--- JULIAN GREYRAT ENTERS THE FRAY ---
Living with a rather vague feeling of loss. Or a potential loss. Loss of a loved one.
For many, no, rather almost everyone, it was an incredibly disconcerting sensation. It was deeply unsettling, enough to set nerves on edge and potentially induce a panic attack in those unaccustomed to such a surreal and overwhelming conditions.
Yet, I yearned for it. A feeling of a loss. What did it feel like? Have I ever lost someone?
Yes, I have. But were they close enough to induce that feeling of loss in me?
Not really. All I felt was a disappointment in the fact that an untimely demise resulted in lost opportunities in the way I could have used that individual. Some would even call me pitiable.
Maybe I am. But then again, do I care enough? Care to be branded as a victim?
No.
The feeling of defeat in the fact of absolute strength. It was a feeling that I had felt when I initially started training with Orsted. I had lost to people before. Even before, in the white room, there were numerous occasions from the early times when I had lost.
Whether it pertained to physical prowess or mental acumen, all other considerations were inevitably eclipsed.
The intricacies of the process held little significance, not just for me but for the majority of humans and sentient beings alike. Only the ultimate outcomes held true importance.
Those who imposed moral constraints or rigid codes of conduct upon the journey toward their unswerving goals rarely reached their desired destination. In the relentless pursuit of their ambitions, they often found themselves left behind, unable to keep pace with the unwavering determination of those who were willing to do whatever it took to achieve their objectives.
Most of the time.
However, until now, even after trying to bond with this new family, I never felt this unsettling feeling of loss.
A certain level of attachment was needed to feel it. Hm. Somehow, maybe somehow, the notion of losing them crossing my mind would have elicited such a feeling. I am not sure. But it certainly was something.
Zenith---Mom, my sisters. Even Lilia and Paul. Rudeus as well.
I convinced myself that they were an integral part of my life. A crucial part that I cannot afford to ignore or put them behind my own selfish reason. And I abided by them. But then again, at the end of the day, was everything I felt truly something that stemmed from the sincerity or something self-inflicted.
Does it even matter?
I don't think so. I've felt enough.
A feeling of defeat. A prospect of true loss. A feeling of having a family.
But most importantly, a feeling of being loved. Genuinely. Expecting nothing in return. It is absurd---loving someone with nothing in return in mind.
As I stepped on thin air after unlocking the separate dimensional restraining spell and tore through the space to reach where Orsted was, I pondered over it.
What if Zenith dies? Or Aisha or Norn. Or rather Shizuka.
Will I feel grief? A sensation of emptiness. Anything?
Do I even want to find out?
Using the co-ordinates of the Ogre Island, I used gravity to puncture another hole as I stepped once more, making me appear in King Dragon Kingdom. It was a slow process that did not allow instant teleportation like the magic circles, but it was enough for now.
Another step took me from the edge of the city to the epicenter.
The spell I had fired a while ago made it just in time. I had no idea what kind of mana was congregating together to form a spell, but I had felt a ripple in the sky. Looking down I saw Orsted fighting...Badigadi?
Hm. Looks like Orsted didn't listen to what I told him. The Fighting God Armour was in the bottom of Ringus Sea. At the bedrock of one of the most dangerous labyrinths in the world. Rudeus became Magic God after going in there and honing his magic skills with Badigadi as well.
Regardless of those things, looks like the damage inflicted by Orsted to others had almost completely healed. Hmm. North, Sword and Water God.
Ogre God?
Activating my mana eyes, I felt his mana dissipating. Looks like he died before I came here.
One less insect to worry about.
Slowly descending down, I withdrew my sword out.
Kalman the Third, Gal Farion and Reida Reia. They seemed to have recovered their stamina due to the breathing room given to them from Orsted fighting Badigadi.
I cracked my neck. The perception of time was quite different inside the barrier prison that Rudeus created. Although, it did allow me to try a few things.
"You must be my welcoming committee," I said curtly, taking in each figure.
