*Gasp* - He springs straight up as if the jaws of death just right next behind him a second ago. His ears are all clinging and his two eyes are opening wide, all the sweat just pours out of his back and face as his fear beneath that heaven judgement.
*Blur* - Something is murmuring around himself but he can't determine what it is.
*Blur* - It keeps shouting right next to him.
What is it? He wonders.
*Blur* - Again, one more time.
What are you roaring for? He wonders.
*Blur* - Enough! Shut up! He yells inside his bouncing heart, inside his pressure on the entire body and inside the overloading brain.
*Blur* - It's calling, he feels it, he feels its call.
*Blur* - Something that's too familiar to him, his two ears are slowly matching the unknown voice.
"H…" - The name has been heard, but it's still not enough.
"H…" - Who is it calling? He wonders.
"Hoshira" - My name! It's my name!
As a miracle, all the brutally roaring ocean inside his mind has already calmed down by that voice. It embodies the song from heaven, it's warm, it's familiar and it's similar to that unforgettable voice in his bygone days.
Mom… Is that you?
That particle shines as the torch, leading him over the darkness around, through the abyss under and through the broken parts ahead.
Mom?
In the undefined existence, he follows it and runs toward the light at the end of the unforeseen road. No one knows how long it is and no one knows how far he reaches. At that moment, all his purpose is following the torch of the hermit, crosses over the unknown mist and goes beyond everything.
This is the closest time ever he's close to the deepest desire inside his subconsciousness. He doesn't feel any pain or torment. The warm waves just touch his two feet so gently, as the invitation, he keeps running.
Mom…?
The single voice keeps clanging around without echoing back to that lonesome fragment of light. Yet, those two legs keep running toward the final destination. Run,... run,... run,... run!
Mom?
It's brighter… IT'S BRIGHTER!
Faster, faster, faster, faster, faster, FASTER!
Those two legs keep chasing toward the end, the warm ocean isn't enough to drag him back and those waves crashing on the shore aren't larger than the fire inside his heart.
Burning, burning it out loud. He yells, he screams, he wishes and he desires.
Suddenly, all the mist is fading, that yellow warm light has become the shining sky above his head.
*Lap–* - He hears it.
*Lap–* - He hears the surges crash into the shore ahead.
*Lap–* - He hears it, he feels it.
If you're there…
His legs move faster through the dry sand under his feet.
If you hear me…
His legs move faster again, stepping on all the sand and other thoughts and rushing forward.
If you hear me…
He has been closer to that silhouette.
If…
That lost soul came to a halt. His ears catch the sounds of those surges breaking against the golden shore one more time - so painfully familiar.
The sun is still warm, and remains the same as it had been on that long-forgotten dusk years ago…
A memory in the fragment buried deep beneath laments and yearning.
And he… saw that back once again.
Mom… is that you?
The sunlight gently covers her shoulders, as the hazy cloak lies on her back. She slowly turns back, that voice is still warm,... still like years ago.
Hoshira…
*Gasp* - The tears slowly but surely drop down from his two eyes, that silhouette was too close to him, it seems as if his longing has been fulfilled. Yet, her face, her last lullaby, he couldn't hear it.
"Hoshira!" - Yena calls him.
This woman? Where's mom? Where's she? He looks around swiftly just to carve that image again into his mind. But all that remains is his nostalgia and broken heart.
Where are you, mom?
"Hoshira!" - Yena calls him again.
At this time, he has already looked at her hands, she is holding his helmet. His eyes open wide, looking at her hands holding his helmet. The gritted teeth and the mad within, his two eyes open wide while looking at her hands with the helmet.
Surely, she just took out his device at the last second. Surely, she was all the reason that he couldn't hear that lullaby. Surely… she just prevented him from reuniting with his mother.
His eyes open wide, looki… HOW DARE YOU?
The space around him is distorted slowly per tick the old clock counts. It's twisted to the deformed shape and structure. Those lights lasting in the room through the whole night now can't even shine a bit. The dark mist madly overflows through the twisted space, they form the tentacles of calamity and brutally spread out, until all the room is filled by his madness.
"Hoshira!"
"Hoshira!" - The father runs straight toward him and puts aside all the prevention from his new family.
He can't even believe what he's witnessing. Living as a secularist for his whole life to just observe this kind of nightmare.
He doesn't know what is going on and he also cares not about what is actually going on. The father right now just wants to drag his son out of that monster.
Yet, his son isn't sane at all. He also cares not about who is approaching him, the madness has already controlled that body. In other words, he is willing to kill all the people inside this room, all of them!
All of a sudden, the unknown melody whispers into his isolated mind and calms him down. It's warm and similar to the forgotten lullaby.
That mysterious guy still wears the same black clothes as the first time they met each other. He slightly lays his back on the wall behind and those hands gently hold a flute. Those lips lightly lean on it and hum a delicate melody. It clangs all around the room and wipes out all the chaos inside Hoshira.
"... What is the name of that song?" - He asks but more like murmurs.
"Just a nameless song."
"Can you give me its music score?"
"It was added to the game long ago. You just need to travel all around the five continents to find it."
*Haha* - He laughs, he smiles, or even cries, no one knows.
"Thanks…"
That guy just observes silence, also no one knows what he's aiming for. Everything leads to nothing at all.
"It's your rights, don't need to thank me. Don't forget that you can only play the game for 48 hours continuously. After that you will need to wait 12 hours. I won't lay a hand on your personal life, but I think you should go outside for something." - For the first time, he talks to Hoshira more than set dialogues.
"I deny, nothing is waiting for me out there. I'm fine with being alone." - He looks at that guy with determination while declaring the whole thing.
"Hoshira!" - Yena yells at him.
Surely, she wasn't calm at all. She has no joy talking to someone that can't even feed himself benignly.
"Hold your tongue Yena." - He glances straight at her.
"If the keepsakes of my mother weren't there, I'd move out of this place as far and as soon as possible." - He gives them a hand sign to invite them all to step out of his room.
"Don't be fooled! No one here wants a NEET inside this house. Why can't you just accept your mother's death? It's been years and we're looking for you."
This time the father doesn't stop his daughter, he feels like he can't force his family to tolerate his karma.
"Hoshi…" - He tries…
"I'll move out. I won't take anything except the album of myself and my mother. Especially her comb, except those two things, I won't take anything else."
"Hoshira…"
"Yes please! Get the * out of this house as soon as possible."
*Tremble* - The father's hands can't bear it, he tries to hide away his worry but it helps nothing. He can't believe that one day, his family will be torn apart like this.
"Is it supposed to be this far… Hoshira?" - As the last drop in the silence, he tries to confirm it. He wants his son to admit that he was joking.
"I won't negotiate anymore. Please get out." - He looks at his biological father without any mercy.
