CHAPTER 55 -BETWEEN POWER-

 

   “Sammael?” I unconsciously said, inactivating the connection between me and the Divine mana. Now that I look at him, he seemed a bit younger just like in the time when I was in the academy, back on earth.

 

   My mana blade disappeared when a single thought that came from my mind, the hand that holded the lighting sword reached out to the boy like a little star in the sky. My hand wanted to make sure that it wasn’t a dream or a silhouette that randomly came out because of the inside guilt I had. 

 

   In that moment, a dark shadowy figure appeared from below me and grabbed my dominant hand to layer then pull it down through the shattered floor.

 

   That is when I realized that I had heard a voice earlier of a mysterious person, trying to figure whose voice it belonged to, the shadowy hand was cut off by a flying scythe. 

 

   Flying around, the scythe colored white flew back to the owner. Caught in the momentum of the hand shadowy grabbing my wrist, I flew backwards to where the wall was, just below the classroom ‘Sammael’ and I were in. 

 

   More of the shadowy hands had come from the giant black hole in the middle of the room. “He’s desperate,” the scythe user stated. His black eyebrows slid down into a frown, like he had been expecting this before. 

 

   “This bastard is stronger than Stars, do you think you could handle this?” Without looking at me, the boy who was at least younger than me by a whole decade—mentally—asked me like it was some sort of joke. 

 

   I let out a laugh when he said that. A long ominous smile that was on my lips, reaching up to my eyes like I was closing them. 

 

   Though I didn’t know at the time, I had already activated my Ancient Walker phase earlier, when I tried to find that unknown aura. With having this phase activated for so long, my senses as well as my sanity was being depleted, back to when I was on Earth. Not only did the Ancient Walker phase influence it, but so did my time as a general for a country that not only desired to rule the world but also kill those who opposed them. 

 

   Not once in that lifetime have I ever questioned their motives or intentions in war but always felt wrong about it. Taking innocent lives along with guilty ones, had developed something in me that I couldn’t get rid of. Never noticing that trait until I had met Isabella and the others after my reincarnation here, if it wasn’t for them I probably would’ve been clinging to that awful old person. 

 

   However, now I had things I wanted to do, know, and be. Having people I have to protect and care for, that was one reason to gain strength. Through mana or physical, either was the best… even both sound better.

 

   Leaving the call of Divine mana into the abyss, I activated my first ring phase. Since I was human—an Ancient Walker—I had multiple ring phases, some which I haven’t even understood after using them for months. 

 

   The mana ring had almost been used and for it to be replenished would take seven minutes, some time that we didn’t have at this moment. 

 

   As the dark black purplish hands were rising from the darkness below the Legacy academy, silhouettes, bodies without much feature or depth in them rose from the drops of shadows of the hands. 

 

   My initial thought was to rush them before they manifested but Sammael proved that thinking to be wrong. Throwing his long white scythe into the horde of shadow bodies, slicing them into pieces and halves. Most didn’t move for a second, most even dissolved. Other shadows connected themselves, gaining their limbs from the tiled floor. 

 

   They could generate themselves just by being close to the shadowed hands? This is going to require more than my zero ring phase. 

 

   [Get out of the building now!] 

 

   Using what little mana I had in my ring, I conjured a lightning spear and launched it to the wall behind me. The roar of the lightning bolt had filled the whole building, even Sammael turned his head to where I had stricken the wall. Hurriedly I spoke, “Sammael hurry—“ 

 

   “I heard,” jumping off the second floor first and behind me was the young boy. My feet were inches away from touching the ground when a loud explosion ripped through the building behind us and sent us flying a few feet away. 

 

   With no mana left to use, conjuring a barrier was not a thing now and all there was left was for my body to resist the recoil. 

 

   My body flew like a ragged doll as I felt it hit the hard ground. “I thought this was an imaginary world,” questioning my own self like I was being gaslighted. 

 

   Being barely able to stand—from the explosions recoil—my ears picked up footsteps coming towards me. “Listen Sammael or whoever you are, I’m going to make you-”

 

   A distant yet familiar voice that came from the owner of the footsteps made my head whip up, “Looks like you are okay.” 

 

   Recognizing the voice of the one who knew about my existence since the beginning and the start of this new world, my battles that lasted years were accompanied by a foolish lizard who I owed my respect to. 

 

   The sun being behind him covered his face and eyes, but not his voice. Yet something was different, his dragon horns weren’t there and he instead seemed more human than Sammael…or even me.

 

   The lizard being who he is, extended his arm to me, and offered his aid. I let out a smile of relief that even though he had been trapped here in my body, he still had the heart to forgive my ignorant decision that cost him his body.

