Author Note: I am not dropping this story. It would leave a bad taaste in my mouth. I still have problems in IRL... and hardcore binge-reading and playing MMORPG's. Sorry about that. I will not drop it but the releases might get better (and by better I mean faster)this summer. I still have classes ( Can you believe that shit? I am suffering here! T_T) for now so it is a bit taxing but vacation is near! Hopefully the ideas I have in my head can be put to good use by then. Anyways, to those who are still reading this story, I thank you for your support.
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"Uwaaaahhhh!?!!! No!! Please don't burn it!!! I'll do anything but just don't burn it!!!" (Kiralne)
I am sitting on a block of stone while using {Telekinesis} to fiddle a floating object in the air. A book to be exact, filled with details that should not be shown to children. A [Compressed Fireball] the size of my fist is also floating in the air around me. Kiralne is kneeling in seiza, with her hands tied by my Overstone Shackles crying, tears flowing down her face with an expression of despair.
We are now preparing to leave this underground cavern. Since Kiralne condition has finally stabilized, there should be no more reason to stay here. Except for the fact that I really want to beat up that stupid god. If all gods are like this then I'll feel sorry for Frelinia. She is a good girl on my opinion.
While playing with the floating book and fireball with the help of Mind 1, Mind 2 is helping me concentrate on watching Liz. Liz is in her little dragon form, flying towards a pile of magic vegetables. She is holding a clump of magic vegetable, which looks like a carrot. She dropped the carrot towards the pile and flew happily towards the garden.
Its actually interesting to watch Liz do this kinds of things. It kinda feels like how a parent would feel when watching their child play around. Its a very relaxing activity.
Following her are golems that also have magic vegetables in their arms, dropping them into the massive pile. Its kinda silly but it makes Liz cuter in my eyes. Its like Liz is playing 'follow the leader'. They are golems that I made from the spell [Stone Golem Creation], belonging to the Manifestation category. They look like the mannequins in department stores except for three things. One, they can move. Two, they are made out of rough grey stone. Three, they have a "core" in the center of their chests. Mind 3 is currently controlling them. Since they are golems made from a spell, I need to be the one to control them as their creator.
Making constructs are more reliable than this though. I am planning to keep these magic vegetables in my storage ring for future transactions. They are really beneficial for the health of mana manipulators so they will sell well. The storage ring now has the feature of keeping things fresh so I don't have to worry about the vegetables spoiling.
I was supposed to be the one picking these vegetables but Liz seems keen on doing the task. So I simply let her.
"Hey, Kira. Why do you have this thing with you? Are you alright in the head?" (Krey)
I now address her as Kira. Why? Because she looks like a teenager right now and my mental age is in the 20's so I subconsciously treat her like someone younger than me. Besides, its easier to call her like this.
"I won't tell you until you give me back that book!!" (Kiralne)
"Oh well. Suit yourself" (Krey)
Facing her defiant answer, I shrugged and summoned three more [Compressed Fireball] and willed them to revolve around the obscene book.
Kira's face became paler and more tears came out of her eyes. My Overstone Shackles are still holding her down, preventing her from standing up and keeping her hands tied. She can break out of her bindings easily but I can just cast an even stronger
"Do you know what this thing is?" (Krey)
Kira calmed down a bit but she is still visibly shaken. What's wrong with you? This is a book with bad influence y'know?
"That *sniffle* is a book about the Theory of Wind Displacement. *sniffle* Uuuu... I won that in an auction a few years ago. P-please don't burn it. I'm still deciphering it. *sniff*" (Kiralne)
"No. This book must be disposed off. And clearly you have already been corrupted. No wonder a pure elf like you would become a pervert." (Krey)
"What?!! N-no!! Wuuwuuuu~ *sniff* I r-really worked hard to get that book. *sniffle* Its really important to m-me Please don't-" (Kiralne)
"No." (Krey)
Refusing her request, I burned this evil book with the four [Compressed Fireball]s and watch as the vile aura from the book escape into the air. But before it does, I turned the [Compressed Fireball]s into [Unearthly Frost Flames]. Mutation category. They now look like flickering blue wisp. Except they are cold to the touch. But, they are quite unique. This flame freezes an object then incinerates it from the inside. What's more, it is very effective against any spiritual targets like the soul, the will or a spell in the Manifestation category. The four clumps of [Unearthly Frost Flames] surrounded that vile aura. Then it gradually began to disappear. In the background, I can hear someone screaming. Two people actually. The first is that vile aura. Its a disturbing screech of anger, kinda creepy. The second is Kira, who is crying even more hysterically.
