Echoes of Fire and Shadows
Chapter 80: Heated Battle (Part II).
—Julius's POV—
"This can't be all the strength you have, son of the Skull Crusher." Alberis said as he held a tight grip on the hilt of his blade.
"You've barely seen what I can do!" I said confidently as I swung Dying Scarlet at my opponent.
As soon as my scythe came into contact with his sword, a shockwave was spread all over the battlefield. The sounds of crashing metal echoed again and again all around the Aranir Cliffs as I continued my onslaught.
It had only been moments after we had finished our warm-up. In those short moments, the flat terrain near the cliffs experienced devastation never seen before.
Since the two of us were already using Fighting Spirit, our clashes were enough to shake the ground beneath us and even destroy it in some cases.
"I wonder how far into the future those eyes of yours can see." I smiled as I swung my scythe from above to split my opponent in half.
"Why don't you try to find out?" Alberis replied with a cocky attitude as he parried my attack and swung his blade as a counter.
"Already on it." I said calmly as I easily avoided his counterattack. I swiftly launched a counterattack of my own almost immediately.
Alberis must have surely seen through my plans and swiftly decided to dodge my attack at the last possible second.
Even though he barely avoided my scythe which passed right above his head, Alberis was unscathed.
He also took the opportunity to immediately destroy the two chakrams that were about to hit him from behind. I was impressed.
"That's at least half a second into the future." I smiled as I watched the two chakrams I had created with magic be reduced to smithereens. "Let's continue to experiment with that foresight of yours, shall we?" I said right before I dashed toward my opponent.
I was going to give him no quarter. I couldn't afford to give him any breathing room if I wanted to win.
But… Even though I said that, I just couldn't help but enjoy myself due to our battle. My body became filled with excitement as the thrill of this battle grew more and more.
I was having a really fun time even though the battle had just begun.
As our weapons met in another clash of steel, I was prepared to execute yet another one of my plans to overwhelm my opponent’s senses.
"Eat this!" I shouted as I channeled a fire spell in my left hand. I immediately aimed to fire at Alberis's face.
"That's too predictable." Alberis quickly jumped back before sidestepping to the right, again barely avoiding my attack.
My fireball went over his shoulder and flew toward the horizon. As soon as the spell landed, a huge explosion became visible from afar.
I couldn't help but smirk as I saw the place where Alberis had landed after dodging.
I quickly snapped my fingers to summon a rain of frosty icicles from up above, all of them which threatened to mercilessly impale everything beneath them.
Alberis was able to destroy the icicles with his fighting spirit and his sword almost effortlessly, only swinging his weapon once.
Due to that single attack only a few shards of broken ice remained behind on the ground.
Of course, my plan was not depending entirely on those icicles to work. It was only the beginning.
In the blink of an eye, Alberis turned around and swung his sword as fast as he could in order to block one of my incoming attacks.
A ray of fire with a long range and a delayed activation, a spell that had been hidden within the fireball he had dodged before.
Alberis was miraculously able to parry my spell with his blade, launching it beyond the cliffs and into the ocean. An explosion of steam followed shortly after as the beam of fire was absorbed by the water.
After that, my plan had actually failed. Sort of. I had at least confirmed what I wanted to know.
“I’m surprised you were able to deflect that. I believe you must have seen what would happen thirty seconds into the future after you dodged my fireball from before.” I said as I made Dying Scarlet change into its bow form.
“Twenty-eight seconds.” Alberis replied without a care. “If you think that you will be able to win by finding the limits of my Evil Eyes, then you’re in for a rude awakening. In fact, I will even tell you how far I can see into the future.” Alberis decided to change his stance into a more offensive one.
His sword was hanging firmly above his chest in a left hanging stance. His weapon was aimed at my neck the whole time.
“There’s no need. I’ve already seen what I needed to see.” I shook my head as I grasped my bow and created an arrow of elemental mana. “From what I saw just now and in Neris’s duel against you, you should be able to see at least one minute or a minute and a half into the future. Am I correct?” I said as I played around with the arrow I had just made.
“Two minutes is my current limit.” He replied honestly. He clearly thought that it didn’t matter whether I knew that fact or not.
“Ah, so I was slightly off the mark. Good to know.” I nodded with satisfaction. “But that is still an awfully long time, you know?” I said as I pulled the ethereal string from my bow and aimed at my opponent’s head.
“You are definitely pretty skilled. To be able to get an accurate estimate of my ability just by seeing it in action twice… You have my genuine admiration for your efforts. You’re the first ever who has gotten so close to figuring out the limit of my ability.” Alberis seemed to be in a joyful mood since he gave me a compliment all of a sudden.
“I appreciate the compliment, but are you sure you have the time or the focus to compliment your opponent?” I asked as my smirk grew wider. I immediately let go of my arrow, after carefully aiming it.
The arrow traveled toward Alberis almost at the speed of sound. Just like he did with the beam of fire from before, Alberis attempted to deflect my attack with his sword.
Unfortunately, he was in for a rude awakening if he thought things would play out the same way.
Before his blade could come into contact with my attack, the arrow disappeared completely. Leaving Alberis with an expression of surprise and mild shock.
"Now, Remi!" I said to my weapon as I dashed forward to meet my opponent head on.
<Yes, Master. I shall take your offering with much delight.> Remillia spoke with glee as a small cut appeared in the palm of my hand.
In the blink of an eye Dying Scarlet returned to its scythe form and the ominous aura around it exponentially grew in power. Not only Remillia had grown more powerful all of a sudden but so did I.