The young man with black hair's dismissive eyes met mine. "We are here to eliminate the Dragon God, not engage in witless banter with a pest."
I saw Gal grimace at his words, but he took his sword out regardless.
"Blazing Sword. Tell me one thing." Reida spoke up.
"It's Julian. You can call me by that name." I cocked my head in her direction.
"Why did you kill Darius?"
"No concrete reason. Do I need to justify my doings? To you?"
I felt her mana bubble like a rising flame. "So that is how it is. I see. At least I will have no regrets in extinguishing a young flame."
"You are but an ember yourself. What gives you the confidence you can beat me, let alone kill me."
A vein popped on her temple.
"Gal must have been sauced on some weird stuff to let this skinny kid best him." The rasping voice crawled like bugs out of the shadows and into my ears, making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
I traced it back to the black-haired boy. He can use magic?
It is quite meek, but he still can use it. He is like me. A Magic Swordsman.
"You seem to be the most unrefined of the group. Are you really in a position to be talking like that?" I spoke as my sword got covered in a feeble amount of aura.
"Enough," Kalman ordered, the deep well of his baritone burying the other voices.
"You demean my grandkid?" A coiled lash of dark grey aura shivered into existence in a fist like shape from somewhere, and he met my eye. "We will waste no more breath on you, human."
In the same moment, I activated Void Step.
Void Step.
It was a technique that combined almost every application of my gravity magic. Combining it with outbursts of mana and physical ability, it was a technique that could mirror teleportation. It wasn't actually teleportation, since that level of control over Gravity was still far from my grip.
But imitating the concept alone was enough for now.
My vision blurred in a murky dark flash, and I appeared just beside and behind the one who was trying to punch me---Demon King, Atofe. "Suit yourself," I said, gripping my crimson sword and sweeping it backwards.
The entire battlefield erupted into a maelstrom of chaos.
Atofe's decisive strike pounded the earth beneath her, causing murky earthen spikes to erupt from the ground, intercepting and deflecting my blade. Simultaneously, a gust of black wind enveloped her, obscuring her form. I sensed the impact of my crimson blade connecting with its intended target, but before I could react further, the tempestuous wind carried her away.
A moment later, she reemerged on the opposite side of the battlefield, her armor rent and blood seeping from a grievous wound on her side.
She possessed remarkable speed, and what was even more astonishing was her seamless coordination and flawless teamwork with others. In the face of such formidable opposition, I could not afford to withhold any of my strength or capabilities; I had to bring everything I had to bear in this encounter.
Mana coalesced within the dust and shadows that hung in the air, giving birth to a perilous formation—a ring of menacing spikes materialized seemingly out of nothingness, their deadly points aimed directly at my face and legs.
Using the precise perception granted by my MANA EYES, I swiftly detected the unfolding threat, allowing me to deftly sidestep, pivot, and even duck beneath the spikes. In a fluid maneuver, I wielded my weapon, slashing through those spikes I couldn't evade, ensuring I remained unscathed in the face of this ambush.
A spectral entity, its form seemingly forged from flames, extended its clawed appendages toward me, their sharp edges scraping ominously over my skin. In response, my sword became a blur of motion, spinning around and extending toward the specter's throat with deadly precision.
At the very moment before the blade could make contact, I deftly raised my sword, causing the thin crimson edge to ignite in a brilliant burst of azure-hued flames, engulfing the spectral assailant in a fiery conflagration.
The Blue Flames devoured the specter, leaving behind nothing, not even a residue of mana. All four opponents were moving, casting. Shields of black wind and burning auras moved with them, turning the small, confined space into an inferno.
Twin torrents of pure aura and sluggish, bubbling ooze sprayed at me from different directions. I leapt upward, grabbing the horn on Atofe's head and flipping myself up onto it. The horn twisted when I Void Stepped away again, ripping apart under the force of my movement, and then hissing and melting as a thin blur chased behind me.
Long Sword of Light.
Gal had already released his technique.