I ignore her for awhile, assembling my thoughts. Liz looked at us, hear little dragon head tilted in puzzlement. Then after a flash of dragonic mana, Liz turned back into her human form and went over to Kira, consoling her. Kira then hugged Liz, sobbing on her small chest.
'Krey nii-chan. You could have just burnt it while she wasn't looking y'know? She might get traumatized.' (Lisana)
'She's a hundred and thirty-seven years old. She'll get over it.' (Krey)
'You do know that big sis Kira has an unusual attachment to that book right? Ever since big sis Kira had the poison removed from her body, she took out that book and read it for a long time didn't she?' (Lisana)
'It's better to remove the threat as early as possible. The Will Bestowal on that book is too strong and too malicious. It has already seeped into her consciousness, eroding her will slightly. Its a bad thing for her. Anyway I leave Kira to you.' (Krey)
'Whatever you say, Krey nii-chan~' (Lisana)
Lisana shrugged happily, leaving me be.
Seriously. Who owns this stuff? The book has traces of a strong will. A malicious will at that. It must be an expert on Will Bestowal. Here in Salratia, the saying "If there's a will, there's a way" is taken to a whole new level. Will is not a spiritual thing. IT is literally one of the factors that determines the strength of the person. It is the only other thing that can bend the laws of physics and reality other than mana.
A will that affects reality is a form of Will Bestowal. Usually, a Will Bestowal as damnable as this would be tracked down by mana manipulators immediately. But this thing is well-hidden, even I didn't noticed it while it was in Kira's storage ring. Only by chance did I notice something peculiar about the book when I saw a fanatic gleam in Kira's eyes as she read it. I really want to meet the person who did this. As knowledgeable I am in magic, Will Bestowal is another art that I would gladly partake in. It's like a better version of Rune Enchanting. The other two arts are alchemy and blacksmithery.
"Uuuwwwaahh~!! *sniffle**sniffle*Uuuuuuu...wuwuwu" (Kiralne)
"There, there, big sis Kira." (Lisana)
Liz patted Kira's head while I directed the golems to continue their work. After half an hour, the golems finally gathered all the magic vegetables and I put them all in my storage ring. Kira fell asleep on Liz's arms, mentally exhausted. Hmmm... so a warrior has great physical strength but overshadows mental strength while a mage is the opposite of that. Good to know.
I told Liz about what I think happened to Kira. It was when I finished "sparring" with Kira, I explained to her about my powers. Of course I had to explain it properly towards her who was so shocked that she froze for a full minute. After a long time, I ended with the explanation, 'I am a Dual Champion. A Champion of Frelinia and Azaroth.' Fortunately, I didn't have to explain anything about Liz. She was smitten by her adorableness. So its fine.
Then we went back to our "normal" lives. Well, at least it was supposed to be like that, until Kira took out that book. At first glance it was really a book about the theory of Wind Displacement, a supposed profound mystery of the wind element. Technically it is false, because it is a profound truth not a mystery. If it was a profound mystery, only the author would be able to understand it.
Then, I looked into Kira's eyes out of habit and saw a different gleam in her eyes. Slight fanaticism and insanity. I recognized that because I usually see that kind of gleam when I look in the mirror. Then I observed her book closely and sensed the nasty atmosphere around the book. Hence, the situation devolve into the issue earlier.
