To a degree, Lex was speaking randomly, doing whatever it took to distract the Kraven even for a moment. But at the same time, a lot of what Lex said was based on his own speculations. He had been studying the history of the realm, and while it was mostly focused on the development of the Hum nation, while studying politics, he gots bits and pieces of what was going on with the other races.
Under the very real threat of the Kraven, behind the massive war machine that the human race was morphing into, beyond even the endless waves of brainwashing and propaganda that taught the masses the very purpose of their existence was to fight off or kill the Kraven, Lex sensed a severe lack of desperation. That was not to say that the common man wasn't desperate. No, the life of the average person was lived under the shadow of an ever impending doom and a relentless struggle to do absolutely anything to overcome it one day. Even the middle, and some of the upper classes of society had their lives painted with desperation. But at the highest level, where policies and strategies were made, where the future was planned and the direction of the people's lives were decided, Lex sensed a very focused and calculated calm.
Since his background was supposed to be from Gristol, or at least that's where he had been brought from, Lex had studied the retreat and eventual fall of the human forces from there. The very calculated way in which reinforcements had been sent to the border, and not Gristol itself, and the precise way in which important forces were withdrawn while letting the main part of the army in Gristol fight to the death felt all too calculated to Lex. Had true desperation been present among those in power, they would have sacrificed as much as they could to ensure the Kraven suffered the most damage they could inflict, instead of just retreating.
Lex remembered, back when Vegus Minima had not yet come under control of the Jotun forces, how Chen and Blane went on a suicide mission to distract zombies so that their caravan could pass through without being detected. The will and determination of Lily, the head of the caravan, to send her own brother on a suicide mission reeked of the desperation to struggle and survive. The Hum nation, despite all the efforts it was putting into it, had not yet come even close to that.
There were a few other hints he picked up here and there, but the basic gist of it was, the massive realm encompassing war was not as straightforward, or dire as it seemed.
He was hoping to extract some answers from this particular Kraven, but after all that Lex said, the Kraven simply looked at him. It was not that it didn't get baited in by what Lex had said, but that it just did not bother responding. The hate and anger in its eyes though were unusual. It was more than just being taunted - or at least, that's what Lex thought.
"Alright not puppets, but what…"
Lex jumped back while using Talk to the Hand with both hands as he tried to avoid the hurtling Kraven. Lex had goosebumps all over his body and he felt with certainty that the fight was no longer the same. If the Kraven was taking things lightly before, which unfortunately for Lex it had been, it was no longer doing so now. Lex narrowly avoided the clash due to his instincts warning him in advance, but comparing speed with a Golden core cultivator was a stupid decision.
The Kraven, when it stood up straight on its legs, was twice the size of Lex but its nimbleness was remarkable. Lex was too close to it for large maneuvers and the tempo of the fight was too fast for him to ask any more questions. While Lex would have jumped completely out of the way before to dodge a punch, now he had to limit himself to moving just his torso just enough to avoid a direct hit.
It was a scene out of a movie, or perhaps an anime, as Lex dodged each of the Kravens claws perfectly, moving his body before the creature had even begun its attack, For a time, they became a blur as their bodies wove the fight into the most intricate dance, with each of them moving just right as if they had practiced the performance a million times. Instead of enemies they seemed two machines, working with mechanical precision.
In the few seconds Lex had become completely drenched in sweat, and then the sweat started rising from his body as steam. Incredibly, he could actually feel his muscles rip, ever so slightly, not from the Kraven's attacks but from the extreme duress he was putting them under. As much as he wanted to pull away and create some distance between them, the Kraven gave him no time at all.
But the seemingly splendid tango ended just as swiftly as it began when a small rock under Lex's foot crumbled. It was not enough of a difference to cause him to fall, or even stumble, but it was enough to affect his balance for a split second. It was in that split second, as if the Kraven had planned for the moment, that Lex found not its arms, but its leg kicking towards his face.
