residual image," she growled. Anger and frustration mounted in her body more and more: not only Aiako, the best fighter of her group after her, had been killed with embarrassing ease, and not only her dignity had been humiliated with words worthy only of Orma''s most sordid slums, but now she, one of the heirs of the Sect of the Excellent, could not even succeed in killing that damned cat! In fury, Medusa glanced at the battlefield and realized that the others were all at a disadvantage. And the fight hadn''t been lasting more than five minutes! The young woman regained her calm and decided to postpone her revenge. Completely ignoring the cat completely, who seemed to have disappeared in mid-air, she launched herself against Helial like a lioness. But as soon as she turned her back, she saw a blinding light out of the corner of her eye. "Damn it," Medusa turned suddenly, blocking Snowflake''s surprise attack. If she hadn''t turned to defend herself, she probably would have suffered a lot of damage. In a direct confrontation, Snowflake had no hope of beating her. Still, Medusa didn''t have a high defense, so a surprise attack by that cursed cat could have hurt her more or less seriously. The worst part was that if she wanted to get rid of that beast, it would take a long time. Snowflake''s speed had really left Medusa speechless. 202 "Before She Impales Me" As the clash continued, Helial and his companions'' actions were commented on the grandstand. "He turned Aiako''s body into ash. It will be impossible to bring him back to life", commented Binio, frowning. Although everyone was aware that they were witnessing a fight to the death, no one had thought that Helial could have done anything so cruel. Generally, it was best to leave a way out for the opponents, in order to avoid irreconcilable feuds. "He has already killed Medea, why should he fear killing Aiako, an ordinary citizen of Orma?" Crispio laughed, looking at the rising star of the city, moving confidently in the arena. Orma really needed a hero. It needed someone who could change its fate and guide it towards a new era. Although Germanicus, Cesar''s son, possessed an extraordinary talent, he was nothing compared to Circe and Pseudonym; however, these two did not have the right personality to lead the city. On the contrary, Helial seemed to embody all that a leader should be. Especially now, after his training behind closed doors, he seemed to be ready to take care of thousands of living beings. Medusa, still trying to resist Snowflake''s attack, had no way of thinking about Helial and continued to clash with the cat, who, as he had promised, was succeeding in his intent to keep the leader busy for at least five minutes. Suddenly, a scream rose from the centre of the Colosseum and ripped through the sky. It was difficult to understand what was going on in that bedlam, but almost immediately the most attentive spectators noticed that a flaming spear, identical to the one that had reduced Aiako to ashes, was stuck in Ceni''s chest. Helial, quite satisfied with what he had done, clapped his palms against each other and said: "Explode." FWOOOSH A storm of fire enveloped the Healer, who disappeared into thin air, just like Aiako. Within a very short time, two pillars of Medusa''s group had been reduced to dust. While Medusa was still busy fighting Snowflake, the remaining members of her group began to feel a lot of pressure on them. Without Ceni, now Atlanta and Margherita had to deal with Vlad, Helial, Lumia and Frankenstein. How could they face them? They were two against four, in evident disadvantage, and to make matters worse they had lost their hand-to-hand combatant and their Healer and Medusa was busy chasing Snowflake. There was no possibility of reversing the clash. In fact, however strong they were, neither of them was trained to deal with hand-to-hand combat. In fact, Margherita had a particular role in the group, as she provided support in the battlefield by killing enemies when they least expected it thanks to her latest technological devices. Atlanta, on the other hand, was used to fighting at a distance and hitting with her arrows. Now that their frontline man and the Healer were out of the game, Atlanta and Margherita were just waiting to be massacred. Snowflake suddenly felt his fur stand up. He changed direction at the last moment, avoiding for a second Medusa''s Chakram, ready to decapitate him. "Slut", swore Snowflake, using Authority of the Tyrant as much as possible. His body continued to vibrate imperceptibly and then finally release all the stored energy, a few milliseconds before the opponent could get her hands on him. However, Medusa had begun to use something that nobody in Helial''s team could take advantage of: Divine Sense. Using Divine Sense, Medusa could accurately perceive Snowflake''s position, despite the fact the cat was moving with irregular jerks. This was the difference between a warrior at the Second Phase and one at the Third. Divine Sense allowed not only to manoeuvre weapons remotely and communicate telepathically much more efficiently, but was also an excellent resource for locating one''s enemies in combat. Once located the position through the Divine Sense, even if the opponent was very fast, it would still have been possible to fight him. Snowflake was beginning to feel tremendous pressure on him. Medusa was too strong for him. The cat realized that his survival would be decided by Medusa''s anger and irrationality, because, blinded by fury, she did not deliver very precise blows and was in a hurry to knock out the cat to rescue her remaining team members. "How about you do something before this filthy whore impales me?!" Yelled Snowflake. At that exact moment, Snowflake''s concentration and self-esteem had collapsed, preventing him from showing the full potential of Authority of the Tyrant. Splat The Medusa'' Chakrams sank into his ribcage, causing him considerable damage. With a brusque jerk, Snowflake cracked four of his ribs, but prevented Medusa from piercing his lungs. You lose 11.234 HP! If he lost his ability to breathe, he would hardly have lasted more than a second. He glanced at the red HP bar. 4.136/15.420 After a few moments, a warm and benevolent light enveloped the cat. Skill Activated: Healing Skill Activated: Divine Healing You recover 4.523 HP! Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. You recover 9.543 HP! Lulu quickly cast two Healing Skills, adding several Buffs. Skill Activated: Clear Mind Skill Activated: Light Step Lulu had buffed both his concentration and speed. Snowflake recovered immediately and felt his self-esteem rise. He looked down on Medusa as he dodged yet another fatal blow that threatened to kill him. "Hey bitch, have you ever seen such a fast cat?" Medusa, verbally harassed, was more and more furious. She had completely lost her mind. "No? Don''t worry, if you come with me, I guarantee you that I won''t be as quick between the sheets." Screaming at the sky, Medusa superimposed the two Chakrams and her eyes began to glow with green and grey lights. Skill Activated Dream of the Gorgon Snowflake''s mind was attacked by countless remnants of demonic consciousness. In front of his eyes, countless monsters had appeared which, instead of hair, had numerous snakes on their heads. The cat was motionless, trapped in the Illusion. Dream of the Gorgon was a Skill that could create terrifying illusions in the enemies'' mind. Once lost the ability to move, killing Snowflake would have been child''s play for Medusa. Kicking the ground with force, the descendant of the Sect of the Worthy jumped towards the cat. The crowd exploded into a deafening roar, cheering for Medusa. Until then, Aiako and Ceni''s death had appeared to them only as a bad joke. Everyone was convinced that Helial and his friends had shamelessly cheated. Actually, Helial had only used Aiako''s moment of distraction to kill him and gain an advantage. Not exactly cheating, it had been a strategic action, even if it seemed a deception. An honourable fighter would never use such a devious technique! The audience was finally about see the death of his favourites avenged when, out of nowhere, a demonic Aura enveloped the whole arena. Everyone''s eyes turned to the source of that suffocating demonic Mana. BOOM A runic circle had appeared under the feet of the black silhouette that had catapulted itself against Medusa, cutting her way and preventing her from tearing Snowflake to pieces. "Filthy bastard," growled Medusa, her pride wounded. The clash that should have avenged Medea''s death had turned into a complete failure. Nothing was proceeding as Medusa had planned, and not only was she not able to restore the honour that that little King''s bastard had taken from her sister, but neither was she managing to create a way to the apex, towards Pseudonym and Circe''s talents, almost unreachable. The Chakrams in Medusa''s hands suddenly seemed to multiply. Thousands of Chakram-shaped shadows filled the space around, ready to tear apart Helial and Snowflake''s bodies. Skill Activated: Metamorphosis Skill Activated: Runic Condensation Helial''s fingers, three on each hand, covered with thick complex-looking runes. Two small translucent horns began to form on the boy''s forehead and a web of black veins appeared around his eyes. At that moment, Helial didn''t look like a Human anymore and had taken on the appearance of a Demon 203 An Unparalleled Experience Helial''s demonic appearance left Medusa speechless. The boy''s pitch black eyes seemed to have brought hell''s last will to earth. Curse of the Demon''s edge contained several layers of compressed flames, which exploded in a cascade of sparks as it clashed with the Chakrams. In ground beneath the feet of the two several cracks spread out, threatening to make them sink. Medusa felt a tyrannical force push her away effortlessly, and that force came from behind the Great sword, dangerously close to her nose. Was it possible that the King''s filthy disciple could possess so much strength? Still, Medusa clearly perceived that he had not passed the Late Stage of the First Phase! Could she be wrong? As Medusa wondered, Helial continued to move his body''s centre of gravity and move his legs quickly, tilting Curse of the Demon at best angle to counter the woman''s attack. Art of the Sword was now in the Master rank and Helial''s knowledge of the Way of Sword had reached a much higher level than anyone could have imagined. Fighting alongside Crater, Efeistio, Alexander and all the other Madoni generals had made him develop his skills tremendously. Therefore, even if Medusa was two Phases above him and was much stronger, the great promise of the Sect of the Worthy could never have achieved the experience Helial possessed. A dark foreboding enveloped Medusa''s mind as she crossed arms with her opponent. What was that horrible feeling...? She had to get rid of it right away, before it could affect her performance. PUCHI! The stadium fell into absolute silence. Medusa looked around. Everyone was silent and she could no longer breathe. She felt a warm, thick liquid flooding her neck and drenching her clothes. Plop Plop Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The sand in the arena began to run bright red between Medusa''s feet, while her incredulous eyes, fixed first on Helial, slowly moved downwards. No matter how hard she tried, Medusa was unable to bend her head; there was something that prevented her from moving it. A proud and solemn expression was on Helial''s face. "Did you really think we were going to have a one-on-one fight and that I was stupid enough to put the lives of all my comrades at risk?" said the boy. With a superhuman effort, Medusa''s gaze finally rested on the object that had caused everyone''s dismay. An arrow. An arrow had penetrated her throat. Medusa raised a hand and touched her throat at the exact point where the tip of the arrow had pierced it. A desperate expression made its way across her face. There was no trace of the always proud and full of herself Medusa in her now arched eyebrows and in her lips folded down. There was nothing left but a small woman begging Helial with her eyes. Any attempt to speak was impossible. Her trachea had been pierced by Vlad''s arrow. Caliban opened his eyes and mouth wide, shocked. "He is no longer a boy," said Pseudonym. "He took advantage of every opportunity he could in the clash. Unlike you, instead of using supreme power, he maximized gains and minimized losses. This is a real genius," laughed Circe. "Do you believe that such a strategy would work against me?" said Pseudonym sarcastically. Circe shook her head and didn''t answer. Caliban, deeply incredulous, could not understand how those two geniuses, sitting next to him, could talk so calmly about what had just happened. A real tragedy was unfolding before their eyes. And in fact, in the grandstand, the big shots had been taken by the same feeling of terrified surprise that Caliban felt. Cesar had stood up. His blood seemed to be aflame, in front of his disciple''s genius. Aure was still holding a glass of wine mid-air, unable to discern what sensations filled his chest. Big and Guiccia, in respectful silence, were already thinking about their respective bets. Nelia and Roxy exchanged knowing looks, visibly worried. What would Helial do now? Medusa fell to her knees, almost dead. If Iblis'' young disciple wanted to finish her, he would have to prepare for terrible consequences. It was true, it was a fight to the death and none of them should have been surprised at how things were going. In spite of this, whoever was witnessing that clash found himself asking himself a question he never imagined he would have to ask: would the Sect of the Worthy really let the one who killed their most important direct descendant walk away with impunity? Auras had not hidden the fact that he had repeatedly thought of giving Medusa control of the Sect of the Worthy, rather than his son Comodo. If Helial had killed her now, how would Orma''s second greatest warrior react? Was the little human, who had barely passed the age of fifteen, really ready to bear on his shoulders the weight of what he was about to do? "Whatever happens today, it will be a turning point for Orma. The time for peace is over," said Pseudonym, exchanging a glance with Circe from inside his pitch-black armour. Helial condensed a sphere of white flames, with several black sparks inside them, on the palm of his hand, before looking Circe in the eyes and wiping a trickle of blood from the corners of her mouth. "Do you want to go like a real warrior, or do you want to beg?" said Helial with a sardonic smile on his face. The audience trembled at Helial''s words. "DO NOT MOVE ANOTHER INCH!" a man shouted from the Sect''s tribune, anger impossible to hide in his voice. Comodo, who until then had held back all his anger, could no longer remain silent and watch, while the most talented member of his Sect was brutally killed. Helial glanced in that direction, then shrugged and looked back at Medusa. "Snowflake, Lumia, Vlad, Frankenstein, Lulu, there is no longer any need to deal with those two remaining clowns. Spare them, we''ve already won," he said calmly. Atlanta and Margherita were bleeding from a myriad of wounds and were now unrecognizable. Comodo nodded in front of Helial''s actions. His previous cry had evidently reminded the boy to leave some way out even for the Sect of the Worthy. If he had really killed Medusa, he could hardly have faced the consequences. "After all, after killing the filthy bitch who also threatened my sister, there will be no fun in finishing those other two," each word marked by Helial like the ringing of a bell. "If you are not satisfied, Comodo, in a year''s time you can challenge me exactly as your cousin did. If the Sect of the Optimal wants to eliminate all the waste it has, I can only step forward to help them on this mission." Auras shivered slightly and, just as he was about to move, Cesar put a hand on his shoulder. "Brother, if you dare break the rules governing Orma''s fights, left us as a gift from our ancestors, I swear on them that you and your Sect of the Worthy will not see tomorrow''s light." Cesar''s words were pronounced with an exemplary calm, but with such coldness that the temperature of the grandstand where all the big pieces were located dropped significantly. If it was true that Cesar had become much more permissive towards mocking from others in recent years, having governed for so long and brought Orma to prosper, his authority nonetheless would remain forever unchallenged. Cesar had overthrown the Senate and created the monarchy in one day. He had conquered peoples who had threatened Orma for millennia, embodied all the customs of its ancestors and led the city-state to a new era of abundance and power. Aure was powerful, but it wasn''t even remotely comparable to Cesar. Despite being both Immortals, the difference between them was what could be found between heaven and earth. After hearing those words, Aure seemed to see before him the old Cesar, the one who had conquered Orma with his charisma and his unquestionable military value. Raising his hands from the armrests of the chair, Aure remained seated. Helial hurled the sphere of Mana he had created against Medusa, which burned in seconds, screaming horribly and under everyone''s incredulous gaze, first of all Comodo. There was nothing left of Medusa but a mound of ash, which became smaller with each passing second; the wind carried away what had been the body of the heir to the Sect of the Worthy. The arrow that had pierced Medusa''s neck fell on the sand, with a dull sound. Helial stood motionless, brandishing Curse of the Demon, with his worn cloak moving in the wind, and the rusty crown firmly on his head. Like a lonely king, forgotten by everyone, but who still retained the honour and pride of an ancient ruler. 204 Twenty kilos of lasagna "Incredible, just a few days ago Medusa was the most fearsome warrior in the Sect of the Worthy, and then she was killed by that bastard," said a burly Goblin. He was sitting in front of a table set with lots of food and enjoying the company of two other Goblins, powerful and influential members of the Sect of the Worthy. They were in Orma''s most luxurious and expensive restaurant, the "Coquinaria". The walls were adorned with frescoes of fine workmanship, bright colours that refreshed the gaze and pleasantly accompanied gourmet meals. The regularity of the walls was sometimes interrupted by marble busts, depicting eminent personalities from Orma''s past, and by hand-embroidered tapestries, enriched with gold threads expertly confused in the midst of coloured textures. Even the ceiling was inlaid with images from Orma''s mythology and covered with a layer of pure gold, which was polished several times a day and reflected the light of the large candlesticks filled with candles. Even late at night, it always seemed full daylight in that restaurant. That was an exclusive place, and without the right background, even entering it was really difficult. To gain entrance, you had to belong to one of the most important families in the city, to have reached at least the Third Phase and to be rich enough not to get into debt by ordering only one course. The cook was said to be a warrior at the Eighth Phase, passionate about culinary research and able to reinvigorate the body with a simple meal. "Eh," sighed one of the diners, sitting at the same table, indulging in the chair covered with fur of demonic beasts at the Fifth Phase. "How quickly things change!" In front of them, they had portions which were small, finely decorated and which gave off a very pleasant smell. The finest meat dishes came, of course, from the demonic beasts hunted that day. "That''s not the point!" barked the first. The third, who had remained silent, nodded and commented: "I don''t think the Sect of the Worthy will remain silent and don''t answer. Everybody knows that duels to the death are a matter of honour, but they are never carried out to the end. Especially if it''s a challenge between such important characters. That filthy human should have left us a way out. How can they expect to see us stand still while abusing us?" "Medusa directly provoked the boy and all his loved ones," intruded a young Goblin, sitting at another table. The three turned to him and frowned. "My Clan of the Sacred Eagle has never oppressed anyone with its power, especially those who have honestly won a duel," continued the young man. "That''s Alister," muttered someone across the restaurant. Alister belonged to the same generation as Medusa, Circe and Pseudonym; although his talent was absolutely not comparable with that of these monsters, he was the most talented warrior of the Clan of the Sacred Eagle Clan in his generation. He was even stronger than Francesca! However, he was born into a generation of monsters. Sometimes it is better to be the head of a hen than the tail of a dragon. "Alister, do you want to take it out on simple minions?" a crystalline and laughing voice reached the ears of the prodigy of the Clan of the Sacred Eagle. "Fava, I didn''t think I''d find you here hanging out," said Alister, turning to the voice behind him. "You have no one to pluck in the Guild and so you come here to waste time?" Fava shrugged and brought his chair to Alister''s table. At first glance, it seemed that those two geniuses were on good terms. Having often exchanged fourth and fifth places, they had crossed arms several times. However, as the saying goes, a trouble shared is a trouble halved. The presence of talented monsters capable of overlooking the sky itself had brought them closer. Fava and Alister were in the Initial grade of the Third Phase, while Circe and Pseudonym were currently in the Late Grade of the Third Phase. "With Medusa''s death, you have the opportunity to reach third place," commented cheerfully one of Alister''s companions, also from the Clan of the Sacred Eagle. Alister and Fava exchanged glances and shook their heads. "We? Do you really think third place hasn''t been filled yet?" the two laughed. The young man was dumbfounded for a few seconds, only to remember the demonic figure who had incinerated Medusa''s body, without leaving a shred of reputation to the Sect of the Worthy. "And you, you don''t know anything about him?" asked Fava. After all, Alister was part of the Clan of the Sacred Eagle, but the young man shook his head. "Not much is known about him, he is a mysterious one. I have the impression that Caliban knows a lot more about Helial than I do," said Alister, curious to know more. Fava was a member of the Merchants Guild and possessed some authority within it. Unfortunately, ability to do business was valued more than talent within the Guild, so Fava was always one step below Caliban in the race for the Guild Leader position. Yet the two, despite being opponents for Guild leadership, had never had a big fight. For merchants the most important thing is to make profits, not enemies. "Well, yes, they are friends, but he told me that he doesn''t know the true abilities of the Human boy either. According to him, it is likely that neither you nor I would be able to defeat him. After all, if Medusa couldn''t do it..." At that moment, the restaurant door opened, letting in a huge pile of white fur followed by two Humans and three Goblins. All those present followed their entrance with their eyes, almost intimidated. "Speaking of the devil..." whispered Fava. Alister smiled back at him and listened to the words the cat had just said. "Since the contribution of this supreme cat during the battle was incredible, I require ten kilos of lasagna to be prepared. Actually, make it twenty, ten kilos with normal meat and ten kilos with sausage," grunted the cat. "This restaurant is Orma''s most expensive," said a girl with silver hair. "The old hag said that we deserve some rest and that we could use the Clan''s funds as we fucking want," replied the cat. "She did not know that a certain cat would drag us here and drain the resources of the Clan of the Sacred Eagle with lasagna," intercepted a slender and tall boy, with a calm and measured look. Alister and Fava looked at each other, dumbfounded. Ten kilos of lasagna? Even the two of them, who belonged to Orma''s most powerful Clan and Guild, when going to that restaurant, had to be careful not to overdo with the expenses, to prevent the Elders of the Disciplinary Committee from beating them for their excessive expenses. A small plate of any dish would have made even a warrior to the Fifth Phase penniless. If Alister and Fava could afford to attend that place occasionally it was only because of their status. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. It was rare to see someone below the Fifth Phase in there. If Snowflake had really dared to order twenty kilos of lasagna, Nelia would probably have him skinned alive and put him to the plow in the fields until he paid off his debt. "Eheh, the hag said exactly: ''Oh, your highness Snowflake, you can spend as much as you want, there is no limit to your magnificence and your appetite, why should I decide what you can or can''t eat?''" On the other side of town, Nelia felt a shiver run down her back and sneezed. "I wonder who called me ..." Helial, Vlad and Frankenstein looked at Snowflake, incredulous. Could one really be so shameless? Sitting at on free table, Snowflake pulled out a huge bib with a delicate embroidery: cursive letters composing the words "Big Eater" and a refined stroke marking the shape of two crossed forks. The cat tucked his dining accessory around his neck and pulled out two golden forks. "What about those?" asked exasperated Helial, who had already guessed their provenance. "The Queen and the King gave us permission to buy new equipment, after having levelled up again and won in the arena. An upgrade was needed for the equipment to be on par with this supreme cat''s abilities," said Snowflake, slamming the two huge golden forks on the table. And that would be your equipment?! While everyone laughed, Helial felt he had finally found some peace. He hugged his sister and they all started to eat, keeping the right distances from Snowflake, so that the spurts of rag¨´ did not hit them. Outside the restaurant, a black shadow had an evil grin on his face and kept his eyes glued to Helial''s table. "You''re finally mine." 205 Eating blissfully As Helial brought a glass to his lips, he stroked Lumia''s silver head with his other hand. In the past days, he had spent a lot of time with his sister and his other companions, wandering for the streets of Orma and living carefree. It had been a long time since any of them enjoyed a few days off, without any thought on their mind. Helial, besides, had learned an important lesson from Alexander: one must enjoy his victories and give his mind the calm needed to prepare for the next storm. A long and tiring siege must always be followed by an equally large feast. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Not being fully autonomous financially, Helial had decided to please his companions and accompany them to celebrate in a place worthy of the efforts they had made, hoping not to squander too many funds of the Clan of Sacred Eagle... However, seeing the portions Snowflake was gulping down eagerly, Helial was beginning to feel his forehead beading with sweat. The cook, shocked by the number of orders from their table, had deigned to leave his hob to face the Goblin who had decided to finish all the ingredients he had in the restaurant. He was surprised to see a large cat, armed with a bib and golden cutlery. "Old bastard, where is the remaining lasagna?" swore Snowflake, realizing that the flow of food had suddenly stopped. "You bastard fatty cat", swore Apicio, Coquinaria''s chef, with a benevolent smile on his face, "my biggest wish is to feed the customers, but if you go on like this the ingredients for lasagna will finish. You should order something else; always eating the same thing is not healthy at all." "Healthy? This Supreme Cat doesn''t need to be healthy, only to eat his fucking lasagna." Apicio laughed and replied blow for blow to Snowflake''s curses. Having a customer so satisfied with his lasagna did nothing but flatter him. At one point, while continuing to talk to Snowflake, the cook had an idea: despite being a warrior in the Eighth Phase and his art being secret to the people who ate in his restaurant, the Goblin took some portable stove in the main room and started preparing a series of different and refined dishes in front of his customers, cooking and serving at the same time. With such a high Level, multitasking a bit did not stop him from continuing to argue with the cat. "And what are these?" Snowflake said, voraciously sinking his teeth into two huge omelettes. "You bastard, don''t talk while eating, you''re spitting half the stuff in your mouth on me and on the table. Nothing should be wasted here, it that clear? " Snowflake, after belching loudly, took the plate in his front paws and began cleaning it with his tongue, then he held it out again towards the cook, who did nothing but fill it, on command. The customers all around had their eyes wide with amazement. That luxurious and refined place, where it was necessary to beg the chef to gain entrance, was now at the mercy of a gluttonous cat. And not only that: most of the customers came from noble families and were nothing short of scandalized by the disaster that Snowflake brought with him as he ate. Spurts of omelettes, lasagna, b¨¦chamel and basically anything were flying through the air, without sparing the faces and clothes of anyone present. Helial had raised a translucent Mana curtain to shield himself from that massacre. Just as he tried to enjoy the wine in his glass, produced in the countryside surrounding Orma and flavoured with a special herb that stimulated the increase of Health Points, Helial felt a shiver run down his back. Without thinking twice, he unleashed his senses in all directions. Skill Activated: Perception The boy felt that someone was staring at him with a murderous Aura. Yet according to his calculations, the Sect of the Worthy would never have made a move against him in the open. He could not understand who was so crazy as to manifest his murderous intent in broad daylight towards Cesar''s disciple. A black shadow appeared behind him and everyone in the restaurant froze, except Snowflake, who continued to eat, unperturbed. Helial, without even turning around, finally recognized the Aura that was attacking him and understood that the person behind him was much more dangerous than any mercenary of the Sect. Leaning forward, the shadow brought her plump lips to Helial''s ear, lightly brushing it. "You are eating in the most exclusive place in Orma and instead of your fianc¨¦e you bring a cat that looks like a sewer, two wacky Goblins and a little girl who should have been in bed for some time already?" Everyone''s gaze passed on Circe, wrapped in a black leather bodice that highlighted all her curves. Her perfectly proportioned body and her ice-melting gaze had allowed her to conquer everyone''s hearts in a split second. Circe had a stunning body. Her raven hair cascaded down her shoulders, smooth and shiny, and her straight bangs like an arrow shot covered her eyes, which emitted attractive flashes. She looked like a small demon capable of infecting anyone''s heart. Helial, in his relatively brief experience in the Time Block, surrounded by the unrestrained men who were the Madoni, had already experienced the company of a woman''s body and was no longer the naive young man he was before. Yet in front of Circe, it seemed to him that he had returned to be a defenceless child. Grabbing Helial by the scruff of the tunic he wore, Circe did not even give Lumia time to look at her threateningly and disappeared in a flash of black light, dragging the helpless boy with her. Snowflake that, at first glance, was focused only on eating, hadn''t missed anything. "Too fast," he muttered to himself, spitting out more food residues. He too, the undisputed king of speed, had to recognize that he was nowhere near comparable to Circe. He swallowed and, with a worried expression and a heavy heart, blissfully went back to eating, not giving a flying fuck about Helial. ... Jumping from building to building, Circe continued to hold Helial by the neck, like an animal. But how could Cesar''s disciple suffer such a humiliation without reacting? Helial tried to free herself, but Circe glared at him immediately. Okay, Cesar''s disciple can suffer such a humiliation without reacting, thought the boy. Just then, the figure of an old Master of the Mana Congregation made its way into Helial''s mind. ¡­ A few years earlier "Brat, over the years as a Master of the Mana Congregation I have studied many Skills and techniques. I have developed a Skill that I can pass on to you even before you reach the First Phase. Do you want to see it?" Helial, feeling from afar the hint of fraud, nodded without particular interest. Vidio, seated in the tavern, immediately eyed the waitress. As soon as she passed by their table, Vidio winked at Helial and raised his hand wide open. SLAP A slap on the maid''s ass suddenly startled her. But Vidio''s technique was not about how to slap maids'' buttocks, but about the angle and the position of said slaps. The maid turned, her face red with anger, and behind her she found... Helial! "Old bastard," swore the boy, getting up from his stool and hurrying out of the umpteenth tavern as fast as he could, before the waitress or one of her shoes reached him. Behind him, Vidio ran and laughed, holding his chest as if fearing that it could burst at any moment. "Hahahah, look how fast you learned to run. This is how you gain your freedom! What would you do without a teacher like me?" ¡­ Still thinking about that scene, Helial said to himself that it was worth trying, to see if such a move would have allowed him to free himself from Circe''s suffocating grip. He then raised his hand, ready to slap with all the strength that he had in his arm that wonder of nature not too far from his face... 206 The wingless green crow Circe, with her brows furrowed in amazement, was massaging her aching bottom with the same hand that a few seconds earlier had left a clearly visible mark on Helial''s cheek. Laughing silently the young man could not help feeling touched seeing the small figure of Circe, who was trying to make the pain disappear with a simple massage. Although the Witch was much stronger than him, Helial''s physical strength, thanks to Body of the Qilin, should not be underestimated so lightly. As the young man''s eyes hovered over Circe''s body, she said enraged: "Are you done looking?" "Sorry, I can''t help it," laughed Helial again. Circe remained silent for a few minutes, occasionally glancing sharply at Helial, who continued to look at her without a modicum of modesty and with an amused smile that annoyed the woman every time she looked at him. When Circe felt that the pain had begun to subside, she sat on the top of the tower on which she had stopped in her run. Helial, who was still face down on the highest floor of the watchtower, sat down next to her. From there they could see the whole city of Orma, from the monumental centre, to the Royal Palace, to the furthest suburbs. Below them lay the entire Goblin Empire, enclosed in a city of rare beauty. When Helial had visited the streets of Orma for the first time, he had been amazed by the presence of works of art, immensely large buildings and frescoes painted with vivid colours scattered in every corner of the city. Fiercelake, the Nation from which Helial came, had always been defined as a bulwark of civilization against the barbarism perpetrated by the Goblins and other non-human civilizations; but now that the boy truly knew the artistic spirit of that people, he would not have hesitated for a moment to demote Fiercelake from its self-assigned first place. Circe, slightly sulky, didn''t have the spirit to tease her boyfriend. Usually she was always the first to take advantage of him, but this time she had received a hit below the belt, literally. She did not expect Helial to be so bold and reckless. Stunned by Circe''s reaction, Helial suddenly felt compelled to cheer her up. Yet the boy continued to be amazed. Vidio was absolutely right: sometimes a heavy slap on the ass was enough to subdue a woman. Thinking about Vidio, Helial also remembered something else that the old man had said to him, something that had nothing to do with slapping buttocks or with the panties of the tavern waitresses. The boy got serious. "Aren''t we lacking something?" Circe was taken by surprise. "Of course we are lacking something," she replied, without understanding what Helial meant, "otherwise we wouldn''t even have the strength to go on every day." The Witch immediately thought of her cousin and smiled, resigned. However, Helial wasn''t looking for such an answer, and shook his head, still serious: "No, I meant us, the two of us, as a couple. Aren''t we lacking something?" Circe was even more surprised; Helial had never shown any interest in her and their relationship, and she had always believed that Helial had simply accepted things going on, because it suited him. The girl looked at him with a strange light in her eyes: "What has made you change so much in these two weeks? Now, after being away from me for so long, you make these sentimental speeches and let yourself be harassed without opposing." Helial smiled with a snort and looked at Circe''s eyes, trying to read her feelings beyond her dark irises. "And is this enough for an engaged couple in order to have a relationship?" Circe looked at him, unable to answer. Helial''s intense gaze almost made her feel uncomfortable. The Witch, at that moment, felt hot and began to fear that her face was turning red, but she didn''t even know why. Fortunately, Helial did not seem to notice or care about it, and continued to speak: "I was once told by a man, a real swine, to tell the truth, but a very wise swine, that love is war and fear. In love we suffer and the soul is torn apart, until we want to exact revenge, requiring just as much pain in return." Helial''s words seemed to have the effect of an electric shock on Circe, who was now totally enchanted by Helial''s gaze and bewitched by his words; by now, the young woman had lost the witchy Aura that surrounded her continuously, remaining only a mortal young woman. "You knew a very wise man then." Helial felt his heart beat in an unusual way, with a sudden blow, when he noticed a small hint of a smile on Circe''s slightly reddened face. It wasn''t one of her usual grinning or mocking smiles. It was just a sincere smile. "But something is puzzling me," said Helial, dramatically holding his chin between index and thumb and supporting his arm with the other hand, a ridiculous pose to say the least. Circe could not hold back a laugh and, still with one hand in front of her lips, said to him: "And what would that be, if you would be so kind?" "When I think of you I don''t feel my heart is torn, nor do I feel pain. I feel only an infinite kindness towards the great Witch of Orma." That was the moment when Circe''s embarrassment could no longer go unnoticed: her face became deeply red, impossible not to see even in the dark. One can easily imagine what happened shortly thereafter. Or at least, Lumia could imagine each scene vividly when she saw Helial return to his rooms full of bruises, scratches and bite marks. ¡­ A few years earlier, a crow I know that I''m just a crow, that I have no right to be the king in the sky, but should I give up flying because of this? Every time the hawk chases me, above the skies and the city full of strange green wingless birds, I risk my life. The hawk does not like me flying into its territory. But is the sky his property? My friend, the magpie, loves to steal the sparkling objects from the wingless green birds, but I want to steal the sky from the hawk, to rise above the clouds, even if none of my kin has ever succeeded. Maybe it''s because of my black feathers, who knows. If they were brown and white like the hawk''s, perhaps I too could go over the clouds. But this does not matter, because I will steal the sky from the hawk. ... After the umpteenth pursuit, literally losing half of my feathers, I fell into this courtyard, mortally wounded. Maybe I should admit that the hawk really is the true king in the sky. That it is too fast for me, too strong. Every time I try to fly up into the sky, he pushes me back to the ground and hurts me. Could this be the fate of the crow, never being able to steal the sky? Ah, my breath starts to groan. The lungs start to fill with water and blood, and collapse. This time the hawk really got me. I''m dying soon. Yet when I turn my beak, I see an image, a vision, I don''t know: there is this wingless green bird, female, perhaps, because of its large breast, and it continues to move quickly and launch bundles of energy that I can perceive, but I cannot understand. It is fighting with another bird, a very strange one, a black metal bird, wielding two large claws. The wingless green bird has lost several times, as I did against the hawk. And, in fact, the green bird also appears to have a black plumage, on some parts of its body. It doesn''t seem to have wings, though. It almost looks like a crow too. A wingless crow. Now it has been thrown to the ground, like me, collapsed on the gravel courtyard for the umpteenth time; it seems that this strange crow has been knocked down more times than I have been wounded by the claws of the hawk. But, every time, before the black metal bird can leave, the half-crow gets up and challenges him again. I make a sound, I try to do it, to prevent the strange wingless green bird from continuing to get injured to death, to prevent it from ending up as I did. It ignores me. But the metal bird reminds me very much of the hawk. Yes, it must be a wingless hawk, a land hawk. It cannot be defeated. No crow can defeat a hawk. Why, then, does the green bird continue to fight violently with it, trying to overcome it? The green bird has been wounded time and again for hours now. For hours now I have been dying on this gravelly ground. There is no difference between me and that strange green crow. I drip with blood, it drips with blood. I groan, it groans. I am going to die, it continues to fight But why does it keep fighting? ¡­ A few years earlier, a hawk Even today that fool of a crow tried to fly in my sky, that stupid creature. I, the hawk, am the king in the sky, undisputed ruler of the air. Not even the eagle tries to touch me anymore, why should a simple crow continue to challenge me? There are those who are born hawks and those who are born crows. But look, here it is again. I thought I had killed it this time. "Hey, you," I yell at him, "you can barely move your wings. Blood clots have replaced the feathers and you don''t even seem able to keep your eyes open anymore. Why did you come back instead of going to die in peace? " Look at him, what is that strange light in his eyes. He seems suddenly taken by absolute bliss. "The other crow, still drowning in his blood, has not yet stopped fighting the wingless metal hawk on the ground." "What are you saying? I am a hawk, you are a crow. You can''t fly above the clouds. You were born like this and you will die like this." It seems that, this time, the crow has definitely lost its mind. It looks at me shaking its head, I feel its eyes investigate my body. This time they do not envy, there is only an inexplicable dignity. "I am a crow and I will forever be, even in death. But I want to die like the land green crow, trying to steal the sky from a hawk, otherwise I would be just a crow. " "And what are you now, if not a crow?" I laugh in its face. "A hope for all crows, like the wingless green crow is for its fellows." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. While my claws penetrate his flesh, that cursed one manages to hurt me with his sharp beak. I got his brains out and he died miserably. As I deliver the final fatal blows, it seems to look down, towards a courtyard from which the racket of weapons comes, with a pride it carries with him during the last moments of life as a crow. 207 Cursed Monster Ever since Medusa had died, Helial had been training every day, non-stop, because he knew that he would never stop facing stronger and stronger enemies. Since returning after his experience alongside Alexander, most of the boy''s skills had reached the Master rank. At this rate, it was not long before they all reached the highest possible rank. Yet despite the efforts and knowledge the King of Madonia had taught him, Helial still had a bottleneck to deal with, one apparently impossible to overcome. Every muscle in his body reacted, charged with energy, while his fingers drew strange patterns in the air. Luminous indecipherable letters vibrated in mid-air, releasing a mysterious Aura. With each movement of Helial''s hand, the circles full of luminous symbols rotated and enriched with new letters. After a few minutes, the space all around him was completely covered with runes, but Helial did not seem willing to stop. The young man began to gasp as he bent on one knee. The Runes, unlike the Formations, required the user to consume their Mana without external supports. Formations, however, allowed the use of catalysts to merge with the Mana of Heaven and Earth. This minimal difference made the Runes much more practical and strong in battle, because they had no condition to be used, just that the caster had to strong and expert enough to create them. Each Runic Framework that Helial had created was able to amplify the effect of some of his own Abilities. Several Runic Frameworks, once drawn on the ground, were able to increase exponentially the speed of those who set foot on them. However, to operate them correctly, it was necessary to know exactly where to put your foot, and only who created those Runes knew, to prevent the Runes from having the opposite effect to the desired one, exploding and damaging the warrior himself. "What do you think of this?" said Helial, raising one hand towards all the Runes but with the other on his knee to support himself. He had just consumed all his Mana. The fact that he was standing was already a miracle. Frankenstein had watched his training in silence, studying his companion''s every movement from a corner of the room. "This is the Skill you were telling me about, the Perfect Background?" asked the Goblin curiously. "Yup. It was given to me while I was training in the Time Block." Helial avoided adding more details. He had decided that specifying every single detail of his meeting with Alexander would be superfluous, because he was sure that none of his friends would fully understand the real meaning of what he had experienced. They weren''t ready to know what huge scenario they were already playing on. Alexander. Iblis. Life. Destruction. Amaterasu... If they had known about all these things, it would probably have done them more harm than good. However... of all the members of the Tristia Team, Frankenstein had proved himself a true genius, overcoming every limit of what Helial thought was possible. His Skills had all reached the Master rank, even surpassing Helial''s knowledge. Although the latter had an incredible experience, Frankenstein looked like a monster out of a horror book. His deductive ability and intuition had allowed him not only to learn how to create terrifying devices, but to bring Art of Devices to the Master rank, even higher than Margherita''s when she was still alive. Frankenstein had only one main Skill, Manipulation of the Elements, but he had already managed to bring it to the Master rank. "By combining a multitude of Runic Frameworks, Perfect Background allows you to create the ideal battlefield. Speed, Attack, Defense. It is a kind of Formation, but it can be created in a few minutes, allowing you to use it anywhere." Helial nodded. He was sure that Frankenstein would understand the workings of this technique only by watching it. If not, then Helial wouldn''t even have bothered to call him for help. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Your Skill is stuck at level 20 and can''t level it up, huh? Usually, a Skill at level 20 needs only a little push before reaching Master rank. Still, it doesn''t seem to be your case. How many weeks have you said it has been stuck? " "Five." "Five weeks at level 20. You are also able to use Perfect Background, a Skill that, from what you have told me, only those who reach the Master rank can use to the fullest." "The consumption of Mana is so high because the Skill is not at its maximum efficiency," commented Helial, in despair. "If I could level Runic Art to the Master rank, I would also be able to level up Perfect Background and Runic Control." Frankenstein scratched his chin as he looked at Helial. "How much Mana do you have at the moment?" asked the Goblin. Helial opened the Statistics screen and pushed it with his fingers to get right it in front of Frankenstein''s eyes. Name Helial Race Human Title Disciple of the King Primary Class Champion of the Runic Forge (Unique Class) Primary Affinity Light Primary Profession None Level 104 Exp. 323.423/1.930.000 HP 18.530/18.530 MP 1.200/85.423 Strength 215 Stamina 233 Mental Energy 210.324/210.324 Intelligence 240 Wisdom 195 Dexterity 170 Present Effects: Physical Endurance 5% Vitality Regeneration: 1800% Health Regeneration: 1800% Physical Resistance: 3000% Magical Resistance: 3000% Stat Points to distribute: 516 "You cursed monster," swore Frankenstein, looking at Helial''s Stats. Although the young Human hadn''t trained physically in the Time Block and monstrously increased only the rank of his Skills, he had truly terrifying Stats. Not even most of the warriors at the pinnacle of the Second Phase, beyond level 170, possessed such Stats. "Why didn''t you use all those Stat Points?" said the Goblin, widening his eyes. Was it a joke? Not only was Helial so powerful, but he hadn''t even use all the Stat Points? So how the fuck could he have such high Stats? Damn it! Apparently, Frankenstein had underestimated their leader''s talent. "Master''s orders," Helial shrugged. "Putting aside the issue of Runes for a moment: even the accumulation of Stats is absurd. I have studied from some books that Iblis provided me and, according to my theory, what differentiates the various Phases, in terms of quality, is basically Stats. In addition to the changes our body undergoes, there is a precise relationship between Phase and Statistics." Helial sat up and activated Communion of Mana. Skill Activated: Communion of Mana You are able to best circulate the power of Mana in the most suitable Meridians. You can move very quickly as you accumulate and regenerate your Mana. Lv: 1 Rank: Master Exp: 64% Present Effects: MP regeneration: 100 Mana/Sec Skill Amplification: 10% Physical Skill Amplification: 5% A divine Aura covered Helial. Frankenstein was speechless again. The speed with which Helial recovered Mana was terrifying. In a few minutes he would have recovered all Mana lost just before. Discussing with Helial, Frankenstein had discovered that, at first, Communion of Mana had allowed the young man to recover even more MPs per second, but preventing him from moving while using the Skill. Now, after bringing Communion of Mana to the Master rank, it seemed that Helial was able to run and engage in normal combat at the same time he activated it. By rubbing his temples, Frankenstein tried to ignore all the incredible information he had gained in such a short time about his leader and spoke slowly: "Runic Control and Perfect Background don''t depend just from Runic Art. Runic Art also depends on them." Solemnly, Frankenstein turned his back on the boy and walked off confidently, frantically, as if he had something in mind. Maybe he had found a new topic to inquire about, maybe he would have thought of new theories to help Helial improve. "Runic Art also depend on them?" Helial did not understand exactly what Frankenstein meant, but he had received excellent food for thought. The young man watched his friend Goblin walk excitedly and stumble badly on an empty plate Snowflake had left in the room. 208 Because of a wink Helial was certainly not the only one who had been busy, both during the two weeks before the clash with Medusa, and after. Orma''s two greatest talents certainly could not sit on their hands: Circe and Pseudonym had sprung to the Late stage of the Third Phase within a few weeks. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Firmly clutching Curse of the Demon in his hands, Helial looked ahead. A frighteningly strong figure walked sinuously towards him. Helial looked around. Lulu, Lumia and Frankenstein were lying fainted on the ground. They had been knocked out in a split second, as if nothing had happened. Only a few minutes had passed since the start of the clash and most of his party had already been rendered useless, and Helial was covered in blood from head to toe. His every muscle was aching, but that didn''t stop him from using every second of respite to recover Mana. Gritting his teeth, he looked over his shoulder at those two bastards who had refused to join the match. Vlad and Snowflake were calm and relaxed, sitting in the tunnel that led to the arena, between the stadium and the passage. Snowflake had one eye half closed and one half open and Vlad, with his elbow resting on the cat''s back, observed the unlucky end of his companions. "I said it, didn''t I," Snowflake remarked sleepily, "that this Supreme Cat would never get killed so brutally." The scarlet-haired boy nodded, although the reason he had decided not to participate was not the same. Snowflake and Vlad had refused to participate in that match, since they had considered it a hopeless fight. But Helial, at that moment, was alone because all his companions had been defeated in a few minutes and was surrounded by all their enemies, about to be defeated. "Hey, honey," Circe, closer and closer to Helial, let out a chuckle that seemed far too adorable to him. "Remember, you promised me that if you lost, you would have agreed to use that cute little thing with pulleys and ropes." The audience of the Colosseum could not help shivering hearing that. Snowflake had a disgusted expression. "Between this lunatic and the incestuous girl, Helshit is standing in one hell of a mess." Vlad nodded again, this time really agreeing with the cat. Everyone knew how powerful Circe and her men were, but they did not expect that Helial''s group, after soundly defeating and massacring Medusa and her team, would lose in such a humiliating way. Furthermore, judging by the Witch''s words, there was a rather large stake. Nobody at that moment envied Helial. Circe may have been an unparalleled beauty, but it was quite well known how unconventional the Witch''s methods were. After taking care of Lumia, Lulu and Frankenstein, Circe''s companions began to slowly approach Helial, amazed. They knew that Helial was very strong, they had also seen him fight in the arena against Medusa, but they did not imagine that he could resist so much under Circe''s claws. "You seem to have softened a bit," Francesca laughed at Circe. "You''re usually a lot more aggressive." The daughter of Cesar and Nelia, sister of Germanicus and princess of Orma was in the Witch''s team. "Softened?" Circe laughed, "I''m just playing around with my mouse." In addition to Francesca and Circe, there were three other members in second place in the Colosseum Ranking for the Third Phase. Circe was overtaken by a muscular boy, who stopped right in front of Helial, with a mocking smile. It was Zion. "Your team is pretty pathetic." Propping a huge two-handed sword on his shoulder, Zion looked up at Helial from head to toe. He had a mask on his eyes, with two mini-binoculars. It was a Device that allowed him to increase his accuracy every time he hit. Zion was known as The Surgeon. He was Circe''s right arm. The strangest thing about this man was the contrast between his nickname and the huge weapon he always carried with him. Helial, watching him fight, had understood what his abilities were. Despite having a huge weapon unsuitable for precise attacks, the Device he wore and his tremendously sharp vision allowed Zion to launch attacks that were precise to the millimetre and with a terrifying force. Beside him were Lev and Sidra, a boy and a girl with white hair and long-limbed shapes, who looked boringly at Helial. They were all in the Intermediate stage of the Third Phase. By now, there was little to do and the whole Circe''s Team had started to slow down. At that moment, Francesca had an idea to make the clash interesting. He stared intently at Vlad, forcing him to look at her, and then smiled at him with a sly smile and a wink. Vlad nudged Snowflake, who was licking his paw to smooth his fur, completely disinterested in the fight. Perhaps nobody could have understood how, with a single glance, Francesca had turned Vlad''s soul inside out like a sock. The scarlet-haired young man was probably one of the most difficult people to convince to move his ass in the whole Orma. In recent weeks, Helial had tried to convince him in every way to train, with good and bad - but above all with bad -, beating him up several times. And just when he thought he had managed to change his mind, it was then that he found Vlad sleeping perched somewhere. If Vlad hadn''t had a outworldy talent, by now he would have been left behind, unable to walk side by side with the others. Yet such a person had just been completely upset by a simple glance. "Let''s go eat again in that place you liked so much, and this time we will make the Guild of Life and Death foot the bill. The old bastard owes me a bit after we defeated the Sect of the Worthy," whispered Vlad to the cat next to him. "Although the old man''s daughter is incredible, this time the humiliation for the Sect of the Worthy will be even greater, because we, the next generation, will defeat them." Snowflake pretended to think about it for a few seconds, then got up and stretched his bones. He yawned so hard that Vlad almost lost his hearing. Helial suddenly turned to them, glad that his friends had finally decided to act, after seeing him in such a situation. He would probably have been less happy to know what had convinced those two to engage in battle ... What would he have done if he had known that the only reason they had moved was because Vlad had been bewitched by Francesca and the cat by lasagna? As the sandy ground of the arena started to move because of gusts of wind, Frankenstein, Lulu and Lumia regained consciousness and slowly got up. Snowflake and Vlad advanced one to Helial''s right and the other to his left respectively, while the rest disposed in attack formation. Helial had regained some confidence, he was convinced that now they would have a new opportunity for victory. "Today it won''t be so easy to defeat us." The audience, enthusiastic, had begun to believe that these kids would succeed again and began to scream louder. ¡­ Vlad and Snowflake were wearing so many bandages that they looked like two mummies. "Have you seen how fast this cat is?" said the mass of bandages from which white tufts sprouted, moving his eyes, the only part of the body that he was still able to move. "Mfmpfmpf," replied Vlad from under his bandages, trying to nod, but to no avail. "Mpfmfpf-" annoyed, he managed to free himself from the bandages that covered his lips: "And that arrow that almost pierced the heart of d-mpfpmf?" Despite the attempts, the bandages had fallen back on his mouth. Snowflake would have crossed his paws and nodded wisely if he could. "Incredible, incredible," approved Snowflake. Frankenstein intercepted them: "So why couldn''t we defeat not even one of them?" Suddenly, in their heads there was the echo of Helial''s screams as he was dragged away from the Colosseum by Circe, tied like a salami, as if he were her spoil of war. "Don''t you think it would be good to check what happened to Helial?" asked Lulu, worried. Fortunately, she and Frankenstein had suffered minor wounds, unlike Lumia, who was still unconscious. Circe had beaten her up nicely. Frankenstein, Vlad and Snowflake, brave warriors as they were, brutally ignored Lulu and began to comment on how beautiful the clouds had been that day. 211 Simplicity What''s behind men''s masks? What are the forces that move us? As Curse of the Demon passed through a Ghoul, Helial reflected on what gave him the strength to move his limbs. Did he really go on, day after day, with the sole purpose of defending and protecting those he loved and of finally being able to live a life of peace and tranquillity? Maybe he had never really noticed... but perhaps he would not mind following the footsteps of the great monsters of the universe. The blackish and slimy blood of those malevolent creatures splashed from all sides, smearing his face and clothes, just before being vaporized by the cleansing power of Flame of the Qilin. Blow after blow, Helial couldn''t help but think: he had shared bread with the greatest leader in history and received Iblis''s teachings and, after reflecting for a long time, he had noticed something. Helial lacked something, something that Alexander and the black-haired boy had, but he didn''t. He lacked the flame that burned in the heart of those two mythological figures. And this was because nothing had ever made his soul impenetrable, nothing had shaken him enough to make him eager to complete a mission. In fact, he had already found what he aspired to, but he couldn''t see it. Literally. Helial raised his hand and motioned to attack. An endless series of arrows and spells rained down on the Undead''s rear, constituted by the Lich, even before it could be protected by the Soldiers. The Ghouls continued to attack relentlessly, ready to tear the Goblins apart, but the testudo put together under Helial''s order did not to show signs of giving way. Only the Human boy fought outside the ranks, like a god of death bored by the world''s slow and lazy movement, supported by his personal guard. One after another, the enemies were annihilated with disarming ease. The young man''s action could be compared to that of a red-hot knife cutting through butter. "Why greatness, for what purpose? For power. Freedom? Alexander was the greatest of all, and Iblis the most free, but did their freedom reach a point of no return and was restricted by themselves, didn''t it? Or is the essence of freedom the exercise of extreme reason? " Many questions echoed in Helial''s heart, but none of them promised completely satisfactory answers. Helial dodged the sharp fangs of a Ghoul, which could have ripped his throat in a moment. The burning fire of Flame of the Qilin surrounded the blade of Curse of the Demon. Their union was the perfect weapon to defeat those monsters in seconds. Flame of the Qilin was the nemesis of the Undead. "Just a couple of closer and I''d be dead," said Helial, trying to catch his breath. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The young man was facing a battle that was the prelude to a bloody war between Goblin and Undead, but in his heart there was a much bigger war going on between Life and Destruction. Helial had chosen a completely new Way, and now he would have to forge all his weapons and Skills by himself. Nobody before him had had the courage or had been able to walk it, nobody had left crumbs along the path; it was up to him to leave footprints for those who would come after him. In his mind the gigantic figures of Alexander and Iblis joined and overlapped; two beings who had taken huge steps, but who would not have helped him to get where he wanted. AHHHHHHHHHH!! Helial screamed at the top of his voice, interrupting the articulated flow of his thoughts; with that cry he had ordered the members of Circe''s group to make the central body of the army retreat, allowing an undisputed advance of Ghoul and Soldiers, while the Lich, from the rear, laughed. Kodiak, one of the three Undead generals leading the enemy faction, grabbed a worm that had just come out of his left orbital cavity and twisted it around his finger. "It seems they are not even reacting. The orders are to take time. We are the least advantaged platoon. Those cursed beasts between the First and Third Phase are in charge of the supplies. While in the other battlefields they are in the vanguard, we must get by alone, pfui." Bandit, another Lich whose face was covered by a black bandana with a green skull, looked at him thoughtfully: "If we could really beat the filthy Goblins without the help of the Trolls, the Elders would cover us with spoils. The Prince of Darkness hasn''t even arrived and we''re already winning." "If by the end of the day they fail to recover, we will have to deploy all the Soldiers and Ghouls available, in this way their losses will skyrocket", laughed maliciously Jantzen, the third commander, watching the central deployment of Orma retreat step by step. The other two nodded and didn''t care too much about to the most important thing: the Goblins had suffered almost no losses. Although only Helial and his companions, who served as his guard, were in the middle of the fray, the testudos were totally impenetrable. Francesca yelled worriedly at Helial: "We can''t go on like this!" The testudo protected the Goblins, so that the Ghouls could not kill them easily, but it also prevented them from fighting back. Basically, they were only putting off the inevitable. "Another insubordination and you will be resurrected outside the battlefield," said Helial coldly, looking at Cesar''s daughter. In war there was no room for kindness, there were only orders. Zion impaled two Ghouls using a spear from inside the testudo, and he continued to scream orders to the right and left, allowing his men to change position and substitute the ones carrying the shields. Lev murmured several formulas, while the bodies of his men were reinvigorated and their eyes burned with a fighting spirit. Sidra, on the front line, carried the largest shield, periodically slamming it hard against the Ghouls'' line and violently pushing back a dozen of them at a time. In Circe''s group, she was the Main Tank, specialized in having superhuman defense and strength. Francesca was probably the weakest member of the group, although it didn''t mean much. In Circe''s team, even the weakest warrior should not be underestimated. Observing the situation among his new generals, Helial glanced at Vlad and Lumia: "Vlad, go to the top of the central shields. Lumia, go to the side with the most Ghouls and help Francesca. We need another couple of hours." Francesca was on the left wing, while Zion and Lev on the right. Sidra was in the centre, controlling her men''s slow retreat. Although her body was covered with a metallic glow, a sign of an incredible defensive ability, the first cuts on her arms and face could now be seen. The Ghouls'' fangs managed to wound her the instant when Sidra used all her strength to relieve the pressure from the shoulders of her men, exposing herself to the attacks of those creatures. Sighing, Helial let four pearly sparks form on his palm and detach from it at an impressive speed. "What matters, whatever path you take, is to remain attached to the simplicity of the emotion. The bigger our Mana Path, the simpler and more pure our emotions must be." The sparks went swiftly towards the monstrous mass of Ghoul, burning dozens of them. The smell of burnt and rotten flesh assailed the nostrils of all the soldiers, who now looked at Helial in amazement. Their commander seemed an invincible warrior. Zion also looked at Helial thoughtfully. He began to wonder if he would be able to repeat the carnage just made by the young Human, once he could set that silly spear aside and take up the sword that had earned him the name of Surgeon. Were they really sure that the boy that was now leading them to victory was the same one who had been brutally defeated a few days earlier by their team inside the Colosseum? The Goblin deployment continued to retreat in the centre. It gave way to countless rows of Undead. Bandit placed the black bandana on his face and said to Jantzen and Kodiak: "They are already retreating and we still have to summon other warriors using the bodies of their friends. Imagine their faces as soon as we begin to claim enough victims." Jantzen twisted his rotten jaw, risking dropping it to the ground: "If we don''t hurry to send other warriors to help, they will decide to flee before we can kill them all. Our warriors are not renowned for their speed." Kodiak nodded and transmitted various information telepathically to the reserve troops, ordering to immediately jump into the fray, focusing on the central wing, which seemed to be about to give up at any moment. Kodiak thought that without that terrifying boy, still claiming hundreds of victims among the Ghouls and easing the pressure on his deployment, the Goblins'' central line would have already fallen. Already retreating? Lunatics. As soon as Circe saw what was happening, she thought that Helial had guessed once again. "Son of a bitch, he was right," swore the Witch, laughing. She immediately turned to the side to intercept the boy and said: "Are you ready? Eh? Where is he gone?" Helial wasn''t there anymore. Circe looked around confused, seeing nothing but a blanket of black flames jumping at full speed towards the rear of the Undead army, while by now all the enemies had poured onto the battlefield. 