Although she could have broken through her bindings with enough effort, the Kiss of Vow prevents her from doing so. She is not allowed to hinder me and she must protect me. Those were one of the conditions in her vow. Meaning, I could basically make her do anything I want and she will have to obey. The earlier issue of her abducting me is part of a loophole in her vow.
Very sneaky, even I didn't noticed it at first. Anyway, I told Liz that Kira's will has been eroded by the Will Bestowal. I really want to learn from this expert. It looks fun. Unfortunately, Liz is against it.
"Krey nii-chan we have to find that person and make that person suffer for hurting big sis Kira!" (Lisana)
Liz said that while a ferocious gleam lit up in her golden eyes. She is gnashing her teeth, while supporting Kira who has fallen asleep on Liz's small lap. Okay. Her total sleep count has finally exceeded the five thousandth mark. I make that note inside of my head while watching Liz throw a cute tantrum.
"Krey nii-chan, where can we find that person? I will definitely tear that person apart and feast n his flesh!" (Lisana)
"Now, now Liz calm down. We'll definitely catch him later but now we should leave okay? I still have other things to do." (Krey)
While scared on the inside about Liz's word, I made a light smile appearing to disregard what Liz said and told Liz to prepare for departure.
"Hmph! Fine." (Lisana)
Liz pouted cutely before urging me to carry Kira. I did as she said and finally, Liz coated herself with dragonic mana and transformed to her big dragon form.
"Wow, huge..." (Krey)
Liz's big dragon form took a lot of space in the underground cavern. After gawking for a few seconds, I shrugged once more, giving a carefree smile and levitated myself and Kira using {Telekinesis}. I set down on Liz's head and ask Liz a question that I am really curious about.
'Liz, if you are saying that you want to punish the person that hurt Kira, why do you not hate me?' (Krey)
I can tell that Liz and Kira are very close. She should at least have a little bit of dissatisfaction towards me for my actions right? I've literally committed a lot of bad acts against Kira as revenge for what she did to me five years ago. Yet I do not sense any hatred coming from her.
'Krey nii-chan is the best person in the world.' (Lisana)
Liz telepathically said to me with confidence, as if stating the truth about the world.
'Before I hatched, inside my egg, I was awake and conscious the whole time. For a very long time, I was all alone. I could not cry nor could I move. It was very lonesome in my egg.' (Lisana)
As she said that, she gave off a low growl and with a flap from her large wings, we flew towards the big hole at the ceiling of the cavern. I ignored the small details like the wind force and occasional zig-zags that Liz's large body could barely squeeze through and listened to Liz.
'After I hatched, the first thing I saw was you. My instincts told me that you were a threat but you told me that you want to take care of me. That... was the happiest moment of my life.' (Lisana)
Liz said dreamily while I prevented myself from retorting that she had only lived for five years. My sharp tongue might ruin the atmosphere.
'Anything that Krey nii-chan does is right. I know Krey nii-chan will not stray from his path. I could see it in your eyes Krey nii-chan. No matter what you do, in my heart I will always support you.' (Lisana)
'Is that so?' (Krey)
I replied vaguely while searching for something good to wear in Kira's storage ring. Ah good! There are also black clothes here. With this, my set is complete. I laughed crudely while not noticing the small sigh coming from Liz as we flew towards the surface.
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(Lord Turlan P.O.V.)
By the devils of Fulskha! What in blazes are those idiots plotting?! An Arch-level Mana Manipulator in our borders and they give such reasons not to come!? Curse those infidels!! I might even die early thanks to those bastards. *sigh* Forget it. I'll take matters into my own hands.
My old hand is slightly trembling while reading this stupid excuse of a response in the form of a letter. Rune Enchantments have been placed beforehand so that the only ones who are able to read what is inside is me and me alone. I stroke my beautiful beard to calm myself down and turned my gaze to one of my confidantes, Filly.
This girl is the one I assigned to look after Kiralne... and to hopefully bring her to my side. Unfortunately, that lass is as stubborn as a Gurindis, giving me endless headaches. Well, at least they had a good friendship... while it lasted.
