"So how long do we have to wait before we finally land?"
"Thirty seconds from now."
The four of them were still falling even after several minutes had passed. Enrico was literally falling with his arms behind his head and his legs slightly crossed. Kai, who had asked the question, was falling upright with his arms crossed. Valença followed them riding on Incandis, who had transformed back into her bird form, and Elaris flew alongside them.
"How do you know we're close?"
"Because I'm seeing it."
Kai, Valença, and Elaris noticed his red eyes and nodded. He was using the Crimson Eyes, so it made sense that he would know before them. And just as he said, thirty seconds later the four of them reached the ground.
"We've arrived."
Incandis descended carefully while Enrico and Kai landed on their feet, causing a huge boom against the ground. Even with the impact and the dust, neither they nor the ground suffered much damage.
"As you said, Princess, it's very soft and resistant."
"It's a story passed down by my family, so knowing it is something normal, Kai."
It was incredible how the ground could be so soft and resistant at the same time. That was possible because the magic in that place was largely being used to protect the blessing. That magic came directly from the creature that was about to awaken at any moment because they had arrived.
The place where they stood was filled with white trees the same color as Lúmen'Thyr, but it was certainly a different material, since it had a brighter appearance. A crystal-blue river could be seen in the distance, and animals such as deer, rabbits, birds, and horses stood along its banks.
"According to what my father said, that is the Thalanor River inside this dimension of the blessing."
"The dimension of the blessing?"
"Yes. This entire zone was created by the blessing."
Valença was quite surprised by Elaris's words. If that was true, bringing the elves here after obtaining the blessing could be excellent. She moved closer to Enrico, but he simply blinked, signaling that this was the plan.
'I should have known.'
She let out a soft sigh with a small smile. Elaris led the way, showing everything her father had told her. At the center of that place stood a giant tree whose leaves, instead of white like the others, were silver.
"That is where I will go. But first we need to decide who will go to the first zone, and the second—I will explain what each zone—"
"I'll fight first."
Kai immediately stepped forward. He wouldn't wait any longer to face someone strong. He didn't even think about backing down from that decision; his mind was focused only on using the next fight to reach Enrico's level.
"All right then. Enrico and Valença will go to the second zone."
"Wait, why are they going together? Now that I think about it, you only mentioned two."
"That's because the second zone is a battle for pairs."
Hearing those words, Kai slammed both his fists against the ground. That had been his chance to see how strong his rival was fighting beside him, and now that chance had been wasted by his impulse to fight immediately.
'Damn it, I can't back down from my decision in front of him.'
Kai stood up, trying to pretend he hadn't been affected by his own choice. The three simply looked at him expressionlessly. After a simple, summarized explanation from Elaris about the creatures they would face, Kai began walking toward the first zone.
"…Valença, let's go."
"Yes, Enrico."
Enrico also started walking, waving to Elaris, and Valença did the same before heading toward the second zone.
"Please don't lose."
"You say that as if you don't know us."
The three of them—even Kai, who had seemed discouraged—gave confident smiles, which made Elaris smile back before turning toward the giant tree.
'Without a doubt, I will obtain this blessing, Father.'
On Kai's side, he gripped his sword as he walked to where he would fight. It took only a few minutes to reach the location.
'So this is where I'll fight.'
In front of him was a pit at least two hundred meters wide. Inside it were more trees, stacked on top of one another, forming a tangled mass with some open paths. That zone undoubtedly held a great amount of mana.
Jumping straight down into the pit, he landed at its center, right where what looked like a cocoon stood. Drawing his sword, Kai prepared himself, taking a defensive stance.
'According to what she said, I just need to wait five seconds.'
The cocoon began to crack as pulses started emerging from it—one after another, rapidly. A hand came out from inside, and the cocoon shattered completely.
'From what she said, it's an Eld'Rhaen, but at a lower level.'
The Eld'Rhaen possessed vast amounts of power and were rare. Half were at circle six level, while the other half had the capacity to approach circle nine.
The creature in front of him was green, with deer-like horns. Several white spots across its body moved constantly. Its feet were like a horse's, and its hands bore sharp black claws.
"Why have you come here, human?"
"You speak? Elaris didn't mention that part… Well, Elaris came for the blessing, but I came to fight."
"Interesting."
The creature's name was Kilihit. His eyes scanned the surrounding zone as if remembering his own home. After a few seconds, while Kai waited, Kilihit lowered his stance as if preparing to launch forward.
'He's coming.'
Green lightning burst from his body as he took a small step forward. Less than a second later, he was already behind Kai with his hand raised. A slash appeared across Kai's chest, and he fell to the ground, looking back in shock. The creature's speed was simply absurd.
"Let me tell you something, human…"
Green lightning covered Kilihit's entire body. His eyes shone the same color, only brighter. Placing his hand over his bleeding chest, Kai took a deep breath and once again assumed a defensive stance—this time far more cautious.
"If you want to defeat me, you will have to surpass at least the initial speed of lightning to keep up with me."