As he wishes, they all leave him inside the silent room with that unknown guy. Two people, two lines of tear and two worlds on each side of the door, the final connection between them are also divided into separated pieces.
He's crying, no, his tears are just dropping down, he isn't crying. He feels no sadness or loss after declaring that. All he's experiencing is just the suppressed emotions inside his insanity since his mother's death.
And now, the last anchor, the most painful and heaviest one, has already no longer pierced through his heart.
As the broken glass, everything is broken - leaving there the surges of overflowing memories and emotions.
He is still standing there, still waiting for Hoshira to escape from every limit.
"Another piece…"
In the undefined and isolated dimension, that lonely guy keeps sitting there and downs one more chess piece on the board. No one knows what he's looking for, nor what he's planning to do. All silence, all isolation and all patience.
"Oh… which miracle sent you here…?" - Without a look, he sits there and waits for his uninvited guest to say something.
That guy leisurely goes forward and takes a seat on the chair set on the opposite side of that entity. He puts on the table a jar of alcohol and invites that guy to join this simple feast for their reunion after countless times.
"You know that alcohol is no longer useful for us…"
"I know…"
"Even I can't believe that we've gone this far…" - That mysterious guy just looks up to the sky, even though it's all white as a blank, he still wants to share the same feelings with his friend.
"It's your choice and our choice. It's closer…" - A whisper, he murmurs.
*Glug… glug…* - The transparent liquid has been poured out, into the small glasses on the table.
"I know. Come, take this." - He throws the glass toward the entity.
"Time is too brutal…" - He takes it and lets it, the liquid as spicy as pain, flows through his throat.
"Can you remember their faces?" - That guy asks.
*Tach* - A drop of a tear, a tear of pain and a pain of loss. He has already forgotten all their faces, even though the heart is bouncing so hard to remind him about their odyssey, it's just too late. Time is cruel and brutal, it gives everything their values they are, but it also wipes out everything at the end of everything.
"I can't… I just can't!" - More tears drop down.
"I can't even remember their names. They are all deleted!" - A scream, a laugh and a grin within. He's broken, he's torn already.
*Clap* - A touch on his shoulder, that guy is still here and still looks at him with a complicated look.
"If… if one day you can't bear it anymore, just leave everything back to me." - His face has no tears. Perhaps he doesn't cry, perhaps he feels nothing or… perhaps… he has nothing left to cry for…
"I won't, we've made this far and they're all gone. I won't let you be the last one." - This declaration is even steadier than everything. The entity just cries for their destiny and fate, with the hopelessness inside.
"It's fine… I've been very happy since that day. Our legacies won't fade away throughout the flow of time. It's fine…" - A voice that's suppressed very much before it can be spoken up.
"All lies. If it's all fine like what you're telling me, why no tears remain in you?" - So cruel, his hands are trembling while holding the glass full of alcohol.
"Aurorize… this path is set for only me and myself… it isn't your fate. It's mine." - He is still very calm, his eyes shine as the moon, oppressing the ocean under them.
"...Too late… it's too late already Yujin. It's our fate already."
*Haha* - A broken glass and a broken heart, nothing remains.
A miracle, a team full of friends and a fate for all. Now everything has gone, they are all buried beneath the flow of time. A soul is cursed to wander and witness everything ruined at the end. *Haha* - He wonders why.
"Why does everything always lead to destruction and cataclysm? Can't it just be a scene where we all meet each other again?"
*Crack - Vroom* - Time's up, overlapsing and overwriting, after countless distorted dimensions, they just have a minute to meet each other. So painful.
"Oh… wow…" - The unknown guy just stands there, in the darkness, but seems like the void, or even the nihility, and witnesses everything.
"What's wrong?" - The familiar voice speaks up.
Nothing to doubt, he is Yujin, our familiar Yujin. His hands dyed in the power of supreme and destruction, crushing all the void creatures ahead.
"Oh, nothing." - He swallows his saliva and comes closer.
"Hey, Yujin, do you believe me?"
"Sure not."
*Aw* - "That's the worst way to reply to others." - He sighs.
Yet, he keeps going, "Whatever, do you believe in fate?"
"Sure." - Different from what that guy thought, Yujin is really calm and easy to accept.
"... Don't you have any doubt?"
"No." - Fast as thunder, he replied.
"... Fine then, so do you want to know the future? About your fate?" - He smiles.
"No, I'm good with the present." - Another deny.
That guy looks at him with a different manner, as if that reply just goes beyond all his plans, "Why?" - In his unconsciousness, he whispers.
"Why do I need to know my fate?" - Unlike he thought, Yujin replied with another question.
*...H…*
*Haha…* - "Never mind. I'm just curious."
"Oh? Is it because my answer this time is different from the previous times?" - A whisper clangs around.
In the confusion of that entity, Yujin just stays there, keeps that smile and turns back slowly until they face each other.
"Kah." - That voice steadily calls out that old but familiar name, one more time.
"H…" - An overwhelmed voice.
"How…?" - He wonders…
The pitiful golden hunter is sent to death in his hopelessness and despair while struggling to find out the truth.
All the efforts, all he did were all deleted beneath that pressure of doom. Those hollow eye sockets reflect the blue flame of hell and look straight at him without any mercy.
"How…?" - Cracked! His voice is finally broken at the same time with his mental barrier.
"Humans,... have become so weak during that war." - The bone sword slightly crosses over the grass on the ground, leaving there the decay and destruction.
That guy has died.
"Please." - The next girl pitifully begs him. Her eyes are all full of tears and depression, so painful.
"Please! I've been on this rank two days ago, please, I haven't done anything. I'm not your enemy." - She throws away her pride and dignity down to her knees and non-stop smashes her head onto the cold rock in front of herself.
*Shing* - "Miserable girl." - Her head has been taken down once and forever, ending her life full of tears in the most peaceful way.
"Master…" - A drooping voice slightly calls.
Savan just slowly turns back and looks at RampThica. Her eyes are crying for Har's burnt body.
"Master…"
"Shut up. Didn't you tell me that he always brought everyone from surprises to miracles? If you cry one more time, I'll bury him under the ground 5 meters immediately." - He shouts.
Savan somehow still carries Har's corpse without any reason. At the start, he was going to leave, then that burnt to ash remains rapidly recovered themselves until the entire body was restored.
Yet, his heart still kept the silence inside itself, also all the visceras stopped working. That was the first time Savan witnessed that kind of weird phenomena, also the reason why he's waiting for his rebirth.
However, RampThica had persuaded him too much until he accepted that deal. That's also the first time that Savan witnessed a mixed undead having those kinds of emotions for its master. His curiosity was also stirred up too; he wants to witness which kinds of miracles that he's experiencing.
Don't you all think that everything is too advantageous and beneficial for Har? Except his strategies and basic abilities, the fact that since the day he stole the Shadow Gate ability, he has already stepped on the road of something enormous.