212 Like Frogs on the Bottom of a Well From where he was standing, Helial could see a good part of the battlefield, littered with fallen soldiers. The boy was sitting on a pile of Undead corpses, cross-legged, and looking at the three heads, torn from their bodies, in front of him. One of the heads was extremely funny, he could not help but think, carefully observing the black and green bandana that covered the rotten mouth of one of the enemy generals. All around, the Goblins were exulting, waving their weapons in the air. Helial raised his head and smiled. "His" men were screaming his name repeatedly, praising him as if he were a divinity. And to think that only a few hours before, scepticism was the prevailing sentiment in the Goblin ranks. None of them would have ever imagined that an inexperienced Human boy would lead the Goblins to victory over their greatest enemies; but apparently there was nobody among the soldiers who had a good imagination. They had been very wrong. Pseudonym and Circe, swooping behind their enemies, had surrounded and massacred everyone standing in their way. The frontal defensive formation had acted as a pincer and nobody had managed to break it. Helial himself had used Curse of the Demon, at one point, to hold back all the Ghouls and Soldiers who were trying to escape, breaking through their ranks frontally. At that moment, the wounded soldiers in the testudo just behind him saw a young boy, with his muscles about to explode, covered in blood from head to toe, preventing several hundred monsters from running over them. They were all exhausted and could not even hold their shields up anymore. If not for Helial, the clash would have ended differently. Indeed, it would have had a completely opposite result. But the young human had resisted until Pseudonym''s arrival, who in a split second had killed the three Generals of the Undead and incinerated ten thousand enemies with Flame of the Black Phoenix. The whole crowd of Goblins looked at the young man with dreamy eyes, while on Circe''s face a satisfied smile opened up. "It seems that your boyfriend is quite good," said Zion, finally ready to recognize the Human''s extraordinary value. Observing the solitary figure on the mountain of corpses, no one could avoid noticing the grandeur of the scene. Just behind him, Pseudonym stood, with the task of protecting him from surprise attacks too powerful for Helial to counterattack. Helial''s blood debt with the Sect of the Worthy would eventually be paid. Circe looked again at Helial, and then at Pseudonym, nodding. She knew that if the armoured warrior remained on his side, the boy''s life would be safe. "Sometimes, being born in poverty, having to face life from below, can lead to incredible results." Francesca nodded towards Orma''s two saviours and smiled, taking deep breaths. "Maybe being born rich is really a misfortune." Her teammates turned to her. "The greatest misfortune," commented Lev with his hands crossed on the tunic, behind his back, "is to be born in the same era as certain monsters. Cursed by their presence, we, who have always believed we are strong, are only frogs at the bottom of a well. All our life we have seen only a slice of sky and we are convinced that it was everything. Helial and Pseudonym are show us that it is not so. " "If I were in their shoes, I would be a phoenix instead of a frog," Sidra said, looking sideways at her brother. "If you had been in their shoes, my dear, you would be manure," continued Lev, laughing and approaching Sidra. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her towards him, but the girl tried to free herself from his embrace. "Don''t worry, the same goes for many of us." Lev was probably the wisest in Circe''s group. He was the heir of an ancient Orma faction, which focused on Support Classes; he was a Shaman, perhaps the most incredible in the new generation. But what surprised even more of his prowess as a Shaman was the depth of his words. He spoke little, but when he did he always left a mark on the soul of anyone who listened to him. "To burn with such intensity, a flame is at risk of extinguishing every moment. It is sometimes easy for fireflies to get confused with the landscape, while a dragon will always be chased for the value of its hide." Circe, Zion, Sidra and Francesca looked towards Helial and Pseudonym with their arms crossed. Although Lev''s words had put them all on a step lower than those two, the pride of four geniuses who, until then, had never known comparisons would never have been easily destroyed. "Fools," laughed Lev, returning to annoy Sidra. After many tries, the girl surrendered and remained trapped in her brother''s arms. After all, she was happy. They had fought a terrible battle, but they were both still alive. The clouds in the sky marched relentlessly, urging others to move on with their lives after the celebrations. Helial picked up the message and stepped forward, placing his hands on the corpses, regardless of the rotten smell emanating from that mound. He had spent enough time up there watching the rest of the Goblin warriors in their jubilation. Well, what is freedom, after all? Iblis, Alessandro and how many others ... Eheh. Helial suddenly raised Curse of the Demon the sky and shouted at the top of his lungs, ready to devour it. It seemed that the worn cloak that Helial had been wearing during the battle had taken on colour, hit by the rays of the setting sun. Even the crown on his head seemed to have lost its rust and returned, at least for a few seconds, to its original radiance. The crowd of survivors didn''t hesitate for a moment in responding to Helial''s shout. The roar flooded the plain, and perhaps reached even the most remote areas of the planet. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Everyone was shouting to celebrate that unprecedented victory. Not even one single enemy had survived. It was an unprecedented victory. Everyone was shouting, Lumia, Snowflake, Vlad, Frankenstein and Lulu. Circe, Zion, Lev, Sidra and Francesca shouted. Caliban was shouting, and the disciples of the Royal Academy were shouting too; the members of the Sect of the Excellent were also shouting. Everyone''s weapons were raised towards the sky as a sign of challenge: the Goblin people felt invincible, they could have fought thousands of other battles like that. Even the most reluctant towards Helial had now forgotten how distrustful they were towards his, but from then on, they too would recognize the value of the Human. All the new generations of Orma had put aside hatred and accepted the presence of what had always seemed to them a stranger. Continuing to shout with all his might, Helial turned to the most incredible warrior present in Orma. Pseudonym nodded slightly, without screaming. But he raised his sword in the air and Helial could feel on his skin the smile behind his dark helmet. 213 War Menu When the army''s shouts had subsided, Pseudonym lowered his weapon and stared at Helial for a long time before saying: "You''re only in the Initial grade of the Second Phase." Helial got off the pile of corpses and joined Circe, who was waiting for him. Pseudonym followed him in silence and watched him as the boy placed the rusty crown on his head and fluttered the discoloured cloak behind him. Isn''t this what makes me special?, the boy seemed to say with the ironic attitude he had learned to appreciate inside the Time Block thanks to Alessandro and his Generals. Pseudonym''s statement was correct, but at the time it seemed absolutely irrelevant. What did it matter in what Phase Helial was, if with his technique and his military strategy he had defeated Medusa when he was still two Phases lower than her? Underestimating him because his current Level, after he had come up with a perfect plan to defeat hordes of Undead, really didn''t make sense. Helial headed for the makeshift camp they had hurriedly set up before the battle. As he walked he met Frankenstein and nodded, smiling, and went past him to enter the largest tent in the clearing; Circe and Pseudonym also entered after him. The other generals were already in the tent, awaiting their arrival. Circe was pinching Helial''s butt, admonishing him playfully, as one does with a child, and everyone present could not help but start coughing loudly, reminding the couple they were not in their bedroom. Only Pseudonym did not seem to be bothered by their attitude, but continued to look towards Helial. Silence and embarrassment were interrupted by Snowflake, who began to massage his moustache with his hairy legs: "What the fuck is the idea of going against the fucking warriors the Third and Sixth Phase? None of us is ready to get killed yet. Maybe the fucking Third Phase monsters like Circe and Pseudonym have some chance of winning, but what should we do? Twist our cocks around the table legs and then throw it out the window?" The cat stopped talking, proud of his articulated oratory speech. He was a true rhetorician. Those present, however, were not of the same idea. They were stunned. Although many of them had heard the cat in action during the clash with Medusa, every time he opened his mouth to speak rivers of curses flowed out of his jaws and left them amazed. They could not accept the fact that a Heavenly Star Tiger, one of the descendants most noble and righteous race of the universe par excellence, could utter certain tremendously scurrilous words. Helial and his companions were really awkward. What the fuck was that phrase? Twisting one''s cock around a table leg? Circe also had a thoughtful expression, as she imagined Helial as the protagonist and Snowflake''s words as a script. "We have no way of significantly influencing the other fight," said Zion, bringing the facts to the table. They were all geniuses in that tent, but none of them was a fool. Helial tilted his head slightly diagonally, bringing his finger close to his ear: "Can you hear that?" Everyone was dumbfounded. Immediately they started listening, ready to hear every possible noise. At first they heard nothing, and it seemed that silence had suddenly deepened. They listened for several seconds, unable to hear anything. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Snowflake curled his muzzle and pulled out his claws, impatient, and just as he was about to hit Helial to punish him for the loss of time that he was causing him, he began to hear the sound of heavy footsteps. Along with the footsteps, a whisper also approached, a whisper made of low and high-pitched sounds alternating in the space of a few seconds. It seemed that some lunatic was approaching the tent. Vlad and Snowflake looked at each other and their eyes lit up. With terror. It was Frankenstein. The two began to mumble between themselves and prepared to run, but Lumia blocked them to the ground, modelling both gravity and ground itself. They were anchored in their place and could no longer move a step. Zion and Lev noticed those strange movements and were ready to engage in a fight. If someone wanted to ambush, they would have stopped him at any cost. Circe continued to pinch Helial''s ass without too much shame, Pseudonym continued to be silent. Helial tried to ignore his girlfriend''s harassment in all possible ways. He spread his arms and said, smiling, "While all of you were busy celebrating, I asked someone to find certain things." A second voice added to the incomprehensible whispers: "When the Clan of the Sacred Eagle knows how much this trick cost him, there will probably be a revolt." Upon hearing those words, several dark lines appeared on Francesca''s forehead, while she already felt the wealth of her family being dilapidated without restraint. Before the clash, Helial had asked Cesar''s daughter if the Clan of the Sacred Eagle in times of war allowed his members to spend in profusion to increase their strength. Obviously, imagining that the amount Helial needed was affordable for her Clan, the princess of Orma had given the go-ahead to any purchase. She did not know that, probably, after the war, she would have had to answer his father about a terrifying expense, even more unspeakable than the one the cat had made in the most expensive restaurant in the city. And to think that even before the battle... Right! Before the battle! Francesca immediately realized that Helial, if he had asked her such a question and if he had already obtained everything he had in mind to use for the next attack, must have always had the certainty of winning. The arrogance of his father''s disciple shocked Francesca deeply. Still, that arrogance was entirely justified. He had never seen anyone decide the fate of a battle like that, without even spilling a few drops of blood. Helial''s victory could have ended in the Annals of Orma as one of the most overwhelming victories for her people. A hand opened the curtain, letting Frankenstein in, who kept talking aloud to himself. Behind him was Caliban, his expression concerned. Both were holding several Interspace Rings. They began to distribute the Rings, one for each general. Helial raised his voice to be heard by everyone and, without ceremony, as he used to do, explained: "Each Interspace Ring contains a Formation I created myself. The power of each Formation, made up of about two thousand warriors, allows the wearer to easily reach a power equal to that of a person at the height of the Sixth Phase. "They are not indestructible Formations, but they will surely last long enough to fight this war." Frankenstein, who was handing over the Rings, found himself in front of the black armour and stopped. He looked decisively at Pseudonym''s helmet and then passed it on, without giving him anything. Pseudonym frowned and crossed his arms, but said nothing. "Where the fuck did you find this stuff?" asked Snowflake, already understanding what he was going to say. "As a general rule, such formations are extremely expensive and, given how difficult to use they are, they are not used on the battlefield. After all, many soldiers are needed. If all these soldiers were taken from the ranks, who would fight the war between the warriors in the First and Third Phase? Furthermore, the Formation requirements are not simple. Its name is Formation of the Jade Warrior. A mediator is needed to bring together all the power of those who use the Formation; his knowledge of the Mana must be very deep, as well as his Perception. Each Formation contains different Skills, but to learn them you need an extraordinary attitude. Without meeting all these requirements, beyond the enormous cost, it is impossible to set up the Formations." "Is this how you intend join the battle between the warriors from the Fourth to the Sixth Phase?" asked Circe, amazed. Helial did not reply, but turned to Pseudonym and said to him: "I have not made a Formation for you. Ahahaha, do you want to tell me that you need one?" With a shrug, Pseudonym left the tent and went to prepare for the next fight. Inside the tent, the atmosphere froze. The implications of Helial''s words were not something easy to accept for all the geniuses gathered in there. Circe looked at Helial in disbelief. He did not believe that Helial had been able to evaluate his power without even having to deal with it directly. On the other hand, despite having fought several times against Pseudonym, not even she could say what how strong the black-armoured warrior really was. "You mean that..." Circe, Orma''s witch, was speechless. Zion, Lev, Sidra and Francesca felt their faces blushing with shame. Snowflake still didn''t understand, but he didn''t seem to care. In his hands he had the menu, appeared from who knows where, of the Coquinaria, that restaurant where he had found the best lasagna he had ever eaten in his life. "What the fuck does War Menu mean? Old stupid bastard," muttered the cat, taking it out on the restaurant''s chef. "Pseudonym is able to fight against a warrior in the Sixth Phase, according to my calculations. Unless he''s an equally terrifying genius, of course. If the warrior''s talent were ordinary, I don''t think he would be able to defeat Pseudonym. These, of course, are only my deductions obtained through the Skill that I have cultivated, which allows me to estimate the fighters'' power. However, it is not a crystal ball. Mine is only guesswork, but apparently, Pseudonym has admitted that he doesn''t need this," said Helial, pulling an Interspace Ring out of his pocket, "I think his Skills are even stronger than those of our Formations." 214 Three skulls Helial came out of the tent and saw the black armour nearby. He reached him quickly and joined him, continuing to walk, one next to the other. Pseudonym showed no sign of stopping or turning his head towards the boy. "Before entering there," said Helial, pointing to the command tent for the army from the Fourth to the Sixth Phase, "I would like to know if you are on my side." Behind them were all the other bigwigs of the new generation, from Francesca to Lumia, who looked at the Witch of Orma as if she were about to tear her to pieces at any moment. The two silhouettes, the imposing one of Pseudonym and the slender one of Helial, led the group through a crowd of diffident looks. A Goblin, just out of his tent, saw the group of young people and was amazed at their presence in that part of the camp. "What are the brats doing here? Shouldn''t they think about their battle?" he said, adjusting the armour that covered his torso, shaking it to arrange it as comfortably as possible. "It seems that they have decided to come and ask for help," laughed another, who was coming out from the same tent. "They must have lost so many men who no longer know what to do. It seems that the boy and the monster are here to ask for help", said the first soldier, shaking his head. "They don''t know the rules though, we can''t help it." Vlad and Snowflake were lost. They looked around, passing their gaze over several distressed-faced Goblins. They wondered what would happen to the camp shortly thereafter. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. After several seconds of silence, Pseudonym finally grunted, nodding in response to Helial. The young Human smiled, satisfied. He didn''t need anything else to know that the Champion would follow him during his next battles. Suddenly, a goblin of enormous size, almost a giant, stood in front of Helial, eyeing him and Pseudonym from head to toe. He was the guard standing in front of the tent for the Generals from the Fourth to the Sixth Phase. "Go back playing with the little monsters in the Third Phase, this isn''t your camp. There are rules to follow," said the Goblin unfriendly. "Killing is definitely wrong," Helial brooded aloud, "and moreover, if there wasn''t a Mana Oath stopping me, it would be instructive to upset common morality and give an example of an idiot who can''t stand in his place." The giant looked with wide eyes at the gnat in front of him, while his brain tried to process Helial''s words. "What did you say?!" roaring, he raised a huge sword twice the size of Helial and lowered it onto him. Killing the King''s disciple would certainly not have been an unpunished crime, but the Goblin was confident that this gnat, being below Immortality, would have been brought back to life within twenty-four hours. That brat definitely needed a lesson. Helial squinted so as not to be blinded by the sun as the huge weapon descended on him. No one was around had the time to react. Circe and Lumia widened their eyes, but all the Goblin soldiers watched the scene amused, wondering how many pieces the disciple King would be reduced to. Circe began to stare at the giant with her arms crossed under her prosperous breast. She impressed the man''s face in her mind, ready to have him killed by a member of the Guild of Life and Death as soon as possible. The only sound that was heard at the time was Snowflake''s shocked exclamation: "Shit." Some attendants had covered their eyes with their fingers to avoid witnessing the hideous carnage that was about to be consumed. But, hearing nothing, they widened their fingers slightly. Clang. Pseudonym''s black steel gauntlet blocked the huge sword, while the residual force had created a gust of wind that had blown away many of the people around. CRACK CRACK The weapon began to shatter. While Helial was smiling satisfied at the giant in front of him, a voice rang in his mind: "Pseudonym''s talent not only grows day by day, but is also bigger than yours. The Goblin guy is in the Intermediate grade of the Fifth Phase and has put most of his Stat Points on Strength. Pseudonym is more powerful, considering that he is at the Late stage of the Third Phase." Iblis'' words reminded Helial that, however extraordinary his talent was, there would always be someone stronger than him. Beyond a sky there is always another. "Let us pass, you''ve already lost enough reputation," said Pseudonym. Without giving the giant any chance to answer, he hit him in the chest and made him fly for several meters. Landing violently, the Goblin left a furrow in the shape of his face. One of the soldiers standing nearby turned his body over with one foot, to make sure he was still alive. He regretted it almost immediately. His companion''s face was a mask of blood and mud. His grotesque appearance would have terrified even his own mother. Without deigning the crowd and the victim of a second glance, Helial continued his march towards the command tent, unperturbed. If they had left such insubordination unpunished, the trip there would have been practically useless. Their plans would become useless even before they could be implemented. Entering the tent, Helial was hit by the smell of sweat and stale air. It was clear from this and from the faces marked by the weariness turning towards him that the war was not going very well. A Goblin with large purple irises looked the newcomers from head to toe. Shrugging and cursing loudly, he came out of the tent: "I don''t want to know anything more about this fucking war." These were the only words he left behind. The others looked at Helial and the others with hostility. The only one to pay them attention was the Goblin in charge of the camp. "Sit down," he said, smiling, feeling sorry for himself. If even the brats thought they could come and play in their camp, after the loud defeat received that day, who was he to stop them? They would have been nothing but another mockery, the last grain of salt rubbed in their wounds to remind them of how incapable they had been. Until then, the Goblins had never lost a war, whatever the Phases involved in the fighting. However, now that Undead and Troll had joined forces, the difficulty had increased exponentially. "How''s the battle going?" asked Circe, sensing that the clash was not going well. The general was Glaucus, a member of the Guild of Life and Death. He shook his head, disconsolate. "The enemy army uses Trolls in the frontline to widen the battle. Thanks to the physical power of the Trolls, it is practically impossible not to lose men while the central rows clash. The three Troll Generals are in the Intermediate stage of the Sixth Phase. The Undead Generals are at the Late stage of the Sixth Phase." "You don''t look very confident in victory", said Circe, taking a seat around the table. "Honestly, Miss, I don''t want to offend you telling a lie," said Glaucus. Glaucus, besides being one of the generals in that division, was part of the same generation of Comodo and was not much weaker than him. Indeed, in an honest and fair fight, Glaucus would probably have been able to defeat him. However, Comodo''s strength came from the poisons he created. During a fight against Comodo, a moment of distraction would have been enough to lose one''s life. Although the experts who cultivated poisons were not considered favourably, within their Phase they would have been almost invincible. It was also not uncommon to hear of experts killed by some poison expert of one or two Phases lower than them. "Considering our conditions, even if we wanted to break the rules, we probably wouldn''t even have enough men to help you. Also, considering that the legendary Circe and Pseudonym are on the battlefield, how can you need us?" Xen, a member of the Sect of the Worthy, had spoken. He too had thought the same as everyone else, that those boys had come to ask for help. "It wasn''t us who led the army in battle," said Pseudonym, slowly moving his finger covered by the steel gauntlet towards the King''s young disciple. "That''s why you''re here," laughed Xen with contempt. "If it had been a Goblin who leading the army, the outcome would probably have been different." "Probably," said Helial, throwing three skulls on the table, with seals nailed just on top. The generals widened their eyes. They had already fought several times against the Undead, how could they not recognize their generals'' seals?! 215 Black flames Immersed in a heavy silence, the Generals of Sect of the Worthy, the Clan of the Sacred Eagle and the Guild of Life and Death exchanged puzzled looks, after listening to Helial''s words. Seeing the horrifying heads of the enemy generals was not enough for them, just as hearing the detailed report from Helial''s mouth was not enough. Occasionally, they had looked at Circe with incredulous eyes, as if asking her if everything they were hearing had really happened. The Witch had confirmed everything, leaving the Generals more and more astonished. All the bigwigs inside the tent were now looking at Helial in a different way, as if he were a monster. There was no longer mockery in their gaze. They had just discovered that Helial hadn''t come to ask for help, but, on the contrary, that he wanted to help them. They had learned, from the words of the Human, of the Formations that Frankenstein had set up, capable of rivalling warriors to the Sixth Phase. Besides, the young disciple of the King had already given them ideas on how to rearrange their platoon to win the next battles. Despite his arrogance, Helial also knew he was unable perform the same miracle twice. Wiping out the joint deployment of Undead and Trolls would have been nearly impossible in just one battle. The army that he had faced had no Troll in its ranks, because they were used to transport objects too large to enter the various Interspace Rings. A war required an incredible amount of resources and low-level warriors had to organize themselves as best as possible in order not to starve. The Undead needed items to strengthen the new creatures summoned on the battlefield, heal the wounded and enhance their spells. The Trolls, on the other hand, ate more than Snowflake did and, luckily, there was only one Snowflake in the Goblin army. In contrast, the enemy army had tens of thousands of Trolls. The amount of rations required for them had to be unimaginable. "We can''t give command to a child!" roared Xen towards Glaucus and Totus, the general from the Clan of the Sacred Eagle. Glaucus and Totus spoke to each other telepathically. Since reaching the Sixth Phase, they not only managed to fly, but Divine Sense allowed them to speak without problems, shielding their conversations from prying ears. "The old generations are continually surpassed by the young ones," said Totus confidently. "If he succeeded in such an undertaking, why shouldn''t he lead the war?" "None of us is fit to take control of the army completely, otherwise the other two factions would rebel, let alone if the King''s disciple took the lead. How do you think the soldiers would react, if they had to take orders from a boy?" replied Glaucus. At that point, Totus spoke aloud: "In here, who would dare to say that he is more talented than Circe and Pseudonym?" No one could really grasp the meaning of that question. Helial and his companions watched, while Circe and Pseudonym, sitting on his right and left, acted as a deterrent. "What do you mean, Totus?" asked Xen suspiciously. "If even the descendant of the Guild of Life and Death and the Champion of the Colosseum, who are much more talented than all of us, have decided to follow the orders of the King''s disciple, why shouldn''t we do so too?" explained Toto. "The army will not be willing to take orders from him!" growled Xen, "and neither will I!" Helial glanced at Pseudonym. The steel chirped, while the terrifying figure slowly raised to his feet. Everyone looked at the man in the black steel armour in amazement. They had all seen Pseudonyms knocking out a warrior in the Fifth Phase with a punch, just minutes before, but nobody thought that he would really have the audacity to challenge a descendant of the Sect of the Worthy. "Royal Decree: In wartime, anyone who refuses to participate in the war or disobeys orders from their superiors is punishable by death," hummed Circe, laughing maliciously. "I really want to see that!" roared Xen. "Arrogant bastard, let''s see what you''re capable of." Xen''s Aura exploded in front of everyone and they leaned back, hit by the terrifying pressure. The table, on which a map of the territory was laying, and the wooden pawns depicting the troops were instantly reduced to dust. "Traitors must die," Pseudonym''s hoarse voice said calmly. In a split second, the Aura around Xen, a warrior in the Intermediate rank of the Sixth Phase, vanished. Xen was not only a genius in his generation, second only to Comodo in the Sect of the Worthy, but he was able to wipe out any common warrior at the Sixth Phase. But Pseudonym, despite being three Phases lower than him, was too strong an opponent. Pseudonym''s Aura had just put an enormous pressure on Xen. His armour became red-hot and was suddenly covered in black flames that seemed to have been evoked directly from the underworld. The Generals'' tent was raised in the air by the terrifying heat that was released by those flames of oblivion. Now above them all there was only the sky. Rising into the air, Xen showed the main characteristic of a warrior in the Sixth Phase: the ability to fly. "Bastard, can reach me now?" laughed Xen, mocking Pseudonym, the legend, Orma''s strongest warrior. Xen''s laughter and shouts had attracted the attention of many soldiers who, one after the other, had gathered around the clash that was about to begin. One after another, they tried to inquire about what was going on, until they learned the reason for the dispute. Rather than being concerned about the turn the confrontation was taking, they seemed interested. Many warriors stared at Pseudonym, with their arms crossed. Although there was a legend inside the black steel armour, most of them belonged to the previous generation; they were fierce and proud warriors. No one would have easily bowed his head and recognized Pseudonym or the King''s disciple as the strongest in Orma. As these thoughts took shape in the soldiers'' minds, the black flames around Pseudonym thickened on his back, slowly forming two huge black phoenix wings. Hovering in the air, as a deity looks at his acolytes, Pseudonym looked at the camp, without even a glance at Xen. "With what pride do you dare to mock a warrior in the Third Phase, you who are in the Sixth?" Pseudonym had always preferred silence and had preferred to avoid conflicts with the Sect of the Worthy, knowing the deep hatred they felt for Humans. "Sixth or Third, who cares? The most important thing is power. I am stronger than you and today you will have to kneel if you want to leave here on your feet. The great Pseudonym kneeling in front of me, hahaha. I''ll tell my kids stories about this," laughed Xen. Holding two large black swords, one for each hand, Pseudonym continued to rise towards the sky. "Without dignity, your power is nothing." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. HOMMMMMMMMM The Aura of Pseudonym reached an unprecedented peak, while his whole body looked like a comet of black flames. His swords gradually came into position, creating a pose in perfect balance with heaven and earth. Without pronouncing another syllable, Pseudonym''s swords began to cut through the air very slowly. Despite the sluggish movement, countless residual images were created in the wake of the weapons. It was as if Pseudonym was moving hundreds of swords in the wake of the two he wielded. Helial''s eyes shone, while Perception allowed him to monitor the clash with ever greater clarity. Pseudonym moved his arms and legs in rhythm and then, suddenly, there was a terrifying scream coming from the black flames that covered him. It sounded like the scream of a phoenix. Shivering, Helial immediately realized what it was. 216 Watch and Learn Xen quickly crossed his hands in the air, creating countless seals in the shape of huge yellow bulls, pervaded by the essence of the Earth Mana. They gave off a power capable of levelling mountains. Pseudonym, on the other hand, looked like the king of kings, still and covered by a heavenly waterfall of pitch-black flames. His movements, slow, continuous and methodical, had hypnotized the crowd. But Helial was not hypnotized: he was simply shocked. \"Pseudonym already has a Skill at Grand Master rank,\" Helial said incredulously. He had seen Skills at that rank multiple times while he had been in the Time Block with Alexander. And for this very reason, he knew exactly what it meant. The rules of Mana prevent mortals from crossing certain boundaries. Before the Third Phase it''s impossible to acquire the Divine Sense, before the Sixth it''s impossible to manipulate the fabric of reality in order to fly. The eternal fate of Mana pervaded all living beings and was relentless. What had shocked Helial was the very fact that a living being had gone against heavenly destiny. Skills in the Grand Master rank required a control that cannot be reached below the Fifth Phase. Furthermore, the difficulty in overcoming the bottleneck between Master and Grand Master rank is not something that a simple man could have imagined. In his life close to Alexander, Helial had experienced the feeling of having an ability at the Grand Master rank and he knew well how extraordinary it was that Pseudonym had already reached that degree of experience. Once reborn in the Time Block, Helial had experienced the incredible power of Skills at the Grand Master rank. He didn''t even need to watch the fight to know how it would end. Not only did a set of Meridians pure and tempered more than hardened steel was required to perform such a Skill, but one''s understanding of Mana must have reached an extremely high level. In addition, Pseudonym had also integrated his power with Flame of the Black Phoenix. The deeper and more inscrutable the laws of a Skill are, that is, the more potential it has, the more difficult it is to raise its level. The ability one''s Meridians had to possess to use a Skill in the Grand Master rank were not something achievable before the Fifth Phase. Each remodelling that the body went through passing from Phase to Phase allowed the warrior to make the most of his Meridians. Only by reaching, gradually, a state close to perfection, one could hope to be able to use such an ability in the distant future. Whether living beings liked it or not, until someone managed to subdue all the limits of the universe, it would always have been impossible to violate the laws of Mana. \"How is that possible,\" swallowed Helial, eyes wide. A gentle voice coughed inside Helial''s Soul. \"Talent is only a small part of the path that will take us to meet Amaterasu again,\" said Iblis, appearing next to Helial. Nobody seemed to have noticed the boy who suddenly appeared among them. Probably, the Devil had used something to hide his presence from prying eyes. \"Never give up, never give in, go through a sea of flames and a mountain of blades,\" said Helial, laughing, looking at the armour high in the sky, \"what does Pseudonym have that Helial doesn''t?\" Iblis stretched the corners of his mouth in an enigmatic smile and turned to him. \"I can read your soul at any moment. I never missed your thoughts. So, I turn this question back to you: what does the great Pseudonym have that Helial doesn''t? \" replied Iblis. Freezing on the spot, Helial suddenly felt a twinge in his heart. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm the Mana that had already begun to simmer within his Soul and Meridians. \"What holds our bodies together is nothing but a goal through which to sublimate our essence. Be it freedom, love, death or even eliminate evil from the world. Life and Destruction are what they are only because the members of their forces have something tremendously great to draw from and pour their essence into. Every warrior has something from which he will have to draw to overcome Immortality, to overcome the first boundaries of the Mana, which makes us mortal and fragile.\" \"Pseudonym, despite his young age, has in his head something already as big as the thoughts that cross the mind of some big shots of Life and Destruction. How can the mind of such a young person already hold certain follies, this is a mystery for me too. All the emotions we feel, all the forces that we are able to release with the palm of your hand ... If we were to go to the base of everything, do you know what we would find? Just an emotion, a spark that then ignites our hearts and gives birth to all other emotions.\" Iblis paused briefly while watching Pseudonym cross swords with Xen for the first time; the warrior of the Sect of the Worthy spat several mouthfuls of blood after the head-on collision, and was thrown over a hundred meters into the air. Wiping blood from the corners of his mouth, he roared furiously and created more seals with his hands, this time even larger than before. There had been only one exchange, but Xen had already decided to give all he had. Skill Activated: Infinite Suppression of the Bull All the seals dematerialized, dispersing in the air and creating a block with a radius of half a km. A huge yellowish and impalpable prison enveloped both warriors. Xen''s Skill was using the Mana of the environment to merge with that of the amorphous seals. Glaucus'' expression changed: \"Damn it, does Xen really want to use that attack?!\" In panic, Glaucus thought about intruding. Yet, despite the fact that he was slightly stronger than Xen, facing such an attack he would still have risked being seriously injured if he had not been careful enough. Seeing Pseudonym remain calm and impassive even facing Infinite Suppression of the Bull, Glaucus decided not to get in the way. Lumia, Vlad, Snowflake and the others watched with curiosity the clash, increasingly shocked by the unmatched power of Pseudonym. Although the Generals were not in the Late stage of the Sixth Phase, but only in the Intermediate one, the boys understood that there was a reason, if they had been ordered to hold that position: they were so strong that not even the most incredible warrior at the climax of the Sixth Phase would have been able to defeat them. Circe shook her head. \"Getting on par with that monster is getting harder and harder,\" she told herself. The yellowish air around Pseudonym stopped collecting Mana from the surrounding environment and began to thicken, forming a huge yellow bull that contained the power of Earth Mana. Scratching his chin, Iblis commented: \"It is not freedom that moves you, nor love for your sister. They are all very strong feelings and rooted within your Soul. But you know it too. You realized it after experiencing Alexander''s greatness. If you really want to walk alongside the great monsters of the universe, you will have to find a corner stone to lay the foundations of your being. Another day, when it will be more appropriate, we will continue this conversation. For the moment, watch and learn.\" 217 The first year Swords as black as the darkest of nights crashed against the huge yellow bull. Pseudonym''s movements contained an incredible simplicity, but at the same time they seemed impenetrable. \"AHHHHH!\" emptying his lungs, Xen lunged at Pseudonym, bringing with him the magnitude of his attack. Somehow, that confrontation proved to be liberating for Xen. No grudge or hatred towards Pseudonym dominated the General''s heart, but only a deep frustration at the sad outcome of the battle that had just ended. Fortunately, not all the men in the Sect of the Worthy were as treacherous as Comodo and Medusa. Despite his arrogance, Xen had no murderous intent towards his opponent. In a clash of such intensity, if both had given everything they had, one of them would surely have ended up dying. Not everyone in Orma was willing to put his live at risk, as if it meant nothing. Helial looked at Pseudonym''s moves in silence and with interest. As Iblis had suggested, Helial watched the fight without speaking. Iblis had instilled an iron discipline in his bones by beating him. Thanks to the Devil''s supernatural abilities, Helial could die several times on the same day and be brought back to life, without the 24-hours limit. Some would have called it a miracle, for Helial it was his own personal hell. Following the two contenders flying in the sky, Helial met the fierce rays of the sun. He raised his hand to shield himself and slowly closed his eyes. Pseudonym defeated Xen after a few minutes. The General of the Sect of the Worthy ruined the ground, falling heavily on his back. With slow and measured steps, which did not allow even a touch of tiredness to be perceived, the black armour moved towards Xen and approached him. The General was almost sure that Pseudonym would kill him. And indeed, an iron-gloved hand was about to reach and hit him in the chest ... but it stopped. The Champion''s hand stopped a few centimetres from Xen''s chest to help the General get up. Pseudonym was not attempting to kill him, but showing him respect. Xen accepted his help and the two grabbed each other''s forearms, as if they hadn''t fought until seconds before. Helial turned to Iblis and looked at him, waiting for a sign. The Devil nodded and the boy approached the two contenders. \"Not knowing how to lose a simple clash is impossible if you want to learn how to win a war,\" he also held out his hand to Xen as a sign of alliance. \"I don''t want to occupy your place, but I guarantee you that by following me even in one battle, you will realize that mine are not empty words.\" Xen hesitated, but then grabbed Helial''s slender forearm. With that gesture, the General of the Sect of the Worthy had chosen to trust the Human boy. Orma historians remembered the clash between Xen and Pseudonym, for millennia, as the clash that changed the fate of the Goblin City-State. In fact, if Pseudonym had not knocked Xen down, of Orma''s immense and living army would have remained only cold bodies marching between the ranks of the Undead. When Helial and his team joined the fight, the Goblins had recovered and managed to win one battle after another. The contribution of those boys had completely changed the fate of the clash. But despite everything, the war had long since stalled. Undead and Troll had suffered devastating losses from the First to the Sixth Phase and only the battle from the Seventh to the Tenth Phase was still going on. Glaucus and Xen, who had initially proved sceptical of Helial''s proposal to take the lead, had to reconsider the extraordinary potential of that Human boy. Helial''s skills as a commander far exceeded any other General, trained for decades with rigid military methods. It was as if Helial had grown up in a military Elite. No other military campaign had gone as well as the one they were carrying on thanks to the boy. Every enemy move had already been planned and turned against them. Each fortification built allowed the Goblins to revenge ten times the lives of their fallen warriors. Even the monstrous Ghoul and Troll on the front lines had been expertly managed by Helial''s countermeasures. On the first day of battle under the young man''s command, Helial had ordered the frontline soldiers to take as many buckets of Holy Water with them as they could. All those litres of Holy Water had been thrown over the eyes of Trolls and Ghouls who, being creatures of the deepest part of the Destruction, had been partially blinded by that Holy Water. At the same time, Troll pheromones and blood essences had been poured onto the enemy front row, causing it to collapse without even one Goblin soldier perishing. At some point, Ghoul and Troll had also begun to bite each other, until the intervention of the Generals of the respective races became necessary to end their dispute. But, at that point, the fate of that clash had already been decided. Although it was impossible for Helial and his soldiers to hope to completely wipe out their enemies as they had done during the battle against the warriors at the Third Phase, the superiority of the Goblin army was stark. The giant warrior-shaped formations were controlled by the most talented of Helial''s friends and members of Circe''s group. Pseudonym kept going through the lines, charring the Lich and the Trolls that launched huge boulders from the rear thanks to Flame of the Black Phoenix. Battle after battle, Xen, Glaucus and Totus were increasingly shocked by the feat of the legend of Orma. The numbers of Undead and Troll had been halved. Generally, the Undead had always been the most feared enemies on the battlefield. Their ability to summon fallen comrades was simply terrifying. Still, thanks to long-range bursts of Flame of the Qilin, most of the Skills that required the use of Black Lich Magic did not work. Although Helial was only in the Second Phase, Flame of Qilin was an Ability that took shape from the purest Mana of Life. The attributes of that flame far exceeded the filthy Lich techniques. Unable to resurrect their army and cornered by Helial''s tricks, the enemy generals had a huge problem. They had tried hard to think of every possible formation that could counteract the action of those filthy Goblins, but to no avail. Although Undead and Troll joined forces, Orma''s big shots could not be underestimated. There was a reason why those loathsome beings had never won a conflict against Cesar''s army. Without even talking about the huge gap of forces that existed between Cesar and the other Immortals: even among the warriors in the Tenth Phase, Crispio was by far the strongest. The initial strategy of the Undead was to carry out a massacre between the low-Phase warriors, but they never expected that their warriors would be torn to pieces by a simple Human. The more they fought, the more the Undead and Trolls were decimated. The losses were huge, but it seemed that their resources, in terms of soldiers, were infinite. After each defeat they suffered, they returned to the attack again with an army as numerous as the previous ones. And, every time, regularly, they lost. During one of those terrible battles, some Ghouls managed to find a weak spot in the ranks of the Goblins and broke through the testudo. It was only two or three monsters that slipped between the Goblins, while the gash was being closed. The intruding Ghouls were easily eliminated, but one was particularly obstinate. Despite the blows inflicted, he showed no sign of collapsing and hurled himself with ever greater violence against whatever Goblin was in front of him. The monster must have been very strong, since not one of the Goblin soldiers could repel, weaken or annihilate it. Suddenly, Glaucus, feeling the presence of the Ghoul among his men, rushed to defeat him; but the monster, enraged by the violent blows he had received just before, threw himself against him and hit him in the throat, without leaving him time to react. The monster must have been very strong, if not even Glaucus, the General of the Guild of Life and Death, who was in the Sixth Phase, had managed to survive his attack. Shortly thereafter, that Ghoul was also eliminated, but, at the end of the battle, the soldiers realized that the General''s body had disappeared. With this mournful event, which deeply affected the whole city of Orma, the first year of war between Goblin and Undead and Troll ended. 218 Epiphany Moonlight flooded the clearing. Helial was lying on the grass with his eyes closed, letting the gentle wind caress his skin. Suddenly, a metallic noise broke the quiet of the night. The boy was not in the least frightened, on the contrary, he opened his eyes idly and smiled; in front of him a black armour had appeared, reflecting the milky rays of the moon on the stalks of grass around it. The silence did not seem to bother the metallic figure, who looked at the boy in front of him. \"I see you''ve finally decided to accept my invitation,\" said Helial. Before he even got an answer, Pseudonym covered himself with black flames and rose up into the air. His majestic figure towered over heaven and earth, impossible for ordinary mortals to reach. \"You have to get here first,\" said the legendary warrior of Orma, with superhuman calm, \"otherwise the request you made me would make no sense.\" Enchanted by his opponent''s movements, Helial stood watching him for several seconds. ... A few days later, in a watchtower outside Orma''s walls \"After a year of unnecessary conflict, I''m glad that those worms have come to ask for an audience, with their heads bowed,\" said Cesar, furious. That bloody war had taken countless lives from the enemy, but killing Undead would ever bring to life the valiant Goblins who had fallen during the countless clashes that took place. For every lost soldier, Cesar''s heart ached. Orma''s strongest Immortal had fought so many conflicts, overturned the Senate, subdued Orma, but had never been responsible for unnecessary bloodshed of his subjects. Even when he had taken control of Orma, declaring himself the first true King since the foundation of the Senate, he had not spilled even a drop of blood on the streets. The sins of his enemies had been forgiven, their debts cancelled. Now, because of those two unclean creatures in front of him, Cesar was full of hatred and resentment. He had been forced to fight alone against them, but he had reduced the two enemy Immortals to bloody puppets. After all, what could he have done? Aure hadn''t helped him much and had done the bare minimum. Fortunately, the difference between the Immortals of the Undead and the Trolls and Cesar was the same between heaven and earth. \"In between the endless threads of death, the Great Lady has yet to find the thread of your life, luckily for you,\" snorted Kari, the Immortal representing the Undead. Being the strongest of those monstrous creatures, he was also their King. In his arms, the Undead kept his head, quite battered, since it could in no way attach to his spine. Although the Lichs were the ones with the most talent for Mana Cultivation, Kari was a Headless Horseman, a very strong and almost indestructible Class in hand-to-hand clashes. Thanks to his enormous defense, strengthened by Lostro, the King of the Trolls, the two Immortals had managed to fight Cesar and Aure. Despite being frighteningly at a disadvantage, it would not have been easy to take their lives. But if they had made even a single error, the two immortal enemies would have found themselves incinerated and not even their bones would have remained. The meeting had been set in a keep outside the walls of Orma. Welcoming his enemies in the heart of the city would have been too great a risk, because they could have taken advantage of this in order to move against the King. Moreover, Cesar had feared that he might lose his temper. If he had raged in the centre of Orma, he would have risked burning half the city to the ground. The keep for the meeting had been cleared. Cesar invited Aure and the other two to sit down, then turned his back on them and filled a glass of wine, which he began to sip looking at the horizon. The pink rays of twilight warmed the limbs of the King of Orma for a few last moments. The King closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling. There was a very long silence, interrupted only by the rattling of the jugs of wine. \"Your majesty,\" said Aure in a very formal tone, \"don''t you think it would...\" \"Silence!\" shouted Cesar. Aure, amazed by his behaviour, remained silent and frowned. Cesar''s limbs continued to tremble with anger. It was paradoxical that Aure, after making the minimum contribution to the war, wanted to hurry so much to find an agreement with the enemy. \"Kekeke, I wonder how you managed to become an Immortal with that soft heart of yours, old man,\" laughed Kari from the head he held in his arms. His features, deformed by the drooping and bluish skin, opened with smile of rotten, black and sharp teeth. Lostro, belonging to a race of warriors, did not like politics. After all, even the most intelligent of the Trolls was nothing more than a Troll. Once he reached Immortality, Lostro had acquired much more humanoid forms than his fellows, but had maintained the typical height of his race, measuring four or five meters. His body was a thousand times harder than steel and his fists could have razed mountains to the ground as if nothing had happened, transforming the landscape of entire continents. Lostro''s absolute indifference to politics was clearly visible when he turned to Kari and asked him, with a grunt, what the reason for the meeting was. Kari, the Headless Horseman, was the strategist of the Undead and Troll deployment. He had suggested the truce. \"I know you can''t wait to be in peace again, you coward,\" laughed Kari rudely, turning to Cesar, \"and yet, you will have to endure for a long time, unless you have enough guts to accept my proposal.\" Cesar raised his chin slightly, inviting him to continue. Kari banged his fist on the table several times like a lunatic: \"AHAHAH! I knew it, I knew it! He really wants peace! AHAHAHAH!\" Kari couldn''t hold back an even louder laugh and opened his arms, making fun of his opponents. But his head, resting on his legs, threatened to roll on the floor, and the Undead had to resign himself to putting aside the theatricality of his actions. Cesar felt the blood rise to his head, but he decided to endure for the good of his people. He approached Aure and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it so tightly that his fingers went deep into his flesh, while he snarled through clenched teeth, telepathically passing his voice to Aure: \"Maybe the Sect of the Worthy still believes that Orma''s problem are Humans. Orma''s problem are those who act like Kari. Caring only for their pride and for an empty idea, such as prestige, they don''t know what''s best for their men. This is why, Aure, that I am the King and you aren''t, because the more we let ourselves be soaked in peace, the more we lose sight of the value of life. So we want to become monsters, to taste the blood of our enemies again without taking care of anything else. And shedding blood will force us to bleed our men to death. The more we bleed out, the more the unity of our people will be lost. Today the Humans, tomorrow the Undead, and when we''ll hate the Goblins themselves, what more could we hate?\" Cesar''s words felt like a hammer on Aure''s heart. \"I''ll tell you: nothing. We will slaughter each other, because some are weak and others strong. So, let the bloodshed begin, and may the sky become scarlet, right?\" Taking a deep breath, the King''s eyes regained incredible clarity. \"No, the most important thing is to keep a people united. That your men and you would hate me was predictable. But your lives are intertwined with those of other Goblins. When the big shots of Orma will stop waging war to each other and reunite the people, allowing them to rise above race differences, then Pseudonym, Helial and Circe will be the real representatives of the Goblins. The day that the Goblins will be represented by a human, that day Orma will have won its biggest fight.\" Those words reminded Aure of a time long gone, in which Cesar''s words had enlightened his soul and had been the bulwarks of his youth, the ideals that Aure had promised to follow forever. At that moment, he thought of his son Comodo and inhaled deeply. He had sent his son away, in the midst of a conspiracy, to save his life, instead of forcing him to fight for the lives of others. Even if Immortal, didn''t Aure have the right to make mistakes? But how many Goblins had died because Comodo had not participated in the war? And according to what teachings had your son been brought up? Had he told him that his life was worth more than an entire people, he who always reminded him how he should make of honour and dignity his daily actions? Even if Immortal, didn''t Aure have the right to make mistakes? Yes, he had made a lot of them. He had made too many of them. He had betrayed the people of Orma, Cesar and all the ideals for which he had always fought. The most ridiculous thing to think certainly is that there are no simple solutions to complex problems. A frequent misunderstanding concerns the impossibility of changing oneself and others with a word. One word, maybe tow for the toughest ones, is enough to upset a person. And it is precisely the people capable of being upset with a word those destined to become warriors whose fame will resonate for eternity. How many warriors have received this teaching from a young age: \"Your heart must never waver, it must be as strong as steel. Always believe in your ideals, never give up\"? If, at the beginning, Aure had tried to be strong and hard as steel and had deprecated Cesar''s softness, now he no longer agreed, as he later wrote in his diaries: Today, while we were discussing the final outcome of the clash, Cesar showed me a new way, which I had not considered at all. If I survive this sea full of weaves that I have woven myself, then I will destroy the bottleneck that has kept us chained for so long. If it is cowardly to flee from one''s soul because of a few words, I will be able to tell only once I will cross the Styx. But, as long as I am alive, deciding to change for a thought, a syllable, will be what distinguished this hoary Immortal. We can change Orma''s fate with one word, Cesar, my brother, and we will. 219 A significant variable Kari continued to laugh like a lunatic, completely unaware of the exchange that had just occurred between Aure and Cesar. Kari and Lostro had received precise instructions and were sure that Aure had also received them. Although there had been no direct contact between Undead, Troll and the faction that intended to betray Cesar, the two enemy Immortals knew that Orma''s second Immortal would help them. Cesar put his hand on Aure''s shoulder and sensed a change in his friend''s heart. His gaze lit up, aware that his words had affected him. Cesar was the King of Orma because he was able to be merciful, not because he was ruthless. Cesar was magnanimous and great, so he was the King of the great City-State of Orma. Sitting down at the table, Cesar completely released his Aura, putting terrifying pressure on the two enemy Immortals. Squinting, Lostro cleared his deep voice: \"Cesar, don''t mind Kari, he likes go on forever. The Undead have always tended to take things easy. Being in the midst of a sea of tombs has made them immune to the rush of the world of the living.\" Kari looked his ally from head to toe, raising his eyebrows. Aure spoke, looking at Cesar first, then Kari and Lostro: \"Why don''t you tell us what you have in mind to put an end to this conflict?\" The real reason for the conflict was known to everyone present in that room, but the pretext had been the control of an area outside Orma, rich in mineral deposits and metals that would have made even warriors at the Tenth Phase drool. Anyone who gained control of that area would have been one step ahead of the others. \"Eheh,\" laughed Kari''s crooked head. \"There isn''t much to say. We were thinking of resolving the land dispute and the war with a duel to death,\" said Lostro, more calmly than one might expect from a Troll. Cesar frowned. \"We want to see the great disciple of the King of Orma fight against my son,\" said Kari proudly. \"The Prince of Darkness is at the Late stage of the Third Phase, don''t you think you''re asking too much?\" said Aure. Kari and Lostro looked at him, bewildered. Shouldn''t Aure endorse their every word? The two Immortals had been warned that Aure would be on their side and would help Cesar in a tight spot, to force him to accept. \"We heard that despite not being at the Third Phase yet, the boy is strong enough to skip two Phases,\" said Kari, scratching the hair on the head in his arms. The Headless Horsemen were truly revolting. \"Do you want a clash between the new generations?\" Cesar seemed surprised by that request. \"Indeed. We are all too old. Eventually we will all die, but we learned that your pupil is much stronger than you might think. And then, one day, my son will inherit my position. Although your disciple has not yet officially joined the Clan of the Sacred Eagle, we all know that it is only a matter of time before his position is made official, isn''t it? \" Kari''s words entered the ears of the two Goblins, leaving them thoughtful. Cesar knew well that the only reason Helial had not yet been officially joined the Sacred Eagle Clan was the presence of the elders who disagreed with the entry of a Human as a member of the Clan. But why him? Not even Aure, who had participated in the creation of the whole conspiracy, had never managed to explain the directives of those who had created the plan. Why target Helial? Did they hope to infuriate Cesar and make him act irrationally with so little? \"Is the Prince of Darkness, your son, the representative of the new generation of Undead and Trolls?\" asked Cesar, probing the ground. \"Yes,\" Kari laughed proudly. Lostro said nothing. Unfortunately, in the current generation of Trolls there was no one capable of carrying the flag of their people high. He would have to wait for some genius to appear, to turn against his ally and enemies. Aure''s job should have been to ease conditions and make Helial die fighting against that talented monster of the Prince of the Night. Although the boy was terribly strong, Orma''s second Immortal had to recognize that the Undead''s son was no less talented than Circe. Since that monster was in the Late stage of the Third Phase, it would have been almost impossible for Helial to defeat him. Aure thought about it and eventually decided that the proposal of the two enemies was not entirely disadvantageous. He took advantage of the rethinking of the plan against Cesar to play a card for the King, pretending nonetheless to be in agreement with the two monsters. \"Your Majesty, I have a proposal to reconcile everyone''s wishes. Helial is a Human who was only welcomed to our court a few years ago, an irrelevant amount of time, during which he proved his honor. But, if he could win by putting his valour at Orma''s service in this challenge, he would have all the rights to be recognized as a Goblin citizen, like Circe and Comodo,\" said Aure slowly. Cesar looked at Aure. Although he himself was Orma''s greatest warrior, he had to recognize that as far as cunning and subterfuge were concerned, Aure was absolutely unrivalled within the walls of the Goblin capital. Cesar motioned for him to continue, hiding a smile that was about to make its way onto his lips. \"I propose to organise a battle: the best hundred warriors of the new generation of Orma against the best hundred of Undead and Troll. It may seem disadvantageous, given that they have two peoples to select fighters from, but hasn''t this been Orma''s position throughout this year of war? We are the strongest and we must prove it. The Clan of the Sacred Eagle and the Guild of Life and Death have incredible geniuses. Such a clash would test both the ability to lead a small deployment and to extricate oneself from... difficult situations. In such a fight, you never know how you can die,\" Aure placed particular emphasis on the last words, looking at Kari and Lostro. The two exchanged glances, immediately understanding the implications of Aure''s speech. What a genius! Not only had he just cornered Cesar, talking about Orma''s pride. He had put him in a position to accept or lose his face. Moreover, by decimating the geniuses of Orma, the new generations would certainly have found themselves at a disadvantage! Aure would have surely prevented members of his Sect from fighting, thus becoming the King of Orma just after killing Cesar. He would also have secured the future by keeping his geniuses. Kari refrained from laughing like a lunatic. In a clash with so many participants, the Undead would have had the absolute advantage! A couple of high-level Lichs would have been enough to make sure that every fallen on the enemy side became their ally. Despite discovering that his army had failed from the First to the Third Phase, many of the great Undead geniuses had remained at home, without exposing themselves to that useless conflict, born only as a provocation. Therefore, Kari hadn''t cared much about it. In addition, he also trusted his son blindly. With such unfavourable conditions, they wondered how Cesar could ever accept. Cesar looked at Auras with his lips pressed together, discoloured, and his eyes bloodshot. Kari and Lostro looked satisfied at the appearance of the King of Orma, the great Cesar! Cesar, for his part, was really about to burst out laughing and piss his pants. Aure had just proposed conditions that apparently favoured the enemy deployment. A small-scale conflict between the geniuses of the new generations. He had also practically said that the Sect would not participate! Obviously, the latter was a concession to prevent enemies from becoming suspicious. If it weren''t for a small, single detail, Cesar would probably have thought twice before accepting. Despite the presence of great geniuses among the Goblins and Helial''s abilities, he would never have underestimated the Prince of Darkness and the geniuses of the enemies. But now, Cesar couldn''t stop himself from laughing! Kari and Lostro had not gathered much information about the conflicts between different deployments and did not know of the variable that would likely ruin their plans. \"Warriors in the Third Phase? We have as many as you want. Do you have the guts to accept?