This was the result of my Blood Pact with Remillia. By offering my blood to the scarlet scythe, the weapon becomes able to increase our power and multiply it several times fold.
This blood pact combined with my fighting spirit is the peak of my strength and power. As a result of the pact, the aura of my fighting spirit surrounding my body becomes a deep scarlet color.
Though, this combination rapidly consumes my mana if I use it for long.
As I hastily made my way toward Alberis, I was able to see the moment where my arrow appeared right above the battlefield as well as the moment where the arrow split into dozens upon dozens of smaller arrows, each one charged with its own element.
While these arrows were not as powerful as the original one, they would still cause some damage if Alberis were to be hit by one. After all, it would only take one of them to destroy his bracelet. I didn’t have much hope of that happening, but it would be nice if it worked.
I mean, I don't think anyone in this world is prepared for the concept of bullet hell. Gotta thank Claire for teaching me about 2hou.
All the arrows quickly fell down to the earth and began bombarding the area around my opponent like a violent downpour.
As I expected, Alberis began to nimbly dodge my rain of arrows and striking down with his blade the ones that he couldn't dodge. It was all thanks to his clairvoyance I suppose.
What he didn't expect, however, was for one of these arrows to come out of his shadow right before I got in range to strike him down.
Alberis was taken by surprise the moment the arrow appeared, yet he still managed to dodge it by the last second. Unfortunately for him dodging that attack left him vulnerable.
"First Dance: Bloody Vermilion Moon." Instead of the four strikes I had done in my fight against Renard, this time I only swung my scythe once.
As Dying Scarlet traveled downwards, its edge seemed like it had been engulfed with fiery flames.
For the first time in this match, I had managed to land an attack on Alberis. One packed with enough power to destroy his bracelet.
Or at least, that's what I hoped for…
"Tsk…" Alberis clicked his tongue as he used the momentum from my attack to send himself flying backwards.
From his neck down to his stomach, his clothes had been severely torn without mercy, yet his bracelet remained the same even though my attack had hit him.
It was all due to the layers upon layers of ice protecting him from harm. Said ice was cracked in multiple spots, almost on the verge of crumbling.
"Heh. You even survived that? I gotta say that your foresight is starting to become an issue. You're a tough nut to crack!" I laughed with glee as I noticed that the battle would continue.
"You're far more dangerous than I expected… To think that there would be someone capable of fooling my foresight." He said as he looked as he damaged clothes. "I can't believe I was forced to summon a spirit again. The mere idea that you were able to leave me unable to dodge or block when you launched an attack of such caliber is simply… Preposterous?" Alberis was suddenly left mouth agape.
It was the first time that I had seen an expression of genuine shock plastered all over Alberis's face.
Hmm? What happened to him all of a sudden? Did he just see a ghost or something?
Meh, I guess this can be a good opportunity to test my Spirit Sight. I haven't done it since Laura taught me how to do it. After all, if I don't find a way to deal with Alberis using Spirit Magic then I might be doomed.
After gathering a small amount of mana in my eyes and squinting them slightly just like I had been taught, I became able to see spirits once more.
I was able to see several particles of light, some painted in red and some others painted in blue, flying around Alberis. The biggest and most powerful of these particles were the blue ones by far. These blue ones were water spirits while the red ones were fire spirits.
The water spirits seemed to be a high rank due to them occasionally forming what seemed to be a humanoid shape, but I wasn't too sure.
Damn… This might get a little complicated… I am thankful toward Laura for teaching me how to see the spirits but I am genuinely troubled since we didn't have the time for her to teach me how to talk to them. I'll have to figure it out on the move, I suppose.
I do not know why but I suddenly decided to look above my head. It was then that I saw the reason why Alberis seemed so shocked.
There were thousands… No… Hundreds of thousands, possibly even millions of spirits gathered in this alternate dimension. Some of them were seemingly trying to attach themselves to me while the rest remained floating above me like an infinite swarm of colored lights.
It was a strange sight that left me genuinely speechless. Sort of.
"Holy fuck." I couldn't help but utter those words as I saw more spirits join the swarm.
So is this why my body felt a little heavy at times between matches…? Did I always have these guys following me around? If Laura was able to see them, then why didn't she say anything before?
(You have been gathering them ever since you learned how to see spirits. At first there were only a handful of them following you, which is why Laura didn't say a thing because she thought it wasn't that big a deal at the time. I assume that the word spread amongst these little guys and that would lead us to now, I suppose. Oh, and believe me, Laura is just as shocked as you are.) Lia decided to answer my question.
(It appears that those little ones are really attracted by your mana. And to your succubus charm too. So much so that they might begin to acknowledge you as their king.) Catris explained in a half-joking half-serious tone.
(Oh! Spirit King Crux! That's a name with a lotta power behind it, isn't it?!) Thiasis suddenly got excited due to what Catris had said.
(Quite.) Lia agreed with her other half.
(Neat! Then what do I do with these guys? Can I order them to attack?) I asked with a lot of expectation. I was really excited about the prospect of using spirit magic.
(You could, but since you barely know a few words in the spirit language, I doubt that many of them will listen.) Lia was brutally honest.
(And here I thought I had suddenly gotten a huge advantage over Alberis. A shame.) I smiled with amusement before shrugging.
Can't be helped, I suppose. I'll have to make due with the things I know how to do rather than the ones I don't.
"What's gotten to you all of a sudden? You got really silent over there Alberis. What happened to the whole you'll never win against me speech? I could have attacked you whenever I wanted while you were standing there mouth agape." I pointed Dying Scarlet at my opponent while trying to get his attention.