Meeting The Eclipsed Moon and Aetheria, getting support, developing army and power with their help, obtaining Necrosec and even getting the corpse of a legendary swordsman - Savan Frazan in a nameless graveyard. Everything is too favorable for him to surpass.
Obviously we all knew that some other forces like Loki or Outer Gods are laying their hands on this world, yet, Savan didn't have that kind of privilege. He wonders if he's able to reach that kind of existence instead of living the way that he did in the past.
"RampThica."
"Yes."
"Swallow his corpse" - He throws Har into her mouth and steps ahead.
"You have two choices, run away from here, or stand still." - He doesn't even look at her.
"I'll stay here, I can get defeated, but I can't run away whenever my master needs help." - Her tears drop down, but this time won't be counted.
He smiles for that loyalty, or smirks for that idiot's actions, whatever, who knows?
"Even an undead can be this faithful, those Crusade traitors do not even deserve to be called animals." - He laughs in extreme contempt, so arrogant.
Then his sword points straight toward the sky, "If you all have all arrived, get your *ss here real quick."
*Vroom* - The space is distorted again, under the ground, the light of nightmares pops up as the hands of devils.
Swift as lightning, a guy with the golden medal rushes straight toward him with two epic items. One of them is the runic chain, used for negating any kind of power with limited times, and the other one is a fabric full of runes, used for sealing any kind of creatures.
*Vroom* - A lighter sound, a smaller crack, but still enough to cover that guy's body all at once. In their confusion, his arm slightly passes through Savan's chest as if he is just a projection.
After two seconds, the crack has closed and his chest has a blood hole on it. Yet, he doesn't even know how he got it, or even the specific process. As if the result was already set at the start.
"Another ten golden hunters? Can you all just bring me some more fun things?" - He yawns.
His right hand brutally steals the chains and the fabric really quick and does a self-equipment almost immediately.
Instantly, three of them move their legs and withdraw with their maximum speed. Obviously, another six guys will stay here to buy them time for reporting to the headquarters.
"Even though I hate running away from the battlefields, I admit that your choices are correct." - Savan evaluates.
Then a tall guy with muscles rapidly steps forward to face him, "Are you Ryun Liferberto?"
"No? What's wrong?" - Savan instantly grabs his sword, this action also threatens those hunters all at once.
That guy swiftly tries to calm him down, yet, nothing's working out. Savan still approaches them with the bone sword without hearing any excuse.
"I'm not a kind of mean guy, but I realize that I just knew one kid with the ability to control corpses. Will you guys give me a hand?"
*Clash* - The second guy jumps in with a spear in his hands, he swings it around to knock back Savan two steps in order to take advantage of that second - rushing toward him with another sharp blade under his right sleeve.
*Clash - Splash* - A parry and also a counterkill, that guy has been slayed within a strike, fast as thunder.
The red blood squirts out and dyes this game into the color of itself, so intense.
*Clash - Clash* - The leader grabs the spear and stabs it toward Savan but it helps nothing except giving himself a harsh time. Savan is more experienced than him, that's why he is forced to use everything just for surviving beneath the storm of attacks from that swordsman.
*Clash* - A strike wipes out all his efforts.
*Splash* - Another strike sends him to death.
RampThica also takes advantage of this time to swallow all the corpses for her master. She wants to be a good girl.
Besides that peaceful atmosphere, the whole theme that the four guys left are facing is too hopeless for them. They are wondering if they're going to jump him all at once or turn by turn sacrificing themselves for the better…
The third head has been taken down coordinately with the third slash.
"I know that you are the strongest ones of this team, so struggle as hard as you can. I'm bored with killing useless brats." - Savan orders.
*Phew* - "Thanks for killing them, you just did us a favor. And you know what?" - One of them starts talking to him in order to distract Savan from the space oscillation under his two feet.
"You shouldn't let us have enough time to prepare this part."
Domain Expansion (patched): Grave of Swords - The first guy with blue hair, Alan, seals his hands together and surrounds Savan between the big and open zone full of swords inside it.
Following that, the second guy with indigo short hair, Leo, also activates the Domain Expansion (patched): Hazy Moon.
"Hmm?" - In Savan's sight right now, he can't see anyone else except the third guy of that team. He hasn't seen anything like this domain before, it's quite impressive.
Pyan takes out a dark cloak and a rapier, which are all legendary items, and approaches Savan with his overflowing Aura. Obviously, he is using both Ignite and Guard at the same time.
"It feels like a domain but it's still open in the general space, so weird. Is this the new technique of your generation?" - He wonders in his curiosity. Seems like he just underestimated the new era quality.
"I have no duty to explain it to you, shall we begin?" - Without wasting a second, he rushes straight at Savan with the maximum speed of mach 50 while stabbing the rapier ahead.
*Clash* - The continuous five bangs clang around the battlefield with the center is where those two guys are fighting with the high pace. Pyan sometimes uses his cloak to distract Savan and stabs him swiftly after that. It's not too useful but somehow it still works up to the present time.
First and foremost, they are not trying to win, they are waiting. Secondly, Pyan isn't dueling with Savan individually.
*Smack* - A strong strike drives straight toward Savan's left hip and knocks him away two steps. And now, Savan realizes that he is going to fight against three hunters without knowing exactly the movements of two guys among them.
"I see. Haven't you guys awakened your abilities?" - He asks with a smile.
Alan slightly grabs a sword and moves to right behind him while activating Bind. He also bursts his Aura on it to form a better blade full of energy, he is a manifestor of course.
*Clash* - "I can read the movement of Aura, that movement isn't a wise choice."
"That's why I'm here."
*Smack* - That voice comes and leaves fast as a ghost while a strike hits straight at Savan's spine from behind.
"All done?" - Savan asks.
"Sure." - Pyan slightly replies and walks toward him with his blazing rapier.
They face each other at a distance of two meters, and it seems like they are going to do a direct sword clash.
It is a duel of speed, sword techniques and reflex between two swordsmen. The rule is really basic, whoever moves their legs first will be considered as defeated, whoever dodges first will receive the same result and whoever gets disarmed first will lose.
"Pyan Liferberto."
"Savan Frazan."
*Tremble* - The pressure is instantly brought up to three more levels. Surely Savan is serious with this ritual fight, because he is a swordsman.
"I will use only Hea Sword Style." - Savan declares.
"Oh, what a coincidence! My Laz Sword Style is going to be useful."
In history, especially the records of swordsmen fights in the bygone eras, Hea and Laz were two great swordsmen that their styles are passed on up to the present time. They are so good that they can overwhelm all the current sword styles. That's why they are the only two sword styles that can be countered by each other.
Pyan grabs his rapier and stabs it thrice toward Savan's neck, aiming straight for at least one decisive strike.