Filly is an Elder Adept, possessing two elemental affinities, earth and nature. She is a beastman, a Rabbitkin to be exact, and the few competent people under my command.
"Filly, make haste and deliver my commands to these three individuals: Arles, Halendoth and Daniel. Tell them to mobilize all of our Elder-level mana manipulators. The other lords will not come. We have to deal with this problem ourselves." (Lord Turlan)
"Yes, milord!" (Filly)
Her rabbit ears which were rested behind her head immediately stood erect in response to my order. She bowed down before rushing out of the tent, in which I have settled in. I massage my temples before sitting down in a chair and summoning four Crystals of Tahlkes from my storage ring.
This were the magic items that I painstakingly developed to be of aid to me. These four floating purple crystals are made of a nearly indestructible material called Manatite. No one actually knows how this material is formed but we Mana Manipulators can sense an terrifying amount of mana in these materials. Unfortunately, we cannot harness it but these stones are already a good conduit for our spells and skills.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I willed the crystals to surround me, positioning themselves in the four directions. I got out of my chair and prepared to walk out of this gaudy tent. *sigh* Such a waste of materials. If they wanted to put in decorations, put them on the cities instead. I grumble inwardly and was about to open the tent flaps when someone abruptly entered.
Of course I already know who it is. Only four people under my command are allowed to enter the Commander's tent. The other three are away on a mission and only Filly should be present. And it really is Filly.
Her rabbit ears are once again rested on her head, while I can see faint signs of panic on her face. Worried, I asked her what's wrong.
"Filly what is the matter? Have you already delivered my commands to them?" (Lord Turlan)
Of course that is impossible. Our camp is about a day away from the forest of the Magic Mountain Range, where I sensed the faint mana waves of a breakthrough. Although we could use some magic items or make use of spells to contact these people, it still would not be that fast. The only way to inform them is to directly head over to their location. What's more we don't have those kinds of things here. This is a hastily assembled coalition, to prepare against the enemy.
Even if I, a Middle-Staged Archmagus is here, I'm the only Colonnade present within ten miles that represents Tolkium Kingdom. It will not be funny if I am ambushed by a a group of Colonnades due to my carelessness.
"U-um its- well... its c-can um...." (Filly)
She is clearly disgruntled. Holding the hem of her dark mantle while constantly fidgeting. She has an expression of unease and uncertainty, which worries me.
"Um its... where can I find them?" (Filly)
"...Huh?" (Lord Turlan)
"W-well you see, I was on vacatio- no, I mean I was having a holid-sorry. I was recently working in the Bunny Point Inn and I am not really well-informed about the nobles. How should I contact them?" (Filly)
Towards those words uttered by Filly, I almost fell over and cough up blood due to stress. Luckily, I am used to stress and gazed coldly at Filly, not approving of her words. So she treated that assignment as a vacation did she? I should cross out the 'competent' evaluation I gave her later. Are my subordinates getting lazy now? I must be treating them too kindly. Their brains are already equivalent to that of the slimes. I'll have to discipline them swiftly. I silently took out my staff from the storage ring and approached Filly, my eyes flashing with murderous intent...
A few hours later...
"Thirty-seven Elder Adepts and fourteen Elder Magus have been sent by Archduke Arles, Duke Halendoth and Marquis Daniel altogether Lord Turlan. Unfortunately, they cannot send anymore capable mana manipulators. They apologize for their inadequacy." (Filly)
"Hmmm... It is fine. Go back to your post." (Lord Turlan)
"Yes sir." (Filly)
I watch Filly, who has multiple swollen bumps on her head leave the tent, allowing me to assemble my thoughts. This number of people are barely enough to activate the Sigil Formation. I just hope that they are only a few of them in the Magic Mountain Range. If there are more than five Colonnades over there, then the casualties among the coalition will definitely be huge.... *sigh* Such a headache. Why are we still fighting among ourselves. Internal conflict, how laughable. I stroked my beard once more before sensing a faint fluctuation of mana in the direction of the Magic Mountain Range.