"You… Didn't you just see that?! How the hell did you do this?!" Alberis shouted as he pointed at the swarm up above.
"Beats me. Not a clue. Pretty astonishing though." I shrugged once more.
I obviously knew the reason why this swarm of spirits was gathered, but I was not gonna tell him.
"Countless spirits gathered around you… Spatial Magic… That shapeshifting weapon of yours… Your dominion over magic and martial arts… I have misjudged you completely." Alberis said as he closed his eyes. "You're far more dangerous than I ever thought. No one has ever pushed me this far… I didn’t want to ever show this in front of so many people, but I suppose I have no other choice..." Alberis's expression darkened as more of his mana began to pour out of his body.
Oh… I have a bad feeling about this…
Before I could even attempt to do anything about that bad feeling, an explosion of mana happened in front of me with Alberis right in the middle of it. His power was rising, it was overflowing…
At that same moment, another huge wave crashed against the steep cliffs but instead of going to the water, it remained there, frozen completely.
When I looked back at my opponent I knew that my bad feeling had come true…
Alberis's body was engulfed in ice yet he didn't seem like he was frozen in place. No, it was much worse. It was armor, very thick and very powerful armor. The ice armor moved around his body almost as if it had come to life, waiting to protect its user from harm at any given time.
His fighting spirit seemed to have grown much more powerful as his aura sent shockwaves of cold wind all over the place.
This was a phenomenon I knew far too well already. This is what is known to be the pinnacle of strength in this world… An almost impassable barrier that separated the average warriors from the most powerful ones.
A power known as Transcendence. A power in which the user becomes an embodiment of the element they are most compatible with.
I had seen Tiria use it a handful of times during our training sessions, and whenever she used that kind of power, it only meant an instant defeat on my part.
Naturally a part of me was terrified by this sudden development. That part of me was screaming that the match was over already.
But that part of me was a small one, after all…
I am far stronger than when I last faced Tiria. Even if she was able to defeat me instantly back then, she shouldn't be able to do so as I am now, even if she's the second strongest in the continent.
That being said… Even if Alberis is the strongest one here, he ain't got anything on my dad and auntie. I've had worse situations with them in the past!
"Your legs are trembling, Skull Kid." Alberis spoke with an obnoxiously proud voice. "Worry not, I shall make your defeat quick enough so that you won't feel fear anymore." He said as he grasped his blade.
"Fear, you say? I think you're misunderstanding me. Things were getting a little boring, so I am very excited now! How could I be terrified of such a thrilling event?" I replied with a smile. "Now then… Drink, Dying Scarlet." I used water magic to direct more of my blood toward the abyssal weapon in my hands.
<A delightful offering, my master. Let's end this fool who dares to oppose us.> Remillia spoke with the same excitement I was feeling.
Dying Scarlet greedily drank the blood I had offered to it, making our Blood pact to grow far more powerful than before and multiplying our shared strength.
Not only the scarlet aura around me and my weapon quickly grew in size, Dying Scarlet's edge was covered in black flames just like in my previous attack.
"I shall eliminate you before you can use those spirits. You won't even have the chance to plead with them for help!" Alberis said as he dashed toward me, planning to give me no quarter.
"Let's see if you can live up to those bold words!" I said as I began to run at my opponent.
While Alberis seemed to be preparing himself for us to meet head on in a clash of steel and magic, I had other plans.
After all, who in their sane mind would face someone who can predict your each and every move?
With each step I took, dozens of chunks of stone and dirt rose from the ground into the sky. Those chunks remained floating above the battlefield, creating several shadows for me to use.
This was just the beginning of my next plan.
As the two of us reached the middle point between us, I knew that it was time for round two to begin.
"I wonder what you are up to now. I shall warn you that your efforts will be useless as I am now!" Alberis said moments before swinging his blade down at me.
"We'll see." I smiled as I avoided his attack by dwelling into the shadows with my Shadow Step. I must say that I was ticked off when he called my efforts useless.
When I returned to the world of darkness, I started to use wind magic to propulse myself toward my next exit point.
Of course, before I decided to exit the dark dimension, I quickly made Dying Scarlet to turn into its bow form and shot several elemental arrows. Each of them shot toward a different exit than the one I would use.
These arrows were different from before. Each arrow carried more power than the ones I had used previously and instead of being light green, they were all painted in a deep scarlet red.
"Let's see how he will react to that!" I smirked before I made Dying Scarlet to change again, this time into its staff form.
I then increased my speed and made my way toward the most distant exit I could find. This particular exit was around one thousand meters above the ground. A really nice vantage point for long range attacks.
As soon as I exited the shadow realm, a cold breeze crashed against my cheeks as I stepped into the floating stone pillar. The smell of salt reached my nostrils as I looked at the battlefield down below.
Naturally due to the power behind it, my surprise rain of arrows was leaving pure trails of destruction and craters all over the battlefield. Though much to my displeasure, even though it had been a surprise attack, Alberis was managing to avoid all of my arrows somehow.
"From what I gather, he doesn't seem to be able to use his foresight against targets he cannot see. No… That’s wrong. He wasn’t able to see Felicia all the time during their match, so it is safe to say that his foresight doesn’t work against targets that are not in the same dimension Alberis is in. After all, he was caught by surprise when I first shot an arrow through the shadow realm. But as soon as they come out he can predict where they will go… I guess I should have expected as much from this kind of broken power, but it is good to know that it has a clear weakness." I couldn’t help but smile wryly as I gazed at what was happening below.