*Clash* - Obviously life isn't that easy. Savan doesn't even feel any pressure while facing his opponent. This is the absolute difference of strength.
"You don't need to buy time, when I'm willing to duel with you as a swordsman, I hope that you're also willing to do the same." - He declares while glancing at Pyan with his own Hex.
It's too overwhelming that in the first three seconds, that golden hunter was even faintly shocked - giving up the chances to attack.
*Clash* - Fortunately, in the last second, his consciousness has already come back and carried him through a harvestation of reapers.
*Gasp* - The warm breath madly dyes his brain inside the fact that he's almost dead a few seconds ago. So shameful, Pyan grabs his sword again and faces the opponent with all his focus at the peak.
He has also pushed himself to the limit with Laz Sword Style within the rapier on hands. By the passing of time, this sword style has also developed to many branches with various kinds of light weapons. And rapier is one of them, it's not considered as the original sword style of Grandmaster Laz, yet, it's one of the most perfect projections of his techniques.
Thanks to his great clan, the Liferberto clan, he could access this kind of training a long time ago when he was at his young age. He has become one member of the top tier forces in this continent while ago, consequently, he hasn't been training for two recent years.
More than ever, there's no case else but this time that he wishes he could practice and train more.
The sweat slightly pours all out on his face, and when the first drop touches the grass under him, the second phase begins.
*Swish* - First move: Triple Thrust. This time, all his Aura is concentrated at the tip of the blade, he stabs it toward one point on Savan's heart and presses all the pressure into it. Following that action, his Aura also moves toward that position and starts exploding due to the compression pressure.
The Hea Sword Style that Savan uses is the original one, which was created just for straight swords. Obviously, its techniques and moves are equally developed on slashing and thrusting.
Due to the fact that his arming sword is worse in speed than Pyan's rapier, yet, the disadvantage of attack speed doesn't really exist for him to struggle with. In other words, he just has more advantages than his opponent.
*Clash* - Second move: Shield Piercing. Savan performs the same technique as Aetheria, seems like he was also allowed to access this kind of sword style. Bet that they would have a fantastic sword duel if Aetheria was here.
The two blades collapse to each other in the air while non-stop releasing the shockwaves all around them.
Let me bring you all the new techniques that professional Aura users usually apply to their fights. As usual, Hex is another branch of Pulse, used to release Aura outside and affect the opponents' mentality. Yet, when creatures are too proficient in controlling their inner power, they can cover themselves with Hex too.
From now on, it's no longer considered a mental attack, Hex has already become something more powerful.
Yet, corresponding to that strength, the requirements are absolutely high as sky.
"Can your Hex affect the space structure?" - During hundreds of strikes and gates to death, Savan suddenly asks without any consideration of the deadly atmosphere that he made at the start.
Pyan also gets impressed, he also slows down the pace corresponding to Savan and seriously tries to get the true meaning.
Finally, he answers in his hopelessness, "No. The Grand Sage told me that I wasn't blessed in sensing the space structure. My potential is limited."
Within a sigh, Savan also sighs, "Seems like humans have become really weak since those days."
"I just wonder, what is 'those days' and 'the war' that you've been mentioning?"
"It belongs to the bygone days. Reasonably, all the records of that war might be erased in their hands." - Savan sighs again.
"What are you talking about? As a one star national hunter, I can access a lot of information. But I haven't heard about anything like that." - Pyan looks at his opponent with a confused look, he doesn't get it.
Savan silently looks against him, as wonder, he comes up with a deal.
"I give you all a chance, do everything to win against me. I won't use my ability in this fight, if I lose, everything about that erased era. I'll tell you all."
Hex has been released, the space around them is distorted and destroyed into pieces - cancelling those two domains in a glance.
"What do you think?" - The bone sword has prepared itself.
"Sure." - Pyan grabs his rapier and points it straight to Savan with the blazing flame covering itself. His companions also appear around Savan in order to besiege their opponent. Within a glance, Savan already knows that none of them is going to expand the open domain again. Which means the up-coming fight will be a direct combat.
"Good, bring it all on."
*Boom* - There is no longer a second for them to hesitate. Savan instantly approaches them with the sharp blade cutting through the cold winds in the air. It brings the Hex of nightmare within and dyes the whole battlefield into the color of doom.
*Clash* - As a striker and also a mage, Leo swiftly materializes his Aura to a couple of ice gauntlets and covers himself with a plenty of ice stakes for a better offense or even defense.
However, all of this nonsense while standing right beneath the pressure of the true power.
*Bang* - After clashing with that strike, the shockwave instantly wiped out all the efforts of him to nothingness. It's strong enough to send him flying back two meters away from the battlefield and temporarily negates him for a while.
*Clash* - After two slashes, Pyan and Savan directly face each other via a sword clash, they slowly and steadily move their legs to frequently change the conditions. After three more seconds, they both pull out more Aura to knock each other back at least two steps.
Taking that advantage, Alan grabs his legendary item, a longsword, and rushes straight toward Savan from behind. Surely, he is aiming for a thrust in the spine.
Even though his actions were really quick, yet, Savan still had enough experience to react to that intention and dodge aside swiftly. Non-stop, the bone sword inside his right hand is instantly thrown straight to the left palm in the reserve grip position, too efficient for a stab in his neck.
It's supposed to be a clean, sharp and delicate movement to take away his head. Nevertheless, five ice stakes have already covered him right before that blade sends him to death. Thanks to Leo's work, Alan immediately has another chance to assault his enemy one more time.
Hea Sword Style, second move: Projected Slash - Savan rotates himself one time and leaves in the air a circle of his Aura. After a short moment, it rapidly shoots straight toward all of them with incredible speed. It isn't a guaranteed hit, yet, it's fast enough to be a sure-hit in this case, while others can't afford even a dodge.
Alan hates it, he hates the fact that he can't even duel with Savan like Pyan did.
"You f*"
His Aura is overflowing, transfusing to the longsword while he's stabbing it through the circle slash - locking it up in the air.
Ability: The Sealer allows him to pay a price of Aura to stop any kind of phenomena to work on themselves, yet, it must be in equilibrium, it must obey the core rule of this world.
As I said, aura strikes after being released outside from the users, they are unable to adjust the value inside, for a better call, it's the total amount of Aura. This move was created for and just for projectors, so basically it's only efficient in performing far-range attacks.
"Using it in a limited space condition, isn't it a bad choice?" - He mocks.
Unlike any prediction that they've made, Savan just slightly moves his sword back to the right hand after a hazy movement. Its Aura is even raised to a higher level.
He performs another circle slash, yet, this time it goes against the first one, counter clockwise. After a crack sound, everything is destroyed to pieces and shot straight toward them with the hypersonic speed.
