!!!!! Pr Credits To Draconis & Rota who not only both pred it but improved this ch's quality greatly please rep them. Also Full Credits to Askard who maintains the Information Doc where a majority of spectral regalia information is written please Rep him to ^^!!!
so rota brought something to my attention, i have been overusing words to the point where it has goten annoying, bieng an author one is always to improve and take criticism like this as important to growth so i will be trying to remove this habbit unfourtently chapter 91 is allready done so i cant change it. ch 92 will have to be my test.
i hope you all enjoy this chapter Please Rate/Follow/Favourite/Share/Enjoy ch 90 :D
P.S i think i know a trick to keep things exciting and fresh as for how i will implement it you will have to see.
a little info regarding the attention on kael to explain why the focus on him
Spoiler :
so i wanted to make the story a bit more indepth and give life to the charecters and show that they arent useless side charecters but ones that hold future importance which is why i have given a bit of focus to kael i wanted this to be somewhat realistic but not to cliche or boring which is why i had a few events set up for him. that bieng said it wont be long before i refocus on avrin and get it over with.
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Striking upward with the two Void Swords, it met the totem’s bottom part directly. Using this as leverage, Kael spun his body, causing the totem and the chief in midair to change directory by a few inches, smashing just enough to not hit Kael directly. But of course, this wasn't without a price. Kael had to use a bit of energy and push his muscles to the limit. Even then, he knew that against a Grandmaster, without his draconic form, he had no real chance.
“Oh!” The chief uttered. As soon as the totem hit the ground, a large crashing sound exploded out. As if a meteor had hit. The ground split in all directions, sending spectators fleeing and screaming. Even the chief’s daughter was nearly struck by debris in the aftermath.
“-This man has quite a lot of strength, but that's all. He only uses brute strength with no technique. I'm amazed to how he had even reached this level of power-” Avrin was fascinated by this.
“Boy, you have some skill!” The chief cried out in joy before he grabbed a side handle of the totem, almost like a tonfa. He took a step forward and his arms started to bulge. He clenched his teeth, then spun with great strength and speed.
Using the momentum and strength of himself and the totem, he had managed to form a whirlwind. Just as Kael was about to land from changing the course of the chief’s attack, the whirlwind drew him in.
“Not good!” Kael helplessly spoke, unable to resist the pull. He didn't even have time to cast any abilities with dark matter. He was sucked into the whirlwind, and as soon as he drew close enough, the chief stopped and hit Kael with the piece of totem before pressing him into the ground with it, causing the ground to crash again, but not as dangerous as before.
“Ahh!!” Kael helplessly screamed out as he felt his bones cracking. He felt his joints loosen and his consciousness drift. The chief then lifted the totem up off Kael and softly scratched his chin.
“Hhmmm! You lasted longer than I thought! You look young too. It would be a shame to kill someone so talented at a young age. I won't kill you.” The chief spoke, having a bit of respect for Kael, who was on the verge of collapsing. He couldn't even groan out in pain.
“In exchange for letting you live, how about you marry my daughter and join my tribe!” These words shocked everyone, including Avrin, who was dumbfounded by this muscle-bound fool.
“FATHER!” A loud voice roared out from behind. The girl made her way up a loosened rock that had been thrown up by the previous attack. She glared at her father and Kael as she pointed. “What nonsense are you speaking!!”
“Hahahaha.” The chief couldn't help but laugh at his daughter’s reaction. “I am joking. You know I will only allow someone of our tribe.” Turning to gaze at Kael, the large muscular man raised the totem up over him.
“Well, it's a shame that I have to end you, but you disrespected my tribe by defeating my daughter and injuring her. In your next life, pick your enemies wisely!” Kael glanced up weakly with a soft snicker. He knew what would come next.
Before the totem had even reached the halfway mark, a black blur appeared and raised his left leg as he elegantly kicked towards the side of the totem. The attack stunned the chief, but it also held enough force to blow him back to the side along with the totem and also cause the wind to stir.
