*The weather forecasts didn't talk about pillars of flames, but I expected it! *
The day before the reciprocal love confession of Eric and Rubra, he was deep-thinking during his pause between the fights included in his usual training regimen.
*So, if what I think is right, tomorrow the traitorous uncle should give us a visit.*
His face was relaxed as if what was in his mind was in complete balance.
To a closer look, though, every time distraction hit him and his eyes went towards Rubra, his pupils trembled ever so slightly.
That's right, at this moment in time, Eric became that much of a battle junkie, and his fighting style became so much more fluid and active that he wasn't worried in the slightest about the idea of having a battle to the death with 500 years old Red Dragon.
Still, the thought of Rubra hating him because of his lies continued giving him pain in his thoughts even now, the day before, when nothing had happened yet.
Tyding up his mind, he decided to return to the objective, and not emotional, biggest problem next incoming in his calendar.
He restarted thinking about the future fight with Cain.
*First, I need to know our battle power in detail to elaborate a battle plan.
Staus! *
Alec(Erechtheus Blake)
Race = Human Chimera
Age = 18(28)
LV.210-->305
STR = 100
STA = 100
AGI = 200-->300
MAN= 200-->400
Remaining stat points:18
Abilities: Hero blessing, Dominion (lv.5, partially limited), Survival magic(lv.8, partially limited), Phoenix kin(lv.3, limited), Wild combat(lv.3), Cinder-poison resistance(lv.2), *a** *le**i**(limited), A***o*i** *le**i**(limited), A**en* *le**i**(limited), H**e* *le**i**(limited), P**e**o* *le**i**(limited), D**da*** *u*s*, N**es** *le**i**(partially limited)
Eric observed his stats and was pleasantly noting the round numbers, he was slightly o.c.d. about them.
The only problem was the unused 18 stat points, but they wouldn't be significant in a battle, and in the future, he will be able to increase them to at least 50.
In fact, the main reason he wanted to get the stat-increasing elixir was to solve this apparently insignificant detail in his status.
Watching the status, he could see the two new abilities he got from training these last two months in the Cinder Forest: Wild combat and Cinder-poison resistance.
They had fitting names: the first was acquired fighting for hours and hours against wild monsters, and the second one was quite special too.
He had seen the ability poison resistance in the past: from some killers, he had captured with the hero party and from the status of the Assassin-Hero.
*Thinking back to it, for what reason was I shown that status in the past?
They told us showing our status to someone should represent reciprocal trust so, isn't it ironic hers was the first dagger to pierce my heart?! *
Exerting his willpower as if physically disposing of this rage-inducing thought, he thought about the poisonous plants of the Cinder Forest.
They weren't that far from becoming monsters.
All of this was caused by the high-density mana that was present in this place.
Mana in this world could be assimilated with something similar to a life force.
If the stat stamina tells you roughly how much life force is inside of you because of your physical training, the mana stat tells you how efficiently can you absorb, save and perceive the mana already present in the atmosphere through magical training.
For this reason, everything born and grown in this forest was way stronger than average.
The poisonous plants weren't an exception to that.
Generally, dragons in Ouroboros were similar to the ones in the mythical stories on Earth: they were conceited and valued strength over everything.
Finally, Eric remembered by heart the status of Rubra.
After he showed her about Phoenix kin, she started doing the same every time her level increased or the same happened to her abilities.
Every time it happened, it made him smile mentally.
The first time she showed to him while announcing her improvement as if bragging, then after Eric remembered her about any possible eavesdropper, she started showing her status to him while talking during their lunch.
He was happy about her improvement in discreetness and patted her head every time this happened.
After the first time this happened, Rubra seemed always reinvigorated with a burning will to improve.
Putting together the pieces of the puzzle, his plan was complete.
Everything seemed perfect but, just a couple seconds before Cain tried burning into oblivion the two of them, while the tongue of Rubra was trying to pry open his mouth he heard an unusual sound in his mind :*Ting, skill evolution, skill evolution! *
He sighed in his mind and was almost starting to break their kiss when a moving mass of mana catches his attention: Cain was preparing the surprise attack kilometers above the ground but luckily both he and Rubra had raised the MAN stat above 400 so were able to see that coming.
She was trying to escape but Eric planned differently: he grabbed strongly her shoulders and said to her:''Trust me and follow my lead, I won't make you die! ''
He was talking to her in a fraction of a second, Rubra, seemed more confused about the words than the speed thanks to her superhuman abilities.
In the meantime, Cain's laugh was covered by the noise of the stirring air molecules which became faster and faster until a white flame pillar hit the two lovers almost at the same moment it was created.
A heat, with a temperature twice as high as the Sun hit them, and after a couple of minutes the ash of the plants and animals around the point of impact slowly returned to the ground.
At that moment a majestic scene appeared: a maroon mountain was returning to the earth.
That was the imposing figure of Cain: scales that thick that resembled rocks, between his nostrils a horn similar in shape to that of a rhino but one hundred times bigger, his bat-like wings covered the distance of around 1 kilometer from one extreme to the other and his eyes were completely black as an abyss, emotionless and bottomless.
He landed near the center of the attack, Eric perceived his arrival when Rubra was already laid down next to him, following his behavior.
Finally, he told her to keep her breath until Cain would infuse mana in her and he pricked himself with a deadly poison mix.
Almost instantly, when seeing the two unmoving bodies, Cain couldn't hold back his anger and started venting into the air:''How dare you, you brat, trying to escape after so much time I farmed you! ''
The harsh words didn't finish but just started pouring in:''Now wake up, bury this dirty, stupid monkey, and grow strong to give me your core as your parents did! Ahah, ahahah, ahahahahah!''
At the same time, as he spoke he infused mana into her.
Then, as instructed by Eric, she restarted breathing and, as if natural after her resurrection she created a shock wave that destroyed the surrounding rocks making the ash rise again in the air, obscuring the vision of Cain.
Finally, she threw with an almost instantaneous movement a rocky sphere created by Eric the day before, containing thousands of times more of the same poison he pricked himself with.
After raising herself from the ground her face was slightly surprised and worried so as not to alert Cain but her mind was different.
*60 seconds till revenge time!*