"Alan!" - Leo shouts out his name and casts two more spells besides the ice stakes behind him. The ice wall is instantly built up and covers his unmovable companion under that storm of blades.
Different from his two other companions, Pyan already has his second legendary item, a cloak. Its function is teleporting away all the objects going through itself to the set coordinate.
Of course, it is a mana-based item, so basically he just can't abuse it as many times as he wants. In other words, he needs to charge it for the next time. The principles are also balanced.
First, he needs to use the same amount of mana as the cost to teleport the objects away. Which means if the object is worth 100 units for each, he must spend 500 units to ship five of them away from himself.
The second rule is he can't set the destination over two miles far from him in any case.
And that is how Savan can counter Pyan and leave on his chest a hole of blood. It's deep enough to go through his left lung and back, surely and obviously he got damaged.
As I said, the mana is spent as the cost for that process is the mana coming from the item, not the user. So Savan just needs to wait for all the fragments to exhaust that item and burst his Aura on the sword to put an end to everything.
*Bang* - The ice thick wall is broken to many blocks beneath one strike from Alan, while Leo is non-stop swinging his arms to shoot them all toward Savan as bullets.
So on, he activates the third move of Hea Sword Style - Embodied Sword.
This move was created for manifestors, they transfuse their Aura into the sword and call out its spirit. Honestly, it is just another way to summon a free companion to fight with the cost of the Aura spent per tick (one second).
And his spirit is a… is a… is something hiding in the mist like a mythical creature. It hazily shows and hides itself rhythmically among the miracles, as a fictional beast in Aetheria, the realm of dreams and magics.
"What is that sword style? It isn't Hea's sword school." - Pyan is overwhelmed by that pressure. He hasn't seen anything like this before.
"It is. How do you know it isn't?"
That sentence confuses Pyan, he tries to argue but he soon realizes that he just can't. Of course, he knows those two school swords have already changed by time since hundreds of years ago. Even the variant for rapier is also an effort of two previous generations who tried to restore the true legacy.
He looks at Savan, "Can you promise that you aren't lying?"
"I have no reason for that lame joke. I know what the heart of a swordsman is."
Everything turns to silence again, but this time Pyan is no longer hesitant. He grabs the sword tightly and maintains his bleeding body with the bursting Aura. Due to the limited time, Pyan is surely going to pull out everything he has to at least distract his opponent.
Whatever he does, all his companions will back him up anytime he needs.
"So, let's burn your heart, Leo"
His life might have a lot of regrets, but that promise isn't in the list. His eyes overflow with a blazing aura as two shiny flames on the horizon. Now it must be liker to the name Ignite than ever.
Ignite is known as a technique to boost the Aura users' strength, speed and maximum output for a while without any concept. So let me lead you through them all. Lesser techniques only require the users to burst the Aura in their veins and move it all around themselves with a specific direction as clockwise for an example.
Yet, it is too rough and aggressive for human blood veins to handle for the whole 100 years of their lives. That is also the reason for the difference between knights and knights, or Aura users in general.
After the blank era and the great war thousands of years ago, the majority of legacies were left at those bygone days. In other words, the era that humans are living peacefully is the recession era, when everything about Aura and mana was discovered by the next generations.
They again stepped on the first steps of their ancestors years ago, developing everything from the zero until they've reached this level in current time.
Aura Operation Technique: Blazing Lionheart. It is the legacy of two hundred years of non-stop trying to return to the gilded age of a sage.
Do you still remember the level of mages that Elya told Torun long ago? After Crimson Mage is the whole new sky above them. After reaching this level, they are no longer called with the color of their ropes by default, they will be called with a special term: Tusk.
Usually, there are only 20 Tusks below the authority of a Sage, that's why they always work in the shadow of The Great Continent to fight against The Eclipsed Moon.
And after surpassing that level, they are called Sages as a recognition of their power and impact overall the society. Different from Tusks, Sages aren't limited in any kind of quantity, if they are strong enough to surpass all the previous levels, they are Sages, that's all.
And then, after hundreds of years, the society of humans came up with the hierarchical system among the mana users, or mages.
Yes, the first path that the first new generations of humans followed was the path of mages and spellcasters. Then they split to other branches to form the new paths, which made up the hunters, priests, warriors, archers,... like the current age.
Back two hundreds years ago, when Sage Andrew was just a normal untalented mana user, after witnessing the monopoly of ancient legacies from the upper class, he instantly landed his first step on creating his own technique for the next generations.
And so on, the Blazing Lionheart technique was created by his bare hands after years digging in the essence inside himself. Good news was his success, but the bad news was the evil thoughts of other Sages. They hunted him as hunting a sinner of the world, yet, within a hand of that Grand Sage, he was saved soft and sound after all.
Then, the 37th Sage title had its owner.
Different from the aggressive bursting technique, Blazing Lionheart requires the users to reform their Aura into the specific essence - the same as Andrew's. Then move it all around their veins as usual, but after reforming it, the efficiency is all boosted up to another level.
Nevertheless, the weakness is too clear for you all to determine. It isn't called "Blazing" just for fun, the reformed essence will be hot and ardent, so basically all the next attacks will only be bound in the fire element.
It's an equal trade between range (variety) and value (density) of Aura, and so on, in order to not waste any chance to win, Liferberto clan another time made a new kind of sword style based on Laz's.
It's still the same as what he's been performing, yet, the fire won't be called a fire if it isn't blazing.
First move: Fire Vortex - He stabs his rapier toward Savan with the twisted flame on the blade. This move was created based on the features of Amplification element, all the purpose is destroying, piercing and melting the roadblocks.
*Clash - Whirr* - Inside the blazing zone, those two swords do nothing but clash each other blade to blade. The trembling sounds and the crackling sparks keep echoing around from the center, but it doesn't help Pyan take the first advantage of the third phase.
*Clash* - Another five piercing strikes are released straight toward him, yet, Savan keeps dancing on his own with the new sword style that surprises everyone here.
It's delicate, thin and smooth as a flowing water in the air, slowly but obviously negates all the blazing flames from Pyan's side in a second.
"It's been a while since the last day I used this sword style. Can you guess its name?"
"... Flowing Water Doctrine."
That claim even shocks Leo and Alan both at the same time, they surely know what it is as golden hunters. The unique sword style that existed in the past, over a thousand years ago, was used in the first Sword Sage record in history.
"Savan Frazan?" - He murmurs.
Finally, they both realize the identity of the undead that they've been facing for ten minutes. And it's still fine until they realize it. More than anyone, they are the only ones here who can feel the pressure of that appellation.
"Thank God, finally I have just met some educated kids." - As a death sentence, everything's done since he finished that single saying.
"So, do you all still want to fight against me?"
It isn't a threat, he just wants to make sure that they are going to keep moving on or not.
*Haha* - "Die beneath the blade of a Sword Sage isn't that bad."