Well, no time like the present! Let’s give Alberis some more stuff to dodge. Maybe a couple of flaming arrows and some meteorites, so it is the same treatment that Renard gave me.
Without further delay, I extended my hand forward to cast a myriad of spells at the same time. Most of them were grade 3 to grade 5, but I did include a grade 6 spell as a little gift to Alberis.
Soon enough, Alberis found himself at the receiving end of a rain of hundreds of fireballs, countless small stones from the chunks of rocks I had brought into the air, and several wind blades all coming down to meet him.
Alberis was still on the defensive, swiftly dodging most of my spells or simply taking down several others with a single swing of his blade. There were others that he didn't even bother to dodge or deflect and just tanked them with his ice armor.
"No good eh? I wonder if you could survive a nuclear explosion Alberis. I mean, I think I could create a hydrogen bomb somehow with the knowledge I have from Earth and since this is a place isolated from the real world, the people outside wouldn't face any harm, so this is the perfect test location! Though there would be no guarantee that I would survive either." I said to myself as I looked at Alberis down below. "But maybe if I step into the shadow realm before the explosion…" A dangerous thought ran through my mind.
(Don't even think about it Julius! Going nuclear is strictly forbidden! If anything That's truly our last resort against Agmos, so never use such magic for this kind of fight! This is a tournament for kids for fuck's sake!) The usually calm and collected Lia got really angry at me.
"Alright, alright… I won't cause a nuclear explosion this time around." I smiled awkwardly due to the goddess scolding me. "But you just confirmed that I could certainly pull off such a feat." I said while nodding to myself.
(Don't push your luck! I swear in my name that I will spank you if you go nuclear!) Lia was not amused in the slightest. (I'll even tell your mother that you're going around seducing girls left and right and breaking their hearts!) She threatened me even further.
"Okay, I get it… I won't do it." I said before letting out a sigh. "I was just throwing some ideas in the air about how to proceed in this situation. It is not like I would actually cause a nuclear explosion for shits and giggles." I complained.
(Julius. Repeat after me... I won't cause a nuclear explosion or engage in magical nuclear warfare unless I am about to die.) The goddess was still not very keen on my idea.
"Isn't that a little extreme? I mean, with a nuclear explosion I could potentially end the battle in an instant. Also, there are spells that are far more dangerous and harmful than a simple nuclear explosion if you think about it." I tried to defend my case just because I was eager to try this kind of spell.
(Julius…) Lia only said my name, yet the cold tone and intention she had hidden in her voice were terrifying.
"I promise that I won't cause a nuclear explosion… Unless I have to." I said as I placed a hand in my chest and swore in front of the goddess.
(Good enough for now, I suppose I better not catch you breaking your promise. Bad boys will be punished. Don’t make me go there to fetch you back to Gliosis, consequences be damned.) Lia sounded mildly exhausted.
Hmm… Perhaps I messed with her a little too much? She should know that I am not crazy enough to cause an explosion of such magnitude just because. Though it is good to know that if things get dirty in the future against Agmos and his minions I might have a good last resort against them.
Now that leads me to wonder if nuclear bombs would be effective against gods… Questions for another time, I believe.
Anyway, I suppose I should settle with the second best option in this case.
(Hold on, what do you mean by second best?) I swear that I heard Lia’s voice echoing in the distance, but I couldn’t hear what she said clearly.
That must have been the wind. Crazy, isn’t it?
After stretching my hand forward and erecting a barrier around my body just for safe measure, I began creating a new spell.
In some regards magic is no different than science. There's chemical and physical reactions that produce the spells that the people from this world use in their day to day lives.
One could even argue that magic is simply science on a much more powerful scale, as you're capable of creating elements out of nothing and manipulating them as you wish. Thus, you're essentially creating atoms and other subatomic particles and structures in exchange of energy, which in this case would be mana, the energy that permeates all things in this world.
Of course, most people use magic without being conscious of the processes that they are using to cause their spells.
But since I am not like most people and I have the knowledge of what is happening behind the curtains of magic, I can make something new out of this. I can make this knowledge work in my favor.
"This will be uncharted territory for me… If it works, it would be a great addition to my arsenal." I said as I focused on the task at hand. "First I need to create a space to gather the elements of this spell."
The barrier I had created was the shape of an orb and it had the size of a basketball.
"Now… I need oxygen. As much as I can gather and fast." I mumbled as I heard the explosions from below becoming fainter. I had gathered my mana in my eyes to enhance my ability to see into the lower levels of creations, the subatomic kingdom.
In this place all kinds of particles awaited… Oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen… And even ones that were completely alien to knowledge I previously had about particles, all were within my grasps.
It wasn't particularly difficult to gather the oxygen inside of the orb. While most of my concentration was on separating the oxygen from the other elements, I could easily move said oxygen and gather it with my wind magic.
"Now… I need two more things…" I suddenly started to sweat profusely. What I originally thought was an easy process suddenly became very mentally taxing.
I then focused on gathering small amounts of hydrogen and throwing them into the orb slowly but surely, but without allowing the hydrogen to combine with the oxygen, which would essentially create water particles again.
Since oxygen and hydrogen are usually merged in the atmosphere as water particles, I had separated them at a subatomic level for a very different purpose.
Within the orb, both elements were separated by a small wall made from the barrier itself.
"Now all I need is a spark..." Sweat was streaming down my forehead as I focused on the final step of my plan.
Right in the center of the barrier, completely isolated from all of the other elements with yet another small barrier was a small fireball, barely the size of the marble, waiting to greedily consume both the neighboring oxygen and hydrogen.