\" laughed Kari, trying not to lose his head, literally. Third Phase? It is clear that you are not a strategist and have not been interested in conflicts below the Seventh Phase! Pfffh! Even if they were a hundred warriors in the Fourth or Fifth Phase, I would have accepted without even thinking! Do you think I need a hundred Goblins to decimate all your warriors? Hahaha! A PSEUDONYM is enough! It was really difficult for Cesar to refrain from bursting out laughing with satisfaction 220 The Qilin that dominates the sky \"Aure!\" shouted Axius, rushing into the study of Orma''s second Immortal, \"don''t you think it was a mistake?!\" The Leader of the Sect of the Worthy was sitting at desk of hard precious wood, from trees used to create bows for warriors in the Tenth Phase. Aure looked up slightly from the papers in front of him, looking at Axius from behind his glasses, but did not stop the hand that ran on the pages for even a second. Nor did he answer. \"Now everything is in motion! We mustn''t make mistakes now!\" bellowed Axius. He had just learned that the plans had greatly changed, contrary to what had previously been decided. \"If Pseudonym really fights, it would be a huge risk!\" Aure''s pen moved quickly, while a half-mouthed smile rested on the Goblin wielding it. \"Undead and Troll will send their greatest warriors. Circe, Helial and Pseudonym all have the potential to become a terrifying threat once they have fled Orma. If one of them somehow disappears, what do you think would happen in the future? How long could Orma keep its walls intact?\" Hearing Aure''s words, Axius seemed to calm down slightly. In fact, the words of the Leader of the Sect of the Worthy made sense. \"Also, I know very well the arrangements that have been made. The boy must clash with the Prince of Darkness and perish. The Prince of Darkness has a talent equal to that of Circe, in fact, some say he is able to withstand a legend like Pseudonym. Considering that no less frightening mercenaries have been hired among the enemy ranks than Orma''s greatest geniuses, how do you think the Human and his four dogs could win? \" Axius was finally convinced by those words. In fact, he even began to admire the man''s foresight. There was a reason why the Goblin in front of him would become the future King of Orma, and not others. Looking at the ceiling, after Axius had long left the room, Aure was deep in thought. Pseudonym defeated by a handful of mercenaries? I have almost all the names of the conspirators, I''m just missing a few big shots and I can get rid of them from the first to the last. In a month there will be the clash for which we agreed. Cesar looks really determined. We all have the same information on that monster, but apparently he showed even more Skills in battle. From the new reports, it appears to be able to kill even an enemy in the Sixth Phase. There''s really no need to fear the Prince of Darkness. Still, something weighed on Aure''s heart. \"We cannot allow such a warrior to be our enemy,\" he whispered to himself, \"after this war he will have to swear allegiance, but not as a slave.\" ... Outside the walls of Orma Pseudonym''s swords hung from his hands, while the invisible gaze of the black-armoured warrior pierced Helial. It was impossible to see his eyes from behind the black visor, but the Human felt them prick on the skin like two pins. \"So what?\" it was the only mocking word the Champion said to the boy. Pseudonym knew that Helial possessed a terrifying talent, but he was not aware of the presence of Iblis in his Soul. Indeed, even if he had known about it, he would not have realized the extraordinary nature of that child, because Pseudonym had no idea who Iblis was. In his eyes, Helial was nothing but a boy with terrifying strategic talent and incredible fighting skills. Helial possessed the ability to challenge enemies of two Phases above his own. So what was to be said about Pseudonym? Not only was he able to defeat someone from three Phases higher than him, but he also had a Skill at Grand Master Rank! Yes, Pseudonym recognized Helial''s talent, his intelligence and his strength, but he was too arrogant to consider the boy worthy of fighting against him. Helial was nothing special! The true legend of Orma was Pseudonym, as his fame showed. Helial was incredible, but just that. Pseudonym was the real legend! Helial grinned and, grasping the air around his, his hands exploded into a halo of white flames. All around him, the world shone, filled with strange translucent symbols in mid-air. Skill Activated Achilles''s Throw Lv: 19 Degree of Knowledge: Distant Memory of the Ancestor Radius: 3000 meters Damage: 80.000-150.000 Cost: 90.000 Spiritual Energy Casting time: 0,2 Sec Efficiency: 99.9% Exp: 52% Skill Activated Metamorphosis Lv: 2 Rank: Master Metamorphosis allows you to temporarily merge your knowledge of a Mana path to allow you to reach their maximum expression in your body. It has the Devil Class attribute, belonging to Destruction. Exp: 0% Skill Activated Runic Condensation Skill Activated Runic Framework The spear of Energy generated in Helial''s hands travelled at full speed through space towards Pseudonym. In its path, it had crossed three Runic Frameworks, exponentially increasing its destructive power. The spear now looked like a scarlet bolt, ready to devour its enemy. The power behind Helial''s launch was much greater than anyone could have imagined. Having fully activated Runic Condensation and Metamorphosis, his body was now under incredible destructive stress. Still, the energy at his disposal had increased tenfold and had become much more violent. Probably even a Fourth Phase Warrior would have died with such an attack. Pseudonym glove moved his black gauntlet slowly in front of him, clenching his fingers. The space immediately before him collapsed because of the enormous power of the warrior and the spear, which seemed capable of piercing the heart of a divinity, was broken in two like a toothpick. Without any surprise on his face, Helial began to form innumerable Seals with his hands. It all seemed to follow his calculations and his predictions. \"That''s all?\" asked Pseudonym, clapping his hands together to clean them. Clang Clang The noise seemed to be making fun of Helial directly. \"Once, an opponent of mine told me that reminding those who are weaker that beyond a sky there is always another one is not arrogance, but a sign of benevolence,\" laughed Pseudonym. Helial''s body began to show several cracks on the skin as blood dripped from his facial orifices. Life and Destruction began to intertwine within his body, continually destroying and regenerating his Meridians. The torture he was experiencing would have knocked anyone out, even an Immortal. The crazy look of the young Human still seemed crystal clear, though. \"I just wanted to make sure you were able to withstand such an attack,\" said Helial, as Curse of the Demon appeared in his hands. \"First you have to get here, you know?\" Before Pseudonym''s words could finish coming out of his throat, a sea of white flames broke away from Helial''s body, forming fiery clouds everywhere. Raising an eyebrow, the legend of Orma did not seem concerned, but troubled. \"By dispersing the power of your flame so much, do you think you can compete with me after coming up here?\" Helial jumped into the air and put his foot on a cloud of flames. However, just when Pseudonym expected the boy to fall on the grass, Helial kicked the cloud of fire and hurled himself ten meters into the air, dissolving it. Jumping from one cloud of fire to the other, Helial was like a Qilin dominating the sky. 221 An Interesting Figh Shooting like a bullet towards the sky, at every step Helial jumped about ten meters higher, getting closer and closer to Pseudonym. Helial''s body, covered with white flames, seemed to belong to a celestial being, despite the fact that illusory horns had appeared on the boy''s head and strange symbols covered some of his fingers. Whenever he placed his foot on a Runic Framework, created above the flames, he was able to walk in mid-air. While Pseudonym had used the Black Flame of the Phoenix to condense two artificial wings, Helial could not have done the same. Coming from a Qilin, its flame could not assume properties unrelated to its origin; just like a Qilin, Helial could never have wings. Therefore, he had decided to follow Kirin''s example, using his flames to touch the ceiling of the skies. Wings? Who needed them! BOOM BOOM BOOM With each step, mini-explosions were generated which made Helial jump towards Pseudonym at an exorbitant speed. At that point, the boy raised an arm, brandishing Curse of the Demon in mid-air, and the whole world seemed to darken, while Helial''s Aura looked more and more like that of a Devil. The sword above his head, Helial had the same pose he had taken when he had been able to hurt Cesar''s palm. Accumulating Mana to launch the most devastating attack in his arsenal, Helial smiled placidly. If he had been able to scratch an Immortal, then he would have been able to create problems for a warrior in the Third Phase. Pseudonym''s real strength was superior to his Phase, but it didn''t matter: after all, he couldn''t be stronger than Cesar, couldn''t he? Helial was about to launch his attack when Pseudonym appeared in front of him with devastating speed, taking him by surprise. "A fight of a few seconds is not interesting," croaked the armour. Helial frowned. Pseudonym''s Aura had just fallen to the Initial stage of the Second Phase. The warrior was holding back his potential to fight on par with Helial! The young disciple of the King felt wounded in his pride. "Did you get here? Well, you are worthy of crossing swords with me," said Pseudonym, suddenly throwing both his black blades at his opponent. The words of the legend of Orma did nothing but put salt in the wound. Helial had believed he could fight the Champion without any kind of mercy on his part. With a roar capable of tearing the sky, Helial clasped both hands around the hilt of Curse of the Demon and struck a blow against Pseudonym. The two black swords of the Champion stopped in a scissor-like grip against Helial''s enormous pitch-black weapon. A terrifying shock wave was generated, which razed to the ground within a radius of 50 meters, opening a crack in the ground below them. Releasing the tension in his arms, Helial loosened the grip that held the swords and Curse of the Demon stuck. Then, with a swift movement, he sent the black weapons back to their owner''s hands. The corners of Helial''s mouth rose, forming a smile. Looking defiantly at Pseudonym, Helial sensed that the armour was also having fun. It must have been difficult for the legend of Orma to find someone who could counteract his superhuman power. However, Helial could not deny that, as excited as he might feel, Pseudonym''s attack had had a devastating effect on him. His arms were sore and a large bleeding wound had opened between his thumb and forefinger. And he had only faced one exchange! Even if the wound had closed in a few seconds, thanks to the young man''s frightening regenerative abilities, the meaning of that injury was terribly eloquent: Pseudonym had reduced his Aura to the same level as Helial, but in any case remained superior to him in a direct clash. Pointing a hand to the enemy''s chest, Helial snorted coldly. Skill Activated: Death Flame Pistol Lv: 2 Rank: Master Degree of Knowledge: Energy Manipulation Radius: 100 meters Damage: 43.000-50.000 Present Effects: Damage decreases proportionately the increase in distance. Cost: 1.000 Mana Casting time: 0,5 Sec Efficiency: 99.9% By condensing the Mana and bringing it to the maximum Density the body can withstand, releases a ranged attack made of pure energy. Mana is imbued with the principles of Life and Destruction. Exp: 88% BANG! A bullet of white flame shot out of Helial''s hand in a split second. Pseudonym did not seem bothered by the speed of the enemy attack. Throwing one of the two swords into the air behind him, he shot a black bullet with his left hand. Skill Activated: Phoenix Gun BOOM! The two bullets collided and, to Helial''s terror, Phoenix Gun dissolved Death Flame Pistol without difficulty, reaching his chest. The boy spat out a mouthful of blood, without holding back, ready for another attack. But, before he could realize what was happening, Pseudonym kicked him in the chest, completing a backward somersault and picking up the sword thrown into the air a second earlier. The metallic taste of blood, mixed with humiliation, filled Helial''s mouth. Placing two fingers on his chest, the boy realized that Phoenix Gun had left a two centimetres wound, exposing the bones of his chest, with part of the sternum clearly visible. As the meat vibrated and closed again visibly, Helial felt a shiver of excitement run down his back. His eyes became bloodshot. Pseudonym''s attack had mirrored his own. Not only had that cursed lowered his Phase to equate it with his own, but he had also used an identical Skill. And, judging by the effect, it was also much stronger than Death Flame Pistol! He must have reached at least the Master rank and gone up 6 or 7 levels ... The fame of Pseudonym is certainly deserved. That''s what Circe meant. Phoenix Gun has the same principle as Death Flame Pistol, and its energy is even less pure and destructive, yet his knowledge of Skills and Mana have allowed him to suppress my attack as if it were nothing, thought Helial, more and more enthusiastic. In fact, Death Flame Pistol had very stringent requirements. It was a skill that Helial had created based on Mana of Life and Destruction. By fusing the principles of Life and Destruction, the power of that Ability was not measurable with common sense. Helial remembered Iblis'' words during the clash between Pseudonym and Xen. Pseudonym was so strong because he had a goal for which he would sacrifice his whole life. Pseudonym looked impassively at his opponent. If Helial could have seen inside the armour, he would have seen a smile appear on the Champion''s lips; and, if he could have read his mind, he would have heard words that would have healed the wound in his pride that Pseudonym had opened just before: No mercy! Skill Activated: Phoenix Gun "Do you think it''s so easy to make fun of me?" laughed Helial, making Curse of the Demon disappear and creating countless seals with his hands. Skill Activated: Runic framework Warning: Effects are forced, cost increased by 500%. Three Runic Frameworks appeared in front of Helial. "Do you want to flee?" laughed Pseudonym, seeing the Runic Frameworks form before his eyes. Without answering, Helial pointed his hand at the three Runic Frameworks in series. Skill Activated: Death Flame Pistol Warning: 500% cost increase, critical Mana thickening. As Mana for the Skill began to flow through his arm''s Meridians, Helial exasperated the effects of Runic Control to further compress the terrifying power of that attack. This time, Pseudonym would not be able to fight back, he was sure of it. 222 Chapter 221 - Bat wings In the Soul of Helial, a boy with a black fringe was sipping a cup of boiling black tea. Iblis stopped drinking and, placing his finger on the white porcelain cup, slowly began to brush its edge. A harmonious melody was evoked by that simple gesture and, gradually, the sound became louder and louder. With each of Pseudonym''s steps towards Helial, the sound seemed to become more intense and to rise an octave. A slight dent in the black steel armour was the result of the boy''s last attack. All around, the landscape had been razed to the ground by the explosion. Helial''s right arm hung helplessly along his body, covered with a web of blood and exploded capillaries. Iblis stopped rotating his finger on the cup. "It''s an impossible fight," he mumbled, sipping his tea. A light noise, caused by the lips Black flames to sip the drink, was the only thing capable of breaking the silence full of solitude within the Soul of Helial. If Iblis had stopped playing with his cup, then where did the new melody Helial could hear come from? The boy understood that the new sound did not come from his Soul, but from somewhere else, not far away. But Iblis, who watched the confrontation with resignation, knew that someone was responding to him. Even Pseudonym, for a moment, seemed to hear a high-pitched and intense sound, like a finger sliding on a porcelain cup, which seemed to take hold inside his head. The Champion shook his head and continued to fight. Skill Activated: Dance of the Phoenix Leaping forward, Pseudonym broke the sound barrier. Helial looked bitterly at his arm before laughing at the sky. Had he done all this just to leave a small dent on Pseudonym''s armour? And his opponent had also decided to activate the most powerful Skill he had. The situation seemed to be dire for Helial. "Well, by now," the Devil chuckled, "you should be used to dyi-", but the words died in his throat when he saw something before his eyes. What was going on was not a simple clash. It was as if the memories of a past life were passing in front of his eyes. Helial, against all expectations, raised his arm, which should have been shattered by the enormous power he had used to activate Death Flame Pistol. This is what happens when you try to take on too great a power. However, his wounds began to heal visibly, while a very strange sensation shook his body. He suddenly felt invincible. He understood immediately. He looked at the runes on his fingers and did not need to know more. The colour of the runes had gone from the usual yellowish to a strange light blue, which bristled with energy. The Runes had even begun to give off sparks, as if they were about to jump out of Helial''s skin at any moment and come to life. In a majestic black flash, Curse of the Demon appeared in the hands of Helial, who launched himself into attack, even before Pseudonym could end the movements of Dance of the Phoenix. Was the prey going to be delivered between the hunter''s jaws? Still, the strange premonition that had grown more and more in Iblis'' heart showed no sign of disappearing from the boy''s pitch black irises. The figures of Helial and Pseudonym slowly began to overlap to one of the biggest clashes of the past ages. Without either of the fighters knowing, what had started as a training was about to become an epochal, legendary battle. Helial spread his arms, screaming at Pseudonym, which was higher up. The surrounding landscape was levelled with each blow that the two warriors exchanged, intertwined in a mortal dance. It seemed that there would be nothing left after they finished there. Although Pseudonym had deliberately lowered his Aura to get to the Initial stage of the Second Phase, to be at the same level as Helial, his advantage continued to be huge. The only thing that allowed Helial to stand was the terrifying amount of Mana that circulated within his Meridians and Runic Condensation. Thanks to Runic Condensation, which had now risen to Master rank, Helial had no problem returning Pseudonym''s blows, therefore damaging his armour in several places. The animals and monsters living in the forest where they had met had all escaped and had retracted their Auras, to avoid getting involved, terrified by the amount of energy unleashed by that fight. The beasts must surely have been smarter than the humanoid creatures that had reached the place of the clash: not far from the clearing, hidden in the trees, some boys and a huge cat were observing the progress of the fight. Their eyes were following to the two opponents. "Pseudonym!" Helial yelled, leaping at terrifying speed from one white flame to another in mid-air. The armour replied with a puff and a smile from under the heavy black armour that was more and more battered. His incredible perception allowed Pseudonym to understand exactly what was going on in his opponent''s: Helial had several bones that kept fracturing and regenerating, swirling him in an infinite spiral of pain. "It doesn''t seem that you will be able to keep on for much longer!" said Pseudonym, with a sincere hint of regret in his voice. "Stop that!" Helial roared, suddenly furious. Pseudonym may have had highly developed senses, but Helial Perception. Through the flickering in the Aura of the legend of Orma, the boy was able to sense his emotions. And Pseudonym felt like a lonely, unreachable and distant titan. His Aura emanated bottomless resignation and sadness. Helial thought that Pseudonym''s worry was baseless. The legend of Orma would not have been alone on the summit for much longer. The blood that covered the boy''s body began to evaporate. His eyes turned pitch black, while the horns on his head took on a more tangible shape and a series of black veins appeared on the surface of his body, just below the skin. His hands let go of Curse of the Demon, which remained floating in front of him. Helial started creating a huge number of seals, too fast for the eye to follow. Pseudonym frowned as he felt Helial''s Aura become more powerful. Iblis watched Helial''s transformation without saying anything. In another context, perhaps he would have bothered to warn him, as Helial was in danger of destroying his own body. Metamorphosis and Runic Condensation already strained it to the maximum, subjecting it to incredible mechanical stress. Occasionally it is only fair for Devils to behave like Devils... The child''s body floated in space and leaned on an invisible hammock, swinging on nothing. A hat with bat wings applied to the sides appeared on his head, while the Devil closed his eyes and began to snore loudly. "Turn a blind eye" is an expression that is sometimes taken too literally, so much so that the blind eyes eventually become two. All the muscles in Helial''s body began to send painful impulses so powerful that he nearly got knocked out. Helial gritted his teeth and went on, completely ignoring all the warning signs his body was giving him. Raising his swords, Pseudonym jumped forward. He was not the one to give the enemy a chance to recover in the middle of a fight, just when he was winning. But, a few meters from Helial, a shock wave made him bounce back, for about a hundred meters, and injured him. The large black phoenix wings flapped several times to regain balance. The first thing Pseudonym saw after returning upright was Helial, motionless, who had just stopped creating the seals. Now, his enemy''s fists were closed against each other, while a reddish mist seemed to come out of the pores of his skin. Helial smiled maliciously. "Maybe it''s not enough to defeat you at your full strength, but if you believe you don''t have a rival at your Phase, I have to say you''re wrong." Flame of the Qilin, which just before had enveloped his body, was shrinking fast. Two huge, barely visible bat wings seemed to delineate behind him as white fire enveloped his hands. Pseudonym saw Flame of the Qilin shrink to tiny strands and settle on the Runes present on Helial''s hands. The bluish runes suddenly turned pure white. More and more satisfied, Helial''s smile widened into a grin. "Mana is not the only medium that can be used to create Runes." Flame of the Qilin cannot be used for 24 hours. Secret Skill Activated Runic condensation temporarily evolves Runes of the Qilin 223 Cornerstone The runes on Helial''s fingers were now completely white and gave off a blinding glow. In contrast with that candid glow, the boy''s body was emanating a terrifying bloody Aura. Contrary to what might be imagined, the Mana of Life that Helial had just used was accentuating the characteristics of Destruction within his body. It seemed that the young man had found a way to use Flame of Qilin, one of the most terrifying Skills in the whole universe, to catalyse an even more terrifying reaction than the one resulting from Runic Condensation. Runic Condensation was able to tremendously thicken the Mana within Meridians, to make Helial''s output of power surpass any imagination for his Phase. Pseudonym stabilized his Aura after being hit and activated his Skill, his trademark. Skill Activated: Dance of the Phoenix The reddish mist around Helial was somehow frightening. And it gave off a sour smell... "Blood?" murmured Pseudonym to himself. He was shocked at how much Helial was willing to put into play for a simple fight, but on the other hand, he knew he couldn''t take it lightly either. It was the first time that the legend of Orma felt so threatened by a person at his own Phase. If he hadn''t lowered his Aura at Helial''s level, then he probably wouldn''t have any worries. However, fighting as they were, even Pseudonym could not be sure of his victory. The power that Helial was wielding was truly terrifying, to the point that the warrior in black armour was beginning to worry. More serious than ever, Pseudonym raised his two swords, pointing them in parallel towards Helial and starting to draw a circle with his feet. The demonic aspect of his opponent did not seem just an empty threat. Now Helial, without the support of Flame of the Qilin, was falling. Suddenly the two translucent wings behind the boy''s back flapped, allowing Helial to disappear from the sight of his enemy. In a split second, Helial reappeared behind Pseudonym, brandishing the Curse of the Demon. The pupils of the Champion narrowed to two slits, while he used the energy flow of Dance of the Phoenix to launch an attack behind him. But the huge pitch-black sword, which now weighed more than 5.000 kg, was thrown against Pseudonym and impacted on his two swords. The explosion that followed burned half the forest to the ground. It was only by accident that the spectators of the clash were the other half; but given how things were going, the risk of the situation getting worse was very high. Everyone would have done better to put admiration and curiosity aside and return to safety, within the walls of Orma. However, fear and fright were the only emotions that had not even touched them. Circe clenched her fists. Even she, faced with a destructive power such as that emanated from the clash of the three swords, could have done nothing but perish. Her young boyfriend seemed well on his way to take witch''s place in Orma. Neither of the two challengers pulled back. Helial struck two more slashes, feeling that his muscles could not hold for much longer. The backfire of that Secret Skill would probably have crippled for more than a couple of days. But now it didn''t matter. Now, the important thing was only to win. The swords crossed repeatedly. At the umpteenth charge of Helial, Pseudonym''s footwork reached the limit, bringing him to the side of his opponent. The two black swords, one by the hand, reached towards his neck and heart, ready to break Helial''s body in three. Watching Pseudonym enter his blind spot, Helial immediately released Curse of the Demon. He was aware of how much the great sword slowed him down. He struck with the elbow against Pseudonym''s cervical vertebrae. "Damned fools", swore Snowflake from afar. If the blows hadn''t stopped, both Helial and Pseudonym would have died. The energy behind Helial''s blow could not be underestimated. He could have broken Pseudonym''s neck with extreme ease. Suddenly, Pseudonym also let go of the swords, entering into a hand-to-hand conflict with his enemy. In fact, thanks to Dance of the Phoenix, his movements were now even more unpredictable. Since both had quite long swords, in a close combat, they could not have expressed their full explosive power. Pseudonym grabbed Helial''s arm, dodging the punch aimed at his cheekbone. He twisted it quickly, breaking it at a totally unnatural angle. Helial roared to the sky as a wounded beast, but his knee had just hit from behind Pseudonym''s, making him lame. One had just lost an arm, the other a leg. Neither of them seemed willing to stop. "Why don''t you become my cornerstone?" shouted Helial, laughing like a madman. "I need a reason to live and become the strongest. Do you know who seems to be up to becoming my reason for living at the moment? " The index of Helial''s unbroken arm pointed at Pseudonym. Pseudonym was the only person important to Helial, the one who would give him the opportunity to become stronger and find a purpose to move forward on his path. The index finger closed on the palm, forming a fist. Helial''s hand exploded with energy as he moved away from his enemy. The other arm hung helplessly along the body. "Or at least, as long as you are the strongest, you will have to be able to bear the weight of my words!" Helial''s hand rose to the sky as Curse of the Demon appeared in a black flash. "Everyone needs a purpose to live, and you want me to become yours?" said Pseudonym mockingly. Shrugging, a new Helial, crazier than ever, nodded. Pseudonym could not help but laugh, despite the fact that he was now quite tried by that clash. "Okay," he said, "but first let''s see who will die today." "I don''t think there is much choice: I will be unable to fight for a couple of days. But I''ve decided that if you want to deserve your title, you must first receive my last attack." Curse of the Demon was pointing to the sky, while all around Helial the world seemed to gradually lose colour. "I advise you to use your true strength, otherwise you will certainly die," laughed Helial. The eyes of the boy dozing in Helial''s Soul widened under a hat with bat wings attached to its sides. Pseudonym narrowed his eyes. Something felt wrong. Not only was Helial''s Aura suddenly rising steeply, but his image seemed superimposed on that of a real Devil. The huge black broadsword seemed to have deprived the world of all its colours. Helial understood that Pseudonym was observing him and explained: "What you see at the moment is not a Skill, but a simple memory that I have studied over and over again, until I was able to imitate it somewhat. If you don''t want to die, I suggest you play your best card." Pseudonym clenched his fists as his armour slowly began to melt. The flame produced by the legend of Orma was so destructive that it even affected his armour. The steel from which it was forged had special properties. Although his defensive capabilities were not equal to those of some incredible artefacts, it was able to withstand very high temperatures. To put it bluntly, not even a warrior with Affinity to Fire in the Sixth Phase could have generated flames powerful enough to melt that kind of steel. Pseudonym collected all the Mana in his body, starting to transform it into black flames. "Let''s see how you respond to this," he murmured, returning his Aura to the Late stage of the Third Phase. Skill Activated: Black Sun 224 Playing all his cards A huge globe of Flame of the Black Phoenix had just appeared just above Pseudonym''s head, exactly over the palm he had raised. It was his most powerful technique, the one he had never shown to anyone. He hadn''t even used it inside the Colosseum, having never faced an opponent strong enough to testing him like Helial was doing now. The boy''s attack had not yet been set in motion, but it had made Pseudonym tremble with fear. In addition, the boy''s Aura had risen to the Late stage of the Fourth Phase. If Pseudonym hadn''t used an attack strong enough to counter Helial''s, he would have suffered a lot of damage. Everything around them had begun to lose colour. The sky, the grass, the trees, the hills in the distance ... everything was turning grey at a frightening speed. An Aura of death and despair enveloped Helial and Curse of the Demon. The reddish mist that enveloped Helial''s body was growing more and more dense. His eyes were bloodshot and his laboured breathing was broken by painful fits. The boy looked bad, as if he were about to collapse at any moment. But, despite the shivers of pain and fatigue shaking his body, Helial''s feet were firmly anchored to the ground. He would not have fallen before launching his attack. He knew well that his new Secret Skill was far more powerful than his body could endure without collapsing. His heart ached, it seemed on the verge of exploding at any moment and fits stung his sternum annoyingly; but any pain would not have stopped him. Helial felt that reaching her limits was something she had to do for Pseudonym. If Pseudonym was to become the cornerstone of his life, as he said, then Helial had to first make sure that the black armour was worthy of taking such an important position. Looking at the huge globe of black flames above his opponent''s head, a tired smile stretched Helial''s face muscles. The boy could perceive how terrifying Black Sun was despite being at a considerable distance from Pseudonym. It was a vicious circle: it was vital to respond to a powerful attack with an equally powerful attack. The new Skill he was using did not yet have a name, but it was an attack belonging to Iblis. What Helial was able to use was nothing more than a vague imitation, and yet it contained the will of the greatest Devil in the universe. Helial, using this Skill, was able to trigger a very peculiar reaction: it was as if his level had increased dramatically, increasing of two whole Phases. The only disadvantage was that such a power could be used in just one attack. Unfortunately, such a skill could not be used in normal combat, otherwise Helial could have defeated even people who were five Phases higher of him. Even if it was only for an attack, the increase of his Aura had allowed him to overcome Pseudonym''s current level. Not only would his enemy now have to defend himself using all his power, without holding back even a modicum of his strength, but it wasn''t even certain that he would be able to do it. In fact, Helial thought he was quite likely to defeat Pseudonym. Maybe he was underestimating his power again, but he didn''t believe anyone could react to a copy of one of Iblis'' attacks. Helial tilted his face slightly: "I''m sorry you have to lose, you know?" In Helial''s words there was the confidence of an uncontested tyrant. Pseudonym did not answer, but his Aura began to rise steeply, breaking through the roof of the Third Phase! His Aura was rising towards the Late stage of the Fourth Phase! "Do you think you''re the only one able of doing tricks like that?" The Black Sun that was forming over Pseudonym''s head seemed to come to life and all the vegetation within a kilometre was pulverized, leaving behind it an apocalyptic scenario. But Helial suffered no harm. His ragged coat, its royal purple a distant memory, billowed following the bursts generated by the two attacks. His crown reflected the rays of black light. The equipment he owned - Great sword, crown and cloak - was probably unrivalled on the whole planet. Helial suspected that there was no weapon as powerful as Curse of the Demon in the entire universe. In fact, it seemed to become more powerful together with his owner, without any visible limit. He knew that, If he had wanted to, with that Great sword he would have been able to cut the sky in two. Not far from the clash, Snowflake and Vlad exchanged a terrified look. They had seen the black light of Pseudonym''s attack heading towards them and had believed they were to die in that moment. But something had protected them, making the light bounce past where they were standing. Snowflake sensed that someone much more powerful had to protect them, perhaps bowl-haired boy. "Do you think you could survive an attack like that?" whispered Vlad, with a strange reverence in his eyes. Although he was very proud and his talent was the most terrifying ever seen in the Guild of Life and Death, Vlad recognized that his skills were nowhere near comparable to those of the two monsters who were fighting in front of him. "Survive? I think I would be lucky if my corpse didn''t get pulverized. Also, there is a strange vibration that I can''t explain coming from Pseudonym. It looks like he''s still holding something back¡­" Snowflake''s words shocked everyone around him. Lumia turned her gaze towards Snowflake, but suddenly she felt a presence on her right and turned abruptly, finding a child with a black fringe; he was wearing sunglasses, a straw hat and a flowered shirt and was eating a huge strawberry ice cream, while watching the clash, impassive. Lumia bent slightly, suggesting that she wanted to ask something. She received a nod of approval from the boy: "Tell me." "Pseudonym is fighting at his best?" she asked curiously. Iblis stopped paying attention to the ice cream and made sure that only Lumia could hear his words. He gave the girl a mortally serious look and then said: "Not just Pseudonym. Even your brother hasn''t played all his cards. This is not his limit but, if he pushed himself further, he would die or become a cripple. The corrosive power he is wielding right now is far beyond what his body can bear. The simple fact that he has not yet exploded is a miracle. If he goes further, you probably won''t have a brother anymore." Slurp Slurp The ice cream disappeared at an incredible speed, while Iblis adjusted his straw hat. Lumia sighed. She shouldn''t be surprised at Helial''s strength, she just had to trust him, as she always had. Looking down, the girl noticed that the Devil was wearing black flip-flops, and the lace was decorated with stylized skeletons. She could not help smiling, in that tragicomic moment. "In any case, one of them is still much stronger than the other. There will always be only one winner, whether they play all their cards or not," said Iblis, yawning. That clash might have been interesting to the children he had at his side, but for him, undisputed lord of Destruction, it was nothing more than a skirmish. The black-fringed boy had personally sunk Kirin''s body into the core of a planet, causing the planet itself and the entire surrounding galaxy to explode. Should a little burnt grass have surprised him? Just then, Curse of the Demon finally seemed to have finished accumulating all the energy needed for the attack. Even Black Sun was now at the peak of its destructive power. They were now approaching the end of the duel. 225 The Slave Seal Helial''s body lay on an expanse of blackened earth. In several places, the force of the blow had reduced the rocks to sand, and the excessive heat had melted the sand and turned it into glass. Helial''s back rested on a rounded glass spike. Without even the strength to use his neck muscles, he moved his eyes to the lower part of his body. He couldn''t hold a moan of pain A leg. His left leg had been blown off by of the blow he had received. But he felt the lack of something else. A tingling in his left biceps made his eyes move towards his ar... his left arm was gone too. Practically half of his body had been destroyed by Pseudonym''s attack. A gurgling of blood reached his throat. He wasn''t sure, but he had the impression that his face had also been partially destroyed. The mere fact that he was still conscious was a miracle in itself. Blood covered the ground and what was left of the rocks. With a cough, Helial vomited a lump of blood. Now, he had had the demonstration of Pseudonym''s true strength. When the armour had launched his attack, both had reached the Late stage of the Fourth Phase. So it could be said that the only thing that decided the fight was their knowledge of their own Skills. Although someone might have argued that Helial''s training had been shorter, since he was younger than Pseudonym, he knew that this was not the case. Helial had lived another life thanks to Alexander and had trained several times with Iblis, the greatest Devil ever existed in the whole universe. Logically, Helial should have far exceeded Pseudonym, once they were both at the same Phase. Still, he had discovered, all too violently, that this was not the case. As Helial reflected bitterly on his end, a shadow took shape from the ash clouding the rest of the plain. But ... until a few minutes before, Helial was sure of it, there had been hills around them. The clash between the two monsters had completely transformed the territory within a radius of kilometres. Pseudonym''s armour emerged from the sand cloud, torn in several places. Even before Helial could think of being able to discover the identity of Pseudonym, steel began to reform, to join and to cover every inch of skin. It seemed to have a life of its own. A huge vertical gash stretched from Pseudonym''s hip to just below his neck. The legend of Orma had defeated Helial in an overwhelming way, but he too had suffered a considerable injury. The black armour barely made it possible to distinguish the bloodstains, but his slow gait was a demonstration of the damage he had received. Pseudonym''s steps were light and imperceptible, but limping. Only the rattling of his armour betrayed his presence. There were no flames anymore, nor did the terrifying Aura come from his body anymore. It was as if he were a normal person, without even a hint of Mana. Coming close to Helial, he saw his opponent''s dismembered body. Helial''s bowels spilled out of his body, falling to the ground. The hideous and bloody scene did not shake Pseudonym at all, and he kept staring Helial in the eye. Behind the armour, Helial perceived a gaze capable of penetrating the recesses of his soul. "Twenty-four hours won''t be enough to recover, I''m afraid," laughed Helial, before bursting into a coughing fit. He coughed several times, pouring blackish blood on his coat, already impregnated with blood. Once he died, he would have 24 hours during which he could have been brought back to life. And not only that: if in that time he had been killed again, he would no longer have had the chance to be brought back to life. Below Immortality, one could only die once every 24 hours, provided that residues of his body remained. Furthermore, the extent of the damage decided how long it would take for a full recovery. Even once resurrected, Helial would have had to spend several days stabilizing his Aura and clearing up his Mana to avoid developing further damage in the future. If he had not concentrated on making his foundations stable and solid, once he had advanced in level he would have risked going the wrong way. Above all Helial, who was walking on a unique Way and who was exploring it for first, had to be very careful not to deviate and not be tempted by benefits useful only in the short term. Pseudonym looked at Helial''s equipment and frowned. Everything was completely destroyed, except for two things. It seemed that Helial''s crown was glued to his head and had not suffered any damage; it was still rusty, but whole. Even the cloak, which Pseudonym imagined would burn, had not caught even a grain of dust since the beginning of the clash. How is it possible that the crown is still intact? And shouldn''t the cloak have been torn to shreds? Murmured the black-armoured warrior to himself. Helial slowly raised an arm towards Pseudonym, the only arm left. He held out his hand slightly and turned his gaze to the enemy who had defeated him. "I have the feeling that our lives will be tied for a long time," laughed the young man, trying to use his last breaths to say something meaningful. But the breathing became more and more laboured. With all his strength, Helial raised his arm again and motioned for Pseudonym to grab his hand. Watching the trembling hand, Pseudonym quickly reached out before Helial''s arm fell to the ground. He squeezed it very hard. A satisfied smile was hidden under Pseudonym''s black helmet. No one had ever given him so many problems, especially someone from a lower Phase than his own. Not even the direct descendants of Orma''s strong powers were able to pose a threat to him. Yet this little boy, appeared out of nowhere, had made him feel alive again. The helmet bent slightly, in a sign of assent and respect. His opponent had remained alive even after receiving the blow of Black Sun, it was practically a miracle! Lately, Pseudonym feared having reached a bottleneck in his cultivation. Having no noteworthy opponent, he felt he was alone on the summit and could not go higher. Once he became the best, the strongest, he was facing stagnation. "There is no best one, there is who makes himself better," said Helial looking at Pseudonym''s dark helmet. With a handshake, the two signed a pact of friendship and rivalry. A few dozen meters away were Lumia, Circe, Snowflake and the others. Pseudonym''s devastating blow had destroyed all the vegetation, had even eliminated the hills, but they were still alive. Iblis had shielded them with his immense power. The scene of Pseudonym holding the hand of a mauled Helial was something truly touching. Even if only for a moment, they too had been able to perceive Pseudonym''s bottomless loneliness finally losing consistency. The mist surrounding the legendary figure of Orma''s most incredible warrior was clearing. What had caused it was an unsettling creature that was now languishing on the once grassy ground. A dismembered man and an armour standing in front of him were shaking hands. The man was lying against the rounded glass spike and his face was dirty and stained with blood. Helial had already closed his eyes and his muscles were relaxing. From the sky, a ray of light bathed his face, making his eyes open suddenly. I almost forgot, thought Helial with his last strength. He took a deep breath, while his deep blue eyes fixed on the black armour. Closing his eyes again, he used his last moments to recite a formula in his mind. In a split second, the hands of the two began to shine like a rising sun. Pseudonym felt an electric current running through his hand, then his Meridians and finally his Soul. He widened his eyes, not understanding what was happening. Was Helial deceiving him, attacking him with his last breath? No, it couldn''t be. He had a completely positive feeling. Pseudonym felt a great burning sensation on the back of his hand and looked around, finally perceiving the presence of Helial''s friends. Moving his palm quickly around him, the armour created a completely black shield, which hid him and Helial. It would be better if this remained a secret between the two of them. Now there would be no prying eye. He let go of Helial''s arm and removed the black gauntlet, showing a pink-skinned hand with sharp fingers. Pseudonym remembered a Helial very different from the one that was in front of him now. When the Human had arrived at Orma, he had been like a piece of ice. The Champion could not have known that after reaching the state of the Emperor and experiencing a new life thanks to Alexander, Helial had managed to change his character. Slowly, he was becoming a different person, more alive. He was coming to regain the life that had been torn away from him by Hades, who was responsible for all the suffering that his younger brother had had to endure for an entire decade. Lying on the ground, dismembered, a happy smile rested on the face of Helial, who had already closed his eyes and seemed finally at peace. Helial''s last words had touched the strings of Pseudonym''s heart. Although the latter thought he was now a granite block, he felt a great weight on his heart. Those were emotions, something he hadn''t felt for a long time. Helial let out a long sigh, and Pseudonym thought it was the last. Instead Helial whispered something else: "Save me and I will save you." A flash of light started from Helial''s hand and touched Pseudonym''s skin. The Slave Seal on the skin of the legend of Orma vanished. The Slave Seal... was gone!? Taking off the other gauntlet, Pseudonym stroked his hands in disbelief. He turned his head in the direction of Helial, who was no longer breathing, while a crowd of mixed feelings tore at his stomach. 226 Pseudonym and Iblis A ray of light blinded the armour, which, when it was able to re-open its eyes, looked around, speechless. He took the black helmet off his head and put it under his arm. Two deep, dark-brown eyes, stood out above a pointy nose. A look full of irony struck Pseudonym, together with a pearly smile. A boy with a black fringe stood before Orma''s greatest legend, his arms crossed over his chest. Iblis looked at Pseudonym and inhaled deeply. "From here on you have two choices," he slowly explained. "Choice number one: you can go your own way. You are on this path on your own, you don''t owe me anything and no regrets are allowed. Choice number two-" "Wait a minute," said Pseudonym, "why am I here? And where are we?" He kept looking around, amazed. They were in a narrow street in a city that the Champion did not remember ever seeing. The passers-by, busy in their daily lives, paid no attention to the child and the armour in front of him They were very far from Orma, far from the Goblins'' terrifying, far from every conflict. Iblis looked in amazement at the city around him: "Can''t you see? It is a completely normal and peaceful city. It is located more or less within the central area of the Nation. Taking your talent into account, I think it''s the best place to decide where to go. Besides, nobody knows you here. You can have a new life without problems." "Why don''t I have the Slave Seal anymore? Only an Immortal could have removed it. And how did you teleport us here? " Iblis looked at the person in front of him as if he were a brainless idiot. "Helial asked me to do it!" he exclaimed, as if it had been the most logical thing in the world. "He got some information from the Merchants Guild that should never have been disclosed..." Pseudonym shook his head, thinking of Helial. "What else did he know?" he asked. "He knew that your talent would be wasted in Orma and that there would be no future for you there. After learning that you were a slave he asked me to give you freedom," Iblis commented, bored, making two chairs and a table appear in the middle of the street, complete with tea and biscuits. The passers-by immediately began to protest, but after Iblis snapped his fingers, the time around him and Pseudonym stopped. He quietly poured hot tea into a pumpkin-shaped cup and blew on it. "And you decided to free me and give me a new life? Do you really need the Immortals of Orma to be your enemies?" Iblis raised his eyebrows, troubled by all those questions. "This won''t be a problem, don''t worry," he replied briefly, focusing on the hot drink. Pseudonym sat helplessly at the table. "Helial will have to face the Prince of Darkness without me," thought Pseudonym, frowning. A trail of steam continued to rise from the tea in Iblis'' hands. There was no answer. Looking at Pseudonym''s face, Iblis parted her lips slightly and raised his hand. In an instant, the black steel armour, which had by now become Pseudonym''s second skin, was reduced to ash. Pseudonym got up immediately, almost knocking over the table. "What have you done?!" "You don''t need it anymore." "Who the hell are you to say what I need and what I don''t?!" Pseudonym had now understood that the child had to be an Immortal, or something quite similar, but he could not hold back his anger. He had lost his temper in a split second. That armour had accompanied him for most of his life, it was really too important for him. "I would say What the Devil, but I don''t think you can still afford to ask such questions," yawned the greatest Devil ever existed in the whole universe. "Ah, yes, yes, I know, let''s spare me your story. I read your memoirs. Your parents were morons, end of the flashback. Failures who thought they should keep you hidden." As he tapped the tea spoon on the table, all the equipment appeared a few minutes earlier disappeared. The boy took two steps towards Pseudonym, who had just realized he could no longer move. A ladder materialized in front of the child who, with all the calm of the world, climbed a few steps to reach the height of the Pseudonym''s face. "You mentioned a second choice, didn''t you?" growled the legend of Orma. "I can bring you to Jeanne," yawned Iblis. "Considering your talent, she would surely be more than happy to take you under her wing and train you. After all, you''ve already picked up her Legacy and used it very well, so once you get past Immortality, you could become one of the greatest warriors of Destruction." "Jeanne?" Pseudonym''s pupils dilated. "Jeanne, the Black Phoenix," said Iblis, "you should have received her name along with her Legacy." Pseudonym was not convinced of what the boy was telling him. It was Iblis who had given him the set of Phoenix Techniques, it had been him! Pseudonym was almost sure, but he still had some doubts. True, he had received Jeanne''s legacy when he reached the Temple of the Black Phoenix, but the key Skills to develop his Blood Legacy had fallen upon him at any moment, without him realizing it. Perhaps that was only a dream and he was still sleeping in the rotten straw of Orma''s prisons, next to his parents. Pseudonym fell to his knees, while Iblis made the ladder vanish and returned to the ground with a small jump. Clap The Devil looked around a bit. With a snap of his fingers he brought up a black umbrella with lace edges and a pair of short breeches appeared on his legs. A pair sunglasses stood out on his face, hiding his pitch-black eyes. "A little tourism," he shrugged. "You can send me to Jeanne?" said Pseudonym, still incredulous. "Yes, but there is a condition," Iblis yawned. Without waiting for him to ask for more, the boy added: "For several reasons, revealing my presence, or Helial''s, to Jeanne could create a devastating chain of events. Our identity, at least for now, must remain secret. I could seal your memory, but with such a powerful seal, you could be mistaken for a spy and be subjected to several tortures. Or, in the worst case scenario, a little friend of mine might notice the remnants of my Aura." Iblis was deep in thought. He put his hand under his chin and frowned, then continued: "As much as I don''t care if you end up lobotomized, the other possibility worries me. So, the only option for you to meet Jeanne would be to completely erase your memory of me and Helial. I will create parallel memories and once we leave Orma I will alter the course of the history of the capital of the Goblins. This way, no one, not even Jeanne or anyone investigating your past, will ever know anything about us." Pseudonym rolled his eyes. "Losing all the memories of Helial and you?" He did not expect conditions to be so simple. Iblis nodded slowly. Suddenly, the boy''s eyes lit up and a smile made its way onto his face. He looked at the undecided face of Pseudonym and, very calmly, asked him: "So, have you decided?" Pseudonym replied to his smile with a mortally serious look. His eyes tried in vain to penetrate the depths of Iblis'' soul, to understand what that child really wanted from him. "So?" Iblis asked again, a little impatient. The Champion of Orma nodded and parted his lips, ready to communicate his decision. 227 Los Gatos Snowflake and Vlad looked around with a thug-like expression. They both wore a large balaclava. Frankenstein, forced to follow them, was about to burst into tears. He had been practically forced, beaten and taken away, to participate in that suicide mission. Whimpering, Frankenstein pleaded: "Please, we will get all killed. Security is too high, it is impossible to get away." "We all three have a balaclava, how will they recognize us?" said Vlad, pointing to his face. Frankenstein wanted to die. He couldn''t understand if they were making fun of him or were they really as stupid as they seemed. What?! What are you saying?! Snowflake is a two-meter-long and one-and-a-half-meter-high fucking cat, what does it matter if he wears a balaclava?! That''s right; Frankenstein was thinking exactly the same thing. And Vlad had a huge bow on his shoulders, while some scarlet locks came out of his balaclava! Frankenstein''s, perhaps for lack of means, was only a sock, which made him perfectly recognizable. "But why isn''t Lulu with us then? What about Lumia?! Why me?!" cried Frankenstein desperately. Snowflake raised an eyebrow and clapped his tail on the ground: "This is not a mission for women." His tone was deadly serious. Of course it wasn''t a mission for women, you idiots! You''re going to steal Circe''s panties out of spite against her! Frankenstein wanted to scream in their face, but he remained silent to avoid drawing attention to them. They were infiltrating in the Guild of Life and Death. Or better, at least that was what Snowflake and Vlad had said they wanted to do. But Vlad had made them pass through the main entrance, also taking care to greet the guards, before putting on their balaclavas. They were now behind the wall that led to the corridor to Circe''s room. Frankenstein, knowing Circe''s character, was quite sure that all three of them were well on their way to a gruesome death. Not only was Helial Circe''s boyfriend, which already put them in a rather uncomfortable position, but even if Helial ended up forgiving them, Circe surely wouldn''t! Despite everything, Frankenstein had prepared several powders to hide his Aura and objects of all kinds. If they really had to risk their lives, then he had to make sure that those two idiots didn''t throw away his life, too, along with theirs. "I swear, I swear that if I get out alive I will light a candle every day in honor of the great Goblin God, all-and-every-day," prayed Frankenstein while activating an object. Object used:Ash Dust The Aura of all three suddenly disappeared into thin air, as if they did not exist. "This object weakens our bodies temporarily. You can remove its effect by simply circulating your Mana for a few seconds, but I don''t recommend it. As long as it is active, our Auras will be difficult to find even for Big. Unless a Warrior in the Tenth Phase is directly using his Divine Sense to scan the Guild of Life and Death, I doubt we will have any problem." Snowflake pawed Frankenstein on the shoulders: "I knew that asking you to come with us would be the right choice. We will be heroes, in life and in death!" "What life and what death?!" swore Frankenstein. The great scientist, a symbol of fanaticism in Helial''s group, was speechless in front of those two. He took out three bottles and told Snowflake and Vlad to drink one of them each. Item consumed:Copy-Skill PotionTemporary Skill Activated:PerceptionDuration: 10 minutes "This ..." this time, even Snowflake and Vlad were amazed. "Yup. I asked Helial for help with an experiment. Obviously he doesn''t know what we''re using his Skill for. I advise you to keep your mouth shut, or he will skin all three of us. In any case, we will need to keep an eye on the situation and not be caught." "We still need to remove the defensive formation on Circe''s chamber!" laughed Vlad. "Already removed," Frankenstein rolled his eyes. "Did you remove it?!" shouted Vlad. "What the fuck are you shouting at?! Of course not! She is the descendant of the Guild of Life and Death. Not even Cesar or Aure could enter in such a short time! It is an Immortal-rank Formation. It was deactivated by Circe herself shortly before leaving. The Helial hunting season is probably open." The three sneered. Of course, Circe was truly an unparalleled beauty, but nobody was willing to risk their lives to enjoy it. Sneaking, almost literally, they entered Circe''s room and began to rummage in the drawers. The room was decorated in a rather macabre way. All the furniture was black or ebony. The black curtain gave it a mournful appearance. The candlesticks scattered around the room made it look like a room used for the sacrifices of a satanic sect. Vlad rolled his eyes and raised the trophy. "Pink! They''re pink!" he screamed. The other two were stunned. Pink? Did the Witch of Orma really have normal pink panties?! "Shit, Circe''s Aura just appeared in the courtyard." The three grabbed all the underwear they found at hand and threw themselves out the window, recovering their normal cultivation after having dispersed the effects of the magic dust. After a few minutes, dragon-like screams were heard coming from Circe''s rooms. The guards by now had a lot of experience with the young lady''s outbursts and were experts in distinguishing anger and requests for help. So instead of helping her, they vanished. As the guards fled the adjacent corridors, they noticed that a strange flag was waving majestically at the top of the highest tower of the Guild of Life and Death. "But those are..." the words of a guard with a very sharp sight vanished in his throat. Another patted him on the shoulder: "I don''t know what those are, but I know that from today for the whole week I''m on sick leave. Give my regards to the young lady for me." Big looked out of his study window, realizing that his whole guild was making too much noise. "What the fuck is going on?" he murmured to himself as he searched the whole perimeter with his Divine Sense. Suddenly, he sensed something on the tallest tower and dematerialized from his office. Two attendants had already arrived up there, ready to pull down the flag, but Big immediately three-meter-high them down from the walls. Fortunately, they landed on a cart containing sacks of flour; their lives had been spared. Looking at that flag made of panties sewn together and hearing her daughter''s screams, Big made a simple mental calculation. Circe''s screams were beast-like and seemed to come from beyond the grave. With a flash of light, Big disappeared and decided to go on vacation a couple of days, fearing that his wife might involve him in the matter. He warned that if the women in his life asked for anything, he was on a secret mission on behalf of Cesar. If that old bastard hadn''t guaranteed for him, he would have threatened to carry on a civil revolution. As everyone ran around in chaos, to avoid the young lady''s fury, a bright explosion filled the sky. "Snowflake, what did you write with the firework powder I gave you? By now it should have exploded. I hope there isn''t anything that could give out our identity," said Frankenstein worriedly. "Quiet, everything under control," laughed Snowflake. But Frankenstein and Vlad did not know how much pride and arrogance could be in the heart of a Heavenly Star Tiger: Snowflake would never have been cowardly enough to hide a crime, indeed, he would have boasted of the success of that mission for the rest of his days. Just then, the fireworks exploded in the sky, drawing at first incomprehensible lines; then, as the lines joined together, three clearly recognizable faces and letters became visible¡­ a signature! "LOS GATOS: VLAD, SNOW AND ABOVE ALL FRANKENSTEIN!" 