Unlike Pyan, who is still hesitant, Alan is really carefree. He doesn't even mind if today is his last day, till the end, he just wants to die in satisfaction.
"Let me do it first Pyan, my blade is growling."
He doesn't stand there for fun, the total process takes 2 minutes since the first time he activates his ability.
Even though it's useless as hell in this case, yet, his basic sword techniques are still able to carry him through this challenge, at least for the first strike of the Sword Saint.
He smiles, "Let's introduce myself again, I am Alan, one of the Golden Hunters beneath the authority of ma'am Leeyun. I'm declaring a fight to you, Savan Frazan."
"I accept."
*Clash* - Via those two minutes, his Aura is burning out loud. Surely he doesn't have the chance to learn Blazing Lionheart, yet, after five years copying and adjusting, he has already invented another branch of that unique technique.
Yet, it's also considered as a one-turn-kill strike, or at least he believes it should be. By concentrating all the Aura into the blade, Alan can form the last strike of his day with the total energy outweighing his maximum output tenfold.
In other words, this strike is up to 1000% of his strongest attack.
"Prepare yourself." - He declares with a smile.
Savan also grabs the bone sword with his two hands, it seems like he just locks in for this moment.
*Whirr* - The sword cuts through the wind in the air, leaving a trail of fire clinging behind. That fire bursts and bursts and bursts itself to something more overheating than a fire, it is a disaster.
Blazing Lionheart technique aims for a stable and efficient Aura loop all around the users' bodies to keep them being able to fight on the battlefield as long as possible. And to mention the cost of one day unable to use Aura, the reward must be very generous due to the laws of equilibrium.
As we discussed, it takes Rudy a minute to melt 460 meters of granite. And yet, it is a damage-per-tick spell, not the same one as Alan's technique. It is a nuke, a bomb that can clear a forest in a second with the destructive flame afterward.
"Hey, how did you get this kind of power?" - Savan looks at him.
"Huh? Isn't it too mean to ask for my special technique?" - He mocks.
*Haha* - "So proud that even a Sword Sage asks for my invention."
*Gasp* - His plan has been changed, he even desires more power for this strike. The Aura inside even gets doubled after being bursted.
"Based on the legacy of Sage Andrew, I added the basic features of the normal Aura bursting technique. And here! Right here! Right now! You are witnessing the peak performance that I've made. Praise it!"
Inside the burning silhouette behind him, the dawn has painted itself on the sky as a signal of paean.
"What is its name?" - Savan also grabs his sword, he feels the danger in that flame.
"I'd say Dawnbreaker"
He smiles while moving straight toward him with the longsword of flame in the two hands. Those two legs steadily and swiftly touch and push, dash and rush himself forward.
Faster! He thought.
Faster! He thought.
FASTER! He screams!
In Mytheria, a couple of eyes have been woken up. She slightly looks at the full star sky above as feeling a hazy, undefined connection.
"Burn it out loud." - A whisper that murmurs inside his head.
Sure! That's all he wants to do, actually.
A high class spirit has popped up behind him with the blessing of fire, his body is even burnt harder. After another step, Alan crashes straight toward Savan while swinging his sword upward for a clear cut.
No matter the consequence. No matter the result. You get me, right? Old man.
Savan steps forward once and holds the bone sword tightly inside his two palms. Those two hollow eye sockets again shine up with the blue color of the flowing water, the sky and the silence inside the heart that already gave up beating for years.
Flowing Water Doctrine - First move: The Mirror on Water.
Mirror is used to reflect everything, water is the transparent of purity and life flowing all around the world as a circle of heaven and earth. Yet, perhaps the mirror isn't a mirror and the water isn't the water too. Perhaps, they are mentioned in the other way. The inapprehensible side that reflected on the chastity and rusticity among the three realms.
Unlike what they thought, there wasn't an explosion, neither a burnt corpse nor a wildfire. Everything suddenly ended up with a slash and all gone. In their witness, Alan slowly downs his knees and falls back as losing the last breath, he's failed.
In other words, all his strikes and flames have all been eliminated in some ways that he can't notice until everything is done. So overwhelming.
*Crack* - A light sound clangs from his rear, that's Leo, he has been waiting for this moment from the start. A strike has been thrown but easily gets blocked. Never give up, he starts again with another uppercut, yet, nothing changes.
Life is non-stop trying, he keeps offending again and again until RampThica jumps into the fight and knocks him into another place 20 meters far from that fight.
Surely Savan doesn't care about dueling with someone who isn't a swordsman, let alone to fight Leo, a striker and a mage that is even weaker than him overwhelmingly.
*Tch* - "Who are you looking down upon? Sending me this chimera to see off guests?" - He mutters.
Suddenly, a high-pitched voice speaks up and threatens him, "Watch your tongue, human."
Obviously, RampThica isn't that kind while hunting her prey.
"I'd like to see how long it takes to make you cry and beg just for your life." - Her eyes open widely, glances and looks at him with a bloodlust thought.
*Tch* - Seems like Leo has noticed the true danger that he's being in currently.
*Rrrz* - An electrified feeling suddenly spreads out all over her body without any announcement. She smiles, she feels it, her lover…
*Smack* - She drives one heavy strike straight toward her opponent with the explosion in the air.
*Boom* - He is sent flying away backward without any chance to reduce the inertia. And that's the reason for his second time to take another fist into his face.
*Boom - Crack* - Yet, this time he has already blocked it while trying to stand strong on his two legs, so miserable.
"Flow and return…" - His lips move slightly up and down.
Swiftly, ten ice stakes concentrated in the air and they're all pointing straight toward RampThica without any second wasted.
"...this endless loop is the nature I immerse."
*Boom* - Everything has gone beneath one more shockwave from the fist of RampThica. All his ice stakes and also the gauntlets are all crushed into small and small dust before he can do anything.
In that precious second, before that fist again crushes all his face, skull and neck into minced meat, all his brain cells instantly run themselves with 200% power just for that moment. From all his cells inside, they all burst an enormous amount of Aura outside to protect him at least for one t…
*Clash - Boom* - Another explosion instantly occurs when he's pinned to the ground brutally by that chimera. It's heavy as if a mountain is pressing on him eventually from head to toes. Those two ears or even his mind can clearly and thoroughly, it non-stop catches the sounds of something broken, torn apart.
Savan instantly stabs another once at his back, "You even lose to a dapper lass? I doubt your national rank was bought instead of a legit achievement."
*Boom* - Another explosion wipes all of himself away.
"You talk too much, Savan."
*Whirr* - Those three blazing fires again fly straight to him. Savan instantly counters everything within a slash; then he steps forward and aims toward his neck with a sharp blade.
*Clash* - Pyan rapidly parries that slash right before it cuts through his neck within a clean cut. Within a slight touch from his right foot on the ground, he instantly leaps up backward with just those five toes, fortunately saving him from being cut into half in the next slash.