“You're speaking of picking enemies wisely, yet you want to kill my disciple?“ Avrin spoke out, feeling somewhat annoyed at this man. The chief quickly gained his balance, his face twisting with anger. “W..Who are you!?! How dare you intrude!”
Ignoring the chief, Avrin gazed down at Kael and frowned. “You are bringing me more trouble than necessary. I will be sure to punish you when we spar.” Kael’s face paled slightly as he tried to laugh it off. The dark matter in his body, as well as the draconic side, helped him regenerate enough for him to lean up a little despite being in pain.
“You...are ignoring me!!” The chief lunged towards Avrin with anger in his eyes. He swung the totem towards him. Seeing this, Avrin knew it would still be bad if he were hit directly, but the speed itself wasn't much compared to his current abilities. He spread his legs apart and leaned back, avoiding the totem. The force of the attack blew past them, crashing into some nearby buildings and trees, narrowly missing the spectators who had quickly fled from the scene.
“Trying to hit me with such a disgraceful slow attack won't work…” Avrin mocked the chief, who seemed to take his words to heart as he roared out in anger and slammed the totem downwards.
Avrin spun his body, not only dodging the attack again but using the force of the spin to kick the chief’s temple, catching him off guard. This was all done before the totem could even generate much force, as Kael was still near Avrin. It would’ve injured him if he hadn't stopped it.
The chief felt his vision darken and he entered an unconscious state as he was blown to the side by the force of Avrin’s kick. The kick itself wasn't anything special but contained enough strength to injure the chief. Adding that to the point being a vital spot, it was enough to win Avrin this quick victory.
The chief’s limp body blew back and bounced a few times before he lay limp on the ground, the totem rolling across the ground like a log before coming to a standstill. Avrin, who had gained his balance, walked over to Kael and grabbed him by the back of the cloak and raised him up to stand on his feet.
“We’re leaving now” Not wanting to stay enough to bring out attention, Kael, who was still quite severely wounded, could barely keep his balance. Avrin turned as he heard some voices. “H..He defeated the chief?!!..” Soon, yells and talk began to spread.
As much as the guards wanted to attack Avrin, they knew someone who had defeated him with a few movements wasn't to be trifled with. But the chief, keeping true to his strength, seemed to have woken up, as he pushed himself off the ground and gazed towards Avrin.
“Urgh… Seems...I underestimated you… But do you think I'm going to let you leave here alive? SURROUND THEM!” With his words echoing out, many of the guards, fighters, and even some adventurers quickly began to surround Avrin and Kael. Some were even early ranked Master level opponents.
“Master, what now?..” Kael weakly spoke. He seemed a little cautious. “What, you ask? Simple. You had your fun, now it's my turn to try a new technique of mine.”
Turning to gaze at the 30-40 individuals with not one weak person among them, each holding weapons that could be said to be of decent quality, the chief walked over and grabbed his totem as he made his way over, entering the encirclement, and laughed out.
“Surrender and I may go easy and grant you a quick death.” Avrin frowned. “People like you who speak nonsense are irritating to listen to. Let me show you the difference between you and me” Avrin’s Divine Sense, which had been extended to a kilometer, suddenly retracted to span just 3 meters beyond the encirclement.
The Divine Sense that had been retracted was more focused and contained more dark matter lingering around, like a chain ready to be tampered with.
The very air seemed to become colder and the atmosphere became somewhat grim. Several of the individuals had a feeling something bad was going to happen. “Whoever brings me their heads will receive 500 gold coins!!” The very sound of those words was enough to rally all the people to overcome this faint fear and rush towards Kael and Avrin with greed in their eyes.
Avrin stood steady as he extended his hands out slightly and uttered two words. “Phantom Pulse…” A quick pulse of energy emitted out of Avrin’s body, causing the dark matter in the Divine Sense to glow before they violently expanded, grabbing and latching onto the mana in the very area, which meant latching onto the mana that made up the individuals.
After the dark matter expanded, which was still not visible to the naked eye, these dark matter particles were urged downwards, as if being controlled by an immovable force they couldn't resist, and they shot downwards. Not only the mana in the air but also the individuals within the Divine Sense were also brought downwards and smashed into the ground, unable to move even an inch.