228 Lumias Game Circe went around Lumia with a languid and mischievous look. She made small circles around the girl and seemed ready to attack her prey at any moment. She was already anticipating the sweet taste of her blood on the tip of her tongue. Lumia, from the height of her twelve years, was almost twenty centimetres shorter than Circe. The Witch of Orma felt in complete advantage over that little girl. "So ... come to me alone and challenge me to a duel. Do you think I wouldn''t open your head in two like a melon just because your brother is sleeping with me?" Circe''s chilling laughter would have paralyzed anyone. But Lumia looked at the Witch with contempt. Circe''s rapid breathing contrasted with Lumia''s composure and austerity. "Being a brothel whore is something you''re proud of because it''s the only thing you can ever excel at?" replied Lumia, calmly. "With Pseudonym and my brother around, not to mention others, do you think you will ever count a shit here in Orma?" Circe put her hands on her hips, pretending an exaggerated amazement. "Oh, being the descendant of the Guild of Life and Death is not enough. Well, besides Helial and Pseudonym, there aren''t many other bitches who can look me straight in the eye." "The first thing you check in a cow is if it can make milk," said Lumia, pointing to Circe''s abundant breast with her thin finger. Circe began to feel annoyed by the brat. The fact that she was Helial''s sister would certainly not have saved her if she continued like this. "If you were in my own Phase," laughed Lumia arrogantly, "you wouldn''t even have the right to eat my shit. But, if you want, it''s on a special offer today. I can also make you a face mask, but it will be a little bit harder." Circe laughed heartily at those reckless words. But what Circe didn''t know was that Lumia''s threats weren''t so unfounded. When Iblis started training her, he found a rough diamond in Lumia. Despite the fact that the girl had decided to play a support role for her brother, she would certainly not have disfigured if she had been in Helial''s place. Lumia''s true talent lay in her Offensive Skills. However, even on the opposite path, her talent was capable of breaking through the sky. There was something in Lumia''s constitution that allowed the Mana to flow ten times faster in her Meridians than a normal constitution. In addition, she seemed to have a very special Affinity. However peculiar, Iblis had already seen such an affinity and the only one who knew how to use it was Tsukuyomi. His little friend possessed the ability to resonate her Mana with that of the whole universe, guaranteeing her a monstrous power. If Tsukuyomi''s nature had been more aggressive, the undisputed dominance of Iblis and Amaterasu would not have been equally obvious. Unfortunately, in the immensity of the universe, it was not uncommon for many to decide to abandon power and take on secondary roles, and all to follow the people they loved. This was precisely the case with Lumia, who had chosen to step aside to support Helial as much as possible. However, Lumia was the one to whom Iblis taught the hardest way; the Devil spared her nothing. Not even Helial was treated so hard. If Helial had not been trained by the great Alexander, it could have been said that Lumia had benefited from Iblis'' training much more than his brother. Circe kept laughing, but her patience had already reached the limit. "Going forward, you would only be a burden for Helial, with your worthless talent." The Witch exploded. That fight would end immediately and it would show that silly brat what it meant to stand against the descendant of the Guild of Life and Death, one of Orma''s most extraordinary talents. Skill Activated: Firestorm Skill Activated: Ice Trap The ground all around froze in an instant. Lumia remained helpless in front of that attack, as she watched Firestorm take shape in the sky above them. That was the power of an Elemental! Perhaps Circe was not the best fighter in the universe, but there was no denying that she had an abnormal talent: a normal Skill linked to Affinity with Fire would only allow fireballs to rain from the sky. Instead, Circe had combined the advantages of her Skills! The degree of knowledge obtained with the constant and tiring exercise had allowed her to create a completely new Skill. The red cloud swelled more and more with every second, while inside it several elements collided with each other. Several explosions were generated. Then the fire came to life and materialized in the form of incandescent rain. Despite the incredible damage from Firestorm, the original Skill was quite easy to dodge. However, by increasing the area covered with a heavy fiery rain, Circe had eliminated the weak point of that Skill. Not to mention the fact that, with Ice Trap, Lumia was now practically nailed to the floor, without even the slightest chance to move. There was a reason why Circe was called the Witch of Orma! Lumia, not at all frightened, brought her right hand in front of her, extending three fingers. She slowly turned her palm upward. Along with her hand, everything around her also turned upside down. Circe had the sensation of losing her balance and her grip on the Skill, on the real world and on her own body. It suddenly seemed to her that the world was turning upside down. As if she had been catapulted into an Illusion. Without warning, control over her Mana was lost and the Cast of the two Skills she was using stopped. The effect of the attacks was destroyed. Both Firestorm and Ice Trap required a lot of attention to use. In fact, there were Skills with different casting times. Most of the Skills people used in melee had an Instant Cast; the most obvious disadvantage was reduced damage to the opponent. The Abilities of the Elementals and Spells casters almost all had very long Cast times, over ten seconds. However, the damage of those Skills terrifically overcame the corresponding melee attacks. Circe felt her limbs become lighter and it seemed infinitely more difficult to concentrate in order to activate her Skills. It was as if she and Lumia had both ended upside down. Still, Lumia''s silver hair seemed to go against gravity and fell straight and tidy on her shoulders. The Witch of Orma was disoriented and confused. She couldn''t understand what was happening to her. Was this really an illusion? How could such a young girl without particular qualities be able to create such a powerful illusion? No longer knowing what to think not to go crazy, Circe concentrated all of herself on the clash. If she had remained inert, she would have played Lumia''s game. 229 No Power, No Love Circe was making every effort possible and imaginable. She tried to concentrate and activate at least one of her Skills, but to no avail. It seemed that Lumia had taken her to another dimension, a dimension in which the silver-haired girl was an unparalleled tyrant. Circe opened her Skill tab. It was unusual for one of the contenders to check their Skills during a fight. Usually, it was done only to observe the progress made during training. Yet Circe was stunned when she saw what was in front of her eyes: all the Skills she possessed had turned grey! This meant that she couldn''t use them, at least until she was stuck in that Illusion. By preventing Circe from activating her abilities, Lumia was in a position of clear advantage. What the fuck was going on? "My brother''s master," Lumia began to explain, "told me that Helial began to create an Ability that completely modifies the battlefield, Perfect Background." Approaching Circe, the girl began to circle around her, exactly as the Witch had done with her a few minutes earlier. "The principle of Perfect Background is to create a battlefield capable of responding to the needs of the fighters, in order to develop attacks and defences in a split second, using Runes as a catalyst. The principle is quite simple: it is enough, in fact, to arrange the Runes more appropriately within the battlefield. It might sound easy, but in practice it''s much more complex. In order for Perfect Background to be truly perfect, every Runic Framework that can be destroyed must have a way out. If you destroyed Runes to take away a chance from your opponent, he should immediately have a chance to launch a deadly attack in that dangerous position." By applying this process to all Runes, it was easy to understand why creating a Perfect Background was so difficult. Helial had worked several times with Frankenstein to figure out how to improve this creation, but he still hadn''t managed to find the right balance. The real difficulty lay in being able to control an expanding radius of the battlefield. The further you moved away from the radiation point, the more difficult it was to control Perfect Background. However, once found the way to properly control the Skill, its potential in a battle would have reached incredible peaks, especially if the number of soldiers had been very high. "And why should this interest me?" laughed Circe, trying to condense the Mana as much as possible within her Meridians and to regain possession of her own body. "The goal of this Skill is having absolute control over the battlefield. This is more or less the way my Moon Cage works, the difference is that mine is an ability that aims to have absolute control over people. It is much more risky to use than Helial''s. But, obviously, there is no perfect Skill, so mine also has some problems that I''m trying to solve. "At the moment, our bodies are lying motionless on the field where we were a few minutes ago. Our minds, however, are in a completely different dimension." It was only then that Circe truly worried. Lumia''s words were confirming what she had guessed, but it was impossible for her to believe it. Besides, she had never heard of such a Skill. How would she fight, knowing nothing of what she was facing right now? Did this mean that she was doomed, that she would lose against that brat? "Don''t worry, for the moment there is nothing I can do to you." It seemed that Lumia had read the Witch''s mind and was responding to her thoughts. This made Circe''s skin crawl even more. Lumia continued: "All I can do is keep you trapped here with me. The Moon Cage is much deeper than you and I can imagine. I myself have only touched its boundaries and I have yet to understand the core of this Skill." "By using Moon Cage, you put both mine and your life at risk," Circe growled. Lumia stopped at Circe''s side, then took a few steps back and stood a few centimetres from her face. "It''s true, but here you can''t do anything to me, zero. Stupid bitch. Do you want to play with my brother''s emotions, and do you expect me to stand aside like an idiot watching while he is duped by a whore?" Lumia spat those words on Circe with immense malice, something that did not seem to belong to a girl with such a pure and innocent appearance. At that moment, a child appeared in that upside down flat. His black bangs waved over purple star-shaped glasses. Under one arm, he had a large portion of popcorn and held a drink in one hand. A black straw protruded from the glass, too large for his hand, on which stood a bat of the same colour. For the moment, the Devil decided not to reveal his presence to the other two, but simply to enjoy the scene. He sat on an invisible chair and, sipping loudly what he had in his glass, he enjoyed the show. "Have you ever considered the possibility that there may be real feelings between me and your brother? Even if I had approached him with the intention of ..." "No, wait. Maybe we didn''t understand each other," cut short Lumia. "The only reason you haven''t been gutted and burned yet is because I''m still not able to get my hands on you. Whether my brother loves you or not, I don''t care. You''re just a burden to him, I hope you die before you can ruin his future." These were the last words Lumia uttered before the world she had created vanished in a flash. Circe and Lumia regained consciousness, waking up lying on the sand of the training ground. The girl was slightly pale and struggled to get up. Moon Cage asked for a much greater effort than any other Skill. The Witch sat up to observe Lumia''s tiny figure. She would never have believed that the brat would have aroused in her the feeling closest to fear she had ever felt. How was it possible that the little girl had managed to drag her into such an Illusion without her even noticing? Furthermore, it had seemed to her that Lumia had full control of her actions for as long as they had been in the other dimension. Even now, feeling dizzy and with her head swirling as if she had spent a long time upside down, Circe wondered if what she had seen was not a dream. Once recovered, Lumia got up and went away, but not before giving a very significant look at Circe. She snapped her fingers in the air as she walked and said nothing. Circe sat on the ground for some time, still incredulous. As Lumia walked away, a child dressed in a rather eccentric way appeared beside her. "If Circe were to repeat what you said to your brother, what do you think his reaction would be?" laughed the Devil. Lumia shrugged, not at all disturbed by those words. "Circe is weak, stupid and naive. And, if she were outside the walls of Orma, with her character she wouldn''t be able to do nothing at all. She is only a braggart. In this herd of incapable, even the sheep can be considered a lion. " Iblis chuckled and continued to tease Lumia: "Yes, but you didn''t answer my question." Lumia''s silver hair was moved slightly by a second shrug. "So if you became a burden on Helial, would you step aside? No power, no love? " asked Iblis. Lumia seemed quite convinced as she nodded and repeated the Devil''s words: "No power, no love." 230 Dick fan club After the fight with Pseudonym, Helial had been brought back to life and had spent a period of rehabilitation short enough, by the standards of a normal person. Helial had not been able to train for several weeks and this had made him feel helpless as he had not felt for some time: he felt perhaps worse than when, due to his almost non-existent Statistics, he hadn''t been able to erect stable walls for the houses he tried to build during the night on the edge of his village. Luckily Lumia had been by his side the whole time he had stayed in bed and had given him loving care. Obviously, he had tried several times to kiss him, without ever succeeding. Now that Helial had recovered, he felt more regenerated than ever, full of strength and fighting spirit, but he wanted more. The boy was now circling in the air, closely followed by countless white flames. On his way, along with the bonfires, several runic frameworks formed; they seemed to come out of nowhere, as if they were hidden before activating them. Jump after jump, Helial got higher and higher, up to the clouds. He was really a Qilin who dominating the sky. But it was not enough. He looked at his Mental Energy. Mental Energy2.853/210.324"Shit." He let himself fall at full speed, ignoring the wind that lashed at his face. He was several thousand meters high in the sky and was now plummeting straight down to the ground. If he hadn''t slowed down, he would have hit the ground like an insect on the glass of a closed window. While in free fall, he felt unconstrained and in control. He fully enjoyed that feeling. He wouldn''t have wasted even one of the last seconds before stopping his dangerous descent. Helial was fully enjoying all those sensations, now amplified tenfold. After the clash with Pseudonym, there was something new inside his soul. It looked like that the warrior in black armour was unreachable for everyone, but Helial had danced in the sky with him, in a legendary clash. Their duel would have been told and retold for centuries by the few who had seen it, remembered as the first in a long series. The young man hoped he could meet Pseudonym as soon as possible in order to fight him again; at the mere thought, the adrenaline began to flow into his body and to cross every blood vessel. But now that Pseudonym was far away, nobody knew in which remote corner of the planet, it would have been difficult for Helial to find him: he did not know his features and the only one who had the honor of seeing his face was Iblis. However, the Devil had promised to help him. Helial got lost many times retracing the memories of that clash, searching every detail of their struggle with impressive precision, the precise and lethal movements of his enemy, even his smell of steel and blood. Helial remembered the smell of Pseudonym''s blood. However little he had lost, the idea of being able to hurt him gave him a strange feeling. While training, developing new skills and strategies, he had never met someone who could shock him so much. Sometimes he even stopped to think that if Pseudonym had been a woman, he probably would have already fallen in love. Unfortunately, Helial wasn''t in the dick fan club. On the other hand, Circe had begun to move his heart, and some other bits too. The Witch of Orma had been able to enchant him first with her handsome figure, then with her aggressive ways. Still, Helial knew well how much Circe hated to be in Orma at the time. Within the walls of Orma, Circe was a goddess. Still, she was a prisoner of a golden cage. And even in there, this goddess always had someone to clash with. Without middle ground, who was weaker was too weak for her, who was stronger was too strong. As strong as her desire to grow and improve could be, Circe''s future had been practically sabotaged by Orma''s political condition; although the Goblins did not control a large territory and had many enemies, if the Witch had gone too far and entered the radar of her father''s opponents, she would have risked a lot. That was why Big and Roxy had stopped her from traveling alone. Helial had decided that once the matter of the Prince of Darkness and the war had been settled, he would end her golden captivity and take her with him to explore the nation of Fiercelake, and then the whole continent. Finally close to the ground, a few meters high, a long ramp of flames appeared above Helial''s feet. As if he had a snowboard under his soles, he drifted and made another jump, which cushioned the fall after a series of daring somersaults. Now his Mental Energy was practically gone. He had used Perfect Background in mid-air, trying to find its full potential. The effective range was ten meters. Further than that, several imperfections began to arise. Furthermore, Mana consumption was tremendously high. Helial got up, cleaned his clothes from dust, and then, speaking to clean air, said, "Master." Srrrrrrrrr The noisy sucking of a straw broke the pleasant silence of the forest. Turning around, the young man saw in front of him a boy, lying on a beach bed with a coconut in his hands and a plate with pineapple floating beside him. After so long, Helial had learned that it was better for his mental health to ignore the weird behaviours of that thousands-year-old Devil with the appearance of a harmless child. "I want to take the path we have already talked about," he began. Without paying much attention to his disciple, Iblis continued to enjoy his cocktail and bathe in the sun rays. You''re always so pale, why don''t you tan a bit? These words kept echoing in his head. "I''ve been sunbathing for a whole era, why don''t I ever tan?" muttered Iblis, completely ignoring that he was an incorporeal soul. Helial''s master seemed to have a strange fixation for sunglasses and suntan. Yet, since Helial had known him, his skin had remained the same pale shade as ever. "If you want your foundations to surpass those of every living and not living thing, including the great monsters that marked the Ages of this shitty universe, you must be ready for sacrifices," said Iblis. "I''m ready," nodded Helial. Millions of images suddenly passed into the eyes of the Devil. His parted lips evoked a power beyond the limit of human understanding. After a couple of minutes of silence, the boy shook his head. "If you intend to proceed on this path, the blood of your enemies will continuously wet your every path, but it will not be just that. If you chose to continue on a normal path, to accept everyone''s foundations, even the same ones I had, it will be different; you will live a full life and your loved ones will always be with you. You will have everything you need, but absolute power will always be too far from you, an opportunity lost forever." "I don''t care to live as I have lived before knowing you and be forgotten after a wave of violence," said Helial firmly. "You don''t even know what you''re saying. If you want to chase perfection, you won''t be the only one to pay for it. I can''t say anything specific, because of some universal rules. Still, I can tell you that if you chose the Perfect Foundations, you better get ready, because there will be much to suffer. Once you have made this choice, you cannot go back. "Glory, power, greatness. Become the strongest: they are all things at hand, but the other side of the coin is a sea of blood and suffering. If instead you chose the path of all the other people, you will become strong much faster. Right, here''s what I was forgetting. If you were to go down this path, your progress would be much slower. In the beginning, it would be much more difficult to protect your loved ones. Although the Perfect Foundations can allow you to become stronger than anyone within your own Phase, there are physical limits imposed by the various Phases. With Second Phase Meridians, you would soon reach a bottleneck." "Will Lumia die if I make this choice?" Helial focused his dark blue eyes on Iblis''s pitch black ones. Iblis shook his head and remained silent. It was not a real answer, but it was enough for Helial, who removed the upper part of his tunic, showing the toned muscles underneath. "We can start then." Thousands of black needles appeared all around Iblis, while the Devil watched the starry night above them. 231 Perfect Foundations Helial''s neck was extended upwards, the veins in it about to explode. From the moment the process began, Helial had hoped to die at least three times. And just over a minute had passed. The torture that Helial had endured during the acquisition of Body of the Qilin was nowhere near comparable to what Iblis was subjecting him to now. No, this time it seemed that his skin was slowly peeling, inch by inch, and that his muscles - live flesh exposed to the pain of the process - had been immersed in boiling oil. Every inch of his body felt like it way burning. Anyone who witnessed what was going on, however, would only see a flood of black needles piercing Helial''s body. "We are late," Iblis noted, glancing out of the octagonal room in which they were, regardless of the pain of his disciple, "but fortunately we still have a solution. To follow the theories of the Perfect Foundations, your body should have been perfect already from the end of the First Phase." Helial and Iblis had discussed the Theory of Perfect Foundation over and over again, without ever getting to grips with it. According to Iblis, it was more than possible to reach the Perfect Foundation. The main problem lay in the time required for the acquisition and the risk posed by the process, which could have caused the boy''s death. First of all, when Iblis had explained the meaning of Perfect Foundations to Helial, the young man was amazed. The concept was terribly simple, understandable for any kid who knew how to count. After every Level-up, the Statistical Points acquired were 6. Each Phase consisted of 60 levels. Therefore, at the end of a Phase one would have 360 Statistical Points to be awarded. In fact, each Phase had a maximum for each Statistic. For the First Phase the maximum number of Stat Points for each Stat was 360. For the Second Phase the maximum points became, therefore, 720. So, in order to have Perfect Foundations, all you had to do was reach the maximum Stat Points in each Main Stat, that is, those Statistics that were visible from the beginning in a person''s life. Everyone was born with Basic Stats, and in addition had some related to innate talent. From this point of view, Helial had nothing surprising. Like any other normal human being, he did not have Hidden Statistics from birth. Once all the statistics were maximized with respect to his Phase, his body would have had to undergo both qualitative and quantitative evolution, according to Iblis''s speculations. The Devil had pulled out of thin air many scattered sheets, full of strange drawings depicting men with four arms and four legs, and had told Helial that he had stolen them from a wannabe artist who lived on a distant planet and was a huge genius in terms of Mana theories. Iblis had estimated that the Perfect Foundations would completely change the perception of Helial''s body in the space around him, but it wasn''t just that: space would also perceive the boy''s body differently. So far everything was quite simple. The real problem was that even Helial, who had very good foundations, had not come close to the maximum goal of the First Phase. Looking at his Stats window, Helial realized that even using all his Stats Points he could not reach the maximum cap for his Stats. NameHelialRaceHumanTitleDisciple of the KingPrimary ClassChampion of the Runic Forge (Unique Class)Primary AffinityLightPrimary ProfessionNoneLevel104Exp.323.423/1.930.000HP18.530/18.530MP85.423/85.423Strength215Stamina233Mental Energy210.324/210.324Intelligence240Wisdom195Dexterity170Present Effects: Physical Endurance 5% Vitality Regeneration: 1800% Health Regeneration: 1800% Physical Resistance: 3000% Magical Resistance: 3000%Stat Points to distribute: 456Doing some mathematical operations may be child''s play, but being able to add all those numbers to make them your own as Statistical Points was more than difficult, it was practically an illusion. However, Iblis had pointed out to Helial, it would have been completely impossible not to find at least one creature who could achieve total perfection. Even if that one was not the most powerful Devil in the universe; Iblis himself had never made Statistics his strong point, concentrating rather on the Degree of Knowledge of his Skills. Obviously, the centuries that Iblis had spent imprisoned as a soul within Curse of the Demon had been so boring that the child had had to find other hobbies than cooking and had never stopped doing his research. He had discovered, to his amazement, that Statistics and Degree of Knowledge of a Skill seemed to have something akin to it. Of course, the exact correlation between them for the moment was still hypothetical. Iblis had not yet had the opportunity to confirm his idea with his usual experiments. Besides, he still hadn''t found a lab rat. Fortunately, Helial seemed to be often the Devil''s rat. A very unlucky rat, to tell the truth. The price of the experiment would have been very high. No sane warrior would ever have undergone such torture, considering that in the long run the benefits would have been almost nil and the prospect of short-term benefits was normally ignored. In short, Helial was in danger of completely destroying his foundations and not being able to progress on his Mana Path anymore. And despite this, he had agreed to undergo the experiment. In other words: Helial was a total madman. Iblis too was having second thoughts about what they were going to do. "Do you have any idea what you will have to go through to make up for all the missed opportunities? Do you think it''s as simple as snapping your fingers and, voil¨¤, poof, here are your Perfect Foundations?" Iblis had insisted, before starting the experiment "I am perfectly aware of what will happen to me." The Devil gave Helial an icy glare of tremendous depth. "In five years, how strong do you think you will be, what Phase do you think you will achieve?" "I think that I will get at least to the Sixth Phase and, considering my current progress, I will be able to defeat at least someone at the Ninth one," said Helial with a touch of pride. "But to reach the Perfect Foundations I am willing to do anything. I am not interested in having the Meridians that you gave me or Body of the Qilin, if they prevent me from reaching the pinnacle of perfection. I just want to have a chance to be the strongest in the future. I don''t care how long I have to wait. Even if I were to lose five years, it wouldn''t be a problem." The Devil threw up his arms, smiling bitterly. "Well, you''re going to have to stay in the Second Phase not for five, as you may have thought, but for ten fucking years. Also, Body of the Qilin, Curse of the Demon, the Meridians that I have given you: forget all of that. Your body will undergo a rejection phase. For ten years you won''t be able to use any of those. You will only be able to use the Skills you have learned on your own. You will still be able to use Metamorphosis and Runic Condensation, but without Body of the Qilin, you will be much weaker. Your body will become weak, the flow of Mana in your Meridians slow and swampy." Helial nodded. He did not seem at all intimidated by what awaited him. "It will be hell on earth for ten years, as if the whole world came to take it out on you. Ah, I forgot to tell you. It is such a powerful Skill that I will need to drain all the Mana on this planet. This means that if things turn for the worse, we will be discovered by all my old dear friends of Life. If they find us, I think you would end up with a pole nicely tucked up your ass and I would be thrown into some ancient ultra-fucking old crypt that has existed since the dawn of time." Helial kept nodding. That boy was really reckless. Iblis'' pallor turned a bloody tinge and his mouth curled into a grimace of contempt. It was possible that even the most powerful Devil in the universe had second thoughts about the acquisition of Perfect Foundations, while an unconscious little boy had no hesitation whatsoever. "And what will happen if you are not able to protect your friends. Lumia will able to survive, but everyone else?" "The Devil capable of everything is you, master." "A Devil? Of course, a Devil," said Iblis, for the first time slightly altered since Helial had memory. The boy had never seen his master lose control. "Of course I''m a Devil, but am I crazy? - that is, it depends on your standards. Even if I''m a Devil, I wouldn''t want to see all the people who supported me die because of my selfish choice!" 232 Against the laws of nature "Iblis!" swore Helial. "Do you want me to change my mind?! Do you want me to tell you that seeing one of them die would split my heart in two?! My Soul has already reached the state of the Emperor and this does not mean that I no longer have a heart or feelings, but that my decisions can follow my true will, you know that better than I do! This is my true will now. What should I do, give up power and live in a wooden hut, afraid of what could happen?" As hard as he thought, Helial didn''t want to change his mind. He was perfectly aware that achieving absolute power would not save him from pain. "I know I will have to give up something, but it doesn''t matter! Power will always be a foothold for me: it will make me rejoice or cry until the end of my tears, but it will never leave me alone. I got tired of the shitty life I was living before! Now that I have experienced what it means to be stronger, I want to continue on this path. If you had been powerful enough to turn the tide of war on your own, to make Amaterasu helpless while exterminating her family without ending up in this fucking form, what would you have done?! " Iblis finally lost his mind. Around him, the world suddenly began to lose colour. Every tile in the room began to turn gray. Bucephalus''s spirit, which permeated the room, became impatient. The horse was now in another dimension, together with his master, but he still perceived everything that happened in the Octagonal Room. The King of Kings looked at the horse sternly. The horse responded to Alexander''s gaze with his red, round, restless eyes. "I only do it because I don''t want to have problems." He hit the ground with a hoof and a shield, intangible and invisible to anyone, covered the planet they were on. In this way, Iblis'' Aura was concealed by any prying Divine Sense. "Filthy bastard, of course I would have! I would have taken that idiot, tied her on a fucking ship mast and, after exterminating all the other people of this universe, I would have sailed and sailed, enjoying her hatred!" Outside the Royal Palace, the sky clouded over and all Orma began to tremble. "There are things for which no price is too high!" "Well! Very well!" the Devil roared, "I want to hear you say these exact words in a few years, in front of your sister''s corpse!" Iblis continued to mutter, annoyed to the most remote point of his soul. Then he raised his voice and spoke again, clearly angry: "Yes, I would certainly have had an absolute victory against Amaterasu and the forces of Life, if I had walked the path of the Perfect Foundations. But do you know what would have happened?" The silence was so short that Helial was unable to answer. "How many people who believed in me would have had to die to satisfy my blood thirst? Various races are already dead and extinct because of me. I have so much blood on my hands that not even a millennium of universal wars affect me. But, in this sea of blood, the few people who supported me even when I made the wrong choices are worth far more than my absolute control." "If you, Shithead, were to choose today the path of the Perfect Foundations, the whole universe will be against you. Its price is an unprecedented karmic debt. You will have to bear on your shoulders the weight of all the misfortunes that will be thrown towards you. From great powers comes a great sea of shit to swallow." "Oh, the greatest Devil in history is afraid that I may suffer too much, as if it were not already my doom! So let''s give up then, just as you did." Iblis was silent for a few seconds, trying to calm down. "If you decide not to follow the Perfect Foundation, you won''t be as weak as you think." "The only thing I want is strength, power, and the feeling of freedom that I felt when I fought against Pseudonym!" Helial''s eyebrows were contracted in an angry expression, but his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm at the memory of that clash. "I want to go higher than everyone else, even more than you, master. Why do I have to be a useless spectator in my life, instead of the protagonist?! I want glory, I want power, I want to see the world from its top. When you talk to me, you only believe that the only part of my being who wants power is the one who wants to protect Lumia. Don''t get me wrong, I would lay down my life for my sister. But I''m not ready to sacrifice my whole existence for her. I live here and now to become a warrior, to be the strongest and find something that makes me able to feel alive and capable of anything." "You could overcome Pseudonym even without the Perfect Foundations." Iblis was seriously beginning to regret the moment he mentioned that Skill to Helial. The Devil would never have thought that Helial was willing to do so, putting his own life at stake and, if he survived, also that of all those who were close to him and supported him. Helial shook his head helplessly. A skewed smile crossed his face. "I''m not interested in just overcoming Pseudonym. I want to know what it''s like to overcome impossible challenges, to always have untrodden roads under your feet. I want to live, Iblis, like I never did." Iblis did not reply immediately. He remained silent for a while as he contracted his Aura, which had covered the entire city and nearly destroyed it. If Bucephalus had not protected Iblis'' Aura from prying eyes, in a few minutes that planet would have become a battleground between the forces of Life and Destruction. The boy, now resigned, sighed and spoke slowly: "Ten years without Curse of the Demon, Body of the Qilin and the Meridians, which will return to normal, almost those of a cripple, as you remember. In the short term, after the treatment you will undergo, you might become stronger than before. But, over the years, you will always lag behind. You will reach 720 Points in each Stat. This will give you foundation more stable than anyone else. You will also save Statistical Points earned from levelling up; this will allow you to make the carp-jump through the dragon gate." "The thing about not spending Stat Points is still not clear to me," said Helial, gaining some control. Finally Iblis had decided to help him. "Well, if you want to be crazy, let''s do things right. Upon reaching the Tenth Phase, you will use the Statistical Points to create a perfect body and go against karma itself. Destiny will face you in every way, you will be hated by luck because of your disobeying the laws of nature. The Perfect Foundations fall within the spectrum of what is possible by the laws of the universe, in a certain way. What I am proposing to you goes against nature. We aim to break the limits set by the universe itself. Once done, your Immortality will be ... no, it''s too early to talk about this. We will solve all the problems related to the few Statistical Points consumed through my treatment, don''t worry." Unfortunately, Helial had already used some Statistical Points. But, according to Iblis, there was a way to recover them. The black needles surrounding Iblis disappeared in a split second and Helial''s eyes widened in amazement. "Aren''t we going to start now?" The Devil clenched his fists. "I don''t want to expose myself to unnecessary risks. Think calmly and in three days come back here with your answer. I will be here waiting for you. On the other hand, I have already seen hell and I am ready to go even lower into the abyss before I die." Helial nodded and left the Octagonal Room without saying a word. The echo of his footsteps was heard along the corridor of the dungeons. After a few seconds, Iblis crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head slightly to the left. "Are you thinking of hiding much longer?" Crystalline laughter filled the room. Immediately, the handsome figure of a blond knight materialized in the room. Together with him was his black horse. Time stopped. The sound of Helial''s footsteps stopped. He too got stuck in Alexander''s time trap. 233 Life is a naughty game "You know, sometimes I don''t understand how you could pull a universal war out of your sleeve, but at the same time be so slow of understanding", said Alexander, nodding a greeting. Iblis was already in a bad mood and seeing Alexander and Bucephalus would not have helped him to improve the day. Especially if they materialized to insult him. "Beg your pardon?" Alexander dismounted and patted Bucephalus''s muscular back. At that touch, the horse took on its human form, a tall young man with long black hair and red irises. He had a shirt with a breast pocket, from which he pulled out a pair sunglasses to protect his delicate demonic eyes. "Helial''s character, isn''t it? I think you''re still light years from figuring out what''s going on in that boy''s head," said Alexander, rising from the ground and sitting on an invisible chair. "He''s but a bot that craves power and wants to become the strongest. Nothing new, nothing special," Iblis replied casually. Raising his eyebrows, Alexander moved his lips to one side, not very convinced. It was a not too subtle insult to Iblis'' intelligence. "Enlighten me," the Devil pulled his arms forward, puffing impatiently. With a shrug, Alexander straightened up from his sitting position and said: "I spent twenty years in the company of your disciple, completely erasing his memory and observing how his instincts would have developed if he had been born in a different world." The King of Kings stopped for a moment and remembered how Helial, within the Time Block, had been reborn as a completely different person. His new character and temperament had had nothing to do with what he had shown before forgetting every detail of his past life. When, however, the memories of the two lives had merged, once he got out of the Time Block, his old character had corrupted his newly acquired spirit. "There are things that Helial has only partially managed to bring out, here in this reality. On the contrary, within the Time Block, we have seen what most moves him. And it''s not power! Hahaha." Alexander laughed heartily. "He doesn''t even know what motivates him, would you believe it?" Alexander''s laughter left room for an enigmatic expression, while his snow-white clothes gave him an outworldy appearance. The flawless and beautiful features gathered around two large eyes of different colours, one green and one blue, framed by long blonde eyelashes. Iblis, in his child-like form, felt his hands itch more and more. He was considering the pros and cons of blowing up the planet. I could teleport Helial to one of the planets of Destruction and then destroy this fool. If I did, it would take a few seconds for enemies and allies to intercept my presence. If Amaterasu still hadn''t found his disciple, it would probably be very easy... Iblis didn''t know it but, if he had taken that decision, his fate and that of the whole universe would have changed. There would be no need for Helial to challenge Amaterasu, to become the antagonist of the forces of Life. There would have been tremendous losses even in Destruction, but Life would have been annihilated once and for all, thanks to the immense power of the Devil. Even in incorporeal form, Iblis was not an opponent that even beings like Kirin could face light-heartedly. Still, life is often a naughty game. No, I cannot risk it. Iblis relaxed his muscles and listened to Alexander. "When we were traveling together, I saw him continually jumping to the front row ..." "Because he''s a braggart," replied the Devil, interrupting him. "No, quite the contrary. Helial has not yet realized that, under this pretended desire for power and glory, he only wants to test himself. He seems to continually choose the most difficult path to demonstrate something to himself. To himself and not to others. I also peeked several times inside his heart. " "Mh," snorted Iblis, while a steaming cup of tea appeared before him. Soon after, three lumps of sugar materialized out of nowhere and dipped into the drink gently, without lifting even a single drop. Even a teaspoon appeared in the cup and began to move on its own. Iblis inhaled the aroma of dry leaves infusing the water. "And I saw that there is not all this hatred for his brother, but something more similar to resentment. Helial can be very ruthless, but his nature is far less fierce than you might think. The funniest thing is that everything I''m saying has not been ignored not only by you, but also by him. "You know, Iblis, before teaching him how to ruin the next ten years of his life, you should also guide him to understand what his heart really wants. Yes, the State of the Emperor allowed him to have a steadfast heart. But the mysteries of his feelings remain unsolved. He chooses firmly, but what''s underneath, if we dig deep enough? "We are not all a mass of chaotic feelings to be expressed without hesitation, as you followers of Destruction believe. Inside Helial''s heart there is an obsession as great as the ferocity that led you to wage war on the forces of Life. " "Let me understand," said Iblis, "what are you trying to tell me?" Bucephalus rolled his eyes, cursing between his teeth. "Lumia, Snowflake and the others are a fundamental part of Helial''s heart, but not the largest as he thinks, or as you think. What moves his heart is the desire to overcome increasingly difficult challenges. That''s all. Often there is no need to look for difficult answers when the solution is so terribly simple." "Translated, you bastard Devil, it means that Helial has to realize what is really inside his heart. He discovered a lot thanks to the State of the Emperor, but did not understand what he really wants. He doesn''t want to protect Lumia, he doesn''t want friends; all these things are very important, but they are not his cornerstone", roared Bucephalus. "The reason why he chose Pseudonym as his point of reference is precisely this. Although he will never admit it, neither in words nor with deeds, Pseudonym is more important than Lumia, now, in his heart. What he wants is to overcome all the challenges on his path. And that doesn''t mean he wants to be the best, that''s just collateral for him." Alexander''s words were a blow to Iblis''s pride: neither teacher nor pupil knew what moved Helial''s heart. For some strange reason, Alexander found all this truly ironic. "Helial must realize that, within his heart, the desire to always test himself with more difficult tests is what moves him. It will be difficult to accept it, but it is so. You are his teacher and you must guide him on this path. We have never had such a mentality, Iblis. Helial is sure to get into big trouble in the future, but it is certain that he will either die or surprise the whole universe." Closing his eyes and inhaling deeply, Iblis tried to control his feelings about it. "If it is as you say, I hope he will be ready to bear the weight of what will happen once the chooses Perfect Foundations." Alexander''s smile illuminated the Octagonal Room, turning grey due to the interruption of the time flow. "You forget that I have control over Time. I know very well what will happen to a kid at the Second Phase in the next few years. The most interesting thing is that his destiny seems to cloud over just when he meets..." "Our Divinations can only reach a certain point", interrupted Iblis. "Some roads of fate are too intertwined and constantly changing. And yet, if it is as you said, then I will agree to accompany him on this path. If his heart really revolves around overcoming all its limits and continually demonstrate something to itself, then it will be destroyed after the events of Orma. But later, well, later it will rise again." "Dead for ten years, but the day of his resurrection ... ehehe." Alexander waved goodbye to Iblis and disappeared into thin air together with Bucephalus. Time began to flow again. Helial''s footsteps flooded the underground corridor with their echo again. 234 Painfully slow Three days later Helial''s body was surrounded by needles, which covered every free inch of his skin. Around the boy, strange pitch black Patterns appeared and dissolved continuously, intertwining, merging, kissing. It was those patterns that allowed the needles to act on Helial''s body. The Devil was moving them. Sweat beaded on Iblis''s forehead. That operation required a lot of effort and concentration, but if the Devil had still possessed his body, the chore would have been much easier. Now, however, forced as he was in an ethereal form, he did not have enough Mana to perform the operation and had to borrow it from the planet he was on; still, it was not enough to support the whole process. Such a huge flow of Mana, as Iblis had said, normally would not have gone unnoticed by the powers of the universe, both among the members of Life and among those of Destruction, but Alexander had dealt with this. In fact, the King of Madonia had ordered Bucephalus to watch over the process, preventing the great monsters of the universe from catching even the faintest glimpse of it with their Divine Sense. The two greatest legends of the universe, the hero and the Devil, were collaborating in silence to transform Helial. "Incredible, isn''t it?" Alexander burst out, pronouncing words that seemed the amusing conclusion of an inner monologue. Bucephalus did not know what his companion was talking about. "What?" The horse seemed rather annoyed by the role he had been assigned. Alexander smiled, still immersed in his thoughts. "It is incredible how, getting older, people change by following one of two paths. On the one hand there are those who would give their last years of life to others just to die; on the other we have those old bastards who would like to bring even slippers to the grave, in order not to give anyone anything that belongs to them. Such people, with the right opportunity, would steal the soul of their grandchildren to live a few more years." Bucephalus, who had taken his human form and was standing next to Alexander, glanced over his sunglasses. Then he snorted: "You and Iblis have lived so long that it seems strange that you still want to get your hands dirty everywhere. But it is not strange that you no longer want to be the protagonists. After all, sooner or later we all grow old. Our last day will come, be it tomorrow or in another hundred thousand years." Alexander glared at the horse. Bucephalus was his most faithful companion, but he certainly knew how to ruin his mood in seconds. Remembering the King that he had once been a young man with golden curls and the most vigorous hero of all and that his times had now come to an end was never a good choice. Alexander pretended not to have heard the horse''s words and began to move his fingers on the strings of an imaginary lyre, playing his favourite melody, remembering when he was a boy and had recently learned to play. His personal concert, deafening music in the silence of his first memories. The time of the planet seemed to stop and become alien to that of the entire universe. In addition to the barrier created by Bucephalus, a much finer and more refined energy was now protecting the planet. However, at that moment, Helial could not perceive anything other than pain. Intense, excruciating, unbearable pain. Every inch of the boy''s body was torn by that destructive sensation. Helial''s body was lying on a marble floor. Streams of black blood came from the wounds inflicted by the needles. "The process will completely destroy what you are now. It will no longer leave room for the Skills that have been given to you. You will receive exactly 720 Stat Points for each Statistic," said Iblis as his hands formed millions of Seals in series. The air around him was distorted by the enormous power he was brandishing. Helial was so suffering that at any moment he felt he could lose consciousness or worse, die. He had barely been able to hear the Devil''s words and was not even sure if he had really heard them or they were only in his own head. Alexander had stopped playing and started watching the purification process again. He was definitely stunned by Iblis''s abilities. The King of Madonia had stopped taking care of the outside world to engage in meditation, but Iblis never seemed to have stopped training and learning. Alexander was sure that if Iblis had a material body, he could have destroyed the whole universe with the ease a normal mortal would have used to kill a fly. "In the short term, you''ll feel like you''ve achieved an incredible improvement. Your basic talent will also surpass Pseudonym''s. But only for now." Iblis formed the Seals and spoke simultaneously. Despite the enormous effort, the boy managed to do both without showing the slightest sign of slowing down. "Remember, you will spend ten years without being able to advance beyond the Late stage of the Second Phase. You will only have the Skill Knowledge Level to train. Then, after these ten years or so, you will finally get to the Third Phase. But, even then, you will have to wait to accumulate another 360 Statistical Points for each non-hidden Statistic. Only in this way, from Phase to Phase, in a painfully slow process, can you finally be reborn." Alexander reflected on the words of the Devil, listening to him in religious silence. Probably, many people would have accepted such conditions, seduced by the illusion of a sudden improvement. But, having experienced so many things during his very long life, the King of Kings knew that the price to pay would be very high. For a person like Helial, the most important thing would always have been his current strength, not potential strength. When you have such a talent, when you are so strong, the number of enemies tends to increase exponentially. If Iblis himself had not climbed the hierarchies of Immortality with terrifying speed, no matter how solid his base might be, he would surely have been killed by the forces of Life. The same was true for Alexander: if he had not grown at an unusual rate, his army would have been crushed countless times. The consequences of such a choice for a highly exposed person would have been devastating. Helial had chosen a terribly difficult path. Even after ten years, catching up with others would have been like climbing a mountain of knives with bare hands. "What is an extremely lucky and at the same time extremely unlucky person called?" Alexander asked, absorbed in his thoughts. "Your companion for two eons?" Bucephalus said, snorting. Alexander chuckled. "I''ll take that as a compliment." The King turned his gaze to Helial. The young man was suffering like never before in his life. It was as if a million sharp swords were tearing at his flesh, his muscles, every part of his body. The pain was so penetrating that it had seized even the deepest part of Helial''s brain, cancelling any possibility of using his senses. The only thing Helial could feel, along with the pain, was a heat burning on him. He would have liked to tear off his skin, his muscles, break his bones, put an end to his existence, if only he could have used his hands ... His body was a real furnace, his skin completely red. It released a quantity of heat out of the ordinary. Furthermore, all the nutrients present in Helial''s body had been consumed. The boy''s silhouette had become so slim that the bones protruded from his pale, fragile skin, about to crack. Helial was a skeleton soaked in pain and despair. The needles penetrated more and more into what remained of his body, more and more deeply and more and more violently. The joints emitted chilling screeches, the ligaments of the joints continued to detach with a dry SNAP. The tendons were ending the same painful end. In the only moment of lucidity that Helial could grasp, he thought that only a corpse would remain of him. He seemed to see the darkness of death going towards him and wrapping him in the safety of the lack of pain. It was all over. He had wanted too much and hadn''t acquired anything, but he hadn''t regretted the choice he had made. Yet, just as Helial felt that his last breath was about to leave his body, Iblis quickly changed the sequence of the Seals. By now Helial was practically dead, reduced to shreds. His heart had already stopped beating. The blood moved for a few more seconds, driven by the inertia and poor resistance of his fragile vessels. "We have just completed the first part of the process, the easy one. Your body has been destroyed, now we can start building." Alexander looked at Iblis. Helial''s fight would take place in ten days. Alexander had estimated that the trial would take at least a month. Shrugging and snapping his tongue, the King of Kings expressed his contempt for the passage of time. And, with a snap of the fingers, the Mana around the planet changed radically. Alexander had already altered the laws of time and space for that planet, but now he had slowed them down to adjust the length of the trial. 235 A Barrel Full of Trouble Not very far from Orma, in Fiercelake Nation A woman dragged a girl to the door, desperate. "See, that lunatic is still there! Still there!" She pointed to a big man two meters tall and had tears in her eyes. "They tried to chase him away, to send him away. They also hit him! But nothing, it''s always there, staring at nothing for days!" Just in front of the woman''s shop was standing a very tall, muscular warrior, staring at nothing as if with his eyes he could cancel the brick buildings and look at the distant horizon. With strong hands, he clutched the two swords that rested on his waist, going down on his hips. He had appeared out of nowhere in the village, nobody knew him and everyone feared him. The citizens only knew that one morning they had woken up and found him right there - and then he had never moved from that spot. He hadn''t moved a finger or a leg, hadn''t sat down, hadn''t yawned, hadn''t even seen him take a sip of water. "And what am I supposed to do?" asked the girl, exasperated. "If you want to earn your wage, you better go and see if you can get any information from that guy!" Just as the girl was about to reply, the woman opened the door and pushed her outside: "Or sent him away!" The girl took a deep breath. The woman looked at her from top to toe. The girl''s rigid behaviour betrayed some fear. In fact, the thug looked terrifying, he had two huge weapons in sight and he had never answered any questions. He must have been a tremendously lethal warrior. To stay so long standing, always in the same place, he also had to have an incredible level. One more reason not to want him in the village. Their village was very close to the largest city in the region; it was very large, but it was renowned for being one of the most peaceful and calm places around there. A glance at him was enough to understand it was a barrel full of trouble. And nobody there was looking for trouble. The scarred face and arms suggested that the man liked to fight. Some recent injuries must have been caused by a lethal duel. At best, it had to be someone who had not passed the entrance exam for a nearby academy; in the worst case, however, it had to be a violence-loving brawler. Everyone was looking at the old hag, who owned the supply store, sending the new girl to the brute. "Poor girl," sighed one of the passers-by. "That man is really young, he will not be more than twenty years old, despite all those scars," murmured one of his friends, who walked beside him. "He has been standing in the same spot for a week. It seems that something broke his soul and that he is no longer able to recover." "Lately there have been several conflicts on the borders, he may even be a deserter." At those words, someone exclaimed in terror. The crowd began to thin out: it was better to stay away from a deserter. But the young apprentice approached the brute without apparent fear. While leaving, many watched her, terrified of the outcome of that meeting. The girl had to be the same age as the warrior, but her build was much more slender and her skin was delicate and free of imperfections, as if she had been protected from any bump in life. She was not particularly beautiful, but she had dark eyes as deep as the universe, which gave them an indescribable charm. Her cheeks were slightly plump, but the elongated shape of her face gave her a vague squirrel-like look. The badly cut hair on the bangs, on the other hand, gave her a cheeky and naive appearance. She was tall and had a rather slender figure. Still, her beauty would not bring down whole kingdoms. Approaching the warrior, at least a span taller than she was, she did not even smile. "Hello," began the young woman, with a little naivety. The warrior didn''t even seem to hear her. She was certainly not the first to speak to him. At least a hundred people had already tried, and nobody had managed to make him say anything. Someone, terribly frightened, had also tried to approach and hit him with weapons, but any tool used would bend or break in contact with the warrior''s skin, hard as steel. The swords had lost their edge, the clubs had broken in two after the first hit. And none of those who tried had managed to hurt him. The girl took a deep breath before speaking again. "So, are you sleeping or what? You have been scaring the whole village for more than week. Of so many places to be a scarecrow, why have you chosen this?" For a few seconds, she waited for an answer that showed no sign of coming. "Look, I just got here and I''m not going to get kicked out of the store. I just want some peace." The girl''s words seemed to contain a strange magnetism that made the warrior''s gaze turn away from his horizon. Looking straight into her eyes, the man slightly opened his mouth to say something. The girl, tired of waiting, motioned him with both hands to leave: "Come on, come on, go away. Go somewhere else." In response, the warrior sat down, his first movement after a week. All those who had stopped to watch the show and those who were passing by began to rub their eyes. After countless attempts, had it been a skinny girl of mediocre beauty who made the thug react? Had he finally shown a reaction?! A boy who had witnessed the scene was stunned: "He really has strange tastes. Girls much more beautiful than her already tried to talk to him." Although he had only whispered it, the surreal silence into which the path had fallen had amplified the sound, and had been heard by everyone. A companion of his nudged him and ordered him to be silent. The warrior seemed to pay no attention to what was going on around him and finally said: "I ended up here because I''m waiting for a friend. He''s in danger because of me, also, and I''m waiting for his clan to make the next move. When the time comes, I will leave and I doubt you will see me again. Mine was not an easy choice, I ask you to have a little more patience with me. I doubt it will take much longer, a couple of months at most." He had really spoken! The girl scratched her head: "Ok, but please, if someone asks you, tell them that you are not a deserter or troublemaker. All the inhabitants of this village are here for a reason, and do you know what it is? They love peace and want stay out of trouble," answered the girl. At that moment, the warrior shifted his gaze to the yellow tunic the girl wore. My clothes are in a really bad shape, but such a tunic is really terrible. She looks like a canary. The girl noticed the inquisitive look and asked: "Why are you staring at me?" "Um, that tunic is ... nice?" said the warrior, holding back laughter. Hell, lass, did you really had to wear that?! "Thanks, how nice!" she laughed. She laughed too, the fool. After stifling his own laughter the warrior sat cross-legged with his swords over his legs and said, "I will wait here until the right moment arrives." "I''ll bring you something to eat, then," replied the girl, winking. "Lass, what are you waiting for to? Will it take long?" a croaking voice was calling the girl. Apparently, her task had been completed and it was time to get back to work. "I have to go now," the young woman observed, pointing to the door from which she had been pushed out. "I am here temporarily, too. I have yet to decide what to do when I grow up, although kneading bread doesn''t seem to be my dream job!" She laughed and ran away, to the shop owner who kept calling her. The warrior raised his chin to the sky, inhaling the air all around. He felt a lump in his throat and a rush of sadness ran down his spine. From afar, behind a window, the girl looked at him while her hands were covered with water and flour. "Hurry up or that bread will never be ready in the morning! It''s practically rising in your hands, you idiot!" 236 Unless... In Orma Deep silence filled the Octagonal Room. Helial was sitting cross-legged, breathing deeply. He closed his eyes and looked inside, carefully examining each Meridian and trying to perceive the changes caused by the regeneration process. He felt that his body had radically changed. He felt lighter, as if a great weight had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders. Before losing Body of the Qilin and the Meridians Iblis had given him, Helial had always perceived his body as if it was made of steel. Now, however, he was faced with a completely new sensation. There had always been a strange feeling, a sort of unnatural sensation, when he trained Body of the Qilin or used its flame. Those were Skills that belonged to an Ancestral Creature, one of the big pieces of the universe, and not to him; and that was why he perceived them as not really his own. All those advantages over others had always left a stain on his heart. Helial wasn''t the only one who knew. Obviously, Iblis had also noticed how possessing those Skills affected, somehow negatively, the boy''s growth, but he had never understood what this shadow was due to and had simply ignored it. Only after talking to Alexander did Iblis understand the cause of that particular feeling in Helial''s heart. For many talented young people, acquiring an Inheritance or a gift, especially from one of the most powerful creatures in the universe, would have been an eternal reason of pride. For his disciple, however, it seemed that it was almost a shame. Iblis had noticed his particular, albeit vaguely unconscious, propensity to train the Skills nor he nor Kirin had given to him. Runic Condensation and Metamorphosis had become Helial''s favourite Skills. Death Flame Pistol had also remained unused since Jeanne had given him directions on how to evolve Mana Pistol. Perception, a Skill everyone ignored, had become one of his strengths, at the expense of the Flame of the Qilin, which he often overlooked. From Helial''s calm Aura, Iblis sensed the boy''s tranquillity and serenity. "You seem to enjoy being in difficult situations," he remarked. Helial opened his eyes, looked up at the Devil and smiled. "The story of Destiny and the predestined confrontation with Amaterasu''s disciple put me in a bad mood. Don''t get me wrong, I don''t mean to pull back, I just want to say that since all these powers greater than me are at stake, I seem to have taken a latch on a ship that isn''t mine." Iblis shrugged. "You may not feel proud of something that has been given to you. Although, to be more precise, I would say that you have earned it yourself. You have passed three tests to receive Body of the Qilin and have been able not to die after your own sword has deprived you of more than half of your abilities. "In a way," continued Iblis, "even the great Skills you have received are a burden. They put you in trouble because they ask you to be up to them. It is good that you feel the need to prove your worth, but you should avoid falling into hatred for yourself just because you have been better than many other people. There is nothing wrong with having more or being luckier. If I had chosen a random person along the way, they certainly would not have come this far. By now the only thing remaining would be corpse filled with shit, and it would have died a long time ago." Helial frowned. It was the first time that his master had spoken to him straight from the heart. But Helial didn''t know that Alexander had embarrassed the Devil a lot, earlier. Iblis''s problem was not that he couldn''t understand people, but that he didn''t spend more than a second trying to do it. Getting up, Helial began to feel the first changes within his body. He threw a punch, causing the air to whistle. BOOM! One of the indestructible walls of the Octagonal Room was slightly cracked by the power of the blow. The damage was minimal but, considering the strength of the bricks with which the room had been built, it was extraordinary that with a single blow Helial had been able to cause a crack. The boy looked satisfied at the wall and opened his own Stat window. Name Helial Race Human Title Disciple of the King Primary Class Champion of the Runic Forge (Unique Class) Primary Affinity Light Primary Profession None Level 180 Exp. - HP 85.000 MP 350.000/350.000 Strength 720 Stamina 720 Mental Energy 720 Intelligence 720 Wisdom 720 Dexterity 720 Present Effects: Physical Endurance 5% Stat Points to distribute: 720 He looked with curiosity at the little stroke under EXP. Not that he had ever doubted Iblis''s words, but he had hoped to retain some Experience Points. There would no longer be a chance to level up for a long time. From how the Devil had put it, it was all a matter of getting used to the new Perfect Foundations. His body would have set a limit, beyond which he would have done better not to go, otherwise he would have risked disintegrating. At that specific moment, Helial''s foundations were perfect, but at the same time terribly unstable. All Skills given to him had been removed. Before, it was those that formed the basis of Helial''s physique; yet, at a time like this, they would only risk destabilizing his body. The only thing that really belonged to Helial were his Stats. Skills were fickle, they could change at any moment and be destroyed in a second; but losing Stats was really difficult. In fact, after opening the windows for Flame of the Qilin and Body of the Qilin, Helial noticed that the Skills had become grey and unusable. Death Flame Pistol had also been degraded to Mana Pistol. By looking at his Stat windows, he almost laughed. He had never seen it so neat, full of 720 everywhere. Now, all he had to do was train hard to gain confidence with his body. Wielding such a power would have been a double-edged sword until he managed to control it. Still, being in that swampy situation gave Helial a strange energy. How could it be possible that a bird trapped in shifting sands was so happy? Almost as if the mud that weighed down his wings was for him a push to fly higher and higher. After his experience with the Malus of Curse of the Demon, Helial had learned that a disadvantage could be a huge launch pad. It was his run-up to overcome all his limits. Helial moved his body quickly, extending and retracting his limbs at a supersonic speed. His figure disappeared, generating several sonic booms and reappearing in fractions of a second at every corner of the room. He could not waste time! He was supposed to test his current potential in an open space before the battle. Iblis, who had returned inside Helial''s Soul, squeezed his temple between his fingers, slowly massaging them and trying to filter out the noises that submerged his ears. SLURRRRP Beside him was Bucephalus, in human form, sipping his tea with the same sounds a horse would make. His figure was very refined, and he wore round silver-rimmed glasses. But sometimes appearances are deceiving. After all, Bucephalus remained the spirit of a Demonic Horse. "So: ten or more years without externally acquired Skills or Level-ups. He has lost the bonuses and the body that Kirin had given him, but his constitution seems even stronger than before. I don''t understand ... at least, it should be proportionately weaker." Alexander was thinking aloud. Iblis coughed to draw attention to himself and, after a few moments of silence, said: "Unless someone purposely donated him Illuminations on Life and Destruction while the process was still going on. In that case, if they had all been at a basic level, but powerful enough to reinforce him, not only would they not have compromised its foundations... indeed, on the contrary, its physique would begin to surpass that of a normal Qilin! " Iblis was mixing his tea now with an indifferent look, but his voice betrayed a certain complacency. "But how, have you even grown soft in all these years? Why don''t we finish discussing your disciple''s changes?" Alexander laughed. "He doesn''t know, but he shouldn''t be so powerful even with so many Stats." "I don''t know what you''re talking about," the Devil shook his head. "In any case, it is better for him to be strong. I won''t help him defeat his enemies. At the cost of being hated, I can only help him up to a certain point in his growth. Even if I had done something, the impact would be minimal; he would have reached the same level in any case. The problem now is the lack of time. Even if I gave him everything I can, he would have no way to defend himself against what is going to hit him." Yes, time was a real problem. The trial had lasted so long that Helial had lost track of time and had no idea how many days were left for the decisive clash with the Prince of Darkness. 