*Clash - Clash* - Somehow he can even parry thrice after that moment of death. Even himself doesn't know the reason thoroughly, as if something just woke up inside that ordinary body.
"Why are you so surprised?" - Savan slightly mocks while Pyan just looks at his two hands and slowly adjusts his blazing fire inside.
"Don't worry, when a creature is forced toward the dead end, it will thrive one more time after the moment of death." - Savan just looks at his bone sword and caresses its blade.
Then he goes on with another slash, delicately, "Perhaps I was wrong about the next generations."
*Clash* - This time Pyan witnesses it clearlier than ever, he can even know exactly the coordinate of that blade per tick, so wonderful.
*Clash* - Another three slashes are parried while Pyan's moving backward step to step. He swings the sword after a feint, then takes out a knife and throws it straight toward the old corpse.
*Clash* - Within that second, he has already done a sidestep to the left with the rapier ready in his right hand.
Second move: Piercing Lunge - He uses all his power bursted via Ignite and special techniques, moves one step ahead and pierce it through everything blocking its way.
Yet, Savan is a corpse, actually his body looks like a skeleton, so basically the thin sword like rapier works nothing on damaging him. In other words, Pyan just exchanged everything to maximize his piercing power, then he just realized that Savan just needed to use his ribs to lock up the rapier.
And that is how he gets another strike driven straight to his face, hurtfully. Thankfully that Savan did a melee attack, otherwise there would be a hole in Pyan's forehead.
Savan again wipes the blood on the blade, obviously Pyan's left arm was cut down at that moment, "Stand up. You haven't unlocked all your potential."
*Gasp* - "Oh…"
As a loss of breath, his eyes open wide to look straight toward Savan, who is still standing still there with an unforeseen manner and intentions, then he slightly laughs for a bit.
"So, have I said thank you yet for this special training?"
"Not yet." - He drives one more kick straight into Pyan's chin, knocking him backward while giving him enough inertia to stand up again after a self-adjustment.
"Your movements are too cumbrous, rapier only requires one hand to handle it. So, throw away your cloak, aim it straight to me. Even though I look like a skeleton, my Aura still needs to concentrate at one place, as a core. Got it?" - He teaches Pyan the way to counter himself without any reason, as if he just wants to redo what he used to do in the past.
"Sure."
*Bang* - With the hypersonic of mach 65, his two legs again burst the Aura overflowing overall himself. That rapier one more time bursts the fire of passion, the first feeling when he grabbed the sword twenty years ago.
So similar. He thought.
So fun. He almost screams and that smile has shone again.
*Clash* - "Not yet, faster! Find my core."
Another time, he bursts via Blazing Lionheart and rushes straight to Savan with incredible speed.
*Clash* - This time the rapier is parried by the Flowing Water Doctrine technique again. The space even vibrates for a bit exactly when the two blades clash toward each other.
*Whirr* - Three more thrusts have been driven - *Clash* - Parried!
They keep moving, back and front, left to right or even somersault up and down while crashing toward each other. They both don't use the formal techniques, in other words, they are fighting in their own free style. No strategy, no effective strike or even no far beyond combo, everything is all summarized in two words, "for fun."
So superficial, so cumbrous, but it's so familiar to those days that Savan already lost.
"Hey, Savan."
"Hmm?" - A silent whisper, then they keep going with clashing their blades into each other's.
"You always yap about the old era…"
*Clash* - His rapier again stabs to the thin and sharp bone blade.
"What was there that held on to you?" - He smiles.
Savan also smiles, "The strongs."
*Clash* - He swings the bone sword, knocking Pyan backward five steps. His hands even shake madly after taking that shockwave and pressure.
"There were a lot of legendary monsters." - He smiles.
Pyan also gets stirred up in his imagination, "What species are they?"
*Clash - Bang* - Savan instantly moves faster and faster per tick, "Wyverns are common like dogs and cats. Lesser Dragons always spread their wings and fly over our heads, even an elder dragon can be found on the top of a mountain."
*Clash - Bang* - Due to the thin blade, rapier isn't suitable to block other's strikes this harsh. It almost got broken apart beneath the last strike if he didn't burst enough Aura for that moment.
His hollow eyes full of blue flames glance straight down upon Pyan's green face, "It was so great for me to slaughter them all."
*Clash* - Another slash has already sent Pyan flying backward ten meters, the blue flame also pops up and covers Savan inside itself, madly. Seems like he doesn't want to "merry go round" anymore.
"Ready? Time's up. Let's kill each other."
*Haha* - The cold sweat slightly drops down, Pyan is also shocked by that pressure, it's just a pure pressure, not even Hex. But somehow it still gives him an unreasonable fear after all.
"Bet."
*Leng keng* - *Crack* - *Silent* - *Silent* - *Gasp* - *Blur…*
*Blur…* - *Blur…* - *Silent* - *Clatter - Clatter* - *Silent…*
*Beep* - "Does your organization rent a tester?"
[Sure.]
"Give me the address."
*Blur…*
"Are you sure?" - that guy slightly opens another device, which is called XP-999, and lets Hoshira lie inside it.
"I'm fine, I'm just tired with this *ss world." - He sighs.
Yet, this time that guy goes different, he only nods, "I wish you won't regret."
"Thanks then."
*Clack* - The device has closed itself and the engines instantly get activated. Within the white smoke overflowing, Hoshira again immerses inside that dream.
He murmurs something…
*Vroom* - A smile within, the secret cutscene has been activated.
Then all the moon, starlight and galaxy are wiped out as a deleted file in a folder. All left is the blank, an absolute white blank with nothing remaining.
"Oh? What do we have here?"
*Vroom* - The space is distorted again, twisted, cracked and overwritten.
*Vroom* - He still stands there, on his two feet, so carefreely.
Then, everything has all brought him to a hallway, a lack of light hallway.
*Hmm~* - Slowly, he walks, rhythmically, he hums a wordless song, so peaceful.
*Whirr* - Right behind those two amethyst doors, a whole new realm is waiting for him. He senses the winds flowing from the wild North, his eyes catch the gentle sunlight from the far away Western land.
*Whirr* - That overflowing freedom also brings to him a faint scent of grass. Hoshira wonders where it is, so peaceful.
"Hmm? Loki! Are you here?" - His voice clangs along the hill, through the field of wheat and corn under the windmill, to the beyond forests and rivers.
*Whirr* - Another wind blows straight toward him with a gentle touch, a scent of nature within, so familiar. Then all the sunflower petals flow through him, fly and seek to the destination behind his rear - the East.
"Oh c'mon." - He frowns a bit and jumps over the top of those elder oak trees, to the lands dyed in the darkness when the sunlight is slowly fading; the curiosity burns inside his beating heart.