Some weaker people had lost consciousness the moment they hit the ground, some were unable to bear the pressure and also lost consciousness, while others were screaming in fear and pain.
The chief was barely any different. He had fallen to his knees and found it hard to move. As if he were holding a mountain. “F-Field magic?” He had thought. He knew that if that was the case, Avrin wasn't to be trifled with.
The pressure caused by Phantom Pulse shooting downwards caused the area within the Divine Sense to darken with streaks of purple static and distorted space. Kael, who wasn't affected, look amazed as he spoke out. “Master, incredible!! What sort of magic is this?!” Avrin glanced at him and replied. “Magic? This is mainly the power of gravity doing the work for me. All I'm doing is providing the material.”
Walking calmly towards the chief, Avrin opened his hand out and a Void Sword began to form until the tip of the blade was pressed softly against the man’s neck. “You try to murder my disciple because he fairly defeated your daughter, and then you try to use dirty and cheap tactics to kill us?! Not only are you a Grandmaster, but also a chief of a village, have you no shame!”
Avrin was quite angry. His mood had been ruined by this man. “Uhh.! Please forgive me... I-I was just trying to uphold my family’s honor!” Avrin’s eyes twitched a little under his mask as he retracted the Divine Sense from the people, as to not kill them, but focused the Phantom Pulse over the chief, making it a little stronger.
He was unable to keep on his knees and fell on his stomach. This time, it felt as if he held an entire continent, with some of his bones cracking. He wanted to cough out blood from the small internal wounds but was unable to.
“Argh!!..” The chief yelled in agony. Even Avrin felt a little pity. “I see people like you are only good at speaking of honor and doing what's right, yet none of you truly have a sense or meaning of what the word is. Let me send you to your grandfather. Ask him about honor and your mistake here today.”
Pulling the Void Sword back, he was about to end the chief’s life, but a voice called out. ‘STOP!” Suddenly, the chief’s daughter, who was watching from the side, leaped towards Avrin with anger in her eyes. Clutching a nearby spear, she thrust it towards him in an attempt to save her father.
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Avrin reached over with his left hand, grabbing the tip of the spear, and squeezed until the metal shattered like glass. “You're no better than your father. Getting angry and trying to make a fool of my disciple because of a simple object.“ The girl fell to her knees as she watched Avrin break her weapon. She was shocked and knew at this moment that she was helpless to resist.
Avrin glanced at Kael, who looked at him a bit strangely. “Hmph…” He knew this look Kael gave him asked if he was really going to kill them. The Void Sword soon disintegrated and Avrin began to walk off. “Killing you is worthless. Don't repeat these stupid mistakes again…”
Removing the pressure from the chief after he had gone over to Kael, both of them began to leave the village, with only the people gazing with nervousness and fear. Some of the guards who hadn't been caught up in Phantom Pulse rushed over to help the chief. “Are we going after them?” One bald-headed guard spoke with anger. The chief shook his head.”No...too strong..he is way too powerful. We are lucky no one died today..”
He looked at his daughter, who wasn't sure how to handle the situation. She had never seen her father being beat so easily and then forced to his knees like a child. Rather than fear and sadness, anger seemed to fill her heart.
The chief sighed, as he had made a fool out of himself by being overconfident. The more he thought about Avrin’s words, the more he realized he wasn’t wrong. Power had rushed to his head and made him feel as if his words alone were the truth.
The day had gone by, and both Avrin and Kael were long gone from the village. They were seated around a campfire with Avrin examining the shield he had swapped a Unique ore for. “Master, I'm sorry I caused trouble. It wasn't my intention.” Kael finally found the courage to properly apologize.
“I know, I know. “ Avrin seemed more interested in the shield than Kael, which made Kael a bit confused. “Master, that skill you used, Phantom Pulse, can you teach it to me? It was amazing.”
Avrin simply spoke again. “As I said. Until you learn how to control your Divine Sense, you won't be able to use it. It requires some mastery. Even I am still getting the hang of it.” He paused for a few moments. “This shield is incredible, there is no fault at all!” Avrin quickly exclaimed, as he was refocused on the shield, which irritated Kael.