"And lastly I just need to infuse everything with more of my mana and then… We compress it all to the limit with the orb-like barrier, only stopping before something like fission or fusion can occur." My head started throbbing with pain as I reached the zenith of my concentration. “
“I’m starting to regret choosing law as my major… Physics or chemistry would have been much more helpful in this scenario...” I said while panting heavily. The previously basketball-sized orb barrier I had made was now barely a visible spot in the air. My spell was finally ready. “This shall vaporize you instantly! Feel the wrath of the sun! [God Eater]!” As soon as I shouted those words, the whole world was painted in a deep blue.
The inner walls of the barrier were broken, making the high amounts of oxygen and hydrogen mix with the small fireball setting everything ablaze in the blink of an eye. As a result, a huge beam of blue flames was shot downwards to the arena almost at the speed of sound.
Had it not been for my quick thinking about making a barrier around me before I began the spell, I would have been sent flying due to the sheer power of the shockwave left by my spell.
I could only imagine what was going through Alberis mind after witnessing a beam of hellish blue fire raining down upon him like a divine punishment.
It didn’t take long for me to hear, or rather, to feel that my spell had made contact against the ground as a second more powerful shockwave traveled all across the alternate dimension. A thunderous crashing sound followed shortly after and even reverberated without mercy.
It took a great deal of strength to keep myself standing on the floating rock platform I had made.
(Julius… Are you crazy?! You could have blasted yourself off into an early grave! It is a miracle that you didn’t turn your brain into mush from the strenuous effort or that your spell didn’t cause a chain reaction!) Lia complained very energetically, which was rare for the usually cold goddess. (You and I will have a serious conversation after this young man!)
“I mean, it worked, didn't it? And I also fulfilled my promise and I didn’t go fully nuclear. And to top it all, that should be the end of my opponent.” I simply had to let out a sigh of relief after brushing off the concerns of the goddess.. “Or at least, that’s what I would say if my attack had been effective in the first place.” I said before shaking my head and laughing incredulously.
The moment I decided to cast my gaze down below, I was met with a sight I didn’t like in the slightest. Due to all the power behind my previous attack, the sea currents were in a state of disarray and there were large towering waves crashing against the Aranir Cliffs just like before, but with much more violence now.
One of those waves had practically encompassed the whole flat area after the cliffs, almost as if it was protecting it from harm. There was a thick layer of ice above the water serving as an additional protective layer. Even from high in the sky I could see a gigantic black mark right in the center of the protective layer of ice. Hot steam was coming from below as the water swiftly evaporated.
“I can’t believe he actually survived that too.” I couldn’t help but feel concerned about this sudden turn of events. I was not counting on Alberis to be able to block such an attack. “This is proving to be more troublesome than I expected… Perhaps I should have shot this spell from the Shadow Realm. That way, I could have taken him by surprise.” I also didn’t fail to express my disappointment.
<You should have just used me instead of relying on such unstable magic, Master. Now, let us go down there and cut down our opponent! I will be a million times more effective.> Remillia seemed jealous that I had decided to use a magical attack instead of her. The weapon was as excited as it could be that the match was going to continue.
I wasn’t able to reply or to complain at all, as my focus on the conversation was shattered by a sudden monstrous roar.
“Yep… This is going to be way more troublesome than I originally thought…” I mumbled as I saw the origin of that roar.
A gigantic beast made out of seawater. A monster that could only be described as a kaiju or a titan. A monster with the head of a minotaur and countless tendrils and tentacles made out of great amounts of both water and mana. The monster held a high pressure water sword in one of its tentacles.
Since the beast itself was made out of water, it didn't take long for it to grow past the three hundred meter mark.
“Yep… I was definitely not prepared for something like this... If this is what transcendence can really do, then Tiria has a few things to explain to me.” I said as I grasped my weapon, readying myself for what was to come.
<Master, it appears that there’s a superior spirit controlling that beast. No worries, I’ll put it to rest should you give the word.> Dying Scarlet was as excited as a weapon could be in the face of battle.
True enough, just like Remillia had said there was an obnoxious gathering of spirits and mana right in the middle of the forehead of the monster. That obnoxious gathering had the shape of a rather large salamander.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that the spiritual salamander was both controlling the aquatic beast and serving as its core.
"I don't think we have much choice." I replied to the excitement of my weapon.
Also, why wasn't I told that this was a bring your own summon kind of battle?! If I had been told I'd have brought bahamut with me!
Anyway, this is bad… I've used more mana than I should have… My new spell, the Blood Pact with Remillia in combination with my fighting spirit and my barrage of spells used really took a lot from me… My mana pool almost ran dry, and that is really a rare thing to happen to me these days.
If my estimations are correct, just with the blood pact and my fighting spirit alone, I will be running out mana in less than two minutes. I have effectively shot myself in the foot since I can no longer use any big spells like God Eater lest I want to fight without the protection of my fighting spirit.
It seems like I got myself into a very sticky situation… Who would have thought that Alberis could foresee and block an attack that normally would vaporize anything in its path.
Some people in this world are way too ridiculously strong, jeez…
"It's coming... Let's go, Remi." I whispered to my weapon before jumping down the rock platform.
<Aye, Master. Let's end this swiftly.> The weapon replied.
It was a good thing that I jumped when I did since an enormous tentacle tried to swat me like a fly, effectively sending my rock platforms to oblivion with a single strike.
"Once I've seen your weak point then there's nothing I need to worry about!" I shouted as I was jumping from platform to platform. I made Remillia change once again into its bow form as I was jumping. "I just need one clear strike and it will be over for you."