Are you testing me? A whisper and a thought within.
His two legs keep running until the sun has already left the sky over the moon, immersing into its sleep on this great land totally. The starlight drops upon him again, also lightens up the mud and swamp in front of him.
[You've entered the forgotten biome: Mythic Marsh.]
[Danger! Three Twilight Owls are aiming at you.]
Fast as lightning, his hands are sealed into each other before those monsters can lay their leathers even an inch far from him. Inside his mind, he calls his servant - RampThica.
*Bang* - The first owl used its head and crashed straight toward his left hip - breaking it a bit.
To his surprise, the rear is also attacked by the same head bullet. Another time, his left knee has already broken apart.
[Shadow Gates: monster summon (disabled)]
[Necrosec; The Dagger of Seven Sins (disabled)]
[The Hand of Thief => The Sense of Thief (temporarily)]
[Challenge: The Survivor of the Pre-Reccession Era.]
[1000/1000 hours.]
[999/1000 hours.]
He smiles, "So you want to play like this, huh?"
Shadow Gate is activated after Har gets back his stability. The darkness under the tree branches is a good resource in this case, consequently, all his body falls back into that shade and absolutely disappears from this world.
Based on the feature of shadow, when two shades are linked into each other, Har can easily jump in the first one and jump out from the second location for a better evasion.
"Lovely…" - That tongue slightly licks through the dried lips, so intense.
Shadow Gate - He jumps out of the tree behind the first owl, swiftly, it shoots itself toward him. Easy as pie, he changes his shadow under his feet into something that looks like a bunch of ropes, then he captures it and also hides again into the darkness on the ground.
Shadow Gate - He jumps in right behind the second owl and gets one strike into the chest, even vomits the blood outside of his lips.
"Previous era monsters are strong."
From that corpse, a bunch of darkness ropes instantly tightens it up. That "Har" also comes back to its true identity - a twilight owl.
Fake Hand: allows the users to switch their shape with any kind of object - even a corpse or an inanimate being.
Twilight Owl is a mutated species of Night Owl which is one fourth smaller than the main species. Its special abilities are nothing but a crash shot and a distracting mist. He also knows that they always assemble into a group of 3 or 6 individuals while loading and sharing all the information about the terrain around them by sound waves with the frequency of 50MHz in their zone.
This zone allows them to share the sound waves with the speed of Mach 50 at least. Yet, it also requires at least two owls to maintain that zone, otherwise, it will collapse.
And the decision waiting for them at the end is death, beneath the pressure of those ten fingers, which can even crush the bones of any epic creature.
*Ah~* - "This warm up is good enough."
He stretches his body and shoulders backward and forward carefreely as if all the three crash shots are nothing but just a childish game.
[The Sense of Thief has been activated.]
So on, his left eye instantly covers his sight into a gray and half-transparent phenomenon. Suddenly, far beyond him, to the Eastern lands, the yellow pillar intensely blows up to the starry night sky in a massive scale.
He licks his lips again, "So useful."
*Whirr* - Not too fast, not too slow, but obvious, there is something flying above his head. Suddenly, all the forest is covered inside a mist of flame particles. They flow in the air and lighten up the swamps that used to be dyed in the color of astral with the warm light of blessings.
[Legendary Monster: Phoenix (level 3).]
[Level 0 = baby creatures]
[Level 1 = immature creatures]
[Level 2 = semi-adult creatures]
[Level 3 = adult creatures]
[Level 4 = elder creatures]
[Level 5 = ancient creatures]
"Wow, should I capture it?"
*Vsh* - All the fire in the sky instantly vanishes, then it appears right behind him without any warning.
Yet, different from what Har worries about, it only gives him a sparkling golden feather instead.
[Legendary item: Phoenix Feather (70% purity)]
[Suggest: don't waste it too early.]
It looks at him with a curious manner, then slightly tilts its head to the left. It wonders something, then again tilts its head to the right side, and still wonders about the creature right in front of its sight.
Har slightly extends his hands, as an invitation of being friendly. It also uses the beak to touch his two hands
(Humans, I thought that there's no longer a human in this world.) A strange voice murmurs into his mind.
Soon, he realizes that the Phoenix is talking to him, he smiles and also replies, "I don't get what you mean. Even though I'm not belong to this era, I still know that there are humans all around this continent."
(Don't be fooled, you, human. I am not talking about those lesser creatures, I am talking about true humans.)
"True… humans?" - He repeats in confusion.
(Whatever, this is a part of ancient history. You must figure it out by yourself. Take my feather carefully, we will meet again.) The steady voice clangs around as if it doesn't allow any resistance.
"Okay, good luck then." - Har is really leisure, he cares not about the history, he just wants to find some intense feelings during fights and battles.
[Quest#1 - K…]
[Accept]
"Hey, Phoenix."
(What?) He points to the east and asks it to drop him there.
(Why?)
"Because you can fly."
(My question is why I need to help you.)
"Because you can fly."
(What benefit will I have?)
"Because you can fly."
(What…)
"Because you can fly."
After 37 times of "because you can fly," Har has already been 10 kilometers above a dragon's nest.
[Quest: Dragon Slayer I - Kill one lesser dragon 0/1]
(An immature dragon? Are you sure? With only that power?) It mocks Har a bit.
"Just shut up, do you see its neck? One strike and break it, all done."
(Oh ho? So the problem is how you can make it be real?)
*Shh* - "Let's see."
[Cube of Detonation (legendary item) - 5000 points.]
[Accept…]
[Currency: 1078 points]
Har murmurs something with the low-pitched voice right on that item, "Maximum Output."
The power to crush one small hill all to dust is around 10^12 N. With the start shooting speed of Mach 70, around 24000m/s. Let's ignore the gravitational acceleration because the final results aren't that different. The total destruction is around 2.10^12 N with the acceleration set equal to one meter. Which means Har only needs to use all his power to shoot one strike and wait for the rewards.
One immature dragon (level 2) is equal to a true elder wyvern (120 meters). The size of the boss that Aetheria's line up fought before is around 45 meters long. With the fact that mass is directly proportional with length in exponential function, we have (120/45)^3 equal 19 times heavier.
Now we multiply it with the weight of 120 tons, we will have around 2300 tons for the final result if they have the same density in bones and muscles. Yet, they are different.
After an interview with that sleepy dragon, I can make sure that it weighs around 4000 tons in general. And it also admitted a destructive strike like that would cook it into many pieces of mass after a detonation.
Finally, don't ask me how I could interview for it.
*Swish* - Zzzzz
*Swish* - Zzzzz
*Swish* - Huh? What's wrong?
*Swish* - What is that?
When it looks up to the sky, that cube is already right above its face for two meters.
"Detonation!"
*Boom* - Nothing remains, not even flesh.