237 Usurped Titles Helial had just left the basement of the Royal Palace behind him when he heard a slight chatter coming from the banquet hall. He took the corridor to his right and walked to the end; with each step, the chatter intensified more and more. Once he entered the hall, he found that all his companions were there, and with them there was also Circe and his group and all those who would fight for the salvation of Orma. The bigwigs were sitting at their usual positions, but one of the chairs was empty: Aure was missing. "Tomorrow we will defeat the Prince of Darkness!" shouted Zion, raising a glass and waiting for the response from those around him. Some replied, others simply smiled and sipped the wine in their glasses. To his amazement, Helial noted that Vlad was among the most enthusiastic drinkers of that unexpected gathering. As soon as Frankenstein saw Helial, he ran towards him and took him under by the arm, bringing him to the centre of the room and offering him a glass of wine, which the boy accepted with pleasure. So the showdown with the Prince of Darkness would be the next day. Helial had barely had time to complete the process of acquiring the Perfect Foundations. "You know, among my titles there was also Prince of Darkness," said Iblis, appearing in the middle of the room, frowning deeply. "Now, an Undead shit takes on this title. This place is truly a sewer of the universe. " He seemed to be speaking alone, but immediately afterwards Alexander and Bucephalus materialized next to him. The boy was dressed completely in black, his skin so white as to stand out like a star in the firmament, and emanated a cold and death-filled Aura. Beside him was the extraordinarily beautiful and sensual figure of Alexander, wrapped in a white tunic; the golden hair of the young man shone brightly, and so did the earrings, the necklace that hung on his neck, and his eyes, marked with a light line of black makeup. Alongside the two, Bucephalus in his human form was eating a salad with a critical look, without speaking. No one, however, seemed to have noticed them. Nobody had approached their two seats and nobody had looked at them for more than a few seconds. If they had known that two of the greatest monsters that ever existed within the universe were two or three tables away from them, how would they have reacted? "Haha! Has the title of the great Iblis been usurped? " Alexander exclaimed sardonically. "Luckily some titles can''t be touched, you know? Like yours, the Broken-Ass King, it is impossible that someone can rival the great Alexander." Alexander''s smile cracked as he stared at the boy. He glanced at Bucephalus, who whinnied back. The King of Kings clenched his fist, which he would have gladly hurled at Iblis''s face, and smiled a forced smile. Iblis grinned satisfied and turned to look at his disciple, who had already swallowed three glasses of wine and was beginning to show the first signs of intoxication. Helial held Frankenstein''s head under one arm and Snowflake''s head under the other as they struggled to steal the last potato croquettes on the table. "It''s mine!" Snowflake yelled. "What?! You have already eaten them all!" yelled Frankenstein as he tried to free himself from Helial''s steel grip. "Tomorrow, during the clash, I will be leading the deployment, I need to strengthen myself!" Helial made a double suplex to Snowflake and Frankenstein, bashing their heads on the floor. Vlad had already been knocked out after drinking half a jug of wine and he was snoring loudly on one of the tables. From a distance, a sweet and thoughtful gaze rested on Vlad''s scarlet head: Francesca was looking at him tenderly, with her chin resting on the palm of her hand. She observed the refined and pale features of that young warrior. "Lumia was wearing a blue dress with white ribbons and lace embroidery everywhere, which gave her the appearance of a porcelain doll. The silver hair fell on her bare back, giving her a noble and ethereal appearance. However, with those tiny tits, not even 8 year-olds would have given her a second look." Lumia went on a rampage and roared at Circe: "What the fuck did you say?" Circe shrugged, looking around, her hands raised innocently. "I? Nothing, nothing! I was only making an accurate report on your ladyship and your infinite splendour. Being dressed up like this will make everyone fall at your feet." The girl''s gaze seemed capable of piercing steel. Circe was not in the least afraid of it. "Now I am a little bit busy, I can''t play with you," he said, and leaned towards Lumia''s ear, touching it with the wet tip of her tongue. "Know that I will never give up, even if you have become stronger than me. It''s only a matter of time before I catch up and crush you under a heel, miniature bitch." Orma''s Witch patted Lumia''s head and stood up, striding towards the opposite side of the room. Lumia tidied up the hair that Circe had messed up. She folded his hands behind his back and revealed a slight smile on her face. If Circe really intended to compete with her for Helial, at least it could be said that she had the ideal character. If she had been discouraged by a threat, then she wouldn''t have been worthy even of her brother''s toenail. Circe walked quickly, a determined glow in her eyes, towards her cousin, lying on the table. Her fatal anger was about to fall on three unsuspecting brave young men. Grabbing a half-asleep Vlad by the neck, Circe caught Snowflake and Frankenstein behind their backs and said, in a voice full of sensuality: "Who can explain to me what happened a few nights ago with my dear panties?" Everybody froze. Even Vlad, hearing those words, regained consciousness. Snowflake and Frankenstein had just become two ice statues, while Helial had turned around raising an eyebrow. "What?" asked the young man between the cat and the Goblin. "You heard about the accident, didn''t you?" Circe smiled. "And I have the feeling I know who the culprits are." Vlad, caught in Circe''s firm grip, had turned pale as a sheet. Usually, even during sleep, it would not have been a problem escaping from his cousin. However, dulled by alcohol, his reflexes had not been rapid enough. Snowflake looked around innocently: "It was the two of them, I had nothing to do with it." Circe looked at him curiously. "Your name was written on the message, there was Los Gatos on it." "Gatos? What are those? Never heard of them, I swear." Snowflake had begun to look around, choosing which way to escape. The first escape route was closed by Francesca coming up in front of him, the second by Sidra, and after a few seconds Zion and Lev appeared. Now they were completely surrounded. But where the heck did they come from?! All four of them had helpless expressions. They were only following the orders that Circe had given them. And, moreover, no one had forced Snowflake, Frankenstein and Vlad to steal Circe''s underwear. This would have been their well-deserved punishment. "If war is what you want, you will have it! Our leader, or, what leader!, our general will lead us to victory anyway!" Snowflake roared, reaching out to feel Helial''s shoulder. Still, his furry pad did not find the support it had expected. Where a few seconds earlier Helial was standing, there was now only a small cloud that resembled the shape of his body. A little further on, their leader could be seen chatting happily with Cesar and Nelia about the battle of the next day. One hand washes the other and both are used to escape from Circe''s clutches, or something like that, right? Everything that happened after that moment will not be reported due to the extreme violence of the incident and out of respect for three great war heroes such as Snowflake, Vlad and Frankenstein. Their noble enterprise had led to not too unexpected repercussions. Helial watched from the corner of his eye the sad end of his friends and could not help but make a worried face. His thoughts, however, were interrupted by a question from Cesar. "Are you sure you''re ready? Why didn''t you advance to the Third Phase? Shouldn''t it be too difficult now?" The young Human shook his head and looked the King in the eye with unprecedented confidence. "Master, don''t worry, there is nothing in tomorrow''s clash that could escape my control. As long as everything follows my orders, not one of the Undead and Troll will remain alive." 238 Last Hangover "What is Orma''s greatest warrior doing here all alone?" a persuasive and charming voice distracted Helial from his thoughts. It was Circe. The Witch approached Helial moving her hips. If her voice hadn''t betrayed her presence, it would have been almost impossible to detect her. They were on the roof of the Royal Palace. In the moonlight, the figure of Helial also had something otherworldly about it. It seemed to reflect the milky glow of light, shining. The boy turned to look at Circe and then returned to look at the stars. "The greatest warrior? That''s only because Pseudonym is no longer in the city. But I feel that this title still belongs to him." Helial''s words contained no resentment or self-pity, on the contrary, they were full of sincerity and respect for Pseudonym. Circe leaned slowly against the Human''s back. "It is as if you change every day, as if you are a different person. As if you lived a different life every day. What do you live every day to be like this?" Circe waited anxiously for Helial''s answer, but received only a look that caused a twinge in the young woman''s heart. As much as Helial had tried to hide it, there was a grain of compassion in her eyes that Circe couldn''t help noticing. This was enough for her to feel that she had never really been part of Helial''s life. Circe had tried to believe that Lumia''s words were only a way to get her away from the boy, but she had been strongly influenced by them. Like an annoying buzz, the idea of not being able to live up to Helial had irritated her mind and heart. It was a blow in her pride having to admit that Lumia was right. And that, in the end, she was really falling in love with Helial. Like a spider that gets caught in its own web, the Witch of Orma had remained chained to the thin thread she had woven. The difference between Circe and Helial was as imperceptible as it was abysmal: Helial possessed the State of the Emperor. Only when Circe reached it, would the Witch manage to smooth out the mountain that separated her from Helial and try to reach him on the summit. But, at that moment, Circe was only afraid. Afraid of her emotions, her weakness, her limits, of not being able to become as strong as Pseudonym and Helial and continuing to walk on their path of fame and power. The Witch pushed back the tears that were about to burst from her deep black eyes and decided that she really didn''t need an answer. Pretending swagger, she hugged Helial. In the silence of the night, she remembered that Helial was able to manipulate a cute white flame. Sometimes, she had asked him to entertain her with tricks that she liked a lot. He whispered in the boy''s ear: "Can I see some fireworks?" Helial smiled at her, almost melancholy, and opened her palms upwards, but the flame did not appear. "Starting tonight and for some time, no more fire." Circe did not understand the reason for that answer and was somewhat disappointed. It seemed that Helial was making an effort that evening to ruin her mood. She looked down and rubbed her cheek against Helial''s shoulder, like a cat looking for affection. Seeing her like this, the Witch of Orma wasn''t even that scary. She was just a girl in love and full of fears, and nothing more. Helial turned to her and caressed her cheek, but immediately Circe touched his lips with a gentle force as only the strength of a kiss can be. The girl detached herself and looked Helial in the eyes. The deep gaze of the Human seemed to investigate Circe''s fragile heart and stirred something in the soul of the young woman. "If my destiny is death, I want to die fighting next to you, even if I won''t be worthy of being by your side," said Circe, her voice firm and sure. "I don''t want to die alone in this city." All the tears that Circe had held back so far began to flow from her eyes. Her big chest jumped in her failed attempt to hold back her sobs. Helial gave the girl the same look a father would give to a daughter and, in a firm but understanding voice, told her not to cry. A couple of sobs later, Circe stopped the tears, and then started to cry even faster. "Crying is useless. We all live without knowing what really awaits us tomorrow. What really can be useful is to believe in what you want to do, until the moment you reach it or die to reach it. Once dead, we will not be able to complain and cry. After winning, all the same, we will not be able to complain or cry." "You''re making things seem much simpler than they are..." Circe murmured. "No. Things have always been simple. From the laws that govern the universe to what we live every day, everything has two ways. Yes or no, here are our only options. We continue to believe that there are different nuances, that one thing can be done in a million different ways. This is true, but before taking action, you need to decide whether something is worth doing or not. Ours world is based on this combination. And every time we deny ourselves the attempt to live and become stronger, we are throwing thousands, indeed, millions of possible choices. If you keep crying, you''re denying yourself this chance." In the darkness, Helial''s eyes shone with their own light. Looking at them, Circe decided that after the battle the following day, she would either train to become as strong as Helial, or die in an attempt to do so. A chill wind brushed the boys'' hair, as if it wanted to remind them that the same day the same chill would cross their bodies trembling with fear. A scream ripped through the darkness: "Give me more wine, this could be my last hangover!" Followed by a roar of people toasting, festive. Helial and Circe burst out laughing suddenly. They didn''t know who had screamed, but that phrase was tragically comic. Circe ran a hand over her damp cheeks while still smiling. "Do you miss him?" Helial asked point-blank. Circe''s gaze lit up, as if Helial''s words had been the spark to ignite something in her heart. The young woman did not know if the flame would have blossomed now or in the future, but she was sure that those words would help change it. Although Helial was young, his constant meditation on Life and Destruction on his Mana Path had made him much wiser than his age. The company of terrifying creatures like Alexander and Iblis had allowed him to tap into a way of thinking that very few people could reach. If he had used his knowledge to create a bond with the people he found on his way, to guide them or to give them inspiration, then he would have become an unrivalled leader. If he had used it to rise above others and dominate them, then he would have been the greatest of tyrants. "Who?" "Pseudonym. Having been the eternal second should have made you even a little fond of him, right?" Helial teased her. The other replied with an angry, offended expression. Then she smiled tenderly. "Although he always had Orma''s spotlight on him, he always lived in the shadow of the stage. When his presence was necessary, he appeared as if from nowhere. He was always at the right time in the right place. He managed to amaze everyone, even though we all knew he was the strongest; and then it proved to be even stronger. Therefore, even now, it seems to me that it can emerge at any moment from some corner of this building." She hadn''t answered the question directly, but Helial knew he was right. "Can you tell me something about how he became a slave in Orma?" Helial asked cautiously, without making it clear how curious he was about the subject. "People with full access to this information can be counted on the fingers of one hand. I know much more than I should. I forced my father to spill the beans, after yet another clash lost against Pseudonym. In short, you know my techniques ... But I respect him too much to violate his secret." Helial nodded, expecting one such response in one way or another. "However, I am pretty sure that one day you will be able to meet him. After all, you also belong to the same race." A few minutes of silence followed. The stars were many, in the clear sky of Orma. "Why do you care so much about him?" Circe asked, resting her breast on Helial''s chest. "I also have stories about my past to tell, but you ask me about him as if he were your fianc¨¦e. Hey," she chuckled. "I never told you about that time when my mother..." Circe had returned the usual charmer and was speaking to Helial, interspersing her words with malicious bites on the boy''s lobes. In his veins, however, there was already the adrenaline at the thought of the battle of the following day. A shooting star passed before their eyes and Circe hoped it was a good omen. She and her Team will triumph together with Helial and their other Goblin companions and their life will return exactly as it was before. 239 Cold The roaring from the stands had long since died out, but the air continued to vibrate. The screams of the audience had gradually faded because of the heat, getting more and more intense. The sun was burning so hard on the heads of the spectators that even the protective curtains could not give relief from the heat. Some of them even began to see mirages, as if they were in the hottest desert. Only the Goblins in the higher Phases were able to resist the heat. What was worse was that the Goblin warriors were affected by the heat. The exact day of the clash seemed cursed by an unexpected heat wave. Thump! A Goblin slumped onto the ground with a dull thud. Dust rose from under his bottom and covered his companions next to him. One after the other, many warriors followed the example of the first and collapsed on sand of the arena, dripping with sweat. Ironically, the fear they felt at the time was stronger than any heat. Shivers shook the warriors, and cold drops of sweat ran down their contracted temples and jaws. The first slumped Goblin kept his eyes down and tried to take deep breaths. His heart was literally exploding in his chest, surpassing any human speed. A Goblin heart was slightly smaller than a Human heart, so the small mass of bleeding muscles had to beat faster to pump all the blood into their bodies. This meant that, at that time, the warrior''s heart rate was so high that it compromised not only his performance in battle, but his life too. The Goblin couldn''t see well and felt a worrying pressure behind his eyes. His hands, which held a long sharp spear, were sweaty. His system was releasing adrenaline into every fibre of his body. His saliva had thickened and he could no longer swallow easily, leaving him with a constant feeling of suffocation. At that moment, it was really difficult to understand if they were symptoms due to the heat or fear. All the Goblin knew was that if those cursed monsters didn''t arrive within minutes, he would die even before the battle started. "Hey," said a Goblin who had remained standing, also sweating from head to toe, holding out his hand to his companion. The Goblin sitting on the sand grabbed his hand and stood up. "Thanks." Both were members of the Royal Academy. "It seems that these monsters are more afraid than us," commented the second Goblin, trying to ease the tension, while the other put his armour back in place and removed the dust that had covered it. He nodded, without having the courage to utter a single word. The Undead and the Trolls should have arrived two hours earlier. The Goblin deployment had been perfectly on time, it had positioned itself in its half of the arena and had waited there for their opponents to arrive. Helial had persisted in doing so even when they told him that the enemy side showed no sign of coming. And so their wait had begun, which seemed infinite. The young and brave warriors of Orma had followed their leader, but not all of them fully agreed. As much as they loved their homeland and wanted to protect it, most of them knew they were strong, but not strong enough to live up to Helial or Pseudonym, and they began to fear death. Their lives would have been wasted, their names forgotten, their modest dreams of tranquillity erased on a sultry battle day. Their fate was not greatness or heroism. Among them there were no future Cesar, Aure and Crispio. At most, they could have aspired to positions of medium importance. But only if they won that fight. They were shaking with fear and cold sweat, they were not as daring as those heroes in front of them, lined up in the front row and eager to fight and show their talent. Something in the air changed and the Goblins began to exchange signs of encouragement with each other. A handshake or a pat on the shoulder, a look, a word were all that was needed to be less afraid. The awareness of not being alone in a time of crisis made everyone feel safer, gave an extra boost, and reminded everyone that they were fighting for a single ideal in which they had believed since they came into the world. Of course, not all of their fears had died out. Despite all this, there remained a certain prejudice towards Helial: as much as he was revered within the walls of Orma, his fame couldn''t even compare with Pseudonym''s. But now Pseudonym had evaporated into thin air and no trace of him remained. The Goblins would have to rely only on Helial''s strategic ability, which had proved to be very useful, but not on what had been the driving force of all previous clashes. The Human was strong, but Pseudonym had been invincible. Pseudonym would have been able to fight, to destroy the enemy warriors one by one. Instead, now, Pseudonym had vanished, thanks to Helial, who had made him run away from Orma. Nobody knew exactly what had happened between the two, but the rumour said that Helial had given the legend of Orma something of sufficient value to make him go away. And now, the Human wanted to become Orma''s new legend? Almost all the Goblins, even those less hostile to Humans, were really disappointed by the behaviour of that fake commander who had decided to keep them waiting for their massacre. Their hypothetical victory would undoubtedly have been very difficult, aggravated by two hours of waiting under the suffocating heat. Who knew if he too felt that burning heat on his fair skin, or the bitter cold of fear in his veins? But Helial did not seem to be shaken by either. The young man continued to look around, his eyebrows tightened together in a troubled expression. The cat, the one who kept stealing from their Academy canteen, came up to him to say something. But the Human raised a hand to silence him and seemed to sharpen his ears and eyes even more. How could it be possible that the heat increased every minute? The temperature must have reached unimaginable peaks for the city of Orma, and this was certainly not a natural factor. Everybody in the stands was dripping with sweat. Turning, Helial saw that his men were also sweating profusely. This would certainly have affected the outcome of the battle, since they had been waiting for two hours. Could the Undead amplify the natural temperature so that the Goblins dehydrated before fighting? Exhausted as they were, Helial began to fear that it was all a tactic of their enemies and that the warriors would be too tired to fight at their full strength. This time, perhaps, he had made a big mistake. Master, he called within his Soul. No reply. Iblis had given him no answer. Master, he insisted. Silence. Why didn''t Iblis answer? Helial was used to not receiving exhaustive answers from the Devil, but Iblis used to liquidate him at least with a "shithead". Something was different that day. It was as if the Devil had disappeared from his Soul. A strange feeling of cold and adrenaline made its way into Helial''s body. He too had started have cold sweat. He was beginning to realize something, illogical and rambunctious thoughts had begun to crowd in his mind and to place themselves clearly and linearly. What frightened him most was Iblis''s silence. Helial was seized by a twinge of terror. Master? Master? An unnatural sense of fear ran over his stomach, leaving him breathless. His bowels began to twist and knot, while his skin became wet with cold sweat. Just then, the words that the Devil had said to him two years before, when the boy had scolded him for not saving Vidio, came to Helial''s mind: "I am not your wet nurse, but your master. I will not intervene in your problems and I will ask you nothing but what has already been granted." These had been his exact words and this was what Iblis had always done. And Iblis had the bad habit of ignoring Helial in the most critical moments of his life. Helial deduced that this was one of those critical moments and he couldn''t do much more to change the situation. If only he had been more careful! If he had asked Iblis for help even a few minutes before! He would certainly have had more time to think of a solution. In a split second, Helial began to shout his new orders before he even realized it: "Ranks! Ranks! Formation! Circe and Snowflake on the left. Frankenstein, Lumia, Lulu and Vlad on the right! " His friends and the Goblins were taken aback and gave each other confused looks. "Come on, don''t stand there! Get in position!" A terrible feeling of terror now ran through Helial''s entire body. Only then did the fighters carry out his orders, still sceptical. Helial could not have known, but the intuitions he had just had were the result of a dark and unknown power, much darker and more unknown than that of Life and Destruction. That was a premonition given to him by Time. The Time that Alexander had given him was responsible for the looming feeling of danger and terror that now enveloped him in a steel vice. Someone was still stunned by the heat and not completely sure about what to do. A Goblin approached Helial hesitantly to ask him what was happening, but the boy immediately kicked his sternum, throwing him into the middle of the rear guard. "NOW! GET IN POSITION NOW!" he yelled, amplifying his voice with his Mana. He gritted his teeth and felt a sudden urge to vomit. It was as if terror had taken hold of him and was trying to corrupt him in every way it could. It was tangible, as real as a piece of marble striking a fragile human body. Finally, a cold feeling coming from the corridor from which his enemies were to arrive warned them that the opponents were coming. They couldn''t have chosen a worse time. A frosty, deadly Aura took possession of the Colosseum. Something terrible was about to happen. Aure and Cesar looked up and saw the barrier set up for the fight to begin to descend on the arena. This meant that the hundred enemy warriors were coming. Helial looked up at the barrier, its lock worsening the ominous premonition that was dominating his mind. His eyes were bloodshot. He no longer had the hilt of Curse of the Demon to tighten up to give himself courage. No more flames, no more demonic Meridians, no more indestructible constitution. Helial had only his own hands, only Life and Destruction. Snowflake screamed from the right flank: "What the hell is this cold now?!" Helial did not answer. They''d find out soon. His eyes were fixed on the corridor from which the enemies would arrive. He breathed nervously. If death had approached him, he was ready to take it by the throat with both hands and slowly suffocate it. 240 The Prince of Darkness Silence. Thud Thud Clang Creeeak The monster''s heavy footsteps broke the silence inside the arena. The creaking of the Undead rotten joints was a sinister and sad melody. And then Helial saw it. He felt his body invaded by an electric shock and was nailed to the ground by pure terror. His fearsome opponent was there in front of him and was coming forward with his imposing figure. It was not a heroically monstrous creature, such as a Devil or Demon. He was not as evil and devious as Helial''s brother or as some monstrosity from Hell, either. What the Goblins now faced could only be defined with one word. Abomination. Leading the ranks of Undead and Troll was a six-meter tall creature, ghastly white and with a giant and deformed face. His eyes popped out of the eye cavities, a revolting sight to watch. The irises filled the eyes and one was white, the other black. With each step they swung dangerously, threatening to detach themselves once and for all from the bundle of nerves that kept them attached to what only with much imagination could be called a head. A double row of sharp teeth filled its mouth. It was as if there were a further row of sharp canines in place of the gums. Each of them shone gloomily in the blinding light of the sun and seemed ready to tear the flesh of its victims, neatly lined up in front of him. Its body had nothing that could resemble skin. Muscles and tendons were exposed to the air and to the paralyzed gaze of the Goblins. When it opened its mouth to speak, what came out was a screech, similar to nails on a blackboard: "¡ê% (" @ #." "The Prince of Darkness ", whispered Helial. His appearance was completely different from how he had imagined it, and saying his name had served him to convince himself that it was not a dream. Helial shrugged off the chill that had gripped his bowels and immediately activated Perception. Skill Activated: Perception Cost of Ability augmented 5x. Skill boosted beyond its limit. Thanks to Perception, Helial was able to see the Mana inside the bodies of those monsters. All that Mana. Waves of Mana ran over the young man''s Perception. It would have been an unequal fight, the Goblins could never win against the Undead. Their forces were too unbalanced. How could they ever win if it wasn''t an even battle at all? "Damn." Two Undead came forward. Their heads were strewn with sparse black hair, greasy and messy, like that of an abandoned old rag doll. Judging by their appearance, they must have been women a long time ago. They took their hands and, between laughter that made the skin crawl, began to walk in circles. They began to hum a childish song with shrill voices, freezing the blood of all the Goblins. "Ring a-ring o'' roses A basket full of bodies Ashes to ashes We''re called by a spell And you will burn in Hell! The Ghosts in the enemy ranks immediately unsheathed two blades each, completely white and drenched in purple liquid. A drop of that strange liquid fell on the sand; a thick cloud of poisonous vapours rose into the air and took Helial''s nostrils off guard, and he found it difficult not to cough. "Don''t breathe the vapours!" Helial yelled at the Goblins. Looking at the ground, Helial realized that, instead of the sand, there was now a hole, the size of the fallen drop. It was deep enough, a few grains of sand penetrated inside. The boy was quite sure that, before that moment, the floor was whole and without any imperfections. "Poison," murmured Snowflake. Helial nodded. Cesar and Auras immediately looked around. There was something wrong with the Auras of the Prince of Darkness and his subordinates. Although at the moment the Formation inside the Colosseum let only the warriors at the Third Phase and not higher to enter, something was out of place. Both Orma''s Immortals had a dark foreboding. The bones of the old King suggested that things were going to be really difficult that day. As far as he knew, that could have been the last day of Orma on the face of the planet. Their eyes settled on the two Undead and Troll Immortals, who had just arrived in the stands. Kari''s empty, flame-filled bulbs seemed to give off a cold arrogance, from their comfortable place in the lar of his body. The contempt for his Goblin opponents Goblin was palpable. But not only that, there was also a boldness and security impossible to mask. Lostro sat quietly, without showing any particular emotion. The two Immortals of Orma moved their gaze slightly beyond their shoulders. There, twenty black figures were levitating in mid-air, without emitting the least amount of energy from their bodies. It was as if their Meridians were perfectly sealed and did not allow Heaven or Earth to regain their energy. Cesar felt blood freeze in his veins. "Twenty," Cesar counted, "twenty Immortals..." His tone had suddenly been deprived of every drop of strength left in his massive greenish body. If the King was facing the two Immortals, comfortably seated in front of him in the stands, his disciple had to deal with the monster who faced him in the arena of the Colosseum. The monster''s white skin reflected light and at the same time gave off a freezing deadly cold. "It''s not just an Undead," said Helial, with a lump in his throat. Snowflake had an illumination and exclaimed: "It''s a fucking Revenant, SHIT!" SHIT! They were really in trouble. The Revenants were a unique species, even among the Undead. As a rule, when a Lich or Necromancer resurrected a body, it automatically lost all its old memories. No Class, not even the most terrifying one, had memories from their previous life. The strength of the undead generally depended on his body''s future and actual potential. The greater it was, the more the Undead could become stronger. Only in very rare cases, by paying prices beyond the reach of any normal Empire, could one try to bring a particularly talented and young individual back to life. Taking on an extremely high price, there was a small chance that the abomination generated would be brought back to life with almost all the memories of his human life. But it would not be able to speak, not like the living, at least. The Abominations thus born were no longer worthy to pronounce words and sounds having meaning for the living. To bring such a creature back to life, the price to pay was a sacrifice of millions of victims. Millions. Helial twirled in his head the word that had so often left him amazed in the books of the Royal Library. Making a quick estimate, considering the peripheral villages, perhaps, in all Orma, there were at most six or seven millions of Goblins. Therefore, to try to bring a single living thing back to life, a city the size of Orma would have had to be razed to the ground, without even sparing its foundations. Of two things Helial was sure: that they were screwed and that he had expected everything, except to see such a monster. Judging from the title of Prince of Darkness, Helial had expected to find himself in front of a kind of hero, with at most a few pieces of rotten meat on him. Up to now his opponents had all had something heroic about them. But this... This was just an abomination. Looking at it again, Helial suddenly felt like throwing up on the ground, but resisted the urge. Behind him, a dozen Goblins had already given up and were regurgitating all that remained in their stomachs in the arena. This was the effect of fear. His men were terrified. The boy tried to look up, but the barrier above the Colosseum obstructed his view. If no one had rushed into the arena yet, it meant that even outside the situation had to be much more problematic than expected. Lumia approached Helial, leaving the others to cover the sides of the formation. The Goblins were now closed in a testudo, but Helial had already ordered Frankenstein to pull out the Formations. It would have been really difficult to get out of there alive this time. Helial began to curse himself for his impatience. Here they are, the first signs of remorse for his choice. Had he not accepted Iblis'' offer, he would have been able to reach the Late stage of the Third Phase and could still use Curse of the Demon and Flame of the Qilin. It would have been easier. But without his weapon and without the Flame of the Qilin, the biggest deterrent against the Undead, the situation was truly desperate. Suddenly, Helial saw some figures flying in the sky, just before the barrier finished closing over his head: Big, Crispio, Roxy and all the big shots of Orma were already in the air, at the strategic points to control the Formations. Aure had already activated all the Formations in Orma, ready to hurl their power against the enemies of the Capital. Were things going so badly? "How could you bring twenty Immortals?!" Cesar yelled. Helial heard his words and his heart tightened in his chest; he looked at the figures dressed in black and counted them. They were twenty, but he could not perceive their power. From what Cesar had said, they had to be Immortals and, if they weren''t, they had to be powerful enough to hide their Aura. Judging by their bearing, none of them except the leader was as strong as Cesar. However, the numbers were significant: twenty-two Immortals between Undead and Trolls, only two among the Goblins. The barrier closed over the heads of the warriors, now trapped in the Colosseum. Now, seeing outside would have been impossible. Kari snapped his skeletal fingers and an armchair of wrinkled, rotten velvet appeared beneath him. Above it, two huge bats with torn and skeletal wings looked at the enemies of the Undead King. Both monsters were in the Tenth Phase. Cesar knew that, for any Immortal, they would be enemies not easy to be ridden of. At that point, the Goblin King looked around. "Today you will all die", were the first words that Kari pronounced after setting foot in the Colosseum. The Undead had often fantasized about this moment and could finally speak with pride and satisfaction. He had managed to manipulate Aure in order to distract Cesar, to make him believe that he was the real threat. But an organization, much larger than any colossus Cesar could afford to offend, had moved the threads of conflict all this time. Taken from an unprecedented ecstasy, the Undead King was on the verge of what might have been called an orgasm, if only he hadn''t been dead. His rotten flesh had suddenly regained a strange sensitivity, while discharges of pleasure flooded his being relentlessly. This would be his revenge against the hated Goblin people. "But first let''s see how the Human will be torn to pieces." 241 If You Are Not a Weapon A feeling of terror pervaded Cesar''s bowels. Was the legend of the city of Orma about to disappear between the blood of brave warriors and the dust of the Colosseum? The ominous premonition clung firmly to Cesar''s hope, trying to shatter it. But Cesar had no right to panic. He was the King. He was the light that would lead the Goblin people to victory. He could not afford to be discouraged, not in front of everyone. He would have forgiven any other Goblin, but not himself. Realistically, Cesar knew that the odds of getting out of that conflict alive were very low. He also felt pains in his stomach from the fate that Helial was doomed to. He felt terribly guilty for dragging Helial to Orma; if he had killed him or left him among Humans, he wouldn''t die here. A Human was sacrificing himself for the Goblin people. Or at least Cesar believed this. Perhaps Cesar would never have known that the real architect behind all the disaster that was falling on Orma was Helial''s closest relative and that the Human was involved perhaps more than any other present in the Colosseum at the time. Kari passed his gaze full of contempt and arrogance on Cesar and Aure. That day, finally, the Undead would triumph over those cursed green creatures and exterminate them to the last one. Of the citizens of the thriving Orma only unrecognizable ashes would remain. Kari would not even bother to use the bodies of the Goblins to summon other Undead. Of course, it would have been a waste not to use the bodies of Cesar or Aure, but he had much better plans for them: he would crucify them in the capital of the Undead, to remind anyone with a short memory that no one dare to provoke him. Anyone who saw him at that moment, sitting in his rotten armchair, with his head grinning on his thighs, two monsters at the Tenth Phase behind him and twenty Immortals watching his back, would have understood that it would have been better to keep away from him. The black figures were in mid-air, arms crossed. Each of them gave off an incredible coldness, to the point of freezing blood in the veins. Black cloaks fluttered in the wind and their faces were hidden. They looked like the emissaries of death itself. But the problems didn''t end there. The Goblin King had thought that, with the help of Pseudonym, they would surely win. But the Prince of Darkness was in the Late Grade of the Fifth Phase and probably his talent was not so far from that of the black-armoured warrior. His monstrous and revolting appearance annoyed also Cesar, despite him being an Immortal. It was too powerful a creature. Around it, the Undead and Trolls warriors were between the Late Stage of the Fifth Phase and the Late stage of the Sixth. Meanwhile, the warriors alongside Helial were all at the Late Stage of the Third. There were two to three Phases of difference between the two sides. Turning his eyes to the young man who led the Goblins, Cesar sighed. He knew that from the inside, the barrier that covered the battlefield was impenetrable from the eyes of a non-Immortal. However, from the outside he could perfectly see the events that were happening on the ground of the Colosseum. Helial and his followers on one side, the monster and its fighters on the other. Huge Goblin-like warriors with two axes in their hands appeared behind Helial. These were the new Formations that Frankenstein had created. The appearance of the warriors was much more vivid than the previous Formations; the Goblin must have made incredible progress. Owning those Formations were Snowflake, Frankenstein, Vlad, Lumia, Circe and all the members of her Team. So, there were a dozen huge Goblin warriors with two axes, towering over the Goblin rows, threatening. Although their translucent appearance betrayed the fact they were incorporeal, their extraordinary Aura was not masked at all. Each Formation was able to exponentially amplify the qualities of those who used it. Formation of the Goblin God. So Frankenstein had called it. By finding a perfect balance in the Mana of the Formation itself and its users, Frankenstein had managed to push his creations to the Sixth Phase. According to Iblis, Frankenstein''s latent talent would allow the Goblin to become an incredible warrior in the future. Still, incredible was not enough. Iblis hadn''t stressed it too much, but incredible wouldn''t have been enough to ensure his survival in a world of monstrous talents. Iblis and Helial were destined to fight on a completely different plane of existence from that in which they were at that moment. Helial was also not enough. But the young Human was outside the Formations because he would fight in another way. Helial raised his hands in the direction of the Prince of Darkness, who answered him with a terrifying smile. His sharp teeth sent chills down the boy''s back. For a few fractions of a second the young man was unable to detach his eyes from the monster''s unnatural ones. He seemed mesmerized by the look of the abomination. But, immediately after, the boy moved his fingers in the air, as if he were moving invisible threads. After a few moments, Helial and his men began to disappear from the sight of their enemies. "@ #] [" $? " The shrill voice of the Prince of Darkness interrogated its minions. "He can probably manipulate light," replied one of the two women, with a sardonic smile on their face. Her sparse and long hair wrapped around her face amid the sudden gusts of wind. Her master had just activated its Aura and a glacial cold enveloped the whole arena. In this way, the movements of the Goblins would be slowed down. From their intelligence, the Human was the only one who could give them problems. The others were not a threat. They had collected various information about Helial. He seemed to possess a strange white flame, a sort of nemesis for the Undead, which had claimed thousands of victims during the early stages of the war. He fought with a huge black sword, very sharp and just as dangerous. But what they didn''t know was that Helial no longer possessed any of his great weapons. Of course, he still had Metamorphosis and Runic Condensation. But would they be enough? Helial knew well that the two abilities were nothing more than a tremendous empowerment to vent, to channel, to transform into something else. He no longer had weapons or real offensive Skills. Death Flame Pistol? Gone. Flame of the Qilin? Gone. Curse of the Demon? Gone. Iblis had said something very obvious, but still true: "If you are not a weapon, you are not worthy of brandishing one." Who would have dared to belittle Iblis, even if he didn''t have his huge sword? Would anyone have dared to say that the Devil was less dangerous without it? No. The Devil had always possessed a power beyond imagination. And all the power he had could also be used with a weapon, but it was a tool nontheless. Unfortunately, Curse of the Demon had become almost a necessity for Helial, like all his other Skills. Alexander had climbed kilometre-high walls where there were Formations that prevented him from flying. He had torn the body of enemy commanders in two with his bare hands when he was disarmed. Even when tied, the King had bitten off the neck of one of his archenemy after being captured. Contracting and relaxing his abdominals, Helial took deep breaths, looking into the Prince of Darkness''s eyes. The abomination returned his gaze as it bent over his misshapen knees and assumed the position of a predator about to sprint. Helial raised his right hand and put his left hand down, both with palms facing forward and fingers extended. He slowly started to move, slowly changing their positions. As his arms moved, two globes of energy appeared at their ends; they left trails of black and white energy. One globe was vaguely blackish, the other seemed to glow with cream-colored light. The two female monstrosities had left their place next to the Prince of Darkness and had already flung themselves in the direction of the unknown, where Helial had manipulated the light to hide his friends. While moving each muscle, Helial circulated Mana to accompany the movement, becoming increasingly in communion with its primordial energy. The two women were Follies, creepy creatures whose mind had not only been cleaned of any memory of humanity, but was based on the structure of madness itself. They were extremely unstable, but at the same time had no fear nor inhibition. If the Prince of Darkness had been weaker than them, they would probably have already tried to kill and devour him to become stronger. They were both at the Late Stage of the Sixth Phase. But, thanks to their talent, they would probably have been able to tear to pieces even a warrior to the Late Stage of the Seventh Phase. They were completely out of reach for the entire Goblin deployment and Helial knew it. From what Helial had studied, both had to have an extraordinary talent for being such powerful Undead. Among the creatures of death, talent is determined above all by the body from which one was brought back to life. If it was very strong, it would have been possible to create a high-level Undead. The weakest ones were the regular Skeletons and Zombies, the lowest creatures among the Undead. Then there were Black Knights and Dullahan, the Headless knights. Then there were spirit creatures, Ghosts, Wraiths, Evil Spirits; these were more specialized in ranged combat and possessed a good knowledge of Black Magic. Between the ranks of the Revenant there were several Black Knights and Dullahan. Damn it, there was also a Harpy that had been transformed into a spirit, increasing the damage dealt by a possible Scream. Helial was ready to face the Follies, but they passed the boy without giving him a glance, directed at the warriors hidden behind him. One flashed to his right and one to his left. And then, then it happened. The Revenant dashed towards Helial at breakneck speed. It was so fast and huge that the earth trembled with every step. It walked on all fours, like a beast, despite its humanoid appearance. Frowning, the young Human, less than half the height of that monster the size of a palace, finally detonated the energy inside his body. Even before he was covered in the Mana of Life and Destruction, Helial folded his hands to form myriads of Seals. He had no time. He had to hurry. 242 Despair Suffering, despair, desolation, pain, fear, loss. War has infinite variations of terror. Nobody would like to see their loved ones suffer and die during fights in the name of other people. Why, then, were there always armies ready to fight? Why did fathers abandon children and wives to throw themselves into the jaws of death? What they fought was a battle that went beyond individuals. Was it fair that so many people died? Soldiers and civilians lost their lives regardless of their position on or off the battlefield. Whether they took up a weapon or were unable to fight, war cared for no one. Until recently, Helial never imagined giving precise meaning to the word ideal. But he had seen it, he had seen an ideal in the eyes of his men, before leaving the Time Block in which he had known the most valiant men who ever existed in the entire universe. The young Human hadn''t had many feelings before meeting Iblis and Alexander. Meeting such beings had allowed him to discover what it meant to love himself, to always have a challenge facing him and to feel powerful. Before these encounters that had upset his life, Lumia would have been the only one for whom he would have given his life; for no one else and nothing else he would have sacrificed himself. Even his own Mana Path was twisted in this regard. In Helial''s eyes, defeating an enemy, even at the cost of perishing in battle, was not a matter of honour. He only believed that always putting himself in situations on the edge between life and death, he would become stronger much faster. But honor, ideals, pride? These were feelings that the young Human had known only recently. Even from the Goblins, curious creatures, he had learned things that had changed him. What did dying mean to them? Before entering the Colosseum to face death, the warriors had patted their shoulders, some made a few jokes. In a dangerous situation like that, cheering each other up was crucial. There were those who had also shouted in the face of terror. "To die today and to live forever!" "To die today and to live forever!" everyone had echoed. Because indeed, the Goblins were really curious creatures. At that point, a handful of Humans would probably have thrown their weapons away and would have started running, trying to break the barrier and get out of it. Their brazenness towards the enemy did not mean, however, that the Goblins did not fear death, or simply that they were not afraid. They had all felt cold shivers of anxiety behind their backs, some had thrown up. The acrid smell of urine made very clear that more than one of them believed that they would all die that day, despite the powerful Formations they had. Yes, a dozen very strong Goblins against a hundred monstrous creatures. The Formations needed the strength of many of the most talented Goblins, condensed to allow gigantic and two-axed Goblins to brutally mow the heads of their opponents. But Helial, outside the Formations, would face the biggest monster they had ever seen, tall as a palace and strong as a titan. The freezing Aura around him would have prevented any Goblin warrior from approaching without losing at least 80% of their fighting skills. But they, they were Goblins. And Orma wasn''t just a city. Orma was much more. Orma was immortal, Orma contained the memories of generations of conquerors and warriors, scholars, philosophers and wise men. The Royal Library had in its halls books on every field of knowledge. The inhabitants of that city-state were united by their belonging to Orma, even before their belonging to the Goblin race. When a Goblin didn''t know where to go, he could have taken any road, because all roads led to Orma. In their hearts, even the road to the Underworld, even that led to Orma. The Prince of Darkness galloped on four legs at full speed towards Helial, with his jaw open at an impossible angle, almost lowered to the ground. The double row of sharp teeth sent chills down the backs of all Goblins. But Helial stood there, in front of everyone, to shield them from that monstrous being. Until a couple of months earlier, Helial would never understand Orma''s importance for a Goblin. As the abomination was headed towards him, a few fractions of a second before the impact, Helial understood what he and his companions were fighting for. Helial didn''t fight only for his personal challenge, he didn''t fight only for Lumia, or at least he didn''t do it that day. He was fighting, along with all the Goblins behind him, also for Orma! "FOR ORMAAAAA!" Helial roared, as all the fibres of his body seemed to catch fire. DOOONG He no longer had Flame of the Qilin to enhance Runic Condensation, but now, with his Perfect Foundations, his being had reached a new level in quality. Helial disappeared in a split second, reappearing behind the imposing figure of the Revenant. The speed the boy had just showed left Snowflake breathless. Helial had always promised himself that he would never train a Movement Skill, because running fast meant running away and he was tired of running away. He would have willingly risked paying the price with his own Mana Path. But now, now this meant nothing. "The Devil Walks Fearless!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Skill Activated: The Devil Walks Fearless Warning: Mana consumption x5. Efficiency: 500% He had studied Iblis''s movements during training and copied them, generating a new Skill. It wasn''t a powerful Skill, but it would have been enough for that occasion. He hadn''t had time to learn the same Skill that Iblis had taught Snowflake and had to get by. Where Helial had been a few seconds earlier, now there was only a crater. But even so, it wasn''t enough. Maybe it would never have been enough. The Prince of Darkness was as tall as a building, but faster than a cheetah. In a split second it had turned, bringing its face a few inches away from Helial''s. The shapeless mass of putrid flesh made his opponent savour the fear, before throwing a terrifying punch. Helial felt the space around him freeze and block all his escape routes. The monster in front of him, three Phases higher than him, had just thrown a simple punch. He hadn''t even put all his strength into it. So why did it seem to Helial that the world was falling on him? Why couldn''t he breathe anymore? Would not another heroic act have been enough? Maybe not this time. The time for action had indeed come. Helial had brought the fist behind him, before covering it with dense and luminous Mana. He had thrown a punch capable of razing an entire building to the ground. And it happened. BOOM! Nobody saw what was going on. A cloud of dust rose, while both the Goblins and their enemies had to be careful not to get blown away by the shock wave. Soon after, a slender figure was shot out of the cloud like a cannonball, hitting his back against the barrier. Dropping to the ground, the Human vomited several mouthfuls of blood, before rising to his trembling knees. Behind his back, a battered cloak was stirred by the wind. The crown he had been wearing since the start of the clash did not seem to have moved an inch from his head, despite the flight and the destructive landing. Those two ancient and worn objects seemed to be indestructible. Helial wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His body was sending him several signals and every one of them was saying only one thing: he would better run away. Helial looked at the arm with which he had punched the monster. "Hehe." For some strange reason, Helial grinned as he watched his arm. The bone had pierced the skin and the arm hung helplessly along his body. Clack! Mpf Without hesitation, he took the bone and put it back in its place, with a grunt of pain. He couldn''t afford to be slow or ineffective right now. It had to be determined and lethal. He felt the bones reconnect and heal quickly. After a few seconds, he opened and closed his hand in front of the silent gaze of the crowd. The spectators had only now understood what was happening. None of those present in the stands, before that moment, had fully understood the strength of the Undead and had not realised the reason for the agitation of the Goblins in the arena. But now, after seeing the speed of the Prince of Darkness and the damage done to Helial after taking only one hit, they understood that something had to be wrong. Frightened, they began to back away from the front rows. But they immediately noticed several guards of Undead and Trolls who closed all the exits of the Colosseum. The twenty Undead Immortals, shrouded in black, had moved from their place and had surrounded all the big pieces of Orma: Crispio, Binio, Filopappo and all the strongest exponents of Orma below Cesar and Aure were kept under control by their enemies. Any escape route had been closed. Things seemed to be getting much worse than Cesar could have foreseen. 243 The Whole War on Ones Shoulders Lined against the Undead, the Goblins finally had to face the first impact of the charge. The two Follies had immediately jumped on two of the huge Goblin warriors with axes, trying to decapitate them. Thanks to their gargantuan proportions, both warriors managed to nudge the two monsters and get rid of them for a moment. The impact sent the Follies away, but it didn''t hurt them at all. The Follies lost their balance slightly, but after a few seconds they were ready to attack again and sprang forward with the same momentum as the first time. One of the big Goblins was controlled by Frankenstein; the young Goblin felt the nervousness prevail, while activating the Formation at its maximum power, making the two big axes shine in the sunlight. It was a very rare form, difficult to obtain, which he had found in some mythology books from the Royal Library. When faced with one of the Twin Follies, the giant Goblin tried to hit one of them with a knee. The Folly immediately jumped upwards, but she had fallen into the trap. The knee was nothing more than a feint, a movement to hide the axe was coming from below. Skill Activated: Volcano! The axe became wrapped in bright red flames and crashed into the body of the Folly. The monster''s head turned to an unnatural angle to watch the axe penetrate its flesh. With evasive movements in mid-air, the creature managed to neutralize part of the impact, avoiding being cut in half. However, her bowels started coming out of her torn torso. The damage had not been total, but the blow had been successful nonetheless. The Folly began to laugh maniacally. Her bowels, red in the crispy air of battle, vibrated to the sound of her laughter. When she had enough, the Folly put the organs back in place, while Frankenstein looked at her in disgust. Frankenstein knew that the power evoked by such a Formation was something truly incredible. That''s why he was amazed that the Follies could fight almost evenly against those monsters. In the future he could have made terrifying progress, if he could have applied the same principles to higher Phases, creating unparalleled Formations. The Folly''s skin, dead and cold, healed quickly, leaving no sign of the wound that was there until a few seconds before. Instead of the gash there was only a faint white line. A few more seconds, and not even that would remain. Frankenstein shivered. Their enemies were not only tremendously strong, but also practically indestructible. The only way to defeat them was to cut their heads off, but they seemed to be able to move freely to avoid any blow. Even the Trolls had thrown themselves into the fray, waving huge rough iron swords which, at a quick glance, seemed to weigh several hundred kilos. Circe immediately beheaded a Troll, while her warrior dodged the blow of one of the two Follies. Despite the numerical superiority, who commanded those Formations constituted the elite of Orma. "@ # [[+ + $$", the shrill voice of the abomination reached Helial''s ears. Frowning, the Human wondered what it was saying. Their enemies had surrounded them and were trying to overwhelm his friends, taking advantage of the numerical superiority. Committed to fighting against the Revenant, the Prince of Darkness, Helial had no way of saving his companions. "Hold on!" Helial roared as the Mana boiled even more within his Meridians. You obtained a new Skill! Morale Effect: Your soldiers are immune to fear Cost: 50 Spiritual Energy/sec Circe, Frankenstein, Lumia, Snowflake and all the others felt as if molten iron was pouring into their veins. It was as if someone had just brought them back to life directly from the grave. Snowflake''s warrior moved at a terrifying speed, avoiding getting injured and cutting off one head after another, without stopping. Formations were able to use basic skills of the warriors who commanded them. However, given the extremely complex nature of the Formations, only a few of them managed to use them. Snowflake, being an expert in Movement Skills, had managed to activate one. Frankenstein and Circe had unlocked flaming axes that caused massive damage to their opponents. The ground all around Lumia seemed to be getting shaped to the girl''s liking. Trolls and Undead fell victim to the mutations in the sand of the arena. The warrior under Vlad''s control had taken on a slightly sanguine tinge and seemed capable of remotely throwing and controlling his axes. But none of their efforts seemed to be enough against those beasts. Helial knew it wouldn''t be enough. How many enemies had they killed so far? Six, maybe seven? And many of them were already injured, or panting heavily. And the Follies used every moment they were distracted to try and kill them. If Helial didn''t intervene soon, the battle would be lost. He was supposed to defeat the Prince of Darkness as soon as possible, but the monster was far more powerful than he could have imagined - more than Helial could have imagined. "@ # [[+ + $$", shouted the Prince of Darkness, from his six-meter stature. It was huge, imposing, invincible. Judging from the blow he had just thrown, Helial had deduced that his strength should be comparable to that of a warrior in the Seventh Phase, two Phases higher than its own. Helial, since he had received Perfect Foundations, had to have passed Pseudonym''s level. According to his calculations, he could have fought on par with any warrior in the Sixth Phase. Still, the Prince of Darkness was far more powerful than a normal Fifth Phase warrior. But, Helial knew, he was nowhere near as strong as Pseudonym. ¡­ In the Time Block "Do you know that one of the King''s ancestor was one of the greatest warriors ever existed?" said Crater, patting Helial on the shoulder, as they both raised a toast for yet another victory. Helial''s response was delayed for a few seconds. "Mh?" he finally mumbled, his mind clouded by all the wine he had drunk that evening. "Yes: blond, tall, imposing and invincible. He was a living legend. Despite not being a King, he was the most powerful warrior in the army. He was not interested in commanding others, only in his honour." "I''m glad you go about telling my past without my permission." Materialized among them like a ghost, Alexander took Helial and Crater''s heads under his arms. The heterochromatic eyes of the young Alexander shone with joy. With his arms, lean but carved as if in marble, he would have been able to crush any monster that tried to take his life, but also to perform acts of extreme affection towards his companions. He had the appearance of heroes that were sung in ancient legends. While Helial and Crater were still in his grip, the King laughed out loud. "My ancestor''s story is far more incredible than you think. If you want, I can tell you some parts of it." "Uh." Crater nodded. "One of the most incredible individual fights had as protagonists him and a warrior four times taller than him. He looked like a two-stories building, impossible to defeat. To limit the losses, the two sides had chosen two champions who would fight and determine the outcome of the war." Alexander was excited as he spoke, the emotion filled his beautiful eyes at the memory of his ancestor and teacher. "Imagine what responsibility it could have been to have the outcome of an entire war on your shoulders?" Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 244 Capture Rabbits on the Battlefield "Be careful, because I''m now going to tell you the story of Ligir, the Invincible". Alexander took a deep breath, making his chest swell with pride. ¡­ The torches burned incessantly within the stone and wood building. Their light drew long shadows of two men, one standing and one sitting. A shaky and insecure voice echoed across the room. "Would you ask the wind to blow in the direction you chose, or the fire not to burn your hand?" The hero, with a powerful figure, looked from head to toe the young man in front of him. The young man, even standing, felt crushed by the force of the inquisitive gaze of the man and unconsciously shrugged, becoming smaller and smaller; he realized that he was stalling too long and immediately shook his head, afraid the hero would become impatient if he didn''t react instantly. Before he could get an answer out of his knotted throat, the other''s voice, clear but terrifying like thunder, seemed to pierce his body. "So what would my mother say if her son wanted to bleed for the whims of every single mortal? Do you think she would be proud of that? Even the best of swords is likely to be lost to the whims of he who wields it. And nobody will tell me when and how to go into battle, let alone your King, who often thinks he is superior to me and forgets that I am also a King. Also, if we were to challenge each other in battle on the day his words became too offensive, what do you think the outcome would be?" Ligir had spoken. The young messenger, Soulier, looked down and remained silent. He knew perfectly well what would happen if, one day, his King decided to face Ligir in battle: by the end of it, the latter would have been standing on the corpse of the former. Ligir was the greatest warrior of all Immortal Clans. There was no one able to rival his prowess in battle and ... well, his bad temper. He was as brave as he was capricious, many said. Pride and honour were above anything else for him. Ligir was so arrogant that he established the value of a life in proportion to the interest he had in its owner. The more he valued a warrior, the more his desire to defeat him grew. Those who knew his reputation as a destroyer of peoples called him a monster, those who had fought alongside him and enjoyed his exploits in battle called him a hero. Ligir was handsome as a god, with long blond hair and the bearing of the greatest of deities. The torches burned relentlessly, fiercely illuminating the slender figure of Ligir and his crimson red cloak, which seemed dyed with the blood of a dragon and captured a thousand and more reflections, giving the warrior a wild and majestic appearance. But his real majesty came from the crown he wore on his head. The more finely gold. woven in a delicate thread, adorned its head and shone in the dark. "Now go away, I''ve had enough of this chatter," sighed Ligir, shaking his hand to invite the young Soulier to leave his apartment. The messenger hesitated for a few seconds, then left after receiving a stern look from his interlocutor. He finally got rid of another nuisance. Before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, crystalline laughter flooded the dining room. "Par, what do you find so funny?" said Ligir, narrowing his eyes. "Men¨°n asked for your help for the umpteenth time." A tall, tanned young man entered the room. He had brown curls and a sparse beard framing his face. Two light blue eyes contrasted with the dark skin of his face. "They are besieging the damned fortress that has kept us from capturing the entire universe for at least nine years. Once we enter there, we will have a stronghold that will allow us to extend our tentacles to the rest of the world. " "After spending so much time with that worm, you''re also thinking like a crawling creature," replied Ligir laconically. "Animals with tentacles don''t cra-" "We were saying," interrupted Ligir, barely holding back a smile. He motioned for his friend to sit next to him on a soft mound of cushions. Par approached him and sat down on the carpet. In his hands he had an old, worn lyre. He began playing as was his custom, plucking the strings of the instrument to obtain a nostalgic melody. Those notes reminded Ligir of his childhood, spent practicing combat and listening to Par playing the lyre after a busy day of training. "My dear Par, why are you always looking for me to disturb me lately? Once we met to eat together, talk about the most recent accomplishments and rejoice for the great heroes of the past and present. Now, what''s in this stupid war that seems to make you restless and blood-loving even more than before?" The young man in front of him stopped playing. He left the lyre and stretched his slender arms along Ligir''s powerful thighs, put his elbows on the other''s knees and fixed his clear eyes on those of his dearest friend. Par was decidedly weaker than Ligir and had only recently entered the ranks of the Immortals. However, he was more powerful than any warrior just advanced to Immortality. Ligir looked at his companion with a mixture of tenderness and concern. That was not a look he had often seen in Par''s eyes. Every time Ligir had seen that look, Par had got into trouble; and each time Ligir had saved him. The hero hoped he would never again have to see his closest friend suffer, but he knew that whatever happened, he would stay by his side to protect him. "Your Majesty", Crater interrupted Alexander''s story, "what does this have to do with us?" ¡­ The King smiled and encircled Crater''s shoulder with one arm: "Listen, the adventures of my ancestor are so many and one night would not be enough to tell them, but I still want you to understand what his actions were in the greatest war that has ever rocked this universe since its creation." ¡­ After disembarked from his ship, Ligir had passed more than a few dozen Immortals on the edge of his weapons, among them mere warriors and commanders. Only one was missing, while he ran at breakneck speed along the rocky coast. The wind moved his long blond hair, stained with blood and sweat, with each long step. The muscular thighs would have allowed Ligir to rival the greatest of the racing stallions. In that place, as in most of the battlefields for Immortals, the materials of the planet were more than incredible; in fact, it would have been practically impossible to destroy them, for a normal Immortal. The scarlet cloak played with the wind, releasing a trail of reddish light where it had passed just before. Since Ligir was the most powerful warrior in the universe, his speed was something beyond imagination. He could have run from one end of the universe to the other in a few hours even without using his Mana to teleport. Among the Immortals, he was known as "the Fast One", but also as "the Invincible". Nobody had ever defeated him and nobody seemed able to hurt him. Ligir had opened a road of blood to the top of the food chain and now lay there, like a dragon on the top of a mountain. But, before he could reach his goal on the land dotted with Formations, positioned there to slow him down, a patrol of Immortals teleported and surrounded him. They were all elite warriors, judging by their sparkling armour and their heroic faces. At the sight of Ligir their muscles tensed in fear, but none of those Immortals seemed willing to leave his post. They were ready to engage in battle at any moment. Given the level of all of them, the clash could have lasted even a split second. Ligir drew his sword with his left hand while holding the spear firmly in his right. A drop of blood slipped on his cheek and then fell on the dusty ground. Splat It was enemy blood. Who knows which of his victims it belonged to? It was the blood that had soiled his glittering armour and that he, Ligir, did not bother to remove. Many Immortals used the Mana to make blood evaporate, but Ligir thought that the war did not need a good-looking fighter, but one skilled enough to survive and kill as many enemies as possible. If the war had looked like a human, it would have been Ligir, with blood on his face and hair and armour. Ligir had lost many men immediately after their landing and would not have allowed their death to be forgotten. One of the enemy soldiers wiped sweat from his forehead. Being Immortal didn''t mean being... literally Immortal. Fear of death was always present during a battle, but even more so if they were facing Ligir, a living legend. The leader of the unit lowered his sword in the direction of the enemy and started the attack, while some of them glanced at each other. They were all experienced and trained soldiers, one of the strongest weapons in the stronghold. They would not be frightened by the stories about that man. But in their hearts they were all curious to see what terrifying ways Ligir would have used to repel them. Would he have been able to break the body of an Immortal in half with a breath, as the stories said, to drain his blood with a cough? Ligir took up a fighting stance and relaxed his muscles, ready to hit. Many of his enemies were disappointed. Ligir had assumed a simple attack position. It was not uncommon for many to think that there was a huge difference between a normal person''s way of fighting and an Immortal''s. ''I can read their disappointment in those little dark eyes,'' thought Ligir, smiling half-heartedly. ''They believe that a move capable of destroying a planet is the most powerful thing in the world. They have a reverential fear of the stories of the monsters who destroyed entire planets ... but the sad truth is that the first thing they must learn to control, even before an ability that can bring so much destruction, is their body.'' The soldiers understood the meaning of those words, which had never been uttered, as soon as they saw Ligir sprint at such a hallucinating speed that they could not stop him. Ligir was too quick to be caught. Before even launching any violent attack, a dazzling Mana explosion blinded two Immortals; these immediately tried to use their Divine Sense to make up for the lack of vision, as they were used to. Such a trick would never have caught them off guard. And yet... Their weapons unleashed terrifying Skills, which wrapped two different figures in front of them, both identified by their Divine Sense as the enemy. But as soon as they noticed the different direction of the two Abilities, they also knew they had been wrong. One of the soldiers opened his eyes just in time to see Ligir''s sword heading towards his head; the blade passed its forehead from side to side. Another soldier dodged the attack. No one in the entire universe would have faced a contingent of the fifty most powerful Immortals without being a fool. Even the most powerful of the Immortals would have been overwhelmed. But not Ligir. His spear pierced the foot of another soldier, making him stumble and obstructing the sight of one about to attack, thus avoiding Ligir the trouble of dodging. In the meantime, he had materialised ropes of Mana from his hands, pulling another warrior towards him as if he were a beast. After killing him, Ligir sent an explosion of fire in front of another group, blinding their sight and their Divine Sense with his ability to handle Mana. Another found a globe of energy under one foot. Tripping an Immortal, capturing another like a rabbit. These were not techniques that suited an Immortal. Ligir was not the terrifying monster that everyone had imagined. It was, yes, terrifying, but in a very different way than they had imagined. Ligir was simply unstoppable. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 245 The Equipment created by Phaistos A carpet of corpses laid on the battlefield. At the center of it was a single man with long blond hair matted with blood, standing, scornful of death and with his chest swollen with pride. All the corpses belonged to those who had been Immortals in life, warriors who were considered invincible, commanders with amazing intuitive power, talented young men and simple soldiers. Nobody had been spared. Of all those bodies, none had been massacred or torn to pieces as it would be normal in a war between Immortals. A spear blow to the heart was enough to destroy all the vital Meridians. A blow to the head enough to destroy the brain with an explosion of Mana. A destructive Mana current inserted into the most important Meridians to destroy them in a matter of seconds. Each of the wounds inflicted was precise and clean. Ligir was a warrior, not a butcher. He had always despised those who wasted energy and movements to tear their opponent to pieces. His goal was to win in the most intelligent and honorable way possible. Tearing his opponent''s body to pieces was not among his priorities. There was something incredibly unusual in his way of fighting. And his men had noticed it for the umpteenth time before the corpse of the last enemy had fallen to the ground with a thud. Immortals or mortals, all possessed a body that could receive blows and vulnerable weak points. In Ligir''s technique, there were no wasted movements or improperly used energy. Most of his Skills couldn''t destroy a planet, probably. Yes, he could have done it with a great deal of effort. But Ligir was different from those Immortals who only wanted to see who could destroy multiple planets with one Skill. In short, a most sophisticated version of who could piss further. A spear blow straight to the heart was far better than any flashy Skill. The more you progressed in Phase,, the more you tended to focus on brute force output in your Skills and attack from afar. Ligir, on the other hand, preferred to stay close to his opponents during the conflict, so as not to have too many attack him at once. At his level, being far away from your enemies meant exposing yourself to receiving multiple Skill blows. But when staying close to them, no more than a dozen Immortals could have attacked him simultaneously. It was a unique style, which no other Immortal practiced in the universe. Most importantly, his most loyal allies were Scarlet Tear and Morning Thunderbolt. His coat and crown, the two most important pieces of all his equipment. Many Immortals, after reaching the apex of the universe, could no longer find objects worthy of being worn since almost none of them would have been able to increase the qualities and power of their Skills. However, Ligir had been fortunate to wear items of Equipment forged by the greatest blacksmith in his time in the universe, Phaistos, his mother''s childhood friend. The generation previous to his own, his mother''s, had lived holed up in impregnable fortresses because of their fragility and inability to fight; but this generation without any courage had given birth to curious young people eager to increase their abilities, who had pushed themselves into the outside world and had begun to declare war on each other. The more the power wielded by the young Ligir grew, the more his mother was obsessed with the idea of his death, therefore the woman had asked Phaistos to forge a set of weapons and Equipment from the rarest materials, which would allow the young hero to win all his battles. Scarlet Tear, his cloak, had been dipped in the blood of creatures from a different space-time; these creatures were extremely powerful and dangerous, but, fortunately, could only be seen on the occasion of sudden attacks on their universe. The material used for the fabric had been obtained from the sap of trees that lived in a smaller dimension, continually shaken by inter-dimensional storms that would have torn any Immortal to pieces. By collecting the blood of these creatures, infusing it with precious minerals and dipping in it an already practically indestructible fabric, thus the coat of Ligir was created, as powerful as a shield and capable of protecting its owner from unexpected attacks. His crown, Morning Thunderbolt, had been forged using the heavenly punishments received by some Immortals, stained with terrible crimes. By using the lightning bolts that came down from the heavens to punish and imprison them, Phaistos had bent the will of heaven under his strength, hammering it in the most beautiful crown that a living being could ever create. When Festus had forged it, he almost became blind, since the crown gave off a bright light that derived from the lightning from which it had been shaped. ¡­ Crater gaped at Alexander. The Commander had never fully known the history of the legendary Ligir and had never actually understood how illustrious the origins of his King were. It was then that his gaze stopped on the objects that Alexander wore on his head and shoulders every day. Raising a shaky finger, Crater blanched: "These ...?" Alexander winked at him and continued. "In the long run, my mother''s Clan dwindled, consumed in wars of such devastating power that we can''t even imagine them. Yes, there are many Immortals in my father''s Clan, but none has ever lived up to Ligir, or any other member of my mother''s Clan. Although now in ruins, its members once reigned supreme over the universe. In addition, some artefacts risk losing some of their lustre, if they are not handled in the right way or if they are not used. If I have to be honest though, if they were at their peak, I probably wouldn''t have a level high enough to wear them. So even if I could fix them, I wouldn''t." ¡­ Covered in blood from head to toe, Ligir looked around with an indescribable fury that flooded his body. All the men around him had been dismembered with fury and blood soaked the ground. Some soldiers were now unrecognizable and only with the use of some particular Skill could their identity be discovered. The few survivors crawled on the ground, heavily wounded, and some held the lifeless bodies of their friends in their arms. Their eyes were full of terror and hope. As long as Ligir was at their side, no war would be lost, even if their opponent was an abomination like the one who had decimated their army in a matter of minutes. He was a being who went beyond the imagination of every single man. A creature that traveled from one universe to another, using a very rare gift that no one, not even Ligir, possessed. The appearance of monsters like that was the only reason that pushed all the most powerful Clans of their universe to join forces front against the external intrusion. With these alliances, monsters were eliminated in seconds. Most of the creatures that crossed the barrier into their universe were as powerful as one of their greatest Immortals. The warriors were used to seeing very strong monsters being defeated in the blink of an eye thanks to the union of the most powerful men in the universe. But this time it seemed to be worse than the others. Holding his shield and spear, Ligir took a deep breath. The monster was probably much more powerful than he was. If Ligir had waited for reinforcements to arrive, with their glittering and incredible Formations, all the Immortals present with him on the battlefield would have died. "My mother said that participating in this war would earn me an endless reputation, huh," growled Ligir. Then he grinned. "She also said that the bill would be very steep." A moan filled the air. Out of the corner of his eye, Ligir saw a soldier, tormented by pain, was bent over the body of a lifeless woman. The monster had cut the young woman''s body horizontally, but not even the slightest trace of the lower part of her body remained. "A flock of pathetic insects!" thundered the monster, ready to continue with its carnage. It was determined to become the undisputed ruler of this universe. The monster was a few dozen meters tall, with vaguely humanoid features. The Immortals, after reaching a certain level, could enlarge their body at will, becoming incredible titans, as big as a planet. And this was another of the techniques that Ligir despised. However, this was no problem for him. With his spear he could have defeated any opponent. His spear possessed Runes and qualities that would cause an explosion in the enemy''s body, be it a dwarf or a giant. He just had to hit the right spot. After hitting, the spear would spawn a death field around it''s tip, fuelled by the hero''s Mana. The only thing left for him to do was hit his enemy''s weak spot. This would have marked the end of the clash. Ligir began to run and went faster and faster, so as to become a shadow. As he had disappeared, he reappeared in front of the monster, who tried to punch him. Ligir dodged in a split second with a somersault. He began running along the monster''s arm, while the latter activated a sort of force field. It seemed determined to tear the hero into pieces. Ligir''s armor, another gift from Phaistos, shone; along with it, also his sword, spear and all the rest of his Equipment was shining. The destruction field generated by the monster was immediately repulsed and Ligir''s armor began to crack. Not even the peak of Phaistos''s art seemed able to compare with one of those monsters. You know, when a person begins to avoid direct confrontations of strenght, one begins to think that he does not possess it at all. Before acting, the monster had observed the war, looking for the most suitable time to tear everyone apart. He had also identified Ligir as the greatest threat among all Immortals. But he had seen his enemy avoid brute force clashes, opting for more efficient and deadly solutions. Dodging with a shield and planting a spear in a person''s heart was less satisfying than crossing swords, but it was undeniably more effective. The monster raised its Gargantuan fist. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 246 Friends or Allies "And then? Did he win and kill the monster?" Helial asked incredulously. His eyes were wide as those of a child, impatient to hear the rest of the story. "Or, while running through the air, he stumbled and ended up with his face in the mud." Alexander immediately widened his eyes. Crater punched Helial lightly on the shoulder as if scolding him, but not really. "No, no. We are not talking about our King, he had also planned the fall during the siege!" "Quite right!" Helial slammed his fist on his palm, as if something had just been revealed to him. Taking a deep breath, the King complained: "Even my subjects mock me. Should I sentence them to capital punishment?" Helial raised his hands indignantly, "No, no. I''m no subject. I''m only here to fight men who like to hide in the mountains!" Crater laughed and Alexander did too. "Okay, okay. I am an inept King, is this what you wanted to hear me say? But now, let me finish my story..." ¡­ The monster''s huge punch was heading towards Ligir. Raising his head covered by the helmet, the hero saw his enemy ready to tear him to pieces. Everyone still alive on the battlefield expected something from the great Ligir. They expected him to return the blow, to show everyone that even Ligir was able to overpower his enemies with brute force and defeat them once and for all. Besides, they all needed hope! And that warrior there, raised in the air right in front of the monster, was Ligir! He would not disappoint them! Yet sometimes even heroes'' tales were distorted. The perception of reality was lost and it was believed that these very strong men could win any confrontation, even the ones where they seemed to be hopelessly at a disadvantage. Above all, humans believed that they had no limits. They always aimed higher than they could actually go and deluded themselves that they could achieve any goal, however impossible it seemed. For some, this obstinacy had been a blessing, for others a death sentence. However, this was what made that race so tiny and insane, that of Humans, so special. Ligir, suspended in mid-air in front of the monstrous creature, had his mind completely empty of all thoughts. All he knew was that he could not engage in battle directly. Such a creature would probably overwhelm him, in the long run, even if the hero used all the brute force he had. Skill Activated Immortal Crossing His body disappeared and reappeared on the other arm of the monster, about ten meters away. Slightly unbalanced, the gargantuan creature realized that it had left its guard down. The tiniest split second was more than an opening at their level. Ligir raised his spear and roared. ¡­ Too many years later, but still not enough Even Alexander had once been a candid and innocent child. And, since he was a child, one of his favourite things was going to the theatre. Sitting on the rough stone steps of the theatre, the young Prince of Madonia watched the tragedy come to life before his eyes. He squeezed his mother''s hands tightly, deeply concentrated in what he was greedily swallowing with curious irises. Two men in disguise, one sitting on the other''s shoulders to give the idea of a gigantic interdimensional monster, had just been "impaled" with a point-less spear, looking more like a broomstick than a real weapon. In other words, the scenario might seem comical, and instead the heavy atmosphere and the extraordinary Skills of the Secondary and Tertiary Class of those men, Poets and Actors, made the representation almost real: Alexander could really feel he was on a legendary field of battle. At that point, men completely dressed in black entered the scene, their faces covered with deform masks, and they stuck wooden sticks on a piece of curved wood that represented a bow. The fake arrows cut through the air with exasperating slowness and reached the shoulders of the hero, the protagonist of the tragedy. The brave warrior fell to the ground, mortally wounded, and as soon as he pronounced his line, full of heroism, a thick rain filtered through a giant colander fell over him, soaking him completely. Alexander''s mother had her head slightly bowed forward, while with one hand she removed her tears and with the other she held her bright red hair. Olimpia looked at her son, who had an expression halfway between fear and wonder, while a woman came forward and sang to announce the end of the tragedy. Her voice was high and shrill. It was so high that it almost caused pain to the ears of the spectators! And yet, it was precisely its being almost unbearable that made it so magical, capable of kidnapping everyone present. "That''s Lidia, the singer who narrates the last acts of the tragedy, she sings the epilogue," explained the mother in a low voice, as not to disturb the other spectators. Alexander nodded slightly, shocked by that woman''s high-pitched and hypnotic voice. "After what has happened, his fatal Fury should not surprise you! Perished the greatest enemy, no ally was willing to keep his memory alive with even one more breath! The cowards killed the monster Ligir... will destiny let us to find The memories of the invincible hero Who killed myriads of enemies before succumbing to a mere arrow Wretched ...Cursed...Traitors... " ¡­ In the Time Block "I mean, let me see if I understand," said Helial, tilting his head and interrupting Alexander''s story, "Ligir not only killed the greatest threat in the universe - and, to be honest, in his place I would have shit myself as a five-year-old boy - thrusting a spear between his head and neck and detonating half his body, like this. But, immediately after the heroic endeavour, representatives of different factions allied themselves to kill him just when he was weakest, sending whole armies against him?" ¡­ Alexander had tears in his eyes and applauded with all the strength that his small arms were capable of. It was to honor the Actors who still narrated the history of Ligir and allowed it not to fall into oblivion. Olympia had a hand on her son''s head. Caressing him gently, he said to him: "My little one, even the greatest heroes can be wiped out from the course of history by a pack of cowards." The Prince of Madonia looked at her. The sweet and gentle face of his mother was profoundly different from that of his father, always severe and cynical. There was nothing in common between his father and that bright red-haired woman. His father, Philip, was a warrior, devoted to war and military campaigns: he was a barbarian who knew politics as a necessity. And his policy consisted in marriage. He had married many women after Olympia, who had gradually gone into the background due to her uncomfortable position... Coming from a Clan that, although decayed, was very old and respectable, all the courtesans expected that, on the news of the possibility of other marriages, Olimpia would react rashly and angrily to the affront. Olympia''s parents were also worried that their daughter could go on a rampage. But Olimpia, despite what everyone expected, had smiled and accepted willingly, at least in the early years. She had decided that she would simply take charge of her son''s education, requesting from Philip sums capable of financing more than one planet-wide military campaign and a couple even reaching the universe, to take on the best tutors in existence. Filippo had been a barbarian, but Olimpia was obstinate in wanting to raise her son as the true heir of the throne of Madonia, the one who would have been truly worthy of and who would have brought the realm to greatness. ¡­ In the Time Block Alexander nodded in front of Helial and put one hand on the boy''s shoulder, the other on Crater''s. "This is why having friends is so important, even more than allies; the latter can betray as soon as the wind begins to blow in a different direction. The first, however, will be immediately by your side, whatever storm you may be facing." The King''s words had a strange effect on Helial and Crater, who looked at each other and nodded, full of determination. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 247 "I Killed More Kings Than You Conquered Empires" Inside the Octagonal Room, just before the clash with Medusa A rain of scarlet petals was slowly descending from the ceiling, while Alexander looked at the walls and Helial, who had his eyes still closed, was lying on the stone floor, drowned in a sleep that seemed deep. Around him, Iblis and Bucephalus were busy listening to what could be considered an interesting history lesson. "When I died, my generals created a temple for the ceremony, where all these scarlet flowers - yes I must admit, I had a great dramatic sense - rained from the sky. In the meantime, among them, my most trusted companion, Bucephalus, had saved my soul from Samsara." Iblis sipped his tea, uninterested and equally unimpressed. He was looking at the crumbs that Alexander had left on the table after playing with some cookies. Anyone who thought that a King should have certain table manners was certainly wrong. Bucephalus also frowned at the chaos his friend carried with him every time he approached food. "The earth shook for days on the planet we were on. And remember, it wasn''t just any planet, it was one of ... " "Please, be kind to all living and non-living things, like me, and shut the fuck up before I lose my patience and an interplanetary, or even universal, war breaks out because I had to kick you," Iblis cut short , about to explode in front of the King of Madonia. Alexander looked at his spectators, ignoring the contempt in both sets of eyes, and simply shrugged. "The shithead is about to wake up," Iblis noted. "It takes time to make the new memories integrate with the old ones, for the two personalities to become one again, to make two lives into one ..." "Yes, yes. Besides, I remember when you spoke of your cloak and crown", pondered Iblis blowing on the cup of tea," the famous Scarlet Tear and Morning Lightning." He paused for a moment and moved his gaze close to Helial, where two objects lay in a bundle. Putting a hand on his temple and massaging it lightly, he asked, "Are they there?" The boy''s cadaveric white finger pointed to the two objects. "Yes," laughed Alexander. Bucephalus looked at Alexander and shook his head. "Devil, we all know what is going on in the future. Do you really think we will let you do what you want, injuring innocent people without intervening? " The cup in Iblis''s hand suddenly exploded, as all the space around him in the Octagonal Room was slowly beginning to lose colour. Skill Activated: Transformation Approaching Bucephalus, Iblis had an infinite desire to grab that stupid beast by the throat and break his neck. The sudden outburst had also taken Alexander by surprise. And now he found himself in front of a Devil two and a half meters tall, with a wingspan that went from one side of the room to the other. "Are you going to interfere, Alexander?" Iblis said without moving his eyes from Bucephalus. On the other hand, the horse in human form stared into his eyes without the slightest hint of fear. "Devil." Alexander''s words were like thunder in a clear sky. Iblis felt an indescribable pressure envelop him and the space around him, while a terrifying Aura began to duel in the void with his own. Alexander rose from the table where he had been sitting until then. Leaving the chair, he looked like another person. The smiling, affable, joking and melancholic Alexander had been replaced by another person. His slightly narrowed eyes and high chin conveyed the feeling of an undisputed tyrant. Alexander, the King of Kings. "Do you think I''m one of your minions or an ordinary Immortal, Iblis? Do you think you can speak like this and show this form, guilty of infinite iniquities within the universe in which I reside? " Even the King''s clothes had changed: instead of the simple tunic he had worn until then, a golden armour covered Alexander''s body from the shoulders to the feet, leaving only his head uncovered. His eyes seemed to contain all the secrets of death and Time itself. Alexander had his hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword, carved in the shape of a mermaid. Iblis was now really about to explode. Both were ready to fight for the umpteenth time in a matter of days. When two great personalities met, one always had to deal with their arrogance and consider that, if they had been in the right mood, they could have detonated an entire planet with a single snap of fingers. "Ahhhh ..." A loud yawn flooded the room and came between the Auras of Iblis and Alexander. Helial had just woken up and was rubbing his eyes. Iblis calmed down in an instant and glared at Alexander. In seconds he had returned to his child-like shape and had hidden his huge bat wings. "I will not allow you to intervene more than necessary. And remember, I killed more kings than you conquered empires." Iblis''s last words made a shiver run down Bucephalus and Alexander''s back. Alexander had heard threats like those for his whole life, but they had never had an effect like the one uttered by an eternal ten-year-old boy achieved. Alexander felt that every single word exuded a terribly frightening truth and that Iblis would be able to annihilate him at any moment. Neither Alexander nor Bucephalus were sure they could suppress Iblis. After all, most of Alexander''s most powerful abilities consisted of Command Skills. Alexander was a formidable warrior, but first of all he was a king and the commander of his own army. Iblis, on the other hand, would probably have put Ligir to shame in a battle. During the Age of Destruction and Life, where Iblis and Amaterasu had been the undisputed pillars, more than one Dimensional Beast had breached the universe. An unwritten agreement decreed that in the face of monstrosities like Iblis, endowed with combat capabilities that exceeded any imagination, the conflicts between the powers of the universe would have to cease, whatever their nature, to focus on that threat. Exactly as it happened when Ligir had defeated the monstrous creature that attacked his universe. Alexander had personally killed more than one Dimensional Beast, probably reaching roughly a little more power than Ligir. But Iblis, oh, Iblis. Behind that slender little body and that bowl-cut hair hid one of the most terrifying creatures that had walked the universe. Iblis had literally slaughtered any beast that had ever come across him. A few years after Iblis''s disappearance, the Dimensional Beasts disappeared inexplicably and never showed up again. To date, Alexander still had to receive news of a new invasion. He had several theories as to why this event occurred and roughly as many about Iblis''s true fighting skills. But by now so many years had passed since the conflicts between Iblis and Amaterasu, that nothing remained but legends around the figure of the Devil. Not counting his disciples, who still mourned his disappearance, and his enemies, who feared that he had not definitively perished, Iblis''s memory had been totally forgotten. Alexander composed himself and his combat armour disappeared in an instant, before Helial could see it. He started applauding with great emphasis in the boy''s direction. "I see you did it. I know you have many questions, but now is not the time to ask them. There is still a duel to be won and, after defeating your opponent, you will have plenty of time to find out what happened during these two long weeks. Don''t worry, I''m not going anywhere. Whenever you want, you will find me here, in the Octagonal Room. " Bucephalus took a deep breath, not happy at the idea of having Helial around again to disturb his peace. "Next to you are two objects I have decided to give you. I warn you: at the moment, you cannot activate either of them and their name will not be revealed to you until the opportune moment. But treasure them, you will hardly find better Equipment. At the right time, they will reveal themselves to you." 248 War for a Coffee Table In the present, inside Helial''s Soul How can love and hate coexist in the body of the same person? How can chaos embrace order and merge with it, become one, as a single entity capable of thinking, moving and procreating? In the perpetual and interchangeable coexistence between chaos and order, there are always two individuals, parts of an inseparable combination. In different quantities and qualities, two contain one. Regardless of individuals, there is always a role; and this can be covered in multiple ways by the same person. Chaos is not always chaos, just as order is not always order. But when two individuals meet, one perpetuates Chaos, the other Order. The resolution of this meeting is in turn expressed in forms that reflect the unity of the subjects. "So let me get this straight," said Iblis ready to literally set himself on fire, "Scarlet Tear and Morning Lightning are able to create Blood and Lightning Mana starting from the Mana of those who use them and to melt the same energies at will?" Iblis'' hands showed a slight flicker. "Exactly," Alexander nodded, blowing gently on the cup full of steaming tea that he held in his hands. "And could you activate both objects at any time to ensure a burst of devastating proportions to Helial''s power?" Iblis''s agitation was every second more evident. Now the spoon, which stirred the tea in the cup in front of the boy, was spinning faster and faster. "Obviously." "And not only that, this Burst would also allow him to use two complementary energies and merge them within his Runes, which you could make him understand with a snap of your fingers." Iblis''s cup cracked slightly, unable to tolerate the force exerted on the fragile porcelain. "Ah-ah." CRACK "And this could not only guarantee an energy higher than that given by Flame of the Qilin, given that these fucking WEAPONS were created by the greatest blacksmith ever, but also make him understand that Life and Destruction could be included in the Runes, with a little practice." Alexander nodded. "Correct." "So your interference would affect his life, his possible death today and the death of those close to him now." "But if those are all rhetorical questions, do I really need to answer them?" ¡­ Meanwhile, on the other side of the universe, on an endless planet, dozens, even hundreds of times larger than the one on which Alexander and Iblis were In a huge hall, a woman of impossible beauty sat in mid-air, levitating half a meter from the ground. Her eyes suddenly opened, with a vaguely astonished expression painted on her face. A woman dressed in black immediately appeared at her side. She had flourishing and abundant breasts that risked getting out from her bodice. Raven hair came down to the sides, embracing her from all sides. "Have you heard too?" Siche asked solemnly, with furrowed eyebrows. Jeanne nodded, strangely serious. It was difficult to remove the carefree vivacity from her limbs, but this time a single vibration out of place had managed to totally upset her. It was a vibration far too strong to ignore it. The two women exchanged glances and scanned the part of the universe that belonged to the Destruction with their Divine Sense. The building they were in was a huge construction made of a material that looked like red and dark purple marble. Countless columns, very tall and robust, supported the floors of each floor and the ceiling was so high that an ordinary mortal could not have distinguished it, in the dark. The red veins of the stone of which the palace was made shone with their own light, bathing everything and everyone with their scarlet light. "Nothing, it''s impossible to locate it," Siche admitted, after exhausting research. "It''s too blurry." "If Tsukuyomi were here, he probably could tell us more," sighed Jeanne. The other woman shook her head bitterly, and the very long hair waved behind her back, forming shining waves. "Nobody knows where she ended up. She is still convinced that the master is not dead. The last time I saw her, she told me that when the teacher showed up with us, she would come back too," Siche said with a hint of regret in her voice. "So ... we''ll never see her again ..." ¡­ Ninth circle of hell Kirin watched Qinguang, who stood in front of him, while waiting for his verdict. They were inside the last circle of Hell, where Qinguang had locked up the greatest criminals to punish them for all eternity. Looking at his long white beard and snow-white hair, Kirin remained in respectful silence. "We cannot know where the Mana vibration that we felt comes from. I searched a lot, in our part of the universe, but to no avail. And the vibration is too blurry for me to locate it. Even if it were the prediction of an apocalyptic confrontation, only someone at the level of my daughter could have located it." Kirin shook his head and brought his gargantuan figure out of hell moving just one leg. ¡­ "I''m asking you to answer because I want to understand if we have to turn your shit into a massacre," said Iblis, trembling. Alexander smiled, hiding his anger behind an apparent calm, but so inconsistent that it could have evaporated into thin air in a few moments. "Think what an imbecile you are," replied the King of Madonia sardonically. "Do you think that carrying out a massacre could really allow a child to become stronger?!" The cup of tea that Iblis had in front of him shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. Tea spilled onto the floor and watered the turf that the Devil had under his feet. The spoon, however, remained suspended in nothingness to perform its task, to mix a non-existent drink, and turned at an impressive speed. "You...!" Even the spoon fell on the grass with a dull, almost imperceptible sound. Alexander''s eyes thinned and emanated a murderous Aura flowers from the municipality. His patience was over. Again. Whenever there was talk of the right way to train Helial, the situation deteriorated in seconds. The conversation had progressed far too long with strangely calm tones and subdued threats. In fact, ten minutes had already passed since they had almost sparked yet another war. A not indifferent record. Alexander could no longer hide his anger and threw the coffee table on which Iblis usually took his tea into the air. The Devil sensed the trajectory it was taking and sensed that, if he did not stop it in time, the fully prepared dinner table would have been destroyed. With an imperceptible finger gesture, all the furniture was floating in the air was pulverized before being able to reach the table that Iblis set every day with a meticulous care. Iblis got up from his chair, trying to hold back the urge to take his normal form. Approaching barefoot on the grass towards Alexander, a huge Mana of Destruction spear appeared in his right hand. Bucephalus and Alexander remained petrified. They did not expect such a violent reaction from Iblis. "Do you really want to cause a war within the universe for a ..." "Silence." Iblis moved a hand in mid-air. Bucephalus and Alexander felt in an invisible grip of steel tighten around their throats. Arriving two steps from Alexander, Iblis touched the white pendant that he wore around his neck and rested his eyes on the still immaculate coffee table. "Alexander, Qinguang, Kirin, the whole Clan of Life, I don''t care," he said, pointing to the table where the objects had flown earlier. "If something should hit that table, I swear on all that is diabolical that of you and this infamous beast there will be nothing but a grain of dust. Let them come with their armies, those idiots. They are not the real threat to Helial, not as long as I exist at least. "During these millennia, although my body is refined inside a sword, my soul remains more than enough to eliminate some scoundrel. Unless someone on Amaterasu''s level has come out of nowhere or is hiding in some corner of the universe, the only thing you need to worry about now is my patience. I don''t want to create a war just because it wouldn''t give the Shithead enough chance to grow on the right path. But, if you dare touch that table, you have my word that this war will happen." Alexander waved his hand and the pressure on his throat disappeared. "This era is not worthy of being called such," Alexander whispered. "They all still live in your shadows, yours and Amaterasu''s, Iblis. But everything about you and her doesn''t interest me, that''s your problem." Alexander snapped his fingers as he stared straight at Iblis. "But a King never leaves his General, never." 249 Secre In the Colosseum, during the battle Lumia was parrying the blows of the five Trolls around her. The two axes in the hands of the Formation warrior continually flew back and forth, mutilating its enemies. Yet, with each blow, the girl risked being injured, and with her the other nine Goblins within the Formation; besides, they were terrified of Lumia''s fighting style. They thought the Trolls and the Undead were fierce and ruthless creatures. But after seeing Lumia fight, they had to change their mind. The silver-haired girl, as tall as a bedside table, had gone berserk. A Troll had just launched onto the Formation''s arm, trying to block it and give others the opportunity to attack. But before the rest of them could do as much as move a finger, Lumia hurled a terrifying blow with her head at the abnormal creature, making it stagger backwards. She immediately threw a blow to the Troll''s throat, now unprotected, and another behind his skull after a quick movement on her feet. Here another enemy corpse had hit the ground. Lumia shattered his head under the foot of the Formation, to make it almost impossible to resurrect him quickly. The main problem with fighting an Undead company was this: once annihilated, the enemies were brought back to life as Undead and could continue fighting as if nothing had happened. Lumia felt the Meridians inside her body burn, as if they were about to burn. All the Mana she was catalysing through the Formation was far too violent for her slender body. But Iblis had trained her personally. Now his muscles and bones were harder than steel. His meridians had a power unbelievable for a normal person. In fact, if any warrior had tried to activate Frankenstein''s improved Formations, he would probably have died instantly. Helial and his friends had a Constitution far higher than normal. At that moment Lumia''s fury was interrupted by Frankenstein''s scream, ordering her to be careful. Lumia suddenly lowered her head, avoiding the black blade of a Folly that was about to cut it off. Lumia had not seen the blade come. This would have been enough to understand how dangerous those creatures were. Unfortunately, having never trained their senses to manage the Formations, the movements of Lumia and the others who were with her in the Formation were slightly clumsy. The putrid flesh that was on the Follies'' face and body was revolting. Their features were paralyzed in an eternal expression of madness, and not by chance. Their terrifying face would have made even the greatest warrior shiver. But Lumia felt a twinge of anger make her body tremble when the Folly shrieked: "Hey, little one, why don''t you get out of there?" The distorted voice scratched the girl''s ears and heart. Frankenstein heard the provocation of the Folly and again shouted in the direction of Lumia: "Lumia, don''t listen to her! If you leave the Formation you''re done for!" Frankenstein and Lumia hadn''t gotten to know each other well enough in the time they spent together, but they both had great respect and a great deal of trust in each other. However, the Goblin knew well how much Lumia could change her attitude when her brother was called into question. Lumia might have looked like a quiet, sweet little pet in Helial''s presence, but the Goblin''s wit suggested that, as far as madness was concerned, the silver-haired girl would have made the Follies shiver too. And her madness now would have pushed her to turn towards her brother. In fact, Lumia turned her gaze for a second, with her eyebrows frowned, and saw Helial back away, full of wounds that regenerated very slowly, while more others opened on his entire body. The Revenant was very close to defeating Helial. A whisper made its way into Lumia''s ears. You can use it. The girl nodded. ¡­ Inside Helial''s Soul While Iblis had just begun to sip his tea, Alexander gave him an inquisitive look. "I saw what you just did," said the King, shaking his head, "but you did say we shouldn''t interfere, didn''t you?" ¡­ You have dissolved the Formation! Nine Goblins suddenly found themselves in the middle of the battle, with their eyes wide open and their shoulders completely uncovered. Something was going wrong. Frankenstein immediately launched himself towards Lumia and covered the Goblins'' back. Unfortunately, he hadn''t been fast enough and two of them were immediately torn apart by the enemies. Those who survived entered Frankenstein''s Formation, while the Goblin mentally recalculated all its specifics to ensure that it did not collapse from the excess of Mana. The warrior became even brighter than before, although his figure trembled slightly from time to time. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Frankenstein shouted, after making sure he could handle the situation. The Follies were at the Late stage of the Sixth Phase and Lumia only at the Initial stage of the Third. Suddenly, a lightning appeared out of nowhere in the sky and pierced the invisible barrier above the Colosseum, rushing into Lumia''s hands. All the Immortals looked at the girl in amazement. Not even they could have crossed that barrier so easily. That a lightning must have been powerful enough to overcome the strength of any warrior who was in that place, at that moment. The white lightning stopped in Lumia''s hands, slowly beginning to take on a well-defined shape. It reached out, forming a long handle that Lumia could grasp with both hands. All around her a luminescent white Aura crystallized. ¡­ In the universe, in a desolate corner, wrapped in darkness A little girl stood with her eyes closed, while her long white hair moved slowly around her, levitating in the void and wrapping her. Her eyelids rose slowly, showing two silver irises. A tear ran down her cheek, reaching her chin. As it was about to fall in the void, the tear began to levitate before the girl''s big eyes. Gradually, the drop extended and formed a very thin layer of water, a mirror through which images could be seen, images of the events that were taking place millions of light years away from there. In the tear was the image of a girl with silvery hair, holding a huge silver sickle, with delicate veins on the handle and the upper part, we the blade was attached, had a circular shape. From the circle extended an incredibly sharp blade, shining with off-white light. With a wave of the girl''s hand, the water mirror disappeared into thin air. She sighed and smiled. "I told you," she whispered to absolute emptiness. "But, big brother, don''t worry. I will keep the secret of your existence." ¡­ Inside Helial''s Soul "But didn''t the girl choose to act as Support for her brother?" Alexander asked curiously. "Exactly, but you can be of support even without acting exactly as Support," laughed Iblis, pleased. "Never trust a Devil, huh?" ... You equipped Lunar Sickle One of the two twin Follies, Vetal, Vetalia''s sister, laughed at the top of her voice: "Do you really think you scare me? AHAHAHAH!" But even before her laughter stopped, Lumia disappeared and reappeared exactly behind her. Snowflake, too, was now looking at Lumia and, when she noticed the ability that the girl was using, his eyes widened. "It''s ... it''s impossible!" Skill Activated Authority of the Tyrant Helial needed her, she couldn''t disappoint him. "Die, bitch." Lunar Sickle descended on the Folly. Taken by surprise, Vetal was unable to dodge. Something wasn''t right. Looking away from Lumia''s mocking smile, Vetal could no longer see her right arm, which held one of the two pitch black swords, attached to her body. 250 Lunar Sickle Inside Helial''s Soul Alexander crossed his arms over his chest, offended. Iblis had become furious when the King had given Helial Ligir''s cloak and crown, when he himself had given the Lunar Sickle to Lumia. "Despite my seclusion here, on this planet forgotten by the rest of the universe, I have continued to keep myself informed about great events," said Alexander still offended, but with a strange light in his eyes. "Tell me, who was the real second of your army?" "If you really are that wise, you should already know." Alessandro waved his hand annoyed: "Don''t pretend you don''t understand. Siche is your spiritual heir, apparently; the great commander of Destruction, the most beautiful woman in the universe." "So you already know the answer, don''t you see?" "You keep playing dumb. I asked you who your real second is." Alexander waited for an answer that showed no sign of coming and then resumed speaking, in a strangely calm tone of voice. "Lunar Sickle, Tsukuyomi''s weapon. That scythe took the life of more than one big fish in the ranks of Life, am I wrong?" Alexander bent his body forward on the table, getting even closer to the Devil. Iblis nodded slightly and remained silent. "According to rumours gathered here and there by Bucephalus, it appears that Tsukuyomi was no weaker than Siche. Indeed, it is said that only her lack of interest in a life as a commander prevented her from taking your place after the mysterious disappearance of the most powerful Devil in the universe." Iblis didn''t show it, but Alexander could guess his annoyance with unspeakable clarity. It was as if those two terrifying monsters could read each other''s minds at times. It was the closeness of the great, the spirit shared by those who reigned an entire era. "Not only that: there is also the question of how you could have obtained Tsukuyomi''s weapon. It is known that she disappeared with you, but for what absurd reason would Tsukuyomi give you her weapon, unless she knew of your imminent disappearance?" Turning abruptly, Iblis realized he had fallen into a trap. Alexander was trying, subtly and indirectly, to explore an event in the history of the universe that no one knew exactly, except Iblis himself. He was trying to extract information to find out what exactly happened in the life of the Devil. It didn''t take long for Alexander to understand that Amaterasu was alive exactly as Iblis was and that the two were destined for yet another confrontation through their respective disciples. Still, the King of Kings still wondered how things really had really happened. Why had Iblis and Amaterasu ended up like this? Who could have imprisoned then lives into objects so that their heirs could fight to the death again? Iblis sighed, but remained neutral and did not reveal any other emotions. "To be honest, speaking of Siche, in my day it wouldn''t have been so strange to think of having a relationship with one of your own disciples-" CRACK Yet another teacup cracked in front of Iblis''s cold and expressionless eyes. ¡­ In the Colosseum Lunar Sickle is a much more powerful weapon than you can imagine. Weapons generally have a level cap based on their potential. But true masterpieces do not require any restrictions. These adapt directly to the abilities of those who wield them, bringing their true and greatest talent to the surface. There is no mighty warrior without a mighty weapon. The origin of this scythe is much more mystical than anything you can imagine at the moment, so you are not allowed to know anything about it. Until I say otherwise, you will need to ask me for permission before using it. The only thing you are worthy of knowing is that Lunar Sickle was the weapon of a person I love immeasurably. So, try to treat it well and honor it when you handle it. The words Iblis had uttered when he delivered the Lunar Sickle into Lumia''s hands were still etched in the little girl''s mind. The Devil had never been a particularly playful type, but when he made this speech, Lumia had seen in his eyes an unprecedented seriousness. It seemed that Iblis cared a lot about whoever had owned Lunar Sickle before her. Lumia looked in front of her, where Vetal, the Dolly, was looking at the arm removed from her shoulder joint. The wound was so clean it had something uncanny about it. It was as if scissors had cut a corner out of a sheet of paper. CRACK! DONG! The other Folly, Vetalia, suddenly stopped attacking Frankenstein and stared at the silver-haired girl with a piercing gaze of death. That brat had hurt her sister! Follies were twins and shared all their sensations. In fact, the Undead couldn''t feel pain. Yet, Vetal felt the lack of something, she felt a strange feeling of emptiness where she usually should have felt her arm. It was impossible to describe, but it was as if a piece of her was missing. And it was literally like that. Vetalia was also able to feel that same strange sensation, as if one of her arms had also been cut off by the girl''s weapon. A dull rage had enveloped her body. Vetal, on the other hand, continued to stand still and stare at the missing arm. The Follies were a very powerful and particular type of Undead. Their minds had no menory of their past life, unlike the Revenant. The two sisters were born from the madness of a battlefield, from owners of bodies who had gone mad before they died. Only a huge feeling of sheer madness, despair and dementia could have engendered such atrocities. Born from fragments of the human intellect, Follies were the maximum expression of conflicting emotions. They didn''t always act according to reason. Often their movements were unpredictable, following the only hint of distorted human emotion they still carried with them: madness. They were creatures born of schizophrenia, from souls totally reduced to pieces. Vetalia threw herself violently against Lumia. Skill - Upgrade! Titan Shield is temporarily transformed into Lunar Shield! Skill Activated: Lunar Shield A whitish barrier blocked Vetalia''s attack; she hit the shield with hundreds of blows in a few seconds, making it tremble visibly. But not a single crack appeared on the Skill. Lumia''s face had the same expressiveness as a corpse. Rage had erased all emotion from her body. While she wasted time with the two Follies, her brother was struggling with the Prince of Darkness; that damned monster was far more powerful than anyone could have imagined. But the girl, towards whom everyone felt an instinct of protection at the mere sight, had a chasm in her heart, inside which rivers of anger and hatred were pouring. Frankenstein was still shocked by what had happened within minutes and by the coolness that Lumia was showing on such an occasion. Although the girl, after having dissolved her Formation, had caused the death of two Goblins and had injured one Folly and blocked the other, she had not showed any emotion. A shiver ran down the Goblin''s back. Frankenstein was sure that if he himself or Snowflake or even Cesar stood between Lumia and Helial, they have faced the same destiny as the mutilated Folly before them. Vetalia continued to strike relentlessly, but the whitish shield showed no sign of falling. There was soon a sudden change. Lumia launched a blow that should have stopped on the shield. Still, Moon Sickle passed right through the Moon Shield, without breaking it or interfering with the Skill. Its blade pierced Vetalia from side to side in front of Vetal''s incredulous eyes. Lumia hurled Vetalia across the arena with a swift movement of the Lunar Sickle and disappeared. Being an Undead, Vetalia had received no substantial damage, but had been driven away with devastating ease. Lumia appeared behind Vetal, while the Folly was still apparently in a catatonic state. She prepared to separate her head from her body, without paying any attention to the opening that had just appeared in the position she had just assumed. A terrifying Aura covered Lumia in a split second, leaving the Folly breathless. Vetal''s neck turned at an uncanny angle, rotating 180 degrees, while a chilling laugh rose from the other side of the arena. It was then that Lumia realized that everything was going too well. That had to be a trap. The Follies must have realized the change within her Aura, and that the little girl now posed a real threat. They had drawn her into the comfortable belief that she was invincible and ahead of them. Now, Lumia found herself uncovered, with Moon Sickle behind her, ready to strike with all her might; she saw the Folly''s remaining hand, sharp as a sword, go straight towards her heart. The loss of her arm hadn''t shaken her in the least. The silver-haired girl showed a bitter, reproachful smile at herself in the last moments that remained before the beast in front of her tore the heart out of her chest. 251 Three Whishes 1 Lumia felt a cold wind announce the blow, the gush of air caused by the hand submerged her as if to slap her for her naivet¨¦. It was too late now, though. Any movement she made would not help her dodging the blow, and there was no way of escape. Having focused on the attack, the Mana within her Meridians was not ready to use Authority of the Tyrant and walk away. It was too late. How foolish she had been. What a fool she had been! The Follies, Vetal and Vetalia, had analysed the situation in a split second. Authority of the Tyrant was too fast even for them, while Lunar Sickle could have ripped them apart without a problem. The weak link in that series of Skills and lethal weapons was Lumia, her inexperience, her recklessness and the anger that filled her body. The twins were two war machines, appointed to accompany one of the largest monsters ever seen on the planet into battle. They had much more experience and cold blood than that little girl. And they had just proved it. Lumia inhaled and saw the blow come to touch her skin. At that moment it seemed to her that time had stopped. That was probably how it felt before you died. Now she was waiting for her life to pass in front of her eyes, hoping to be able to see and greet her brother for the last time, at least among the memories of her very short life. Lumia imagined that the Follies would surely pulverize her body instantly, to destabilize Helial. Once she died and her body was destroyed, it would be impossible to come back to life. What a fool she had been. Although Iblis had given her a weapon whose potential she could not possibly comprehend, she had still failed. Now, a march through her memories, then light at the end of the tunnel and voil¨¤, her life would be over. This was the way thing went, wasn''t it? At one point, however, waiting for one''s death may even become boring. Everything was paralysed, as if¡­ as if time had stopped. Lumia sighed and looked around for the last ti- "Um," Lumia took a step back. "Has time really stopped?" she whispered. The girl''s eyes lit up with determination. In an instant, she raised Lunar Sickle and tore Vetalia to shreds and then ran towards Vetal. Maybe she had been stupid a few seconds before, but certainly not now. Whatever happened, she probably would have a few moments to get rid of the two Follies. She had to take advantage of them. What an ungrateful end for Vetalia, who had acted with such genius and cunning. "I like those stories where there are gods who give three wishes to mere mortals, to see what they choose," a voice appeared behind Lumia''s shoulders. "In almost in all these stories, alas, the choices of mere mortals lead to their own destruction. Ironic, isn''t it? Three wishes fulfilled that then ruin their lives. I think their intent is to teach a lesson. Of course, more than I think, I should say I''m sure. However, it is so stupid and childish, that I want to grant the benefit of the doubt to this part of the literature. My old master would probably have whipped anyone who wrote something so superficial and stupid." The man in golden armour slowly approached Lumia, while she stood motionless, casting glances at Vetal. "Eh, at leas leave one of them alive. You''re going to need it as an experience. You''re perfectly capable of defeating her in a duel. Be careful when using the scythe. It''s a terribly powerful weapon for the moment of strength it possesses, but it leaves a lot of openings when you use it like you just did... "If you had covered your surroundings with the Divine Gravitational Field, indeed, with its Upgrade, the enemy probably wouldn''t have even touched you." Alexander took the scythe, still in Lumia''s hands, and placed it in front of her like a stick. "Lunar Sickle is an indestructible weapon. You can use the blade, but it can also be used as you would use a stick. You can block blows and also..." he turned the weapon on the bladeless side, "even use it as a blunt weapon on this side. The movement required in this way is significantly less than that of your first blow." Alexander had one hand near the blunt part and one near the blade at the end of the handle. Lumia felt the man''s breath on her skin, getting closer and closer as he showed her all the basic moves to use the scythe. Probably, any woman would have already been gripped by an epileptic fit, but Lumia was simply shocked by the simplicity with which the man was showing the right movements she should have made in battle. The hand farthest from the blade was immediately pulled back and the other pushed forward, thus showing a blow from below. The handle remained in front of Lumia, so it could have blocked a possible frontal blow. The balance of the blow remained relatively close to her. She had to move slightly to the side, as the Sickle was very long. Lumia, focused on memorizing every single movement, thought: A perfect move to use, and if I had activated... "That''s right. If you had used Divine Gravitational Field against Vetalia here, she wouldn''t have had time to get close and you would have split her body in two from the groin to the head. The clash between you two would have lasted only a moment." The scene was surreal: a beautiful man in gold armour was giving combat lessons to a little girl holding a scythe much bigger than her. Around them, a messy crowd of Goblins and Undead and Trolls, motionless, and the stands packed with spectators, including the Goblin King and the two Immortals, Troll and Un-Dead. They had not escaped the power of the young man with heterochromatic eyes. "She might be in the Sixth Phase," Alexander pointed to Vetal, standing in an unnatural position, the arm a cleanly cut stump, "but you had a teacher that not even an Immortal could have asked for. The latent talent within your body is not that much, from a universe perspective. Not even from the point of view of this planet you could be considered cr¨¨me de la cr¨¨me, to be honest. But I''ve been watching your training with the Devil. Surely you''re more stubborn than your brother. I''ve seen him collapse even before you, sometimes, while training with me." "With you?" were the first words Lumia uttered. The first words since Alexander had appeared. "This story is for another time," Alexander said, smiling. "Keep the scythe shaft close to you, don''t push it too far, unless you''re perfectly sure you''re untouchable. Your talent is not enough for you to be considered alongside your brother. His talent is also not as great as you might imagine. But the brat gave him enough material to work on and change his fate. "And, returning to the question of wishes: two of them are already destined for your brother. The third is yours. It''s not necessarily going to ruin your life, but I''m not sure it''s good for you either. There will, of course, not be the terrifying conditions that were given to Helial, but living will be just as hard. " Lumia seemed confused. "What are you referring to?" "Your brother is not using his sword nor Flame of the Qilin. I know you''re all caught up in the battle, but no one seems to have really noticed, except that Goblin who put on these Formations. Do you want to know why?" laughed the King. The silver-haired little girl nodded slightly. "Eheh. The Devil has already taken you under his wing, but you know there may only be a favorite disciple, right? The Devil and his beloved Amaterasu will fight again, this time through their disciples. Although the Devil is training you and starting to like you, Helial is his true heir. The weapon he gave you, Lunar Sickle, belongs to the most powerful member of Destruction still living. The most powerful, yes, but one who decided to live in the shadow of the one who was dearest to her. "You want to protect Helial, but that doesn''t mean you have to stay forever in his shadow. Besides, I realized that that damn Devil is having a lot of fun. I would like to participate again in the events of the universe, and I have never had a true disciple. Your brother, besides, is more of a future friend than a disciple." Lumia frowned, having more or less guessed what the man wanted to say. Did he want her to become his disciple? But the Devil, from what Helial had told her, was probably one of the most powerful teachers she could ever wish for... As if he had just read her mind, Alexander said: "That Devil is definitely a very good teacher and probably no one is as qualified as he is. Well, no one but me, I suppose." A towering red-eyed black horse appeared next to Alexander. Looking at him, she was a little scared. Then he spoke in a dry but gentle tone: "You''re taking too long." Alexander suddenly seemed struck by lightning. He struck his forehead with one hand and laughed from the bottom of his heart: "Right, right! Your brother has received a huge gift, but I can give you the same gift. You''ll be catapulted immediately to the Late stage of the Third Phase and you''ll be stuck there for a while, but your foundation and basic talent will outweigh any other person in the universe. However, Mana''s experience and knowledge will still be far from you. The famous Perfect Foundations. Yes, it''s an invention of that hateful Devil, but let''s just say I can replicate them with the same results and with fewer side effects. In addition, the exponential increase in your abilities will also give you a deeper connection with Mana. "While the Devil is more focused on training the body to become a weapon, with me you''ll find out what it''s like to control everything around you. You showed a surprising aptitude for control of the battlefield. That doesn''t mean you have to become Support, as the Devil pointed out to me. You can, on the contrary, become a warrior capable of influencing an entire war, just standing still. You have an affinity with the Mana of Earth and Moon. But I can grant you, through study and meditation, an Affinity on a par with Life and Pure Destruction. A type of Mana long forgotten within the universe." Alexander''s eyes shone. "The Mana of Time." "Then, Lumia, do you want to become my disciple and show the Devil that you can protect Helial even without being his second? Do you want to become the greatest warrior ever seen in this universe, a real Queen?" 