In a narrow, dark corridor in the basement of the Royal Palace, the footsteps of two men were the only sounds in the flickering light of the candles.
A middle-aged serious Goblin, more than two meters tall, walked with a frown on his heroic, angular face: he didn't look happy at all. His aquiline nose protruded from the face, giving it a lofty and regal attitude.
Just behind him was a young man, still in his teenage years.
"Master, I'm sorry I made this decision without consulting you first, but even without your permission, I'm sure my team will win."
Helial's words weren’t many, but they were enough to make the King of Orma frown even more. "It does not matter that you accepted without telling me. It’s not the first time that’s happened. However," Cesar took a deep breath and tried to calm the negative feelings that were beginning to stir in his chest," you have accepted; I would go against my own interests if I advised you to withdraw. "
Although Cesar realized how great Helial's talent was, he thought that challenging Medusa was madness. Within the walls of the Goblin capital, probably only this young Human could be mad enough to accept Medusa's challenge, who was ready to tear him into pieces in the cruelest way in order to avenge his sister.
When word spread that Orma's new star, Cesar's disciple, had accepted the challenge of one of the greatest talents of the generation just before his own, everyone was amazed.
The people would not have been surprised if Circe had challenged her, or even better, Pseudonym had accepted the challenge. But the Human?
The elders of the Sacred Eagle Clan and the Guild of Life of Death had done nothing but shake their heads in the face of such foolishness.
The Sect of the Worthy and all its members, after a first moment of dismay at Helial's idiocy, had begun to celebrate his premature death.
No one could imagine why Helial had accepted and no one believed that his team could win.
Although Medusa was far behind Circe and Pseudonym, the greatest talents of the millennium, her fury was certainly not something that Helial could swallow without choking. This time the young man had found his match.
Everyone was amazed by his team's incredible performance and by last trick he had shown in the Colosseum against Medea. But nobody, not even the most foolish citizen of Orma, thought he had even a small chance against Medusa.
The betting companies had odds so low on Helial's defeat that, even investing millions, the revenue would be insignificant. Moreover, even if one person only bet on Helial's victory and won, he would become Orma's richest person overnight, ruining all betting agencies and fooling everyone who had placed bets against him. Still, nobody had enough guts to bet on him: it would have been the equivalent of throwing money into the cesspit.
Victory?
Rather, people bet on how many attacks Helial could face before dying. One? Two? Nah, too many. Maybe half.
Many had bet on half. Helial probably would be already dead even before Medusa had finished her first attack.
Long story short, nobody believed in his victory.
Helial's team itself, as terrifying as their leader was, did not know how he could handle Medusa. If they had feared her before, they were certain that after the death of her sister she would seek revenge directly.
Even the members of the Tristia Team wondered how those four kids and a cat who had barely reached the Second Phase could defeat Medusa's henchmen, who were "only" at the Initial stage of the Third Phase. As for the clash with Medusa, who was in the Intermediate stage, they didn't even dare to think about it.
Furthermore, despite being at the Intermediate stage, everyone knew that Medusa's talent had been overshadowed by Orma only because of Circe and Pseudonym's presence. Without them, Medusa would have been considered a great fighter. Even Comodo did not have the same innate talent as Medusa.
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Probably, that woman could have easily faced a warrior at the Late stage of the Third Phase and not lost her life when facing one at the Initial grade of the Fourth one.
While thinking of all these things, Cesar stopped walking and turned to his disciple. "At least, try to survive." His words echoed in the damp corridor, carrying a negative omen.
Cesar looked at the boy in front of him, a confident young man, with the hint of a smile on his face. The King of Orma turned again his back to Helial and headed for a door, a little further on, while his disciple answered him with an extremely serious voice:
"If we were talking about Pseudonym, I wouldn't be so sure of my actions. But defeating Medusa will not be impossible. Master, if you bet on our victory, the Royal Palace will have no gold shortages for three centuries at least,” Helial said smiling, confident.