Solemnly, I summoned my staff and willed the Crystals of Talhkes to surround me once more. I activate my Aura Wing Technique and three-colored transparent pair of large wings materialized on my back.
With experienced movements, I flew out of the tent through the roof, blowing away the tent in the process due to the speed of my flight. After a short burst, I looked down to see a clustered group of tents along with the small figures of mana manipulators. I'm probably 2000 meters up in the air, about the height of the average mountain. The sun is almost setting, creating an orange backdrop in the horizon.
I looked of into the distance to stare at the distant Magic Mountain Range... or what's left of it. The airspace around this former Mountain Range seemed more dangerous than the airspace away from it. The originally picturesque mountain range is now a wasteland wrought with destruction. The gigantic mountains that dotted have been reduced to miserable piles of rubble. Destruction-type mana has long been seeded into this place. It is very dense, clouds of destruction-type mana hung in the air around the craters.
Even the land itself has been poisoned, no longer was it the vibrant brown and gentle green it usually was but it is now a malicious shade of violet. Among the elements, Destruction is the most dreaded and feared. Unlike the other elements which can provide benefits for the people, Destruction as the name implies only brings about devastation. Luckily, its profound truths and profound mysteries are very difficult to fully comprehend. Only a minuscule few have the chance to truly make use of it, even if one has the destruction affinity.
Although I've seen this scene a lot of times, I can't help but take in a cold breath, watching this astonishing scene of desolation. The Magic Mountain Range, one of the five wonders of the Tolkium Continent, is only a shadow of its former self. Only a third of the mountain range is left. The forests have long since withered, only dust remains. A barren wasteland. It has been like this for five years.
We still do not know who was the cause of all this. It may very well be an expert at the Saint level, or maybe even beyond that! What's more, this expert has great insights towards the profound truths and mysteries of destruction. The lord of the Magic Mountain Range must be fuming now. But it doesn't concern us that much. As long as that thing doesn't bother our kingdom, then the Great Ancestor won't do anything to him.
I swept my gaze around this wasteland and spotted a figure in the distance, also in mid-air. I raised my guard and prepared my spells. I have a feeling that this figure is a real danger. I carefully scrutinized the blurry figure, covered by fog that has built up over the years. Gradually, I found something strange about this figure. It is huge and not humanoid in shape, but edging to the animal side.
After a few moments, the fog made out of destruction-type mana residue cleared up, and what I saw made my expression turn graver. It was over sixty meters long from the base of the tail up to the snout and twenty meters tall. Dark and domineering scales covered its massive body. Its spine was lined by horrifying and sharp spikes all the way to the thick tail. The tip shaped like a spearhead but more jagged, giving off the impression that this things was not meant for killing but for tormenting.
Black leathery wings spanning up to a hundred twenty meters flapped strongly, strong winds forming around them. Strong legs and talons hung in mid-air. The joints also have spikes protruding out, like an overgrown bone, except it was an obsidian color giving off the impression that these spikes are not as fragile as they seem. The head was symmetrically triangular, big dark horns, a gigantic sharp frill in the neck and sharp teeth. Bright red patterns lined its ginormous body.
What was really eye-catching was those eyes. Golden eyes. It was enchanting yet also domineering. It made one confused whether to be mesmerized or back away.
It was a dragon.
This made me drastically alarmed. The mana fluctuation was probably caused by this dragon. I am not sure whether this dragon is a lesser dragon or a high dragon but it appearing in these barren lands is not a good sign.
Destruction-type mana is absolutely horrendous, literally destroying anything it touches. Fortunately, this was not imbued with the will to completely destroy, otherwise the damages to the surroundings would be far worse than it is now. But clearly that dragon is fine, making it possible that this dragon has an affinity for destruction. The dragon race is a very powerful race.
Although dragons also follow the path of mana manipulation, the same as we warriors and mages, they are more powerful than us. Even an Elder-level dragon can go head to head with an Archknight or an Archmagus. And that is if it is a lesser dragon. An Elder-level High Dragon may be able to dominate even those in the Saint level!