Using the wind magic to form a vertical platform, I found a solid footing as I brought my sword to the back of my neck, gripping it with both hands.
[Water God Style - Celestial Mirage]
However, as soon as my sword came into contact with Gal's sword to deflect the blow, another sword joined in.
Reida.
My sword that was following a natural order of Water God Style of deflecting and counterattacking was thrown off order, as the deflection was turned into an attack by Reida and now, she was preparing a counter of her own.
She twisted her body violently, spinning her torso and generating enough force that could snap even my sword into half.
*clang*
The barrier manifested in between my neck and her sword for a fleeting moment. The tactile rigidity of the veil nibbled away at the sword's momentum before an eye could blink as her wrists bent back and she was thrown a bit off-balance, staggering back.
Planting my feet firmly into the ground, I channeled an explosive surge of fire mana beneath my soles. She recoiled back and tried to evade the impending onslaught, but the sudden change in acceleration caught her off-guard.
[Convergence]
Her body was pulled inwards as my sword made an arc.
The feeling of metal flawlessly cutting through her wrinkly skin was oddly satisfying. Before Atofe or Gal or Kalman could close in, her head was already flying in the air.
My sword became another dark blur as I moved near-instantly toward my next target, the blue-haired swordsman, Gal. I had only an instant to be surprised as his blue eyes followed me, his aura shield shifting up to block my strike just as his sword lowered into a position to catch my momentum and use it against me.
"A shield, huh? You are evolving." I spoke as I locked eyes with him.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures. You won't understand, will you?" The Crimson blade crashed against his towering shield, which was wrapped in a thick shell of blue-black crackles. His silver sword hit my aura covered skin like a battering ram, just above my core. "You have never felt defeat, have you? A sense of loss. Love for anyone. You are not human. That would be your downfall."
A resounding explosion of raw energy reverberated through the ground as both of us were violently propelled backward by the sheer force of our simultaneous strikes. I tumbled through the air and landed on my feet.
In the brief moment that followed, I caught sight of azure flames engulfing his shield. However, before I could fully process the sight, a shadowy black tentacle, akin to a whip, snaked its way around my legs, seeking to ensnare me.
Reacting with lightning speed, I brought my weapon down, slashing through the tentacle, and the searing azure flames that surrounded it tore the spell asunder, freeing me from its grasp.
An acidic flame cloud caught up to me, inundating me within an opaque grey mist of seething fire that tried to force itself into my nose and mouth. I burst outward with an untargeted nova of mana, nullifying the flames. Looking in the distance, I saw Rudeus was the one who used it.
His mana reserves were dwindling. I can't let him deplete it just yet.
The earth trembled violently beneath me as a partially formed golem, composed of hundreds of interlocked spikes, erupted from the desolate ground and extended its menacing appendages toward me.
Swiftly, I slid one foot back across the fractured terrain as the spiked claws lunged for me, only to grasp nothing but a cloud of dust. In response, I swiftly flicked my crimson blade, its edge ablaze with azure flames, a series of times—once, twice, three times—slashing through, reducing it to scattered fragments.
Azure flames got even hotter, taking a much darker colour...almost violet as they raced across the golem, which crumbled and burned.
Green mana condensed beneath me, and I dodged back just as the floor began to ooze thick, poisonous sludge.
Poison Magic? He can do that?
Rudeus was nothing short of surprises. Given his armour was taking a lot of mana, he dispelled it and focused solely on utility and minimal support.
A cyclone of wind forced me to dodge again while deflecting a three-pronged bolt of lightning with my sword and releasing a pure mana blast to ward off the clouds of poinsonous fumes.
As I stepped to the side, I saw a sword weigh down on me.
However, the sword twisted the barrier around me and dipped the tip into my chest, dispelling my skin in opposite direction. It was quite painful.
Grabbing Kalman by his throat, I brought him close to my face, "This sword. It seems like you are my natural enemy. I will take care of it for you."