What should Helial have been afraid of? His body was a crucible of priceless powers and treasures. His skin was as hard as steel, and the proof was the shallow cut he received from an attack that would have killed whoever was at his own Phase.
Moreover, recently Helial felt that the Kirin bloodline in his veins was eager to evolve. He just had to find the right way to control it and he would gain some unimaginable benefits.
Helial knew he could defeat her easily.
If he really had to fear that mad woman, then he would better hide his head in a hole and never get out again.
On the other hand, the boy had known for a long time that in the future he would face opponents far more fearful and so powerful that even Cesar would have been wiped out as easily as a grain of sand.
His future nemesis would be the projection into this universe of Amaterasu, the one who held the legacy of the Goddess of Life. To guarantee his own survival and complete the pact with the Devil, Helial would do what Iblis had failed to accomplish.
Cesar stopped at a door, walked through it and entered a room, followed by Helial. The walls were arranged in an octagon and at the centre of the floor there was a trap door, on which Formations were engraved. Cesar walked towards it and crouched, stroking one of the Formations, which suddenly shone with intense light, dazzling Helial for a few seconds.
Suddenly, Mana of heaven and earth began pouring into the room at an incredible speed.
If Helial cultivated his own Mana in that place, thanks to his Breathing Technique and that environment, his progress would be extremely fast.
"I thought for a very long time before deciding that this is the right thing to do. I brought you down here to show you this place, a sacred place that no one has access to, apart from the King of Orma. Beyond this trap door there is something that I cannot show you today, but I do not doubt that one day you will see it. For now, I allow you to cultivate in this room, if you happen to meditate on something." Cesar stood up and started back to the door. “In here, there is Karma, a Karma that connects our people with you Humans. Meditating in here will bring you twice the benefits and will allow you to progress faster. I can do only this for you.”
That scene was really mystical and touching.
Cesar had granted Helial access to a restricted area to cultivate to the best of his ability. Although his pupil had made an idiotic choice, his teacher had decided to support him as much as he could in any case.
"Master, wait", Helial's words came to Cesar's ears, who gently stopped. Turning around, he found himself face to face with Helial, who wore a complicated expression on his face. "You were the only one to give me a chance when taking my life would have been the simplest thing in the world to do; you were the only one to choose me for my talent, without caring for my race or my rank; you supported me, turning all your peers against you, even when I dared to act on impulse, when I dared to kill Goblin offspring. You didn't turn your back even when I exterminated the entire Executioners Team, including Medea. Even in the face of the crazy choices I made you supported me. You never forced me to do anything against my will, and once again you decided to support me. This is why you are and will always be my Master, even if you are a Goblin and I am Human.
"Everything you did for me was enough to cancel the resentment I felt towards you for killing my first Master, who was almost a father to me. But I see in you a kindness of heart that in my short life I have seen only in a few living beings, and this is enough for me to understand what I want to do: I will train and become strong and I will be the peacemaker between the Goblins and the Humans. So far you have only given me, without asking, and my debt to you is enormous.
"That is why now I ask you to allow me to act against the enemies of Orma, against those whom you consider brothers, and instead are traitors. I know very well that you cannot get your hands dirty with your brothers' blood, because you would not tolerate it. Allow me to do what your hands cannot, to get my hands dirty for you and show everyone that Cesar is still the true King of Orma, and he is able to train the greatest talent within these walls. Allow me to show everyone that Humans and Goblins can coexist and live in peace, that a Human can love this people too.
"Above all, I beg you to trust me. Knowing that the people closest to me trust me, my potential and my actions fills me with joy. I promise you: I will help anyone who needs protection. This is my Mana Path. "
Helial had now serene smile, as if she were a deity able to cover the whole world with the palm of his hand and show the light of paradise from his eyes.
Seeing the boy so calm and confident made an impression on Cesar. Helial's luminous gaze completely bewitched him, forcing him to smile back. That was the moment when Cesar realized he had Orma's greatest warrior in front of him, and not a foolish young man ready to be slaughtered in the Colosseum.