Chapter 24 Lotus

Miyong

Yue and the president were discussing something complicated. Immigration and trade, I didn't understand. I saw the queen in the middle of the orc's warriors playing with the smartphone she had just gotten. Yue and I have a smartphone, I wonder why she didn't ask for one of ours. I walked up to the queen as she looked up from the phone at me.

“My queen, I didn't realize your majesty was interested in our technology,” I said to her, she looked at me and turned away. I thought I spotted a blush on her face.

“There are many different types of technology in the vast universe, however, human technology is unique. Most civilizations' technology looks like a system. Very few use materialized matter.” An orc warrior next to me said. Are these guys surprisingly smart?

“How could you do this to me?! What about the baby?” I could hear voices coming from the phone in the queen’s hand.

Veeeeeee

My eyes twitch. Something is coming.

“Child, take care of it.” The queen said, still looking at the phone.

Yue stopped talking and looked towards the tall buildings on the other side of the bridge. He flicked his finger, and the president and his secretary were tossed next to the orcs.

“Leader, what should we do?” Jackie appears from thin air next to Yue.

“Prince, what is your order?” Jason stood next to Jackie.

“The queen has given her order. We move.” Yue reached out his hand to me. I guess we have to work today.

“What about the queen?” Jackie said.

“Hahaha! You are concerned about the queen’s safety?” I couldn't help but laugh.

As we started walking towards the other end of the bridge, the queen said.

“Boy, take care of it alone”

—--------------------

I could feel the mana of many people, around forty. They are not weak either, most of them are on the same level as Jason or Jackie. This is a real mana user army, not like those ragtag bunch we fought in the tutorial. Even one of these guys is much stronger than that Break Bone dude. Where did they even come from?

Yue stood alone at the end of the bridge. The mana around him is so thin, that it is difficult to even sense. However, the concentration of the mana is something I have never seen on another human. Paper-thin mana layered on top of each other like some type of armor, I have never seen anything like that before. Most mana armors are roughly coated on the body almost like lotion, but Yue has crafted something special.

“He is quite a talent, that boy.” Sir Green Knight said next to us.

“Isn't your mana armor still stronger?” I wonder what these alien races think of our mana usage.

“Generally, stronger mana will be more effective in all cases. However, we have also never seen anyone use mana in that extremely detailed manner.” A voice came from the jungle, an elve walked out of the mass of blue trees. He has red hair, yellow eyes, blue skin, and a pink beard. All the colors should have meant that he stood out in the forest, but until his foot touched the concrete pavement, he was invisible.

“We have been living in the city for almost a month, and this is the first time you people have decided to talk to us?” The most mysterious race in the city of monsters. I have seen them talking to the queen a few times or bickering with the dwarves, but aside from that, they stayed hidden in the forest at all times. Hidden might be the wrong word, we simply can't see them.

“There was no reason to converse until now.” The elve’s eyes are fixed on Yue’s back.

“What? What do you want with Yue?”

“Nothing.” He moved forward a bit to get a closer look. Next to him, Sir Green Knight stood with his arm crossed. Why are they watching Yue fight? Why did the queen tell him to fight alone? Something is happening and I don't understand what.

Several cars flew towards us from across the bridge, it's clear where the attacks are going. The queen is still playing with the smartphone in the back without paying attention to the attacks aimed at her. Yue waved his finger across the air and the cars paused mid-flight before crashing down. There was silence in the air.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Dozens of massive metal spikes flew toward us, at the same time several mana users charged towards the bridge. Yue made the same motion as before and the spikes fell. Several users attack him with mana-coated weapons, while Yue struggles to hold them with his Telekinesis. All of the mana users were held in place, the blades only a millimeter away from Yue's head.

“Who are you guys? Trying to gain immortality by killing the dragon queen. I don't know if you are stupid or naive.” Yue said as he struggled to hold them in place. Isn't he going to lose at this rate? He should have killed them instead of holding them like that.

“Why is he doing that?” Sir Green Knight said it seems he has the same thought.

“Yue is a pacifist. He doesn't like killing or fighting.” I said, a smile involuntary on my face.

“A pacifist?! You humans won't last in this war if your Prime is a pacifist.” The elve said with a sign.

“What's a Prime? What war?” I feel like he just said something important. The two aliens did not answer my question.

Boom!

A loud explosion rang out in front of us which drew my attention back to the fight. Yue was knocked off the bridge by a middle-aged man of massive size. That bear-like man is almost the same size as the gigantic orc next to me. He has more mana than me, I have never met another human with that much mana before.

“I know you are not dead.” The bear-man yells into the river.

Yue floats up from the water below. His right cheek is bruised. This is the first time since the flood that I have seen another human able to even touch Yue in a fight. Blue, gentle glow lights up his bruised cheek. Yue's healing magic.

“Just a bruise?! You are a monster huh?” The bear-man said he seemed concerned to see Yue's healing magic.

“Who are you?” Yue is standing on a piece of rock, floating in the air like some spirit. Is he copying that old man who used his sword to fly?

“You are Devourer and that girl over there is Berserker, right? After the video of your tutorial performance went viral, we have been searching all over for you two. But to stay inside Nevani, the world didn't even know there were humans inside. You have been living a privileged life since the flood. I bet you have no idea what has been happening in the outside world.” His people stood behind him after being free from Yue’s Telekinesis. The bear-man thumbed his chest. “We are Lotus. The noble flower that grows from the mud. What we want is humanity’s survival. I am the founder of Lotus, Germain”

“..........” Yue shook his head. “I don't want to kill. Please go back.”