Time seemed to slow as Lex looked right at the claws, gleaming under the soft blue light, heading towards him. Lotus or no Lotus, if his brain was punctured there was no saving him. But what could he do? The beast was too fast. Even knowing how to defend, it would take too much time to actually move his limbs in place. Even if he had a technique that could save him from this situation, he could not move the spirit energy fast enough to perform a whole technique.
A million thoughts ran through his head and he thought of every technique, array, item that could move his body just slightly to get out of the way just enough.
When Lex could not think of a good solution… he settled for a bad one. With his index finger he started drawing the character for fire, and then screwed it up!
Lex's body was flung back, deep orange flames licking his body as he flew through the sky. Lex ignored the uncomfortably familiar sensation of burning skin as he quickly took a look around. Much like him, the Kraven was covered in flames, though they seemed to be dying out quickly.
He looked towards Cwenhild and the rest, and found that their battle was still ongoing. With a groan, he looked back towards the Kraven. Purely defending was getting him nowhere. As much as he wanted to avoid it, he had to attack.
The Kraven had been stunned. Not by the strength of the explosion, or some attack, but by the fact that he had taken the fight seriously and yet, the inferior creature had managed to survive. Then the feeling changed to shame. Then to anger.
It roared, lifting its head to the sky to warn even the heavens of the consequence of crossing it. Everyone in the vicinity save for Lex was affected by the tsunami-like spiritual attack carried in its voice, but that pleased the Kraven. It would be too easy otherwise. It would slowly and purposefully rip that inferior creature limb from limb.
Once again, the Kraven ran towards the inferior creature, this time at full speed. Oddly enough, the creature seemed not to be avoiding this time, and only stood still. Perhaps it had accepted the inevitable.
But just as the Kraven reached its prey, and was about to dismember it, the inferior beings' eyes changed! His pupils turned black, as if hiding a void behind them, and from the void the Kraven felt the threat of death.
There was no ray of light, no shockwave, no sound to mark the attack that came from Lex's black eyes, except maybe the guttural cry of the Kraven as it crashed into the ground, its body dragged by its remaining momentum to Lex's feet.
𝒍𝓲𝓫𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅.𝙘𝙤𝒎
Lex was still standing straight, like a hunter before its fallen prey, but his sudden paleness hinted at something more. He vomited out some blood, but he wiped his mouth as he looked at the effects of Evisceration.
It was an extremely potent soul attack launched from one's eyes. All the attack needed was for Lex to be looking at whoever he wanted to attack. It could not be blocked using normal means, and would require tools or techniques specifically focused on defending the soul. Furthermore, it did not matter how close or far the enemy was. Without any indication or forewarning, the technique would land on the target as soon as it was used. Moreover, as it so happened, while Kraven had only that one physical weakness of the core in their chest, their soul was as vulnerable as everyone else's.
Under the Nascent realm, wherein most creatures lacked a means to protect their souls, such an attack was the most dangerous. But there was a good reason Lex hadn't used the technique right from the start. He had not yet completely mastered it, and as such, he would also take a lot of damage whenever he used it.
A tremor ran through the Kravens body as it lifted its head to look at Lex with murder in its eyes.
Don't give me that look, I didn't want this. I just wanted to chat," said Lex as he held out his index finger. Right before he started to draw an array, however, he paused, withdrew the index finger, stuck out his middle finger and started to draw.
A stream of blood started to flow from Lex's nose but he ignored it, and instead continued to talk to the Kraven.
"I doubt you've had a change of heart though, right?"
The Kraven said nothing as it tried to move its body. Physically, he was still in peak condition, but his soul was just in too much pain. All the rage in the world couldn't keep it from losing its control. What's worse, though, was that the pain was slowly getting stronger. His soul was like dry wood, and a flame had started to spread from one corner. No amount of pride could douse such a flame.
"I had so many questions. Where did the Kraven come from? Were they always indigenous to this realm, did they come from somewhere else, or were they just a new species that was somehow born?"
The Kraven was growling as it struggled to gain control even through the pain. The ground gently trembled under the terrifying gurgle but Lex paid it no mind. First of all, if he did something, he would have to give up on his array. Secondly, he had read enough about soul damage to know how debilitating it was. Not everyone could brush it off the way he could.