But... a Lesser Dragon is far more dangerous than a High Dragon. High Dragons are intelligent and are reasonable. They don't wantonly slaughter and only idle around in their territory. Solitary and peaceful type of dragons. But there are very few of them.
Lesser Dragons on the other hand, though they are also few in number, they still have a greater numbers than the high dragons. Theses dragons are acting based on their instincts, animals in a single word. They cannot be reasoned with and will attack if provoked. Fortunately, some lesser dragons are docile but it highly relates to their elemental affinity. Those who have the destruction affinity tend to lean more in the aggressive and violent side. The same goes with High Dragons.
Seeing this dragon here confirms one thing. It is a dragon with an affinity for destruction. To survive and not be bothered by the dense destruction-type mana, it has to be that. But there is also one likely reason but it is just a legend, a myth to be exact. No one knows if those kinds of dragons still exist. Those legendary existences might have existed long ago but they are undoubtedly gone now.
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I prepared to fly closer when suddenly-
'Fellow expert, we are only passing by. We do not harbor ill will. Please stand aside.'
-I received an Aura Transmission. Aura Transmission is a divine art that can be practiced by anyone so as long as they reached the Arch level or have great understanding towards this divine art. It needs great control of refined mana to allow one's voice to travel in a single line towards a certain destination. I vaguely sensed that the Aura Transmission came from the direction of the dragon.
Clearly, it was not the dragon who sent this Aura Transmission. The voice sounded young but very mature. I could not easily tell if it was a man or a woman. On top of the dragons's head, I can see a person sitting cross-legged, a mask covered that person's face. It didn't have any designs, it was purely black with two holes for the eyes. Mana manipulators generally have good bodies. With my eyesight, I could see bright blue eyes staring calmly at me. But, I have the strange feeling that the gaze was not really meaningful. That person had black hair and wore black clothes. Black coat, black robes, black pants, black straps, black boots and black mask.
If it wasn't for that Aura Transmission, I would have assumed that this person was a part of the enormous dragon. I breath a sigh of relief. It looks like that person is controlling the dragon. There is no need to worry about a rogue dragon anymore. Furthermore, this person is actually capable of Aura Transmission despite being at the Elder level. This person must have an impressive background or incredibly talented. This person was actually quite small for an average adult. But I could not tell really clearly due to the distance if he/she was really small but that person has a relatively thin figure.
Calming my thoughts for awhile, I used Aura Transmission to transmit my voice towards that person.
'I am afraid that it is not possible fellow expert. You are within the borders of the Tolkium Kingdom and must be subjected to questioning. Please do not resist.' (Lord Turlan)
I am not worried about him in general, rather I am worried about the dragon beneath him. The dragon is the biggest threat for now and I do not know whether this person is related to Lumen Isles Union. Letting a suspicious person like him go is a stupid act. I must be certain if he really does not pose a threat or wishes harm upon the kingdom. But I still don't know if that person is a mage or a warrior. Sometimes it is hard to differentiate between warriors and mages. The black-robed figure was silent for a while making the atmosphere tense.
'Filly, prepare the Godrealm Sigil Formation. Be as discreet as possible. I am currently near the Magic Mountain Range, about two miles from the camp. Assemble the coalition.' (Lord Turlan)
I sent an Aura Transmission toward Filly asking her to come. The dragon should be at least the Archmagus level. The mana fluctuation from a breakthrough probably came from this dragon. I have to hold them here.
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Now then, what will you do child...? Will you follow the path of a saint or a devil? Bearing the burden of three divine beings on your shoulders. Will you stand strong or fall like those before you...?
The other gods have separated like the fools they are.Your patron won't be able to protect you while she is away. Until that time, I will be watching.
A soul such as yours is hard to find... and yet so easy to make use of. But I wonder? Is your heart like the foolish heroes of the gods or the vehement fiends of Salratia?
No matter. You shall fall in my clutches soon ... and that will be the day the other gods will realize their mistake.
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Another Author Note: Hope you enjoyed it~ Still binge-reading ATG and MGA by the way.