Two hours before Hanor and Elyra's descent at Iron Chain Village.
"Here."
Gador tossed a dark red crystal to Ardur. It was almost pure Blight Crystal, with a piece of rock on the side.
"Are these the crystals Barna was talking about?"
In response, Gador nodded.
"Yeah, the main source of power for everyone at Chain Island and also the main cause of death for our people. The Mardeks... Not that I'm defending them, but I can understand why the monsters attack and kill us. They consider these mines their property."
Ardur narrowed his eyes as he examined the Blight Crystal more closely. It resembled a large, uncut gemstone, except for a fairly thick layer on top, like a nutshell.
"How are these crystals harmful?"
"Hah, try putting your hand on the crack."
Ardur did as Gador said, covering one of the few cracks from which bright light emanated with his palm. This was also proof that the blight crystal had not been purified, the dark layer would have disappeared along with the negative effect.
Thump.
In a heartbeat, Ardur felt weak. It seemed to him that the blight crystal was trying to suck out his life force.
It wasn't just his imagination.
"Can you feel that?" Gador grinned. "You're losing your energy right now. When you run out of energy, your life force will be used."
"I see..." Ardur frowned, raising his hand. "But if you don't have energy, your health suffers immediately, right?"
Gador shrugged.
"Yep. Those who work in the mines for a long time usually have serious health problems."
He continued to talk about the mines and workers, the risks and dangers they faced, and the problems that awaited them every day.
But Ardur wasn't interested. He knew that people here had a hard life, but that couldn't help him win, at least not directly.
He knew that very soon the news would reach the Chain Island and someone would come to restore order. Ardur was sure that it would be one or several people at most. For the first time, the Golden Light would not throw all its forces into battle, not knowing how great the threat was.
In order to defend himself and win, he needed weapons. His abilities were limited. Ardur was not so confident as to think that a newbie Origin like him could easily defeat those who had been on this path for a long time with his own strength alone.
"Hey, these crystals."
"Hmm?" Gador raised an eyebrow.
"If they absorb energy before they are purified, what will happen if two crystals collide? If they absorb each other's energy, something interesting will happen, won't it?"
Gador blinked several times, surprised that Ardur had figured it out so quickly. Then, he grinned widely.
"Yes. Let me show you what will happen."
He took the two blight crystals and turned them so that the crack of one touched the crack of the other.
In a heartbeat, the two crystals began to absorb each other's energy until they began to tremble. Bright cracks ran across the surface as Gador spun around and threw the crystals forward.
Before reaching the ground, the blight crystals exploded in a pure, red flame, sending warm gusts of wind that ruffled Ardur's hair.
"This explosion, how would you rate its power?"
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
"It's hard to say. A lot depends on how many crystals you use and who your target is. But, several times, miners have used this method to scare off large Mardeks. They are strong enough to rival the Origins. Something like that."
Ardur nodded as he turned to Norak, the young man still reeling from his first kill, though he had no regrets.
"Hey, how many Blight Crystals have been collected at Iron Chain Village?"
"This... Quite a lot. We had to pay tomorrow, so we have at least a few full minecarts and more than a dozen bags in storage."
Norak looked up at Ardur.
"Why?"
In response, he saw a devious smirk.
"It's time to use these crystals for their intended purpose. You mined them, so it's up to you to decide what to do with them."
He turned to Gador.
"Do you have people who can contact the leader of Cobalt Chain Village? I think our time is running out. We need to protect Iron Chain Village."
Strangely enough, Gador agreed with him.
"Sure. I don't know if she'll agree to take such a risk, but she's not one to obey orders. If there's a chance to get rid of the Golden Light, she'll take it."
They were about to take action when Ardur touched Gador's shoulder, stopping him.
"Hmm? Something wrong?"
"I have one question."
Tap.
Ardur poked Gador in the chest.
"Why are you doing this? You met a stranger in the caves, not someone from the villages, and agreed to the plan with minimal questions. That means you've wanted to do this for a long time and were just waiting for the right opportunity."
A gleam flashed in Ardur's eyes.
"What's your motivation? What do you want to see at the end of this part?"
Gador grinned widely as he held up two fingers.
"Booze and women! Those are my priorities! But there is one specific thing."
He waved his hand.
"The view."
"The... view?"
Gador nodded.
"Yeah, aren't you curious about the view from the Chain Island? Let's just say I'm a romantic at heart!"
"Huh."
No matter how hard Gador tried, Ardur couldn't miss the darkness that appeared in his eyes for just a moment.
...
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The ground shook with every step of the Bone Watcher, while Hanor watched from afar.
This was already the fourth Catalyst Type that Ardur had seen, and it was called the Norx Type.
The essence of this type was simple: the Origin used his Catalyst to summon a creature that would fight on his side. The difficulties lay in the details and uniqueness of each creature, but on the surface, it was a formidable force.
"Don't you want to show yourselves?" Hanor's voice echoed through the seemingly empty village. "Well, it's only a matter of time before you surrender."
He waved his hand.
The Bone Watcher reacted before bringing his fists down on the nearest house.
The metal scraps flew in all directions as a cloud of dust rose up. The house where someone had recently lived was now completely destroyed, in just one move.
"You can hide like rats as much as you want. I have enough patience to destroy every one of your houses, then..." Hanor's voice became lower. "I will tear a dozen of your people to pieces!!!"
Despite his words, Hanor's eyebrow twitched. No one reacted. He didn't like it when ordinary people pretended they weren't afraid of him!
"Again."
He gave the order as the Bone Watcher raised his fists, preparing to deliver the next strike.
Step. Step. Step.
At the same moment, footsteps sounded ahead as a figure emerged from around the corner.
The man with black hair and gray eyes moved forward, while gusts of wind ruffled his dark coat. For some reason, his hands were clasped behind his back.
"You..." Hanor raised an eyebrow, he did not recognize this man. "Who the hell are you?"
Ardur smirked as he looked at Elyra, who, as instructed, stood aside and did not interfere.
"I have the same question. Who is this girl?"
Hanor's eyes deepened.
"So it was you who started this. Otherwise, you would know that you are standing before the future heir of the Golden Light! Master Luras appointed her to this role himself!"
"I see. In that case, I am glad to meet you. My name is Ardur."
"Tsk." Hanor snorted. "I'm not interested in the name of the dead man! The moment you killed our guard, that—!"
"Apple."
Hanor's face froze.
Apple? What was that? Why did he even say that?
A multitude of questions filled Hanor's mind, but he had no idea that his time was already coming to an end.
Ardur pulled his hands from behind his back, where he held two glowing blight crystals, ready to explode.
At the same moment, more than a dozen people emerged from around corners or metal scraps, each holding two crystals as well, like paired grenades that were simultaneously thrown directly at Hanor and the Bone Watcher.
It didn't matter who the enemy was, even if it was a giant-sized skeleton. There was nothing that a chain of countless explosions couldn't handle.
That was what Ardur believed.
'Now.'
He said to himself as the red flames filling the square of Iron Chain Village reflected in his eyes.