"Once I had a random thought. What if the Kraven were actually looking for something? Like a treasure or something, right? But since they didn't know what they were looking for, they just fought all the races for their land till they found it. But I have nothing to base that thought on, so I scrapped it. I do have one, slightly more specific question though - maybe you could help me out. How did you get in here?"
Lex paused to look at the Kraven, but it was still growling, so he continued to talk. Honestly, his talking was more to just distract himself from the pain he was feeling - he did not expect the Kraven to give him any answers.
"Like, I'm sure that this realm was searched at least briefly before students were let in. How could a Kraven escape the academy's notice? Did you come in after us? Or have you been here for a long time?"
The Kraven, while still disoriented, managed to move its arm and pressed it against the ground. It was trying to pick itself up.
"What were you doing with that fire, anyway? Were you trying to capture the realm? Wait, was the reason these mountains were empty because of your coercion? If that's the case, you must have been here for a while. Did the Crystal race abandon this realm because of Kravens?"
The answer to his questions didn't matter, for he finally finished his array. It was a very simple, very focused array that served only one purpose - one that Lex would not enjoy.
A bright yellow flame formed midair, where Lex finished the array, and slowly moved towards Lex's bare chest.
The black slime covering his wounds sizzled as the flames approached and soon started boiling. Lex clenched his teeth and groaned as he allowed the flame to burn away the slime and cauterize his wounds. Somehow, he managed not to yell.
But once the array faded, Lex did not feel any better. There was poison in his system and Evisceration had caused him internal injuries. He could not even focus on whether his scars would look cool over his abs as he turned to look towards Cwenhild and the rest. Their fight was almost over, with only a few assailants left. Had he managed to defeat the Kraven before they finished their fight? It seemed so.
It would be smart to use this time to crush the Kraven's core, but he was not strong enough, and a sufficient array would take too much time. He turned his attention towards the blue flame. So long as he put that out, he would be able to absorb some energy. But he didn't know if putting out the flame would somehow affect Cwenhild taking the realm, so he did the most anticlimactic thing ever. He just waited for them to finish. pan(da-n0vel.c)om
The Kraven was grunting and even yelling as it continued to lift its body, but kept on stumbling. Lex would be highly impressed if it could do anything in this state. The pain from its soul aside, the soul is literally what gave it life. With a damaged soul, its ability to continue to even stay alive was highly compromised, let alone anything else. If anything, its state was a testament to how superior Kraven actually were, for a lesser beings' soul would have already collapsed after taking such a hit.
About a minute later, the group finished their fight. Not taking any time to relax, they quickly turned to give Lex aid, and froze. The Kraven lay there, collapsed on the ground, grunting like its mind had been fractured, while Lex stood casually beside it.
The slight sweat that covered his body did not make him look exhausted, but rather was a testament to how little he had exerted himself. The char from the flame that burned his chest covered his body, hiding how pale he really was, and instead made him look like a man who had walked out of hell fire. Neither his shield nor his sword were anywhere in sight, but the way the Kraven kept wailing gave the impression that he had used his bare hands to bring the creature to its current state.
Even more impressive was the fact that none of the spiritual attacks in the Kraven's voice did anything to Lex as he just stood there casually next to it. Cwenhild had studied in great detail all the rumors about Lex, and came to the conclusion that while true, they had been somewhat embellished. Now though, she could not help but believe. In fact, at this moment, he even seemed somewhat greater than his rumors.
Ness was gravely injured. In fact, she had to sit still and let Silvia heal her, or there was a strong chance she would go into shock. But as she stared at the man standing beside humanity's greatest foe, she had to remind herself not to move for she found herself filled with lust. To be more specific, she was filled with lust for battle! Lex had been hiding his capabilities and her heart was filled with the greatest desire to find out to what degree.
Bearin was pale, and not just because of his blood loss. He disliked and picked on Lex to show his superiority, so as to let Lex know his place in the competition from Cwenhild. But all he was good for was defending and running away, so never felt seriously threatened. But now he felt threatened.