The beast's attacks were painfully slow, yet since it had so many tentacles some of its attacks were almost able to reach me. I had to help myself using wind magic to avoid some of the attacks.
It wasn't until I realized how its attack pattern worked that I decided to eliminate it for good.
"Strike true." I whispered as I poured my willpower into my arrow.
Standing on one of my last platforms, I fixed my posture and breathing and gathered a small amount of mana, enough to reduce the beast to ashes without putting myself in a worse position.
A flaming arrow of black fire was quickly formed in my fingertips. I pulled the ethereal string of the white bow and shot the arrow at the beast without delay.
The gigantic monster tried to block the arrow with its water tentacles, surely assuming that the arrow was simply made out of fire.
"You really thought I would put all my hopes in a fire arrow against an enemy made out of water?" I smirked the moment I realized I had fooled the beast.
The black fire of the blood pact was merely a ruse to hide the real attack beneath it. In reality, I had shot a light bullet in the shape of an arrow.
In the face of what was basically a laser, the beast was effectively helpless as it had no way to disperse such an amount of concentrated light.
After the fire covering the light arrow was extinguished, it traveled through many of the tentacles of the monster before finally piercing the spirit that was controlling it in its cranium.
With a deafening cry, the spirit was turned into hundreds of small light particles as its power was scattered by my arrow. The spirit itself had not died, but it would take time for it to regain its power as it was forcibly sent back to the spirit realm.
"That should be the end of…-" I stopped mid sentence as I realized that I had made a terrible blunder.
<Master, watch out!> Dying Scarlet was also alerted by the enemy.
As I looked to my right I saw a second superior spirit, another water salamander, which was aiming its open jaws at me while channeling its mana.
In the blink of an eye, it fired a beam of ice breath at me almost point blank.
This is really bad! I need a barrier! I don't have any time to teleport or to make Remi change its shape! I need to put my all into it.
"[Air Aegis]!" I shouted as I used my mana as quickly as I could to defend myself.
Fortunately, I was able to create a barrier around my body just in time. Unfortunately, the power of the spirit’s icy breath sent me flying to the ground like a meteor.
My body spun around uncontrollably even when I was doing my best to recover, yet my efforts were not enough to stop my crash landing.
My body was swiftly welcomed and embraced by the ground below as I sunk deep into it, scattering rubble all across the battlefield and making an enormous crater for me to rest in…
My bracelet was heavily damaged thanks to the impact, but it was still in one piece somehow.
"Fuck… I feel like I was hit by a goddamn train…" I mumbled with annoyance as I relaxed and allowed my body to sink deeper into my crater.
Of course, I didn't have the luxury of relaxing in the crater. I needed to get up and confirm my surroundings and fast. Though as soon as I got up on my feet, I was met by the sight of Alberis ready to swing his frozen blade at me.
Now I had definitive proof that he was unscathed even though I had put a considerable amount of effort into my last attack.
I barely had any time to react but I was able to lift Dying Scarlet to block the incoming attack. The scarlet scythe and what was previously a golden sword now turned snow white met in a clash of black fire and ice.
I could painfully feel the vibrations of the impact traveling through my whole body while the sound of the clashing of steel echoed in my ears.
“Who’s the persistent one now? That attack should’ve vaporized you immediately.” I showed Alberis a strained smile as I tried my damnedest to push him back but to no avail.
“Normally, I should have been. If it wasn’t for my transcendence, my contracted spirits and my foresight, I wouldn’t have been able to see your attack, much less block it. Feel proud, that was a magnificent attack.” He complimented me while using his sword to push me back rather effortlessly. The edge of his blade was just a few centimeters away from my neck.
I can’t believe I underestimate him so much… Now I can see why people consider him the strongest in this academy, the guy really is a genius…
“Yet, it didn’t do anything substantial and now I am in a worse position than before.” I spoke with honesty as I gathered all of my physical might to push him back. I was only able to delay the inevitable and push him slightly.
I know I wasn’t expecting him to have a whole fucking transcended state as his hidden trump card, but to be able to survive one of my strongest attacks ever is literally something I couldn’t have ever foreseen… This is truly the most terrible situation I could find myself in…
My bracelet had suffered considerable damage, what little remained of my mana was being drained by the blood pact rapidly and Alberis had gotten far stronger than before… No, he had finally started to show his true strength.
And yet, I…
“Hehe… Hehehe… Hahaha!” Once I started, I couldn’t stop myself from cackling uncontrollably.
“What is so funny?” Alberis asked while tilting his head. His expression showed that he was truly curious about what was going through my mind.
“This is the best day ever… Taking you down and crushing that high and mighty attitude of yours will be enjoyable! Come on now! Let us fight till the end! Until the two of us break our limits again and again! Until not a single drop of mana remains in our bodies!” Even though I suddenly found myself in a desperate situation, I felt glee.
I felt alive...
“Sixth Dance: Bloody Scarlet…-” As I grasped Dying Scarlet to put my all into my final technique, I was interrupted by a punch to the face.
“I’d like to see you try.” Alberis said as he punched me square in the jaw. I was completely unable to see the attack.
<Master!> Remillia’s voice echoed in my head the moment I was hit.
In the blink of an eye, I was sent flying backwards repeatedly crashing against the ground in the most brutal ways possible until I crashed right at the edge of the cliffs. Along the way, I had lost Dying Scarlet as it suddenly slipped away from my hands.
The power of the blood pact and my fighting spirit had disappeared along with my weapon.
I was barely able to keep myself from falling to the sea as I laid on my stomach while half of my body was hanging at the edge of the cliff.