“Master, what is so good about that dumb shield anyway? It's purely steel, right?” Avrin looked at Kael and frowned. “You brat. You need to learn to respect the crafts as well. This shield might be made from steel, but it has a few secrets. Here, hold it.”
Avrin passed the shield to Kael, who clutched it and looked at it curiously. “Hmm. Well, it looks normal. I'm not really sure what you're asking about, Master” Avrin sighed and stood up, taking the shield back. “When you get older, you will understand. Until then, you won't have the chance to know what I mean.
This shield has the heart and soul of its creator. Blacksmiths may make rare and unique weapons with great effort and love, but this shield as normal as it is, is crafted in such a way that its capability is much greater.”
Kael looked at Avrin as if he were crazy, which made Avrin feel disappointed. He felt showing him would be much better. “Look.” Avrin placed the shield on the ground and suddenly punched directly onto it, causing the ground underneath to shake a little, which made Kael, who was still recovering, jump slightly.
He then gazed at the shield with amazement. “No marks!” Looking at Kael’s expression, Avrin smirked. “Yes. I used the strength of an Expert, who would be able to crush a simple steel shield without much effort. But this shield, which is perfectly crafted without error, can disperse the attack equally.
Even a millimeter makes the difference. A simple steel shield would be good for someone of the Intermediate level, but this shield is good enough for someone of the Expert level. Do you understand now, boy?”
Avrin had intended to give Kael another chance when he grew more mature, but hIs excitement had ruined the wait. “Uh... Whoever crafted that shield must be someone incredible, and this shield is incredible?” Avrin blinked. Although Kael wasn't all that right, he wasn't wrong either.
“Yes and no. It means that there is a method of crafting that allows someone to take cheap materials and craft in a way that allows them to compete with metals a rank higher. This is my assumption. And this shield isn't all that incredible. Its true value is the ability to be perceived and read like a book. Once you see it, you realize there is more than you know.”
Kael hadn't really taken it all in, but he just went along with what Avrin said while trying to comprehend it all. Of course, Avrin knew his disciple was still a little dumb, but over time, he could grow smarter. He would share his knowledge with him but wanted Kael to grow a bit more before doing so. After all, for Asura, it was needed. For Erebus, it was also needed, for survival. For Kael, there is no need to do so.
With the night settling in and time passing on, Avrin and Kael had reached the port inside the fortress of the Twisting Lands. They didn't spend much time there because as soon as they arrived, the boat heading back towards the port city had also arrived and they had boarded it.
Time passed on again, and they were nearing the Central continent. On the large vessel, Kael was glancing at the ocean with a thoughtful look in his eyes. Avrin, who was tampering around with his Divine Sense to practice, extending it into the ocean itself, had gotten all he needed to understand the difference between using it in and out of the water. He glanced at Kael and walked over.
“Why do you look as if someone you know passed away? Are you not satisfied with your power?” Avrin asked curiously. Kael glanced quickly and laughed softly. “Not that, Master. I’ve just been thinking about my family. Now that I'm stronger, I'm sure I will be given goals like my sister and brother… It makes me nervous.”
Avrin folded his arms and leaned against the edge of the vessel. There were quite a few adventurers on the ship conversing with one another, as well as merchants who had joyful looks, hoping to make profits from the Twisting Lands.
All in all, accompanied by the fresh air and smooth seas, one could say everyone, but Kael seemed satisfied in leaving the Twisting Lands.
“You stubborn brat. You're making me feel depressed now. You're worried because before you had an easy life with no responsibilities, but now you're worried of responsibilities? My disciple truly is a brat” Shaking his head in a miserable way, Avrin sighed. Kael wanted to cry out in misery but spoke.
“Master, please be serious. I’m certain I can enter Gaia Academy, but then I'll be used as a tool for my father’s feud for the throne. As if an arranged marriage wasn't enough.”