"What are you waiting for?" Lex asked, waking everyone up from their reverie. "Kill the Kraven and take the realm. It's best not to let these things wait, lest something unexpected happens."
As if listening to Lex, Cwenhild dashed to him and pierced the Kraven through its back towards its core. Her glaive, like always, cut smoothly through all opposition and abruptly ended the creature's life. There was a sense of disbelief that filled the air as the creature fell limp onto the ground, no longer grunting or moving.
That was… it? But apparently, it seemed so. Cwenhild paused to look at the Kraven's body, but could not find a single external wound. She looked towards Lex and saw tired eyes and a nosebleed, nothing else. It seemed… she had still underestimated Lex.
She wanted to talk to him but his words were right. It was best to finish things quickly lest anything else unexpected happened.
Lex saw her turn towards the blue flame and excitement surged within him. He wondered how much energy he would get.
Then, a familiar sense of danger filled his body. Before he could react in any way, though, at a speed incomprehensible to him, a figure appeared in front of him and placed a single finger on his forehead.
Lex felt the cold finger press against him, unable to tell if the sensation was actual temperature or his instincts warning him about death. Yet nothing else happened. The world seemed to have frozen and his body alongside it, with only his thoughts remaining unfrozen.
He focused towards the figure and realized two things. First, this was the same figure he had seen earlier, back in the first ruins. Second, standing in front of him was a member of the Crystal race, and he was far stronger than anything Lex could go up against.
"Do not be alarmed, young human," spoke a warm voice inside his head. "I only came to talk to you. I found your fight quite interesting. But more importantly, I was fascinated by the questions you asked."
Lex relaxed considerably, though there was just something about having a finger on his forehead that could drill into his brain at any moment that didn't let him feel completely at ease. He looked at the stranger in front of him. Besides a small gap around his eyes that showed the figure was made of crystal with a blue tint in it, he was covered in wrappings from head to toe. All it would take was a pair of sunglasses and no one would ever be able to tell the figure was from the crystal race, and would mistake him for a human.
He also noticed that by commenting on the fact that he liked Lex's questions to the Kraven, he revealed that he could understand whatever language they had been speaking. Yet, the Kraven had clearly stated that his language could not be understood by inferior races. This either meant that he was lying, which was completely possible, or that the Crystal race did not fall into the category of an inferior race.
"Do you know the answers? Do you know where the Kraven came from?" Lex asked with excitement in his voice. It was a lot harder to mask his emotions when the conversation was taking place in his own brain.
The man laughed before answering.
"Of course I know the answers, and more. In fact, the reason I'm in this realm to begin with is to erase any evidence or historical records that are not for common eyes."
Lex tried to analyze his words, but the man did not give away any details. All he had managed to convey so far was that the origin of the Kraven, or perhaps their goals, may not be such a mystery to everyone. This man at least knew the answers, but wanted to avoid spreading the information.
"I'll give you a few hints though, if you're interested in searching for the answers. Matters relating to the Kraven are more complicated than you realize. At the same time, however, those that need to know about these matters, do. So, there are two ways for you to learn the answers you seek. First, you become important enough to the people who know that they share this knowledge with you. Who they are and how you can become important to them, I will leave for you to figure out on your own. Second, you find old ruins like the ones in this realm, but in an area that has been long forgotten. After all, any time a new Minor realm is opened, someone like me comes along to scrub the place clean. And any ruins back in the Crystal realm that are common knowledge have already been scrubbed clean. The only way for you to learn the truth through this method is to find a realm, or some ruins, on your own that no one else knows about."
For a moment, Lex did not respond as he thought about the information given to him. In the end, he could not stop himself from asking, "If this information is meant to be kept a secret, why are you telling me how to find it?"
"Why else? Because I think it will be entertaining. If you're able to learn the truth, you can find me in a city called Valesco to share the story of how you found out. If I like the story, for every secret you uncovered, I'll reveal another one. But I think you're still far away from that for now, so I'll give you a little help to speed up the process. The crown that the little girl is carrying around is called the Issle'Garb. It is useless to humans, unless they happen to follow what you call the True Path of cultivation." The crystal winked at Lex as he said that.