 

   I wanted to look him in the eye, I wanted to tell him that I would bring him back into the world. That I would find him a suitable host or vessel that could contain his power along with his soul. But I couldn’t, the only thing I could do was stare at the floor with guilt and shame. 

 

   The feeling that I was a prisoner, whether it was in this life or in the other. A prisoner of war, one who couldn’t be at peace but who could have only blood in his hands and corpses in his wake. 

 

   Suddenly, more footsteps resounded close. Being at my side, I quickly turned to it only to see an entity who had the same expression as the one I’d met before. Her white wings gracefully stretched out and revealed an astonishing amount of detail in beauty. 

 

   If I had to say, her beauty was second to Isabella’s. 

 

   [Astonished?] 

 

   I let out a sigh of disbelief, “Really? You are going to use that while you are in front of me?” Pointing out the obvious, the Angel beauty had a face of embarrassment. 

 

   She quickly put her emotion aside and gave me a smile that seemed like she hadn’t seen me in years. I truly felt that way too, it had felt like she and I were like long lost relatives. 

 

   Being new to me, this feeling was something that was worth having after so much of my life. Full of pain and grief, those were the only emotions I really had frequently experienced. Either in this world or the other, it had all been the same way. 

 

   “So now that we, ‘the gang’ have reunited, we should get things moving—” 

 

   My eyes flew open, as I turned to Onyx’s face, seeing his features that were once obscured by the sunlight. Instinctively my body pulled back, like someone else pulled my body from behind me and warned me. That’s when it hit me, there was another emotion who’d I would keep hidden since Isabella’s death. The feeling of hatred. 

 

   Without hesitation, I activated my own phase. Rage and fear entered my mind and body when I saw that face. My hair, my vision and senses changed. My insides felt like they were being ripped apart, icy claws stabbing each and every single part. The tightness on my face and hands, everyone else’s emotion fleeing into me. I felt everything. 

 

   The disorienting sensation with sweat rolling down my face. The dryness of my throat as I swallowed my own saliva, to which led my eyes to eject tears or at least that’s what I thought it was. 

 

   My body pleaded for me to let go of the phase, but I ignored it. This much is nothing, I thought with a tired tone. It was as if I was hanging from a cliff and a drop of tens of thousands of feet were waiting for me to let go. 

 

   A side effect? But why? 

 

   Questioning whether or not it was that, the Angel’s words from earlier today were in my mind. ‘Alter…you are currently going into—’ 

 

   “Overdrive,” I finished her sentence in a little audio. The toll had been dropped on me but it felt like there was more being put on me. 

 

   I have to finish this now before my body gets weaker. 

 

   Sammael and the Angel had fear in their eyes, like they could read my mind. However, Onyx couldn’t tell, he couldn’t read my mind. I scoffed at the thought of me still calling that thing Onyx. He wasn’t Onyx but took his voice and used its own features to create an opening, to let my guard down and kill me in that moment. 

 

   I had one concern. Would I still be punished if I used that ability here? But since it’s an illusion of the world—of earth—what could potentially go wrong?

 

   Yet something told me that I shouldn’t care about the consequences that might come, it told me that I should always risk something in order to gain something, and it was right. Agreeing with the unknown voice, I forced my resignation. 

 

   The bastard had a worried and confused expression, it disgusted me to the very core. The Angel pulled him out of the way and started a sequence to her own divine magic barrier. On the other hand, Sammael called for his own weapon that came through the wall, destroying a pillar that supported the building behind them. 

 

   I should’ve known that both of them would show their true colors sooner or later. They were fools if they’d ever thought that I wouldn’t see through their plan…but I was the bigger fool to even think of them as comrades, as friends. 

 

   “Traitors will always die together.” I said, loud enough for the three of them to hear. With no regard over my body I began to raise my mana and usage over mana, trembling but barely able to hold it. The sensation of hot water came from my nose, eyes and even my ears. 

 

   “Alter don’t do it, you are being tricked here!” Pleaded the Angel, using her real voice but with fake emotions that had no meaning whatsoever. “He is using you! Whatever you are seeing is not true! Please!” 

 

   Agitated, the Divine mana hesitated to give its aid to me. No it doesn't matter if it wants to help me or not, I could just use regular mana. After all… I am a quadra-elemental, I don’t need Divine mana or any other type of mana. If it’s not under my command then I don’t need it, much less care. 

 

   Sensing my aura grow as twice as it was, a strong confidence boosted my ego. 

 

   That’s right, I have this power, with it I could kill the gods. I can win against anything or anyone that is on my path for revenge, human, demon, angel, fallen… no matter what race I will kill them along with the gods. 

 

   I would sacrifice anything that was useless to me. Yeah…this is what we needed. What I needed.