There were too many of them, and they left me few openings between their combined spell attacks to go on the offensive. As I pivoted to stay out of the gusting cyclone, I considered my own capabilities. I needed to maximize my mobility and rebalance the scales. I can't have Orsted and Rudeus use their mana any further.
Void Step flared, and I was standing across the battlefield, just inside the arched entryway of the barrier erected around the field.
Gal lowered his shield, which was pockmarked and burn-scarred from the azure flames that were gradually getting hotter as I added more and more fuel to it. Atofe stepped out from behind her, her braids smoking, and one horn cracked. The flesh on the side of her face was torn and bleeding.
[Phase, Paramita]
"Don't let him complete it!"
Gal cried out.
They had fallen for it.
Incantation-less casting was quite convenient. However, it skipped a few steps. This made the output as low as 70% of its full potential. However, 70% of double gravitational force pulling everything towards a central, focal point was enough for any human body to crumble.
In the small sphere that followed, Convergence exploded into being between the two---Gal and Alex, fully manifesting the pllarity in a rush of mana. Caught by surprise, the two were battered aside by the sudden bulk of the small sphere that had suddenly increased size.
Alex used his sword, but Gal wasn't so lucky.
The sphere sucked him in. He tried to avoid it by impaling the ground with his sword, but he was too late. Convergence had already eaten away at his legs, leaving only half of what he was before---only the area above his torso.
"Any last words?"
"...tell my daughter I love her."
"Hm."
A single slash of wind originated like an arc from my sword and severed his head.
Simultaneously sending mana into every muscle, tendon, and joint, I Void Stepped, blade thrust forward at the side of Kalman's head. The space around me seemed to bend inwards, closing in on me as the huge distance between us felt like half a step away.
But the sword sank into an ocean of pain and liquid.
The atmosphere had transmuted into a viscous, gel-like substance that ensnared me, greedily absorbing the momentum of my Void Step. It emitted a hissing and popping sound where my mana valiantly battled to hold it at bay, but this corrosive matter was relentlessly assaulting every inch of my being simultaneously.
My eyes stung, and my skin felt as if it were ablaze, besieged by the caustic assault.
Focusing through the pain, I activated Void Step once again, reappearing just behind Alex.
"Not on my watch!" Atofe screamed as she caught up to me.
"Begone."
The sphere of divergence that I had been keeping compressed all this time for her shot out like a bullet towards her, eating away at her head in one movement. Her body fell down but the head started regenerating itself.
Haaah.
Letting out a deep breath, I called out for Divergence once again. This time however, instead of firing it off, I imbued the properties in my sword.
[Void Blade - Second Form]
I slashed into the air a few times. Three vertical slashed made its way towards her. She conjured her weapon, but the moment the slash and weapon came in close contact, it shattered, breaking her weapon and then continuing on to cleave her body.
10 other slashed formed a net shape and came crashing down at her from the sky, with another 2 horizontal slashes making their way towards her from her back.
She tried fighting, but in the end, her body was disintegrated to miniscule, little pieces. She won't die. But it would take her more than hundred years to reform her half body. Of course, with a lot of luck.
"You bastard!"
"Save your breath."
He was defending properly but gone was the show of physical superiority. Instead, it was replaced by fear filled, trembling red eyes.
Perhaps that's what all knowledge boiled down to: new experiences that shifted one's perspective slightly, revealing more of a world that was already there, but which we couldn't see.
Same was for me. I couldn't understand the concept of barrier magic, but I understood it's true essence once Rudeus trapped me in a God Ranked Barrier Spell. Same was for Kalman. The difference between us. He could feel it now.
Seeping into his bones like a cold dagger.
Orsted had retreated until now. He was at a safe distance away while Badigadi's full attention was towards me.
The ground shook as he took off in my direction.
"How long are you going to make me wait, Rudeus?"
Even if I wasn't looking, I could feel him smirk.
"Thought you'd never ask, brother."
[LIGHTNING - ZEUS' WRATH]
The whole battlefield was covered in a blinding blue light once again.