“Ugh…” My whole body felt numb, almost as if I had been run over by a train repeatedly. I even felt as if my brain had been tossed into a mixer for shits and giggles, my mind was almost blank.
The only thought I had in my mind was the word ‘How?’
How did he manage to attack me without notice? How much of his strength has he truly been hiding all this time? Were all of the previous matches just a ruse for him? Did he really fake being almost defeated against Neris and Felicia?
Even with those questions in my mind, I couldn’t allow myself to fall like that. My pride wouldn’t allow that.
Stand up… Move… C’mon… Move! Dammit! Just move!
I struggled to move my body at all. It was clear that I had barely survived that punch just because Alberis wanted me to survive. I could see that the magical bracelet was in a very sorry state. It wouldn’t surprise me if it was shattered by being grazed by the gentle breeze of these cliffs.
Move… Are you really going to lose in such a stupid way?! Are you really going to give up everything you’ve worked so hard for?! Are you really going to let him win like this?! Move stupid body! Just move! Stand the fuck up!
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t even push myself up past a few centimeters from the ground.
“You were a truly remarkable opponent. I should have expected as much considering that you’re the adoptive child of that man.” Alberis said as he approached slowly. Victory was already a certainty in his mind. “You’re the only one who has pushed me this far. Truth to be told, I never wanted to show this incomplete power in front of others until I managed to perfect it. I only became able to use transcendence a few months ago. I wanted to use this power to surprise your father and surpass him once and for all.” Alberis said with a serious tone. I could hear his carefree footsteps echoing through the battlefield.
“Tsk…” I couldn’t but click my tongue as I continued to push myself, trying to at least stand back up.
“This was supposed to be my secret weapon against him… It is a shame that he had to see it in its incomplete state.” He said with audible regret in his voice. “Though, I cannot say that showing this power was for naught. If I hadn’t used it, I would have eventually lost this match to you. As much as I dislike to admit it, that is simply the truth.” Alberis said as his footsteps suddenly stopped. He was standing right above me.
Alberis suddenly turned my body around by pushing me with his feet. His serious gaze was directed at me as the cold from his transcendence engulfed everything in the area.
“You have my most sincere respect for pushing me this far, but I suppose this was the only natural conclusion for our duel. You lost the moment I accessed this form.” He said as he pressed the edge of his blade against my neck.
I could only glare at him with frustration as I pleaded for my body to move for my mana to grant me the power to teleport away, for my magic to come back and blast Alberis into oblivion, but… None of that happened.
I was at his mercy, helpless and useless. I had no hidden trump cards left, no clever plans and no resources… I had nothing left. I was just useless.
…
…
…
Am I going to really allow this? Am I really going to lose like this? After everything am I really going to lose? The times when everyone called me an unbelievable genius were all just a lie? Is this really the limit of my abilities?
Is this really all I can do…?
(Seriously… I give up. At this point, training that boy is completely pointless. He has shown again and again that he doesn't have a single speck of your talent, Pyxis. If he at least had some, he wouldn't be so useless.)
A familiar voice echoed in my mind as I faced certain defeat. It was the voice of my maternal grandfather, the previous Demon King. Those words were part of an unpleasant memory that I would’ve rather never regain, yet it came back almost like rubbing salt into the wound.
Am I useless…? I see… I am useless… That’s what you always thought about me, isn’t that right, grandfather?
I couldn’t help but cry as I remembered the emotions I felt that day. I was heartbroken that one of the people that I admired considered me useless. I was heartbroken that my paternal grandfather agreed with him and they both made jokes at my expense due to my lack of talent, because I was just a normal human child instead of a demon.
I remember running away and then being kidnapped by those hooded men. I remember the pain, the uncertainty… I remember the whip that they used on my back and the hot steel knife that they used to chop my fingers off. I remember how much I cried and pleaded with my captors for the pain to stop…
I remember his voice… The voice of the man behind it all.
(So this is the little secret that Pyxis and Droam were hiding so fervently… They were hiding that their little prince was simply useless. He couldn’t even put off a fight against my weakest men… This information shall serve us well for our purpose. With this, we shall be able to claim the throne rather easily and destroy the barrier covering Gliosis. Soon, my master… Soon I will deliver my end of the bargain.)
A hideous voice of a conspirator and a traitor. A man’s voice that I could remember well, but whose face I couldn’t recall no matter how hard I tried. A voice that sickened me and infuriated me to my core. As well as a voice that produced endless amounts of fear in me…
(Useless. Useless. Useless.) The voices of both my grandfathers echoed in my brain in unison. (The useless little prince. So useless. So useless and weak.) The voice of my captor soon joined the voices of those who betrayed my childish admiration.
Shut up…
(Useless. Useless. Useless.) The voices of our subjects joined the others, almost like a mindless chant. (A weak boy who shouldn’t have been born. A useless boy that shouldn’t have survived his captivity. A boy who always betrays everyone’s expectations. A complete failure.) The voices of the hooded men soon joined the others.
Just shut up…
(A waste of space and effort. Seriously, I give up. It would be the end of us all and Gliosis if that useless boy were to become the Demon King.) My maternal grandfather’s voice echoed in my mind like a sharp knife.
“Useless… Am I… Useless?” Those words escaped my lips as the voices of the past continued to torture me further.
(Useless! Useless! Useless!) The voices grew enraged as I questioned their words.
Stop… Just stop… No more… I can’t…
(I’m sorry, Cruxy… They are all right, you are a useless boy. You have always been.) Even my biological mother’s voice was there to remind me of that fact.