252 Three Wishes 2 "While the Devil is more focused on training the body to become a weapon, with me you''ll find out what it''s like to control everything around you. You showed a surprising aptitude for control of the battlefield. That doesn''t mean you have to become Support, as the Devil pointed out to me. You can, on the contrary, become a warrior capable of influencing an entire war, just standing still. You have an affinity with the Mana of Earth and Moon. But I can grant you, through study and meditation, an Affinity on a par with Life and Pure Destruction. A type of Mana long forgotten within the universe." A real Queen? Lumia looked at Alexander and felt her heart racing as it only happened when Helial was near her. She felt a strange invigorating sensation go through her body and give her a vitality she had never had before. Lumia loved her brother, more than anything else in the world. Helial was the cornerstone upon which the frail life on which was built the life the little girl tried so tenaciously to cling to. Lumia had always chased him, trying to catch up with him and keep his pace. She had undergone such a gruelling training that no one could have survived to tell the story. The willpower that characterized her was a gift she had torn from the sky with teeth and nails. She had taken the tenacity with which his brother had raised her and, having increased it exponentially, she had worn it like an indestructible armour, which, instead of being bruised, became more and more hard and impenetrable after each fight. But perhaps Lumia had always fought a battle lost from the start. Tsukuyomi''s noble attempt to become Iblis''s moon, always reflecting the light of the greatest Devil in the universe, had ultimately blocked her growth, according to Alexander. Tsukuyomi''s talent had never been so inferior to that of Amaterasu and Iblis. The only problem had been the life she had chosen to lead, not her talent. Iblis had saved Tsukuyomi''s life countless times, preventing her from growing and confining her power to the blinding shadow of her own person. It was probably precisely for this reason, in order not to destroy that light, that Tsukuyomi had decided never to fully demonstrate what she was capable of. The Devil was the reason she would never get stronger than Amaterasu. Alexander feared the same thing would happen to Lumia. If Helial hadn''t been there to protect her, Lumia would have already been killed by Hades. Yes, surely Lumia should have been infinitely grateful to him but, continuing to follow him, she would never have blossomed. She would always be a flower under a glass dome. And this event, meeting with Alexander, could have led Lumia to live a life for herself, and not acting solely in function of Helial. This could have been the beginning of Lumia''s story, about Lumia as Lumia, not about Lumia following Helial. "Ah, anyway, forgive me. When it comes to creatures below Immortality and without too much Karma on them, predicting even years or centuries of their life is quite simple. In your case, I have already begun the process of creating the Perfect Foundations. If you feel a weird sensation, that''s probably it; but don''t worry, it should be pleasant, nothing special. Give me another five minutes and we''re done. We are already late", Alexander added, looking at the chaos of people around him, "the battle must go on." Lumia stopped fantasizing, took a deep breath and indulged in laughter. Alexander was struck by the freshness the smile of the girl with silver hair contained. He felt his heart rise for a moment, as if he had never been locked up in the Octagonal Room for so many centuries. He felt as if he had returned to the battlefield, with one of his generals in front of him. Scratching his head full of golden ringlets, he muttered to Bucephalus, transmitting his voice: "Maybe you''re right. Even if I remain only in the form of a Soul, I''m not sure that it is no longer worth fighting. Being a hermit was pretty tiring. I think I will soon ask Iblis how to crystallize my Soul inside an indestructible object, to live in his same way." "Which would completely change the course of the fate of the universe, inserting a variable the size of a galaxy," sighed Bucephalus, strangely worried about all the problems Iblis would have shortly thereafter. "Which would give me a chance to have a lot of fun with you. Don''t you miss your King?" Bucephalus smiled. Or at least, he would have smiled if he had been in his Human form. Lumia, who had not been able to hear the conversation, found that silence rather superfluous and thought that while she waited for the process to end, she could take the opportunity to speak to the man in front of her. "Can I ask you a question?" Lumia asked. "Can I ask you a question, MA-S...?" "Master", finished the girl. "Of course," Alexander nodded, pleased. The little contact with other living creatures and the lack of company clearly showed. "Has time been stopped?" Alexander smiled and shook his head. "Time cannot be stopped. Its flow can be roughly predicted, it can be accelerated and slowed down. But never stopped, go backwards or forwards by skipping the timelines in the present and in between. The past is immutable, the future can be influenced if you already know the shape that events will take. In this case, I have just slowed down time so much that it appears to be standing still. For such a trick, the presence of any high-Level people also counts. The higher Level a person is and the greater his Karma, the harder it will be to influence the time around him." Lumia looked up for a split second, where Cesar was sitting, and then in the direction of the enemy Immortals. So, they didn''t have enough Karma or such a high Level that they could fight the man in armour? What kind of monster did that young man have to be to have all that power? In a flash of black light, a child with a bowl-shaped haircut appeared next to Alexander, with a rather irritated expression on his face. Before Iblis opened his mouth, Alexander was pleased to be able to show an example. "You see? The Karma and the Level of Iblis are so great that it is impossible to use the same trick on him with the same effect." Rolling his eyes to the sky, the Devil could not help but correct him: "However, in battle there is no point in making time go by so slowly as to make it seem still. It would just be a waste of Mana. Just slow down time for a moment and you will create an opening that is impossible to counter." Iblis''s words became even more solemn: "The Mana of Time is something tremendously deep and dangerous, in some ways even more than Life and Destruction. If it hadn''t disappeared ages ago, probably one of his representatives would have been formidable and almost invincible." At that point they both turned to Lumia, waiting for her reaction. But the little girl had only an incredulous look on her face as she pointed an index finger at the boy. "Are you Iblis? That Iblis? The Iblis of the legends that are present only in the oldest texts of the Royal Library? Iblis, the Lord of Destruction?" At that point, Alexander and Iblis realized that Lumia had never been told by her brother about the true nature of the Devil. They exchanged a look, not knowing what they might say. They had been taken completely off guard. For her part, Lumia could not believe what she had just deduced. It certainly does not happen every day to have to deal with what had been defined by some Immortal scholars as the apocalypse of the universe and to receive from him teachings and even a weapon of inestimable value. Nor was it very usual to understand that the man who had so naturally shown her all the moves to do with the scythe must be a monster as powerful as the Devil, along with his scary black horse. The King of Kings and the Lord of Destruction found themselves momentarily dumbfounded in front of a girl of about twelve who looked at them with stubborn bewilderment. "Well", Alessandro began, "don''t worry. The Perfect Foundations are almost complete, you should be able to fight without problems soon. The important thing is that you stay focused." It was just after these words that Lumia fainted. Bucephalus instantly took on his Human form and materialized behind the girl, grabbing her just in time, before she tumbled to the ground. "Idiots," snorted the legendary steed. Iblis and Alessandro shrugged and put on another kettle of tea, waiting for Lumia to wake up. If anyone in the Colosseum could have seen the scene unfolding before their eyes - a fainted girl with a large scythe beside her, a horse that had turned into a Human to savhee her, and the two greatest monsters in the universe sipping a hot tea in the middle of a battle - he would have thought to be mad. 253 Three Wishes 3 Lumia recovered shortly after, when the process of forming the Perfect Foundations was already over. After getting to her feet and taking the scythe in her hands, she couldn''t help but look at Alexander again. The little girl knew the legends about Iblis. Although there weren''t many, he at least knew it had been one of the greatest calamities in the universe. At the height of his strength he could face all of Life''s strongest warriors without batting an eye. Many of those tales, however, seemed artfully modified to exaggerate the real strength of the legendary creatures that had trampled the universe and, in fact, Lumia had never been completely sure of the existence of a creature like Iblis. But now she was facing a little boy with a fetish for macabre decoration who wasn''t even trying to deny that he was the greatest Devil ever existed. But if Lumia had information about Iblis, she knew nothing about Alexander. Obviously, it was not possible for she to have heard his name. Alexander had belonged to an era too remote to be remembered. Maybe only a few big shots from Life and Destruction knew any details. Alexander, on the other hand, hadn''t bothered too much explaining who he was, not considering this practice worthy of his stature. He had limited himself to explaining that while he was still alive his fame equalled, if not surpassed, the one Iblis had known. In fact, the Devil seemed to treat him with some respect. Between the two there was something, a certain understanding, which could only be found between people of the same rank. And if Iblis was who he said he was, Alexander had to be another protagonist of the legends and myths that Lumia had never totally trusted. "Now, Lumia, I have two more matters to resolve. So, I will unfreeze time. Remember: use your weapon carefully. From now on you are the equivalent of a Queen, behave like one. Leave it to others to serve. " Lumia nodded and Alessandro snapped his fingers, disappearing from the girl''s sight along with Iblis and Bucephalus. ¡­ Not too far from Orma, in a Human village, one of the few survivors of the Goblin attack The warrior sitting on the ground, with two black swords on his legs, seemed to sense something and turned his head, as if looking for someone who had called him by name. Beside him sat a girl with short and slightly curled hair, forming ringlets, who spoke without too much care about what was around her. The warrior raised a hand and stopped the girl''s pleasant chatter. A smile was painted on his face as he got up from the ground and cleaned the mud from his trousers: "I have to go, there are things I have to take care of now. A friend of mine is in a tight spot and I think the time of waiting is over." Finally he looked at the young woman who had occasionally kept him company during his stay in the village. "I must admit it was a pleasure to talk to you." Passers-by watched in amazement as the warrior walked away from his usual seat. Since the moment of his arrival he had never moved! This was perhaps the moment that all the villagers had been waiting for a long time, but in their hearts they knew that somehow they had grown fond of that mysterious figure. "You never told me your name!" the girl said. Unexpectedly, there was no sadness in her words or in her eyes. She and the warrior had spent a lot of time chatting about this and that and exchanging stories, or even just observing the horizon. A naive girl would have fallen in love with the mysterious man with the ebony swords. But she didn''t, she didn''t seem interested in that kind of feeling. The warrior turned, slightly surprised. "Hey! I don''t think knowing my name would change anything for you. I''ll probably soon die, you know? I doubt we''ll see each other again!" he said very loudly, so that the girl could hear him from afar. "But I could definitely take your name to the grave!" The girl waved her hand from a distance, saying farewell. She glanced at the house of the old bastard who underpaid her day after day, despite all her hard work and yelled, "Don''t worry! I don''t think you even need mine, I''ll be leaving soon too, I have other plans, you know? Good luck with your death, I''m going to kill someone too!" The girl with the short, curled hair laughed and headed for the old hag''s house, as if nothing had happened. Shaking his head, the warrior began to run at full speed, leaving very deep footprints in the ground. ¡­ This warning has been given, too, Alexander thought. Now only one thing is missing. ¡­ In the Colosseum Helial felt his bones shatter under the gargantuan fist of the Revenant. The abomination had a terrifying force, probably on par with warriors in the Late stage of the Seventh Phase. Despite his extremely dangerous situation, he too had been distracted by the events involving Lumia and, out of the corner of his eye, he had seen his sister as she was about to be killed by one of the two Follies; luckily Lumia had regained the advantage at the last minute. Even if something happened to her beloved sister, Helial could not do anything to protect her. At that moment he had to devote himself body and soul to the fight with the Prince of Darkness. He hadn''t even had time to wonder where the silver scythe his sister was holding had come from, and he hadn''t even noticed that one of the two Follies had been practically pulverized. While the Perfect Foundations granted him exceptional talent, a disadvantage of more than three Phases was too much even for him. If he kept on like this, victory would be just a dream. To achieve victory, he would have to invent something else. Or rather, it was not necessary for him to do it. It was enough for someone to do it, wasn''t it? Seal Removed Effects of the item Scarlet Tear partially unlocked. Seal Removed Effects of the item Morning Lighting partially unlocked. "What the Hell?" swore Helial, confused. He was in the middle of the fight and had just seen two notifications leap in front of him. What the hell was going on? Scarlet Tear? Morning Lighting? Why were those names ringing a bell? He tried concentrate, while the Prince of Darkness tried to make it into a very human and reddish variant of mashed potatoes. Helial quickly turned his face, avoiding for an inch the monster''s fist from beheading him. However, the shockwave threw him several meters away, making him vomit yet another mouthful of blood. Lying on his stomach on the sand of the Colosseum, he watched the Prince of Darkness advance slowly and enjoy the scene, without hastening his execution. At several moments Helial had had the impression that the Revenant was making fun of him. Probably, to defeat him it would have been enough for him to be at an higher Phase. Just one. He squeezed the sand of the Colosseum in his hands, using all the strength left in his body to get up. His near-infinite Mana was dangerously low. Every inch of his body was screaming in pain. Just a second... Scarlet Tear? Morning Lighting? Now he had understood! Helial looked over his shoulder and saw that the frayed cloak had taken on a bloody glow. Amazed, he then passed his hand over the crown on his head, stuck there, motionless. Up to that point, the only property Helial had observed in the crown was its stillness; the cloak, however, was still a mystery. But now, touching the metal with his hand, the boy felt an electric discharge run through his body. Scarlet Tear gave off a frightening Aura, unlike the sharp Aura of the crown. A strange smell of blood permeated Helial''s nostrils as electrical discharges began to run through his body. Helial heard a voice envelop him. Those two gifts are much more than just an ornament. They cannot be restored to their glorious past, but they are more than enough for your level. You could not fully exploit them anyway. Helial immediately recognized the owner of that voice. "Alexander?" My ancestor possessed Lightning Mana and Blood Mana, among others, thanks to these two items. They are part of the most terrifying weapon set ever created during that Age. Scarlet Tear can transform your Mana into Blood Mana, Morning Lightning, well, I guess you can tell by its name... Without waiting for Helial to ask for further explanation, he continued: You have, now, everything you need to balance what the Devil has taken from you. I can''t say anything else. Iblis is against my intervention and I have already done too much. Helial felt slightly relieved at those words. Determination began to fill his eyes again. Ah, I forgot, added Alexander, the conversion is perfect. These two items create Blood and Lightning Mana in their purest form. 254 Pure It would have taken the Prince of Darkness just one blow to make the scant residue of life disappear from Helial''s body. The boy couldn''t afford to relax. Certainly Alexander had done him a great favour, giving him two kinds of Mana he could use to avoid getting killed. But how could he use them? Metamorphosis? No, Metamorphosis could not be affected by two different kinds of Mana. Creating Metamorphosis has already been exhausting, I would not be able to replicate it in now. I''d just end up killing myself. Alexander wanted to tell me something, but if he had been too explicit Iblis would have gone mad. Unfortunately, if I want the title of his disciple, that''s how I have to earn it. Being the disciple of the greatest monster of all time had its strengths and weaknesses and you had to be willing to accept them without remorse. My only Abilities that have offensive potential are Mana Pistol, which de-evolved from Death Flame Pistol when I lost Flame of the Qilin. Besides, even Flame of the Qilin is gone and is therefore not to be taken into consideration. Helial kept thinking as fast as he could as the Prince of Darkness approached him, more and more menacing. Then we have Achilles''s Flaming Throw, but I don''t think there''s anything to be done. While it is possible to make a spear with those two kinds of Mana, you might as well use Mana of Life and Destruction. Of course, the Mana of Blood and Lightning are pure, according to Alexander... One second. Pure? ¡­ During a training session with Iblis "So this new Skill you have developed takes Flame of the Qilin and uses it to create new Runes. Clever", Iblis commented, with slightly furrowed brows. Helial knew that look. The Devil was thinking of some test or question to ask him to see how much progress he had made during his training. Although he would never have shown it at such moments, Iblis was genuinely amazed by his disciple. Using the power of Flame of the Qilin was like trying to chain a hurricane, a storm, a tsunami and have it follow orders. That Skill was a force of nature in its own right. Its owner too treated the creation of Flame of the Qilin as a miraculous event. Dragons used their Mana to create the most terrifying flames ever seen. The Phoenixes possessed Flames that consumed the surrounding Mana to allow them to heal their wounds continuously. Many other creatures used Mana in different ways to fuel or control their flames. But not the Qilin. The Qilin since their birth had a Flame that no one could ever take away from them. Even just after birth, their control over this was greater than that of all other species. They had an innate connection with their own Flame and didn''t even need Mana to activate it! A Qilin needed just enough Mental Energy to create terrifying Skills. Kirin had created a bloodline unable to pursue Destruction, a bloodline forever destined to protect and serve living creatures. And because of this, the Dragons had always treated the Qilin like beasts on a leash, making fun of them. But the truth was that, although the Qilin had partially given up their freedom, what they had gained from this loss was a nearly indestructible body and a Flame more terrifying than anything their brothers could conjure up. Well, on the one hand the Dragons had the finest control over the Mana in the universe, on the other their brothers, the Qilin, possessed a Flame capable of annihilating anything. Iblis pursed his lips and shook his head. "Do you know why, when using Runic Control, you can only use Mana in a neutral way, without imbuing it with the Principles of Life and Destruction?" Helial was taken aback by that question and thought about it immediately, aloud. "When I tried to insert Life and Destruction into the Runes, the two types of Mana destroyed all the Runes I had created; it seemed as if they were incapable of forming from two such powers. I suppose the affinity of Flame of the Qilin, perhaps its physical form and its missing links with Mana, are why it could work instead. Maybe Life and Destruction can''t handle the stress that goes through the Runes. Flame of the Qilin also becomes unusable for 24 hours after the activation of Rune of the Qilin: I suppose it is because, I repeat, the stress..." "Ok, stop. You said enough bullshit," Iblis said, running his palm over his face. The child sighed and rose in mid-air, stopping three feet from Helial. Skill Activated: Runes of Destruction Iblis''s body was immediately covered in pitch-black Runes and his Aura, brought to the Late stage of the Second Phase, was amplified in a terrifying way, as if it could pierce the sky itself. Helial gasped. Sometimes he forgot that learning the principles of the Skills that Helial had created with so much effort had to be a piece of cake for Iblis. "As you see, Shit Head," Iblis said, annoyed, "it''s not a problem due to Destruction Mana or, for what it''s worth, Life." Alexander appeared out of nowhere next to Iblis, inside the arena they were using to train. "The problem is that the Mana you use is not pure enough and cannot condense into Runes. It''s a weak version of the Mana of Life and Destruction, it''s like it''s an ineffective conductor. You are on a difficult Mana Path. You have chosen to pursue multiple kinds of Mana, and contrasting with each other. It will be difficult to achieve adequate purity. So, the Mana you use fails to transmit the energy, it gets blocked and explodes. Poof." Iblis mimicked an explosion with his hands as the Runes began to disappear from his body. ¡­ During the fight Pure. The Mana of Blood and Lightning was pure, completely pure, without even a flaw. Helial''s body began to shake visibly in front of the Revenant, now a few meters from him. The Prince of Darkness raised its fist, ready to pulverize him. He had made the fight long enough, continuing would have been useless. Although his position, within the territory of the Undead, was second only to that of the Immortals, he could not disobey the orders he had received. Yes, the Prince of Darkness did not speak the language of living creatures, but he understood it perfectly, enough to elaborate a number of useful information to act in the most correct way and at the right time. Like this. The Revenant would mark the end of Helial. But that impossibly shaped monster knew that he was only acting as a perpetrator and that he was being exploited by the big shots craving for war. Tomorrow, once it reached Immortality, it would take care of all the people who were taking advantage of its weakness, but for now it couldn''t help but lower its head and put an end to its fun. Helial sensed that the threat this time was more real than before. He felt that the Prince of Darkness was ready to finish him. This was the moment, he had to act as soon as possible! He first brought his arms close to his chest, while a scarlet light shone in his right palm, and an electric current was generated in his left. "God. First try. It will hurt." He forcefully extended his arms until he destroyed the air around him and created a frightening shock wave. DOOOOONG! Frankenstein, Snowflake, Vlad, Circe and all the others, even Lumia who was wrestling with Vetal and couldn''t get distracted even for a second, turned to Helial. All they saw was a column of red light traversed by Lightning crashing against the barrier, damaging it so much that a web of cracks formed across its length. All the Immortals present there, Goblins, Trolls or Undead as they were, looked at what was happening with wide eyes. How could that energy crack the barrier, which was practically indestructible? That was the second singular event in a very short time. Before it was Lumia''s scythe that pierced the barrier as if nothing was had been there, now it was not an object but a strange energy, which covered the boy, to inflict damage on the dome that should be able to resist any type of attack! Meanwhile, in the Soul of Helial, Iblis was very worried: he could not decide where to place the cutlery. He stood with his eyebrows furrowed, unsure whether to put the fork on the right with the knife on top of the napkin, or leave the fork on the right and knife on the left. Besides, how many forks should he have prepared? How many courses should he have cooked? Alexander, on the other hand, was turned towards the void, where a huge image of Helial''s fight levitated in mid-air on a kind of screen. Bucephalus sat next to him and periodically put his hand in a huge pack of popcorn. "That Mana is so pure that it could hardly be stopped by a stupid barrier, idiots", Bucephalus grumbled, "even if it were Mana belonging to someone in the First Phase, its purity infiltrates all the imperfections of the Mana used by those who have created the barrier. Such pure Mana is such a powerful weapon that it has few rivals." "Few, yes. But it''s still not up to Curse of the Demon, which someone has decided to take from him." Alexander''s comment did not seem to disturb Iblis in the least. "You should explain to me why you insisted on giving him so many Malus. The thing about being stuck in the Second Phase was true, and in fact it was the same for Lumia. But the rest? Why do you have to invent all this bullshit?" You should explain it to me. The Devil repeated these words in his mind. Iblis stopped and stood still for a few seconds, then resumed moving the cutlery on the table. He did not know how he managed to control himself to avoid creating a conflict of unimaginable dimensions because of Alexander. "Maybe I should," Iblis said, slowly turning to the huge screen suspended in midair. Then he saw a dazzling light completely covering Helial and blocking the view of all the people around him, who could not see beyond the cocoon of light. The Devil folded his arms and kept watching. "And now let''s see how it goes." 255 The Greatest Deb Aure looked at the King of Orma and cursed: "Since when have you had such a disciple?!" A new feeling crept into the heart of the Immortal, a bitter sadness that was impossible to ignore. This was what he felt every time he thought about Comodo and his cowardly behavior. If only his son had had half the heroism of the Human in front of him, Aure could have died in peace, knowing he had done a good job as a father. But reality was not so merciful: Comodo had left Orma to escape the danger of war, but more than a year had passed and he had not yet returned home. Though in his heart he hoped otherwise, the Leader of the Sect of Worthy feared that his son had turned his back on him. Since Comodo had been received by the Human who was plotting this whole conspiracy, Aure had not heard from his son. Cesar had remained silent, watching in fear what Helial was doing. Fear, that''s right. Because the Revenant had a terrified expression and its hands shielding its face, while the terrifying energy that surrounded Helial had penetrated its rotten flesh for several centimetres, to the point of removing part of its skin; but, until a few moments before, Helial had been clearly about to die. Cesar, King of the Goblins, the strongest Immortal in Orma, had never encountered such pure and terrifying power. ¡­ Inside Helial''s soul Alexander looked at the screen suspended in the void with an angry expression. "The Undead are still the scum of the forces of Destruction," he said, with a hint of contempt in his voice. It was no wonder, then, that the Revenant had been so easily damaged. Iblis nodded, watching the fight closely. ¡­ The air resonated around Helial, while the light and the lighting become more and more dim, until the figure of the Human who had been covered by all that Mana was visible again. A bleeding bare chest rose and fell quickly. The blast of energy had ripped through Helial''s clothes and the boy was left shirtless. Only the trousers had somehow survived, preventing, in a very convenient way, the entry of a hero in commando. The earth around him trembled, like air, like emptiness. It all seemed to resonate with the enormous power his body now contained. The light that had enveloped him a short time ago had condensed around his arms. The skin of the Prince of Darkness had been torn open by Lightning and the living, bloody flesh showed off in many places. If the Revenant seemed like an utter abomination, a monstrously frightening creature, then Helial had just transformed into the God of Death. Exactly as had happened earlier for Lumia, the attention of all warriors and spectators was now on him. The two brothers always found a way to amaze anyone who knew them, thanks to their absurd fighting skills. Frankenstein also remained catatonic for several seconds. Helial had always been very reserved about his Skills and not even Lumia knew exactly the effect of every technique his brother used. Apart from Iblis, the only one who knew all of Helial''s abilities and how they worked was precisely that renowned mad Goblin, whom Helial respected for his knowledge and whom he trusted blindly. Yet even Frankenstein couldn''t hold back a certain surprise. He had stopped on the spot, open-mouthed, speechless Helial was using Runic Condensation. Runic Condensation allowed Helial to use Runes on his own body. Each Rune dramatically increased the density of Mana within his Meridians. Obviously, this meant subjecting the Meridians to a much greater amount of stress than they were used to. And only with sufficiently powerful Meridians the user could survive without literally exploding. Given the incredible violence the Skill exerted on the body, Helial had only used Runic Condensation on his fingers. In this way he had limited the damage created inside his body. Therefore, despite possessing the Meridians of the Demon, the true potential of the Skill was dormant. Frankenstein knew well how difficult and dangerous it was to increase the amount of Runes by just a few centimetres. He had seen directly the effects of this gamble on Helial''s body and had studied that Skill with him, trying to help his leader make it more efficient. However, what Frankenstein didn''t know was that since Helial had obtained the Perfect Foundation, his body had profoundly changed. The Perfect Foundation went far beyond a simple stat boost. For some reason that Iblis was still studying and researching, the true power of that condition lay in a much stronger connection with Mana and its surroundings. It was as if, before the Perfect Foundation, one had lived in a blanket of smoke with a blindfold. Well, there was no better way to explain it. Once the Perfect Foundations were obtained, a new world was discovered, new possibilities. The Meridians had obviously become more powerful than they were before, despite Iblis having deactivated Meridians of the Demon and the Body of the Qilin within Helial''s body. Frankenstein estimated that for every square centimetre occupied by Runic Condensation, the load on Helial''s body grew almost exponentially. So, if his eyes still worked, how was it possible to explain what was in front of him? The Revenant looked down at Helial, who had finally emerged from the dazzling beam of light. The wounds on its body had already begun to regenerate and the fear had turned into dull anger. As an acid slime dripped from its mouth, evaporating into clouds of poisonous smoke, it observed the strange patterns that appeared on both of Helial''s forearms; they reached up to the fingertips and contained strange designs. Neither the Revenant nor the previous owner of its body knew the Runes, a now forgotten Skill, so he had no idea what he was facing. The Prince of Darkness had always relied more on his instincts than on knowledge. And now his instincts sensed a threatening Aura emanating from the Human''s body and immediately the Prince of Darkness prepared to face a completely different opponent. Despite this, it was sure it could defeat him. The Revenant assurance safety depended not on its stupidity, but on a great awareness of its own strength. In spite of his elephantine and horrifying figure, the abomination was much more intelligent than one might think. Helial looked down at his hands and forearms as his muscles twitched in incredible spasms. The amount of mana thickening in his Meridians was so high that it wouldn''t take it long to destroy his body from within. However, it seemed that Mana quality had made a significant leap forward. Helial couldn''t understand how it was possible that, with normal Runic Condensation, he could use less power than with its more powerful version, but this probably depended on the purity of the Blood and Lightning Mana given to him by Scarlet Tear and Morning Lightning. The runes on her skin were burgundy and bluish-yellow: the former gave off a soft scarlet glow, while the latter released sparks of electricity from time to time. Skill Activated Runes of the Blood God Skill Activated Runes of the Lighting God Helial''s body was visibly shaking and a thin sheen of blood was oozing from the blood vessels in the skin, because of the stress it was subjected to. The laboured breathing betrayed the difficulty necessary to maintain that state. Squinting, Helial thanked Alexander in his heart. The King of Kings had given him a gift beyond belief. The debt he owed Iblis was enormous, but now he had contracted an equally great one with Alexander. The young Human felt the need to thank the King of Kings for all the power he now felt flowing through his veins. In a flash, Helial had an idea. There would be no better way to start repaying than what had just occurred to him. Alexander, absorbed in the vision of the conflict inside Helial''s Soul, raised an eyebrow as he watched the boy place himself in a position that seemed extremely familiar to the King of Madonia... 256 Craters Uppercu Having lived for so many years, even for a being of his calibre, remembering every single detail of his life had begun to be difficult. Moreover, what he had in front of him seemed only a blurry picture of what he had already experienced. But, as if he had suddenly been caught at the throat by a noose, Alexander felt something block his stomach. In his last military campaign, the one in which he had died because of a poison that had nearly killed half the universe, all his dearest generals had died with him. Only a handful of them remained alive and had died trying to divide the empire their King had left behind. Alexander looked at Helial very carefully, so carefully that a well-known figure slowly overlapped on Helial''s silhouette. The King was catapulted into the past. As if it were a vision, Iblis, Helial and the battle in the Colosseum began to disappear. Screams flooded Alexander''s ears, while gigantic creatures crushed several Immortals with disarming ease. His generals fought like beasts, renouncing to every last ounce of honour in exchange for just another dead enemy at their feet. Alexander and his men had been ambushed. After conquering territories never explored and never submissive, Alexander had disbanded his army. It was at the time when he was weaker that the empires that survived his expedition had turned against him, betraying the peace pact that would spare thousands of lives. And if Alexander had decided to put a stop to his insatiable desire for conquest, it was only for his generals and his soldiers, who knew only a life of toil and battle. Some of them were born, lived and raised to Immortality within the army. The only moments of peace they had enjoyed were brief and were spent training continuously for the next siege. No one could go on any longer. And now, after dismissing almost all his warriors and being left with just a handful of men, Alexander had been attacked by an army of monsters. Alexander had never seen them before, but he had already heard of them. Who had never heard of them? The most mysterious mercenaries in the Universe, the origin of horror legends even among the Immortals. The Empuses. The Empuses had been able to fight the dragons, defeating them in more than one inter-species war, before becoming extinct at the hands of a woman who considered them among the most evil and filthy beings in the universe. Although the most cheeky claimed that this genocide was, for the great warrior, only an excuse to vent; it was said she had decided to turn her fury against an entire race because she had not had the courage to kill a monster with bat wings. But you know, these are just gossip. The control that the Empuses were able to exert on Mana and their mastery of weapons, combined with their lean and perfect physical shape, made them unstoppable deadly machines. However, Alexander was too powerful to be killed in an ambush. If getting rid of the King of Kings had been so simple, then Alexander should have been dead for more than a few millennia. Instead, he was still there, haunting the nightmares of his enemies. But non much longer. Alexander had been stabbed by the Queen of the Empuses, Tariata. Certainly a simple stab would not stop Alexander, so the blade of the weapon had been impregnated with a very powerful poison, whose distillation cost an amount of resources equal to half of all that could be found in the universe, so that it could be powerful enough to eliminate even the greatest Immortal ever, the King of Kings. Alexander was aware of all this, and yet he had not backed down, hoping to defeat the monsters and triumph once more over his enemies. But, when the dagger had sunk into his unprotected forearm, the King understood that there would be nothing left to do and had ordered the few men who followed him to leave the ranks and flee. The hopes of the Empuses were becoming a reality. Although only one handful of the army remained, the most powerful Generals were still with Alexander, ready to escort him to the Royal Palace; once they got there, even if the rest of the universe had attacked at the same time, the Formations would pulverise any enemy. Even the Empuses would not have been able to penetrate that impregnable fortress. In fact, they had to act before Alexander was reunited with the rest of his men. Months and months of conjecture and plans were materialising before their eyes, or rather, dematerialising. Alexander''s body had begun to disappear, starting from his forearm, while Bucephalus, in his Human form, clutched his King in his arms. He was trying to heal Alexander''s body by injecting all his Mana into his Meridians, while tears fell copiously down the cheeks of the king''s trusty companion. Bucephalus''s grip was so strong and rigid that Alexander wanted to tell him something irritating and laugh, because he knew his life was coming to an end. But, out of respect for his friend, he stood silently and tried to look at his equine face before disappearing forever. Bucephalus was wearing himself out, and he blamed himself for not saving Alexander, the person closest to him. If he could trade his life for Alexander''s, he would have done it in a split second. His King had saved him from the certain death of slavery, cutting off the bite and reins that Philip''s slaveholders had use to chain him. Since he was only a reckless young steed, Alexander had always treated him with the same respect as one of his Generals. By time, Bucephalus had become one of the most powerful warriors, along with Crater. Bucephalus was Alexander''s bodyguard, the companion always by his side. Not even when he slept did he walk away from his King, close to him like a twin. He had watched continuously over him, foiling direct attacks and taking arrows to his chest in his place. It was Alexander who had given him freedom. And freedom was worth all this, and even more. Bucephalus''s bloodied tears continued to bathe Alexander, while all around the warriors, as if they had been wounded in the heart, struggled with all the life that had remained in their body. Not only had Alexander put an end all his ambitions to bring them home safely, but now, after being ambushed, he had ordered them to leave. But could they obey such a last order? Definitely not. It was as if that poisoned dagger had struck in the heart all of them, who had insisted on going home. If they hadn''t insisted, would Alexander have died? While this question deafened their ears and hearts, the Generals carried out unprecedented carnage. The death of their King could hardly be erased, but no one could deny them the redemption of vengeance. Yes, the Empuses were powerful. Yes, Tariata was more powerful than the King of Dragon and the warrior that would later become Kirin. But this was the army of Alexander, the man who had subdued the entire universe. While each of his men fought like a hundred and his Generals like a thousand, the deployment was open in a circular manner around two terrifying figures. Crater was covered from top to toe in his own blood, while his eyes expressed pain beyond the limits of what we can all understand. Crater had lived with Alexander from an early age, when they were both beaten by their teacher for skipping military tactical lessons and instead went to beat each other with wooden swords. His King was also his brother, a brother who had been chosen, and therefore the bond between them went beyond any blood bond. The bond between Crater and Alexander was as indestructible as a wire of steel. Crater looked at Tariata with an anger that no living being had ever felt before. The Empusa, with a pitch-black carapace on her Meridians, responded to the Madoni warrior''s gaze with a sneer and prepared to attack. ¡­ Alexander kept watching Helial through the screen in a vacuum. Helial stretched his legs, flexing them slightly, while his left arm was carried forward to give more momentum to the body. Frankenstein observed that position, wondering why Helial had adopted such a simple form to attack, instead of pointing to the monstrous Aura that surrounded him and besieging the Prince of Darkness from multiple sides. Helial''s attack was so basic that anyone could see clearly what the outcome the fight would have. Frankenstein didn''t understand the point of putting himself in danger like that. And the King of Kings watched, increasingly immersed in nostalgia, the figure of Crater form before his eyes. With his legs slightly flexed, Crater''s left fist was in front of his body, while the right was tightly close to his side. The monstrous figure of the Prince of Darkness was replaced by the indescribable figure of Tariata, clutching two Chakrams made of dragon tusks, excellent for catalysing Skills and so sharp to cut through anything like a red-hot knife into a block of butter. That''s why those creatures were deeply hated by the whole Race of the Dragons. Alexander watched that move with a sweet sadness that brought him back to their childhood. A tremendously simple shape, a blow so easy to intercept. But what does it matter if you can predict where it will hit, if you are able neither to block it nor able to survive it? Skill Activated: Crater''s Uppercut! 257 Even a Devil Isnt Always a Devil Skill Activated: Crater''s Uppercut! The Empusa was looking at Crater with a hint of contempt. She had heard a lot about the great Madoni General, Alexander''s right arm; he was the second strongest warrior in the King''s Empire, so Tariata had decided to face him personally. Until then, however, he didn''t seem to have earned the fame the stories gave him. Tariata had cornered him, filling his body with wounds that were impossible to heal. The monster''s Chakrams were more than just weapons. In fact, they possessed several Bonuses capable of bringing even the Dragon King to his knees. Tariata must have been very disappointed, having realized that Crater, despite being nearly as strong as the Dragon King, had been hurt so easily. Yes, Crater was indeed an excellent warrior with great military technique. In short, he was not one to play with. But Tariata could not help thinking, with a touch of pride, that no one in the universe would dare to look at her in the wrong way; she and her sisters were one of the most feared armies ever and Crater was another poor wretch who would die under their blows. That ambush had cost the Empuses a lot of money and many lives and would probably deal a heavy blow to their troops, but at the same time make them infinitely rich. In time they would rebuild an even more terrifying army. Tariata prepared to dodge the stupid Skill Crater had just activated. The trajectory of the blow was so obvious that she almost thought it was a bluff. Was Crater hoping to hit her with such an obvious Uppercut? The Empusa didn''t doubt that, considering Crater''s strength, the blow would cause great damage if it landed, but did the General really expect her to remain still as if dazed? But as the monster started to move, she realized that her limbs felt as if paralyzed. Crater, despite being covered in blood and having concentrated all the Vitality left in his body within that single Skill, found enough time to give her one last wink. In that last split second, Crater saw the figure of his King, dying in Bucephalus''s arms. He took a deep breath. All the air that had ever come out of his lungs had contained what he felt for Alexander, all the blind faith he had placed in that man, all the love for the greatest comrade he had ever had, for the greatest man he had ever known. Every breath he had taken over the course of his life, he had taken for Alexander. That day, Crater would die, but he didn''t care, because that day he would die along with Alexander. ... Alexander wondered how Helial got to know that story. The boy hadn''t experienced that tragic battle, the only time Crater had used that blow. However, Crater had created and refined the Uppercut from a young age and the foundations of the Skill had always existed. He must have told Helial about it in Alexander''s memories. Helial''s gesture had been almost naive. The boy just wanted to show Alexander his gratitude, bringing him as close as possible to his closest friend. Instead, he found himself unknowingly using a Skill that, in the past, had beheaded one of the big shots in the universe. How strange are fate and coincidences. Iblis kept a rigorous silence. Even though he couldn''t read Alexander''s mind, he had sensed some of his emotions. Alexander had lived his whole life with his generals, just like Iblis with his own. The least the Devil could do for another monster like him was to respectfully observe his pain. Several figures who had abandoned him over the year passed before Iblis''s eyes. Perion, the gentle giant, whose heart had always shown something new to the universe. Doine, one of the great generals whom for too long he had not thought about: he had won several battles when Iblis was too busy thinking about Amaterasu. Leuconia, the master of Shadows. Gilgamesh, the lord of Blades. Cartago, the one who had organized the army of Destruction, once assembled. And many others, who had followed Iblis in his enterprise. "Iblis, if you could go back and save them all, would you?" Alexander''s words cut straight to the heart of the Devil. When it came to two beings like them, a simple emotion could shape the energy around the planet. It was all too easy to read each other inside. The King of Kings almost felt guilty for reopening his own wound in the body of the Lord of Destruction. The Devil was much younger than him, and many of the people he loved, including his nemesis and only love, were still alive. Furthermore, Alexander knew how much the Devil''s choices had affected the lives of his great companions. Alexander had always cared for the lives of others more than anything else. Iblis, selfishly, had always cared too much about Amaterasu''s. A couple of glances, a breath, a gesture, a blink of an eye. This was enough for Iblis and Alexander to understand each other. Iblis brought his open hand to the corner of his eyes, rubbing them slowly and closing the fingers towards the nose. He lifted his chin upward and focused on the clouds in the sky, although he could see far beyond. He turned his gaze to Alexander. "Even if I did, it wouldn''t change anything, you know that too. The odds would remain virtually unchanged." The green and blue eyes of the King lit up: "The most important thing is to know, or rather, to believe that you have done everything possible. Even today I wonder if this was my case, as I''m sure you are wondering too... "The younger you are, the more wounds like that penetrate your soul. The more we tell ourselves that we haven''t done everything we can, that our choices have been wrong, or that they might have been, the more we want to torture ourselves. There are two idiots who have bound their souls indefinitely to something in order not to give up the possibility of redeeming themselves one day. Imagine being able to remove even a small weight from the shoulders of those in front of you. " Iblis crossed his arms. "Absolutely nothing will change." The King approached the Devil threateningly. Iblis frowned and held back the urge to take his original form, but released his murderous Aura in Alexander''s direction. The King''s hand rose and very slowly rested on Iblis''s shoulder. It was a simple, banal gesture. Some would have interpreted it as a soft and feminine gesture. But, in the souls of great beings, every gesture had an equally important value. "Take some pain from the world, take something away from fate. At least someone has to be removed from the calamities you have witnessed. You are the greatest Devil that ever existed in the universe, I am the King who conquered it. If we won''t intervene, who will?" A surge of pride entered the flesh of the Devil. He was so used to living like the greatest of all that he had almost forgot. If it hadn''t been him, to interfere with fate, to bend it, who would have done it? And Iblis did nothing but snap his fingers. ... In the Colosseum As Helial watched, determined, the abomination fly across the arena, he felt his body suddenly glow. He fell on all fours as every single fibre, every cell, was invaded by a strange demonic energy and an equally strange red-hot energy. The Mana within his meridians began to flow a hundred times easier than before as he felt his muscles turn to steel and ... fire? With a simple thought, a pure white flame enveloped his body as a strange familiar weight fell on his back. Flame of the Qilin bubbled around him, setting the air ablaze and instilling a primal fear in the hearts of all Undead. Even the Revenant, who had landed in pieces on the sand of the arena and was repositioning his head, separated almost completely from his body, felt a pang of terror run down his back. Helial put his arm behind his back; a cold, angular hilt found his hand. He grabbed it. Curse of the Demon was wielded as easily as ever. The young man finally seemed to have found his lost half. Meridians of the Demon, Flame of the Qilin, Curse of the Demon. How was it possible that he had got them back? Shouldn''t ten years have passed? "Yes. The level will have to wait anyway. Not ten, but five years. That''s the true duration of the side effects. The rest was a test. Let''s say, in a sense, you passed it." A legendary figure within Helial''s Soul rolled his eyes at the other''s shameless lies. But as his eyes flew up, so did corners of his mouth. Even a Devil is not always a devil. A second snap of fingers reached Helial''s ears. You have unlocked the second Layer of Demon''s Curse! Congratulations! Second Layer: Pasta with Butte 258 David "It seems that this little boy has some ancient descendants, in his human line, with rather incredible origins compared to the world in which he is," commented Alexander briefly. The qualities of Blood Mana guaranteed an offensive advantage out of the ordinary; placed inside some Skills or used to upgrade weapons, it would have guaranteed an unparalleled corrosive power. Even the largest defences would collapse in the face of the Blood Mana. It was a cruel power but, for an archer like Vlad, that Mana was a true gift. Using Blood Mana, a fighter at the Third Phase could easily have injured an enemy at the Fourth. Although Vlad did not possess the destructive power of Lightning Mana, thanks to his particular Legacy he was capable of inflicting much more subtle and lethal damage. In fact, considering their diametrically opposite nature, it seemed odd that Scarlet Tear and Morning Lightning were two pieces of the same equipment. Mana of Blood and Lightning were two offensive but oppositely polarized Affinities. Bucephalus yawned. Meanwhile he had been eavesdropping on Iblis and Snowflake. The horse was used to act as a bodyguard, always alert to everything that happened around his King. Bucephalus was Alexander''s eyes and ears, and had been so for ages. By now, it was a behavior embedded in his body. While Alexander was whispering to himself, the horse in human form patted him on the shoulder. A pat on the shoulder, of course, means here a kick in the ass. "A big shot, universally speaking, is coming," he informed him. The horse was rather worried about what might happen next. Iblis had just destroyed a Seal of Location and looked furious. The Seals of Location activated at the exact moment they were destroyed, sending their owner''s position to the one who had the twin Seal. And, unfortunately, in this case the second Seal belonged to Snowflake''s father. But Alexander didn''t seem particularly interested. "But first ... shouldn''t we do something for the other friends of the boy and Lumia?" the King asked, "at least now that Iblis is distracted." "It makes no sense," Bucephalus replied. "None of them have much latent potential, other than the cat and the Archer; and the latter does not even have much blood of the Blood God in his veins. If we hadn''t thickened it, it would hardly have surfaced. It would still boost his constitution and base talent, but nothing more. Now he can channel it to..." "Yes, yes", mumbled Alexander, raising his head to look around. He had been distracted by the sudden change in the air. A terrifying Mana had filled the Colosseum and the whole city. Alexander felt as if his skin was about to peel off the muscles, a horrible sensation. Bucephalus snorted. Alessandro was always too optimistic, but he appreciated this trait of his. The two exchanged a knowing look and disappeared from the arena, only to appear in the stands with a pack of popcorn. The show that was about to begin looked very interesting. Iblis, lost in his anger, had not in the least noticed that Bucephalus and Alexander had hidden away in the stands. At that moment he was just thinking about how his reckless actions had led him to radically change destiny. When he was still alive, Iblis had certainly been the most powerful being of his whole era. Even Amaterasu had never been able to stand up to him completely. One of its peculiarities, however, was the bad character that had distinguished it over the years, or rather, over the millennia. He had never really lost his temper with Helial, so he had left the boy with the impression of a measured and calm millennia-old demon. But all of this couldn''t be further from the truth. For example, Iblis had once discovered that a prominent member of a Clan of Life intended to ask for Amaterasu''s hand. Certainly anyone would expect stolen kisses, secret marriages, love fugues and all the usual clich¨¦s. But no, it didn''t go that way. There was just a huge massacre. The proposal never reached the Paladin of Life''s ears, because Iblis had skinned his beloved''s suitor and eliminated his entire Clan before it could happen. No women or children had been spared, and their heads had been rotting on pikes for weeks. That was why Iblis was known throughout the universe as a real monster, the scariest monster to have travelled through galaxies. Anyone who wanted to marry Amaterasu would have done better to prepare to see his entire lineage completely destroyed, without exception. And so it had been. But some members of Destruction didn''t like this, either. Iblis, however, did not care about the opinion of others. The Devil always kept his promises and the threats he made. It was rumoured that his threats could be used as a bargaining chip that would never lose value. One large blue vein pulsed on Iblis''s neck and two on his forehead. To tell the truth, the Devil was not in the least thinking about the possible accident that could happen very soon. Iblis was thinking about how badly he was after betraying his word, helping Alexander to alter destiny, and not checking the Seal''s nature before destroying it. Just then, the sky fractured. From a huge blueish crack came a shower of lightning, tearing the fabric of space as they passed. A tyrannical Aura enveloped Snowflake, while words heavier than lead came from the fracture. "You have finally come to your senses. Let''s see what kind of Heavenly Star Tiger you are now." A man who appeared to be in his fifties made his way through the blue lightning casually, not caring in the least about what was around him. He only had eyes for Snowflake. He had the bearing of a ruler accustomed to ignoring the screaming crowds as he passed. He had flaming red hair, down to his pelvis and well-groomed, which gave him a hieratic aura. A scarlet beard covered his stern jaw. He was a splendid man, a god even. His movements seemed to come from a past long gone. Snowflake narrowed his eyes and felt the fur all over his body stand up: "Father." "And he''s not alone," laughed a voice behind the old man. Three men appeared, covered from head to toe in armour of White Crystal. Nathal, Shamms and Soba. The Heavenly Star Tiger etiquette dictated that, in formal settings, the Tigers would assume their Human form, while their true one was reserved for battles. "Here they are," sighed Snowflake running a paw across his face. "Son," thundered the man with the long red hair, still levitating in the sky. "Son. Father. Son. Father. Son, you fucking old bastard I broke the Seal by accident, can you get the fuck out now?" Snowflake was ready to kill himself after seeing daddy and his merry fellows. Nathal ignored the words of the black-fringed child and levitated beside Snowflake. "Solmon, don''t get second thoughts. You are the youngest and have not yet achieved Immortality, but our father has always recognized you as a legitimate son. You are the fourth descendant, the one with the most perfect legacy. Why do you always have to behave like this?" Nathal put a hand on Snowflake''s white fur, which seemed to enrage him. Still, a terrifying pressure didn''t let him from open his mouth. "Nathal, leave your brother alone. We are not here to punish him. He is a lost lamb. Besides¡­ " The man with the long red hair looked around, sniffing the air carefully. "What is this stench, this disgusting and filthy Mana?" Alexander and Bucephalus began to laugh out loud, nearly falling from the stands. Popcorn flew from their mouths over the poor, unsuspecting Goblins paralyzed by the Time Block. At that point Nathal, Shamms and Soba noticed them and looked around. Only then did they notice that time was frozen and frowned. But they said nothing. They were there to accompany their father, so it was up to him to interact with any other being in the universe other than Snowflake. This was the etiquette. The man also noticed that time was blocked and realized that those two Humans, sitting among the immobile Goblins, had something special. "Friends, I see that you are practitioners of Mana of Time, an art long lost and counted among the most precious treasures. But¡­" he continued to sniff the air, annoyed by an unpleasant smell. His eyes shifted to the Revenant, the petrified Folly and the Undead scattered in the arena and on the stands; but the stench didn''t seem to come from any of them. "I feel a strange demonic Mana¡­ indeed, it seems to belong to some kind of Devil, perhaps some disgusting being of Destruction. Was it you who eliminated him?" Being a Heavenly Star Tiger, the man''s bearing was truly out of the ordinary. Alexander knew that by showing interest in him he would wrong Iblis, so he restrained himself. But he had to admit that his elegance exerted a certain fascination on him. On the other hand, the Heavenly Star Tiger expected those two to give him a bow because, despite their uncommon Aura, they would hardly be more powerful than the Patriarch of the Heavenly Star Tigers. Anyone on his level or even remotely close could not be unknown to the big boys of the universe. Bucephalus turned to Alexander, completely ignoring the man. Nathal, Shamms and Soba immediately exchanged a glance, scandalized by such arrogance. "Maybe he''s too short to notice him?" "Uhm?" The man raised an eyebrow and turned to Snowflake, suddenly noticing the presence of a child. It seemed that the little boy was shaking slightly. In fact, he was foaming with anger. "David, how long. You''re still the same retarded brain-damaged shit head, I''m glad to hear that, you and that shitty hair of yours." Nathal, Shamms and Soba gasped. Their brains immediately stopped working. No one in the universe had ever dared to talk to their father like that. Their brains were kaput, shutters down. David was about to furrow his brows angrily when he noticed something terribly familiar in the boy''s smile. Beings like him did not feel terror, and hardly felt emotions at all. But now if David hadn''t already lost all his composure it was only because he was experienced enough to know when to send his brain into autopilot. He couldn''t admit to himself that he recognized that child. "Who are you to dare to talk to our father like that?" Nathal intervened. "You know our entire race could wage a war against whatever pathetic you are just for-" Iblis snarled, "The first to move dies. A communication with the world outside this planet and you will all be exterminated." Nathal could not accept the insult and was about to approach and beat that brat when suddenly he heard his father, the most composed creature in the world, scream at the top of his lungs. "STOP! EVERYBODY STOP! DON''T EVEN MOVE A MUSCLE OR YOU WILL LOSE YOUR LIFE!" 258 Pasta with Butter At that moment, Helial could only sense the warm feeling of Flame of the Qilin flowing within his meridians. He felt intoxicated as his hand passed over the blade of Curse of the Demon, scattering white flames on the weapon. Finally, Flame of the Qilin. He was completely alienated from the world at the time. Despite his alienation, the boy managed to feel his heartbeat getting faster and faster, filling him with a happiness of which he did not know whether to be proud or not. Helial was a guy who would never hesitate to throw himself into a chasm of the worst challenges. Now his feet rested on the highest peak ever, and his tangled emotions allowed him to perceive any sensation with paradoxical clarity. And these emotions, so strong as to be terrifying, were the result of every leap he made to the abyss of difficulty. Whatever he did was a challenge that made him feel alive. Even when he had rescued Lumia from the goblins, even then Helial had acted following this aspect of his soul. And he didn''t know whether to be ashamed of it. After realizing that he was much more selfish than he was willing to admit, he had discovered that the freedom and adrenaline of challenging his own resistance pushed his soul onward. Was that why he felt an elective affinity for Pseudonym? The black-armoured warrior was for him a bottomless chasm where the freedom to challenge his own limits would never end. Now that he thought about it, Iblis had done nothing but allow him to be on a higher peak, as he had desired for so long. And from this peak, Helial could launch himself downstairs, not hoping to survive the fall, but appreciating every second of the descent. A cascade of white flames poured over Helial''s body, covering him from head to toe. Obeying the boy''s thoughts, the tongues of fire retracted and adhered to his body, flattening on his arms. They tickled his skin and caused incredibly familiar sensations. Helial felt like a god. Skill Activated Rune of the Qilin Alongside the scarlet and yellow Runes appeared others, white this time; these, too, like those produced by the Mana of Lightning, continually produced sparks. It looked like Helial himself was a flame. Feeling the enormous power pervading his body, even the tendon of his forearm, which had almost broken after using Crater''s Uppercut, seemed to regenerate as if nothing had happened. Body of the Qilin gave his flesh the texture of hardened steel and the flexibility of rubber. The enormous amount of Mana present in his Meridians was compressed further by the Runes of Qilin. Blood, Lightning, and Life in their purest form flowed into the blood vessels of a simple boy in the Late Stage of the Second Phase. Even if he had suffered a frontal blow from the Revenant, Helial would not have suffered even a tenth of the damage received during the previous exchanges. The weak and helpless Helial was just a memory now. At that moment he felt like a titan, invincible. And not because he was much stronger than the Prince of Darkness ¨C who remained a genius among the geniuses of his species and his generation ¨C but because, wielding all that power, he could no longer afford to lose. Helial had no excuses. He had Curse of the Demon in his hands again. He was again to all intents and purposes the pupil of Iblis, without any limitation. And at that very moment Helial thought of the strength of the Revenant, who could transform even a warrior at the Seventh Phase in bloody jelly, of the power he had just regained and that had allowed him to send him to the other side of the arena with a single blow. And Pseudonym? Would he have been able to face such a monster? Helial knew the answer in the depths of his heart and a smile bloomed on his face. An Aura of death and desolation enveloped the arena around him and everything began to lose colour. Frankenstein, Circe, Snowflake and everyone else in the arena watched speechless as the Prince of Darkness flew to the other side like a cannonball. Which was really funny, since a Formation taller than a Troll and with the appearance of a legendary goblin reproduced every little movement of those who controlled it. "Everybody stay back!" screamed Helial. At Helial''s order, they all run to the other side of the arena. Everyone, minus one. "Lumia, what the fuck are you doing?" yelled Frankenstein, completely shocked by the girl''s actions during the fight. The Goblin moved forward, but Circe''s formation stopped him. "Stop! Helial is about to use a clearly unstable attack and the girl is much more powerful than you can imagine," the young woman scolded him. "A little while ago I felt a radical change within her Aura, as if she had become one with the universe. His Aura is almost impossible to distinguish from the normal forces of nature." Frankenstein frowned and Circe continued. "It''s the same feeling I''ve only felt with Helial before. I can''t explain what those two have, but I''m sure they''re perfectly capable of surviving even without us." The brilliant goblin with an ace always up his sleeve felt a blow in the stomach. Helial and Lumia had begun to play on a completely different plane from their own. Circe knew that, too. Maybe this hurt Circe much more than Frankenstein, but none of them could do anything about it. They should have just resigned themselves to the idea that there were individuals much stronger than them. Circe''s companions, Lev, Zion, Sidra and Francesca, on the other hand, had always been accustomed to being excellent warriors, but never had they been praised as Circe had been, never had they been demons like Pseudonym. If there was anyone who cared even less than them, this was Vlad, who didn''t give a fuck, and worried only about surviving and throwing a few glances in the direction of Francesca''s formation from time to time. Snowflake, on the other hand, felt a pang to the heart. He, too, had noticed the change in Lumia''s Aura, and was also deeply offended that the little girl knew how to use the Skill of the Tyrant, the skill that he himself had struggled so much to learn. As long as Helial had been the only monster, he could accept it, albeit reluctantly. But now it seemed that Lumia had suddenly become as powerful as her brother. The cat was part of the original trio, one of the three who had arrived in Orma and had rattled the whole city since they set foot there. They were the three non-Goblins. All the others were green and far from the magnificence of His Catness and his pet humans. The Devil had given him an unprecedented Skill, and his body had the purest bloodline among the Heavenly Star Tigers. Yet, despite all these advantages, he now had to step aside. Snowflake couldn''t even justify himself by saying that he had not trained as hard as Lumia and Helial, because that would not be true. The huge white cat had managed to put aside his love for food and now spent almost all his time training with Authority of the Tyrant and Mana. But this seemed not to be enough. Nothing was ever enough, if you tried to reach Helial''s strength. Just then, Helial lifted Curse of the Demon towards the sky, screaming. OOOOOHM He felt he could control the terrifying power of the Skill that had repeatedly sent him into a coma after using it. Iblis and Alexander had given him unprecedented gifts. The Human had already thanked Alexander in some way, bringing him back to an important moment of his past through an incredible Skill, dating back to a past now lost in time. Now it was Iblis''s turn to receive his dose of memories. The blade of Curse of the Demon seemed to devour the sun and the surrounding light, plunging the world into darkness. The blade reflected nothing, now, it was matte black. Second Layer: Pasta with Butter Helial circulated his entire Mana within the Meridians of Curse of the Demon. After unlocking the second Set of Meridians, he realized he could use the mysterious Iblis''s Skill without it causing him serious damage. Those meridians were perfect to receive Mana of Destruction, catalyse it, and amplify it to the maximum. And the mysterious Skill could only express its full potential with Curse of the Demon. Skill Activated: ?? 