"Next, a small tip about Minor realms. Minor realms are a tear in space and so are exposed to a lot of chaotic energy, also known as radiation. If a Minor realm is naturally formed, this chaotic energy will soon cause the realm to collapse, but if a Minor realm is created, the creator naturally equips the realm with a way to harness the radiation, and spread it throughout the realm as spiritual energy. Some of it, however, is saved up in an area known as the focal point which is a treasure that can be used to influence the realm. If someone were to enter an unowned realm, and take control of the focal point, they can absorb all that energy. It's a safe way to quickly raise your cultivation."
The man winked again.
"After all that excess energy is absorbed, the cultivator can still cultivate much faster so long as they do so near the focal point. Of course, it can't compete with taking a new focal point but, typically, a person can only own one focal point at a time."
The man paused after that, almost as if considering if he wanted to give Lex a few more hints to help him, but in the end, decided not to make it too easy for Lex.
"I'll leave you with a letter. If you want to find me, just give that letter to one of the guards in Valesco."
With that the man vanished, as if he had never been there, and time seemed to flow again. Cwenhild was still walking towards the blue flame while the rest of the group was either healing or inspecting the dead Kraven.
In Lex's hand was a sealed letter with no name or destination written on any side. He put away the letter and took a deep breath of relief. Then he thought over the new information the man had given him.
So other than absorb the abundant energy in the realms into the system, he could absorb it himself and speed up his cultivation. This was good news, because it meant that all Minor realms would have a massive amount of energy stored up. pan(da-n0vel.c)om
While Cwenhild did whatever she needed to do with the flame, Lex walked towards the dead assassins. Their demise had not been peaceful, as almost all of them had their bodies split in half, while others had been crushed or burned to death.
Lex removed their masks but, as expected, did not recognize any of them. He searched their bodies but, other than their weapons, they carried nothing else that may reveal their origins.
"Find anything?" Jovi asked, limping up to Lex.
"Not a thing," he replied impassively. In Lex's mind, he was already planning his next move. The chances that these assassins were after him was extremely slim, and he was sure Cwenhild would get to the bottom of it, so he already put it out of his mind.
"I… can probably guess their origin," said Jovi as he looked around, making sure no one was close. "I can tell you, but you have to answer a question of mine first."
Lex raised an eyebrow as he looked at Jovi with curiosity. Intrigued, he said, "ask away."
"What kind of relationship do you have with Cwenhild?"
𝘭𝘪𝑏𝑟ℯ𝒶𝑑.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Lex almost felt stupid for being curious. All that build up, and what was it for? Petty jealousy? Did he think they had a romantic relationship or something?
"Strictly professional. My designated profession at the academy is Survival Consultant, and based on my performance during a previous expedition, she thought I would be of assistance and hired me."
Jovi let out a breath of relief, and then actually laughed, for he didn't even realize he had been holding his breath.
"I'm sorry, I just… after you… the Kraven… I…" Jovi stopped and chuckled at his state. He collected his thoughts and asked, "are you familiar with the distinctions between academy students?"
"By profession?"
"No, not like that. Let me explain. The academy, as you probably know it, is a tool used by the King to train the leaders in every possible industry from the entire Hum nation. Its campus, as you've probably noticed, is ridiculously huge. That's because the academy covers more land than entire provinces such as Gristol. I'm not sure how many students the academy has at any one point, but last year, 30 billion students graduated from the academy. After they graduate, those students are sent throughout the realm and assume roles that help their respective communities in massive ways. But, all of that is just the most basic and out level of the academy. These students are, in a way, probationary students. Only by achieving something extraordinary before you graduate can you become eligible to become a true student. Another way of putting it would be that, only after you prove yourself, can you become a core student of the academy."
He paused, and turned to look at Cwenhild.
"She's been proving herself for a while now, and once she gains this Minor realm, she'll be eligible to become a core student. I'm guessing… the assassins were sent by someone who's competing with her for that position."