(You’re a total failure, Crux. As a man, as a son, as a swordsman, as an apprentice, as a magician… You will probably be a failure of a husband and a failure of a father too. Face it, you’ve only known failure in your life.) I heard my biological father’s voice too.
“Useless… Am I… Useless?” Those words escaped my lips again as my heart was broken even further. I had been driven into despair.
(Useless! Useless! Useless! Useless!) This time, the voices of the people I knew from Marcel joined the chant… No… There were the voices of the people of Earth too.
I can’t take it anymore! Just stop! I know! I know! Leave me alone!
The voices of my adoptive parents, my adoptive sisters, my friends, my fiancées… Everyone I ever knew in both lives was telling me how useless I was.
(This useless boy is the key to the throne of Gliosis. Just knowing that we use him whenever and however we want will be beneficial to our plan. What a blessing it is for us that you’re so useless! Sit tight in that cell, you will be able to watch as I bring ruin to everything you ever cared for, boy.) The voice of my captor echoed in my head again as the chants of the others continued.
In that instant something inside me just broke. After having my heart trampled by everyone I ever cared for, everything inside me simply felt… Hollow.
There was a feeling of anger rising within that hollowness that simply couldn’t be quenched normally.
If I am so useless, then it doesn’t matter what I do, right? If everyone considers me useless, then it is alright to just break free from these shackles… From everyone’s heavy expectations?
If I am so useless then… Is it alright if I burn it all down until nothing but ashes remain? Then… I guess it is alright to show them how useless I truly am...
Echoes of Fire and Shadows
Chapter 80: Heated Battle (Part II)
END
EXTRA: Julius’s Status
STATUS
Name: Julius / Crux Navar
Race: Human
Age: 10 years old
Ability Points: 0 points
Titles: Reincarnator / Transmigrator / Expert Lady Killer / Experienced Goblin Slayer / Experienced Hunter / Skilled Chef / Skilled Weapon Master / Renowned Soap Artisan / Juli / 'Humie' of the Fairy Princess / Shameless Flirt / Adorable Cutie / The Favorite Person of the Blue Roses of Nebandia / Onii-chan/Oppa / Master of Dying Scarlet / Champion of the Princesses NEW! / Adored by the Masses NEW!/ Skull Kid NEW! / Darkstalker NEW! / Shadow Walker NEW!/ Beloved by the Spirits NEW! / ‘Spirit King’ NEW! / He who Burns it All ERROR! /
Jobs: Bladedancer Lv.4 NEW! / Sage Lv.3 NEW!/ Paladin Lv.1 NEW!
Level: 40 (27 → 40)
EXP: 199/ 45,298
Attributes
HP: 12,302 (3,744 →12,302)
MP: 35,140 (8,110 →35,140)
DEX: 940 (620 →940)
STR: 933 (700 →930)
VIT: 11,006 (1,278 →11,006)
DEF: 500 (230 →500)
RES: 485 (250 →485)
LUCK: 239 (136 →239)
SPD: 1,599 (630 →1,599)
INT: 260 (219 →260)
Common Skills
Appraisal / Level 5 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Charm / Level 6 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Cooking / Level 9
Enhance Mind / Level 7 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Hunting / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!
Riding / Level 8 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Stealth / Level 9
Superior Focus / Level 1
Divine Smite / Level 1
Harmonious Mind / Level 1
Combat
Sniper / Level 2 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Armed Combat: Daggers / Level 8
Armed Combat: Scythes / Level 5 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Superior Fighting Spirit / Level 3 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Bond with Weapon: Blood Pact / Level 2
Spearmanship / Level 7
Masterful Swordsmanship / Level 3 - ↑ LEVEL UP!
Throwing Weapons: Chakrams / Level 6
Throwing Weapons: Knives / Level 7
Superior Unarmed Combat / Level 10 MAX LEVEL!
Magic
Superior Mana Manipulation / Level 6
Superior Mana Perception / Level 5
Magic: Earth Element / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!
Magic: Fire Element / Level 10 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Magic: Wind Element / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!
Magic: Water Element / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!
Magic: Light Element / Level 10
Magic: Dark Element / Level 9 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Spatial Magic / Level 4
Spirit Sight / Level 3
Spirit Magic / Level 1
Resistances
Charm Resist / Level 8 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Elemental Resistance: Earth / Level 5
Elemental Resistance: Fire / Level 7 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Elemental Resistance: Wind / Level 9
Elemental Resistance: Water / Level 8 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Elemental Resistance: Light / Level 7 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Elemental Resistance: Dark / Level 6 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Pain Resist / Level 9 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Paralysis Resist / Level 5 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Poison Resist / Level 2
Mental Corruption Resistance / Level… ERROR!
Crafting
Accessory Making / Level 6 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Alchemy / Level 5 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Construction / Level 6
Magic Tool Creation / Level 2 ↑ LEVEL UP!
Smithing / Level 1
Masterful Soap Making / Level 1
Tailoring / Level 2
Woodworking / Level 3
Unique Skills NEW!
ERROR!
Hate to say it but I think the Next button is broken please fix ASAP.
jokes thanks for the chapter.
Error 404 Author not found. Working to fix the issue asap.
Thanks for reading!
@GodlyKamui
UH OH!!!! It seems he is about to go nuclear in a different way. That does not sound good.
Believe me, it is not.
Oh no, he broke. Seems like his memories carry some baggage. Poor dude just turned 10 and thinks hes useless even though he trashed a bunch of older people
Bound to happen sooner or later. Emotional trauma can be a bit*h sometimes, especially when you have tragic circumstances spanning two whole ass lives.