Avrin blinked. “Arranged marriage? What nonsense are you talking about?” Kael glanced at Avrin and spoke, “Oh, I forgot! I apologize, Master. Before you met me, it was agreed upon when I was born that a girl from another high tier noble family and I would marry to increase ties.”
Avrin scoffed quietly. “Your life truly sounds miserable. Are you satisfied with this marriage?” Kael thought for a moment. “The girl is quite incredible. She is also talented. I felt I would be holding her back. But now that I have some power, I'm sure I can also add something to this marriage. If it is for my family, I am satisfied.”
Glancing at Kael, Avrin was cautious. It seemed he had a true sense of obligation towards his family. A bit too much. As if something had happened that made him want to prove himself greatly. “Fool. Your future is too boundless to be tied down by marriage… A simple human empire isn't enough anymore.
Give our race a decade or so and you will learn how limitless we can be. I have some expectations for those in the Northern continent” Avrin spoke proudly and with eagerness to see how the others were progressing.
The trip back to the city of Rael was quite uneventful, but it allowed Avrin and Kael some time to focus on themselves to see if even a scrap of progress could be made. This continued on until they had finally arrived. Of course, Avrin had arrived earlier than he had written in the letter that he had sent to Henreth, so there was no one to greet them.
Both Kael and Avrin had no luggage, so after leaving the vessel, they departed from the port area still cloaked, but not as much as before. Kael’s hood was removed. His handsome, mature appearance attracted a few glances from girls of all kinds, including some that could be said to be triple his age. Avrin, on the other hand, was only spared a few glances.
He was certain that those who looked at him considered him mysterious or a weirdo with a mask, but he didn't care all that much regarding these strange looks.
Both of them headed towards the lord’s estate with no detours or delays. This continued on until they arrived at the gate, where they spotted two familiar faces. One of the veterans that had accompanied Kael was speaking to another.
It seemed they were keeping guard of the estate’s gate. “I'm sick of guarding this damn place. When are they coming back?” One female guard replied to her male counterpart, who spoke, “When Young Lord Kael returns, sir Henreth found it would be better to gain some goodwill with Lord Helbin…”
As Kael came into view, he saw these two and happily called out. “Kate! Lein!” The two jumped as they heard their names called, thinking it was important, only to see Kael walking over towards them with Avrin close behind.
Kate, the female guard, narrowed her eyes a bit before shouting “Young Lord!! You're back!!” She truly wanted to laugh and cry, because this surely meant that she would be rid of her guard role. In fact, the other guard was also over the moon. “Young Lord, welcome back! It's good that you're here. Sir Henreth was incredibly worried, but it looks like you're fine. In fact, you seem different.”
The man examined Kael closely, then gazed at Avrin and bowed. “Lord Avrin, thank you for helping our young lord. He truly has a warrior’s aura!” With words spoken showing that this guard knew what he was talking about, this was backed up by the fact that he had seen his own share of fighting.
Soon after, they were led inside the estate and met with the other guards, who were also being tormented by duties that were not fitting for their skill set. But it was until a panicked voice called out that Kael seemed a little stunned. “Young Lord!!” Henreth rushed out with a miserable look as he went over towards Kael and placed his hands on his shoulders. “You're okay! This is great, perfect! Jahahaha!”
Kael blinked and chuckled softly. “Uhh… yes. I'm fine, as you can see.” Henreth nodded and glanced at Avrin as he shook his head while showing a distressed face. “Lord Avrin... you really had me panicked. If anything happened to the young lord, then I would surely lose more than just my position…”
Avrin raised his hand and gently swayed it as if to calm him down. “As Kael said, he is fine. I would have never taken him if I wasn't certain of his strength. But in the end, my promise has been kept.”
Kael smiled as Henreth led him and Avrin further inside while the others, unfortunately, were told to finish their duties. “Sir Henreth, has there been any news from my father or Lord Gregson?” Kael spoke, curious to the happenings of today and wanting to be up to date.
Henreth froze for a moment as he glanced at Kael, his face paler than before. “In fact young Lord... there has been 2 pieces of news from your father. I think it's better if we discuss this somewhere more private.”