259 Seal of Location The boy was well aware of the treasure he had just got his hands on. Every time he tried to pay Iblis off, the Devil found a way to get him into further debt. However, what Helial was attached to was a very precious debt, for which he was grateful. Any kind of wealth, whatever form it takes, can be managed in different ways. Whether it is gold coins, talent or a chance, there will always be the one who will waste everything, the one who will hide it jealously, the one who will invest it cleverly. And of all, the luckiest will always be the investor. There are those who invest in others and in themselves; who, prudently, in safety; who, even more reckless, in dreams. Among them, some accumulate more and more futile riches, others do good, yet others do evil. The wisest, however, are those who raise their riches to make it a springboard, stacking more and more to raise it to heaven. And these people will be rich forever, because even if the height of the dive changes, their true wealth will always remain the will to dive. And, at that moment, Helial had a trampoline high enough to dive on a freefall. One more time. Snowflake looked up to the sky, while his heart was torn to shreds. His chubby cheeks took on a bitter grimace, so rare that it was almost unique. If anyone had looked at him at that moment, he might have fainted in surprise: no one had ever seen Snowflake grieve for anything other than food missing from his plate. An inexplicable homesickness poisoned the cat, making his fur stand up. You''re only a beast. You''re not worthy to bear the name of a Heavenly Star Tiger, Solmon. Today you are banished. And you will be banished until the day you have understood what bearing is necessary to be a worthy King of the Heavenly Star Tigers. His father''s thunderous, solemn voice rumbled overpoweringly into his fluffy ears. Oddly enough, remembering after so long still hurt him. A Crystal Seal materialized between the cat''s paws. It was a White Crystal Seal, a very rare mineral and only prerogative of the nobility between the Celestial Star Tigers. It was one of the most resistant materials in the universe and was monopolized by the feline race. Even the greatest blacksmiths could not have access to the White Crystal without the permission of the Heavenly Star Tigers. Only weapons as great as Curse of the Demon could perhaps have cut through such a mineral, harder than any type of hardened steel, whose processing and refining process was carefully guarded by the Heavenly Star Tigers and passed down from generation to generation. Snowflake continued to remember. Until then, you, to me, are as dead. Your exile will be marked by the inability to use your Bloodline. However, I allow you to maintain your shape, which will be enough to survive on lesser planets. But you will never walk with your head held high like a Heavenly Star Tiger while I am alive. Maybe it was time to use the Crystal. He could use it, train with his father and get on par with Helial and Lumia, or even overcome them. And then, this gesture would have ensured that everyone got out of the current battle alive. Yes, maybe it would have been worth giving up a piece of himself to save everyone. He stared at the Crystal and the crack that held the two halves together. Snow''s bow felt his thoughts choke in his throat, while his brain could not process anything else. Should he have stepped back and met his father, to ask him to help them defeat the Undead or transport them to another planet? And, if Helial had been able to kill the Revenant, with all those Immortals around and the Devil who would never have meddled, how could they survive? And what would have changed if his father intervened? They still had a chance to win, to overwhelm the Undead, and to find some way to escape. There may be wounded and losses, but in the end they would succeed. While all these thoughts obsessed the cat''s mind, what troubled him the most was that, in a world where the strong crushes the weak, he too, who had been strong, had remained behind and was unable to reach the summit on which Helial and Lumia had settled. The hearts of Snowflake, Lumia and Helial were tuned to frequencies that, however different, had something that brought them incredibly close. ¡­ Inside Helial''s soul "I suppose, to be fair..." yawned Alexander. Iblis looked at him frowning. "If we are to watch this show, we might as well at least have all the cards on the table. All of them. We at least unlock their potentials, don''t we?" Bucephalus shoved into his mouth the last popcorn, which he had stolen from Alexander, while watching the huge white cat. He passed a hand on his chin to caress his tidy beard. "There''s a Seal inside his body, right?" Nodding, the Devil uttered solemn words: "Block this fucking time, filthy lurid hateful bitch." Not so solemn, actually. ¡­ In the Colosseum Snowflake shook his soft furry head and focused on the battle. He looked at Helial, waiting for a devastating attack to be unleashed. Within seconds, the boy''s Aura had undergone an incredible change. In addition, Helial had finally stopped being beaten up and unsheathed Curse of the Demon: he was probably on the verge of playing all the cards he had kept hidden until then. Snowflake was certainly the second best observer of the group, after Frankenstein. And by the way, if his eyes didn''t deceive him... all those present in the arena had stopped and no longer moved. Helial was standing motionless with Curse of the Demon raised above his head. Suddenly, the black-haired child materialized in front of the cat, that monster that had given him his movement Skill, and on his face there was a diabolical expression. Snowflake blinked and curled his whiskers, speechless. To the child''s right, stood what looked like a sculpture of a deity come to life, with blond ringlets and bright eyes of two different colours. To his left, a man with an ancient tunic and round glasses to frame a simple and austere face. Without even having time to think about what was going on, Snowflake saw the Crystal Seal disappear from its paws and reappear in Iblis''s hands. Crack In a split second, the Seal was shattered at the molecular level, leaving not even dust to testify to its past existence. If Snowflake could have gotten even more pale, he could have sworn that this would be his first reaction. The child looked around until he found Vlad''s red head and, in a dry tone, said, "That one has blood of the Blood God in his veins, go awaken his latent potential. I''ll remove the cat''s Seal." The blond-haired man materialized next to Vlad, who was stuck with his worried gaze turned to Francesca. Snowflake was definitely upset. He stuttered something incomprehensible, weakly raising a paw to protest. "Shut up," thundered Iblis, really not in the mood to have a conversation with the huge white cat. A slight sense of guilt passed through the Devil''s body, which was now evoking an endless series of Patterns around Snowflake. He could not understand how Alexander had managed to convince him to intervene in the lives of those little boys and change their destiny. Besides, now Alexander would have thought he had a certain ascendant on Iblis, perhaps he would even think of being his friend. All this significantly got on the Devil''s nerves. "That faggot continues to be as zealous as ever. He sent you here to the First Phase with a Seal that not even Siche could easily remove." Two large pulsating veins appeared on the child''s forehead, whose annoyance grew more and more as he thought of Snowflake''s father. Only a few moments later, as the Runes around him began to shine like the sun, Snowflake realized. "Do you know my father?" he said, startled. "Yes, no fucking pleasure. I am Iblis," the Devil cursed, generating millions of Runes simultaneously around the cat. The Devil''s words were uttered with incredible ease, as incredible as the astonishment and terror that the cat was feeling at the exact same moment. "Iblis?" Snowflake had finally discovered the Devil''s identity. He did not imagine that such a terrifying being was still alive and that, above all, he would present himself in such a... humble way? "Did they stick food in your ears too?" Iblis sent a jolt of pain to Snowflake, who could only remain silent for a few minutes, fearing that the child would get angry again. As if a flash had struck him, Snowflake''s eyes opened wide and his pupils narrowed to two thin lines. Several times the cat tried to speak, but was stopped by the fear of receiving more pain. Iblis finished his work, clapping his hands against each other, and announced, "Done." The runes around the cat''s body disappeared. The Bloodline in Snowflake''s body had been reactivated and now there was not much more to do. If only Alexander had been as quick. "You already know how to use your Bloodline, so I won''t waste any more time with you," the Devil continued, turning towards Alexander. "Uhm," Snowflake coughed. "Forgive me sir, but that wasn''t a Communication Seal, it was a Seal of Location." Alexander, who was on the other side of the arena, heard a thunderous imprecation coming from Iblis''s mouth and smiled satisfied. 260 David "It seems that this little boy has some ancient descendants, in his human line, with rather incredible origins compared to the world in which he is," commented Alexander briefly. The qualities of Blood Mana guaranteed an offensive advantage out of the ordinary; placed inside some Skills or used to upgrade weapons, it would have guaranteed an unparalleled corrosive power. Even the largest defences would collapse in the face of the Blood Mana. It was a cruel power but, for an archer like Vlad, that Mana was a true gift. Using Blood Mana, a fighter at the Third Phase could easily have injured an enemy at the Fourth. Although Vlad did not possess the destructive power of Lightning Mana, thanks to his particular Legacy he was capable of inflicting much more subtle and lethal damage. In fact, considering their diametrically opposite nature, it seemed odd that Scarlet Tear and Morning Lightning were two pieces of the same equipment. Mana of Blood and Lightning were two offensive but oppositely polarized Affinities. Bucephalus yawned. Meanwhile he had been eavesdropping on Iblis and Snowflake. The horse was used to act as a bodyguard, always alert to everything that happened around his King. Bucephalus was Alexander''s eyes and ears, and had been so for ages. By now, it was a behavior embedded in his body. While Alexander was whispering to himself, the horse in human form patted him on the shoulder. A pat on the shoulder, of course, means here a kick in the ass. "A big shot, universally speaking, is coming," he informed him. The horse was rather worried about what might happen next. Iblis had just destroyed a Seal of Location and looked furious. The Seals of Location activated at the exact moment they were destroyed, sending their owner''s position to the one who had the twin Seal. And, unfortunately, in this case the second Seal belonged to Snowflake''s father. But Alexander didn''t seem particularly interested. "But first ... shouldn''t we do something for the other friends of the boy and Lumia?" the King asked, "at least now that Iblis is distracted." "It makes no sense," Bucephalus replied. "None of them have much latent potential, other than the cat and the Archer; and the latter does not even have much blood of the Blood God in his veins. If we hadn''t thickened it, it would hardly have surfaced. It would still boost his constitution and base talent, but nothing more. Now he can channel it to..." "Yes, yes", mumbled Alexander, raising his head to look around. He had been distracted by the sudden change in the air. A terrifying Mana had filled the Colosseum and the whole city. Alexander felt as if his skin was about to peel off the muscles, a horrible sensation. Bucephalus snorted. Alessandro was always too optimistic, but he appreciated this trait of his. The two exchanged a knowing look and disappeared from the arena, only to appear in the stands with a pack of popcorn. The show that was about to begin looked very interesting. Iblis, lost in his anger, had not in the least noticed that Bucephalus and Alexander had hidden away in the stands. At that moment he was just thinking about how his reckless actions had led him to radically change destiny. When he was still alive, Iblis had certainly been the most powerful being of his whole era. Even Amaterasu had never been able to stand up to him completely. One of its peculiarities, however, was the bad character that had distinguished it over the years, or rather, over the millennia. He had never really lost his temper with Helial, so he had left the boy with the impression of a measured and calm millennia-old demon. But all of this couldn''t be further from the truth. For example, Iblis had once discovered that a prominent member of a Clan of Life intended to ask for Amaterasu''s hand. Certainly anyone would expect stolen kisses, secret marriages, love fugues and all the usual clich¨¦s. But no, it didn''t go that way. There was just a huge massacre. The proposal never reached the Paladin of Life''s ears, because Iblis had skinned his beloved''s suitor and eliminated his entire Clan before it could happen. No women or children had been spared, and their heads had been rotting on pikes for weeks. That was why Iblis was known throughout the universe as a real monster, the scariest monster to have travelled through galaxies. Anyone who wanted to marry Amaterasu would have done better to prepare to see his entire lineage completely destroyed, without exception. And so it had been. But some members of Destruction didn''t like this, either. Iblis, however, did not care about the opinion of others. The Devil always kept his promises and the threats he made. It was rumoured that his threats could be used as a bargaining chip that would never lose value. One large blue vein pulsed on Iblis''s neck and two on his forehead. To tell the truth, the Devil was not in the least thinking about the possible accident that could happen very soon. Iblis was thinking about how badly he was after betraying his word, helping Alexander to alter destiny, and not checking the Seal''s nature before destroying it. Just then, the sky fractured. From a huge blueish crack came a shower of lightning, tearing the fabric of space as they passed. A tyrannical Aura enveloped Snowflake, while words heavier than lead came from the fracture. "You have finally come to your senses. Let''s see what kind of Heavenly Star Tiger you are now." A man who appeared to be in his fifties made his way through the blue lightning casually, not caring in the least about what was around him. He only had eyes for Snowflake. He had the bearing of a ruler accustomed to ignoring the screaming crowds as he passed. He had flaming red hair, down to his pelvis and well-groomed, which gave him a hieratic aura. A scarlet beard covered his stern jaw. He was a splendid man, a god even. His movements seemed to come from a past long gone. Snowflake narrowed his eyes and felt the fur all over his body stand up: "Father." "And he''s not alone," laughed a voice behind the old man. Three men appeared, covered from head to toe in armour of White Crystal. Nathal, Shamms and Soba. The Heavenly Star Tiger etiquette dictated that, in formal settings, the Tigers would assume their Human form, while their true one was reserved for battles. "Here they are," sighed Snowflake running a paw across his face. "Son," thundered the man with the long red hair, still levitating in the sky. "Son. Father. Son. Father. Son, you fucking old bastard I broke the Seal by accident, can you get the fuck out now?" Snowflake was ready to kill himself after seeing daddy and his merry fellows. Nathal ignored the words of the black-fringed child and levitated beside Snowflake. "Solmon, don''t get second thoughts. You are the youngest and have not yet achieved Immortality, but our father has always recognized you as a legitimate son. You are the fourth descendant, the one with the most perfect legacy. Why do you always have to behave like this?" Nathal put a hand on Snowflake''s white fur, which seemed to enrage him. Still, a terrifying pressure didn''t let him from open his mouth. "Nathal, leave your brother alone. We are not here to punish him. He is a lost lamb. Besides¡­ " The man with the long red hair looked around, sniffing the air carefully. "What is this stench, this disgusting and filthy Mana?" Alexander and Bucephalus began to laugh out loud, nearly falling from the stands. Popcorn flew from their mouths over the poor, unsuspecting Goblins paralyzed by the Time Block. At that point Nathal, Shamms and Soba noticed them and looked around. Only then did they notice that time was frozen and frowned. But they said nothing. They were there to accompany their father, so it was up to him to interact with any other being in the universe other than Snowflake. This was the etiquette. The man also noticed that time was blocked and realized that those two Humans, sitting among the immobile Goblins, had something special. "Friends, I see that you are practitioners of Mana of Time, an art long lost and counted among the most precious treasures. But¡­" he continued to sniff the air, annoyed by an unpleasant smell. His eyes shifted to the Revenant, the petrified Folly and the Undead scattered in the arena and on the stands; but the stench didn''t seem to come from any of them. "I feel a strange demonic Mana¡­ indeed, it seems to belong to some kind of Devil, perhaps some disgusting being of Destruction. Was it you who eliminated him?" Being a Heavenly Star Tiger, the man''s bearing was truly out of the ordinary. Alexander knew that by showing interest in him he would wrong Iblis, so he restrained himself. But he had to admit that his elegance exerted a certain fascination on him. On the other hand, the Heavenly Star Tiger expected those two to give him a bow because, despite their uncommon Aura, they would hardly be more powerful than the Patriarch of the Heavenly Star Tigers. Anyone on his level or even remotely close could not be unknown to the big boys of the universe. Bucephalus turned to Alexander, completely ignoring the man. Nathal, Shamms and Soba immediately exchanged a glance, scandalized by such arrogance. "Maybe he''s too short to notice him?" "Uhm?" The man raised an eyebrow and turned to Snowflake, suddenly noticing the presence of a child. It seemed that the little boy was shaking slightly. In fact, he was foaming with anger. "David, how long. You''re still the same retarded brain-damaged shit head, I''m glad to hear that, you and that shitty hair of yours." Nathal, Shamms and Soba gasped. Their brains immediately stopped working. No one in the universe had ever dared to talk to their father like that. Their brains were kaput, shutters down. David was about to furrow his brows angrily when he noticed something terribly familiar in the boy''s smile. Beings like him did not feel terror, and hardly felt emotions at all. But now if David hadn''t already lost all his composure it was only because he was experienced enough to know when to send his brain into autopilot. He couldn''t admit to himself that he recognized that child. "Who are you to dare to talk to our father like that?" Nathal intervened. "You know our entire race could wage a war against whatever pathetic you are just for-" Iblis snarled, "The first to move dies. A communication with the world outside this planet and you will all be exterminated." Nathal could not accept the insult and was about to approach and beat that brat when suddenly he heard his father, the most composed creature in the world, scream at the top of his lungs. "STOP! EVERYBODY STOP! DON''T EVEN MOVE A MUSCLE OR YOU WILL LOSE YOUR LIFE!" 261 Shit - The return David''s scarlet hair had suddenly stopped swaying in the wind as his three children wondered what was happening. Snowflake looked at Iblis silently, wondering if the threat was also aimed at him. In doubt, he stood still. He didn''t want to find out. The Devil looked really pissed off. In the stillness of the time block, even those who could move remained still. Silence flooded the entire Colosseum, but a distinct sound reached the ears of the Devil and the Heavenly Star Tigers. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Alexander and Bucephalus continued to calmy chew their popcorn, completely ignoring Iblis''s anger; he shot them a deadly look, but his problem wasn''t them. He headed for David and Snowflake''s three brothers, Nathal, Shamms, and Soba. The Patriarch of the Heavenly Star Tigers quickly flicked his eyes from his son to the Lord of Destruction, who had come back to life for some strange reason. Why was Snowflake with Iblis? How could he not have noticed it before? The Seal he had hidden in Snowflake''s blood had been removed. His eyes widened. Among those present, Iblis was surely the only one who could have destroyed his work. Not only was that a Seal used exclusively by the Patriarch of the Celestial Star Tigers, but only a couple of people in the entire universe could have destroyed it. A malicious thought crossed David''s mind like a flash. "Why did you bring us here, what do you have in mind?" David asked, without hesitation. Bucephalus nearly choked on popcorn with laughter and his coughing fits filled the heavy silence of the Colosseum. The fact that David thought it was all part of a specific plan was hilarious. Moreover, seeing Iblis''s frown, Alexander nearly choked too. How could Iblis explain what had happened? The greatest monster in the universe accidentally broke your son''s fucking White Crystal Seal, ignoring the fact that it was a Seal of Location, Alexander thought. He burst out laughing uncontrollably, until Iblis gave him yet another death-threatening look. "There was an accident, it wasn''t my intention to summon a bunch of shit piles here," Iblis said. Now David was even more confused. For one thing, how could it be a simple accident? If he had wanted to eliminate him, Iblis would not have hesitated to do so. But David couldn''t understand how the most feared Devil in the universe could make such a foolish mistake. And second, who the hell were those two who dared to laugh at Iblis? Was there really anyone besides Amaterasu, if she was still alive, who could survive such an offence? What kind of monsters did those two have to be? Or maybe¡­ Iblis was weaker than in the past? David frowned. Alexander and Bucephalus? Who the hell were Alexander and Bucephalus, maybe their name should have told him something- Oh. "Alexander and Bucephalus. The legendary Alexander and Bucephalus?" David avoided swearing out loud so as not to lose face in front of his children, but what the fuck was the day turning into, was it the dawn of the dead and no one had warned him? Why did the greatest monsters that had walked the universe since its creation seemed to have been exhumed all together? Was it the curses his ex-wife had thrown at him that had finally come to life? Massaging his temples, Iblis turned to the Heavenly Star Tigers. "I have no intention of revealing my presence to the whole universe yet and you have just complicated my life. If you hadn''t come here to fuck us over, we would have all saved ourselves a good bit of trouble." David avoided pointing out that if he hadn''t "accidentally" destroyed his son''s Seal this would not have happened. Did Iblis think he was enjoying himself in the presence of the greatest Devil, King and horse in the history of the universe? Probably, he would have preferred to spend his days listening to his children''s boring stories about their latest military conquests or his wife''s complaints about which wings of the building needed renovation. "Could we just pretend nothing happened?" David suggested, abandoning his arrogant and tyrannical tone. Iblis rolled his eyes, as if he had just heard the biggest bullshit in the world. "The Heavenly Star Tigers are equally oriented towards Life and Destruction. There are those who freely choose one or the other, but you have decided to side openly with Qinguang- " "With Amaterasu, Iblis. We have chosen to side with Amaterasu", David interrupted, risking his life for that clarification. "As you prefer. You have sided with Amaterasu, betraying the neutrality you kept for years and years. The Heavenly Star Tigers are noble creatures and detached from world affairs. But if I''m not mistaken, a couple of Generals of Destruction died at your hands during the war." Taking a deep breath, David seemed to regain confidence in himself and held the penetrating gaze of the child. "You have killed too many innocents. What should we have done? Your Generals, starting with that slut Tsukuyomi- " Iblis''s pupils immediately shrunk to a slit. "Oh-oh," said Alexander, nudging Bucephalus with an elbow. "He didn''t really say that," Bucephalus said, elbowing Alexander''s side too. "Oh yes he did." "Wrap the planet and everyone with your Mana, let''s try to prevent them from dying from collateral damage," Alexander said, starting to spun his Mana all around the planet. David blinked in what felt like an eternity, suddenly burdened by an Aura of death and desolation. As soon as his lids closed, in what would not have been even a fraction of a millionth of a second for a normal person, there was a moment of darkness. And when the eyes were opened again, a three-meter tall Devil stood facing the Patriarch of the Heavenly Star Tigers. The Devil''s huge wings, fully spread, had an opening of seven or eight meters. He was shirtless and his arms were completely black from the forearms to the fingertips. He was wearing only a pair of dark trousers. "Iblis. You have destroyed a series of planets for stupid and childish reasons. Kill me, but it won''t change the fact that you''ve taken the lives of far too many innocent people. The Heavenly Star Tigers have very specific etiquette in this regard. The innocent are not to be killed, nor it is allowed the weak to be crushed. " "Your filthy etiquette has been the same since the dawn of time. You keep telling yourself that what it says is what is good. But there will come a day, David, when you will find that to follow your etiquette you will have to turn into a monster, like me. When to do good you have to do evil again, as you and your cowardly Covenant with Life have already done, the time has come for another war. "As I said to Amaterasu centuries ago, even those who are part of Life can commit atrocities. But, unlike you, when I skin shitty children, I do it with a very specific reason. And you? You have continued to hide yourself behind the conventions, behind the dogmas and above all behind your fucking etiquette for millennia. Do you want to gut someone and have to wait for the etiquette to let you do it? Pathetic." "War is war. and the lives of the innocent must be avenged." David did not change his positions by half a millimetre. Soba lifted his chin, proud of what his father had just said; only after a few moments did he feel Iblis''s burning gaze upon him and realized what he had just done. "Shit," Soba swore. In a split second, the frightening figure of the Devil was standing over David''s son. At that point, the Patriarch of the Heavenly Star Tigers couldn''t help but intervene. He could not leave his son in Iblis''s claws. Iblis simply moved his hand with a cutting motion towards Soba. There was nothing but a thick blanket of Mana of Destruction covering his fingers. David materialized between Iblis and Soba, wondering what he had done wrong in the present life, in the previous one and in the one before that to deserve such foolish children and a mad Devil as an enemy. He grabbed the Devil''s wrist without thinking twice, first covering his own with all the Mana he was able to extract from inside his body. The Heavenly Star Tigers possessed an Affinity for Lightning Mana superior to all other races. There wasn''t much force behind Iblis''s blow, but David shivered like a leaf. The purity of the Mana of Destruction around Iblis''s hand would have been enough to split Soba in two, like a red-hot knife through a stick of butter. Although the Devil no longer had Meridians to manage his Mana, at his level he could do without them, at least until he met someone at Amaterasu''s level. David felt the Mana of Destruction begin to erode his own, layer by layer. And while the most powerful Heavenly Star Tiger in the universe possessed terrifying power, in that exact moment, nothing would be effective enough to stop Iblis''s blow. If he reacted, he knew he would start a universal war, a second one, because of his stupid son. "A contract!" David screamed a few words and took Iblis by surprise. "Let''s make a contract and you''ll let us go!" David didn''t like the idea of letting Iblis win so easily, but there wasn''t much else to do. "Cunt," Bucephalus muttered. 262 Piss on the etiquette No content 263 The Beginning of the End No content 264 Revenge is not won with tears Within his blood, whether he liked it or not, was an innate sense of justice. In fact, the Heavenly Star Tigers had not always followed etiquette, but had observed justice from the dawn of time. There had been a time when each of them had interpreted justice in their own way and chaos had spread all over the planet. The etiquette had been created to stop this. The Heavenly Star Tigers had to do what was right for everyone, not just for the individual. But, over time, etiquette had conditioned their lives too much, becoming a chain. However, Snowflake. who certainly had never been a great fan of etiquette, had a strong, instinctive sense of justice. The huge white cat felt an urgent need to do justice. He couldn''t believe it. Frankenstein was dead. But the thought of his friend''s death was almost gone, engulfed by anger and remorse at having somehow been responsible. And he deeply hated the Prince of Darkness for killing Frankenstein in such a dishonourable way. Rage ran through Snowflake''s every muscle fibre, every nerve. Now the only thing that mattered was killing the Revenant, everything else would come later. He didn''t want to leave room for anything else. Because if he did, he would realize how much pain was tearing his white fur, staining his soul. The Prince of Darkness suddenly realized that he could not respond to the cat''s blows. Snowflake was using every last drop of Mana, he didn''t care about the damage his body was receiving. Soon, all of his stats would be zeroed and even Snowflake would be nothing but a memory. Skill Activated: Claw of the King ¡­ Inside the royal palace of the Heavenly Star Tigers Inside a mirror, images of Snowflake were projected, as he fought not very heroically, but more like a wounded beast, against the Revenant. Each of his blows was full of desperation, but just as much strength to prevent his opponent from getting up in time and avoiding the next. "He''s really grown up," Shala whispered. David nodded. The King and his wife watched their son fight, interested in what was happening. David''s Divine Sense was so powerful that it reached the planet where Helial, Snowflake and all the others were. Iblis had sensed it, along with a Mana pressing on them. He knew very well who it belonged to and didn''t care. If David had done anything stupid, he would have lost his life. "But don''t you think that helping them would have spared all that pain, that suffering that is now tearing him apart?" Shala said to her husband, as she held him by the arm. It seemed to her that she could feel the pain that tore at her son''s heart. And she was devastated by what Snowflake was feeling. The only abnormal thing was a sigh from him. "Suffering belongs to warriors. The virtue that we acquire by virtue of suffering, colliding with destiny, allows us to become true Heavenly Star Tigers. By rejecting suffering, we do nothing but degrade our existence, placing ourselves on the same level as animals. Solmon seems to have accepted to suffer and, thus, to have turned the pain into anger. "In the long run, this may not be the best choice. But the knowledge of pain leads to endure any event without falling into an abyss. Heroes are tested like this. If he is able to overcome the pain, he will live eternally as a hero in the face of destiny. If he is corrupted by pain, he will become soft and it will be impossible for him to return to us with his head held high." Shala listened to her husband''s words, full of wisdom matured over the course of an era. Yet despite knowing how wrong what she thought was, she longed to end the pain of her beloved son, make him a little happier. ¡­ In the Colosseum Lumia held the Sickle tightly, while frowning slightly. She wanted to shed at least one tear for her friends, but she told herself revenge cannot be won with tears. Now all she had to do was kill the Folly. She caught her off guard just as she was about to lash out at Helial, cornered her and fought as Alexander had shown her. The sudden death of Frankenstein and Lulu had shaken everyone in the arena. Circe froze and thought about how Helial would react. Hoping that this did not upset the soul of her boyfriend right now, when they were two steps away from victory. Vlad was also paralyzed. He had seen the Revenant pass by, had seen it overcome him and had looked with astonished eyes at the death of one of the few people he would have called a friend. But the idea of death, which had never touched him so violently, led him to turn his gaze to Francesca. His heart squeezed in a grip he had never felt, in a terror that made him feel alive for the first time in a long time. Vlad was the only one to cry, hidden by the Formation that shielded his body from prying eyes. Helial felt a pain in his chest. Snowflake hadn''t hesitated a second and was going to fight against the Revenant. The young human looked at the exact spot where Lulu and Frankenstein had died. It had been a long time since he had known them, since he had given them the opportunity to redeem themselves from a miserable life full of suffering. Helial remembered the insane, knowledge-hungry Goblin arranging books on the shelves of the Royal Library and stealing scraps of worn information with vivid eyes. He remembered the girl stolen from her tormentors, the weak girl who had tried as hard as she could to keep up with the others. Although Lulu had always struggled to be on par with the group, she had given everything she was capable of. Still, Helial felt a chasm opening in her heart, a chasm of equal size for each of them. He couldn''t understand how it was possible that they were both dead in a split second. It was his fault If he had acted differently, if he had sensed the move of the Revenant, if he had paid more attention to what was happening around him... Helial put aside any uncertainty, any blame to himself. That was not the time. He would begin to feel remorse after saving the people who were still alive. Yes, Lulu and Frankenstein were dead because Helial still didn''t have enough experience. In battle, a split second can change many things and Helial underestimated the Revenant. A wrong decision can turn everything around with immediate effect. He would get better, he promised. He would do it for Frankenstein, for Lulu, for all the Goblins who died because they trusted him. But now it was time to fight for those who were still alive. "Can you do it alone?" Helial yelled at Snowflake. Snowflake was literally beating the Revenant to a pulp. Despite taking a lot of damage from the abuse of Skills, he would be able to destroy the abomination before becoming exhausted. "Use Flame of the Qilin!" was the only thing Snowflake answered. He was determined to end the fight. Skill Activated: Claw of the King This time, as David nodded slowly in approval on a planet light years away, Snowflake pulled out his claws. The claws of the Heavenly Star Tiger instantly shredded the monster to shreds, leaving it not the slightest chance to fight back. Yes, the Revenant was a terrible monster from the point of view of that planet. Yet it was there that the ground was trampled by the disciple of Iblis, the disciple of Alexander and the son of the Patriarch of the Heavenly Star Tigers. For monsters like that, there were far more terrifying enemies in store than just a few Undead. Helial surrounded every shred of the Prince of Darkness''s flesh with Flame of the Qilin. Nothing remained of the terrifying abomination. The Revenant did not have a noteworthy end. Such a monster, which believed to be at the top of the food chain, was dead. Killed by the paw of a cat. The Revenant had killed a friend of theirs like a coward and had had an insignificant death, as it deserved. They would never allow it to have a warrior''s death after what he did to the Goblin who loved science more than anything else. Snowflake and Helial had guaranteed it a meaningless death, just like Frankenstein''s. Their friend had gone like this, with an ungrateful death, not worthy of a warrior, without even having the time to look into the empty sockets of his executioner. As the last remnants of the Revenant''s ashes were scattered in the wind, Helial looked up at the Immortals who stood before Cesar and Aure. Frankenstein is dead. Helial kept repeating those words to himself, as if she couldn''t grasp their meaning. Frankenstein is dead. Lulu is dead. Frankenstein and Lulu were gone. Helial was looking for any excuse to hold on to to feel better. He wanted to convince himself that their death would do something, that it would help him learn from pain and become stronger. But was it really worth it? Was it really fair that people he had loved were dying to make him grow? 265 The Power of the Ancestors No content 266 Thanks No content 267 A Not-so-Perfect Plan "Ahem," Snowflake looked around, while everyone looked at him curiously. It was a rather delicate moment and they had just heard someone (a woman!) scream sweetheart to Snowflake. The white-furred cat pulled away from the others, to prevent them from eavesdropping on the conversation. They had already heard too much. "Mom, everything''s all right, thanks." "But are you eating enough?!" another scream, followed immediately by a powerful (and angry) voice: "Woman! I gave him one of the most powerful Communication Seals in the universe, why are you screaming like a lunatic!? He can hear you perfectly!" "You, shut up! " Shala yelled again. Snowflake rubbed his ears, trying to ease the pain. His mother''s shrill voice had completely deafened him. The only way to quickly end the call was to give Shala what she wanted: ???Mom, don''t worry, everything is fine for now, but I''m in a bit of a hurry," Snowflake said uncertainly. "I know! I know! Go have fun with your friends! Mom is looking at you and if there are any problems, she will come to help you! " The other voice took over again. "Nobody should interfere with the growth of our so- Shala! Put your foot down immediately, and do it slowly! Those marble slabs cost me an arm and a leg. And get out of my toilet now. You''ve done enough damage already!" "Honey, we''ll talk as soon as you get rid of this situation. Be careful, there are other problems ahead," the mother said, apprehensive. Tuuu Tuuu Tuuu His parents were exactly as he remembered them. Sighing, Snowflake thought wistfully of his mother. Shala had raised him as a person, not as a Celestial Star Tiger. She had spoiled Snowflake, but she had taught him to be independent of court etiquette. This would forever remain David''s gripe, but Shala didn''t seem to care much. His son had grown up as a true Celestial Star Tiger. Once that stupid war was over, he would surely call his mother back and talk to her longer. But this was not the time. "Come on," said Snowflake as he approached the others. The cat darted off, followed soon after by Lumia, who was traveling at high speed in the same direction. ¡­ Helial no longer looked back, but explosions raged behind them, threatening to reach them at any moment. The battle between the Immortals was taking a violent turn and, if they didn''t leave soon, they would surely be involved. Only thanks to the Formations that lined Orma from top to bottom, half of the city had not yet been destroyed. Cesar and Aure had taken the fight as high in the sky as possible but, at their level, it was impossible for collateral damage not to reach ordinary citizens. "There is no danger ahead of us for now," Lumia communicated through her Divine Sense. "There isn''t fucking anything," came Snowflake''s message to confirm. Their Formation had found no problems for now. Orma stretched for tens of kilometres and they hadn''t even left the innermost area, they still had a long way to go. To avoid being ambushed or tracked down, they had decided not to proceed too quickly. Therefore, they were all moderating their speed and constantly looking in every direction. Circe also reported shortly after. "We haven''t found anyone behind us yet, there is probably too much confusion to notice and they haven''t brought any ground troops. When you have twenty Immortals, it would be stupid to worry about having a backup plan." The witch of Orma was right, why on earth would they have to deploy ground troops? It would have been completely irrational ... "There is someone in front of us on a mount," Lumia warned, "it seems to be pointing straight at us." The girl prepared to attack. "Stop!" cried a familiar voice from the top of his mount. With great relief, Snowflake and Lumia stopped and sent a thought to Helial and the others with the Divine Sense: "It''s Caliban." They stopped and waited for the rest of the Formation to arrive. But as Caliban got closer, Lumia and Snowflake noticed that the Goblin''s mount was a giant golden cockroach. The girl looked at it in disgust, while Snowflake curled his whiskers, wondering how such a being could be cooked. Maybe it wasn''t the right time to think about that, but the battle had tired him so much that he would gladly have eaten the cockroach right then and there. "The perimeter of the city is controlled by a lot of undead troops and low-level trolls to exterminate the civilians who try to escape. Fortunately, they were smart enough to understand that the Immortals would destroy the entire city; and they want it whole. The warriors are engaged in the main battle, so all enemies above the Fifth or Sixth Phase shouldn''t be in the perimeter. "If you really want to leave the city without fighting them, you would better use the sewers. No one but the Goblins knows the immensity of the Capital''s sewer system. Even if someone wanted to chase you, it would be nearly impossible to keep up with you. The original blueprints are in the Merchants'' Guild and I have a copy. Let''s go together and get safe before all hell breaks loose here." Caliban had appeared out of nowhere and was giving them a quick explanation of what was happening to Orma right now, as well as a plan. Helial thought about it for a moment. Manoeuvrability within the sewers would be limited. Tunnels were often narrow and long, with no junctions, and if someone actually went looking for them, they would find themselves crushed in a vice. The idea of jumping into a mousetrap didn''t appeal to him much. If Undead and Trolls had somehow covered the aqueduct and sewers with their men as well, to avoid even a single survivor, then it would have been very difficult not to run into them. Also, the chances of meeting someone of a higher level would have been greater. 2While exposing his doubts to Caliban, Helial heard yet another explosion coming from the centre of Orma. Cesar, Kari and Lostro were locked in a fight to the death; the shockwaves of the battle would have been enough to kill anyone below the Fifth Phase. "Caliban, the best thing is to break through the perimeter. If the warriors entered the aqueducts, they would be concentrated in the main points; instead, the circumference of Orma is too large to cover in a systematic way. There must be some weaknesses in their ranks. If they have no warriors in the Eighth Phase, anyone we meet, even with great sacrifices, will be killed. At the moment, me, Snowflake and Lumia are able to face a warrior in the Seventh Phase each if we give our maximum. The likelihood of meeting more than one in a small group like ours is ridiculous. " Lumia and Snowflake listened in silence, casting worried glances from time to time in the direction of the explosions. Suddenly, Circe picked up Caliban, irritated, and yelled in his face, "We have enough fire to make our way through the perimeter, you idiot! We are not going to risk our lives on a bet in the face of a safer escape route. Our lives are at stake in this negotiation, not money!" Caliban almost shat his pants. Being lifted by the Witch of Orma and receiving her screams an inch from his face wasn''t really his greatest wish. Only Helial and his party weren''t frightened of Circe, but the Witch still had great authority among the Goblins! Caliban, for his part, was no expert in strategy and could not help but shut his mouth and follow them. Sitting on his huge golden cockroach, Caliban joined the central part of the group. He felt pretty useless now. He had thought he had a perfect plan in hand to escape the enemy and outflank it, but the others had more experience than him and had rejected his plan almost on the spot. A lot had changed since the first meeting with Helial, when the human was still ignorant and the Goblin had introduced him to a new life. However, Caliban thought, it was thanks to him too that Helial had grown so much. 268 The rare bird Comodo watched the fight in front of him, with his chin up. A huge translucent screen projected the Revenant''s first attacks, which had nearly killed Helial on the spot. For a moment, the son of Aure was assaulted by a intoxicating ecstasy. Seeing Helial like this in a few exchanges made him tremendously happy. For the first time, he thought that the Undead were far more valid than any representative of the Human race. Comodo had always felt an unparalleled hatred for that little boy, but now it was pouring out of him all the anger he wanted to direct to his brother. The Goblin''s hands were clawing the armrests of the chair, leaving long furrows where the fingers should rest. In the past year, Hades had forced him to endure torture that not even his sadistic brain could have imagined. The result of those sufferings now rested on his whole body, battered by deep scars and wounds not yet healed. He would have to wait a little longer and reach Immortality to have his perfect body back, exactly as it was before. The gnashed teeth seemed to be caught in a clenched, motionless jaw. His eyes were two fountains of fire. "Your body has a particular condition. While your talent doesn''t seem like much, you have an affinity for Poison Mana. After asking experts to examine you, we have discovered that you are the receptacle of a very rare type of constitution. You have the Body of the Hydra. The delays you have seen in cultivation are due to this," Hades had told him. The thought of nearly two years he had passed with the man made him shiver. "What does it mean?" Comodo replied, completely shocked. He had always known that he had something special, something that made him immune to most poisons and that had allowed him to develop an affinity for Poison Mana. "Hydra, daughter of Chidna and Typhus, is a creature of legends", explained the Human, an excited glint in his eye. "It is said that, during a war belonging to mythology, the Hydra killed an entire army of Immortals with just its breath. You can only imagine how much you have to thank heaven for this gift. It is difficult to control, but it will allow you to cultivate the most potent poisons directly inside your body. " The Hydra had nine heads, one of which - the central one - contained the monster''s Immortal soul. The others, in an inexplicable phenomenon, when cut regenerated two more heads. Only by attacking the core of each individual head could it be hoped that it would not regenerate. It was a creature of legends. A terrifying being. A monster that had brought the Poison Mana Path to the pinnacle of the universe, making it one of the most extraordinary and dangerous powers ever. But overnight, the Hydra disappeared. Many thought that it had left for another dimension, others that it had finally been defeated, but no one ever knew what the truth behind one of the scariest beasts in the universe was... ¡­ An indefinite number of millennia earlier "Come back here to die immediately!" a thunderous voice pursued a gargantuan monster, whose stature alone might have rivalled that of a small planet. The voice seemed to contain the fury of all nine circles of hell. "Damn fool, I breathed during the banquet only by mistake!" thundered the Hydra from its many mouths, creating an infinite echo. There was a hint of regret and terror in his tone. "Not only did you defile the hall with your presence during the Council of Destruction, but you also broke my favourite set of dishes because you decided to be a bully at my dinner, right?" "How was I supposed to know you cared so much about some stupid dishes!?" "They were a gift from a very important person, which you will now repay at the high price of your life. Yes, you and all your damned fucking heads will pay for it! " ¡­ Comodo, a partire dalla rivelazione che gli aveva fatto Ade, aveva cominciato ad informarsi sulla figura dell''Idra e sulle sue strabilianti abilit¨¤, sulle imprese che aveva portato a termine, su quanto fosse stata temuta dai suoi nemici e messa su un piedistallo dagli alleati. Comodo had been pervaded by a feeling he had never experienced. Maybe it was what everyone called "happiness", but he wasn''t sure. How could you not be completely amazed by the memory of a monster capable of creating any poison inside its body, so as to advance the Path of Poison Mana by itself? The young Goblin didn''t actually know the details about the Paths. Ade had vaguely mentioned them, without giving him too many details. It seemed that the human knew the universe much more than a normal person. "You will have to undergo a very rigid training. Both your body and your Meridians will have to get used not only to the Poison Mana but also to endure excruciating pain. Even the Hydra could only create a few drops of its most potent poison every millennium; yet, these were enough to pulverize any enemy. In your case, the process of creating the first poisons will be terribly painful." Hades spoke with reassuring calmness and a soft smile that softened his face. "We will have to get used to undergoing very special treatments, but you will see that you will be satisfied." Comodo nodded, satisfied. At that time, he had not yet understood that he would be subjected to actual torture, alternating with terrifying training. That was the last time he''d seen Hades and he thought he would never see him again. Instead, just before leaving for Orma, he had seen him a couple of times. And he had hated him, but above all he had feared him. His tormentors were in the Ninth Stage, Humans of incredible talent and power. They operated in silence and carried out whatever orders were given to them. Rebelling would have been almost useless. Comodo hadn''t had a choice. For his part, Hades didn''t seem to be interested in the Goblin''s survival. For him, this was nothing more than an experiment. Like the huge and terrifying monster, who had died in excruciating suffering for a set of dishes, Comodo had suffered so much that he often wished he would die. Probably everything related to the Hydra was destined to live with innumerable pains. Comodo had begun to sense that being heir to the Hydra was more a disaster than a blessing. Touching his wrists, the Goblin felt the sores of the chains that kept him immobilized during the long hours of torture and the marks of the hands that held him when even the chains proved useless. His body had been bitten by countless blades, by fire, by blunt objects and punches; he had had to ingest poisons more powerful than he could control, to take the antidote only shortly before death. Comodo had also experienced death a couple of times, only to be brought back to life. Usually, even after this procedure, despite the body being reformed, any wounds and scars would remain in place, unless a particularly skilled healer intervened. But Comodo''s body had been so badly treated that probably no one below Immortality would be able to fix it. Not even Aure could have done much. It would take the intervention of an Immortal specialized in the medical arts, a very rare category to find on their planet. Due to all that torture, the Goblin was completely transformed. Her face was deeply marked by spots and deep wrinkles between the eyebrows and forehead and his hair, once black, shiny and always well combed, had grown to the shoulders and between the raven-coloured tufts stood out white and gray streaks. Every millimeter of his skin constantly reminded him of what he had been through and all that he had lost. The look he had been so proud of as he stalked the streets of Orma had been transformed by the madness of Hades and his men, like his soul and the rest of his body. But Hades'' torture and insane training had not been entirely in vain. Thanks to these, Comodo had reached the Late stage of the Seventh Phase and, although his foundations were slightly unstable, he was much more powerful than any other warrior at his level. Watching Helial defeating the monster on the screen, Comodo felt an ecstatic sensation run down his back. Just then, a loud noise interrupted Comodo''s thoughts. Beside him, in another armchair, an Assassin was snoring blissfully, two silver blades gleaming at his sides. If Helial had seen him, he would probably have remembered him as the rare bird, the Assassin who talked a lot and didn''t behave at all as expected of one of his Class. 269 One Step Lower But there was something wrong. Vlad was not at all focused on analysing the territory around him and, if an enemy had suddenly arrived, he would not have noticed. The Half Goblin was looking carefully at the palms of his hands, then closing them into a fist, then opening them again. Every now and then he glanced at Circe: was it possible that she hadn''t noticed anything either? At an unspecified moment in the clash with the Prince of Darkness, Vlad realized that something inside him had changed. He had always felt a latent force sleeping within his blood, but so well hidden that he could rarely perceive it. Now, however, Vlad was sure that that same force had awakened and he felt he had changed, but he did not understand when it had happened or how. He only knew that, at some point, Blood Mana had begun to boil vehemently in his veins and fill his Meridians. Vlad, in fact, lacked understanding of a fundamental passage: that, while he was fighting, time had been infinitely dilated and that one of the most terrifying beings ever existed in the universe had enjoyed awakening the Legacy of the Blood God hidden in Vlad''s body. To say the truth, Iblis and Alexander were also quite amazed at the number of latent and extremely strong Legacy carriers they sensed among those brats. From Snowflake, David''s son, to Vlad, who owned part of the Blood God legacy, Orma seemed to be a receptacle for immature talents. Unfortunately, without the help of two great monsters like the Devil and the King of Madonia, Snowflake could never have broken the Seal, nor could Vlad have discovered the secret inside his body. But Alexander had done things in a hurry and had forgotten to warn the scarlet-haired boy, who was now slowly becoming aware of the change that had taken place inside him and the more he felt it, the more startled he was. And he was so shocked that, after feeling the new power, he slowed down the pace of the fight against Trolls and Undead to explore his own body with his mind. It had been a long time since then, but he still kept wondering what exactly had happened and how it was possible to achieve such power without even realizing it - in a blink of an eye. His speculations could not even remotely reach the reality of the facts. Yet, now that he was in possession of this new power, he felt he could change something. His eyes were now capable of seeing ten miles away. As he held the bow in his hands he had felt a new energy binding him to his weapon and had estimated that he could safely take down a warrior in the Sixth Phase. During the run he had tried to injure his palm with his fingernails, but his delicate pale skin was now as hard as leather and penetrating it had been difficult. To analyse the physical changes even more deeply, he thought he should try to inflict damage on himself with something sharper, a dagger perhaps. But now there was no time, he would do it once he was safe, and he would show it to Francesca too. From the Stats panel he had seen a monstrous increase in Strength, Agility and Stamina. His main attributes were, in fact, the physical ones. Even though his Mana had increased too, what had changed more had been its quality rather than its quantity. The awakened power within his body was suitable for a warrior on the front line. Still, Vlad hadn''t been discouraged at all by this. "Do you have any idea where we will go?" Vlad''s thoughts were interrupted by his cousin''s question, who was looking at him curiously. The boy woke up from what appeared to be a trance and took a while to respond with a simple shrug. "You really don''t know anything?" the Witch pressed, trying to retrieve some more information. "Really. Helial has studied the geography of the nation several times and has been the disciple of the King. And then Francesca is with him; she should know more than one safe area to take refuge in a case like this. I believe that the priority at the moment is to get as far as possible from here and escape possible pursuers. Once we are safe, I think we will discuss it together. " Of everything Vlad had said, Circe had focused on only a couple of words, which hit her in the chest. "Has been?" Vlad smiled wistfully. "I don''t have much hope that the King of Orma will survive this fight." The boy''s sharp words had a really strange effect on Circe: on the one hand, the Witch had realized then for the first time that the possibility of the end of the mighty Orma was not that far off; on the other, he had experienced a warm, nostalgia-tinted joy blossom in her stomach. She was glad to be near Vlad again, in that desperate moment. Now that all of them had fought side by side against the Trolls and the Undead, they had formed a much stronger bond than they could ever have imagined, touching the faint line between life and death. There was a brilliant light in the eyes of the Witch of Orma, a glint of determination and fighting instinct that had brought her here. But, in his heart, he felt a vibrant uncertainty. The feeling of weakness that had always held her hostage was making her bleed again. If there was something she would have gladly done without at that moment, it was surely the Affinity towards the Elements, which allowed her to perceive even the slightest changes in the Aura of those around her. Had she not possessed it, she would never have realized how devastating Pseudonym''s and Helial''s Auras were and the sudden changes in Lumia''s, Snowflake''s and Vlad''s; if he had not possessed it, perhaps, she would have lived under the illusion of counting for something. Despite having trained for years and non-stop, despite having earned the name of Witch of Orma, despite having managed to put together the strongest team in the entire City-State ... despite all this, Circe still felt at fault. Looking at Vlad''s scarlet hair and glowing pupils, she could tell that it wouldn''t be long before he too could overtake her. Circe was definitely demoralized. She was but the chariot wheel of a group of people who had developed the most powerful Inheritances from nothing. A blood-red glow passed through the young half-goblin''s gaze. Vlad had never really been interested in others, but he was a good observer and had excellent intuition. These are two of those skills you develop when you are a geek with no desire to do anything: observe and sense. "You know, the levels or strength that others have gained now aren''t the only things that matter," Vlad laughed. Hearing the crystalline sound of his laugh, more unique than rare, Circe felt a real blow at her heart. In those words, spoken by a person who had never even taken care of himself, hid a care and attention that Circe would never have expected. Taken aback by that attack, she felt her nose itch vaguely. A lump formed in her throat and her hands began to sweat. Vlad said no more and continued running alongside his cousin, looking around again. Okay, he had gained a new power. So what? His task remained the same as before: to become strong enough to protect Francesca, Helial, and everyone else. Or at least, enough not to be a burden. He had not said those words only for Circe, but also for himself. At that moment, it was utterly foolish to worry about a change he could not have comprehended except with meticulous study. Rather, it would have been helpful to understand how strong he had become. What about his cousin? Vlad was sure that the great Witch of Orma would regain vigour. All Circe needed to do to improve was shake the mental block she had built with her own hands. If she didn''t do it right away, she would always find herself one step lower than the others, as had happened with Pseudonym. The Goblin''s talent was devastating, but she had always had terrifying monsters by her side and she had never risked enough. Snowflake, Lumia and Helial had faced death more than once, just during Iblis''s training. And, considering that, it was incredible that Circe had arrived to where she was without anyone''s help. If one day someone had driven her, perhaps, her heart would have reached the same peaks that Pseudonym was on.