“..... Are you not curious about why we are trying to kill the dragon queen even though we probably have zero chance of success?” Germain said.

“I can guess.” Yue’s voice is cold. “Please go back”

“Portals are appearing all over the world. Hundreds of them. We don't know the extent of the monster wave, but, likely, humanity won't be able to endure even one wave. We have no choice but to kill the queen and end the monster wave.” Germain said passionately. “Billions of people might die. We have no chance of killing the queen, but if you and Berserker join us, we might have a one percent chance of success! This was supposed to be a suicide mission, but you two could be humanity's hero”

—----------

“Ah, a naive fool.” The elve said, shaking his head.

“The game never ends, until your world is consumed.” The Green Knight said.

“Then how can we save the world, save humanity?” If it is a game, then there has to be a victory condition.

“You can’t.” The elve said. I sense bitterness in his voice.

—----------

“I am not a hero.” Yue raised his right hand and the river answered his call. A massive tidal wave rose to greet the Lotus members but froze instead of crushing them. “Please do not make me kill”

“Why do you take orders from a monster? Do you want to be a traitor to humanity? What would your family say?” Germain’s mana leaking out of his body is disintegrating his surroundings. Seeing Yue not responding to his coercion, Germain snapped his finger and his people moved.

Yue floats up into the sky as the frozen tidal wave crashes onto the Lotus members. A wave of mana-enhanced water was too much for a normal structure to endure. A massive chunk of the bridge was carved out by the tidal wave as if some gigantic beast had taken a bite. The Lotus members were fast, not a single one fell prey to the deadly tide. A few members hung off the side of nearby buildings, several members ran back across the bridge into the city, Germain himself stood firm in a horse stance with his right fist punching straight out. That man had punched a hole in the tidal wave.

“That human is not bad. A few decades of training and he can join Oro’s vanguard.” Green Knight said, laughing. Orcs like those types of fighters. Using pure strength to break through.

Lotus members throw various ranged attacks at Yue. While he was busy cutting the mana on those attacks, Germain appeared in front of him with his fist infused with an enormous amount of mana. That guy is so fast I can't keep track of him with my eyes. I thought my agility stats were high, but Germain is on another level. Or perhaps his skill is speed-related. Yue was knocked down on the ground once again. Water splashed all over the area.

“That feeling again? What are you doing?” Germain said as Yue emerged from the rumble of the bridge with another bruise on his face. The amount of energy in that fist should have done more damage this time, and yet the result is the same.

“......” Yue snaps his finger and frosts forms on each of the Lotus member’s bodies that got wet during the fight. Even Germain himself was trapped in frost.

“Fuck!” Germain, exploding his mana, was unable to break out of the ice prison that quickly formed.

“I don't wish to kill, but I will if you do not leave,” Yue said. He is breathing heavily. Using this much mana is taking a toll on him. Germain smiles eerily.

Veeee

A loud, piercing noise. I instinctively cover my ears and close my eyes. When I managed to open my eyes again, Yue’s left shoulder was blown away. Blood is raining from the sky. Yue is falling.

“Oh, that is a great skill. An extremely rare one.” The elve said.

“Shoot, is it? I haven't seen that skill in a century. I am starting to understand why they chose this world to harvest” The Green Knight said.

“Damn! He moved at the last second. I was aiming for his heart.” Germain slowly shook off the disappearing ice prison. He was holding a small pebble in his hand. Is that what he used to hurt Yue like that?

Mana exploded out of my body, the next moment I was holding Yue in my arms. He is still conscious but fading fast. I could feel some type of range attacks hitting my back. Fortunately, this body is durable and I don't feel any pain.

“Yue! Hang in there! I have potions.” Before I could reach for the potion in my pouch, crimson mana infused into his shoulder, healing it at a rapid pace. I look towards the source of the mana, and the dragon queen looks at us with mysterious eyes.

“You are too weak.” She said, “Eluvia cleans this up. We leave.”

The elf bowed to the dragon queen before kneeling on one knee, putting his palm on the ground. Blue roots exploded out of the ground, several Lotus members were immediately torn into pieces.

“Dammit! Just the Devourer by himself took all of us to tie him down, these monsters are even worse.” Germain said to another Lotus member next to him as they fought off the blue roots.

“Captain, this was always a suicide mission. Why are you surprised by this?” A young woman said unhappily. “I told you this was a bad idea. EVERYONE! RETREAT!”

“What?! NO! The queen is right there! We keep going!” As Germain protested, his people started to run away. He had no choice but to turn and run. “Goddamn it!”

“HEY! UGLY BASTARD!” I yelled after him. Germain paused just for a moment to look back at me. “Next time, I will tear out your shoulder.”

“....... Scary…..” Germain said before disappearing.

—-------------

?????

“Holy shit……… I am going to be rich.” Several mana user streamers were recording everything from a tall building nearby.

This is the first time the world has seen how powerful human mana users can be. There have been videos of mana users overthrowing local governments in other parts of the world, but none of those mana users are on this level. The names of Devourer, Berserker, and Lotus became common public knowledge worldwide.

The internet blew up with speculations about the monster city. Humans are living there? And they are taking in immigrants as well? During a time when news of mysterious portals and imminent monster waves are stroking the public’s fear, the idea of a nation with extremely strong guardian monsters is like an oasis in the desert.

The world furiously debated this new information.